Israel Update 6.10.22

Wishing all my readers Chag Succot Sameach! HRG

 

 

YOM KIPPUR IN ISRAEL

 

 

Airports, trains & buses all came to a halt as Israel shut down on Tuesday afternoon for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, while security forces remained on high alert amid a spike in terror warnings. Israel’s airspace was closed from 14.00 Tuesday until 22.30 pm on Wednesday. As sundown approached on Tuesday, all local radio and television broadcasts also gradually fell silent.  Roads were largely clear of cars to be replaced with multitudes of people on bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles. Read more here

 

 

 

 

Emergency service MDA Medics treated 2,741 people during Yom Kippur; 268 were treated for dehydration or fainting brought on by fasting. There were 285 bicycle scooter and skateboard riders needing treatment for injuries on roads, while 133 expectant mothers were taken to hospital.Read more here

 

 

UKRAINE

 

Two Ukrainian soldiers who were severely injured in the war in Ukraine have arrived in Israel as part of an agreement that will see 20 service members receiving advanced medical treatment at Sheba hospital. All 20 injured veterans are amputees and will go through rehabilitation and be fitted for the specific prosthetics they need. Read more here

 

 

A new “Teach the Teachers” chatbot from Israel-based messaging and voice-based communication company Rakuten Viber is facilitating distance learning in the beleaguered Ukrainian education system. Read more here

 

 

DEFENCE

 

 

New British tanks are to feature an Israeli warning system. Elbit Systems UK has been selected to provide 150 Elbit Laser Warning Systems (ELAWS) as part of Britain’s new Challenger 3 main battle tank programme. Read more here

 

 

TERRORIST ATTACKS

 

Shooting attacks in the West Bank rise by 47%.

There were 34 shooting attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem in September, more than once per day.
There were 23 shooting attacks in August and 15 in July.
14 Israelis were injured and two were killed in Palestinian attacks in September. 15 Israelis were injured in attacks in August.
The IDF continues to carry out regular operations in the West Bank to put an end to terror attacks against Israelis.Read more here

 

A few examples:

 

Two Palestinians attempted to run over Israeli soldiers during an arrest raid near Ramallah and were shot in the predawn hours of Monday. Read more here

 

 

An Israeli vehicle came under fire from a passing vehicle in the South Hebron Hills on Wednesday night. The driver was not injured but the car was damaged. Read more here

 

 

On Sunday morning last week security camera footage showed terrorists arriving in a car at a petrol station at the entrance to Kedumim in the West Bank, setting down a bag carrying 4 kg. of explosives and driving off. The explosives did not detonate and no injuries were reported. Read more here

 

An Israeli taxi driver was lightly injured when gunmen opened fire at vehicles on a West Bank road on Sunday morning. A bus driver reported that the windshield of his vehicle was hit by a bullet in the same area. Read more here

 

And also in central Israel:

8 Israelis were lightly hurt in a suspected terror stabbing and mace spray attack near  Modi’in on Thursday evening 22/9. The assailant was neutralised.Read more here

 

 

COUNTER TERRORISM

 

 

6 Israeli Arabs suspected of planning to bomb a Muslim high school in Nazareth in the name of ISIS have been arrested. They also sought out additional targets, including a crowded bus stop, a police station, and forests frequented by Jewish Israelis.Read more here

 

 

During raids conducted on Yom Kippur, Israeli security forces arrested a Hamas-affiliated terrorist suspected of carrying out an attack on a Jewish school bus and a cab for special needs pupils in the West Bank. Read more here

 

 

The IDF and Israel Security Agency have thwarted a Hamas terrorism financing scheme using Gazans who were entering Israel for humanitarian reasons or with work permits. The funds were transferred to Hamas members in Turkey to finance terrorist activities in the West Bank and Turkey.Read more here

 

 

Israeli forces in Jenin last Wednesday sought to arrest the brother of a terrorist who killed three civilians on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff street in April. He and another terrorist were responsible for a series of shooting attacks in recent months. Israeli officials said the pair planned “more significant attacks in the near future.” During an exchange of fire they and two other terrorists were killed. Read more here

 

 

The commander of a special forces counter-terrorist squad specializing in undercover operations said that the shootout in Jenin was the most fierce he had faced.“The terrorists rained thousands of rounds of bullets at us, and for the first time used improvised explosive devices (IED)” Read more here

 

 

Israeli security forces thwarted an attempt to derail trains when an obstacle placed on railway tracks between Akko and Carmiel in northern Israel was discovered last week. Read more here

 

 

 

Two Palestinian men have been detained for allegedly throwing firebombs at passing buses from Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem last month, after disguising themselves as patients in wheelchairs to gain access. They threw Molotov cocktails and gas cylinders at passing vehicles. Read more here

 

 

IDF forces, Shin Bet, and Israel Border Police officers arrested four wanted individuals between Wednesday night and Thursday morning in a number of locations in the West Bank.Read more here

 

 

ECONOMY

 

 

The Bank of Israel raised its benchmark interest rate on Monday by another 0.75 points to 2.75%, as part of the central bank’s efforts in recent months to tackle inflation growth. Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron said that Israel’s economy is strong but suffers from a range of challenges including global slowdown, rising house prices and political uncertainty. Read more here

 

 

 

CORONAVIRUS

 

 

COVID-19 forms for travellers wishing to enter Israel will be discontinued starting Saturday at midnight, the Health Ministry has announced. However, the use of the form will be renewed if necessary. Read more here

 

 

 

INNOVATION

 

 

 

Matricelf, an Israeli biotech company that works in the regenerative medicine and tissue engineering sector, finished third in the final of the 2022 Startups World Cup which was held last week in San Francisco. The company was the only Israeli startup in the top 10, beating 17,000 companies from 70 geographical regions. Read more here

 

 

Asterra an Israeli startup, has developed cutting edge technology that identifies water pipe leaks from radar images taken by satellites 600km (372 miles) above the Earth. The company developed the technology in the search for underground water on Mars and other planets.  Asterra is currently finding leaks every day in the 65 countries where it operates, including across most of the UK. Read more here

 

 

Tevel Aerobotics Technologies an Israeli startup, has developed the world’s only flying autonomous robots (FARs) that pick fruit. The robots are fitted with cameras that assess the exact size and colour of each piece of fruit and only pick what’s perfectly ripe There are other robot solutions for fruit picking, but they are big ground-based machines that aren’t as agile, efficient or cost-effective. Read more here

 

 

A prototype, all-electric airplane has made its first flight in Washington state. The commuter plane, built to carry nine passengers and two pilots and called the Alice, was created by the Israeli-American startup Eviation. The company’s goal is to show such electric planes are viable as commuter aircraft for regional travel. Read more here

 

 

FOOD INNOVATION

 

 

Vgarden, which produces plant-based, dairy-free cheeses, spreads, pastries, meat, and fish, is to partner with an Australian company to build its first overseas production facility in Brisbane. Based at Kibbutz Gan Shmuel near Haifa, Vgarden already counts several major international restaurants and food suppliers among its customers, among them Papa John’s, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Costco and Woolworths. Read more here

 

 

CLIMATE TECH

 

 

Israel’s first climate innovation event for investors and entrepreneurs hosted a range of products and services for a sustainable future including instant icecream and smart trees. The exhibits were housed in temporary building structures made of materials developed by UBQ, a startup that converts unsorted household waste into a recycled thermoplastic.Another Israeli startup, Cellomat, promised a “refurbished smartphone revolution” through its machine that recycles old smartphones. Read more here

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

 

 

 

Italian astronaut and International Space Station commander Samantha Cristoforetti sent a warm “shalom” to Israel from space on Saturday in a tweet that was accompanied by photos of Tel Aviv’s and Haifa’s city lights and a few images of the Dead Sea taken from the orbiting installation.Photos displayed in this article. View here

 

 

 

SPORT

 

 

Israel’s national football team beat visiting Albania 2-1, sending it to the top of its group in the UEFA Nations League and guaranteeing a spot in the 2024 qualifying playoffs. Read more here

 

 

An Israeli national youth football team qualified for the under-21 European Championships by beating Ireland in a penalty shootout in Tel Aviv. The victory marks the third time that the Israeli men’s team will participate in the championships, after qualifying in 2007 and hosting the tournament in 2013. Read more here

 

 

 

Novak Djokovic claimed his third title of 2022 and the 89th of his career with an impressive straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic in the Tel Aviv Watergen Open final on Sunday.Read more here

 

 

COMMENT & OPINION

 

 

Khaled Abu Toameh: In the past few months, there has been a rise in the number of terrorist attacks against Israelis carried out by gunmen belonging to, or associated with, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its ruling faction, Fatah, both headed by Mahmoud Abbas. He encourages the murder and wounding of Israelis and pays generously for it – with money from Europe and the U.S.
The PA has been described as Israel’s Palestinian peace partner. It is largely dominated by members and activists belonging to Fatah, which has proven over the years that its actions and rhetoric are actually no different from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that openly call for the elimination of Israel.
This year, Fatah has once again increased its terrorist attacks against Israel. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and other armed groups belonging to Fatah boast about the attacks and threaten to continue the fight against Israel, while Mahmoud Abbas continues to incite against Israel and glorify those involved in terrorism.
This is the “peace partner” that the Biden administration is hoping to assist in establishing a Palestinian state next to Israel. Meanwhile, Israel’s “peace partner” is doing everything in its power to confirm the fears of Israelis about the presence of a Palestinian state just a few kilometres from their homes. Read more here