Israel Update 13.10.22

Sadly, it has been a difficult week for Israel:

TERRORIST ATTACKS

Military Policewoman Sgt. Noa Lazar, 18, was killed and a male security guard was in serious condition after a Palestinian terrorist opened fire at a security checkpoint near the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat on Saturday evening. Videos in Palestinian media showed children in Shuafat being given candy and celebrating with fireworks. Read more here

Staff Sergeant Ido Baruch, 21, was killed when a Palestinian gunman in a speeding car opened fire at a military post near Shavei Shomron on Tuesday.Read more here

The IDF placed a closure on Nablus on Wednesday, limiting entry and exit to only a few roads and imposing security checks following a rise in shooting attacks by Lions’ Den terrorist group. Read more here

The new Lion’s Den Palestinian terror group in Nablus consists of some 50 Palestinian Arabs, all under the age of 30, who are not affiliated with any “established” terror organizations. It is described by residents of Nablus as “local thugs.” “They hurt our economy, run protection rackets, and behave like criminals,” said one local resident. The Lion’s Den has no headquarters or a chain of command, making solid intelligence on them difficult to obtain. Read more here

Rioting Palestinians clashed with Israeli police in several locations across East Jerusalem Wednesday night and early Thursday, as forces continued to hunt for a Palestinian suspected of a deadly shooting attack on a checkpoint days earlier. Read more here

THE ISRAEL/LEBANON MARITIME BORDER AGREEMENT

Israeli P.M. Yair Lapid announced Tuesday that Israel has reached an historic agreement settling a longtime maritime border dispute with its northern neighbour, Lebanon.

Israel’s cabinet approved the agreement and Lapid’s proposal to bring it to the Knesset floor for review, but not for a vote. After that it will be presented in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. In 14 days, it will be brought back to the cabinet for final ratification, pending the Attorney-General’s approval throughout.

Some background context from BICOM Read more here

Full text of the Agreement (paywall): Read more here

Contrasting views:

Yaakov Katz: While this is far from being a peace deal with Lebanon, the uproar by some on the Right over a surrender of territory is disingenuous. EEZ (an Exclusive Economic Zone) is not territory. It is the right to exploit natural resources. Giving up that right is economic, especially when taking into consideration the fact that under the deal, Israel is supposed to receive royalties from Total. Read more here

Ron Ben-Yishai: The U.S. is more than just a negotiator in the maritime border deal between Israel and Lebanon. It is a party to the deal and a guarantor committed to solve any future disputes between Israel and Lebanon surrounding the maritime border and economic waters. This has strategic value for Israel. Moreover, the success of the deal brings the U.S. back as an active player in the Middle East, with sway over Lebanon.
The agreement states that production from the Qana gas field, predominately (83%) in Lebanese economic waters, will yield revenue to Israel, as guaranteed by the U.S. Read more here

David Schenker: During negotiations, mediated by the Biden administration, Israel conceded the entirety of its claims to the 330-square-mile zone to Lebanon in return for a 3-mile internationally recognized buffer zone adjacent to the shoreline.
As per the new agreement, Lebanon will attain virtually 100% of its initial negotiating position. It’s a remarkable turn of events, especially given Beirut’s profound lack of leverage… The compromises Israel made demonstrate how far it will go to make peace with its Arab neighbours. Unfortunately, as long as Beirut remains a satrapy of Iran and dominated by its proxy, it’s unclear how any agreement will prevent the next Israel-Hizbullah war. Read more here

Danny Zaken: Israel has relinquished control of dozens of square km of economic waters to Lebanon but has received US commitments about its security and economic rights. According to diplomatic sources, the agreement will bring with it regional strategic stability and it will allow Lebanon to build a rig, so that at the end of the day there will be two rigs opposite each other: one on the Lebanese side and Karish on the Israeli side. The agreement will also reduce Lebanon’s dependence on Iran and Hezbollah and will contribute to its stability.Read more here

Lahav Harkov: the claim that the deal will stabilize Lebanon and weaken the hold of its sponsor Iran, on Israel’s northern neighbour is questionable…In this case, Lebanon and Hezbollah are so completely intertwined that anything theoretically benefitting Lebanon will benefit Hezbollah. The terrorist organization is a party in the Lebanese government. It controls the banks in Lebanon. And perhaps the most blatant red flag – though it was not a surprise – is that Hezbollah greenlit the deal before Lebanon announced that it is officially accepting it. Read more here

Maha Yahya: While this is far from a peace treaty between Lebanon and Israel, the agreement means that both countries now have vested economic interests in maintaining calm along their common border regions, reducing the long-running threat of an outbreak of war between the two countries.Read more here

UKRAINE

Reportedly, a senior Ukrainian official has said Israel is providing Ukraine with “basic intelligence” on Iranian suicide drones being deployed by the Russian army. Also, citing an anonymous Ukrainian source, the report said that a private Israeli security firm was giving the Ukrainians satellite imagery of Russian military positions. Wednesday reportedly saw nine suicide drones shot down by Ukrainian forces, with some 50 shot down during the week. Read more here

AZERBAIJAN

The Azerbaijan Investment Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel’s IDE Water Assets Ltd. to establish a desalination plant on the Caspian Sea.Read more here

DEFENCE

Israel’s Elbit Systems has announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, was awarded an order valued at $107 million for the supply of Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular systems.Read more here

Smart Shooter, an Israeli company that makes weapon control systems, has won a contract to supply the U.S. Army with its Smash 2000L optics for rifles as part of a counter-drone programme. Read more here

ECONOMY

Israel has one of the lowest rates of inflation (4.3%) and unemployment (3.5%). The shekel is the only currency among the 31 that trade actively that has strengthened against the dollar in the past decade.Israel is poised to achieve 5.2% gross domestic product growth in 2022, according to more than a dozen forecasts.Read more here

SPAIN

The Supreme Court of Spain has ruled that the movement to boycott Israel represents “discrimination” that “infringes on basic rights.” This judicial policy is similar to the one practiced in France, where attempts to boycott Israel resulted in the 2003 adoption of a law that declares any attempt to single out countries discriminatory and unconstitutional. Read more here

SEASONAL

Thousands gathered at the Kotel for the Priestly Blessing during Sukkot.View short video here

How a bumper crop of etrogs took a more direct route to Israel this year, thanks to a historic confluence of geopolitics and religious observance.Read more here

Over 2,000 Christians from 70 countries will travel to Jerusalem between the 9th and 16th of October to take part in the 43rd annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration.Read more here

INNOVATION

Israeli 3D-printing software company Assembrix Ltd. has signed an agreement with Boeing, the aerospace company, committing to the development of a platform that will enable 3D-printed production of parts. Read more here

Israel’s Airtouch Solar will supply its autonomous and water-less cleaning robot to Avaada Group, India’s leading renewable energy supplier, for the next 25 years. Currently, 95% of the solar panel market is operating without a robotic cleaning solution. Read more here

Aryeh Tench, an Israeli inventor has patented a revolutionary air humidifier – inspired by toothbrush technology. He says that it has just one moving part and is far cheaper, cleaner and more efficient than any machine currently available. Read more here

Israel’s EVR Motors which designs electric motors to meet customers’ specific requirements, has signed an agreement with Tsukasa Electric, a Japanese motor manufacturer that will be offering the motors across numerous industries. The motors are suitable for forklifts and cranes, construction vehicles, agricultural machinery, large lawn mowers, and industrial robots and automated warehouses. Read more here

Tel Aviv wayfinder company Oriient uses magnetic fields to provide accurate indoor navigation, working with supermarket chains and retailers to help shoppers find their way inside large areas.Read more here

FOOTBALL

Maccabi Haifa beat Italian side Juventus 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League group stage on Tuesday.read more here

In the qualifiers’ draw for the 2024 European Championship, Israel was drawn in Group I, with Switzerland, Romania, Kosovo, Belarus and Andorra. The top two teams in each group will qualify, along with hosts Germany. Read more here

TRAVEL

Israel’s Ramon Airport, which is currently operating domestic flights, will begin operating Wizz Air flights to Rome & Vienna in December. Read more here

RESCUE AT SEA

The IDF’s elite 669 rescue unit rescued an American who had a heart attack while on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea near Israel. The passenger was evacuated by helicopter and transferred for further medical treatment at Haifa’s Rambam Hospital. Read more here

COMMENT & OPINION

Ron Ben-Yishai: The current Palestinian terror wave has persisted for seven months. This wave has new and unique characteristics, thus intercepting it requires a different mindset. Most of the attacks in recent weeks were carried out by Palestinians aged 30 and younger and primarily targeted Israeli security forces.
The Lions’ Den, a new Palestinian terror group, is an example. In Nablus, several local young criminals obtained firearms, carried out attacks, and became a source of inspiration and imitation to other young Palestinians. When interrogated by the Israel Security Agency, they often admit they didn’t act out of ideological, political, or religious motives, but rather from the desire to become a social media star.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not leading the ongoing terror wave. Instead, they incite and fund it directly and indirectly while sitting on the sidelines and enjoying the fruits of terror. Most of the Palestinian population is not involved nor encourages the terror wave because it interferes with their daily lives and harms their livelihood.
If the IDF were to halt its daily operations and night time raids in Palestinian localities in the West Bank, in an ongoing counter-terrorism operation called “Break the Wave,” Palestinian militants will not lay down their weapons. Instead, they will seek confrontation with Israeli security forces in other places, such as checkpoints, the West Bank security barrier, and other flashpoints. Read more here