Israel Update 17.8.23

During these difficult times in Israel, a reminder that domestic politics are outside the scope of this Update. HRG

DEFENCE

The U.S. has approved a $3.5 billion sale of Israel’s Arrow-3 missile defence system to Germany in what will be Israel’s biggest-ever defence deal. The Arrow was developed jointly by Israel and the U.S. Russia’s war in Ukraine laid bare a shortage of ground-based air defence systems. While Patriot and the more recently developed IRIS-T cover the medium layer of air defence, Arrow-3, produced by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing, offers protection for the higher layer, designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere. Read more here

Israeli company Reouel Group has signed an agreement to supply Atlas Electronics, a subsidiary of Germany’s ThyssenKrupp, with dozens of advanced operator consoles for various submarine systems. Read more here

The Indian Air Force has deployed four Israeli-made Heron Mark 2 drones along the country’s border with China and Pakistan. The drones can operate over long distances for close to 36 hours, meaning that multiple sectors can be handled in a single mission. They can also operate at sub-zero temperatures and in any weather conditions. Read more here

When rockets are launched towards Israel, military radars trace the incoming munition to help intercept it or to predict where it might land. But one specialized IDF unit,611 “Eagle” battalion, is tasked with seeing where the rocket was fired from and quickly getting that information to other Israeli units that can respond. Read more here

COUNTER TERRORISM

The Israel Security Agency (ISA) on Monday announced it had arrested a 9 member Hamas terror cell which had planned to kidnap an IDF soldier and to perpetrate shooting and bombing attacks against the IDF in the West Bank. The cell had established its own explosives laboratory. Two years ago the ISA thwarted a similar Hamas cell which had included relatives of many of those members of the current cell. Read more here

On Wednesday, in a clash with Palestinian gunmen near Nablus on Wednesday, Israeli soldiers arrested one of them, seizing his assault rifle, a grenade, and other military equipment…In a separate operation, Israeli security forces demolished a lab used to manufacture explosive devices nearby. Soldiers found at least 15 primed makeshift bombs at the lab and a nearby the cache; the two sites were blown up.Read more here

TERRORIST ACTIVITY

Palestinians in the West Bank attempted to launch a homemade rocket at a nearby Israeli settlement on Tuesday morning, the latest in a series of mostly unsuccessful attempts. Israeli forces reached the scene and discovered the projectile still on the launcher, apparently after it exploded and failed to launch.Read more here

A Palestinian tried unsuccessfully to stab two Israeli women at a bus stop outside the Israeli community of Nili in the West Bank last Thursday. Read more here

A report published last week by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), highlights various indications that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are importing Gaza-style military tactics into the Northern West Bank as a result of the dwindling control over the area by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.

Among these indications are: local manufacturing of weapons and advanced explosive devices; excavating tunnels; launching rockets; and fostering cooperation among different terror organizations. Read more here Report here

LEBANON BORDER

A Hezbollah operative in Lebanon hurled a Molotov cocktail at the Israeli border on Sunday afternoon, causing damage to water infrastructure near Metulla. In recent months, Hezbollah activity has repeatedly been spotted along the border, in incidents that Israel sees as deliberate provocations including the erection of tents in Israeli territory, camouflaged Hezbollah members walking along the border in violation of a UN resolution, and Hezbollah activists crossing the Blue Line (though not the Israeli border fence) on numerous occasions, including attempts to damage the border fence and IDF surveillance equipment. Read more here

ISRAEL’S ECONOMY

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Israel’s Long-Term Rating at “A+” with a Stable Outlook, noting its diversified, resilient and high value-added economy and strong external finances.
“We project growth of about 3.1% of GDP in 2023 and 3.0% in 2024”… Read more here:

The unemployment rate in Israel fell in July 2023 to 3.4%, the same level as it was in February 2020 on the eve of the Covid crisis. Read more here

RESCUE

204 Israelis and Ethiopians who are eligible for immigration were rescued by Israel on four different flights from an area in northern Ethiopia where severe clashes between armed militias and Ethiopian security forces had taken place. Read more here

WATER AND ENERGY

The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Israel held trilateral discussions to advance water and energy projects on Monday in Abu Dhabi to implement a 2021 declaration of intent.Read more here

Eco Wave Power has connected its wave energy plant at Jaffa Port to Israel’s national electrical grid, making it the first wave energy project to deliver electricity to the country’s power supply.
Featuring 10 floaters installed along the port’s breakwater, the power station has an installed capacity of 100kW, which will produce enough energy to power 100 homes at peak efficiency.Read more here

Israeli desalination and wastewater treatment have become a global model to alleviate water scarcity. Re-use of sewage water has reached almost 100% in Israel and 90% of treated wastewater goes to agriculture. Israel also desalinates seawater, which now provides 60-80% of Israel’s drinking water.
In addition (Israel supplies) ” the Jordanians with 100 million cubic metres from the Sea of Galilee, and a similar quantity to the Palestinians – mainly in the West Bank with a small amount to Gaza, and it will increase ”
Israel has a large reservoir of knowledge accumulated over the years relating to managing water sources and is “constantly developing technologies”.Read more here

UNIVERSITIES

Three Israeli universities were recognized among the world’s top 100 for the third successive year, according to the 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities. Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot jumped 16 spots from last year to 67th place and the Technion in Haifa climbed five to place at 78th while the Hebrew University of Jerusalem dropped seven places to 85th.Read more here

ARCHAEOLOGY

Archaeologists have uncovered the oldest known gate in Israel, a 5,500-year-old imposing stone and mud-brick passageway to the ancient city of Tel Erani. The gate’s discovery near Kiryat Gat has forced archaeologists to reconsider when urbanization began in the region as previously, experts had believed that urbanization in this area had started around 5,200 years ago.Read more here

TV

The Israeli investigative news show “Uvda” has been nominated for an International Emmy award in the current affairs category for “Last Stop Before Kyiv,” a 2022 documentary about the Ukraine war. Read more here

ENTERTAINMENT

Pop star Christina Aguilera performed her first ever concert in Israel last Thursday to a 14,000 strong audience in Rishon Lezion. Read more here

SPORT

Israel’s top football team Maccabi Haifa beat ŠK Slovan Bratislava 3-1 completing a 5-2 victory on aggregate. Haifa’s next opponents are Swiss champions BSC Young Boys whom they must beat to qualify for the Champions League group stage for the fourth time. The first leg will be played in Haifa on 23 August and the second match in Bern on August 29^th. Read more here

Bayern Munich have submitted a bid to acquire Maccabi Tel Aviv’s goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Read more here

Men’s basketball teams from the University of Arizona and Kansas State University are participating in a 10-day trip to Israel and the UAE…While in Israel, they will play an all-star Israeli Select Team. Read more here