israel Update – Kingston Synagogue

April 2

Israel Update 2.4.20

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) IN ISRAEL At the time of writing (Thursday afternoon) Israel’s coronavirus death toll has sadly risen to 33. Confirmed infections numbered 6,211, with 107 in serious condition, including 83 on ventilators, and 127 in moderate condition. At least 241 people have recovered.Read more here PM Netanyahu on Wednesday evening said all Israelis […]

March 26

Israel Update 26.3.20

Israel has been experiencing a constitutional crisis following the inconclusive election over 3 weeks ago. However, according to a reported deal taking shape amid immense political drama in Israel on Thursday afternoon, Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz is set to partner P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu in a unity government, serving initially as foreign minister, but […]

March 19

Israel Update 19.3.20

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) ISRAEL There are now 529 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Israel at the time of writing (Thursday afternoon). No Israelis have died from Coronavirus yet but six are in a critical condition. Israel’s health ministry has increased testing significantly to 2,200 tests daily. At the weekend, Israel banned public gatherings of […]

March 11

Israel Update 11.3.20

CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 At the time of writing (Wednesday afternoon), the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 82. ISRAELI AID TO PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY Israeli and P.A. officials met last week to coordinate joint efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. They agreed to cooperate on epidemiologic investigations, particularly those […]

March 5

Israel Update 5.3.20

ISRAELI ELECTION The official results will be published on March 10. With 99% of the votes counted, P.M Netanyahu’s Likud & its allies have 58 seats, 3 short of an overall majority. Read more here The Joint List (an alliance of four Arab-led parties) appears to have won 15 seats. There will be […]

February 27

Israel Update 27.2.20

CORONAVIRUS – COVID-19 In an unprecedented statement on Wednesday, Israel’s Health Ministry urged Israelis to seriously consider refraining from travelling abroad as more countries announced they had identified cases of the virus. Israel has banned the entry of any foreigners who have been to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand Singapore, South Korea Japan and […]

February 20

Israel Update 20.2.20

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) Israel’s Sheba Medical Centre will use top-of-the-line Israeli tele-medicine technologies to treat 11 nationals returning from the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship docked off the coast of Japan. The Israelis will be placed in isolation for 14 days. Medical robots, devices and AI-powered sensors operated remotely by doctors to monitor patients and conduct basic […]

February 13

Israel Update 13.2.20

GAZAN ATTACKS CONTINUE ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL Another week of almost daily attacks by Gazan terrorists on Israeli civilians by launching rockets & mortars into Israel and also using explosive devices attached to colourful balloons. The attacks included six airborne explosive devices landed in Israel last Friday, one carrying a warhead from a rocket-propelled grenade. […]

February 6

Israel Update 6.2.20

TERRORIST ATTACKS TODAY, THURSDAY 6.2.20 12 IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in a car-ramming terror attack in Jerusalem. The attacker’s car was later found abandoned near Bethlehem Read more here An Israeli Border Police officer was shot in the hand by a Palestinian attacker near the Temple Mount in the Old City […]

January 30

Israel Update 30.1.20

ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PLAN PUBLISHED BY U.S.A. The US vision for a comprehensive peace agreement was released on Tuesday. Download or read the full 180 page plan: Link here Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner said that the Palestinians are not going to get a state “by doing a day of rage. All doing […]

January 23

Israel Update 23.1.20

FIFTH WORLD HOLOCAUST FORUM IN JERUSALEM In the biggest diplomatic event in Israel’s history, delegations from 49 countries, including 41 heads of state are attending the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem this week to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Read more here List of World […]

January 16

Israel Update 16.1.20

AID FOR PUERTO RICO The Israeli humanitarian organization IsraAID is currently in Puerto Rico following the recent 6.4 magnitude earthquake followed by a 5.2 magnitude aftershock, a further a 5.9 magnitude ‘quake and a further 45 aftershocks of at least 3.0 magnitude. IsraAID’s assessment focussed on distributing relief, providing psychological first aid, and administering safe water and […]

January 9

Israel Update 9.1.20

ASSASSINATION OF IRANIAN GENERAL SOLEIMANI BY USA Israel’s PM Netanyahu distanced his government and Israel from the killing stressing Israel was not involved. He told his Cabinet that it was an American event and “ we should not be dragged into it.” Read more here A senior Israeli military officer also distanced Israel from […]

January 1

Israel Update 1.1.20

INNOVATION Celebrating a decade of life-changing Israeli inventions from Waze to cancer-busting nano-ghost cells and 3-D printed hearts, a look at some of the most amazing Israeli technologies and inventions of the past 10 years – those that are already impacting the way we live and those that have the potential to change our lives […]

December 25

Israel Update 25.12.19

Chanukah Sameach and good wishes for 2020 to my readers. UN SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC) U.S. UN Ambassador Kelly Craft told the UNSC last week: “This Council seems either unwilling or unable to see the reality that Israelis live in constant fear of attack. In place of recognizing this reality, the Council tolerates an endless […]

December 18

Israel Update 18.12.19

I wish all my readers Chanukah Sameach. VISIT OF HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES TO ISRAEL A forthcoming visit by Prince Charles next month, will be only the second official visit to Israel by a member of the British royal family since the State of Israel was founded in 1948. Two previous trips by […]

December 12

Israel Update 12.12.19

INTERNATIONAL ISRAELI AID Israel sent an emergency medical team in coordination with the World Health Organisation to Samoa in response to the Samoan measles outbreak. At least 63 people, mostly children, have died since the outbreak began in mid-October. Read more here Albania’s Prime Minister Rama on Monday hailed the work of Israeli […]

December 5

Israel Update 5.12.19

ISRAELI AID FOR ALBANIA (CONTINUED) A special Israeli aid mission departed Tuesday for Albania, following the devastating earthquake. The aid mission,consists of 10 officers and engineers who will survey damaged buildings to determine whether they remain structurally sound after the earthquake. Items included in the humanitarian aid shipment include tents and logistical support for […]

November 28

Israel Update 28.11.19

Israeli domestic politics remain outside the scope of this Update hence no coverage of the Netanyahu indictment which has been amply reported by other media sources. H.R.G. ISRAELI AID AFTER ALBANIAN EARTHQUAKE An Israel Rescue and Service team are continuing their search for survivors in the city of Durres, following a 6.4 on the Richter Scale […]

November 21

Israel Update 21.11.19

ISRAEL UNDER FIRE FROM SYRIA Four rockets fired from Syria were intercepted over the Golan Heights on Tuesday by the Iron Dome missile defence system. Israeli defence sources said the rockets were fired at the command of Iran. Read more here In response, The IDF attacked dozens of targets in Syria belonging to […]

November 14

Israel Update 14.11.19

ISRAEL UNDER FIRE NOTE:This week’s attacks on Israeli civilians did not “start” with the assassination of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander Baha Abu al-Ata. He had been the instigator of multiple rocket attacks on Israel including the firing of rockets at Ashdod & Ashkelon on 10.9.19 (forcing PM Netanyahu offstage during an election address) […]

November 7

Israel Update 7.11.19

ROCKET ATTACKS ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL Gazans launched ten rockets at Israel last Friday evening. Eight were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system. A house in Sderot was hit and several vehicles were damaged. In response to the attack, Israel struck a wide range of Hamas targets in Gaza. Israel holds Hamas, the ruling […]

October 30

Israel Update 30.10.19

IRANIAN THREAT The IDF Chief of Staff has warned that Israel is facing a threat of conflict in both the north and the south. He said “The main strategic threat to the State of Israel lies in the northern arena: with the entrenchment of Iranian and other forces in Syria, and with [the Hezbollah […]

October 24

Israel Update 24.10.19

KURDISH CHILDREN TREATED AT ISRAELI HOSPITAL The goal of the NGO Shevet Achim is to help non-Israeli children receive life-saving medical care in Israel.. In the last 10 months, they have arranged treatment at Sheba Medical Centre and visas for 41 Iraqi Kurdish children, as well as three from Syria. Despite recent escalations, efforts […]

October 17

Israel Update 17.10.19

I wish all my readers Chag Sameach. IRAN A team of British experts arrived in Iran on Monday to begin work to upgrade the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor. While Iranians breach the nuclear deal, the British embassy says ‘we are upholding our obligations to cooperate’. Iran’s latest move was to fire up advanced centrifuges […]

October 10

Israel Update 10.10.19

I wish all my readers Chag Succot Sameach. IRANIAN THREAT P.M. Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel needs a massive air defence system to defend against Iranian attacks, especially cruise missiles like those used in attacks on a Saudi Arabian oil facility last month. Read more here According to Israel’s Ambassador to the […]

October 3

Israel Update 3.10.19

IRANIAN THREAT Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander said on Sep. 21 that the Islamic Republic has prepared “the capability to annihilate” Israel and “this regime must be wiped off the world geographic” map…In December 2018, Iran’s Foreign Minister denied any Iranian leader having ever threatened Israel. Read more here IRGC deputy commander […]

September 26

Israel Update 26.9.19

L’Shanah Tovah to all my readers. GAZA Nina Gisdenanova, 74, from Ashkelon, was in a four-story building that took a direct hit from a rocket during a barrage of hundreds of projectiles fired by Gazan terror groups in a 24-hour period last November. She has now died of her injuries. The rocket […]

September 19

Israel Update 19.9.19

ISRAELI GENERAL ELECTION At the time of writing (Thursday afternoon), the Blue and White party has won 33 seats to the Likud’s 31, according to an update from the Central Elections Committee on Thursday morning, with 96.5% of the vote in Tuesday’s elections counted. Neither party appears able to muster the 61 MKs […]

September 12

Israel Update 12.9.19

ROCKET ATTACKS ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS On Tuesday Gazans fired two rockets at Ashkelon and Ashdod, where P.M. Netanyahu was holding an election rally. “Leave quietly,” Netanyahu told the crowd before calmly walking off the stage. He returned minutes later to resume his speech. The IDF responded, hitting 15 targets in Gaza. […]

September 5

Israel Update 5.9.19

ISRAEL & THE UK For the first time Israeli airforce jets have flown in UK airspace to joining 50 aircraft from the German, Italian and American air forces for the 20-day Cobra Warrior exercise, a high-intensity tactical drill. Defence cooperation between Israel and Britain has been increasing in recent years. Read more here Israeli […]

August 29

Israel Update 29.8.19

IRAN IN DIRECT CONFLICT AGAINST ISRAEL Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Syria to thwart a planned attack on Israel by Iran-backed fighters using armed drones late Saturday, targeting operatives from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force as well as Shiite militias who had been planning on sending “kamikaze” attack drones into Israel […]

August 15

Israel Update 15.8.19

NOTE: The Israel Update is taking a break for a couple of weeks. BREAKING NEWS The Interior Minister announced on Thursday that Israel has decided to deny entry to two US congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, over their support for boycotting the country. Reportedly the Minster would consider letting Tlaib enter Israel in order […]

August 8

Israel Update 8.8.19

MURDER OF ISRAELI TEENAGER The body of teenage yeshiva student Dvir Sorek who had been stabbed to death was discovered outside a West Bank community in the predawn hours of Thursday morning, prompting a massive manhunt for the killer. He was studying at the Machanayim religious seminary and had joined the IDF while continuing his […]

August 1

Israel Update 1.8.19

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF & WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST. (UNWRA) From journalist Ian Williams: In June, a file landed on my desk, a devastating expose of the top management of UNRWA.The confidential report, compiled by the ethics office of the agency, cited “credible and corroborated reports” that members of the […]

July 25

Israel Update 25.7.19

FOCUS ON WATER TECHNOLOGY Israeli company Watergen has just launched a new partnership with the community of Flint, Michigan, providing what could be the first large scale solution for drinking water by placing a 350 unit in the community church. In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency found dangerous levels of lead in the […]

July 17

Israel Update 17.7.19

ISRAELI NGO “SAVE A CHILD’S HEART” HELPS RWANDAN CHILD HEART DISEASE PATIENTS Eight children diagnosed with cardiac disease travelled to Israel recently to receive life-saving heart treatment at Wolfson Medical Centre, thanks to “Save a Child’s Heart” (SACH), an Israeli organization working to save children from developing countries.An earlier group of eight children have […]

July 11

Israel Update 11.7.19

ISRAELI SUPPORT FOR ISIS ABUSE SURVIVORS A delegation of 15 Yazidi and Christian survivors from Kurdistan and Iraq (currently resident in Germany) participated in a two-week post-trauma course in Israel, addressing the abuses they suffered at the hands of the Islamic State. Read more here COUNTER TERRORISM Israeli intelligence agencies have prevented dozens of Islamic […]

July 4

Israel Update 4.7.19

HAMAS CORRUPTION EXPOSED Suheib Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Yousef, has left the terror organisation. He described how he worked for Hamas in Turkey…saying the Hamas setup there was also used to conscript people, including children, in the West Bank to carry out terror attacks against Israelis. “The point of the attacks […]

June 27

Israel Update 27.6.19

BAHRAIN CONFERENCE Business executives, billionaire investors and Middle East diplomats gathered in Bahrain on Tuesday for a White House-led, two-day “Peace to Prosperity Workshop.” The conference has raised hopes for increased cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbours. Read more here A Saudi diplomat said: “We and other countries are willing to make […]

June 20

Israel Update 20.6.19

VIOLENCE FROM GAZA CONTINUES Three students had a narrow escape last Thursday night when a rocket fired from Gaza (the second fired that day) hit and damaged a Sderot yeshiva, sending concrete and glass flying. Had the missile struck a few minutes earlier when the main study hall was filled with students, a few […]

June 13

Israel Update 13.6.19

HIZBULLAH PLOT IN THE UK REVEALED Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency provided information that led British law enforcement to thwart a 2015 plot by Hizbullah to attack targets in the UK. Reportedly, a stockpile of ammonium nitrate commonly used in bomb making was concealed in thousands of disposable ice packs in a north London […]

May 30

Israel Update 30.5.19

As an election is called for 17 September, a reminder that internal Israeli politics are outside the ambit of this Update. HRG DEVASTATING WILDFIRES ACROSS ISRAEL Fuelled by scorching weather, more than a thousand fires devastated towns and forests across Israel from Thursday to Saturday, forcing thousands of people out of their homes. […]

May 30

Israel Update 30.5.19

As an election is called for 17 September, a reminder that internal Israeli politics are outside the ambit of this Update. HRG DEVASTATING WILDFIRES ACROSS ISRAEL Fuelled by scorching weather, more than a thousand fires devastated towns and forests across Israel from Thursday to Saturday, forcing thousands of people out of their homes. […]

May 23

Israel Update 23.5.19

LAG B’OMER SAMEACH TO MY READERS GAZA – WHAT THE “CEASEFIRE” LOOKS LIKE Last week’s Update mentioned fires started in Israeli communities by incendiary devices, sent from Gaza.T his 9 second video of a massive fire in an Israeli wheatfield shows the horrifying reality of the Gazans’ terrorist attacks on Israeli agriculture and […]

May 16

Israel Update 16.5.19

CO-EXISTENCE Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs shared a kosher Iftar meal (the evening feast taken to break the Ramadan dawn to dusk fast) in Hebron on Monday. The event was organized and sponsored by the Judea and Samaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a joint Israeli-Palestinian group that wants to strengthen economic ties between […]

May 9

Israel Update 9.5.19

Today, May 9, Israel is celebrating its 71st birthday. However, the initial focus of this longer-than-usual Update is to review the massive attack on Israel last weekend. HRG Between Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, Islamic Jihad and Hamas launched over 690 rockets and mortars indiscriminately at Israelis from Gaza. Four Israeli civilians were killed […]

May 1

Israel Update 1.5.19

YOM HASHOAH – HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY IN ISRAEL (The date in the Jewish calendar, 27 Nisan, is the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising) Each year, six Holocaust survivors are chosen to light torches at Yad Vashem on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins Wednesday evening, 1st May, in memory of the six million Jews […]

April 24

Israel Update 24.4.19

Chag Pesach Sameach to my readers. HRG THE ROYAL AIR FORCE INSTALLS ISRAELI INVENTION Israeli firm Elbit Systems’ Emergency Personal Locator Beacon (EPLB), the first to be accredited on life jackets for unassisted operation in water, has made its inaugural operational flight on the RAF’s Typhoon aircraft. In the event of an […]

April 17

Israel Update 17.4.19

Chag Pesach Sameach to my readers. HRG BERESHEET MISSION It was a bittersweet end for SpaceIL’s Beresheet probe, the first privately funded lunar lander sent to the moon. During the landing attempt the main engine cut out and communication was lost, ultimately resulting in Beresheet crashing into the moon’s surface. But before its […]

April 10

Israel Update 10.4.19

A brief round-up as internal Israeli politics, and therefore most Election news, is largely outside the ambit of this Update & is extensively covered elsewhere. HRG CO-EXISTENCE In a survey published last week by online magazine Sicha Mekomit,76% of Arab respondents and 53% of Jewish respondents said that, in their daily lives, relations between […]

April 4

Israel Update 4.4.19

REMAINS OF ISRAELI MIA SOLDIER RETURNED TO ISRAEL. Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel will be buried in Jerusalem on Thursday 37 years after he died during the First Lebanon War in 1982 at the age of 21. His father died 10 years ago and his mother Miriam is 90. Read more here Throughout […]

March 28

Israel Update 28.3.19

GAZA ROCKET DESTROYED HOME IN CENTRAL ISRAEL SEVEN ISRAELI CIVILIANS INJURED, INCLUDING CHILDREN. Luck and miracles saved seven members of the British-Israeli Wolf family from almost certain death, when a rocket from Gaza landed in their home at around 5:20 a.m. on Monday…On a normal morning, Daniel would have been asleep in bed. But he […]

March 20

Israel Update 20.3.19

NOTE: I was in Tel Aviv last Thursday evening when the warning sirens went off. We took shelter in a stairwell along with others, including young children, waiting there some minutes until after the sirens ended, as 90 seconds wasn’t long enough time to reach a bomb shelter. It was an unnerving experience. HRG […]

March 13

Israel Update 13.3.19

This Update is continuing to highlight the attacks on Israeli communities close to the Gaza Border and the IDF soldiers protecting them, as this topic is virtually unreported outside Israel. HRG GAZA A cluster of balloons launched from Gaza, carrying a missile warhead for the first time, landed in Israel on Saturday. Israeli […]

March 7

Israel Update 7.3.19

TERROR ATTACK Two Israeli soldiers were wounded in a predawn car-ramming attack in the West Bank on Monday, one of them seriously, the army said. The force opened fire on the three occupants of the vehicle, killing two and wounding the third. Read more here The car-ramming attack on Monday involved three Palestinians. […]

February 28

Israel Update 28.2.19

NOTE: Internal Israeli politics are outside the remit of this Update. GAZA BORDER VIOLENCE CONTINUES Hamas has recently increased its night time rioting near the Gaza border fence, which includes throwing explosives and using loudspeakers to simulate missile alerts. The goal, to frighten the Israeli residents, is working. Psychological distress is especially evident among […]

February 21

Israel Update 21.2.19

GAZA BORDER – VIOLENCE CONTINUES Over the past few weeks, Gazans have been rioting every evening. On Sunday they carried out a violent demonstration along the northern part of the Strip, during which tyres were set on fire and rioters hurled explosive devices toward Israeli soldiers. A soldier was wounded by shrapnel to several parts […]

February 14

Israel Update 14.2.19

TERRORIST MURDER A Palestinian man, suspected of brutally murdering young Israeli woman Ori Ansbacher, 19, in a Jerusalem forest on Thursday, was arrested. The suspect who was in Israel illegally has reportedly confessed to the murder. Read more here A group of Palestinian and Israeli coexistence activists paid a condolence visit to the […]

February 7

Israel Update 7.2.19

GAZA ROCKET ATTACKS ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL Alert sirens sounded Wednesday evening in a number of Gaza border communities as a rocket launched from the Strip exploded in southern Israel… Earlier in the evening, a rocket fired from Gaza towards Israel failed to clear the border and landed inside the coastal strip. In response, an […]

January 31

Israel Update 31.1.19

AID TO BRAZIL 130 IDF soldiers left Israel on Sunday for the area of the collapsed dam in Brazil. The delegation includes engineering experts, doctors, search and rescue teams, firefighters, and soldiers from the Israeli Navy’s underwater missions unit. Search and rescue teams are equipped with advanced means of cellular location, underwater radars and […]

January 24

Israel Update 24.1.19

IRAN FIRED A MISSILE FROM SYRIA TOWARDS ISRAEL ON SUNDAY Israeli fighter jets struck Iranian and Syrian military targets, air defence batteries and Iranian Quds Forces positions throughout Syria early Monday in response to the firing of a missile by Iranian forces in Syria toward the Golan Heights. The missile was intercepted by the […]

January 18

January 17

Hizbullah threat The IDF on Saturday located a sixth attack tunnel dug by Hizbullah from Lebanon into Israeli territory. “The tunnel was 800 metres long on its Lebanese side and infiltrated dozens of metres into Israel. The tunnel is two metres high, one metre in diameter, and approximately 55 metres deep. It’s equipped with railway […]

January 10

January 9

Gaza On Sunday morning, a bomb was flown into Israel using a large cluster of balloons and a model drone. The explosive device landed in a carrot field in southern Israel. In response, Israeli military helicopters attacked two Hamas observation posts. Subsequently, Gazan terrorists fired a rocket into Israel early Monday, which was intercepted by […]

January 3

January 2

Happy 2019 to my readers! Aid to Indonesia Volunteers from Israeli NGO IsraAID flew to Indonesia (a Muslim-majority country having no diplomatic relations with Israel) to provide safe water and psychological support in the wake of the tsunami disaster. Some IsraAID workers had been there since the last earthquake. Watch the video on Youtube Hisbullah […]

December 20

14 – 20 December

Hizbullah The Israel Defence Forces located a fourth attack tunnel dug by Hizbullah from Lebanon into Israeli territory, the army said Sunday. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon said Monday: “Based on UNIFIL’s independent assessment, UNIFIL has so far confirmed the existence of all the four tunnels close to the Blue Line in northern Israel. […]