Israel News

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists have unearthed what may have been a 2,000-year-old city council building — a few hundred meters from its modern counterpart — during continuing excavations under Jerusalem’s Old City.

According to Israeli media, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett secretly met with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman this week, a further sign that the two countries are looking to improve relations and reverse years of tension.

Israel’s Supreme Court rejected 15 petitions aimed at repealing the nation-state law on Thursday afternoon, effectively upholding the law.

A World Bank report estimates that it will cost $485 million in recovery for damage caused in the Gaza Strip during 11 days of fighting between Israel and Palestinian terror groups in May.

After opposition MKs and a member of PM Naftali Bennet’s Yamina party voted against the new coalition government Tuesday, the Knesset failed to renew the temporary family reunification law which blocks the automatic granting of Israeli citizenship or residency to Palestinians who are married to Israeli citizens, the Times of Israel reports. Considered necessary to Israel’s security, the law has been renewed every year since its inception in 2003: that opposition MKs voted against its re-extension this time is understood as a political move to signal no confidence in the government.

The State Department deleted references to the Palestinian government’s terror incitement in a report sent last week to Congress, highlighting what some see as an effort by the Biden administration to downplay Palestinian violence as it restarts U.S. taxpayer aid to the government.

Each one of the cells in our bodies contains DNA, which dictates the instructions needed for living things to develop and function. Incredibly, a total of two meters of DNA is packaged in each tiny cell’s nucleus, which is just tens of microns in size. This is made possible to packaging the DNA into a compact structure called chromatin.

At the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that due to the recent spike in coronavirus infections, the government was considering reinstating some aspects of the so-called Green Pass system that differentiates between vaccinated and unvaccinated Israelis in terms of access to certain venues and activities.

Israel’s Health Ministry released data on Monday showing that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine appears to largely prevent hospitalization and serious cases, but is significantly less effective against preventing the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The Israeli military launched an airstrike late on Saturday against Hamas facilities after the group launched incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip.

In what has been understood as a warning to Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated Wednesday that Israel will always defend itself, by itself, against any external threat, the Jerusalem Post reports. The PM made his remarks as the UN Security Council in New York debated Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

Israel’s defense technology company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd has unveiled “Sea Breaker,” a 5th generation high-end precision-guided missile system designed to carry out surgical, pin-point strikes from distances of up to 300 km. “Sea Breaker is a naval and artillery unit force-multiplier, designed to overcome the modern warfare arena challenges,” Rafael said in a June 29 press statement.

Israeli warplanes bombed a Hamas weapons factory in the Gaza Strip after midnight Thursday in response to a fresh wave of arson balloon attacks launched at Israel from the coastal enclave, , the Israel Defense Forces said.

As COVID cases in Israel are rising again, and in light of the possible impact the new, highly contagious Delta variant may have in the country, Israeli health officials are considering reinstituting the “green pass” system that allows only those who have been vaccinated to attend indoor public spaces like restaurants, All Israel News reported on July 1. Israel has already reimposed the indoor mask mandate that was lifted just a few weeks ago.

If coronavirus morbidity was to dramatically increase, the possibility of closing the airport might be on the table again, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said on Wednesday at Ben-Gurion Airport, as Israel registered almost 300 cases for the second day in a row.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday unveiled “the world’s tiniest technology,” aimed at storing information on the thinnest unit known to science.

As the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues to have no resolution, Israel has developed a high-tech semi-autonomous “military robot” that could be used instead of IDF soldiers to patrol its border with Gaza, Eursasian Times reports. Known as ‘Jaguar,’ the “robot” is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that will be able to identify and destroy enemy targets remotely.

The top leaders of terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas held talks in Beirut on Tuesday about last month’s 11-day war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In a development that may eventually replace antibody therapeutics for humans, Israeli scientists have produced a “GPS-guided” nanoparticle drug that can precisely target inflamed unhealthy cells in mice without affecting surrounding healthy immune cells, the Times of Israel reports. Researchers say the drug may be ready for human trials within two years.

Israel and the United States share the same basic values even if they may disagree on how to achieve their goals, Israeli Foreign Minister told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a meeting in Rome on Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reports. America is Israel’s most important and loyal ally, Lapid reiterated, adding that the two countries’ new governments come from a very long and strong tradition of close friendship and cooperation.