Netanyahu: Target date for applying sovereignty is July 1
A day after his trial began in the Jerusalem District Court, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a message to the press at a faction meeting of his Likud party.
Israel
Israel limits controversial phone surveillance as virus cases decline
Israeli government on Monday voted to limit security services’ involvement in locating coronavirus carriers using cell phones, saying from now on the measure would only be used when epidemiological investigations prove insufficient.
Iran’s Leader says ‘Liberation of Palestine’ is an Islamic Goal
Describing Israel as a “deadly, cancerous growth,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei announced Friday that the “liberation of Palestine” is an Islamic goal, Jerusalem Online reported. The Ayatollah was speaking on the occasion of International Quds Day, a yearly anti-Israel, anti-Zionist event established by the Iranian regime in 1979 to express support for the Palestinian cause.
Jerusalem Is ‘Red Line’ for Muslims, Turkey’s Erdogan Declares in Eid Message Attacking Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attacked the Israeli government’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank and declared that the issue of Jerusalem was a “red line” for Muslims around the world.
Israel’s Economy Falls 7.1%, Sharpest Drop in 20 Years
Israel’s economy faces its sharpest decline in 20 years as it contracted by 7.1 percent in the first quarter of this year, official figures show.
Quartet talks Israeli-Palestinian peace amid PA push to replace Trump plan
The Palestinian Authority’s push to replace the US as the sole broker for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process failed to yield immediate results as a Quartet video conference on the matter ended without any conclusions.
Israel’s Premier On Trial For Corruption
Benjamin Netanyahu became on Sunday Israel’s first prime minister to stand trial on bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges.
Iran Defends Anti-Israel Poster Calling For ’Final Solution’
Iran has defended an anti-Israel poster published by the country’s leader calling for ”the final solution,” amid accusations that he wants genocide against Jews.
Iran’s Ayatollah Khameini calls for “Final Solution” in eliminating Israel
In calling for the “elimination of Israel” on Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini used the words ‘final solution,’ CBN news reports. The phrase Hitler applied to describe his plans for a Jewish genocide was adopted in a poster published to Khamenei’s website on the occasion of Quds Day, Iran’s annual anti-Israel event.
Russia said pushing ‘mini-summit’ to mend ties between US, Palestinians
Russia is reportedly seeking to arrange a meeting in the coming weeks between US and Palestinian officials to help renew ties between Washington and Ramallah, which have frayed during US President Donald Trump’s presidency.
Hezbollah training Syria’s 1st Corps to use in future war against Israel
Hezbollah is preparing the Syrian Arab Army’s 1st Corps for a future war against Israel, training its commanders and soldiers as well as deploying it for intelligence gathering against the IDF in the Golan Heights.
Trump Administration Spending Billions Developing Hypersonic Missiles
The Pentagon is spending billions of dollars on developing two main types of ultra-fast hypersonic missiles in order to “dominate future battlefields,” the Times of Israel reports. Referring to Russia and China in an explanation for the move, President Trump told reporters on Friday: “We have no choice, we have to do it, with the adversaries we have out there.”
Russia, UN and Vatican condemn unilateral Israeli annexation plan
International opposition to Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank continued to gain momentum Wednesday as representatives of the UN, Russia, and the Vatican all expressed strong objections to the plan that could be implemented as early as July.
Abbas: PA no longer bound by accords with Israel and US, including on security
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday said he was terminating all agreements with Israel and the United States, including security cooperation with the Jewish state, over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to annex parts of the West Bank.
Living underground before the Romans? 2,000-year-old rooms found by Western Wall
A singular two-millennia-old subterranean system of three rooms has been uncovered near the Western Wall. The three-room complex — painstakingly chiseled by hand out of bedrock prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE — is the first evidence of everyday life gone underground in the ancient city.
Israeli Laboratory Hopes to Produce a Coronavirus Vaccine in a Year
A laboratory run by Israel’s Defense Ministry has said it may have a functioning COVID-19 vaccine in a year or less, the Times of Israel reports. The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) reported that it completed a successful coronavirus vaccine test on rodents and will move on to trials with other animals before starting on humans.
EU Will Not Recognize Unilateral Israeli Annexation of Parts of West Bank
The European Union’s head of foreign policy stated Monday that the bloc would not recognize any annexation changes Israel made to “1967 borders” unless these had been agreed by the Palestinians, the Times of Israel reports. In his statement, Josep Borrell added: “We strongly urge Israel to refrain from any unilateral decision that would lead to the annexation of any occupied Palestinian territory and would be, as such, contrary to international law.”
Bennett says Iran starting to withdraw from Syria
Iran has begun withdrawing its forces from Syria, Israel’s outgoing defense minister said on Monday, without offering any evidence to support his assertion.
EU Funding is Gettting Into the Hands of Palestinian Terrorists
Terrorist groups have established a way to siphon off European funds designated for Palestinian civil society, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry (SAM) has said in a new report. The SAM publication follows a European Union announcement that it would continue to fund Palestinian “civil society organizations,” even if such groups include terrorists, Israel Hayom reports.
Iran:’Arson Attack At Tomb Esther and Mordechai’
Iranian officials have admitted that fire broke out at an ancient shrine viewed by Iran’s Jewish community as the resting place of the Biblical Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai. The announcement published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) came after activists reported an overnight arson attack at the site.