Category: Israel

Israel to Require COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Green Pass’ for Entry to Shopping Centers From Friday

Israel is set to require visitors to shopping centers to show proof of vaccination, recovery from COVID-19, or a negative test result starting on Friday. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz decided on Tuesday that the new regulations will be put in place after 22 new cases of Omicron were identified in…


Israeli Firm Uses Air and Water to Store Solar Energy for Nighttime

KIBBUTZ YAHEL, ISRAEL—The southern tip of Israel is a rocky desert where solar panels are abundant and the sun, when shining, is the source of nearly all electricity. Once it sets, however, the grid shifts back to fossil fuels to generate power. Renewable energy from solar and wind powered systems cannot be stored without extra…


Israeli PM ‘Very Optimistic’ Following Historic Meeting With UAE’s Crown Prince

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is returning home “very optimistic” after meeting with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at his private palace in Abu Dhabi, according to Bennett’s office. It was the first time ever an Israeli premier held an official visit with a de facto ruler from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bennett…


Israel’s Bennett Makes First Official Visit to UAE

JERUSALEM—Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday made a historic trip to the United Arab Emirates, the first visit by an Israeli premier, as part of a blitz of regional diplomacy against the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks with Iran. Israel has watched with concern as Iran has pushed a hard line against negotiators meeting…


Natural Immunity More Protective Over Time Than COVID-19 Vaccination: Study

Immunity people enjoy after recovering from COVID-19 is better than the protection bestowed from vaccination, according to a new study from Israel. Researchers analyzing data from the county’s health database found both COVID-19 infections and severe disease were higher among the vaccinated than those who recovered, also known as people with natural immunity. For instance,…


Dutch Court Upholds Immunity From Prosecution for Israel’s Gantz in Air Strikes Case

A Dutch appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and a former military official cannot face prosecution in the Netherlands over war crimes and alleged roles in a deadly 2014 airstrike in Gaza. Ismail Ziada, a Dutch Palestinian who lost six members of his family in the 2014 airstrike, filed the…


Israel Urges Hard Line Against Iran at Nuclear Talks

TEL AVIV, Israel—Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday urged world powers to take a hard line against Iran in negotiations aimed at reviving an international nuclear deal, as his top defense and intelligence officials headed to Washington to discuss the flailing talks. Israel has been watching with concern as world powers sit down with…


Spyware Found in State Dept Employees’ Phones

The phones of 11 U.S. State Department employees were hacked using technology from Israel’s NSO Group, the world’s most infamous hacker-for-hire company, according to a person familiar with the matter. The information came from someone who is not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation. The phones belonged to employees located in Uganda and…


The Tragic Rise of Anti-Semitism

Commentary More than 75 years after the defeat of Nazism and the liberation of Auschwitz, anti-Semitism is on the rise. Tragically, Jews are vilified, demonized, and physically attacked in many places around the world, including the United States. In 2020, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jewish Americans, who make up 1.75 percent of…


Israel Calls on World Powers to Stop Iran Nuclear Talks Immediately

JERUSALEM—Israel on Thursday urged world powers to halt nuclear talks with Iran immediately, citing a U.N. watchdog’s announcement that Tehran has started producing enriched uranium with more advanced centrifuges. “Iran is carrying out nuclear blackmail as a negotiating tactic, and this should be answered by the immediate halt to negotiations and the implementation of tough…