Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say 44 people were arrested and 20 officers were wounded in a night of chaos in Jerusalem, where security forces separately clashed with Palestinians angry about Ramadan restrictions and Jewish extremists who held an anti-Arab march nearby.

Tensions have spiked in recent days in Jerusalem, which has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Residents braced for possible further unrest as police stepped up security and the U.S. Embassy appealed for calm.

 22 Apr 2021; MEMO: A Syrian missile exploded in southern Israel today, the Israeli military said, in an incident that triggered warning sirens near the secretive Dimona nuclear reactor and an Israeli strike in Syria, Reuters reports.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A missile launched from Syria was fired into southern Israel early Thursday, setting off air raid sirens near the country’s top-secret nuclear reactor, the Israeli military said. In response, it said it attacked the missile launcher and air-defense systems in neighboring Syria.

 21 Apr 2021; MEMO:The Israel Defence Forces started military exercises along the border with Jordan yesterday, the Israeli defence ministry has announced.

The ministry's Crossing Authority said that the training would take place at the Jordan Valley crossing. "The training will require the closure of Route 90 intermittently, and gunfire and explosions will be heard in the area," it added.

 21 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a direct vote for the post of prime minister to end two years of political deadlock in the country, Israeli media reported on Monday.

"There is a solution to the political stalemate, and the vast majority of the public supports it," Netanyahu told members of parliament from his Likud party.

JAFFA, Israel (AP) — Israeli police scuffled with protesters in an Arab neighborhood near Tel Aviv for a second night late Monday after the assault of a rabbi over the weekend.

The protesters, including Arabs and Jews, say Jewish nationalist religious groups are buying up property in the traditionally Arab district of Jaffa, which has rapidly gentrified in recent years as luxury housing has gone up.

JERUSALEM, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection on Monday unveiled a new comprehensive climate law to deal with the global climate crisis and global warming.

The law, which will come into effect after the approval of the Israeli parliament, aims to create a comprehensive framework for the state's response to the climate crisis, with an emphasis on preparing for the damage caused by the crisis.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: The Israeli intelligence service on Sunday summoned Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the director of East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, for interrogation, according to the Jordan-run Islamic Endowments Authority, Anadolu Agency reported.

The authority, which oversees the holy sites in Jerusalem, did not give any further details about the reason behind the Israeli move.

Israeli authorities have not yet commented on the news.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israel and Greece have signed a defense deal worth $1.65 billion, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported.

As part of the agreement, Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems will establish an international training center in Greece to train the Greek Air Force over a period of 22 years.

The exact date the project will commence was not mentioned.

17 Apr 2021; MEMO: The Israeli army has revealed a plan including simultaneous attacks on hundreds of targets in Gaza based on a prepared bank of targets, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported on Friday.

According to the London-based newspaper, this was revealed after a series of Israeli strikes had been carried out in various areas of the besieged Gaza Strip.