Israel

11 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israel will seal off the occupied Palestinian territories for three days as of Tuesday, according to the Israeli military on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported.

A military statement said the measure includes a complete lockdown of the West Bank and the closure of crossing points with the Gaza Strip.

The statement said the closure will start as of Tuesday 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT) till Thursday April 15.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Sunday on the first visit by a senior representative of the Biden administration, whose stance on Iran has worried Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Austin was due to meet Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz during the two-day visit, which officials said would include discussions of U.S. arms supplies to Israel.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa can “break through” Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to some extent, a real-world data study in Israel found, though its prevalence in the country is low and the research has not been peer reviewed.

The study, released on Saturday, compared almost 400 people who had tested positive for COVID-19, 14 days or more after they received one or two doses of the vaccine, against the same number of unvaccinated patients with the disease. It matched age and gender, among other characteristics.

09 Apr 2021; MEMO: Senior Israeli officials have criticised the US' decision to resume financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

08 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israeli Brigadier General (Reserve) Zvika Fogel yesterday warned that the political crisis in Israel and the conflicts among Israeli politicians have had destructive consequences on next generations, the Shehab news agency reported.

07 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israeli officials are carrying out contacts with senior officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking to persuade them to put off starting investigations into Israeli war crimes in Gaza, West Bank, and Jerusalem.

Kuwait's Al Mujtama magazine reported Israeli army radio saying that the occupation state is seeking the postponement until the start of new ICC prosecutor Karim Khan's term.

06 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his power "made illegitimate use of the great governmental power entrusted to him" to serve his "personal affairs", lead prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari told judges yesterday.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s president said Tuesday that no party leader has enough support to form a governing majority but handed that job to embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid his corruption trial.

Reuven Rivlin’s announcement in Jerusalem nudged forward the twin dramas over the country’s future and Netanyahu’s fate, giving Israel’s longest-serving premier a fresh chance to try to salvage his career. Netanyahu holds the most support — 52 seats — in Israel’s splintered Knesset, but that is still short of a 61-seat majority.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli prosecutors accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday of trading favours like “currency” at the opening of a corruption trial which, along with an inconclusive election, has clouded his prospects of remaining in office.

Netanyahu, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud, came to Jerusalem District Court in a dark suit and black protective mask. He huddled with lawyers as protesters for and against him could be heard yelling outside.

JERUSALEM, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have developed a tool for predicting population development of harmful insects in agricultural fields, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) said on Monday.

The new method can reduce the use of pesticides, which are high cost and cause environmental damage, HUJI added.

The tool was developed in a study published in the journal Ecological Modeling, by researchers from HUJI and the MIGAL Galilee Research Institute in northern Israel.