Israel Daily News Podcast, Tues. Feb 23, 2021

Knowledge is the best weapon!

#146

Bibi’s court date pushed back; Families can get State-money for their stolen babies & just 200 Israelis to be permitted back each day after airports shut closed.

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1. The Jerusalem District Court has granted a request from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s legal team to postpone his corruption trial until after the elections on March 23rd. Earlier this month, and after several delays due to the lockdown, Netanyahu made a brief appearance at the Jerusalem District Court where he formally pleaded not guilty to the three charges against him. Netanyahu believes the claims of bribery, fraud and breach of trust are fabricated and warned that the release of evidence before a national election would be seen as an overt interference. It is alleged that he accepted large and lavish gifts, as well as granted favors to shareholders of media conglomerates in exchange for favorable TV and Print news coverage.
2. This is an update on our big story yesterday about an oil spill that has flooded Israel’s coastline with tar. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority is reporting that the coastline is still largely contaminated with coin-sized balls of tar. In an update from the INPA, most of the sand on Israel’s northern beaches is now rid of tar, but the rocks are still highly contaminated and need more cleaning. On Monday, the INPA called in additional inspectors and other staff members to the affected beaches to undertake cleaning efforts, alongside hundreds of volunteers and IDF soldiers. If you want to volunteer with the INPA to help clean up the beaches, you can register online!
3. Entry into Israel is expected to now be limited to 200 citizens per day starting next week, as Knesset members agreed to further tighten travel restrictions to prevent new strains of the coronavirus from infiltrating the country. This is in response to the looming expiration of an order requiring all those who arrive from abroad to quarantine in government-run hotels. As Israel emerges from a two-month lockdown, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein is proposing a curfew for Thursday through Sunday night to limit gatherings for the Purim holiday. The health ministry wants Israelis to band together to hold this downward trend of cases, so another lockdown does not ensue.
4. A group of ex-military intelligence officers have sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gantz urging them to re-engage with Iran in a nuclear deal. The group supports the idea of the U.S. rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, with some adjustments. They believe that Israel, clearly concerned about Iran’s military presence in the region, should support a new deal that closes up the loopholes of the previous one brokered by former U.S President Obama, as well as set new guidelines for Iran’s military activity in the area. According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the U.S. will rejoin the deal as long as Iran follows the terms strictly. Netanyahu has and continues to denounce such an agreement, asserting that a deal of this kind will lead to Iran developing a full nuclear arsenal, despite their insistence that it has no such desires. If you have been following, you would know that Netanyahu gave a complelling talk and presentation at the UN general assembly where he showed off materials and proof that Iran had not been following the rules of its agreement with the US.
5. 1,050 families are now eligible for financial compensation for the disappearance of their children. The Yemenite Children Affair is one of the most well-known and sensitive topics in Israeli history. In the 1950s, when the country was brand new, thousands of families immigrated from various parts of the Middle East, only to have their children disappear. The Israeli government claimed the children had died during the immigration process, but the common theory amongst people is that the children were taken from Arab Jews, particularly from Yemen and given off for adoption to Ashkenazi or European families with no children of their own. Jews of European descent were often treated as an elite group in Israel compared to others. Prime Minister Netanyahu is now issuing compensation to the families who lost their children, hoping to put an end to the long lasting lawsuits and animosity. Despite all this, the Israeli government is yet to put out an official apology for what occurred all those years ago. This is something that has deeply upset and angered many of the families involved.