By Times of Israel Staff— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly continued to face resistance as he met with lawmakers on Saturday evening in a bid to finish doling out ministerial posts ahead of the new government’s swearing-in, ostensibly scheduled for Sunday afternoon. As the clock struck midnight, only two positions had apparently been accepted, as…
By Elad Benari, Israel National News— The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, on Monday congratulated the new Israeli government but also made clear that the EU will not accept an Israeli move to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria. “The European Union congratulates the new government in Israel. Israel…
By Prof. Efraim Inbar, Israel Hayom— The coronavirus pandemic does not respect borders. Middle Eastern countries have reacted differently and at different times. Eventually, however, they adopted plans of action similar to those of other countries. They restricted international air travel and movement within each country tightened border controls and adopted social distancing. As reliable…
By Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, JPost— Israel’s Institute for Biological Research has successfully completed its coronavirus vaccine experiments on rodents and will soon move on to testing it on other animals and then humans, according to a report by Israel’s N12. According to the report, if the experiment goes as planned, IIBR could complete vaccine development within…
By Caroline Glick, JPost— Biblical archaeology: another casualty of the coronavirusOn Sunday, Saudi journalist Abdelhameed Al-Ghoban gave an interview to the BBC in Arabic. His remarks, which were translated by MEMRI, were devoid of nuance. “Today, the public is informed. There is a deluge against the Palestinian cause. It is no longer just public support…
By Jonathan Schanzer and Bradley Bowman, Real Clear Defense— Iran, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, is demanding sanctions relief. Lebanon, too, is looking for a financial bailout after defaulting on a Eurobond. Neither should get the financial aid they are requesting. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon are undertaking…
By Simon Waldman and Asaf Romirowsky, The Brussels Times— No-one in UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, appears to understand that the troubled UN agency needs to adapt in light of the devastation wrought by COVID-19. UNRWA lost no time making a flash appeal for US$14…
By Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post— Antisemitic incidents in Colorado increased by 56% last year, as attacks against America’s Jewish population reached all-time highs, the Anti-Defamation League found in its 2019 annual report. The 2019 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents found 61 acts against Jews in Colorado, up from a previous peak of 57 incidents in 2017.…
By Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom— US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s upcoming visit to Jerusalem this week – to “meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Speaker of the Knesset Benny Gantz … to discuss and Israeli efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic regional security issues related to Iran’s malign influence” – is encouraging. Though…
By Lawrence A. Franklin, Gatestone Institute— The International Criminal Court (ICC) appears ready to begin an investigation of alleged war crimes committed by Israeli soldiers against Arab civilian citizens of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor, announced on April 30 that she would proceed with the investigation if…