Israel

30 June 2022; MEMO: Israel will seek US President Joe Biden's permission to sell the Iron Beam defence system to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, i24 News reported yesterday.

The news website reported that Israel wanted to sell its laser defence technology to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but it is waiting for Biden's visit to ask him to okay the measure.

28 June 2022; MEMO: Israel's cybersecurity chief has admitted that Iran – along with the militant groups, Hezbollah and Hamas – is its most dominant rival in regards to cyberwarfare, as the cyberwar between Tehran and Tel Aviv continues to escalate.

The Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) head, Gaby Portnoy, made the comments at Tel Aviv University's Cyber Week today, saying that "We see them, we know how they work and we are there."

29 June 2022; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said yesterday that Israeli IT specialists on their keyboards could replace sending commandoes to fight in battlefields.

Speaking at the Tel Aviv University Cyber Week, Bennett said: "Just like there is nuclear deterrence, there is going to be cyber deterrence."

He added: "My approach generally, and especially with Iran is that we do not go around wreaking havoc in Tehran, that has never been our policy, but our policy is if you mess with Israel, you will pay a price."

27 June 2022; MEMO: Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has criticised the EU for trying to revive the Iran nuclear talks, Israeli media reported on Sunday. He accused the bloc of ignoring threats against Israeli citizens.

27 June 2022; MEMO: An exceptionally well-preserved Roman floor mosaic, showing a rich variety of fish, animals, birds and ships, has returned to the site where it was first found in a Tel Aviv suburb after a decade-long tour of some of the world's top museums, Reuters reports.

The 1,700 year-old mosaic from the late Roman period, was discovered in 1996 during highway construction work, but was not put on display until 2009, when sufficient funding to preserve it was donated.

27 June 2022; MEMO: Israel will work with world powers to have an impact on any deal that may emerge from their nuclear negotiations with Iran, Israeli Defence Minister, Benny Gantz, said on Monday, Reuters reports.

Iran and the United States are expected to return to indirect talks in the coming days, amid a push by the European Union to break a months-long impasse in the negotiations to reinstate a 2015 nuclear pact.

JERUSALEM, June 26 (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet approved issuing 3,500 additional permits for Palestinian workers in Israel's manufacturing and services sectors, increasing the number to 12,000 to help relieve a shortage of skilled staff, the Economy Ministry said on Sunday.

Workers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War, require permits to cross checkpoints and enter Israel where wages are higher.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened what is likely his last Cabinet meeting as premier on Sunday, with parliament expected to dissolve itself this week, triggering new elections in the fall.

24 June 2022; MEMO: Israel reiterated its rejection of the accusations that blamed it for the killing of Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a statement, the Israeli army accused the UN probe of being biased, citing Palestinians' rejection to hand the bullet that killed Abu Akleh to Israel.

The Israeli army insisted on the narrative of a fire exchange with Palestinians which it claimed had killed Abu Akleh.

22 June 2022; MEMO: As Israel's parliament, the Knesset, starts to dissolve itself today, opinion polls suggest that the country is likely to face another political deadlock, with no faction able to get clear victory in the General Election later this year that enables it to form a government. The polls predict that neither the current government alliance nor that of opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu will control a majority of 61 seats in the 120 seat parliament.