Israel

15 Dec 2021; MEMO: Israel's Knesset yesterday passed a bill that would allow the occupation police to storm and search Palesinian homes and confiscate cameras without court orders.

Haaretz reported that the law's objective was "to combat crimes in the Arab community," explaining that the bill would allow the police "to search Arab buildings without a warrant."

JERUSALEM, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Israeli researchers said on Saturday they found that a three-shot course of the Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new Omicron variant.

The findings were similar to those presented by BioNTech and Pfizer earlier in the week, which were an early signal that booster shots could be key to protect against infection from the newly identified variant.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday made a historic trip to the United Arab Emirates, the first visit by an Israeli premier, as part of a blitz of regional diplomacy against the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks with Iran.

Israel has watched with concern as Iran has pushed a hard line against negotiators meeting in Vienna, at once demanding sanctions relief while accelerating its nuclear program.

12 Dec 2021; MEMO: Head of Israeli Shin Bet intelligence agency Ronen Bar revealed last week that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is suffering a political and economic crisis, warning that this could lead to its collapse, Sama News Agency reported.

During the security cabinet meeting, Bar urged: "Israel has to work on strengthening the PA," pointing out that this would reinforce stability and weaken Hamas in the occupied West Bank.

10 Dec 2021; MEMO: Israeli government discussions on the massacres perpetrated by Israeli soldiers in 1948 were declassified for the first time this week in an investigative report published by Haaretz and the Akevot Institute for Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Research.

JERUSALEM, Dec 9 (NNN-PNN) – The Israeli police said, it arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian girl, who carried out a stabbing attack in East Jerusalem, yesterday.

The police said in a statement that, the minor is suspected of stabbing a 26-year-old Israeli woman, who was walking with her children, using a 30-cm-long knife.

The woman sustained light injuries and needed hospital care, according to a statement issued by the Hadassah Hospital, where she has been treated.

JERUSALEM, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday made an official visit to Egyptian capital Cairo to meet the country's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in a bid to strengthen bilateral ties.

"Strengthening Israel-Egypt relations is a very important interest of Israel," Lapid said in a statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Lapid's one-day visit also includes a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, the statement added.

09 Dec 2021; MEMO: Israeli Air Force (IAF) is going to hold a massive military drill over the Mediterranean this coming spring, using dozens of aircraft simulating strike on Iran, Israeli media revealed on Wednesday evening.

Unsourced report published by Israel's Kan broadcaster stated that the drill is going to be one of the largest ever held by the IAF.

JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (NNN-PNN) – Israel announced yesterday, the completion of a high-tech underground wall around the Gaza Strip, aimed at preventing militants from entering the country.

The barrier includes hundreds of cameras, radars and other sensors, command centres and control rooms, the defence ministry said in a statement.

It also includes a maritime barrier, equipped with means to detect infiltrations at sea and a remote-controlled weapon system. The barrier spans over 65 km, and more than 140,000 tonnes of iron and steel were used in its construction.

08 Dec 2021; MEMO: Israeli police on Monday forcefully prevented Israeli journalist Gidi Weitz, correspondent of leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz, from carrying out his job, arresting and detaining him, the paper reported.

Police officers arrested Weitz as he tried to interview them, falsely claiming that he interfered with a police officer in the performance of his duty, Haaretz said.