Israel

29 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reappointed Blue and White leader Benny Gantz as justice minister in the current caretaker government, local media reported yesterday.

On Tuesday night, the Israeli High Court froze Netanyahu's attempt to appoint the Likud member and Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis as justice minister.

29 Apr 2021; MEMO: The Israeli army said Wednesday that one of its drones fell in northern Gaza during a routine operation in the area, Anadolu reports.

Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), confirmed the news in a statement on Twitter, adding there are "no concerns of leaked information" from the drone.

28 Apr 2021; MEMO: The Israeli army said it shot down a drone belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah group that crossed into northern Israel yesterday.

"Our troops downed a Hezbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israel today. In addition, we located another Hezbollah drone that we downed a few weeks ago," the army posted on Twitter.

The drone was closely surveilled the entire time and there were no reports of injuries or damage, it claimed.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Islamic militant group Hamas has rejected the idea of postponing Palestinian elections ahead of a leadership meeting Thursday in which President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party is expected to push for a delay, citing a dispute with Israel over voting in east Jerusalem.

Hamas is expected to perform well in the May 22 parliamentary elections because of widening divisions within Fatah. Seizing on the sensitive issue of voting in east Jerusalem could offer a pretext for Abbas to call off the first Palestinians elections in 15 years.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Egyptian officials say the Palestinian Authority plans to call off its first elections in 15 years, citing Israel’s refusal to allow voting in east Jerusalem.

The decision would effectively grant Israel a veto over the holding of elections, though President Mahmoud Abbas could also benefit from the canceling a vote in which his fractured Fatah party is expected to lose power and influence to the Islamic militant group Hamas.

JERUSALEM (AP) — One of the world’s best-known human rights groups said Tuesday that Israel is guilty of the international crimes of apartheid and persecution because of discriminatory policies toward Palestinians within its own borders and in the occupied territories.

25 Apr 2021; MEMO: Israel has rejected a Palestinian request to hold elections in the occupied city of Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported.

"Israel did not respond positively with a Palestinian request and international pressure to allow elections in Jerusalem," Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told the official Palestine Voice Radio.

26 Apr 2021; MEMO: The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces, Aviv Kochavi, has cancelled his visit to the United States, during which he was scheduled to meet with American officials to mobilise them against rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, an IDF spokesperson announced on Sunday.

According to the Jerusalem Post, this follows "a security assessment, and to improve the preparations for possible developments" on the nominal border with the Gaza Strip.

24 Apr 2021; MEMO: A poisonous ammonia gas leak was reported at a soft drinks plant located in Haifa Bay, Press TV reported on Friday.

Ammonia is used as refrigerant gas and in the fertiliser industry. It is both explosive and highly toxic. High concentrations of ammonia in the air can cause blindness, lung damage and even death.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Tensions in Jerusalem sparked the worst round of cross-border violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip in months on Saturday, with Palestinian militants firing at least 30 rockets and Israel striking back at targets operated by Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

Skirmishes have spiked in recent days in Jerusalem, which has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Residents braced for possible further unrest as police stepped up security and the U.S. Embassy appealed for calm.