Israel

12 Feb 2021; MEMO: Israeli Education Minister, Yoav Galant, yesterday agreed with his Moroccan counterpart, Said Amzazi, to start an educational exchange programme.

12 Feb 2021; MEMO: The leader of Israel's Tikva Hadasha (New Hope) party, Gideon Sa'ar, has said that he will respect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to suspend annexation plans in the occupied West Bank if he becomes his successor after the next election.

"If I become the new prime minister of Israel, I will fulfill the commitment that Netanyahu has given from Israel to the United States administration," he was quoted by i24 News as saying.

12 Feb 2021; MEMO:Suspected thieves have broken into an Israeli army base in southern Israel, using drones to gather intelligence and cause a blackout, reported Israeli media outlets.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have developed a new method for early and rapid diagnosis of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, as well as psychiatric diseases, Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in southern Israel said on Wednesday.

The new technology, developed in a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, could lead to improved personal treatments and help evaluate the efficacy of new drugs, BGU noted.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Mendy Moskowits, a member of the ultra-Orthodox Belz Hassidic sect in Jerusalem, doesn’t understand the uproar toward believers like him.

In recent weeks, ultra-Orthodox Jews have defied coronavirus restrictions by holding big funerals for beloved rabbis who died of COVID-19, celebrating large weddings, and continuing to send their children to schools. The gatherings have led to clashes with police and an unprecedented wave of public anger toward the religious community.

08 Feb 2021; MEMO: Defence minister Benny Gantz slammed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for saying corruption cases brought against him are "falling apart", i24 News reported.

"The judges and only they will determine the date of the hearing, the method in which to conduct it and the verdict," Gantz tweeted. "Netanyahu, Israel has an honest and strong judicial system even if you do not like it."

JERUSALEM, Feb 8 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israel’s annual budget deficit reached a record of 166.4 billion new shekels (about 50.6 billion U.S. dollars), said a report published by the Israeli Ministry of Finance yesterday.

The deficit figure, between Feb, 2020 and Jan, 2021, accounts for 12.1 percent of Israel’s GDP, much higher than the government’s target of three percent.

For the first month of 2021, the Israeli budget deficit reached 100 million shekels, compared with a surplus of 5.9 billion shekels recorded in Jan, 2020.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty on Monday to corruption charges at the resumption of his trial, six weeks before voters again head to the polls to pass judgment on his leadership.

“I confirm the written answer submitted in my name,” Netanyahu said, standing before the three-judge panel in the heavily guarded Jerusalem District Court.

Jerusalem, Feb 7 (AP-PTI) Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, demanding his resignation.

The protesters have been gathering each week in central Jerusalem for over seven months, saying Netanyahu should step down because of his corruption trial and what they say is mismanagement of the country's coronavirus crisis.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- After the International Criminal Court (ICC) cleared the way on Friday for an investigation against Israel on alleged war crimes, Israeli officials condemned the decision.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision "pure antisemitism." "We will fight this perversion of justice," Netanyahu said in a recorded statement.

The ICC decision came after lengthy deliberations, prompted by a Palestinian request to probe Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.