Israel

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel tightened COVID-19 lockdown measures on Friday as critics accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to curb protests against his handling of the health and economic crises.

Netanyahu’s government decided on Thursday to tighten a three-week lockdown imposed on Sept. 18, forcing Israelis to stay mostly at home, shutting down most businesses and curbing group prayers during the ongoing Jewish high-holiday season.

25 Sep 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the chief of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, are scheduled to meet in Uganda in the near future to discuss bilateral relations, Israeli media outlets reported.

Canberra, Sep 22 (AP/PTI) An Australian state leader on Tuesday described an Israeli court decision to extradite a former teacher wanted in Australia on charges of molesting children as a victory for abuse victims.

Daniel Andrews is premier of Victoria state where Malka Leifer is accused of molesting three sisters Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper while they were students at a Melbourne ultra-Orthodox school.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Seven energy ministers will sign the charter of a new Middle East energy forum that will promote natural gas exports from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe and other markets, Israeli energy officials said on Monday.

“The East Mediterranean Gas Forum, which until now has been a stage for discussions only, is in fact becoming a real international organization,” said Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz.

JERUSALEM, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Man was arrested Sunday after allegedly attempting to ram his car at a Jerusalem rally to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the coronavirus crisis, the police said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement that the suspect speeded his vehicle at a police roadblock. Rosenfeld added that the suspect was arrested at the scene and taken for questioning.

JERUSALEM, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Sunday urged European powers to recognize U.S. unilateral announcement over the resumption of the United Nations Security Council's sanctions against Iran.

In a statement issued by his office, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi called on Israel's allies, known as E-3 countries, namely France, Britain, and Germany, "to retreat from their opposition and work towards rigorously implementing the sanctions."

He urged them to reimpose the sanctions on the national level, as well as on the EU level and through the UN mechanisms.

JERUSALEM, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) - Israel expanded its COVID-19 national economic safety net program ahead of the full nationwide closure that will begin on Friday, the Prime Minister's Office and Finance Ministry said in a joint statement on Thursday night.

The new expansion plan, decided by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Israel Katz, is intended to provide a dedicated response to the businesses affected by the closure, which will last for at least three weeks.

18 Sep 2020; MEMO: A group of Israeli rabbis from across the religious Zionist spectrum have issued a statement in support of Amiram Ben Uliel, the Jewish-Israeli terrorist sentenced on Monday to three life sentences for the murder of 18-month-old baby Ali Dawabsheh and his parents, Saad and Riham, on 31 July 2015.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military struck Hamas militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday in response to rocket fire toward Israel the previous night that coincided with the signing of normalization agreements between Israel and two Arab countries at the White House.

The barrage against Israel began Tuesday night just as the ceremony in Washington was getting underway to formalize the new agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Two Israelis were lightly wounded.

15 Sep 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that peace deals with the UAE and Bahrain would pump millions of dollars into Israel’s treasury, local media reported.

Prior to leaving for Washington to sign and celebrate the two peace deals with the two Gulf states, Netanyahu addressed Israelis saying that it is a “historic” trip.

“Two peace deals in one month,” the Times of Israel reported him saying.