Israel

27 Mar 2020; MEMO: Journalist Ron Ben-Yishai, who has been covering Israel’s wars since the 1967 Six-Day War, has warned of an increase in violence among Israelis that could mount to civil war due in part to the public’s growing distrust in the government and its leaders.

27 Mar 2020; MEMO: Blue and White bloc leader Benny Gantz has been elected as Speaker of Israel’s parliament after the Supreme Court ordered the Knesset to convene and elect someone to succeed Yuli Edelstein, who resigned on Wednesday. Amir Peretz MK, the most senior Knesset member, was asked to lead the voting session.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel appeared headed for a unity government on Friday after opposition leader Benny Gantz moved towards an agreement with Prime Minister Benjmain Netanyahu, disappointing voters who had hoped to bring down the right-wing premier.

Gantz was elected parliamentary speaker on Thursday with support from Netanyahu’s Likud and allied parties, leaving many of his own partners furious over the possibility he could form an alliance with a leader under criminal indictment.

He cited the coronavirus epidemic as the reason for his decision.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel will deploy armed troops to support police on street patrols in enforcing a lockdown against the coronavirus epidemic, the military said on Friday.

About 500 troops will join police squads from Sunday to help “in patrolling, isolating and securing certain areas, blocking routes and additional similar assignments”, the military said in a statement.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief rival was chosen on Thursday as the new speaker of parliament, an unexpected step that could pave the way to a power-sharing deal between the two men as the country grapples with a worsening coronavirus crisis.

26 Mar 2020; MEMO: On Wednesday, Knesset Speaker Yuli Adelstein submitted his resignation hours before the deadline set by the Supreme Court to hold parliamentary elections that would determine his successor.

26 Mar 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned yesterday that deaths from coronavirus could reach 10,000 by next month, Israeli media reported.

“We could reach a million infected within a month,” he told Israeli Channel 12 News. “There could also be 10,000 dead Israelis.”

During a six-hour meeting on the telephone with other Israeli ministers, Netanyahu presented what he called the Health Ministry’s “nightmare scenario,” warning of the huge number of infections and deaths.

26 Mar 2020; MEMO: Blue and White party leaders have concluded that there is no chance of forming a minority government reliant on external support from the Joint List, reported Israel’s Channel 13 News.

Faction chair Benny Gantz met Tuesday with MKs from his Israel Resilience party, as well as MKs from Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, and Moshe Ya’alon’s Telem party. The Blue and White list constitutes an alliance between the three separate parties.

JERUSALEM, Mar 26 (NNN-MA’AN) – A total of 439 people in Israel have been tested positive for the COVID-19, on Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,369, the Ministry of Health said.

Of the 392 patients being treated in hospitals across Israel, 39 are in serious condition and 64 in moderate condition.

The Israeli Magistrate’s Court in Haifa has frozen the implementation of a prison sentence against Sheikh Raed Salah who was due to enter prison on Wednesday, Quds Press has reported.

The court froze the implementation of the prison sentence after an appeal was filed by Salah’s defence team.

Meanwhile, the court gave the public prosecution until next Friday to reply to the appeal.