Israel's economic recovery from the pandemic was faster than expected, according to a new report published by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. The Taub Center report, "A Picture of the Nation 2022" provides a progress report on some of the substantial trends in Israel, including the areas of the economy, health, welfare and education. How can Israel be expected to fare with the current political uncertainty? KAN reporter Naomi Segal heard more about the report from Avi Weiss, professor of economics at Bar-Ilan University and president of the Taub Center.
The so-called Mukhtar Protocol, the procedure by which land ownership in east Jerusalem was determined by the word of the local village chief, mukhtar in Arabic, has been revoked.
One of the groups campaigning for the change was the right-wing NGO Regavim.
KAN's Mark Weiss spoke with Naomi Kahn , the director of Regavim’s International division, about the Mukhtar Protocol and what comes next and also about the latest developments at the Khan El Ahmar Bedouin encampment.
An expert on America, Prof. Yossi Shain a former head of the school of government and international affairs at Tel Aviv University and professor emeritus of international affairs at Georgetown University, says that the weakening United States is being ripped apart by tumultuous cultural divides and values and attacks on the legitimacy of its democratic institutions. Currently a MK of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Shain said that Israel’s extreme right wing and ultra-Orthodox were hostile to liberal America and this would explode should a right-wing government arise here.
Every summer the Israeli beaches are often inundated with jelly fish and they have already started to arrive and pester beachgoers with their stings. Zafrir Kuplik, an expert on jellyfish at the Steinhart Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University, told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that they are mainly hanging just about a kilometer off shore, but currents will soon bring in the pesky Meduza to the beaches where they’ll be annoying until the heat drives them away by August. He also had some nice things to say about the jelly fish too.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai has announced that training for new police officers will be cut from seven months to just seven weeks. Asher Ben Artzi, a retired Chief Superintendent with over 34 years of service and former director of INTERPOL of Israel National Police, said the move was risky but understandable since the ranks needed to be filled following the large number of junior police officers quitting due to low salaries. He also told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that the announcement earlier this week of the formation of a National Guard would help boost Israel’s security.
Settler leaders in Judea and Samaria, including the Nahala movement led by Daniela Weiss, have launched an operation to scout out about 10 new outposts in Judea and Samaria that they hope to set up next month, in a provocative move during the visit of US President Joe Biden to Israel. Daniela Weiss, the Secretary General of the Nahala, told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that it was always a provocative time to establish new settlements. She said that there is a surge in young couples eager to move to the new settlements, which she said was also a way to bloc Arab land grab in the West Bank.
The heavy traffic at Ben Gurion Airport has created long lines and overflowing terminals with the increased number of travelers this summer. Reporter Arieh O’Sullivan spoke with Avi Yaniv, of the spokesperson's office of the Airports Authority. Yaniv suggests doing pre-check in and replace suitcases with carry-on trolleys to make the travel quicker.
Recently chosen chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel retired IDF major general Doron Almog has drawn the ire of some haredi leaders after he spent the Sabbath with the Reform community. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, rejected the criticism and praised the choice of Almog as one which will help unify world Jewry. He told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that it was high time the Jewish Agency had a permanent chairman and Almog was an excellent choice all around.
The latest polls predict another election campaign that will end without any of the blocs having the ability to form a stable government supported by at least 61MKs.
A 103FM poll, conducted after Monday night’s dramatic developments, showed both the Likud and Yamina gaining ground, while Meretz is in danger of being left out of the next Knesset.
KAN's Mark Weiss spoke with pollster Jeremy Saltan about what the latest polls are telling us.
Israel's National Cyber Directorate instructed local authorities to immediately put protective measures in place on their civil alert systems after false rocket warning sirens were sounded across parts of Jerusalem and Eilat on Sunday night in a suspected cyberattack. The sirens were sounded on the local public address system, and not on the countrywide IDF Home Front Command network.
Rami Efrati, a former head of the civilian sector of the Israel National Cyber Directorate in the prime minister's office, spoke to KAN reporter Naomi Segal about the incident.