Israel

Israel: Chief of university heads body resigns

18 July 2020; MEMO: The chairman of the Association of University Heads in Israel stepped down on Tuesday due to recent alleged attempts by the government to politically control universities, Anadolu Agency reports.

According to Israeli daily Haaretz, Ron Robin’s resignation came after several decisions by Higher Education Minister Zeev Elkin, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.

Cyber-attack on Israel’s water system, again

18 July 2020; MEMO: Cyber-attacks were carried out recently against Israeli water infrastructure, however no significant damages were caused, the Israeli Water Authority has said.

According to officials, the two attacks were aimed at agricultural water pumps in the Upper Galilee and infrastructure in the centre of the country. No mention was given as to who carried out the attacks.

Israel’s Annual Budget Deficit May Double To 13 Percent Of GDP: Central Bank Governor

JERUSALEM, July 13 (NNN-MA’AN) – Bank of Israel Governor, Amir Yaron, warned that, the state’s annual budget deficit may reach 13 percent of GDP by the end of the year.

Israel’s annual budget deficit recently reached a record 88.4 billion new shekels (25.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to a report issued by the Ministry of Finance earlier in July.

The deficit figure, between July, 2019 and June, 2020, accounted for 6.4 percent of Israel’s GDP, way above the government target of three percent.

Tension between Netanyahu, Shin Bet over Iran’s hacking of Gantz’s phone

12 July 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced his anger several times as Nadav Argaman, head of Shin Bet, concealed information about Iran’s hacking of Defence Minister Benny Gantz’s mobile phone, Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed on Friday.

Netanyahu was angry with Argaman because the latter had not briefed him nor told the public about the hacking.

Israel: Netanyahu banned from appointing police, judges

11 July 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been prevented from appointing police and judicial officials due to his corruption trial, Anadolu Agency reported.

On Thursday, the Israeli government’s legal adviser, Avichai Mandelblit, informed Netanyahu of the ban on appointing senior officials in the judiciary and police.

Israelis angry at Netanyahu over new outbreak, economic pain

JERUSALEM (AP) — With an unprecedented new surge in coronavirus cases battering Israel’s economy, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants was dispatched to a TV studio recently to calm the nerves of a jittery nation. Instead, he dismissed expressions of some of the public’s economic pain as “BS.”

The flippant comment by Cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi is symptomatic of what critics see as a bloated, out-of-touch government. It also has become a rallying cry for anti-Netanyahu protests spreading, like the virus, across the country.

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