Israel Update Week Ending April 1
Terror Returns, Summit in the Negev, Covid and the Economy
ON THE HOME FRONT
It was a week of hope; it was a week of fear. Living in Israel one gets used to the wide swings, but this week’s shift was particularly extreme — from the optimism of the summit of Foreign Ministers from four Arab countries here in Eilat; to the despair of the terror attacks that took place almost simultaneously.
Sunday was supposed to be a day of hope. I was on air in the morning talking about the summit and its larger meaning. While the conversation, was generally upbeat, the question of the future of JCOPA (Iran Nuclear Agreement) was a major discussion point, since during our broadcast US Secretary of State Blinken was in the midst of meeting with Prime Minister Bennett. At the moment it’s still not clear if an agreement will be reached. The terror attack the previous week in Be’ersheva was raised briefly, but the general sense was that while the attack was heartbreaking, it was thought to be a “one-off,” and not part of a trend.
Later the same night, I returned to the studio to discuss the summit once again — this time on I24’s Arabic language News. However, disturbingly, the evening took a heart-wrenching turn. As I got off my scooter in Jaffa, my watch started vibrating with a rapid series of alerts — news of a terror attack in Hadera. By the time I was on the air, just a few minutes later, video of a portion of the attack had already become available. Although all the details regarding the assailants had not yet been released, it was apparent from the photos that the terrorists were Muslim fundamentalists. (It was the opinion of the other guests that the attack was ISIS-inspired.) And just like that, a news hour scheduled to highlight the peaceful, forward-thinking summit quickly morphed into a show about terror.
Tuesday night, I lectured in Netanya about the problems of the Israeli political system, (with a significant detour to discuss the war in Ukraine). I failed to silence my watch’s alarm, and towards the end of my speech, my watch began beeping incessantly. I did not stop to look at the tiny screen, and instead just silenced the notifications. Once the lecture ended, it promptly became clear the alerts were about an ongoing terror attack taking place in B’nei Brak. The attack, being the third in one week, brought the Israeli casualty count to 11.
Suddenly things seemed very different. Yesterday, there was an attack on a bus in Gush Etzion. Wielding a screwdriver, the attacker succeeded in injuring one passenger. Thankfully, the assailant was quickly subdued by a fellow passenger who was armed.
Does anything connect these various attacks — The first attack by a Bedouin from the Negev; the second by two Arab-Israelis from the Galil; and the third by Palestinians from the Jenin area? It’s hard to see a connection, other than hatred and a willingness to kill. In each case, the murderous spree was halted by Israelis willing to confront and kill the terrorists. In Be’ersheva armed civilians stopped the extremist; in Hadera, by pure happenstance, a group of soldiers from an elite unit, dining nearby, quickly exited their restaurant and killed the zealots; and in B’nei Brak, two policemen (one of whom was an Arab-Israeli from the Galil), confronted and successfully shot the terrorist. Tragically, the 32-year old policeman from the Galil gave his life in the effort.
Yesterday, while I waited to pick up Falafel from my usual local falafel stand, the owner, whom I’ve known for many years, commented on how badly he feels for all those attacked. I replied, “It’s like we have gone backwards.” The man on my right interjected, “Perhaps we never actually moved forward, and the past five years of relative quiet were merely an illusion.”
Israeli intelligence does not believe the three recent terror incidents were coordinated attacks. However, even though there may not have been any coordination, it’s clear that despite all of our success in developing positive, mutually beneficial relations with many of our neighbors, the Palestinian issue will not simply go away. Obviously, that is no justification for these murderous assaults, and disturbingly, there is no reason to think they will stop. However, in the meantime, the government has taken a number of preventative steps.
Internal security forces and the army have detained individuals associated with ISIS. In addition, the army has moved against members of the Islamic Jihad in the Jenin area (the terrorist in B’nei Brak was indeed affiliated with that terror organization). Police have flooded the streets with armed patrols, especially outside large shopping centers and other public places. Furthermore, the police have called up reserve units. An additional NIS 100 million has been allocated to Israel’s police force, who have always been underfunded and under-resourced. Additionally, the Prime Minister has called on all Israelis who have gun licenses (which are difficult to obtain) to carry their guns, at this juncture. Finally, more Israeli soldiers will be allowed to bring their weapons home when off duty.
The fear is that with the start of Ramadan this Sunday, and its overlap with Passover and Easter, conditions are ripe for additional violence. That is part of the reason for accelerated diplomatic action, especially when it comes to Jordan, which is considered a key player.
The opposition has been relentless in its criticism of the government — as if there were no terror attacks during the many years they were in power — homing in on the fact the Arab-Israeli Raam party is part of the coalition and claiming that as a result, the government cannot properly fight terror. For his part, Raam head Mahmoud Abbas has not played the role the opposition has wanted. Abbas has been relentless in his condemnation of the attacks, saying that it is particularly his responsibility to fight extremism in the Arab-Israeli community, and calling for more funding, and more police presence dedicated to fighting terrorism and crime.
DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN POLICY
Despite the wave of attacks, Israeli diplomacy was fully engaged this week. The high point was the Negev Summit, attended by the Foreign Ministers of Bahrain, UAE, Egypt Morocco, Israel, and the US Secretary of State. This first of its kind regional summit took place at Sde Boker, and was, by all accounts, successful. Participants agreed to make the meeting part of a regular process that will allow the countries to work together. While Iran was a major focus of the meeting, economic development, water, and food resources were also all discussed in depth. Initial steps are said to have been taken to create some sort of regional defense agreement. All participants in the meeting condemned the terror attacks that took place.
As a follow-up to the visit a Free Trade Agreement was signed today between Israel and the UAE.
In addition, Defense Secretary Gantz visited Jordan this week. Even more importantly, was President Herzog’s official visit to Jordan.
The Herzog visit was hastily arranged, but important in its symbolism, especially since the Jordanian King has tried to keep his relations with Israel mostly out of the public eye.
COVID–19
The Covid daily infection numbers refuse to go down substantially — with daily cases averaging 13,000 this week and about 20% of Covid test results which continue to come back positive. However, at the same time, the number of seriously ill patients continues its steady, slow decline. Both Prime Minister Bennett and the Police Commissioner were both diagnosed with Covid this week. Bennett was forced to delay his planned visit to India, which had been scheduled to begin on Sunday.
ECONOMICS
The Bank of Israel issued its quarterly report on foreign currency. During the last quarter of 2021, the Shekel appreciated against the dollar by 3.7%, and against the Euro by 5.8. At the end of 2021, Israel’s foreign currency reserves stood at $213 billion, up a total of $39.7 billion from the previous year.
Israel’s GNP rose by 8.2% in 2022 (a portion of which represents catch-up from the Corona period), and per capita income rose by 6.4%.
Beewise, maker of robotic beehives, has raised $80 million in new private equity, led by Insight Partners. The company makes mechanical bee hives that allow bees to thrive, despite environmental challenges. According to Beewise, its products saved 160 million bees over the course of the last year.
Intel has continued its string of acquisitions in Israel, purchasing Israeli start-up, Granulate. Founded in 2018, Granulate is the seventh Intel purchase in Israel in the last five years, and was sold for a reported $650 million. Granulate developed an AI-powered optimization layer for cloud computing.
Radiaction Medical, Ltd., an innovative medical device company focused on radiation protection in the interventional cardiology and electrophysiology sectors, announced FDA 510(K) clearance for the marketing of its Shield System in the US. In addition, Radiaction completed a $10 million round of financing, led by current investors, InnovaHealth Partners. Proceeds will be used to launch Radiaction's Shield System in the US, and to further commercialize in Europe.
Individuals working in catheterization laboratories ("cath labs") are exposed to high levels of scattered radiation generated from the use of X-ray fluoroscopy. The medical teams wear heavy lead aprons for protection, but their heads, arms, and legs are unprotected, leading to an increase in risk for brain tumors, cognitive degradation, and other radiation-related illnesses.
Moreover, the necessary heavy lead aprons can cause severe orthopedic injuries. A significant part of the radiation in the Cath lab is scattered throughout the room, by its interaction with the patient's body and X-ray table. Mounted directly on the C-arm, Radiaction's Shield System blocks and captures the scattered radiation at the source. Clinical studies demonstrate that the device reduces radiation in the entire Cath lab by over 90%, with even higher reduction rates to the head and upper body of all personnel in the room.