Tel Aviv Diary: September 30, 2022
Violence in the West Bank, Politics,Business, History, and Restaurant Review
Wishes for a happy and sweet new year to you!
Due to the countrywide hiatus in celebration of Rosh Hashanah
this will be an abridged Tel Aviv Diary.
Here are a few things that happened this week:
WEST BANK CLASHES
The most significant incidents this past week were additional clashes in the West Bank, especially in Jenin — where, in the throes of combat, the IDF killed four militants. Random attacks have continued in other places on the West Bank, as well. IDF Chief of Staff Kochavi has authorized drone use to kill wanted targets. However, the Air Force denies it has any immediate plans to do so. Use of drones seems like a very problematic solution.
Although Israel has demanded that the Palestinian Authority bring order to Jenin, it’s not clear if the PA has the will, or the way to do so. If the PA does not step in, the situation is likely to get worse in the coming weeks.
POLITICS
The Election Committee voted to ban “Balad,” (the most extreme Israeli-Arab party) from running in the upcoming election. Balad recently broke with the Joint Arab List and has currently polled below the required threshold. It would be in the interest of those who oppose Netanyahu’s return for Balad to be excluded, as if they do run and fail to receive the minimum needed to enter Knesset, those votes would all be disqualified; votes that might go to viable parties that support the alternative coalition. It should be noted that in the past, the Supreme Court has overturned the actions of the Election Committee, regarding attempted exclusions of Arab parties.
In another decision, the Election Committee panel disqualified Amichai Chikli from inclusion on the Likud list. Chikli defected from the Yamina party, thus helping bring down the last government. The Knesset voted and officially deemed Chikli a defector. As a result, under Knesset rules Chikli is disqualified to run with another party in the upcoming election. Netanyahu and the Likud lashed out at the decision, with claims the verdict was an attempt by the judiciary “to bring down a right-wing government.” Netanyahu also made other ridiculous assertions questioning how the court could vote down Chikli, while allowing others. Netanyahu’s rants on this matter were widely ridiculed, since nobody is going to cast their vote based on Chikli’s presence on a list. In addition, no one else’s candidacy was challenged at the election board this cycle, thus Netanyahu’s complaint that the court “permitted others to run” is patently absurd.
In past elections, I published pre-election polls every week on my web site. This time, I feel it’s simply not worth it. Very little changes from poll-to-poll. Almost all the polls show that neither Netanyahu, nor the alternative government has the votes to form a coalition. In the end, the election outcome will be determined solely by turnout. My biggest fear is that Meretz and Labor could fall below the required minimum threshold, as more and more voters decide to vote for Gantz. If that happens, all the blame will be on Merav Michaeli, for refusing a merger of the two left-wing parties.
Channel 13 presented an interesting poll of the ultra-Orthodox Community—
500 people were polled, including: 32% Lithuanian, 31%Hasidic, 32% Sephardic, 3% Chabad, 2% other.
Here’s what they found …
Who would you vote for:
47% Yahadut HaTorah
26% Shas
10% Religious Zionist (Smotritch/Ben Gvir)
2% Likud
What coalition religious parties should enter:
64% Right-wing government, or remain in the Opposition
16% Center-Left
7% National Unity
Should secular studies be included in Charedi school curricula:
42% Against any secular studies
40% Limited secular studies
8% Full inclusion
Should women be included on Charedi party Knesset Lists:
70% Oppose
24% Support
Should Itamar Ben Gvir be given a cabinet position:
63% Support
15% Oppose
BUSINESS
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced today it was awarded a contract valued at $120 million to supply HermesTM 900 Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and training capabilities to the Royal Thai Navy. The contract will be performed over a three-year period.
Under the contract, Elbit Systems will provide the Royal Thai Navy with Hermes 900 Maritime UAS featuring maritime radar, Electro Optic payload, Satellite Communication, droppable inflated life rafts and other capabilities. The Hermes 900 Maritime UAS is intended to enable the Royal Thai Navy to perform both blue water and littoral missions, dominate vast swathes of sea and long coastlines, communicate with operational vessels and carry out civilian mission such as maritime Search and Rescue and identification of suspicious activities and potential hazards.
Kahun Secures $8M round for its ‘XAI’ engine for clinical reasoning. Kahun builds the world’s largest map of clinical knowledge containing more than 30 million medical insights in order to replicate clinical reasoning at scale, overcoming the major ‘black box’ problem which prevents AI solutions from mass adoption by medical institutions. The company’s seed round was led by UK VC LocalGlobe, with participation from the EU’s EIC fund, and The Founders Kitchen fund by Waze Co-founder Uri Levine, who also led the pre-seed round. In total, the company has raised $13M to date.
A PIECE OF HISTORY — TEL AVIV PROMENADE
In the 1930s, a promenade was built along the Tel Aviv beach, stretching from Bograshav Street northward. Installation of a promenade changed the nature of the beach, which began to be used by the burgeoning population of the city. During World War II, the beach was closed — both due to security concerns and growing pollution.
In 1942, London Square was founded in the northern part of the promenade. In 1953, Gan-HaAtzmaut (Independence Garden) was created. In 1965, when the port of Ashdod was opened, the ports of Tel Aviv and Jaffa were closed. During this time, the first international hotels opened along the beach, with the Sheraton being built north of where the Hilton stands today. The Sheraton joined the Dan Hotel as the first 5-star hotels along the Tel Aviv beach.
In the 1980s, Shafdan, the Dan District sewage treatment facility, was opened, and sewage no longer flowed into the water. Shafdan enabled cleansing of the beaches, and their opening for bathing. Also in the 1980s, tombolo breakwaters were placed, leading to significant expansion of the beaches, and allowing a greater number of people to enter and enjoy.
In 2011, the Tel Aviv municipality restored and renovated the promenade, which today runs from the Tel Aviv port to the port of Jaffa.
A TASTE OF TEL AVIV — ABIE
Today we visit Lincoln Street (awkwardly pronounced by Israelis with a non-silent letter “l”), where we will find Abie. Best known for their wood fire grill, Chef Asaf Dok has created a menu focused on the freshest and highest quality fish and veggies found in Israel, cooked to perfection. It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite dish, as the menu changes seasonally according to available ingredients. However, you can never go wrong with their raw fish dishes and you can generally trust the waiters to steer you in the right direction. While it never hurts to make a reservation, Abie is one of the few restaurants in Tel Aviv that leaves available tables for walk-ins, so feel free to show up any evening, as long as you’re willing to wait with a drink until a table becomes available. I highly recommend the silver cilantro (כוסברה סילבר), their take on a cilantro margarita.
Find me on Instagram @talischulman and follow all my food adventures saved in my highlights!