Israel

Two people were reported missing in Israel on Tuesday after severe storms ravaged the country's south and caused flooding. The Israeli police report this. In the night from Monday to Tuesday, the emergency services had their hands full rescuing holidaymakers who were surprised by the torrential rain. About sixty people were rescued, some of whom were dragged in their cars by the rising water. However, two people are still reported missing in the desert region of the Negev, police said in a statement on Tuesday. Since Monday evening, "heavy rainfall and strong winds are causing rivers to flood near highways 90 and 40," the country's two main roads. Several roads have been blocked near the seaside resort of Eilat, and the police have asked the population not to go near the flood...

Israel fears another environmental disaster in the Mediterranean after a suspected oil carpet has been discovered off the coast. This was announced by the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection on Wednesday. It may be major contamination.   Following a warning from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), several suspicious spots were found 20 to 40 kilometres off the coast. The suspected oil carpet in the sea will be analyzed on Wednesday using ships and aircraft. Several private vessels are on standby to contain the pollution and extract the oil if necessary. In February of last year, Israel was also hit by a huge oil spill off the coast. The leakage of the substance then caused serious damage to the beaches and mainly affected the fauna. Neighboring Lebanon was also af...

Several dozen Palestinians would not be evicted from their homes in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood "in the next few years." That is what the Israeli Supreme Court proposed today.   The Palestinians will have to recognize the ownership of a Jewish organization over their land and pay a "small rent", but the matter is not entirely settled yet. A few months ago, the dispute in Sheikh Jarrah led to severe riots and to a war between Israel and the radical group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Supreme Court now wants to throw a kind of "Solomon verdict" on the table with a compromise proposal. Fourteen Palestinian families from East Jerusalem had gone to the Supreme Court to overturn an eviction order from their homes by lower courts. That would now partly work, at lea...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the military operation in the Gaza Strip as a great success.   He said during a press conference that his country's goals had been achieved, according to the news site Times of Israel. According to Netanyahu, Hamas has suffered "maximum losses," while casualties in Israel have been limited. Following a ceasefire agreement, the prime minister said his country had killed "200 terrorists" above ground, including 25 top figures. "And those who survived know that we can reach them anywhere," he told the news site. "Above or below the ground." The Israeli army has carried out massive bombing raids to destroy Hamas tunnels for the past week and a half. According to the authorities, many civilians were killed in the densely populated...

The deadline for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government will expire at midnight (local time).   On Tuesday, however, there are hardly any signs that the country's longest-serving leader can break the political deadlock of more than two years. The political contradictions and mistrust in the prime minister are great. Nor are there any signs that, should Netanyahu fail to form a new coalition, the opposition parties would be able to bridge their political differences and form a government. Netanyahu, 71, has been in office since 2009 and served three years in government in the 1990s. He's been fighting for his political life through four elections since 2019 without a clear winner. A new premiership makes him inviolable and thus prevents him from being co...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) scheduled for Thursday will not occur for the time being.   Jordan was tough on allowing an Israeli plane through its airspace, according to the prime minister's office. A new date will be set. It is also possible that Netanyahu's wife Sara has been hospitalized with appendicitis. The Jordanian refusal is said to be linked to a cancelled visit by Crown Prince Hussein to the Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. According to Israel, that was scheduled for last Wednesday, but there was a conflict over the security agreements. Jordan permitted the flight around noon on Thursday, but that was no reason for Netanyahu to board the plane. It would be the first time that an Israe...

Within the Israeli government coalition, there has been considerable concern about legislation to prohibit 'gay healing'.   The Blue-White coalition party voted in favour of a ban, to the anger of ultra-Orthodox allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The legislation would prohibit psychologists from continuing to use the controversial therapy for homosexuals. The proposal has yet to be finally approved but took a hurdle in parliament on Wednesday. Ultra-Orthodox MPs, who see homosexuality as sinful, were visibly outraged after the vote, according to the Times of Israel. They shouted "you will not become prime minister" to Blue-White leader Benny Gantz, the defence minister. That could be seen as a threat to drop the government before Gantz can take office as prime minister ...