News From Israel – IPA News

American Jerusalemites can now claim they were born in Israel – The United States officially announced a change of policy allowing dual citizens born in Jerusalem to state their place of birth on American passports as ‘Israel.’ Previous US policy refused to acknowledge that Jerusalem was under Israeli sovereignty. So, American born Jerusalemites could not put ISRAEL on their American passports. Jerusalem is considered ‘disputed territory’ by Arab ‘Palestinians’ because they want it as a part of their future State. Previous Presidents Bush and Obama would not allow it but the Trump administration allowed the bill to pass this week.

This year the Fall Feasts in Israel was a time of Corona lockdown. Because the country virtually closes while Jews celebrate, the government thought it would be a good time for the shutdown. It was the 2^nd nationwide lockdown since the pandemic began. Israel, with a population of just 9 million, was reporting more than 8,000 new cases a day, raising fears its hospitals could be overwhelmed. The holidays enon the 11^th of October but the number of cases were still too high according to Netanyahu. So now the lockdown has been extended to the 8^th of November as the

Since February 2020 over 311,149 Israelis have contracted Corona and 2,452 patients have died. Corona

Can Corona be Contracted More than Once? – In a pioneering study, Israel is conducting a large-scale investigation into coronavirus reinfection. So far, 81 patients were found to have contracted COVID-19 twice, raising concerns about whether people do, in fact, develop immunity to it.

Corona Affects Mental Health – Since the beginning of the Corona Pandemic Israel has received 240,000 emergency calls from citizens and 5,500 of the calls were suicidal. 60% of the calls are concerning daily challenges, financial and employment problems, mental health crisis and identity crisis. There has been a rise in inquiries about psychological treatment, as well as a rise in the frequency of therapy sessions. 86% of inquiries come from people in crisis or emotional overload.

Ethiopian Jews Immigrating to Israel – PM Netanyahu updated Ethiopian PM Ahmed on his intention to immediately bring to Israel approximately 2,000 of the people currently sitting in Addis Ababa and Gondar, out of his commitment to the continued aliyah of Jews to Israel.

Annual Census in Israel: Rosh HaShanah or the Jewish New Year of 5781 began on the 18^th of September. Every year The Central Bureau of Statistics does a Census of only citizens of Israel. Over the past year, the population of Israel grew by more than 150,000 people. 170,000 babies were born and 25,000 people immigrated during the year, while 44,000 people died. The population now stands at an estimated 9,246,000 people. Jews in Israel make up about 74% of the population, with 6,841,000 citizens registered as Jewish. Another 1,946,000 (21%) are Arab, and the rest, 459,000 (5%), are members of other groups.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to the UN General Assembly: “While the Security Council is divided, both Arabs and Israelis are united urging tough action on Iran. And when Arabs and Israelis agree, others should pay attention. Israel calls upon all members of the Security Council to stand with the United States against Iran’s aggression, stand with it in insisting that Iran completely ends its nuclear weapons program, stand with the US in confronting the greatest danger to peace in our region.”

Iran Continuing to Prepare Nuclear Weapons – Inspectors from the United Nations’ atomic watchdog have confirmed that Iran has started building a new underground nuclear facility.

A bill co-sponsored by Democrat and Republican US Representatives would allow the US to transfer bunker-buster bombs to Israel in the event of an Iranian nuclear escalation. The bunker-buster bombs referred to in this bill weighs approximately 30,000 pounds and is designed to take out targets hidden deep beneath the surface.

Washington issued a stark warning to Turkey after their military forces tested a Russian missile the S-400 air defense system. The US Department of Defense said Turkey’s partnership with its NATO ally is at risk of being “seriously” affected. Turkey responded saying, “We are not going to ask the opinion of the US.”

Arab Countries Normalizing Ties with Israel

Sudan Normalizes Ties with Israel – On 10/23, the Trump administration announced that Sudan would be normalizing relations with Israel. The UAE welcomed Sudan’s historic decision following months of negotiations with the White House, saying the move will help stabilize the Middle East and bring prosperity to the struggling African country.

Trump wrote: “Great news! New government of Sudan agreed to pay $335 million to U.S. terror victims and families. Once deposited, I will lift Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. At long last, justice for the American people and a BIG step for Sudan!”

Israel Ambassador at the UN Security Council meeting said that the Middle East has changed, but the ‘Palestinians’ have not. Erdon said, “Instead of viewing the Abraham Accords as a new opportunity to kick-start negotiations, the Palestinians have attacked the Emirates, Bahrainis and Sudanese, calling their decision to have peace with Israel a ‘betrayal’ and a ‘stab in the back.’ We can see that the Palestinians incite against any country that seeks peace with Israel, even its fellow Arab League members. The United States has demonstrated for the first time in 25 years that a different approach to the situation in the Middle East can yield results. Today, because of American leadership, Israel is closer to its Arab neighbors than ever before.”

During the signing of the Peace Accords at the White House, ‘Palestinians’ from the Gaza Strip fired 13 rockets into Israel causing significant damage and hurting at least 6 people. The attack began precisely during the ceremony in which the UAE and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accord with the State of Israel.