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Beirut Explosion: Israel is reportedly in the advanced stages of negotiations with a UN-sponsored organization in order to supply Lebanon with humanitarian and medical assistance following the catastrophic explosion in Beirut. The blast decimated the Port of Beirut, killing at least 135 people and injuring more than 4,000 others.
However, Dr. Salman Zarka, director of the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, where patients from Lebanon and Syria have in the past been treated, expressed skepticism that Hezbollah would permit Lebanese civilians to enter Israel.
“I really hope that [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah will allow us to save lives,” Zarka told Israel’s Kan 11 News.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv’s city hall was illuminated on Wednesday night with Lebanon’s flag in a show of solidarity with Lebanese citizens. “Humanity comes before any conflict, and our heart is with the Lebanese people following the terrible disaster that befell them,” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai wrote on Twitter.
Video courtesy of: Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality
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COVID-19: The IDF has established a coronavirus task force whose aim is to dramatically reduce the infection rate in Israel. The military announced in a statement that the new task force, which will begin operating next week, will coordinate the activities under one umbrella of all other bodies currently devoted to fighting the pandemic. The unit, headed by Brigadier General Nissan Davidi, will in the coming days dispatch approximately 2,000 soldiers to assist health officials with coronavirus testing, and will be responsible for implementing a new program to vastly expand contact tracing.
The decision comes at a time when the government is under fire for what many view as its poor handling of Israel’s second wave of the virus; this, after Israel was hailed for its initial response to the outbreak in March.
Concurrently, the cabinet has decided to cancel some weekend restrictions and there is talk of reopening the skies to air travel in a limited capacity by August 16. The cabinet also approved a color-coded system proposed by recently appointed coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu. Cities flagged as “red” or “orange” are liable to face targeted restrictions, in hopes of preventing the need for a general lockdown, a move opposed by Gamzu.
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Israel’s Sight Diagnostics on Wednesday said that it had raised $71 million in private funding to support research and development as well as to expand sales of its finger-prick blood analyzer. Among those involved in the round of financing were Koch Disruptive Technologies, Longliv Ventures — which is part of the CK Hutchison Group — and Israel’s OurCrowd. Sight Diagnostics has to date raised nearly $125 million.
Founded in 2011, the company’s analyzer can deliver complete blood count (CBC) results by measuring 19 different parameters in minutes.
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Israel on Wednesday expressed hope that its joint effort with India to develop a rapid test for COVID-19 will bear fruit within a few months. Israeli and Indian scientists are collaborating on an ambitious project that can provide results in under one minute. “The goal is to bring to the world the technological capability to perform rapid Corona tests that will enable the opening of airports, office buildings, schools, train stations and more,” the Israel Defense Ministry said in a statement.
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Antisemitism Watch: Four men were arrested for hanging a banner reading “Hitler Was Right” on a bridge in Arizona. The men were caught while posing and taking pictures with the sign. The banner also included a link to a website that contained “bigoted and explicitly racist pronouncements,” according to reports.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who supports the boycott Israel movement, came out on top in a primary in Michigan’s 13th district, as she bids for a second term in office. Tlaib believes that Israel should become a binational state, which would almost certainly put an end to Jewish self-determination. She and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are two of Israel’s most outspoken critics on Capitol Hill.
Recommended Reading
- The real tragedy for Lebanon is Hezbollah’s continuing stranglehold (JPost Editorial)
- The 1982 Lebanon War: Where and why did it go wrong? (Dov Lipman)
- Israel haters find a new way to attack it (James Sinkinson)
- Israel-Qatar relations, revealed (Tyler Kotler)
