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The last of the coalition agreements between Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and his political allies have been signed, paving the way for the incoming government to be sworn in on Thursday.
It was announced on Wednesday morning that the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party and Likud had finalized an agreement the night before. Soon after, the right-wing Religious Zionist and Noam parties announced that they had also finalized their coalition agreements with Likud.
Following the November 1 Israeli national election, Likud and its right-wing and religious allies won a majority of seats in the Knesset. However, the coalition-forming process has been rockier than anticipated, with parties jockeying for prized ministerial positions and demanding the passage of certain critical pieces of legislation.
All coalition deals have now been submitted, clearing the way for the @netanyahu government to be sworn in at the Knesset tomorrow afternoon.
— Gil Hoffman (@Gil_Hoffman) December 28, 2022
In related news, the Speaker of the Knesset, Yariv Levin, stepped down on Tuesday in order to presumably assume the position of justice minister.
Likud MK Amir Ohana is slated to replace Levin, meaning that he will be the first openly gay MK to serve as Knesset speaker.
The Knesset speaker is considered to be the third-most politically powerful person in the country, serving as the stand-in president when necessary and responsible for deciding which bills are introduced into the Knesset plenum for a vote.
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Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, and the Israeli police recently announced the arrest of the person responsible for last month’s bombing of two Jerusalem bus stops that killed two Israeli civilians.
Eslam Froukh, a 26-year-old mechanical engineer from Kfar Aqab in eastern Jerusalem, was reportedly influenced by the Islamic State and constructed the two bombs himself.
The police further alleged that Froukh intended to detonate another bomb at the scene of the second attack once emergency services had arrived but ran into technical difficulties and was forced to abandon that plan.
The Israeli security services were able to identify Froukh as the bomber following the discovery of a motorized scooter, a helmet, changes of clothing, and five pipe bombs outside the community of Maaleh Adumim in the days following the attacks.
After the announcement of Froukh’s arrest, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid thanked security forces for tracking down the terrorist responsible for the deaths of innocent Israelis and stated that “Israel will reach any terrorist who harms its citizens, and will deal with them with the full severity of the law.”
Last month’s bombings capped off one of the most bloody years in recent Israeli history, with 31 Israelis killed during a spate of Palestinian terror attacks and Israeli counter-terrorism operations over the past year.
Suspect behind the deadly twin bombings in Jerusalem in November has been identified as East Jerusalem resident Eslam Froukh and arrested. According to Shin Bet he acted alone and in the name of Daesh pic.twitter.com/ZEPoLsn4nL
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) December 27, 2022
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According to several Israeli security sources, Israel is currently in the midst of negotiations with Hamas for the return of the two bodies of Israeli soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul as well as the return of two civilians, Avraham Mengistu and Hisham Al-Sayed, who are being held in Gaza.
The bodies of IDF soldiers Goldin and Shaul, who were killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, are being held by Hamas. Mengistu and Al-Sayed are two Israeli civilians who crossed into Gaza separately and have been held captive by Hamas ever since.
According to leaked details, Israel will deport a number of Hamas prisoners serving lengthy prison terms to Jordan, where they will serve between 5 to 10 years in a Jordanian prison. After their release, they will be banned from returning to the West Bank or Gaza.
In addition, Israel will also reportedly release the bodies of deceased Palestinian terrorists.
Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly aware of the details of the negotiations and is not opposed to them in principle.
In response to the report, Hamas announced that the claims of negotiations are “completely inaccurate and unfounded.”
Israeli security sources say negotiations are underway to secure the release of captives Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu and the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oren Shaul.https://t.co/HaextvfBs1 pic.twitter.com/gFe3yxGi9s
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) December 27, 2022
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Israel is set to declare the COVID-19 pandemic over and will recategorize COVID-19 as an influenza-like virus in the coming weeks.
According to Hebrew media reports, Israel’s civilian health system will take over responsibility for COVID testing from the IDF’s Home Command on January 18, 2023.
Then, on January 31, the pandemic control center will be closed and patients will no longer need to isolate while testing positive for the virus.
According to Professor Cyrille Cohen, a member of the Health Ministry’s advisory council for clinical COVID vaccine trials, the goal is for the virus to reach an endemic stage, where it will spread at an expected rate.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, 12,023 Israelis have died from the virus.
'We're not saying COVID is over… We're trying to assess the threat,'
Says Prof. @cohen_cyrille as Israel plans to downgrade coronavirus to flu level, and adds that Israel needs to maintain flexible policies as the number of severe cases stays consistent
|With @albertlewitinn pic.twitter.com/rDl35U4J19
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 27, 2022
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