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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Israel on Monday morning, the first of several stops in the region. His itinerary includes Sudan and Bahrain, two countries whose ties with Israel have warmed recently and which could possibly follow the United Arab Emirates by normalizing relations with Israel. Pompeo also plans to visit Abu Dhabi.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he and the top US diplomat would discuss the possibility of forging peace deals with additional Arab countries “in the near future.”
Indeed, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer revealed that another Arab nation was liable to quickly formalize ties with the Jewish state. “I don’t want to say this specific country or not, but there are several countries and we hope that we see another breakthrough very, very soon in the weeks and months ahead,” Dermer told the Al-Jazeera network.
But while Israel is making inroads into the Arab world, especially with respect to Gulf states that are increasingly concerned about Iranian expansionism, Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani rejected the prospects of immediate peace. “We refuse any normalization with the Zionist entity because this emboldens it to go further in breaching the rights of the Palestinian people,” El Otmani told his Islamist PJD party.
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Israel’s powerful Knesset Finance Committee approved a proposal early Monday to push back the deadline to pass a state budget, thereby likely averting in the short-term new elections. It comes after a lengthy game of brinkmanship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party.
If the measure is passed by the full Knesset, as is expected, it will extend the August 24 deadline to agree on a state budget by 120 days. Otherwise, parliament will be disbanded and Israelis would head to the polls for the fourth time since April 2019.
The dispute that has threatened to bring down the government centers on whether the state budget should be approved for 2020 and 2021, as stipulated in the coalition deal and which is Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s preferred course of action; or one that covers only the rest of 2020, which Netanyahu has insisted on due to the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Israel has extended a ban on non-residents from entering the country until October 1. That is, unless they are tourists from some 20 low-risk nations labeled as “green zones.” The Israeli Civil Aviation Authority has already informed airlines of the decision.
Despite the announcement, there are signs that Israel’s skies may further open up in the near future. Health Ministry Deputy Director Professor Itamar Grotto said a plan to allow all foreigners to enter Israel would be presented before the end of August. Additionally, Israeli Tourism Association CEO Yossi Fattal expressed optimism that inbound tourism could be revived sometime during the last quarter of 2020.
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Antisemitism Watch: The entire board of Britain’s biggest Muslim charity resigned after it was discovered that its newly appointed director had called Hamas terrorists “heroes” and described Israel as the Zionist enemy.
Almoutaz Tayara of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) posted online messages glorifying terrorist attacks on Israel and showing former US president Barack Obama in clothing containing the Star of David.
While IRW works to alleviate poverty in more than 40 countries, it has faced allegations of having links to Islamist groups.
A sign with the phrase, “The Jews Want A Race War,” was hung from the busy Los Angeles interstate 405 highway overpass. In some photos posted to social media, the banner is accompanied by another publicizing the website Goyimtv.com.
The site states that, “All members of the community and wider society should be treated as equals with the same rights, regardless of their race, age, sex, religion, political beliefs, or any other immutable attribute or self assigned designation UNLESS YOU’RE A JEW or THE SHABBOS EQUIVALENT.”
UPDATE on the “Jews a want race war” sign above the 405 freeway in Los Angeles:
More signs were up earlier promoting an extremely antisemitic website with people standing nearby. https://t.co/x6F9jR9BZg pic.twitter.com/Jj1RsuXvrP
— Siamak Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) August 23, 2020
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During the third week of August, Israeli surgeons successfully completed twelve kidney transplants across numerous hospitals in Israel, possibly setting a world record. The patients received their new kidneys due to the efforts of Matnat Chaim (“Gift of Life”), a volunteer organization dedicated to encouraging suitable donors to save lives.
The organization was established by Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Heber, who died of COVID-19 in April.
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For the first time an Israeli will compete in the Tour de France, the world’s premier cycling event set to take place from August 29-September 20. Guy Niv, 26, will compete for Team Israel Start-Up Nation, the first Jewish state-based and Israeli-owned team to partake in what many consider the most grueling sporting event ever conceived.
“I am honored and privileged to represent my country and team,” Niv said. “And to be the first Israeli to do so? It might sound like a cliché, but it’s a dream come true…. We are about to make history.”
Notably, Israelis will race in two other Grand Tour events later this year: Guy Sagiv in the Giro d’Italia, and Omer Goldstein in the Vuelta a Espana.
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The Jerusalem Rooftop Festival kicks off on Monday evening atop the Jerusalem Music Center, which overlooks the Old City walls. The Jerusalem Street Orchestra will perform some gems from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the Tarab Jerusalem Ensemble will bring the curtain down on the outdoor program on Wednesday evening.
The festival will feature three magical performances: “Mozart on the Roof”, “Deep in the Mountains,” and “Andalusian Suite.”
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