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JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel said Sunday it had opened a factory to make millions of high-spec masks as it prepares for a possible “second wave” of coronavirus cases. After imposing tough measures to tackle the COVID-19 illness, Israel has fared relatively well in the initial months of the pandemic. More than 17,700 infections have been registered among a population of nine million, with nearly 300 deaths. But as the country has gradually opened up […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — DNA research on the Dead Sea Scrolls has revealed that not all of the ancient manuscripts came from the desert landscape where they were discovered, according to a study published Tuesday. Numbering around 900, the manuscripts were found between 1947 — first by Bedouin shepherds — and 1956 in the Qumran caves above the Dead Sea that are today located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The parchment and papyrus scrolls contain Hebrew, […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel has launched a campaign to test 100,000 people for novel coronavirus antibodies as the country prepares for a possible “second wave” of cases, a top official said Thursday. The initiative is one of the world’s largest such schemes and aims to test Israel’s “collective immunity” against the COVID-19 disease. “We have started… It should not be too long before we see some interesting trends,” said Yair Schindel, a senior official […]
HERZLIYA, Israel (AFP) — China’s ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, died at his home in Tel Aviv on Sunday, apparently from natural causes, a statement from Beijing said. The 57-year-old envoy, who had arrived in Israel in mid-February, was found dead in his home in Herzliya, north of the city, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. A statement from China’s foreign ministry said: “The preliminary verdict is that Ambassador Du Wei died unexpectedly of health […]
by Majeda El-Batsh Agence France Presse HAIFA, Israel (AFP) — Each morning since February, Israeli Arab doctor Khitam Hussein has woken up before dawn to rush to a job on the frontline of the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus. Hussein, 44, has emerged as a prominent member of Israel’s often marginalized Arab community which is now playing an essential role in confronting an unprecedented health crisis. She heads the outbreak response at the Rambam […]
Pictures by JACK GUEZ Agence France-Presse TEL-AVIV, Israel (AFP) — With the coronavirus keeping Israelis indoors, dozens of jackals have taken over a deserted park in Tel Aviv, scavenging for food in what is usually a playground for joggers and families. The normally timid animals wander freely among palm trees and across the grass of Hayarkon Park, an oasis in the Mediterranean city that was also a magnet for cyclists and picnickers until the arrival of […]
By Guillaume Lavallee and Jonah Mandel JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — One app tells you if you’ve been in the vicinity of a coronavirus carrier and another aims to assess whether you have COVID-19 based on the sound of your voice. In Israel, sometimes dubbed the “start-up nation” with nearly 10 percent of workers employed in high-tech, the coronavirus pandemic has seen a flurry of new technologies designed to contain transmission. Start-Up Nation Central, an NGO, […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel’s ex-military chief Benny Gantz was Monday nominated to form a government, issuing a call for “unity” after a year of political deadlock and amid the coronavirus pandemic. “I’ll do everything to form in a few days as possible a national, patriotic and broad government… I always wanted unity,” Gantz said, urging his rival, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to join him. © Agence France-Presse
by Joe Dyke JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) –Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in Israel’s general election Monday, with exit polls putting the indicted premier in a strong position to form the next government. The election, Israel’s third in less than a year, was called after inconclusive votes in April and September plunged the Jewish state into political stalemate. The surveys conducted by three Israeli networks gave Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party between 36 and 37 seats […]
ROSH HAYAAIN, Israel (AFP) — Former military chief Benny Gantz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challenger in elections Monday, voiced hope the country would “change the tune,” after a year of political stalemate. “It’s about time that we be much more united,” Gantz said after voting in the central town of Rosh Haayin. “I hope that today will be the day that we change the tune, stop the mudslinging (and) stop the lying,” he […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israeli aircraft hit what the military said were Islamic Jihad sites in the Gaza Strip and Syria late Sunday, after the Palestinian militant group fired a barrage of rockets at Israel. In a new flareup a week ahead of a fresh general election in the Jewish state, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on “Islamic Jihad terror sites” throughout Gaza and near the Syrian capital Damascus, a military statement said. […]
by Jonah MANDEL JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel confirmed its second case of the new coronavirus Sunday — a second returned citizen from the stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess. “Another passenger who returned from the cruise ship in Japan has tested positive,” a health ministry statement said. “The patient is in isolation and under the supervision and was not infected in Israel,” it said. The first case was announced on Friday. The two were among […]
