25 Tammuz 5780
17 July 2020
The News on the Israeli Street
The daily Corona update . . .
As of 8 am this morning (Friday):
There are 46,059 confirmed cases—an increase of 1,871 since this time yesterday
20,370 of these have recovered—an increase of 381
202 are in serious condition—a decrease of 2
58 are on ventilators—an increase of 1
384 have died–an increase of 8
There are 25,689 active cases.
7.1% of those tested yesterday for Corona tested positive–triple the percentage of three weeks ago.
According to new data from the Health Ministry, all 300 of the first Corona fatalities in Israel suffered from at least one background disease: 54% had hypertension; 33% had diabetes; 32% suffered from heart disease–and some suffered from two of the above or all three. Other diseases such as chronic pneumonia and cystic fibrosis were also observed.
The government begins the Corona lockdown . . .
Beginning today at 5:00 pm and extending for one week, no more than 10 people can meet in a closed space and 20 in an open space.
In addition:
• All gyms and dance studies are closed.
• All restaurants are closed for inside dining. Only take-out is available.
• Occupancy in hotels is limited to 35% of maximum.
Beginning next Friday, the following restrictions will be put in place during each weekend 5 pm Friday-5:00 am Sunday:
• Beaches will be closed.
• Shops, malls, retail markets, hairdressers, beauty salons, libraries, zoos, community centers, museums, convention halls, pools, and tourist attractions will be closed. Supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open.
Looking for a vaccine . . . the Israeli connection . . .
By most accounts the Moderna company seems to be in the lead to produce a Corona vaccine. As you may not know, the Chief Medical Officer of Moderna is an Israeli, Dr. Tal Zaks, who received his degrees at Ben Gurion University in Beersheva.
In an interview yesterday, Zaks described one of his driving motivations to come up with a vaccine: “I want to hug my mother in Israel.”
He also discussed that the trials for tmodehe vaccine are going better than expected and that “there will be a phase of vaccination for large populations even before commercial approval.”
News from the neighborhood . . .
The situation in Lebanon has gone from bad to worse.
Corona has struck; the currency has collapsed ($1=1505 Lebanese pounds at the bank–many more on the black market); telephone communication is nonexistent; and there is no electricity in Beirut for 22 out of 24 hours a day leading people to sleep outside in order to be cool and use candles for light.
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And all of this has happened with the financial support of Iran.
Where . . . there were massive demonstrations again yesterday with protesters in Tehran chanting that Iran should spend its money on Iran and not on Lebanon and Gaza.
A sea change in Israeli water . . .
Most of you know that water in Israel has always flowed from north to south–from the Kineret (Sea of Galilee) to the northern Negev.
However, as you may not know, this is now changing with desalinated water produced from plants on the coast (such as here in Ashdod) now flowing north toward the Kineret.
The good news is that Merkorot, Israel’s water “company”, has just finished the first phase of a project to make this a permanent reality. One of the main purposes of the three-phase project is to make Israel less dependent on the Kineret, and in fact we see the results already. This year, very little water is being pumped out of the Kineret for the first time ever.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Horrific–Outrageous–Petty:
Three Quotes of the Day
1. The Horrific Quote of the Day
“I am ready to be the next Yigal Amir . . . Everyone in the demonstrations against Netanyahu is ready to be the next Yigal Amir.”
A posting yesterday in the WhatsApp group of anti-Netanyahu protest activists
In case you have forgotten, Yigal Amir was the person who assassinated Yitzhak Rabin. To think that we have gotten to a place in Israel society where someone on social media is openly talking about assassinating our prime minister is beyond appalling.
But not surprising. Anyone watching television coverage of the protests this past week in Jerusalem had to be struck by the visceral hatred on the faces and in the actions of the so-called “protesters”. It is a visceral hatred that has been whipped into a frenzy by the ultra-left, anti-Netanyahu Israeli media.
By the way, the policeman who was almost killed by the crowd the other night in the Jerusalem protest is undergoing surgeries in the coming week for injuries he received.
2. The Nauseating Quote of the Day
“After Israel did not reply regarding the projects, the Palestinians and we understood that Israel is happy with them.”
An unnamed “source” in the European Union offices in Jerusalem speaking yesterday
The projects the “source” is talking about are the 16 illegal infrastructure projects that the European Union and Demnark are funding in Area C. As we wrote yesterday, the announcement of the projects has been met with nothing but silence from the government.
The PLO and its cronies are free to build Area C, but every building erected by Jewish communities in Area C such as one at Kumi Ori in Samaria this week is immediately destroyed by the government.
It is an outrageous situation.
3. The Petty Quote of the Day
Remember our “quote of the day” from yesterday’s blog:
“With the distribution of money, we will end up like Venezuela.”
Shaul Meridor, head of the Budget Department at the Ministry of Finance
As you remember, Meridor was commenting on the absurd Corona stimulus plan rolled out by PM Netanyahu and Finance Minister Israel Katz and wondering where the money was going to come from.
Yesterday, Netanyahu in the midst of a petty temper tantrum reportedly said:
“I want Meridor fired.”
And so it goes in an Israel under partial lockdown today. Shabbat Shalom!
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.