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Britain registers a new daily high of more than 53,000 coronavirus cases, as concern mount about spiraling numbers of positive tests and pressure on health services.
Government figures show 53,135 people tested positive in the last 24 hours, up from 41,385 the previous day, taking the overall number of cases to 2,382,865.
A further 414 deaths have been recorded within 28 days of a positive test, increasing the country’s toll to 71,567. AFP I m proud to work at The Times of Israel
I’ll tell you the truth: Life here in Israel isn’t always easy. But it s full of beauty and meaning.
I m proud to work at The Times of Israel alongside colleagues who pour their hearts into their work day in, day out, to capture the complexity of this extraordinary place.
IDF soldiers prevented several Lebanese men from crossing into Israel earlier today, the military says.
In a statement, the military says forces spotted suspects nearing the border fence, one of whom climbed over it and walked several meters into Israeli territory.
Troops shot in the air, and the suspect returned to Lebanon, with the suspects leaving the area, the IDF says. I m proud to work at The Times of Israel
I’ll tell you the truth: Life here in Israel isn’t always easy. But it s full of beauty and meaning.
I m proud to work at The Times of Israel alongside colleagues who pour their hearts into their work day in, day out, to capture the complexity of this extraordinary place.
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Benny Gantz opens his press conference by slamming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he caused the election, in a fiery appearance.
“Blue and White saved the country,” he claims, saying it committed an act of heroism for which it is now paying the electoral price. “We lay on the fence; some would say, we jumped on the grenade.”
He predicts that Netanyahu will lose power in the March 2021 elections Netanyahu’s “fingers will be prised” from the leadership of Israel, he says. Blue and White’s “great achievement” will be “the ending of Netanyahu’s political path.”
“There was not one minute in this government when Netanyahu viewed us as partners or acted for the country’s benefit,” he charges. “Only the good of the country is guiding me, even if I pay a price.”
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Gideon Sa’ar, leader of the right-wing “New Hope” party formed recently after he left the ruling Likud party, tells an Arab-Israeli television station that he intends to have members of minority goups join his party, possibly including Muslims.
“I have five more weeks until the slates are submitted, but we will include minorities in our Knesset slate, it’s important to me,” Sa’ar tells Hala TV.
Asked if he also means Muslims, Sa’ar answers: “Why not? The question is a question of values.”
Gideon Sa’ar, seen during a visit to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem on December 16, 2020 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
In Israel, as in the United States, ultra-Orthodox communities have been hard hit by the coronavirus.
Now new data from the Health Ministry shows that one in 132 Haredi adults in Israel over the age of 65 has died from the coronavirus, compared with one in 475 adults over 65 among the general population, according to the Israel Hayom daily. That puts the COVID-19 death toll among ultra-Orthodox adults over 65 at 3.6 times that of the general population.
Haredi families in Israel often live in cramped quarters, with large families in small apartments, allowing the virus to spread easily among family members. The communal nature of the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle has made their communities particularly susceptible to the virus, as has continued resistance to social distancing measures and lockdowns. Even as the country has gone through several lockdowns, some Haredim have continued to come together for large weddings, funerals and other gatherings.