Government

The state of Israel is not properly prepared for an earthquake. Most hospitals in the north are not earthquake-resistant; 2,350 schools operate in buildings that are not earthquake-resistant; 99% of the public buildings that require reinforcement have not yet been strengthened. In fact, only 52 public buildings have been reinforced in the past decade, 50 schools and two hospitals have been partially renovated. State Comptroller Joseph Shapira's report on "preparedness for earthquakes - buildings and infrastructure" published revealed the enormous destruction expected in Israel during a...

A ministerial committee for reserve soldiers has approved a plan that includes benefits for reservists who own small and medium-sized businesses. Benefits include: - The Ministry of Economy and Industry, through the Small and Medium Enterprises Agency, will promote and encourage businesses owned by active reservists. Preference shall be given to the employment track of the Ministry operated by the Investment Authority. - A dedicated business technological accelerator will be established for active reservists, who will be budgeted jointly by the Ministries of Defense and Economics at a...

The Finance Committee of the Knesset approved the plan of the Government Companies Authority to sell 20% of the shares of the Israel Postal Company from the government to a private strategic investor, and another 20% to the public. However, the committee demanded that the Authority and the Ministry of Finance report to the Knesset in the future in order to obtain its approval of the order of vital interests that the Minister of Finance will issue prior to privatization

Prime Minister Netanyahu is planning an unprecedented increase in the defense budget, to the extent that it will cost more than NIS 100 billion a year. Today, the annual budget of the IDF, the Mossad and the Shin Bet totals NIS 70 billion. The Netanyahu plan was presented today at the meeting of the political-security cabinet. Among other things, the budgets for the air defense systems - Arrow, Iron Dome and a magic wand - will be increased, as will the construction of a fence along the Jordanian border. The plan will be presented shortly to the General Staff forum and senior Mossad...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was questioned on Friday in the Bezeq case again for four hours. Police investigators and the Securities and Exchange Commission arrived at the Prime Minister's residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem for his eighth investigation into this case and presented him with new testimonies and findings. The controlling shareholder of Bezeq and its former board chairman, Shaul Elovitch, was again questioned today, and his driver was also required to enter the interrogation room, where he gave open testimony

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and the head of the Federal Finance Division (FDF), Swiss Confederation Minister of Finance, Mr. Oli Morer, met in Jerusalem to discuss various financial and fiscal issues of mutual interest. The ministers met after a second round of economic dialogue in Switzerland, in which the parties identified areas of mutual interest and undertook commitments to deepen cooperation on a number of issues, including access to the market and the industry

Against the background of the difficulty experienced by the fashion industry in the past year, the Ministry of Economy has formulated steps that will help companies compete and break into new markets. The steps are based on existing plans at the Ministry and in accordance with the manufacturers of the industry

On Friday, the Tel Aviv District Court approved the continuation of the construction work of the light rail system in Bnei Brak on shabat, one of the holiest days in Jewish calender. The court decided that the work was necessary and that the lack of it could endanger lives. On Friday evening, tens of thousands of ultra orthodox trligious residents of Bnei Brak held a mass prayer to protest. Police say several demonstrators tried to break into the light rail construcyion site but were stopped by police

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Schultz met in Jerusalem and signed a joint declaration that includes the establishment of a mechanism for financial dialogue between the parties in order to promote and strengthen cooperation in economic and financial fields*

On Sunday, the academic year begins in Israel, but it is accompanied by disruptions. The junior staff is taking sanctions and there are about 5,000 lecturers who will not work. They intend to strike indefinitely. At the center of the struggle is the demand to establish employment security for workers, and among other things, to receive early warning regarding their continued employment in the next school year