Articles by October, 2020

Within a few days, the entire public in Israel will be able to undergo corona tests without the need for a referral. In addition, each isolator will be able to perform two corona tests - one on the third day and the other on the tenth - and exit isolation after 12 days if they are negative. This was announced today (Tuesday) by the corona projector, Prof. Roni Gamzo, in a media briefing. Gamzo said that the actual tests are tens of thousands lower than the test capacity, which is 70,000 a day, and any test that is not performed is a miss, he said. In addition, he announced that Bnei Brak,...

The Corona Cabinet has decided not to further ease the restrictions at this stage, and to discuss this again next week in accordance with the updated morbidity data. According to the position of the Ministry of Health, it is not possible to bring forward the opening of the stores, which is scheduled for November 15. At the hearing, Finance Minister Israel Katz called on ministers to allow small businesses and shops on the street, hairdressers and beauty and cosmetics salons to resume their activities as early as Sunday, to allow self-collection from all businesses from tomorrow and to...

The consequences of the corona crisis and how it will be managed will continue to accompany the Israeli economy for a long time. In 2021, a further contraction in the economy, a mass closure of businesses and an increase in the number of high-risk businesses were forecast. The main victims will be small and new businesses, and those that have rejected loan repayments to banks. This all comes up in a review conducted by business information firm Dun & Bradstreet for TheMarker newspaper. The review shows that 2021 is expected to be the second consecutive year in which the economy has shrunk,...

The United States, Israel, and Sudan officially announced Friday the normalization of relations between Khartoum and Jerusalem - a move that ends decades of hostility. According to the announcement, US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese leaders' Abd al-Fatah al-Burhan and Abdullah Hamduk spoke today and discussed "the historic process that Sudan is undergoing for democracy" and the promotion of peace in the region. A senior source says that within the framework of the agreement, the agreements between Israel and Sudan are also being formed on the return...

650 new infections have been diagnosed since midnight, out of 24,046 tests. The percentage of positive tests is 2.7%. This was updated by the Ministry of Health. Seven more Krona patients have died since midnight, bringing the number of victims since the outbreak of the plague in Israel to 2,319. 1,012 corona patients are hospitalized in hospitals across the country: 582 in critical condition, including 226 respirators, and 163 in moderate condition. The number of medical staff staying in solitary confinement has dropped below 1,000 and stands at 985, including 130 male and female doctors...

The State Comptroller's interim report on the handling of the corona crisis reveals a long list of shortcomings that need treatment. However, it does not touch on the main failure: decision-making in the government and in the Corona Cabinet. Even those who agree with Matanyahu Engelman's view that there is no room for personal criticism of decision-makers will find it difficult to justify the lack of criticism of decision-making processes. In doing so, the comptroller misses an opportunity for a thorough repair, and instead of going up to the government floor, he stays in the field clerks

"Minister Haim Katz will be prosecuted subject to a hearing on suspicion of tax evasion in the amount of NIS 2.2 million," Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit officially announced on Tuesday evening. According to the suspicion, Katz generated rental income from seven real estate properties, some of which are registered in his ownership and some of which were registered in the name of his family members. According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice tonight, the investigation material allegedly shows that between 2007-2018 Katz did not report his income from some of the seven assets...

There is no doubt that returning first- and second-graders to school is much more important. It is not only that the importance to the economy of first and second grade students is greater, because it is more difficult to keep them at home, even with a big brother. It is also the tremendous damage done to first graders in literacy and basic arithmetic. The Minister for Social Equality, Meirav Cohen, asked the cabinet why not switch, that grades 1-2 would be in full capsules and grades 3-4 would study alternately. Education Minister Yoav Galant's unconvincing answer was that there was a...

More than 300,000 fines, with a total value of NIS 170 million, were imposed by the Israeli police on civilians for various violations of corona laws and regulations. So far, only about NIS 30 million has been paid, for 70,000 fines. The high number of fines and the burden imposed on citizens during a deep economic crisis raises the question of whether fines do achieve their purpose - deterring the public from violating regulations, and preventing the infection and spread of the corona virus. While the purpose of the laws and fines imposed for non-compliance is to maintain physical...

The second closure interrupted the recovery process of the Israeli economy in the third quarter of the year. This emerges from the Bank of Israel's membership survey published on Monday. Although activity in the economy continued to shrink from July to September, the recovery from the peak of the corona crisis was felt in the economy. The survey shows that the balance sheet of the business sector improved in the third quarter but remained at a very negative level. Although the balance of output in manufacturing recovered in the third quarter, it remained negative. The negative balance...