Articles by December, 2020

The employment rate in the economy has fallen from 61% to 50% since the beginning of the crisis - but this figure does not reflect the intensity of social disparities: the employment rate of the bottom quintile of income was 29% lower in October relative to the eve of the crisis, compared to only 6%. In the top quintile. That is, the decline in employment among the weakest was 5 times greater than that recorded among the strongest. This emerges from a review of the effect of the second closure on the labor market published today (Sunday) by the chief economist at the Treasury, Shira...

2,809 people were diagnosed yesterday with corona. Data from the Ministry of Health published this morning (Friday) show that the rate of tests that returned positive from about 79,000 tests is 3.6%. Out of 416,231 tests, the positive rate in the last week stands at 3.38%. In the last seven days, an average of 2,241 patients have been diagnosed per day - and Israel is approaching the 2,500 mark set as a condition for "tight restraint." Across the country, 419 patients are hospitalized in critical condition, of whom 105 are respirators. The outbreak of the plague killed 3,050 people in...

The Ministry of Health has issued an import permit for the rapid test kit for the detection of the corona virus by the global medical technology giant Ketone Dickinson (BD) for immediate use in Israel. The test, dubbed Veritor, was approved by the regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe several months ago. The kit works on the basis of identifying proteins from the envelope of the virus (antigens), and allows a result to be obtained within about 15 minutes. It is simple to operate, and will be approved for use in laboratories. In the future, home operation may be possible...

The hacker group Pay2Key, which is suspected to be linked to Iran, released a database on Sunday evening that it said was stolen from the computers of IAI's Elta Division. The aerospace industry said the issue was under investigation. At least some of the names on the list do belong to Elta employees. For example, one employee whose name appeared on the list even appeared before a committee in the Knesset and whose name was published in the minutes of the same committee that is available on the Internet. The Iranian hacker group has already revealed last week that it has managed to break...

Israel is on its way to a fourth election in less than two years. The Knesset plenum rejected on Tuesday night in the first reading the bill to postpone the date of the dissolution of the Knesset, and it appears that it will be dissolved at midnight. This is after no agreements were reached between the Likud and Blue and White, and the Likud's attempts to recruit a majority failed. MK Michal Shir from the party objected and announced that she would join Gideon Saar's new party and MK Sharan Hashakel (Likud) was absent. A majority of Blue and White MKs were absent, but three of them,...

Blue and white chairman and deputy prime minister Bemi Gantz on the last day of the 23rd Knesset, the leadership he so desperately lacked during his tenure in the Netanyahu government. He preferred the good of the state over his personal good and agreed that the government would approve a continuing budget. The Finance Ministry's bill according to which the follow-up budget for 2021 will not be based on the last approved budget - for 2019. According to the decision, another NIS 100 billion can be spent, which means that instead of a NIS 100 billion cut in ministry expenses, the cuts will be...

The 23rd Knesset dissolved and Israel entered a fourth election campaign within two years after failing to approve a budget for the State of Israel for 2020 until Tuesday at midnight. Meanwhile, the Constitution Committee unanimously approved on second and third reading the temporary directive for conducting the elections to the 24th Knesset during the Corona crisis. The Speaker of the Knesset, MK Yariv Levin, concludes the plenary session to dissolve the 23rd Knesset: Challenges, and yet also controversial.The controversies that exist in the public, found their expression naturally here...

Minister of Higher Education and Water Resources Zeev Elkin (Likud) announced this evening (Wednesday) that he has resigned from his position as minister and announced his joining Gideon Saar's party - "New Hope". Saar congratulated Elkin on joining and said that Elkin "will serve as my deputy." Elkin spoke in a statement at the beginning of which he said, "I joined the storm out of responsibility. For many years I have been marching alongside Netanyahu, chairman of the coalition and kosher, I accompanied him at the most complex intersections. "Recently and especially recently, I feel that...

About 2,000 demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on Saturday evening as part of the weekly demonstrations. This is after a turbulent political week in which it was decided to bring forward the elections. Dozens of protesters surprised police and arrived as early as Saturday afternoon at the Balfour compound with burning torches and set fire to them. There was also violence against demonstrators in Sharon and Rishon Lezion last night and three suspects were arrested. In Jerusalem, the protesters, waving a sign reading "Siege of Balfour," settled on the...

Now it's official: starting in another three weeks, on January 17, the limit on taking out a prime interest mortgage will be removed, so that up to two-thirds of the mortgage on this component can be taken out. This is the cheapest component in a mortgage, but the borrower is also exposed to an increase in payment in the scenario of an interest rate increase. This relief will be relevant in three weeks to all apartment buyers (first apartment, housing improvers and investors). As for those who refinance a mortgage - he will be able to enjoy the relief a month and a half later - starting on...