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☆ Oman opens airspace, joining Saudi in Israeli airline corridor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Oman's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday said the Gulf Arab state's airspace will be open for all civilian carriers, a move that would enable Israeli airlines to utilise a Saudi-Oman corridor to cut flight times to Asia. Saudi Arabia, which like Oman does not have formal ties with Israel, last summer said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, but Israeli officials had said the corridor could not be implemented until Oman consented. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Thursday thanked Oman's ruler Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said and described it as a "historic decision that will shorten the route to Asia, lower costs for Israelis and help Israeli airlines be more competitive". Israeli flag carrier El Al (ELAL.TA) said that beyond shortening current flight times, it would now examine opening new routes to Australia and restarting flights to India. Israel's foreign ministry said the corridor would shorten the flight route by more than two hours to some Asian destinations.

☆ Website creator Wix.com sees strong sales in 2023 after Q4 profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Wix.com (WIX.O), which helps small businesses build and operate websites, said on Wednesday it swung to a profit in the fourth quarter and forecast 9-11% growth in revenue in 2023. The Israeli company said it earned 61 cents per share excluding one-time items, compared with a loss of 34 cents per share a year earlier. Wix was forecast to earn 9 cents a share ex-one off items on revenue of $352 million, according to data from Refinitiv. Wix said it was implementing further cost saving measures, and expected total savings of $200 million in 2023 and $215 million of annualized savings. Analysts are projecting first-quarter revenue of $366 million and full year revenue of $1.511 billion.

JERUSALEM, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday instructed lawmakers from his Likud party to stop interfering with and speaking out against Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron and his interest rate policies. Cohen on Wednesday clarified on Twitter that he supported central bank independence. The central bank raised interest rates by half a percentage point at a policy meeting on Monday to 4.25%, its eighth hike since last April. "Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered Knesset members of Likud to stop interfering and speaking on the issue of the governor," said a Likud spokesperson. Some analysts believe that part of the shekel's recent depreciation versus the dollar stems from political attacks on the central bank.

☆ Israel blames Iran for attack on oil tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Iran was responsible for a reported attack on an oil tanker last week. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. "Last week Iran again attacked an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and harmed the international freedom of navigation," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting. Regional defence and security sources have said they suspected the assault was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack.

☆ Israeli-linked ship attacked last week in Arabian Sea, manager says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 18 (Reuters) - An Israeli-linked tanker was lightly damaged in an attack last week by an airborne object while sailing through the Arabian Sea, the ship's manager confirmed on Saturday. Regional defence and security sources suspect the assault was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. We have made the necessary notifications to the relevant authorities," the manager said. British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack.

☆ Protests stay strong in Israel as govt forges ahead with judicial changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People hold Israeli flags during a protest against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial changes to reduce powers of the Supreme Court in Tel Aviv, Israel February 18, 2023. The marches have attracted huge crowds on a weekly basis since early January, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government took aim at the Supreme Court. "Here I am, in my armor and my shield, doing my best," said Daniel Guytsabary, 28, amid a crowd that filled a Tel Aviv thoroughfare. Proponents say the Supreme Court needs to be reined in from overreaching into the political sphere. "I'm determined to complete the legislation," Justice Minister Yariv Levin said in an interview with Channel 13 on Saturday.

☆ Top Israeli diplomat ejected from African Union summit as row escalates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A senior Israeli diplomat was on Saturday removed from the African Union's annual summit in Ethiopia, as a dispute over Israel's accreditation to the bloc escalated. Images posted online showed AU security personnel confronting the diplomat during the opening ceremony of the summit, before she left the auditorium. But Israel blamed the incident on South Africa and Algeria, two key nations in the 55-nation bloc, saying they were holding the AU hostage, and were driven by "hate". South Africa rejected the claim, saying Israel's application for observer status at the AU has not been decided upon by the bloc. "So, it's not about South Africa or Algeria, it's an issue of principle."

☆ Israel's Netanyahu pledges more action against Palestinian attackers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday promised a stronger Israeli response in dealing with a spate of Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, as pressure swelled within his right-wing government to employ more severe tactics. Tensions are also high in the West Bank, where Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of arrests in recent months during near-daily raids that have seen bloody gunbattles with Palestinian militants. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu's far-right national security minister, said however that police had already begun a major enforcement campaign in East Jerusalem that would include measures from handing out traffic tickets to demolishing houses of Palestinian attackers. Speaking in Cairo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Palestinians were facing a "lethal assault," and repeated a pledge to pursue action against Israel before the United Nations and International Criminal Court. Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Earth & Beyond launches fund to invest in Israeli space-related firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Earth & Beyond Ventures, a new early-stage venture fund investing in Israel’s emerging commercial space ecosystem, said on Thursday it had launched with commitments of $125 million. Earth & Beyond said it was backed by manufacturer and NASA supplier Corning Inc (GLW.N), Japanese electronics giant Kyocera Corp (6971.T), Israeli satellite firm SpaceCom (SCC.TA) and Samtec, a manufacturer of electronic connectivity components. Earth & Beyond said it would invest between $500,000 to $2 million for seed and pre-seed companies in technologies such as semiconductors, robotics, new materials, sensors, smart farms, quantum computing, solar power, cyber security, and alternative proteins. "Our job ... is to identify and support the deep technologies and ideas that can become powerful applications not just here on earth, but in space as well," said Earth & Beyond CEO Baruch Schori. Reporting by Steven Scheer Editing by Ari RabinovitchOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israel's NewMed predicts $15 bln gas boost for sovereign wealth fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Israel's NewMed Energy forecast on Tuesday that the country's nascent sovereign wealth fund will get a 52 billion shekel ($15 billion) injection in the coming decade from its two main natural gas fields. NewMed Energy (NWMDp.TA) Chief Executive Yossi Abu said that the company, which is the largest stakeholder in the Leviathan offshore gas project, is also promoting plans for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to boost exports. "From today until 2033, an amount of about 52 billion shekels will accumulate in the wealth fund just from the Tamar and Leviathan reservoirs," Abu told a parliamentary panel, referring to Israel's two largest natural gas fields. Its sovereign wealth fund kicked off last year, after lengthy delays, with the aim of insulating an overheated currency from the sudden expansion in national wealth due to a windfall from gas sales. NewMed is partners with Chevron (CVX.N) and Ratio (RATIp.TA) in Leviathan, which supplies gas to Israel, Jordan and Egypt through a network of pipelines.

☆ Israel's attorney-general tells Netanyahu to stay out of push for judicial changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must stay out of his government's push to overhaul the judicial system because he has a conflict of interest, the country's attorney-general said on Thursday, adding to growing friction over the plan. In a statement on why Netanyahu should not be involved, Gali Baharav-Miara cited the premier's ongoing corruption trial, in which he has denied wrongdoing. Coalition lawmaker Simcha Rothman said the judicial overhaul has nothing to do with the criminal case against Netanyahu and Baharav-Miara's instruction would have no impact on advancing the changes. Apparently seeking to assuage fears investors will bolt Israel if the changes become law, Netanyahu has defended the plan, saying it will help cut back unnecessary litigation. S&P Global Ratings director Maxim Rybnikov has told Reuters the judicial shake-up could pressure Israel's sovereign credit rating and dozens of economists have urged Netanyahu to scrap the plan.

☆ India's Adani says to keep investing in Israel after Haifa port takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends an inauguration ceremony after the Adani Group completed the purchase of Haifa Port earlier in January 2023, in Haifa port, Israel January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Amir CohenHAIFA, Israel, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Indian magnate Gautam Adani said on Tuesday he would keep investing in Israel after his group took over one of the country's main ports. Adani spoke at a ceremony in Haifa welcoming Adani Ports (APSE.NS) and local chemicals and logistics group Gadot - the partners who purchased the port for 4 billion shekels ($1.15 billion). Adani joins China's Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), which opened in 2021 new piers across the bay in Haifa. "We are talking to our Arab neighbours, after the historical Abraham Accords, about connecting the rail links of Saudi Arabia through Jordan to Haifa port," Netanyahu said.

☆ Israel refills the Sea of Galilee, supplying Jordan on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Ari Rabinovitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A bay at the Sea of Galilee can be seen in northern Israel, January 23, 2023. The Sea of Galilee, whose waters Christians believe Jesus walked upon, is Israel's main reservoir and a big tourist draw. It feeds the Jordan River that flows south to the Dead Sea. The national water carrier is empty at the moment, undergoing seasonal repairs and upgrades. At one junction in northern Israel, engineers work on a pipe more than large enough for them to stand inside.

☆ Gaza militants fire rockets at Israel -Israeli army
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Palestinian militants on Friday fired two rockets from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel that were intercepted by missile defenses, the Israeli military said. The cross-border fire came after an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Thursday that led to the largest single death toll in years of fighting. The rockets triggered sirens in Israeli communities near the border with Gaza, warning residents to take shelter. Such attacks are usually followed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza. Violence has surged since a series of lethal Palestinian street attacks in Israel last March and April.

☆ Gaza militants fire rockets, Israel strikes in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Palestinian militants on Friday fired two rockets from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel that were intercepted by missile defenses, and Israel then carried out strikes in Gaza. The cross-border fire came after an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Thursday that led to the largest single death toll in years of fighting. The overnight rockets triggered sirens in Israeli communities near the border with Gaza, warning residents to take shelter. A few hours later, Israel's military said it had carried out strikes in Gaza. Violence has surged since a series of lethal Palestinian street attacks in Israel last March and April.

☆ Meat cultivated from cow cells is kosher, Israel's chief rabbi rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ari Rabinovitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People prepare Aleph Farms' cultivated thin-cut beef steaks in this handout image taken November 9, 2022. Cultivated meat, grown from animal cells in a lab or manufacturing plant, has been getting a lot of attention as a way to sidestep the environmental toll of the meat industry and address concerns over animal welfare. Jewish dietary law designates kosher meat as having come from a cow slaughtered in accordance with ritual - and requires that it be kept and consumed separately from dairy. Aleph Farms says it collects sample cells from a living animal and then grows more in a cultivator that mimics conditions in the animal's body. While the decision was specific for Aleph Farm's process, it sets a foundation for others.

☆ Eni, Chevron announce new gas discovery in Egyptian East Med field
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI) and U.S. energy major Chevron (CVX.N) said on Sunday they had made a new gas discovery in an Egyptian offshore field in the Eastern Mediterranean sea. km Nargis Offshore Area concession operated by Chevron (CVX.N), which holds a 45% interest in it. Eni also holds a 45% stake, while Egypt's Tharwa Petroleum Company SAE holds a 10% interest. State-controlled Eni is looking for new gas sources as it aims to completely replace gas imports from Russia by 2025 following the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The new discovery is located in the Nargis-1 exploration well and "can be developed leveraging the proximity to Eni's existing facilities", the group said in a statement.

☆ NewMed pushing forward with Capricorn merger ahead of Feb. 1 vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Israel's NewMed Energy LP (NWMDp.TA) said on Sunday it was making final arrangements for a merger with UK-based Capricorn Energy (CNE.L), whose shareholders will vote on whether to approve the deal on Feb. 1. Capricorn's shareholder ballot is due the same day as a vote triggered by activist shareholder Palliser wanting to oust Capricorn's leadership. The proposed deal values Capricorn at $338 million in addition to a $620 million special dividend. When the planned all-share deal was announced in September, NewMed offered 271 UK pence per ordinary share to Capricorn shareholders. The vote on the merger is planned for 0900 GMT on Feb. 1, while a vote on Palliser's proposition to rejig Capricorn's board is scheduled for 1400 GMT on the same day, Capricorn said.

☆ Israel's top judge says government judicial reform plan will crush justice system
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The president of Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday said that a judicial reform plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government would crush the justice system and undermine the country's democracy. The proposal, Hayut said in a televised speech, "is not a plan to fix the justice system but a plan to crush it." Netanyahu's justice minister, Yariv Levin, later defended the reform he is championing and criticized what he referred to as "a call to set the streets on fire." He said his plan will restore balance between the branches of government in light of judicial overreach. Netanyahu, who took office as prime minister again last month, says he will preserve the judiciary's independence.

☆ Israel's Ben-Gvir tells police to remove Palestinian flags from public space
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Israel's new far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Sunday that he instructed police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces. Israeli law does not outlaw Palestinian flags but police and soldiers have the right to remove them in cases where they deem there is a threat to public order. Ben-Gvir, in a statement, said that waving the Palestinian flag is an act in support of terrorism. "It cannot be that lawbreakers wave terrorist flags, incite and encourage terrorism, so I ordered the removal of flags supporting terrorism from the public space and to stop the incitement against Israel," Ben-Gvir said. They have long debated their place in Israel's politics, balancing their Palestinian heritage with their Israeli citizenship, with many identifying as or with the Palestinians.

☆ Israel's Ben-Gvir visits contested Jerusalem holy site, Palestinians protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Temple Mount is open to all," Ben-Gvir said on Twitter, using the Jewish name for the site. The Palestinian foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict". "If Hamas thinks that it can deter me with threats, it should understand that times have changed," Ben-Gvir said on Twitter. But Netanyahu, now in his sixth term as premier, has pledged to preserve the "status quo" around holy sites. The Al-Aqsa compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is Islam's third-holiest site.

The central bank as expected lifted its key rate to a 14-year high of 3.75% from 3.25%. "We won't hesitate to raise rates further," Yaron said, adding he expects inflation to start easing in the second quarter. "We are determined to reduce the inflation rate and to return it to within the target range," Yaron said. "It is important to remember that the Israeli economy cannot take for granted the high regard from the rating entities and international financial institutions." Israel's economy grew an annualised 1.9% in the third quarter from the second quarter, slower than a 7.4% pace the prior three months.

☆ New Israel Finance Minister Smotrich promises fiscal responsibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Bezalel Smotrich took over as Israel's finance minister on Sunday, pledging fiscal responsibility and a boost to competition while working to tackle high living costs at a time of elevated inflation and slowing global economic growth. "Israel will be an island of stability and responsibility," the 42-year old Smotrich, head of the far-right pro-settler Religious Zionism party, told Reuters after the ceremony at the finance ministry. He added that Israel would take all necessary steps to support economic stability and be the "safest place" to invest. Incoming economy minister Nir Barkat said he intends to ease the "unbearable load" on businesses in Israel, declaring a "war on regulation", which he called "a cancer on the economy". New tourism minister Haim Katz promised to promote tourism in the occupied West Bank.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu looks to vote in new government on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu called a vote in parliament on his new government for Thursday Dec. 29, the speaker of the Knesset said on Monday, after almost two months of coalition wrangling. Despite campaigning together, Netanyahu has struggled to meet the demands of his allies, who have demanded a significant slice of power in exchange for their support. Ahead of the vote in parliament and a formal swearing in of the new government, Netanyahu will have to officially present the members of his cabinet. The finance ministry is expected to be shared by Smotrich and Aryeh Deri, from the religious Shas party, with each man serving for two years. Deri's appointment will depend on parliamentary support for a legal amendment allowing him to serve despite a conviction for tax fraud.

☆ Israeli businesses decry calls to revise anti-discrimination law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Several leading Israeli businesses pledged on Monday to strengthen their internal anti-discrimination rules following remarks by hard-right members of Israel's incoming government seen as undermining gender equality and minority rights. "Recent calls for revoking basic rights heard in the political arena in Israel are of grave concern to our society," Wiz said in a statement. His political rivals have accused the veteran conservative leader of being vulnerable to his far-right allies’ policy demands. Maoz says he is not anti-gay but is opposed to the LGBTQ movement and has called for the cancellation of the annual Jerusalem gay pride march. Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Ari Rabinovitch, Gareth Jones and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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