Israel and Palestinian Territories in January 2023

May 10, 2023
2:04 pm

20 January 2023

CENTCOM Commander Travels To Israel To Meet New IDF Chief (Iran International). General Michael Erik Kurilla, head US Central Command (CENTCOM), spoke with the new IDF commander about regional threats, opportunities to strengthen the bilateral military relationship, and upcoming training exercises between CENTCOM forces and the IDF.
Israel, US Discuss Regional Impact of Russia’s Military Alliance with Iran (The Jerusalem Post). The regional impact of Russia’s growing military alliance with Iran was on the agenda when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Thursday in Jerusalem with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The two men also discussed a joint Israeli-American strategy against Iran and a possible normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and the Jewish state.

24 January 2023

Herzog to Launch A New Initiative to Heal Rifts in the Nation (Jerusalem Post). Israel President Herzog intends to establish an education center at the President’s Residence that will foster a sense of belonging among the various communities of Israel…In his address to a broad-based education conference in Tel Aviv that will also be attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, other ministers, members of Knesset, mayors and teachers, Herzog will outline a five-year plan that should bear fruit by the time that Israel celebrates its 80th anniversary, the year in which Herzog will conclude his seven-year term of office. If the initiative proves to be successful, it will be historically recorded as Herzog’s legacy to the state.
Coalition Heads Join Shas Party Meeting in Support of Deri; PM Vows to ‘Fix’ Deri’s Dismissal (The Times of Israel). In a rare move, members of all the coalition parties joined Shas’s weekly Knesset faction meeting on Monday to express support for Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, who was fired as a cabinet minister on Sunday in line with a High Court of Justice ruling that his appointment was inappropriate in light of his past financial crimes…Speaking at the meeting, Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to return Deri to the government, just a day after he was forced to fire him from his roles as interior and health minister.

25 January 2023

Netanyahu Visits King Abdullah of Jordan to Discuss Dispute over Al Aqsa (Al Nahar). Jordan’s King Abdullah II held a rare meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday in Amman, the first since the latter’s recent return to power, and they discussed the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque…King Abdullah stressed “the need to respect the historical and legal status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque and not to prejudice it.”

26 January 2023

TV Report Claims Joint US-Israel Air Drill will Bomb Mock ‘Iranian Nuke Sites’ in Negev (Times Of Israel). As part of the ongoing “Juniper Oak” drill between the Israeli Air Force and United States Central Command, American B-52 strategic bombers will drop live ammunition on targets in southern Israel on Wednesday. On Tuesday evening, Channel 12 news, without citing a source, said the targets in the Negev Desert would simulate Iranian nuclear sites. The network said the bombers would drop 100 tons of bunker-busting explosives, also without citing any source.
Ben Gvir Defies Netanyahu’s Pledges about the Temple Mount (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Despite promises made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman that there would be no change in the status quo of the Temple Mount, the Minister of National Security in Netanyahu’s own government, Itamar Ben Gvir, announced that Netanyahu’s commitment to Jordan’s King Abdullah would not prevent him from visiting the Temple Mount.
UNRWA Employees Go on Strike to Demand Salary Increase (Al Nahar). Schools, clinics, and some municipal services were closed in refugee camps in the West Bank on Wednesday, as employees went on strike for a third day amid mounting funding cuts to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which pays their salaries. About 3,700 employees in the West Bank participated in the strike, demanding an increase in the salaries of all workers by 200 Jordanian dinars ($281.81) per month from UNRWA.