Author: AFSI Staff

A 101-year-old man, identified as ‘Mr. P’ has been released from isolation after recovering from COVID-19 in Rimini, Italy. Mr. P., a WWII and Spanish Flu survivor was admitted last week to a hospital in northeast Italy after he tested positive for the Coronavirus.

According to Gloria Lisi, Vice-Mayor of Rimini, as the patient began to recover it became “the story everyone talked about” in the hospital.

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“Everyone saw hope for the future of all of us in the recovery of a person more than 100 years old,” Lisi said in a televised interview.

Source:
101-Year-Old WWII And Spanish Flu Survivor Just Beat COVID-19 by Nicole Benham. Jewish Journal – March 29, 2020

Despite the coronavirus pandemic across Israel, the IDF did not hesitate to act after it was attacked on Friday evening.

The IDF struck targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday night in response to the firing of a rocket sent into Israel earlier in the evening. This is the first attack after a lull of violence amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

“IDF aircraft and tanks attacked military positions and infrastructure used for underground activity by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip. The attacks were carried out in response to rocket fire launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory earlier in the evening,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.

There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Source:
Israel strikes Gaza in retaliation for rocket fire by Anna Aharonheim. Jerusalem Post – March 28, 2020

The Regavim Movement is deeply concerned by the agreements that are being formulated between the Likud, Blue and White, and Labor. Specifically, this includes the repeal of the Kaminitz Law, placing the Bedouin Authority in the Labor Party’s hands, and setting aside the commitment by Netanyahu and the Likud to extend Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

Regavim’s spokesperson explained: “An emergency government that abandons Zionist values presents a clear and imminent danger to the Land of Israel and to the preservation of Israel’s national land resources.”

“In Judea and Samaria – moving forward toward the “Deal of the Century” without establishing Israeli Sovereignty means handing over 70% of the territory to the Palestinian Authority without establishing safeguards for the remaining 30%.”

Source:
Regavim: The Govt Taking Shape Under Netanyahu Endangers the Land of Israel by BIN. Breaking Israel News – March 30, 2020

The Sovereignty Movement congratulates Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for demanding that Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz include Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria in the basic guidelines of the government and expects the Blue and White head to accede to Netanyahu’s demand.

“Although we are indeed in a time of national and global emergency, those who love Israel and are faithful to her, whether part of the government or not, must remember their Zionist mission to protect the Land of Israel and not to promote steps that would bring about the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel, Heaven forbid. The Trump plan is a disaster for the Zionist vision and the government of Israel must renounce it and promote steps of Sovereignty regardless of this plan.”

Source:
Sovereignty Movement: ‘Sovereignty must appear in government basic guidelines’ by Mordechai Sones. Arutz Sheva – March 30, 2020

Benny Gantz Elected Speaker, Joins Netanyahu. Blue and White Party Disintegrates
Former Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz has joined with Likud and has been elected Speaker of the Knesset. This paved the way for the unity government. He was supported by the right wing bloc. Yesh Atid, Labor and Yisrael Beytenu MKs boycotted the vote which was 74-18 in favor of Gantz. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will initially serve as Prime Minister in rotation with Gantz.

The factions of Yair Lapid and Moshe Ya’alon submitted their requests to break away from the Blue and White party today in response to party chairman Gantz’s candidacy for the Knesset Speaker position. This broke up Blue and White.

The purpose of the move Gantz initiated in coordination with senior Likud officials was to prevent the disintegration of negotiations to form a unity government. AFSI applauds the formation of a Unity Government. We are regaining hope in the formation of a solid government in Israel that can deal with the pressing issues of the day.

Yuli Edelstein Resigns
ICYMI (In case you missed it): In a bombshell yesterday, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein announced that he was resigning. He chose to quit rather than calling a vote on his own replacement, as ordered by the Israeli Supreme Court in total disregard of the Knesset. This delayed the vote on his position until Monday, allowing time for the Unity negotiations to continue. The Supreme Court was issuing orders to the Knesset on how to govern. This overreaching by the Court was a source of great consternation in Israel and could have been extremely destructive.

Former Speaker of the House, Yuli Edelstein, had this to say: “As someone who has paid a personal price of years in a labor camp for the right to live in the State of Israel, as a Zionist and as the speaker of this house, I won’t allow Israel to descend into anarchy, I won’t lend a hand to civil war.” (Edelstein spent three years in a Soviet gulag.)

Sources:
Blue and White splitting after Benny Gantz elected Knesset Speaker by Gil Hoffman. Jerusalem Post – March 26, 2020

In bombshell, Yuli Edelstein resigns to avoid calling vote on new speaker by Raoul Wootliff.
Times of Israel – March 25, 2020

While Hamas is making significant efforts to prevent a full-scale outbreak of the coronavirus, they couldn’t resist an opportunity to threaten Israel. They plan to hold Israel “responsible” if the virus begins to spread. The Hamas threat implies rocket fire on Israeli cities if Hamas officials begin losing control of the situation.

For now, Hamas appears to have the situation under control but it could change quickly due to Gaza’s poor living conditions and insufficient health-care system. Cautioned Dr. Col. (ret.) Reuven Erlich, director of the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, “The density of the population, the difficult conditions, the refugee camps, the sanitation—it means there is a danger of the virus spreading. The Hamas regime could lose control.”

Source:
Hamas seeks to prevent spread of virus in Gaza, while threatening to hold Israel responsible if it fails by Yaakov Lappin. JNS – March 25, 2020

The Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee deals with many issues related to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the rehabilitation of disabled IDF veterans and families of victims of war and terror. It also controls the IDF soldiers’ pay regulations. As of this week, chairmanship of the committee has been awarded to the Joint Arab List.

The committee is expected to include four Blue and White members, four Likud, two from the Joint Arab List including the committee chairman, and one representative each from all the other Knesset factions. The Arab list has yet to make a decision on which of its MKs will chair the committee.

“This committee has been a home to the victims of terrorism. The legislation that helped the children whose two parents were murdered was made there, and many more bills and amendments.” ~Meir Indor, Almagor Terror Victims Association.

We can only hope that with the formation of the Unity government and the collapse of Blue and White, the make-up and leadership of these committees will be reconsidered.

Sources:
Joint Arab List Gets Chairmanship of Committee Dealing with Compensating Terror Victims by David Israel. The Jewish Press – March 24, 2020

Joint List MK sends Arab Mother’s Day greetings to terror moms by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – March 25, 2020

The American Zionist Movement, which administered the US Election for the 38th World Zionist Congress, published a statement today on results from the recent election.

The seven-week US election for the World Zionist Congress garnered almost 124,000 votes, more than double the turnout of the last election in 2015 and the highest number of votes since the election began for the entire American Jewish community 30 years ago.

AFSI members are thrilled that the the right-wing coalitions came in ahead of the left-wing. This means we now have GREAT SUPPORT for issues dealing with Judea and Samaria, along with everything else we care and love about Israel!!

Preliminary results:
Vote Reform: 31,500
Orthodox Israel Coalition – Mizrachi: 21,698
Eretz Hakodesh: 20,023
MERCAZ USA: 14,666
ZOA Coalition: 10,313
American Forum for Israel: 8,132
Hatikvah: 7,932
Shas Olami: 2,046
Kol Yisrael: 1,752
Dorshei Torah V’Tziyon: 1,373
Herut Zionists: 1,157
Vision: 1,036
Americans4Israel: 857
Israel Shelanu: 769
Ohavei Zion: 375
2020 TOTAL AS OF THIS WRITING: 123,629

Source:
American Zionist Movement preliminary results by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – March 23, 2020

Israeli generic drug giant Teva announced Friday that it will provide ten million doses of its anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. This drug could potentially prove effective in fighting the coronavirus pandemic will be sent to US hospitals free of charge.

The company said six million doses will be delivered to US hospitals by March 31, and more than ten million in a month.

“We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as demand for this treatment accelerates at no cost,” Teva executive vice president Brendan O’Grady said.

Source:
Teva to send US millions of malaria pills with potential to help COVID-19 by AFP and TOI Staff – March 20, 2020

Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi on Saturday night said that there are 23 members in the Efrat community who tested positive for the coronavirus. All of them live in the Tamar neighborhood.

“I need you to keep davening and keep doing mitzvahs,” Eli Beer said in a video before being put under sedation. We ask our readers to have AFSI friend and colleague, Eli Beer – Eliezer Yehuda ben Chaya, in mind for a refuah shlema. He is on a respirator and though listed in serious condition, he is stable.

Americans For A Safe Israel prays that everyone in Israel, and worldwide, who has been diagnosed by the coronavirus, have a complete and speedy recovery. AMEN, AMEN.

Sources:
Efrat mayor: 23 confirmed coronavirus patients by Arutz Sheva Staff. Arutz Sheva – March 21, 2020

Coronavirus: United Hatzalah’s Eli Beer intubated in Miami hospital by Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman. Jerusalem Post – March 22, 2020