JERUSALEM: Israel plans to use anti-terrorism tracking technology and a partial shutdown of its economy to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.
Cyber tech monitoring would be deployed to locate people who have been in contact with those carrying the virus, subject to cabinet approval, Netanyahu told a news conference in Jerusalem.
“We will very soon begin using technology ... digital means that we have been using in order to fight terrorism,” Netanyahu said. He said he had requested Justice Ministry approval because such measures could infringe patients’ privacy.
In an escalation of precautionary measures, Netanyahu’s government announced that malls, hotels, restaurants and theaters will shut down from Sunday, and said employees should not go to their workplaces unless it was necessary.
However vital services, pharmacies, supermarkets and banks would continue to operate.
Health officials urged people to maintain social distancing, and not to gather more than 10 people in a room.
The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service, confirmed that it was examining the use of its technological capabilities to fight coronavirus, at the request of Netanyahu and the Health Ministry.
Avner Pinchuk, a privacy expert with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, said such capabilities could include real-time tracking of infected persons’ mobile phones to spot quarantine breaches and backtracking through meta-data to figure out where they had been and who they had contacted.
“I am troubled by this announcement. I understand that we are in unique circumstances, but this seems potentially like over-reach. Much will depend on how intrusive the new measures are,” said Pinchuk.
The Shin Bet, however, said in its statement that quarantine enforcement was not on the table. “There is no intention of using said technologies for enforcement or tracking in the context of isolation guidelines,” it said.
Netanyahu said it was not an easy choice to make and described the virus as an “invisible enemy that must be located.” He said Israel would follow similar methods used by Taiwan.
“In all my years as prime minister I have avoided using these means among the civilian public but there is no choice,” Netanyahu said.
The latest announcement follows a series of ever-stricter restrictions imposed by Israel to contain the virus.
The Israeli military said earlier on Saturday that it had ordered all troops to be back on their bases by Sunday morning, and that combat soldiers should prepare for a lengthy stay with no leave for up to a month.
Last week anyone entering Israel was ordered to self-isolate for two weeks and schools have been shut. Tens of thousands of Israelis are presently quarantined.
Israel’s Health Ministry said 193 people have tested positive, with no fatalities. Many had been on international flights in the past two weeks.
Israel to use anti-terror tech to counter coronavirus ‘invisible enemy’
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Israel to use anti-terror tech to counter coronavirus ‘invisible enemy’
- Cyber tech monitoring will be deployed to locate people who have been in contact with those carrying the virus
- In an escalation of precautionary measures, Netanyahu’s government announced that malls, hotels, restaurants and theaters will shut down
Israeli troops remove Israeli settler group who crossed into Lebanon
JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers removed a small far-right group of Israeli civilians who had crossed into Lebanon, appearing to put up a tent settlement, in what the military said on Wednesday was a serious incident now under investigation.
The Times of Israel reported 10 days ago that the group, advocating the annexation and settlement of southern Lebanon, said they had crossed the border and established an outpost.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said they had been promptly removed.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that the civilians indeed crossed the blue line by a few meters, and after being identified by IDF forces, they were removed from the area,” said a statement by the IDF, Israel’s military.
“Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Lebanese territory without coordination poses a life-threatening risk and interferes with the IDF’s ability to operate in the area and carry out its mission,” the statement said.
The Times of Israel said the area the group claimed to have entered was under Israeli military control as part of a ceasefire deal signed last month between Israel and the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group.
Under the terms of the Nov. 26 ceasefire, Israeli forces may remain in Lebanon for 60 days. Israel has not established settlements in southern Lebanon, including when its military occupied the area from 1982-2000.
Syrian opposition leader Al-Bahra calls for national support in Syria’s transition
DUBAI: Hadi Al-Bahra, head of the Syrian National Coalition, called on Wednesday for Syrians to unite behind a shared vision for the country’s recovery, urging national support for the current caretaker government until a transitional body can be established in March 2025.
Al-Bahra outlined a comprehensive roadmap for political transition, emphasizing the need to form a credible and inclusive transitional government.
He stressed that this government must avoid sectarianism and ensure that no political factions are excluded, reflecting a commitment to fairness and unity.
Al-Bahra called for the creation of a national conference and a constitutional assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution. This process, he said, would pave the way for a nationwide referendum and free elections, enabling the Syrian people to shape their future through democratic means.
“The transitional government must represent all Syrians,” Al-Bahra said, highlighting the importance of inclusivity as the cornerstone of Syria’s recovery.
While denying direct meetings with former regime leader Farouk Al-Sharaa, Al-Bahra confirmed indirect communications with individuals close to Al-Sharaa and members of the caretaker government.
Iran executes man for attacks on dozens of women
TEHRAN: Iranian authorities executed on Wednesday a man convicted of “corruption of earth” for attacking dozens of women on the capital’s streets, the judiciary said.
Rastgooei Kandolaj has attacked at least 59 women using an awl, causing injuries and sowing “terror in Tehran,” the judiciary’s Mizen Online news website said.
Multiple women had reported that the assailant was was riding a motorcycle when he carried out the attacks, Mizan said.
The report did not specify when Kandolaj was arrested.
He was handed down a death sentence after being convicted of the capital offense “corruption on earth,” Mizan said.
“The death sentence of... Rastgooei Kandolaj, who injured women and girls with an awl and created terror in Tehran, was carried out,” it said.
Iran uses capital punishment for major crimes including murder and drug trafficking, as well as rape and sexual assault.
The Islamic republic executes more people per year than any other nation except China, for which no reliable figures are available, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.
Iran lawmakers request changes to strict hijab bill: media
TEHRAN: Iranian lawmakers have asked to amend a bill that would impose tougher penalties on women who refuse to wear the mandatory hijab, local media reported on Wednesday.
The bill, already approved in parliament but not yet submitted to the government for final confirmation, has stirred a heated debate in Iran more than two years since nationwide protests erupted in part over the Islamic republic’s dress code for women.
Shahram Dabiri, Iran’s vice president for parliamentary affairs, has requested to hold off on sending the bill for approval, according to news agency ISNA.
“We requested that the law of chastity and hijab not be referred to the government,” Dabiri was quoted by ISNA as saying, adding that “the parliament speaker requested an amendment to the bill.”
Dabiri did not specify the nature of the amendment or provide a timeline for the process.
Lawmakers in September 2023 had approved the bill, officially the “Law on Supporting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab.”
It has since won the approval of the Guardian Council, a body empowered to vet legislation.
The bill was initially meant to be referred to President Masoud Pezeshkian in December.
Pezeshkian, who could sign it into law, has expressed “reservations” about the text, citing numerous “ambiguities.”
The 74-article bill tightens restrictions over women’s public attire and threatens action against businesses who fail to enforce the dress code, according to the text carried by local media.
It also imposes hefty penalities of up to 10 years in prison or fines equivalent to more than $6,000 for promoting “nudity” or “indecency.”
Since the early years of the republic following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been required by law to cover their head and neck.
In late 2022, a wave of protests erupted following the death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurd Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code.
The months-long unrest saw hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, killed. Thousands of demonstrators were arrested.
Israeli demolitions rip through Palestinian area of Jerusalem
- The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict
JERUSALEM: Tired and sad, Palestinian activist Fakhri Abu Diab stood amid the rubble of his home in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, just a narrow valley away from the famed domes of the Old City.
In early November, bulldozers from the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality tore down his house in the Silwan neighborhood for a second time, citing unauthorized construction.
“They want to expel us from the area,” said the 62-year-old, who has organized protests against the demolitions in Silwan’s Al-Bustan area.
The destruction of homes built without permits — which campaigners say are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain due to Israel’s restrictive planning policy — has roiled east Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied West Bank for years.
Abu Diab’s house was among around 115 Palestinian residential properties marked for demolition by the Jerusalem municipality, which controls both the city’s Jewish-majority western part and its Palestinian-majority east, occupied by Israel since 1967.
“They want to erase our presence and drive us out,” Abu Diab told AFP.
“But we will stay in Al-Bustan, even in a tent or under a tree.”
The municipality says it aims to address “illegal construction, allow the construction of proper infrastructure and new public buildings for the neighborhood’s residents,” as well as to create green space.
But Israeli rights group Ir Amim said Israeli authorities often abuse the designation of areas in east Jerusalem as national parks or open spaces.
The group, fighting against demolitions, said the practice is “designed to suppress” Palestinian development “while enabling the seizure of their lands for Israeli interests.”
The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Israel conquered east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and swiftly annexed the area.
Silwan begins at the foot of the Old City walls where the Bible says the City of David was located, after the Israelite king conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites.
Today, hundreds of Israeli settlers live among nearly 50,000 Palestinians in Silwan.
The settlers’ homes are distinguished by Israeli flags flying from rooftops and windows as well as ubiquitous security cameras.
Meanwhile, Palestinians in east Jerusalem face a housing crisis, unable to build without permits amid a rapidly growing population.
Abu Diab’s house was first demolished in February. He rebuilt it, but it was destroyed again in November.
“This time, they wore me out,” he said, visibly exhausted.
“The original house was built in the 1950s. I was born, raised, married and raised my children here.”
But now, Abu Diab said that “even my children had to rent outside Silwan.”
Now, next to his flattened home, Abu Diab lives in a caravan, which is also under threat of demolition.
He and some of his neighbors rejected an offer from the municipality to relocate to another Palestinian neighborhood in northern Jerusalem.
Near the ruins of Abu Diab’s home, 42-year-old day laborer Omar Al-Ruwaidi sat by a fire with his son, surrounded by the rubble of his own demolished home and those of four of his brothers.
“About 30 people, including 12 children, are now homeless,” he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
“We’ve been battling this in court since 2004 and have spent tens of thousands (of Israeli shekels), but to no avail,” said Ruwaidi.
Several families who received demolition orders declined to speak to AFP, citing a fear of retribution.
According to Ir Amim, demolitions in east Jerusalem have surged to unprecedented levels since the start of the Gaza war, which was sparked by a surprise Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Between January and November 2024, 154 homes were demolished across the area, the group said.
On November 13, bulldozers destroyed the Al-Bustan Association community center, whose director said it served 1,500 Palestinian residents, mostly teenagers.
“The association provided various services to its members, including skill-building, capacity enhancement as well as sports and cultural training,” said director Qutaiba Ouda.
“It was a safe haven and a cultural lifeline in a neighborhood with no community centers.”
Ouda lamented the loss, saying that the Israeli authorities did not just destroy a building, but “our memories, dreams and hard work.”
Following the demolition, France, which had supported activities at the association, demanded an explanation from Israel.
Kinda Baraka, 15, was among those who frequented the association.
“It was our safe space,” she said.
“When it was destroyed, I cried a lot. It felt like they could come and demolish my home next.”
Baraka said she believed the demolitions aimed to push out Palestinians in favor of settlers.
Ruwaidi echoed those fears, but remained defiant.
“We will not leave Silwan. Outside Silwan, we cannot breathe,” he said.
