Jordan:

Israel’s most connected neighbor has fared relatively well throughout this crisis. The number of COVID-19 cases as of May 1st stood at 453 and deaths at 8 (population 10 million). Since Monday April 27^th, there have not been more than 2 cases confirmed per day and there have been some days with no new cases. This shows a country that truly has gone through its curve – Jordan’s most cases in a day were 40 just over a month ago and this has steadily declined since. The Jordanian government was swift and harsh in its response to the virus, which is likely why they have managed to keep numbers so low.

This is the second part of our first “Virtual Dove” episode, featuring stories by former ambassadors to Israel. Our first part featured stories by former US Jerusalem consul generals Jake Walles and Ed Abington.

This part features stories by former Canadian ambassador to Israel Jon Allen and former US ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer.

Listen to the full episode

APN's daily news review from Israel - Thursday April 30, 2020

You Must Be Kidding: 
"...We have one day in a year to remember our fallen soldiers! And you destroy it with a ‘memorial’ to Palestinian terrorists! EU is an enemy of Israel, and an enemy to all European Christian countries!.."
--Yair, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wrote on Twitter that European Union support for the peaceful joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony for Israel’s Memorial Day made the EU Israel's enemy and he expressed his hope that for the end of the EU and that European countries would be 'Christian.'**

Yossi Alpher, an independent security expert, provided analysis of the Netanyahu-Gantz coalition agreement and other questions relating to Israeli politics at the APN’s briefing call on Thursday, April 30.

LISTEN:

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponent-turned-coalition-partner Benny Gantz agreed this week to embark on West Bank annexation procedures as early as July 1st. Their agreement is a clause in the deal they signed to form an "emergency" unity government, following long weeks of negotiations.

Yossi Alpher, an independent security analyst, is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with Israel’s Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. He is the author of Hard Questions Tough Answers, APN’s weekly analysis of Israeli and Middle Eastern strategic affairs.

As the West Bank begins to reopen, having had no recorded cases for two days, it is important to look ahead at what the future holds for the economy of the area. This is a useful endeavor for two reasons – it shows how crucial maintaining strict infection prevention measures is and allows us to start considering how the long-term economic impacts can be managed.

This special episode of PeaceCast is our first “Virtual Dove” episode, featuring personal, human stories, vignettes, anecdotes, and experiences that underscore positivity in and around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Maybe even hope.  

The first show of Virtual Dove features stories by former ambassadors to Israel and former US Jerusalem consul generals.

The show is split into two parts. The fist part, this episode, features two former US Consul Generals to Jerusalem, Jacob (Jake) Walles and Edward (Ed) Abington. Their stories shed light on two of the most promising chapters in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Part II features former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer and Canadian Ambassador to Israel Jon Allen.

Listen to the full episode

APN's daily news review from Israel - Tuesday April 28, 2020

Quotes of the day:
“I want to convey to Israeli society and the world a message stemming from my deep, bleeding wound: This conflict has taken victims from all of us, and it does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, between men and women, between adults and children. So I say to you: Enough hatred and resentment. Let’s live in peace and love because we [Palestinians], just like you, love life and are doing our best just to get by.”
--Yakoub Rabi, whose wife Aisha was killed in 2018 by a settler teen, said in a speech at the Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony Monday night.*

"What is threatening to many members of the Israeli public about the (joint) Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony, even in its virtual format this year, is not only the cooperation with the 'enemy.' While on an overt level the ceremony arouses harsh opposition because of the standing shoulder to shoulder alongside bereaved Palestinian parents and siblings: In the public subconscious the ceremony is frightening because it challenges the necessity of death. By its very nature, the ceremony undermines the official effort to provide a series of justifications for death, in order to alleviate the pain somewhat, so that death will be acceptable. And of course that helps to prepare the ground for a continuation of the occupation and the fighting."
--Yaki Sagi, a clinical psychologist, writes in Haaretz.**

"Where is the Shin Bet when you need it, where are the police and the security forces? Who will protect us from the tens of thousands of ticking bombs that will be found at the foot of our children's rooms and bedrooms? For 20 years we were scared to death of them, 20 years we were warned about them, since the Second Intifada we have not allowed them to stay here (overnight) and suddenly the danger was gone and with it, the ban on staying overnight in Israel."
--Gideon Levy writes about how corona changed Israelis' perception of Palestinians - even if for a short time.***

9,808 on 15 April

This was the number of active cases in Israel when the COVID-19 epidemic was at its peak in mid-April. Although each of these cases represents a person and a family struggling with this terrible disease, this number is encouragingly lower than many comparable states. Israel was quick to implement measures such as travel bans and quarantines. This appears to have made a big difference. The key now for Israeli health authorities, as lockdown measures are gradually relaxed in Israel and elsewhere, is trying to make sure the number of cases does not reach this level again.  

APN's daily news review from Israel - Tuesday April 27, 2020

Quote of the day:

"There will come a day when both Israeli-Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews will feel that they can play a full part in this connection. Whether they want it or not, Israel is a part of them."
--Top Yedioth political commentator, Nahum Barnea, writes about Memorial Day and Independence Day, which together express the partnership of the fate that invites us to live here, "for good and for bad."*

You Must Be Kidding: 
“Arieh is a robust man of action and I have no doubt he will continue to contribute much to all residents of Jerusalem in his role as deputy mayor
—Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon said regarding his plan to get city council’s approval to appoint right-wing settler activist Arieh King as his deputy. King is best known for settling Jews in East Jerusalem and evicting Palestinian families from the city's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.**

Breaking News:
Report: 7 killed in Israeli attack in Syria that targeted Iran, Hezbollah