medals
Israeli judoka Gili Sharir has won the gold medal in the under 63kg weight category at the Paris Grand Slam judo tournament after defeating Japanese judoka Nami Nabekura in the final. The 23-year-old athlete had previously beaten Polish, Canadian, French and South Korean opponents. “I’m so happy that I was able to win my first Grand Slam gold medal after a very long and difficult day. A big thank you to my amazing family,’ Sharir said after her victory. Geffen Primo won bronze in the under 52kg category after beating Brazil’s Larissa Pimenta.
Vaccination
The immunization committee at the Jerusalem Ministry of Health recommends that annual Covid boosters become a norm in Israel when coronavirus infection rates are low. If this position is accepted, the regulation should be similar to that of flu shots, according to epidemiologist Nadav Davidovitch of Ben Gurion University. The entire population will then be advised to pick up the vaccine each fall, with a focus on the elderly and vulnerable, he said. As with flu shots, Covid-19 vaccines are tailored to the virus strains most likely to spread. It is unclear whether this annual vaccination will consist of one or two shots.
Film
Rahat, the Bedouin town in Israel’s Negev desert, is hosting its first ever film festival over four weekends in February. Around 40 films, including from Iran, Italy, France, Kosovo, Spain and Saudi Arabia, will then be shown at the Rahat Center for Fine Arts, which opened just a year ago. The event will also feature a premiere screening of Jirah, a documentary by filmmaker Yosef Abu Medigam, who hails from Rahat. The only Bedouin town in the world is trying to boost tourism in a variety of ways.
Community
Despite regular rocket attacks, there is said to be a new Israeli community near the Gaza Strip. Government ministers voted in favor of it earlier this week. The new settlement will be called Hanon and will be located in the Sdot Negev regional council near Kibbutz Sa’ad. A government statement says the community will be home to 500 families. The area around the Hamas-controlled strip, known in Hebrew as the “Gaza envelope,” has frequently come under fire from within Hamas-controlled territory, including in recent days. “The establishment of the community is further evidence of the resilience of this area and the power of the State of Israel. We are proud to build Israel and we are proud to strengthen settlement in all parts of our country,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Supermarket
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has suggested that US shopping giant Costco enter the Israeli market. In a letter to senior management, he wrote, “The Israeli government has set several goals, one of which is to lower the cost of living and increase competition in the Israeli grocery retail market.” Costco has 848 stores around the world. Consider this a “mutually beneficial opportunity.” Last year, the two international retail chains Carrefour from France and Spar from Holland announced that they would also sell their products in Israel, but so far only in Israeli chains.
Interview
Several months after retiring from politics, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of the right-wing Jamina party broke his public silence with a five-hour interview. He admitted mistakes and also expressed concern about the deeply divided society. He asked the current government to stop “acting vindictively.” The interview, conducted by author and comedian Hanoch Daum, has been released in full on YouTube. And while Bennett was vague, he did hint that he plans to return to politics. Bennett had rotated with Yair Lapid to chair the broadest coalition Israel had ever ruled.
