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Ceasefire with Iran
- The ceasefire with Iran has held firm. No missiles have been fired at Israel, and the Jewish state has not launched any attacks on Iran.
- All of the IDF Home Front Command’s directives have been lifted. Schools have reopened, gatherings are permitted, and citizens have returned to work. Ben Gurion Airport has resumed full operations, and some foreign airlines have begun to return to Israel.
- Yesterday, data was released on the Israel-Iran war by the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development. According to the new information:
- Missile defense systems prevented an estimated $15 billion in property damage.
- In preparation for the war, tens of millions of square kilometers were photographed by Israel from space, during both the day and the night. This included capturing more than 12,000 satellite images of Iran. A similar vast area was also photographed during the war, providing Israel with critical intelligence to help with its strikes on Iranian soil.
- 86% of Iranian ballistic missiles launched toward Israel were successfully intercepted.
- In a statement, the Directorate said: “The potential damage prevented by the air defense systems was seven times greater than the actual damage caused” during the war.
- In March, Israel conducted a test to see how the Iron Dome would handle a swarm of UAVs. It was this test, as well as the installation of upgraded versions of the Iron Dome and David’s Sling, that Israel believes helped it intercept 99% of Iranian drones during the war.
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Politics
- Israeli politics underwent something of a shakeup this week with the departure of Benny Gantz’s number two, Gadi Eisenkot, from the National Unity party. Another party member, Matan Kahane, also left.
- According to polls, if a new party led by Eisenkot were formed, it would win eight seats—surpassing both Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid and Benny Gantz’s party, which has now reverted to its old name, Blue and White. Eisenkot could also join a different existing party, and it has been reported that he has been in talks with Opposition Leader Lapid on this issue.
- The media also reports that Matan Kahane will likely rejoin Naftali Bennett, who originally brought him to the Knesset.
- If the current government is forced to make certain compromises as a result of the emerging ceasefire and other agreements, it is likely that some coalition members would leave the government, likely triggering new elections. However, according to many commentators, Netanyahu may be willing to take that risk now, following a considerable rise in his popularity due to the perceived successes of the war with Iran.
- According to the most recent polls, Netanyahu’s Likud would still win the most seats. Nonetheless, the current center-right-religious coalition would be unlikely to be able to form a government if numbers remain the same.
- The latest poll results were:
- Likud (Netanyahu) - 26
- Bennett’s party - 24
- Democrats (Yair Golan) - 12
- Yisrael Beitenu (Lieberman) - 10
- Yesh Atid (Lapid) - 9
- Shas (Der’i) - 9
- United Torah Judaism (Goldknopf) - 8
- Blue and White (Gantz) - 6
- Jewish Power (Ben Gvir) - 6
- Hadash (Ayman Odeh) - 5
- Ra’am (Mansour Abbas) - 5
- The poll has Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism, as well as the Arab party Balad, failing to achieve enough votes to enter the Knesset.
- Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has been in discussions with retired Supreme Court Judge Aharon Barak and others to pursue mediation or a plea bargain in the Netanyahu trial. One scenario believed to be in the cards would see all charges against the Prime Minister dropped in exchange for Netanyahu retiring from public office. Alternatively, some media have reported that the trial could end in exchange for shelving all judicial reform legislation.
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