Analysis How an Ongoing COVID State of Emergency Will Benefit Netanyahu
There are enough fanatics in Israel looking for an excuse to impose eternal limitations because of the pandemic panic, something Netanyahu could use to his advantage
Amos Harel
Amos Harel is one of Israel's leading media experts on military and defense issues. He has been the military correspondent and defense analyst for Haaretz for the last 12 years. In this role, he has written extensively about Israel's ongoing fight against terrorist organizations, its battles during the Palestinian Intifadah (uprising) and the last war in Lebanon.
Prior to his current position, Harel, 41, spent four years as night editor for the Haaretz Hebrew print edition, and from 1999-2005 was the anchorman on a weekly Army Radio program about defense issues. He also frequently appears in the Israeli and foreign media as a military pundit.
Along with Avi Issacharoff, Harel co-wrote "The Seventh War: How we won and why we lost the war with the Palestinians", a 2004 book about the second Intifadah. The book- a best-seller in Israel - has been translated into French and Arabic, and won the prestigious Chechic award in 2005, for outstanding security research.
Harel and Issacharoff's second book, "34 Days: Israel, Hezbollah and the War in Lebanon", about the war of 2006 was published in Hebrew in January 2008, and also became a best-seller. It was published in English, by Palgrave-Macmillan Books, in April 2008. "34 Days" also won the Chechic award in 2009.
Harel is a graduate of Tel Aviv University, with a bachelor's degree in Law. He is married with three children and lives in Hod Hasharon, in central Israel.
Analysis As Biden Pushes Iran Nuclear Deal, Israel Puts Military Option Back on the Table
Israel sees the previous agreement as too weak, and worries that the Biden administration will not be tough enough during future negotiations with Iran
Analysis What Worries Israel About Biden and Iran
Much of the world reacted to Biden's inauguration with a sigh of relief. In the Mideast, it was met with mixed feelings
Analysis Netanyahu's Optimism About COVID Vaccines Gives Way to Concern
Despite the ongoing vaccine drive, the next few weeks will still see high death rates ■ Reality shattered ultra-Orthodox belief in godly protection and herd immunity
Analysis Politics Will Drag Israel Into Months of Unnecessary COVID Deaths and Suffering
In what seems to be based on orders from the top, the police are not trying to enforce the restrictions in ultra-Orthodox communities and infection rates are raging
Analysis A Massive Syria Strike, and an Israeli Message to Biden
Besides an apparent renewed effort to disrupt Iran’s attempt to move arms and militias through Iraq and Syria, there’s the message that Israel will continue to strike regardless of the new president’s Iran policy
Analysis Israel Is a Success Story With Vaccines. On Other COVID Fronts, It’s a Fiasco
An Israeli minister celebrating a birthday with 12 aides in a small room and an influx of COVID cases returning from Dubai are only some examples
Analysis Trump's Erratic Last Days in Office Put the Middle East on High Alert
Although an escalation doesn't suit anybody, Iran and its proxies remain primed, while Israel is maintaining contact with the Pentagon over any unbidden moves
Fifty-seven Killed in Israeli Strikes in Syria Near Iraqi Border, Watchdog Says
The Israeli airstrikes in eastern Syria were carried out with intelligence provided by the United States, an American official says
Number of Suicide Attacks Around the World Continues to Decline, Study Finds
According to annual survey by Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, there were 127 suicide attacks in 2020 – a 14.5 percent drop from last year
Gantz Assembling Another Inquiry Panel on Submarines Affair
The initial committee was disbanded over restrictions placed on members by the attorney general
Analysis Israel Exploiting Tactical Iranian Weakness to Ramp Up Syria Strikes
Although Israel's defense establishment prepared for a variety of scenarios, Iran is yet to follow through with threats of vengeance. With the Biden administration incoming, it may hold off altogether
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Israelis who spent all night watching the news from Washington asked themselves if it could happen here. Several incidents from the past year hint at the unsettling answer
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Israel is the only country that has openly admitted its previous lockdown was make believe ■ The U.K. mutation is cited as the reason for tougher restrictions, but one can't ignore the reality in ultra-Orthodox communities and the false sense of herd immunity
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As shipments of the vaccines begin to slow, Health Ministry officials keep dodging the question of how many vaccines Israel actually has
Analysis Netanyahu Pushes for Tougher Lockdown, Fearing COVID Will Outpace Vaccination Rate
It will soon become clearer to which degree the third lockdown will have influenced the rate of infection. In the meantime, TV studios are glorifying the prime minister
Analysis Yemen Explosions Heard All the Way in Jerusalem, as Israel Braces for Iranian Revenge
It is still unclear what role, if at all, the Iranians played in the attack. But as the anniversary of General Soleimani's death nears, the entire Middle East is riddled with warning signs
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It all comes down to how many doses arrive in January
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Even those who take pride in Israel’s record inoculation numbers must admit it’s the first country to go into a third lockdown ■ Bidding farewell to a disappointment named Gantz
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The coronavirus pandemic is dangerous enough on its own – but adding the considerations of a prime minister who is a criminal defendant trying to escape justice, the result is systematic disregard for the population
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The fence that separates Palestinian communities from neighboring settlements has been breached for years, but this is the first case this year of a deadly attack on Israeli civilians in the West Bank
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A senior IDF official described this week the growing numbers of men who do not serve, and the army fears it will only get worse
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It's all about speed and efficiency ■ Despite public doubts and fake news, there may actually be too much demand for the vaccines ■ Why it's in Israel's interest to expand the drive to the West Bank and Gaza
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Israel plans to start the vaccination campaign next week, and if everything goes smoothly, the coronavirus czar's optimistic forecast of a March return to normalcy may come true
Israeli Army Says Its Contact Tracing Is Working, Rejecting Criticism
Will the IDF mobilize to support the vaccination campaign?
As Virus Spreads Across Gaza, Hamas Is More Willing to Negotiate With Israel
An Egyptian delegation visited the Strip to discuss details of a deal with Israel, Al Arabiya reported
Analysis From Syria to Cyber, Israeli Army Had a Good Year. So Why Is It Worried?
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