Israel's population topped 9 million on country's 71st Independence Day
The population has grown more than 11-fold since the country was established in 1948.
By STEVE LINDEVictims of terror from Gaza(photo credit: Courtesy)GAZA TERROR Violence soared between Gaza and Israel for three days until a ceasefire went into effect on May 6. Gaza terrorists fired some 700 rockets at southern Israel (150 of which were intercepted by Iron Dome missiles), killing four Israelis, while the IDF responded by striking Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets, killing some 30 Gazans. The Israeli fatalities were (from left) Moshe Feder, 68, a father of two killed by a Kornet missile while driving on a road near the Gaza border, Pinchas Menachem Prezuazman, 21, a father of two killed in a rocket attack on Ashdod, Ziad al-Hamamda, 47, a Bedouin father of seven, and Moshe Agadi, 58, a father of 4, both killed by rockets on Ashkelon. The Palestinians killed included Hamed Khudari, 39, whom the IDF said had been in charge of transferring money from Iran to Gaza and was struck in a targeted assassination.CORRUPTION CRUSADER Israel’s former state comptroller, Micha Lindenstrauss, a respected jurist who led several investigations into alleged corruption, died on May 2 at the age of 82. Born in Berlin in 1937, Lindenstrauss’s family fled to Palestine two years later, just before World War II began. “The issue of the Holocaust was very close to his heart, and it’s deeply symbolic that he died on Yom Hashoah,” said his wife, Sima. “Judge Lindenstrauss is a symbol of the move from Holocaust to independence, and of the State of Israel’s unstinting commitment to the rule of law,” said President Reuven Rivlin.COALITION EXTENSION President Reuven Rivlin on May 13 granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a two-week extension to form a new government by May 29. The request came after a busy schedule that included Remembrance Day and Independence Day, and violence in the south, Netanyahu said. The next cabinet is expected to have as many as 25 ministers, Likud sources said.POPULATION GROWTH Israel’s population topped 9 million as the country celebrated its 71st Independence Day on May 9, the Central Bureau of Statistics announced. About 74% are Jewish (almost 6.7 million, comprising 45% of world Jewry), 21% Arab and the remaining 15% other ethnic and religious minorities. The population has grown more than 11-fold since the country was established in 1948, from 806,000 to 9.021 million. From 2008 to 2018, the Arab population grew by 21%, while the Jewish population grew 17.5%. There are some 166,000 foreign nationals residing in Israel who were not included in the population figures.EUROVISION FEVER Some 200 million viewers and hundreds of thousands of Israelis and tourists from abroad are expected to watch the Eurovision Song Contest being hosted by Tel Aviv from May 14-18, following Israeli singer Netta Barzilai’s victory in Lisbon last year. According to the organizers, among the stars to perform as guests during the competition, titled “Dare to Dream,” are Madonna, Lior Suchard, Dana International and the Shalva Band. Forty-one countries will participate, with Israel being represented by singer Kobi Marimi. The finals, at Expo Tel Aviv, will be relayed by Kan, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, and the European Broadcasting Union.BERESHEET 2 The Israel Space Agency will contribute 20 million shekels (about 5.6 million dollars) toward Beresheet 2, a second mission to land an Israeli spacecraft on the moon, Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis told the cabinet on May 5. This represents double the amount it contributed to SpaceIL’s first Beresheet project, which crash-landed on the moon on April 11. “I have no doubt that the decision to double the government’s support and deepen cooperation with America’s space agency will contribute to the success of Beresheet 2 and its successful landing on the moon,” Akunis said. The Genesis Prize Foundation also announced a million-dollar grant in support of Beresheet 2.
