Israel News. Reports and Observations. 5 July 2026, 20Tammuz 5786.
IN-5
Israel News
5 July 2026, 20Tammuz 5786.
1. Rare ;Leviathans; (Whales) Spotted Off Israeli Coast, Just in Time for Post-Messiah BB-Q.
2. Sexual Assaults in Egypt. (More than 90% Rapists (on average)
3. Contentious Basic Law on Torah study, aimed at shielding draft evaders, passes 1st reading.
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1. Rare ;Leviathans; (Whales) Spotted Off Israeli Coast, Just in Time for Post-Messiah BB-Q
https://israel365news.com/418774/rare-leviathans-spotted-off-israeli-coast-just-in-time-for-post-messiah-bb-q/?utm_source
by
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
Extract:
An Iranian missile alert forced a team of Israeli marine researchers to abandon their survey of the Mediterranean last Monday, just as they made one of the rarest sightings in a decade of deep-sea research: two sperm whales off the southern coast of Israel.
Sperm whales are among the rarest species in the Mediterranean. Only a few hundred are believed to inhabit those waters, genetically isolated from their Atlantic counterparts. They spend most of their lives at depths of 800 to 1,200 meters, hunting in total darkness, using sonar - emitting clicks and reading the returning echoes to navigate and locate prey. The first confirmed sighting in Israeli territorial waters since the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center began its research in 1993 was recorded only in June 2020.
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2. Sexual Assaults in SEghpt.
Egypt: Report on Violence Against Women (2016)
https://euromedrights.org/publication/egypt-report-violence-women/
According to a study conducted by UN Women, published in April 2013, 99.3% of Egyptian women explained they had been sexually harassed, 91% of them admitting they did not feel safe on the streets. In 2008, another study by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights pointed out that 86% of the men interviewed admitted they had already sexually harassed women.
AI Overview
Mass Public Attacks: During major political demonstrations (such as the 2011 and 2013 protests in Tahrir Square) and public festivals, large mobs frequently subjected female protesters and journalists to public, coordinated gang rapes and severe physical degradation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Egypt
a 2013 UN report which estimated that 99.3% of women aged 10-35 had been sexually harassed (including wolf whistles, dirty looks, and other non-violent harassment) and 90.9% had been raped.
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3. Contentious Basic Law on Torah study, aimed at shielding draft evaders, passes 1st reading
Four coalition MKs vote against legislation, which has been sharply criticized by legal authorities; opposition politicians vow to cancel law if they form next government
By Ariela Karmel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/contentious-basic-law-on-torah-study-aimed-at-shielding-draft-evaders-passes-1st-reading/
Extract:
The Knesset voted 63-53 on Wednesday to advance a highly controversial Basic Law declaring Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel, following a lengthy and heated debate in the plenum.
Sponsored by ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism lawmakers MKs Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, and backed by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, the measure is intended to shield draft evaders from sanctions and prosecution. Absent a constitution, Basic Laws in Israel have the highest legal status in the country.
The proposed Basic Law passed its first reading on Wednesday, and will now return to the Knesset House Committee for further deliberation before advancing to the plenum for two final votes that would pass it into law.