jerusalempost--2020-11-04--'Sharpiegate' allegations fuel unproven claims of voter fraud in Arizona

Dubbed “ Sharpiegate ” by conservatives on social media , the allegations could be used to try to undermine election results in the historically Republican state of Arizona , which the Associated Press called for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with 51 % of the vote .
Similar rumors about Sharpies or other writing tools and ballots have circulated in Chicago , Michigan , Massachusetts and Connecticut in recent days .
Maricopa County officials were trying to inform voters that Sharpies did not interfere with ballots .
The county - which includes Arizona 's biggest city , Phoenix - last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made Sharpie pens the best option on Election Day because they have the fastest drying ink , said Megan Gilbertson , the Maricopa County Elections Department 's communications director .
The department posted a video on Election Day clarifying that Sharpies would not interfere with ballots .
“ The Sharpies are just fine to use , '' Gilbertson said in an interview .
`` They do not impact tabulation , and we encourage them on Election Day because of how fast the ink dries . ''
By Tuesday night , some Arizona Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been counted .
Andrea Thiele , 48 , of Surprise , Arizona , said in an interview that when she took her daughter to vote , she ’ d noticed Sharpies and found them “ fishy.
” The voting machine accepted her daughter ’ s ballot , she said .
Later , however , she discovered a viral Facebook video saying that Trump voters had their ballots rejected after Maricopa County poll workers had given voters Sharpies .
Now , she is concerned the ballot wasn ’ t counted .
The state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement to Reuters on Wednesday it had received hundreds of complaints about Sharpie use and said it had sent a letter to Maricopa County officials to investigate the concerns .
By Wednesday afternoon , the video Thiele saw had been shared on Facebook 101,000 times , and had been promoted by prominent conservatives , including Sidney Powell , the attorney representing former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn .
Following those 101,000 shares , it was labeled `` false information '' on Facebook by fact-checkers who have partnered with the social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 election .
Facebook has also blocked the hashtag `` # sharpiegate , '' Facebook spokeswoman Andrea Vallone said , while a Twitter spokeswoman said the social media company is labeling tweets that `` misleadingly claim ballots were invalidated . ''
American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp has also repeated the fraud claims on Twitter and urged voters to report them to the Arizona attorney general ’ s office .
Schlapp and Powell could not immediately be reached for comment .
Alex Stamos , Facebook 's former chief technology officer and now director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters Wednesday the allegations were “ disinformation.
” “ Once this idea was out there in the zeitgeist , it was picked up , ” he said .
“ After Fox News called Arizona for Vice President Biden , all of a sudden you see the exact same narrative repurposed specifically about Arizona without any kind of evidence . ''

Dubbed “Sharpiegate” by conservatives on social media, the allegations could be used to try to undermine election results in the historically Republican state of Arizona, which the Associated Press called for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with 51% of the vote.
Similar rumors about Sharpies or other writing tools and ballots have circulated in Chicago, Michigan, Massachusetts and Connecticut in recent days.
Maricopa County officials were trying to inform voters that Sharpies did not interfere with ballots.
The county - which includes Arizona's biggest city, Phoenix - last year rolled out new tabulation equipment that made Sharpie pens the best option on Election Day because they have the fastest drying ink, said Megan Gilbertson, the Maricopa County Elections Department's communications director.
The department posted a video on Election Day clarifying that Sharpies would not interfere with ballots.
“The Sharpies are just fine to use," Gilbertson said in an interview. "They do not impact tabulation, and we encourage them on Election Day because of how fast the ink dries."
By Tuesday night, some Arizona Trump voters had begun to question whether ballots had been counted.
Andrea Thiele, 48, of Surprise, Arizona, said in an interview that when she took her daughter to vote, she’d noticed Sharpies and found them “fishy.”
The voting machine accepted her daughter’s ballot, she said.
Later, however, she discovered a viral Facebook video saying that Trump voters had their ballots rejected after Maricopa County poll workers had given voters Sharpies.
Now, she is concerned the ballot wasn’t counted.
“I suspect there’s fraud happening, absolutely,” she said.
The state attorney general’s office said in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday it had received hundreds of complaints about Sharpie use and said it had sent a letter to Maricopa County officials to investigate the concerns.
By Wednesday afternoon, the video Thiele saw had been shared on Facebook 101,000 times, and had been promoted by prominent conservatives, including Sidney Powell, the attorney representing former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Following those 101,000 shares, it was labeled "false information" on Facebook by fact-checkers who have partnered with the social media company to root out disinformation about the 2020 election.
Facebook has also blocked the hashtag "#sharpiegate," Facebook spokeswoman Andrea Vallone said, while a Twitter spokeswoman said the social media company is labeling tweets that "misleadingly claim ballots were invalidated."
American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp has also repeated the fraud claims on Twitter and urged voters to report them to the Arizona attorney general’s office.
Schlapp and Powell could not immediately be reached for comment.
Alex Stamos, Facebook's former chief technology officer and now director of the Stanford Internet Observatory, told reporters Wednesday the allegations were “disinformation.”
“Once this idea was out there in the zeitgeist, it was picked up,” he said. “After Fox News called Arizona for Vice President Biden, all of a sudden you see the exact same narrative repurposed specifically about Arizona without any kind of evidence."
Unsubstantiated claims alleging some votes cast for President Donald Trump were not counted in Maricopa County, Arizona - an important battleground in the 2020 U.S. election - because voters used Sharpie pens began spreading among right-wing social media accounts on Tuesday night as election results trickled in.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Iran's supreme leader on US elections: 'What a spectacle!'

`` What a spectacle ! ''
tweeted Khamenei .
`` One says this is the most fraudulent election in US @ @ @ @ @ ?
The president who is currently in office .
His rival says Trump intends to @ @ @ @ @ is how # USElections & US democracy are . ''

"What a spectacle!" tweeted Khamenei. "One says this is the most fraudulent election in US history. Who says that? The president who is currently in office. His rival says Trump intends to rig the election! This is how #USElections & US democracy are."
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made fun of the disputes between US President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden over election results in the first official Iranian response to the US elections on Wednesday evening.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Saeb Erekat in critical condition - report

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Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat's medical condition has become critical, The Jerusalem Post's sister publication Maariv reported on Wednesday evening.Erekat, who has been combating the coronavirus, is hospitalized at Hadassah University Medical Center.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Jordanian official lands in Israel to receive treatment for COVID-19

A Jordanian official arrived by helicopter at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem on Wednesday after being diagnosed with coronavirus, Israeli media reported.According to N12, the official is the chief medical officer of the Jordanian military.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Trump campaign sues to stop ballot count in Michigan

The campaign of President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit in Michigan to stop the counting of ballots in the presidential election."We have filed suit today in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted. We also demand to review those ballots which were opened and counted while we did not have meaningful access," the campaign said in a statement.There is no clear presidential winner in the swing state, which has 16 electoral votes, according to Edison Research. Republican Trump's opponent, Democrat Joe Biden, has a razor-thin margin in Michigan, where 92% of the expected vote is in.Trump's campaign is also demanding a recount in Wisconsin, another state where he is neck and neck with Biden.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Health Ministry reports 838 new coronavirus patients

The Health Ministry reported Wednesday evening that 838 people were diagnosed with coronavirus since yesterday, out of the 41,550 people who were screened.Some 364 patients were in serious condition Wednesday night, including 159 intubated patients.The death toll rose to 2,597.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Election night draws estimated 22.8 million viewers – report

The Wrap cited Nielsen data across six networks , but did not include cable television channels .
The early data @ @ @ @ @ down on the last election night in 2016 .
Numbers are expected to rise when @ @ @ @ @ networks is released later on Wednesday .

An estimated 22.8 million people watched US election returns on television on Tuesday night, as the outcome remained in the balance, according to preliminary ratings figures cited by Hollywood outlet The Wrap.
The Wrap cited Nielsen data across six networks, but did not include cable television channels. The early data suggested that television viewership was down on the last election night in 2016. Numbers are expected to rise when final Nielsen data across multiple networks is released later on Wednesday.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Trump blames 'ballot dumps' for his 'magical' decline in key states

Twitter has flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he blamed ballots being dumped for his decline in the polls as 'disputed and potentially misleading.'President Trump took to Twitter to accuse Democrats for his seemingly "magical" decline in the polls in key states overnight as the votes are still being counted."Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled," he tweeted. "Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted. VERY STRANGE, and the 'pollsters' got it completely & historically wrong!"The ballots in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan are still being counted, with many absentee ballots and mail-in ballots yet to be finished.Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc have flagged a number of President Donald Trump's posts on the US election as votes were still being counted, in a real-time test of their rules on handling misinformation and premature claims of victory.Twitter also applied labels to posts by Democrat and Republican officials in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Florida, warning users that the information may be contested or inaccurate.Social media companies have been under fierce scrutiny over how they police rapidly spreading false information and election-related abuses of their platforms. In the weeks before Tuesday's vote, both vowed action on posts by candidates trying to declare early victory.Early on Wednesday, Twitter hid a Trump tweet that claimed "we are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election" behind a label that said it was potentially misleading. The company also restricted users' ability to share the post.Facebook added a label to the same post, which had about 18,000 shares, that said "final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks."A spokeswoman for Facebook said it was not restricting the reach or sharing of labeled content. She also said it would not flag premature claims of state wins, only of the final result of the presidential race.Twitter did not label a separate post, in which Trump declared "A big WIN!," to which Facebook added a notice that said votes were still being counted.However, Twitter did flag early victory claims by state-level officials from both parties.After the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin tweeted that Democratic candidate Joe Biden had secured victory in his state, Twitter attached a notice saying: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."The company also flagged earlier posts by a Republican senator and governor which claimed victory for Trump in Florida before the result was confirmed.Facebook said that following Trump's premature claims of victory it had started running top-of-feed notifications on Facebook and its photo-sharing site Instagram telling users that votes were still being counted and no winner had been projected. It said automatic labels were also being applied to both candidates' posts with this information.Twitter began adding fact-checking labels to Trump's tweets in May. Facebook, which has been criticized by some lawmakers and employees for not taking action on inflammatory or misleading posts from the president, has also introduced more labels around the election.Trump also claimed in a speech live-streamed on both platforms on Wednesday that he had won the election, with millions of votes still uncounted. Biden said earlier he was confident of winning the contest.Facebook labeled the video, which had 2.6 million views on Wednesday morning, with a warning saying vote counting could continue for days or weeks. The video had no label or warning on Twitter, where it was posted by the Trump campaign and retweeted by the president.Alphabet Inc's video service YouTube added a panel that said 'results may not be final' to election-related videos and directed users to a Google search for the election results.False or exaggerated reports about voting fraud and delays at the polls also circulated on social media on Election Day, in some cases helped along by official Republican accounts and online publications.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Biden passes Trump in Michigan battleground 49.2%-49.1% – Edison Research

The following is the most up-to-date data on who took which state based upon the projections by the five top US television networks ( ABC , CBS , NBC , FOX and CNN ) , the AP and Edison Research ( in parentheses is the state 's number of electoral votes ) : There is no projected winner for Alaska at the moment , with only 50 % of the polls reporting so far .
Trump is holding 62.1 % of the votes while Biden is holding 33.5 % .
With 86 % of polling stations reporting , Biden is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vote , followed closely behind by Trump with 47.9 % .
Arizona voters also approved measures to legalize marijuana for recreational use .
There is currently no consensus for a projected winner in Arizona , with only Fox News and AP currently reporting Biden as the projected winner of the state 's 11 electoral votes.With 86 % of polling stations reporting , Biden is in the lead with 50.7 % of the vote , followed closely behind by Trump with 47.9 % .Arizona voters also approved measures to legalize marijuana for recreational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have reported .
Biden earned 55.4 % of the vote , while Trump took home 42 % .
Colorado voters also rejected a measure to ban abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy , except those needed to save the life of the mother .
Biden is the projected winner of Colorado according to AP and major news networks.Some 90 % of stations have reported .
Biden earned 55.4 % of the vote , while Trump took home 42 % .
, boosting his chances of reelection .
With 99 % reporting , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Biden holds 47.8 % .
Unofficial results on Tuesday night showed Trump was winning about 47 % of the Hispanic vote in , increasing his vote share in the county over 2016 by about 12 % .
to balance Trump 's strength in the state ’ s mainly rural Panhandle , and win 's 29 Electoral College votes .
Voters also approved a measure to amend the state constitution to gradually increase its $ 8.56-per-hour minimum wage to $ 15 .
That swing denied Biden the votes he needed from Southto balance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s mainly rural Panhandle , and win 's 29 Electoral College votes.Voters also approved a measure to amend the state constitution to gradually increase its $ 8.56-per-hour minimum wage to $ 15 .
A wave of support from Hispanic voters gave Trump a narrow victory in one of the key battleground states of , boosting his chances of reelection .
With 99 % reporting , Trump holds 51.2 % of the vote , while Biden holds 47.8 % .
According to the AP , Trump is currently in the lead with 49.7 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tight race with Biden trailing closely behind with 49.1 % .
There is currently no projected winner in Georgia 's tight race .
Although 98 % of polling stations have reported , no one has yet called the race for the state 's 16 electoral votes.According to the AP , Trump is currently in the lead with 49.7 % of the vote , locked in a tight race with Biden trailing closely behind with 49.1 % .
AP is currently reporting Biden as the winner with 63.7 % of the vote and 96 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secured 63.9 % of the vote to earn Idaho 's four electoral votes , with 99 % of polling stations reporting .
Biden has been projected as the winner of Maine 's first district and its popular vote , worth three electoral votes , but AP has called for a Trump victory in its second district , giving him one electoral vote due to how the state 's electoral votes are allocated .
Biden secured 62.6 % of the vote to Trump 's 35.6 % , with the state 's mainly urban and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choosing to vote for the Democratic candidate as it did in the 2016 elections .
Hilary Clinton won the state by a margin of 26.4 points in 2016 , while Biden is projected to win by 28.9 points .
The traditionally Democratic-leaning state of Maryland is projected to choose Biden to give its 10 electoral votes to , with 73 % reporting.Biden secured 62.6 % of the vote to Trump 's 35.6 % , with the state 's mainly urban and densely populated areas surrounding Baltimore and Annapolis choosing to vote for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 elections.Hilary Clinton won the state by a margin of 26.4 points in 2016 , while Biden is projected to win by 28.9 points .

With voting now completed in this divisive US presidential election, President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are now waiting to see which of them won. Votes continue to be counted, including mail-in ballots.The current projected electoral vote tally stands at Biden with 290 vs. Trump with 214, according to the Associated Press (AP). Candidates need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.*All time stamps refer back to Friday, November 6, unless otherwise specified.With a full consensus being reported by all the major news networks, Trump is the projected winner of Alabama.AP stated that with 99% of polling stations reporting, Trump received 62.5% of the Alabama vote, with Biden (36.4%) winning the remaining votes alongside Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen (1.1%).There is no projected winner for Alaska at the moment, with 50% of the polls reporting so far. Trump is holding 62.1% of the votes while Biden is holding 33.5%.Biden is the projected winner of the Arizona's 11 electoral votes, with AP and all other major news outlets calling the race on Saturday.With 90% of polling stations reporting as of Saturday, Biden held the lead with 49.5% of the vote, followed closely behind by Trump with 49%.Trump began to inch closer in the popular vote counts, however, Biden held a commanding lead over the Republican president - boasting a differential of 18,713 votes. Thousands of more votes are expected to be counted through the night on Friday.Arizona voters also approved measures to legalize marijuana for recreational use.Trump is the projected winner of Arkansas, with a consensus of the television networks and AP projecting the same.Trump is leading with 62.6% of the vote, as 93% of polling stations have reported as of 11:32 a.m. EST.With 66% reporting, Biden took 65.1% of the California vote versus Trump's 33%.All the major news networks have called the race in California in favor of Biden.The Democratic-leaning state of California is the most populous state and therefore has the most electoral votes with 55, some 17 more than second place Texas.Biden is the projected winner of Colorado according to AP and major news networks.Some 92% of stations have reported. Biden earned 55.2% of the vote, while Trump took home 42.1%.Colorado voters also rejected a measure to ban abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy, except those needed to save the life of the mother.The projected winner of Connecticut will reportedly be Biden, according to the AP and news outlets.Some 99% of stations have reported for the East Coast state. Biden secured 58.1% of the vote, versus Trump's 40.4%.Biden took home 58.8% of the vote in Delaware, with 99% of stations reporting.There is also a media consensus that Biden will take the state's three electoral votes as the projected winner.The nation's capital chose to award Biden its three electoral votes, with the Democratic presidential candidate sweeping up the District of Columbia with 93.3% of the total vote.With 83% of polling stations reporting. Trump only holds 5.2% of the vote.A wave of support from Hispanic voters gave Trump a narrow victory in one of the key battleground states of Florida, boosting his chances of reelection. With 99% reporting, Trump holds 51.2% of the vote, while Biden holds 47.9%.Unofficial results on Tuesday night showed Trump was winning about 47% of the Hispanic vote in Florida, increasing his vote share in the county over 2016 by about 12%.That swing denied Biden the votes he needed from South Florida to balance Trump's strength in the state’s mainly rural Panhandle, and win Florida's 29 Electoral College votes.Voters also approved a measure to amend the state constitution to gradually increase its $8.56-per-hour minimum wage to $15.Biden took a narrow lead over Trump in the battleground state of Georgia for the first time early on Friday, putting the White House within his reach as it and other undecided states continue to count ballots.With the lead, Biden was named the projected winner in Georgia's tight race on Saturday, with 99% of polling stations having reported, Biden took the state by a mere 9,160 votes as of Saturday.No one has yet called the race for the state's 16 electoral votes.According to the AP, the two candidates are neck and neck with Trump holding 49.7% of the vote, and Biden holding the same.While Trump held the rural areas of the southern state, voters from the urban and metropolitan areas of Georgia thrusted Biden into the lead.AP is currently reporting Biden as the winner with 63.7% of the vote and 96% of polling stations reporting.Trump captured 34.3% of the Hawaiian vote as of 11:43 a.m. EST.Trump secured 63.9% of the vote to earn Idaho's four electoral votes, with 99% of polling stations reporting.Biden lost the race for the Northwestern state by 33.8 points.Biden is the projected winner of Illinois's 20 electoral votes, with 91% of polling stations having reported as of 11:45 a.m. EST.Biden secured 55.16% of the vote, with Trump far behind, earning 42.6%.With 99% of polling stations reporting, Trump has been declared the projected winner of Indiana by consensus of the national news outlets.Trump secured 57.2% of the vote, followed by Biden's 40.8%.Trump has been named the projected winner of the heavily white and rural Iowa, securing 53.2% of the vote with nearly all polling stations reporting.Although Biden only secured a few districts throughout the state, he earned 45% of the popular vote.Trump is heavily projected to win the GOP stronghold of Kansas, securing 56.5% of the popular vote to Biden's 41.3%.With 99% of polling stations reporting, all the major news outlets have given Trump the race in the Midwestern state.Trump is projected to win Kentucky by consensus of the major news outlets.Trump has so far secured a 26.9 point margin over Biden (62.6% vs 35.7%), with 98% of polling stations reporting (11:48 a.m. EST).The Deep South state of Louisiana is expected to give Trump its eight electoral votes.Trump is currently leading Biden, and has captured 58.5% of the vote with 95% reporting (11:49 a.m. EST).All the major news outlets have named Trump as the projected winner.Biden has been projected as the winner of Maine's first district and its popular vote, worth three electoral votes.However, AP has called for a Trump victory in its second district, giving him one electoral vote due to how the state's electoral votes are allocated.Biden secured 52.9% of the Northeastern state's vote, versus Trump 44.2%. So far 99% have reported as of 11:50 a.m. EST.The traditionally Democratic-leaning state of Maryland is projected to choose Biden to give its 10 electoral votes to, with 76% reporting.Biden secured 62.9% of the vote to Trump's 35.4%, with the state's mainly urban and densely populated areas surrounding Baltimore and Annapolis choosing to vote for the Democratic candidate as it did in the 2016 elections.Hilary Clinton won the state by a margin of 26.4 points in 2016, while Biden is projected to win by 27.5 points.Massachusetts voters voted blue across the entire state, with each district choosing Biden for president in this year's election.Biden secured 65.6% of the vote, leading Trump who received 32.6% of the vote, with 99% reporting (11:52 a.m. EST).Biden took Michigan as he took 50.6% of the vote, while Trump took 47.9% with 99% of polling stations reporting (11:52 a.m. EST).Michigan is seen as one of the key battleground states in this year's election, with Biden counting on the Rust Belt states' electoral votes to win the election.Biden is currently projected to win Minnesota, according to a consensus by the national media.The former vice president secured 52.6% of the vote over Trump, who won 45.4% of the state's favor.Some 99% of stations have reported in the state (11:56 a.m. EST).Trump is heavily projected to take Mississippi, securing 59.7% of the state's vote with 84% reporting.There is also a shared consensus throughout the major news outlets that Trump will earn the state's six electoral votes, as all have projected the Republican president to win the state.Missouri is expected to hand over its 10 electoral votes toward the reelection of the Republican president.With 99% reporting as of 11:58 a.m. EST, Trump is currently leading by a projected margin of 15.6 points.Biden only secured two districts but gained 41.3% of the popular vote.Trump is projected to win the rural state of Montana in a consensus of the national news networks.The Republican president is currently leading by 16.3 points with 99% of polling stations having reported (11:59 a.m. EST).AP is currently reporting Trump as the winner of the state and its first and third districts, worth four electoral votes, with 99% reporting.Biden reportedly won its second district, which is worth one electoral vote due to Nebraska's mixed allocation system.Nevada is currently undecided, as no stations have reported a projected winner in a tight race.According to the AP, Biden (49.8%) has secured an edge over Trump (48%), with 86% of polling stations reporting (11:42 p.m. EST). The two are currently split by a differential of 22,657 votes.Biden currently needs six electoral votes to be elected into office. With Nevada, he would just reach the threshold of 270.With 99% reporting, Biden is projected to win New Hampshire by almost eight points.All of the major news outlets chose Biden as the projected winner of the small northeastern state.Voters in New Jersey have chosen to give its 14 electoral votes to Biden, according to consensus projections.Biden secured 59.5% of the popular vote, with 73% reporting (12:05 p.m. EST). New Jersey residents also passed a referendum legalizing marijuana statewide for adults 21 and over.New Mexico is projected to select Biden, giving him its five electoral votes.All the major news outlets project Biden to win the state, with 99% having reported (12:06 p.m. EST).Voters of The Empire State will likely select Biden to award its substantial 29 electoral votes to, according to a consensus within the national media. New York has the third most electoral votes, along with Florida.With well over two-thirds of the votes counted, Biden is currently leading Trump by 12.7 points.NY Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez secured her reelection by a landslide with 68.8% of the popular vote.With 99% reporting, Trump and Biden are currently locked in a tight race throughout North Carolina.AP states that Trump is currently leading by 1.4 points (5:57 a.m. EST on Sunday), and has refused to call the race, as have all other major media outlets.Trump rallied the rural areas of of the state, while the urban and metropolitan continued to thrust Biden into contention throughout the three days of counting, for the states 15 electoral votes.Biden currently needs six electoral votes to be elected into office. With North Carolina, he would surpass the threshold by nine extra votes.Trump secured the border state of North Dakota by a landslide, with 99% reporting.Trump has earned 65.5% of the popular vote, leading Biden by 33.6 points.Trump is expected to win Ohio's 18 electoral votes, according to current projections.The AP states that Trump secured 53.4% of the popular vote, with 96% reporting (12:11 p.m. EST).All the major television networks have called it for the president as well.History is seeming to repeat itself as Trump seems to have secured 65.4% of Oklahoma's popular vote, leading Biden by 33.1 points.In 2016, Trump beat Clinton to take home the GOP stronghold by a margin of 36 points.Biden is expected to win Oregon as he is currently leading the race by 16.5 points, with 91% reporting (12:12 p.m. EST).The five major television stations have also called it for Biden.Biden's victory in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania put him over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes he needed to clinch the presidency, ending four days of nail-biting suspense in a deeply divided country.Biden expanded his narrow lead over Trump in the Keystone State on Friday - a lead which he held onto until the very end.On election night, Trump was well ahead in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. This occurred because election day votes were strongly Republican, and much of the mail-in votes in those states had not been counted. With the inclusion of mail-ins, Biden won Wisconsin by 0.6% and Michigan by 2.6%.AP states that Biden captured a 0.6 point win over Trump to take Pennsylvania, split by a differential of 41,223 votes.Many of the rural areas chose to vote for Trump, while the areas surround Philadelphia and Pittsburgh decided to vote Democrat.The bulk of the votes left to be counted on Friday were mainly within the Democratic-leaning metropolitan area of Philadelphia, where Biden strengthened his lead on the Republican president.According to media consensus, Rhode Island's four electoral votes will go towards Biden's presidency bid.Biden captured 59.4% of the vote and leads Trump by 20.2 points, with 96% reporting (12:18 p.m. EST).Trump is currently projected to win South Carolina, with 94% reporting (12:18 p.m. EST).Trump currently has an 11.6 point lead over the Democratic candidate, earning 55.1% of the vote for the state's nine electoral votes.South Dakota's three electoral votes are projected to go to Trump, according to media consensus.The AP states that Trump is currently winning by 26.2 points, with 94% of polling stations reporting (12:21 p.m. EST).Trump is heavily projected to win Tennessee, with 97% reporting (12:21 p.m. EST).Trump secured 60.7% of the popular vote to Biden's 37.4%.Biden did, however, win the districts surrounding the major cities of Nashville and Memphis, with mainly the rural areas voting for the Republican president.All of the major news outlets have projected Trump as the winner of the key battleground state of Texas.The substantial 38 electoral votes – second most in the country after California – will go toward Trump's reelection, after he secured the state by a projected 5.8 point margin.Although major cities, such as Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, as well as border cities like El Paso, all voted for Biden, rural areas mainly voted for the Republican president, as has been the trend.National media outlets place Trump as Utah's projected winner, with 83% reporting (12:22 p.m. EST).Trump secured 58.7% of the vote, leading Biden by over 20 points.Biden is heavily projected to win Vermont's three electoral votes, according to national media consensus.He is currently leading Trump by a landslide margin of over 35 points (12:23 p.m. EST).Virginia is projected to give its 13 electoral votes to Biden. Some 99% of polling stations have reported as of 12:23 a.m. EST.AP has Biden leading the vote with 54% of the popular vote. All of the major news outlets have projected him to take the state as well.By national media consensus, Biden is projected to win Washington state.He is currently leading the Republican president by 21.5 points, with 85% of polling stations have reported as of 12:25 p.m. EST.Trump is expected to win the Mountain State of West Virginia, another GOP stronghold that generally votes red as it did again this year, even within the college town of Morgantown.Trump is currently leading the race in West Virginia by over 39 points – one of the largest margins state-by-state.Some 99% of polling stations have reported as of 12:26 p.m. EST.AP officially called a Biden victory in the hotly contested state of Wisconsin, followed closely behind the five other major US news outlets - gifting its 10 electoral votes to the election of the former vice president.However, as far as the vote counts go, Biden only leads the Republican president by a margin of 0.7 points - placing the candidates in a tighter race than projected or expected.Trump's campaign has said it would immediately contest the results and demand a recount.Trump seemed to secure his largest marginal win state-by-state in the landlocked rural state of Wyoming.Trump secured 70.4% of the popular vote to Biden's 26.7% - a margin of 43.7 points. Biden only secured two districts within the state.Reuters and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--26-years-old indicted for tweeting violent threats against Netanyahu

A 26-year-old from Tel Aviv was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly making threats against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family, as well as other state officials and police officers.The suspect allegedly opened two Twitter accounts under fake names which he used to publish severe threats in the past two months.For example, on October 18 he wrote: "Netanyahu will mourn his sons and wife ... and all of his supporters will die like the Jews in the Holocaust, you Nazis, you should be slaughtered ... I'm inciting for violence against any corrupt f***r like Bibi, Miri Regev and Miki Zoahr, you're all stinking Palestinian neo-Nazis."He was arrested last week and interrogated by the Lahav 433 cyber unit, which recommend that he be indicted on Wednesday.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Israel Police tickets 1,717 for coronavirus regulation violations

Israeli police officers gave out 1,717 tickets for coronavirus regulation violations on Tuesday, according to a police spokesperson.The majority of the tickets, some 1,530, were given to people for failing to wear a mask. Some 28 tickets were given to those who were in violation of quarantine.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Knesset to review Bahrain normalization agreement on Tuesday

The normalization agreement between Israel and Bahrain will be submitted to the Knesset for approval on Tuesday, the Knesset announced.The meeting will begin in the morning and will focus on the Bahrain agreement in the afternoon. Each speaker will be permitted to speak for four minutes.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--2,600 checked, 462 approved to make Aliyah from Ethiopia

Chair of the Immigration Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee David Bitan announced on Wednesday that of the 7,000 people on the waiting list to make Aliyah from Ethiopia, 2,600 have been checked and 462 have been approved to make Aliyah.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Coronavirus in the IDF: 137 infected, 1,792 in quarantine

There are currently 137 IDF soldiers and civilian employees infected with coronavirus, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. One soldier is in serious condition, with all others in good condition.There are 1,792 service people in quarantine.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Health Ministry D-G Chezy Levy gets flu vaccine

Health Ministry director-general Prof. Chezy Levy received a flu vaccination on Wednesday morning and urged Israelis to also get vaccinated."Israel has purchased a large stock of seasonal vaccines, double the amount of past years. In the current winter season, we are accompanied by the corona pandemic and I call on and implore the public to be vaccinated against seasonal flu."Israel has limited the grouping from the public permitted to get the vaccine due to limitations caused by the corona. Only those at risk are currently permitted to get vaccinated.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Coronavirus testing of samples of Yeshiva students returns 0.5% positive

Coronavirus tests administered to a sample of Yeshiva students returned an approximately 0.5% positive rate on Wednesday. Of the 3,686 tests administered, only 18 showed a positive result.


jerusalempost--2020-11-04--Netanyahu and UTJ agree coronavirus fines will not yet be raised

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Torah Judaism members agreed on Wednesday that fines on those violating coronavirus regulations would not be raised now, and a raise would not be discussed until a discussion is held with Ya’acov Litzman and MK Moshe Gafni, according to Israeli media.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Trump, without evidence, says 'if you count the legal votes I easily win'

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said without evidence on Thursday that if `` legal '' votes are counted he @ @ @ @ @ , in a signal he is in no mood to concede to Democrat Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ the legal votes I easily win , '' Trump said in an appearance in the @ @ @ @ @ complaining that ballots still being counted suggest to him that the election is being rigged @ @ @ @ @

WASHINGTON - As former Vice President Joe Biden moved closer to winning the White House, President Donald Trump adopted a fighting posture on Thursday, making false claims to undermine a vote that was not going his way.
While Biden, a Democrat, called for calm and patience, Republican Trump, without offering evidence, said his opponents were engaging in fraud and election theft, accusations he has been making long before Election Day.
"If you count the legal votes I easily win," Trump said during remarks the White House, his first public appearance since Wednesday morning. "This is a case where they're trying to steal an election. They're trying to rig an election, and we can't let that happen."
Trump suggested he had won states that have been called in favor of Biden and sharply criticized polling before the election that he said was designed to suppress the vote because it favored the Democrat.
Polls this year, similar to the 2016 election that he won, predicted a much weaker electoral performance by Trump than he achieved.
The president, a former reality TV star who regularly plays to cameras and crowds, took no questions from reporters in his first appearance since early Wednesday morning.
The president's comments came as the election results continued to swing toward his Democratic rival.
A somber mood prevailed at the White House. Aides to the president said they remained cautiously optimistic that he still had a path to re-election, while conceding that he may lose.
Trump worked from the Oval Office on Thursday in what was otherwise largely an empty West Wing. Many of his senior staff were huddled at the campaign's headquarters in nearby Virginia.
"He's very engaged, he's monitoring, talking to all the states. It doesn't look good, but this guy wants to keep fighting," said one Trump confidante, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "He's in a fighting mood right now. He's not melancholy or dejected. But the path is getting harder and harder."
The president's campaign has launched multiple legal challenges in the states where votes are still being counted.
One White House official said he was confident the strategy of legal challenges would prevail, even if television networks call the race for Biden once final vote counts in states such as Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania come in.
Another lamented the loss of support among suburban women that helped doom Trump's chances in Wisconsin, while lauding the president for changing the Republican Party for decades to come by attracting more Latino and African-American votes.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Biden says he will win once all votes are counted, calls for patience

`` We have no doubt that when the count is finished , Senator Harris and I will be declared the @ @ @ @ @ ask everyone to stay calm .
...
The process is working , '' Biden told @ @ @ @ @ running mate Senator Kamala Harris .

"We have no doubt that when the count is finished, Senator Harris and I will be declared the winners. So, I ask everyone to stay calm. ... The process is working," Biden told reporters, referring to his running mate Senator Kamala Harris.
WILMINGTON, Del. - Democrat Joe Biden said on Thursday he had no doubt he would defeat incumbent President Donald Trump and win the US presidency, and asked everyone to stay calm as votes were counted.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Heavy rain continues to floods city of Ashdod

On Wednesday , rescue teams were dispatched to a flooded residential building in Ashdod , where people were thought to @ @ @ @ @ .
In other cases , a couple was hospitalized after being trapped in a flooded @ @ @ @ @ rescue teams were called to assist residents in 15 different locations .

On Wednesday, rescue teams were dispatched to a flooded residential building in Ashdod, where people were thought to be trapped in its basement.
In other cases, a couple was hospitalized after being trapped in a flooded car and in Hadera, rescue teams were called to assist residents in 15 different locations.
Floods were reported in Ashdod on Thursday night by N12, following a couple of days of heavy rain that caused floods in several cities throughout the country.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--New National Emergency Authority head, IDF ombudsman appointed

A new National Emergency Authority (NEA) head and IDF ombudsman were appointed on Thursday evening in a ceremy attended by Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Ministry Benny Gantz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Defense Ministry director-general Amir Eshel and Home Front Command commander Gen. Uri Gordin.Yoram Lardo was appointed as NEA head, replacing Nochi Mandel who served as acting NEA head.Ofer Sarig was appointed as IDF ombudsman, who had previously been acting IDF ombudsman.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Nevada official: More ballots could be lawfully received next week

A Clarke County, Nevada official has said they could still receive more ballots next week that will need to be counted under the law, Reuters has reported.In a press conference, he said he hopes to get the bulk of mail ballots already received into the county's system by Saturday or Sunday, and added that they expected to be able to give an updated ballot count at 1pm ET on Friday, following the counting 51,000 ballots currently being tallied.He further said that he was not aware of any improper ballots being processed.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Coronavirus in Israel: 331 people test positive, three dead

The Health Ministry announced on Thursday evening that 331 people had tested positive throughout the past day.In addition, three people died due to the coronavirus in the past day.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Military, overseas ballot can still be received by Friday in Georgia

In Fulton County, Georgia, election officials said they can still receive military and overseas ballots by 5 p.m. ET on Friday.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Pennsylvania's Allegheny County stops vote counting till Friday – report

Pennsylvania's Allegheny County has stopped counting votes, and will only resume them on Friday, CNN reported.This is a developing story.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Cabinet approves reopening of shops on Sunday

Israel's coronavirus regulations will be changed so that beginning on Sunday at 6 a.m., stores will be permitted to reopen. The decision was made during a Wednesday coronavirus cabinet meeting; the Prime Minister's Office in conjunction with the Health Ministry made the announcement on Thursday evening.This includes all stores except those located within indoor and outdoor malls which include 20 or more shops and businesses. Each store will be permitted to host four customers at a time.Violations of these amended regulations will be defined as a criminal offense.In addition, the number of permitted units to open at "tsimer" (bed and breakfasts) facilities at a time will be increased to six units, each of which may only host one nuclear family.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--US elections: Philadelphia mail-in vote counting temporarily stopped

The counting of mail-in ballots in Philadelphia has been temporarily halted as Democrats ask the state's top court to reverse a lower court ruling on ballot count observers, MSNBC reported.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Elections: UK demands Belarus hold new vote for president

Britain's foreign minister called for new elections in Belarus following the publication of an independent report into the previous vote in August."New elections which are free and fair must now be organized, and those responsible for the violence against demonstrators held to account," Dominic Raab said in a statement on Thursday.


jerusalempost--2020-11-05--Assuta's coronavirus ward houses only three patients in critical condition

Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital expressed an exciting update on Thursday afternoon, stating that the coronavirus ward in the hospital currently only houses three patients in critical condition."This is an encouraging statistics which reflects the results of lockdown and the public's compliance with guidelines," hospital CEO Dr. Erez Barenbaum said. "I doubt it is the end of the matter, but I choose to look forward optimistically out of an understanding that our ability to win the pandemic is dependant on us and us alone and our personal conduct."


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Austria orders closure of 'radical mosques', news agency APA says

Austria 's interior and integration ministers have ordered the closure of `` radical mosques '' after Monday 's deadly attack @ @ @ @ @ in which four people were killed , Austrian news agency APA reported on Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ a news conference at 2 p.m. ( 1300 GMT ) , APA said .

Austria's interior and integration ministers have ordered the closure of "radical mosques" after Monday's deadly attack by a jihadist in Vienna in which four people were killed, Austrian news agency APA reported on Friday.
Details will be announced at a news conference at 2 p.m. (1300 GMT), APA said.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Coronavirus lockdowns on Bukata and Hatzor Haglilit to be voted on Friday

The ministerial committee for restricted areas voted on Friday afternoon on lockdowns on the town of Bukata and on neighborhoods with high rates of infection in Hatzor Haglilit.The lockdown on Bukata will begin on Sunday, November 7, at 8 AM, and will last five days, until Thursday, November 12, at 8 AM.The lockdown on the Neighborhoods of Hatzor Haglilit will also begin on November 7 at 8 AM and will end on Thursday November 12 at 8 AM.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Vienna attack: German police search homes of 4 with suspected ties

German police said on Friday they were conducting searches in several German towns in connection with four people believed to have ties to the suspected Vienna attacker who killed four people when he opened fire on bystanders and bars on Monday .
Vienna police shot dead the 20-year-old dual citizen of Austria and North Macedonia who had previously been jailed for trying to join Islamic State in Syria .
Germany 's BKA criminal police said on Twitter that they were searching homes and businesses in the German towns of Osnabrueck , Kassel and in the district of Pinneberg near Hamburg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the four people affected by today 's measures took part in the attack but there are believed to have been links with the suspected attacker , '' they said .
The search warrants were obtained after the Austrian judiciary transferred information to German prosecutors , the BKA said .
Switzerland has also arrested two men in connection with Monday 's attack , and Austria was in close contact with another unspecified country in its investigation , Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer had said on Thursday .
All 15 people arrested in Austria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the radical Islamist scene , Austrian Interior Ministry officials have said .

German police said on Friday they were conducting searches in several German towns in connection with four people believed to have ties to the suspected Vienna attacker who killed four people when he opened fire on bystanders and bars on Monday.
Vienna police shot dead the 20-year-old dual citizen of Austria and North Macedonia who had previously been jailed for trying to join Islamic State in Syria.
Germany's BKA criminal police said on Twitter that they were searching homes and businesses in the German towns of Osnabrueck, Kassel and in the district of Pinneberg near Hamburg.
"There is no initial suspicion that the four people affected by today's measures took part in the attack but there are believed to have been links with the suspected attacker," they said.
The search warrants were obtained after the Austrian judiciary transferred information to German prosecutors, the BKA said.
Switzerland has also arrested two men in connection with Monday's attack, and Austria was in close contact with another unspecified country in its investigation, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer had said on Thursday.
All 15 people arrested in Austria in connection with the deadly rampage are part of the radical Islamist scene, Austrian Interior Ministry officials have said.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Nahariya malaria patient dies in hospital

A resident of Nahariya died of malaria Friday morning in the Galilee Medical Center's intensive care unit, the medical center announced.The 60-year-old man had arrived at the emergency room earlier in the week complaining of a high fever and a sense of confusion and reported that he had recently returned from a trip to Africa.His condition worsened rapidly and the man was in serious condition and intubated starting Tuesday. After he suffered organ failure, doctors pronounced his death.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--US to sanction leader of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement

The United States is planning to sanction Gebran Bassil , the leader of Lebanon 's Free Patriotic Movement party , @ @ @ @ @ Michel Aoun and is allied with Hezbollah , the Wall Street Journal reported late on @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's administration is expected on Friday to impose the sanctions on Bassil for assisting @ @ @ @ @ Shi'ite group Hezbollah , the newspaper reported , citing sources .
The US Department of @ @ @ @ @ to a Reuters request for comment outside regular working hours .
The United States deems @ @ @ @ @ a powerful political presence in Lebanon , to be a terrorist group .
It has @ @ @ @ @ Bassil , the son-in-law of Lebanon 's president and head of the Christian-led FPM , @ @ @ @ @ minister .

The United States is planning to sanction Gebran Bassil, the leader of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement party, which was founded by President Michel Aoun and is allied with Hezbollah, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump's administration is expected on Friday to impose the sanctions on Bassil for assisting his ally, the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, the newspaper reported, citing sources.
The US Department of Treasury did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular working hours.
The United States deems Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which is a powerful political presence in Lebanon, to be a terrorist group. It has sanctioned several Hezbollah members.
Bassil, the son-in-law of Lebanon's president and head of the Christian-led FPM, is also a former foreign minister.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Coronavirus in Israel: 560 new cases on Thursday

There were 560 new coronavirus cases in Israel on Thursday the Health Ministry announced Friday morning.The Health Ministry also announced they conducted 34,102 tests - around 1.6% of tests returned a positive result. Some 327 of current patients are in serious condition, with 147 intubated. The death toll is 2,639.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--US reports record increase in daily COVID-19 cases for 3rd day

The United States on Friday reported a record increase in new coronavirus cases for a third straight day with at least 121,337 new infections, according to a Reuters tally.The outbreak is spreading in every region, with 19 out of 50 states reporting record one-day increases on Friday, according to the Reuters tally.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Two men charged with gun offenses near Philadelphia vote counting center

Antonio LaMotta , 61 , and Joshua Macias , 41 , allegedly drove to Philadelphia from Virginia in a Hummer SUV and had two loaded semi-automatic handguns , one semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle and ammunition , the district attorney 's office said .
Pennsylvania has become one of a handful of states that could decide the U.S. presidential election following Tuesday 's vote .
If Democrat Joe Biden can retain a narrow lead in that state over Republican President Donald Trump , it would give him the presidency .
Protesters supporting both candidates have gathered outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely peaceful demonstrations .
LaMotta and Macias were each charged with carrying a concealed firearm , a felony , and carrying a firearm on public streets or property , a misdemeanor .
Local media reports showed stickers on the suspects ' vehicle promoting QAnon , a pro-Trump online conspiracy theory .
The unfounded theory posits that Trump is secretly fighting a global cabal of child-sex predators that includes prominent Democrats , Hollywood elites and `` deep state '' allies .
Facebook and Twitter accounts that appeared to belong to LaMotta show numerous postings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ QAnon is a positive military operation that is working to take down the deep state , '' reads one April Facebook post .
Anita LaMotta , the suspect 's mother , told Reuters in a telephone interview that he had traveled to Philadelphia because `` he wanted to help '' in the event riots broke out .
LaMotta and Macias did not respond to requests for comment .
It was not immediately clear whether they have attorneys .

Two men were charged with gun offenses in Philadelphia on Friday after they were arrested the previous night near a vote counting site that has become a focal point for election-related protests, according to the city district attorney's office.
Antonio LaMotta, 61, and Joshua Macias, 41, allegedly drove to Philadelphia from Virginia in a Hummer SUV and had two loaded semi-automatic handguns, one semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle and ammunition, the district attorney's office said.
Pennsylvania has become one of a handful of states that could decide the US presidential election following Tuesday's vote. If Democrat Joe Biden can retain a narrow lead in that state over Republican President Donald Trump, it would give him the presidency.
Protesters supporting both candidates have gathered outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in recent days for what have been largely peaceful demonstrations.
LaMotta and Macias were each charged with carrying a concealed firearm, a felony, and carrying a firearm on public streets or property, a misdemeanor.
Local media reports showed stickers on the suspects' vehicle promoting QAnon, a pro-Trump antisemitic conspiracy theory. The unfounded theory posits that Trump is secretly fighting a global cabal of child-sex predators that includes prominent Democrats, "Hollywood elites" and "deep state" allies.
Facebook and Twitter accounts that appeared to belong to LaMotta show numerous postings related to the conspiracy theory.
"QAnon is a positive military operation that is working to take down the deep state," reads one April Facebook post.
Anita LaMotta, the suspect's mother, told Reuters in a telephone interview that he had traveled to Philadelphia because "he wanted to help" in the event riots broke out.
LaMotta and Macias did not respond to requests for comment. It was not immediately clear whether they have attorneys.
Macias billed himself online as a strategic adviser for a grassroots group called Vets for Trump. A group spokesman said Macias was no longer affiliated with them.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Pennsylvania court orders some provisional election ballots set aside

Those provisional ballots were to be separated until officials could determine if they were validly cast , according to an @ @ @ @ @ in a lawsuit brought by Republican candidates .

Those provisional ballots were to be separated until officials could determine if they were validly cast, according to an order by the Commonwealth Court in a lawsuit brought by Republican candidates.
A Pennsylvania court on Friday ordered election officials to set aside provisional ballots cast on Election Day by voters whose absentee or mail-in ballots were received on time.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--UK reports 23,287 new COVID-19 cases, 355 deaths

Britain reported 23,287 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 355 deaths from the virus , down on figures from @ @ @ @ @ data showed .
The cumulative toll for those who died within 28 days of a @ @ @ @ @ the United Kingdom now stands at 48,475 while the number of people who have tested @ @ @ @ @ the data .

Britain reported 23,287 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 355 deaths from the virus, down on figures from the day before, government data showed.
The cumulative toll for those who died within 28 days of a first positive COVID-19 test in the United Kingdom now stands at 48,475 while the number of people who have tested positive is 1,146,484 according to the data.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Italy reports daily record of 37,809 coronavirus cases, 446 deaths

The ministry also reported 446 COVID-related deaths , up from 445 the day before .
A total of 40,638 people @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 in Italy , which has registered some 862,681 coronavirus infections since the start of @ @ @ @ @ region of Lombardy , centred on Italy 's financial capital Milan , remained the hardest @ @ @ @ @ new cases on Friday against 8,822 on Thursday .
The neighbouring Piedmont region was the @ @ @ @ @ 4,878 cases .

The ministry also reported 446 COVID-related deaths, up from 445 the day before.
A total of 40,638 people have now died because of COVID-19 in Italy, which has registered some 862,681 coronavirus infections since the start of its outbreak.
The northern region of Lombardy, centred on Italy's financial capital Milan, remained the hardest hit area, reporting 9,934 new cases on Friday against 8,822 on Thursday.
The neighbouring Piedmont region was the second-worst affected, chalking up 4,878 cases.
- Italy has registered 37,809 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Friday, the country's highest ever daily tally and up from 34,505 on Thursday.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Nancy Pelosi refers to Biden as 'President Elect'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said in a press conference that she believes it is clear that the Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden will be the next President, referring to him in her speech as "President Elect."She says she looks forward to progress for the people, has said that Biden will be a unifying President for all Americans, and has called on people to be patient.She has added that the Democrats would bring forward a new Coronavirus Bill while waiting for the new administration to take over.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Georgia state likely to go through recount in US presidential election

Brad Raffensperger , Georgia 's secretary of state , said he expects the margin in the presidential race to be just a few thousand votes .
`` With a margin that small , there will be a recount , '' Raffensperger told reporters .
Officials also said about 9,000 military and overseas ballots were still outstanding and could be accepted if they arrive on Friday , and are postmarked on Tuesday or earlier .
A recount can not be started until Georgia 's current votes are certified , which this year is expected on or before Nov. 20 .
Sarah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who attended an Atlanta event for Democratic candidate for Senate Jon Ossof on Friday , said she was not surprised by the likelihood of a recount .
`` I think it ’ s reasonable even amid the unreasonable reports of voter fraud and mail-in ballots .
I wish they would just call the count , but I accept the recount as legitimate , '' she said .
There are three official reasons for a recount in Georgia .
A presidential candidate who loses by 0.5 % of the vote or less can send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , or a candidate can allege `` discrepancy or error '' in the vote tabulation .
In the latter , state law gives the secretary discretion about whether to conduct a recount .
Local election officials in Georgia also can conduct recounts in their counties if they think there is a discrepancy in the results .
The Southern state switched to new touch-screen voting machines this year , that produced a marked paper ballot that is fed into a scanner that counts the vote .
Absentee voters – hundreds of thousands this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by hand , which also were fed into the scanners .
If the scanner can not read the ballot , a bipartisan group of election officials reviews it to determine whether or how it should be counted .
A recount essentially repeats that process .
Recounts rarely yield big changes in voting results in the United States .
A recount of Wisconsin 's voting results in the 2016 election added https : //www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-recount/green-party-u-s-election-recount-bid-comes-to-a-close-idUSKBN1411QE 131 votes to Trump 's over 22,000 vote lead .
`` I would not expect a recount to change the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sells , an election lawyer in Atlanta who does not represent either campaign .

Georgia's secretary of state on Friday said he expects a presidential vote recount in the battleground state, where Democrat Joe Biden has a small lead over Republican President Donald Trump
The candidates each had 49.4% of counted ballots, though Biden was ahead by about 1,500 votes as of Friday morning with 4,169 regular ballots left to count, Georgia's voting system implementation manager, Gabriel Sterling, said.
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's secretary of state, said he expects the margin in the presidential race to be just a few thousand votes.
"With a margin that small, there will be a recount," Raffensperger told reporters.
Officials also said about 9,000 military and overseas ballots were still outstanding and could be accepted if they arrive on Friday, and are postmarked on Tuesday or earlier.
A recount cannot be started until Georgia's current votes are certified, which this year is expected on or before Nov. 20.
Sarah Wilcox, 50, a furniture designer who attended an Atlanta event for Democratic candidate for Senate Jon Ossof on Friday, said she was not surprised by the likelihood of a recount.
"I think it’s reasonable even amid the unreasonable reports of voter fraud and mail-in ballots. I wish they would just call the count, but I accept the recount as legitimate," she said.
LITTLE CHANGE EXPECTED
There are three official reasons for a recount in Georgia.
A presidential candidate who loses by 0.5% of the vote or less can send a written request to the secretary of state, or a candidate can allege "discrepancy or error" in the vote tabulation. In the latter, state law gives the secretary discretion about whether to conduct a recount.
Local election officials in Georgia also can conduct recounts in their counties if they think there is a discrepancy in the results.
The Southern state switched to new touch-screen voting machines this year, that produced a marked paper ballot that is fed into a scanner that counts the vote.
Absentee voters – hundreds of thousands this year – filled out the same ballots by hand, which also were fed into the scanners.
If the scanner cannot read the ballot, a bipartisan group of election officials reviews it to determine whether or how it should be counted. A recount essentially repeats that process.
Recounts rarely yield big changes in voting results in the United States. A recount of Wisconsin's voting results in the 2016 election added https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-recount/green-party-u-s-election-recount-bid-comes-to-a-close-idUSKBN1411QE 131 votes to Trump's over 22,000 vote lead.
"I would not expect a recount to change the numbers very much," said Bryan Sells, an election lawyer in Atlanta who does not represent either campaign.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Five day coronavirus lockdowns on Bukata and Hatzor Haglilit announced


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Biden has taken the lead in Pennsylvania

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden has taken the lead in Pennsylvania, edging him closer to winning the presidency.Biden edged ahead by 5,587 votes, with 95% of the state's precincts reporting. Philadelphian surburban counties are proving to be heavily in favour of Biden, taking him ahead. Election officials are saying that all ballots being counted are those that arrived by election day.Winning the state's 20 electoral votes would hand him the Presidency, taking him over the line of 270 required to win.This is a developing story.


jerusalempost--2020-11-06--Austria closes mosque frequented by Vienna attacker

Austria has closed a mosque and an Islamic association frequented by a man who shot four people dead in a @ @ @ @ @ , Integration Minister Susanne Raab told a news conference on Friday .
She said the @ @ @ @ @ the attacker 's radicalization .

Austria has closed a mosque and an Islamic association frequented by a man who shot four people dead in a rampage through Vienna on Monday, Integration Minister Susanne Raab told a news conference on Friday.
She said the two sites had contributed to the attacker's radicalization.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Gamzu visits Arab village of Barta'a, addresses issue of weddings

Gamzu was accompanied by his replacement , Prof. Nachman Ash , and by coronavirus commissioner for the Arab sector Aiman @ @ @ @ @ , Gamzu addressed the issue of weddings in the village and the surrounding area and @ @ @ @ @ combating the spread of coronavirus .
`` We have to find a solution to the @ @ @ @ @ area , '' Gamzu said .
`` We need to position police and military personnel @ @ @ @ @ whether people are going to weddings or not . ''

Gamzu was accompanied by his replacement, Prof. Nachman Ash, and by coronavirus commissioner for the Arab sector Aiman Sif.
During his visit, Gamzu addressed the issue of weddings in the village and the surrounding area and the challenges it poses to combating the spread of coronavirus.
"We have to find a solution to the issue of weddings in this area," Gamzu said. "We need to position police and military personnel at critical points and check whether people are going to weddings or not."
Outgoing coronavirus commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu visited on Saturday the Arab village of Barta'a in northern Israel.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Lebanon's president seeks evidence behind US sanctions on son-in-law

Aoun asked the country 's caretaker foreign minister to obtain the evidence and documents that should be submitted to Lebanon @ @ @ @ @ the necessary legal measures , '' said a statement on Saturday seen by Reuters and @ @ @ @ @ its Twitter account .

President Michel Aoun said that Lebanon would seek evidence and documents from the United States that led Washington to impose sanctions on Friday on prominent Christian politician and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil.
Aoun asked the country's caretaker foreign minister to obtain the evidence and documents that should be submitted to Lebanon's judiciary "to take the necessary legal measures," said a statement on Saturday seen by Reuters and posted by the presidency on its Twitter account.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Joe Biden leads in Georgia, Pennsylvania grow

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The lead Democratic presidential elect Joe Biden formerly had in Georgia and Pennsylvania grew by a couple of thousands throughout Friday night and early Saturday morning, according to CNN.In Pennsylvania, the former vice president currently leads over US President Donald Trump by 28,833, while he leads in Georgia by 7,248.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Ethiopia's parliament votes to approve interim gov't for Tigray

Ethiopia's parliament voted on Saturday to approve the formation of an interim government for Tigray region, state-affiliated Fana broadcasting said.A simmering row between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government and his former Tigrayan allies exploded on Wednesday after Abiy ordered a military campaign after accusing the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking a federal military base and trying to steal equipment.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Five arrested for alleged involvement in deadly Haifa car crash

The police report indicated that the incident started with a police car identifying a vehicle driving recklessly and endangering bystanders @ @ @ @ @ .
Police attempted to stop the vehicle by erecting a barricade , which resulted in @ @ @ @ @ and crashing into a nearby lamppost .
The car went up in flames as a @ @ @ @ @ with several suspects reportedly escaping .
Police forces that arrived to the scene found a @ @ @ @ @ believed to be one of the involved individuals .
After an initial investigation , Haifa @ @ @ @ @ arrest four residents of Basmat Tab'un in their 20s and one 17-year-old minor , suspected @ @ @ @ @ incident .

The police report indicated that the incident started with a police car identifying a vehicle driving recklessly and endangering bystanders in the city of Haifa.
Police attempted to stop the vehicle by erecting a barricade, which resulted in the suspected vehicle losing control and crashing into a nearby lamppost.
The car went up in flames as a result of the crash, with several suspects reportedly escaping. Police forces that arrived to the scene found a body near the vehicle, believed to be one of the involved individuals.
After an initial investigation, Haifa police managed to locate and arrest four residents of Basmat Tab'un in their 20s and one 17-year-old minor, suspected of being involved in the incident.
Five residents of the Bedouin village of Basmat Tab'un in northern Israel were arrested by police early Saturday after allegedly being involved in a car crash that resulted in the death of one individual.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Biden vows presidential vote count will continue

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden vowed on Friday the vote count would continue as he took the lead in several battleground states and appeared poised to win the White House in the election, even as U.S. President Donald Trump remained defiant about the results."Your vote will be counted. I don't care how hard people try to stop it. I will not let it happen," Biden told reporters and aides. He added that he would try to bridge the country's partisan divide and attack major issues like the coronavirus pandemic.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--White House Chief of Staff tests positive for COVID-19 - source

It was not immediately clear when or how he was infected .
Another top campaign aide , Nick Trainer , @ @ @ @ @ the virus , according to the source .
Meadows , who was at a White @ @ @ @ @ by dozens of Trump loyalists , is the latest official within Trump 's close circle @ @ @ @ @ which has killed more than 236,000 Americans .
Trump has regularly downplayed the severity of @ @ @ @ @ surged in recent weeks and is poised to continue do so into the winter .
@ @ @ @ @ statements of top health experts , even after an outbreak seized the White House in @ @ @ @ @ briefly hospitalized at the time after he was infected with the virus .
His wife @ @ @ @ @ positive for the coronavirus in October .
His national security adviser , Robert O'Brien , @ @ @ @ @ virus .
Another friend of Trump 's , former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain , @ @ @ @ @ July after attending one of Trump 's rallies .

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has frequently appeared at public events without wearing a mask, has been diagnosed with COVID-19, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Friday.
It was not immediately clear when or how he was infected.
Another top campaign aide, Nick Trainer, has also tested positive for the virus, according to the source.
Meadows, Trump's top adviser and a former North Carolina lawmaker, regularly accompanied US President Donald Trump on the final frenzied days of the campaign rallies leading up to the presidential election on Tuesday.
Meadows, who was at a White House election night party attended by dozens of Trump loyalists, is the latest official within Trump's close circle to have contracted COVID-19, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans.
Trump has regularly downplayed the severity of the virus, which has surged in recent weeks and is poised to continue do so into the winter. He has contradicted the public statements of top health experts, even after an outbreak seized the White House in October.
The president was briefly hospitalized at the time after he was infected with the virus. His wife and son Barron also tested positive for the coronavirus in October.
His national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, was also sickened with the virus. Another friend of Trump's, former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, died of the coronavirus in July after attending one of Trump's rallies.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Supreme Court's Alito tells Pennsylvania counties to separate late ballots

The order came in a case pending before the justices to invalidate a September decision by the state 's highest court that allowed election officials to count mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday 's Election Day that are delivered through Friday .
Alito granted the request by Pennsylvania Republicans to separate the ballots without first referring the request to the other justices .
The decision comes as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to winning the White House on Friday , expanding his narrow leads over President Donald Trump in battleground states including Pennsylvania .
The Supreme Court had twice rebuffed Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request in October to block the lower court ruling and later refusing to fast-track their consideration of an appeal .
The justices said they might revisit the case after Nov. 3 .
In its request on Friday , the Republican Party of Pennsylvania said it was unclear whether all 67 county election boards were complying with Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar 's Oct. 28 directive to separate late-arriving ballots .
Late-arriving ballots are a tiny proportion of the overall vote in the state , Boockvar has said .
The request said 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separating the disputed ballots , which would be necessary in case the Supreme Court ultimately agrees to hear the case and overturns the deadline extension .
The Trump campaign has sought to intervene in the case , but the justices have not yet acted on that request .

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday night ordered county election boards in Pennsylvania to comply with a state directive to separate mail-in ballots received after 8 p.m. on Election Day from other ballots.
The order came in a case pending before the justices to invalidate a September decision by the state's highest court that allowed election officials to count mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday's Election Day that are delivered through Friday. Alito granted the request by Pennsylvania Republicans to separate the ballots without first referring the request to the other justices.
The decision comes as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to winning the White House on Friday, expanding his narrow leads over President Donald Trump in battleground states including Pennsylvania.
The Supreme Court had twice rebuffed Pennsylvania Republicans in the case, rejecting a request in October to block the lower court ruling and later refusing to fast-track their consideration of an appeal. The justices said they might revisit the case after Nov. 3.
In its request on Friday, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania said it was unclear whether all 67 county election boards were complying with Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar's Oct. 28 directive to separate late-arriving ballots. Late-arriving ballots are a tiny proportion of the overall vote in the state, Boockvar has said.
The request said 25 counties had not indicated whether they were separating the disputed ballots, which would be necessary in case the Supreme Court ultimately agrees to hear the case and overturns the deadline extension.
The Trump campaign has sought to intervene in the case, but the justices have not yet acted on that request.
Also on Friday, a federal judge in Nevada rejected a bid by a voter, a member of the media and two candidate campaigns to block the use of a signature-verification system in populous Clark County and to provide "meaningful" public access to vote counting.


jerusalempost--2020-11-08--Mexico will not comment on Biden victory until election legal issues end

Democrat Joe Biden won the election on Saturday after a victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania put him over @ @ @ @ @ College votes .
`` With regard to the US election , we are going to @ @ @ @ @ matters have been resolved , '' Lopez Obrador said at a televised news conference .
@ @ @ @ @ two presidential elections he lost , in 2006 and 2012 , before winning on his @ @ @ @ @ In his remarks , Lopez Obrador said he had a good relationship with US President @ @ @ @ @ vice president Biden , who he said he had known for a decade .

MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Saturday he would not congratulate a winner of the US presidential election until legal challenges are concluded, in an apparent bid to avoid friction with Washington during the transition.Democrat Joe Biden won the election on Saturday after a victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania put him over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes.Mexico is the United States' top trade partner, with over $600 billion of annual two-way commerce, and the bilateral relationship with its northern neighbor is by far the most important for Mexico."With regard to the US election, we are going to wait until all the legal matters have been resolved," Lopez Obrador said at a news conference."I can't congratulate one candidate or the other. I want to wait until the electoral process is over."Republican President Donald Trump has filed a raft of lawsuits to challenge the results, but electoral officials in states across the country say there has been no evidence of significant fraud, and legal experts say Trump's efforts are unlikely to succeed.The Mexican president linked his caution to his own allegations of fraud in two presidential elections he contested, in 2006 and 2012, before winning on his third bid in 2018.His reluctance to comment on the US results stands in contrast to congratulations offered to Bolivia's former President Evo Morales last year despite opposition claims of fraud in that re-election bid.Mexican officials said the decision was borne of a desire to avoid provoking Trump while he remained in the White House."Bolivia doesn't have a 3,000-km border with Mexico," an official said of the apparent contradiction. "It's important to have a couple of months of peace and good neighborly relations."In his remarks, Lopez Obrador described the decision as "politically prudent."He said he had a good relationship with both Trump and former Vice President Biden, whom he said he had known for a decade.He has needed to toe a fine line with Trump, whose term is scheduled to end on Jan. 20. A Biden presidency could reset ties that have frayed since Trump made his first White House bid, tarring Mexican migrants as rapists and gun-runners and vowing to keep them out with a border wall.Under Trump, Mexico has had to navigate abrupt demands to stem illegal migration or face trade tariffs.However, by acceding to Trump's migration dictates, Lopez Obrador has forged an uneasy relationship of some mutual convenience, in which Washington has mostly avoided criticizing his economic policies."President Trump has been very respectful with us," he said. "And we are thankful that he has not meddled."


jerusalempost--2020-11-08--US elections: Trump campaign files lawsuit over rejected Arizona votes

The lawsuit , filed in state Superior Court in Maricopa County , said poll workers told some voters to press a button after a machine had detected an `` overvote . ''
The campaign contended that the decision disregarded voters ' choices in those races , saying new voting machines were used on Election Day on Tuesday .
The lawsuit suggested those votes could prove `` determinative '' in the outcome of the race between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden , who was declared the winner on Saturday by major television networks .
The Maricopa County Elections Department and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to requests for comment .
Biden current leads Trump by 0.65 % , or just over 21,000 votes in Arizona .
The Trump lawsuit , whose plaintiffs include the Arizona state Republican Party and the Republican National Committee , cited declarations by some poll observers and two voters that claimed the problem led to rejected votes .
It seeks an order requiring a manual review of purportedly overvoted ballots that were cast in-person .
It also asks a judge to bar the certification of the vote until the review is complete .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to thousands of additional votes for '' Trump .
On Saturday , a group of voters dropped a lawsuit that had made unsubstantiated claims alleging some votes cast for Trump were not counted in Maricopa County because voters used Sharpie pens .

Republican President Donald Trump's campaign said on Saturday it had sued in Arizona, alleging that the Southwestern state's most populous county incorrectly rejected votes cast on Election Day by some voters in the US presidential race.
The lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court in Maricopa County, said poll workers told some voters to press a button after a machine had detected an "overvote."
The campaign contended that the decision disregarded voters' choices in those races, saying new voting machines were used on Election Day on Tuesday. The lawsuit suggested those votes could prove "determinative" in the outcome of the race between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, who was declared the winner on Saturday by major television networks.
The Maricopa County Elections Department and a spokesman for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Biden current leads Trump by 0.65%, or just over 21,000 votes in Arizona.
The Trump lawsuit, whose plaintiffs include the Arizona state Republican Party and the Republican National Committee, cited declarations by some poll observers and two voters that claimed the problem led to rejected votes.
It seeks an order requiring a manual review of purportedly overvoted ballots that were cast in-person. It also asks a judge to bar the certification of the vote until the review is complete.
The lawsuit says the review may "yield up to thousands of additional votes for" Trump.
On Saturday, a group of voters dropped a lawsuit that had made unsubstantiated claims alleging some votes cast for Trump were not counted in Maricopa County because voters used Sharpie pens.
The county - which includes Arizona’s biggest city, Phoenix - last year rolled out new tabulation equipment that made Sharpie pens the best option on Election Day because they have the fastest drying ink, Megan Gilbertson, the Maricopa County Elections Department’s communications director, said earlier this week.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--50-year-old motorcyclist died in a car crash

A 50-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a deadly car accident near Rishon Lezion, Magen David Adom reported Saturday night."When we've arrived at the scene, we saw a motorcycle completely crushed as a result of a collision with a car," said Moshe Gamro, ZAKA commander of central Israel, in a statement."Near the motorcycle, we found an unconscious and suffering from a multi-system injury. MDA teams attempted to resuscitate him, but were forced to call his death."The police are currently investigating the accident.


jerusalempost--2020-11-07--Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel congratulates Joe Biden on Twitter

The Israeli opposition and Jewish organizations around the world congratulated US President Elect Joe Biden on his election victory Saturday night after major US news networks called the race for the Democratic victor .
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Alternate Prime Minister and Blue and White leader MK Benny Gantz , Yamina chairman MK Naftali Bennett , and other right-wing political leaders failed , however , to respond to Biden ’ s victory by press time .
“ Congratulations to my friend President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris , tweeted opposition leader and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is based on deeply held values and critical shared interests which I know will be at the heart of your administration .
I look forward to working with the new administration and members of both parties in Congress to deepen and strengthen the special relationship between Israel and the United States.
” One senior member of the government who did congratulate Biden was Justice Minister and senior Blue and White Party member Avi Nissenkorn .
“ Congratulations too to the entire American people for this fitting democratic process , ” said Nissenkorn .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and strong relationship between the US and Israel will be preserved and strengthened under a Biden administration.
” Another response from the government was from Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel , who took to Twitter to extend his congratulations to Biden .
`` I am convinced you will continue to be a true friend and partner to the state of Israel , '' Hendel said , though adding his thanks to Trump `` for the wonderful friendship offered during his term in the White House , where he promoted peace and local stability [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and balance . ''
Despite the conspicuous lack of response from Netanyahu , one Likud MK who did congratulate Biden on his win was former Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat , who said he believed that “ under his leadership the brave and positive relationship between our two countries will continue.
” Another response from the government was from Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel , who took to Twitter to extend his congratulations to Biden .
`` I am convinced you will continue to be a true friend and partner to the state of Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his thanks to Trump `` for the wonderful friendship offered during his term in the White House , where he promoted peace and local stability [ in the Middle East ] through strength and balance . ''
Chairman of the Joint List of Arab Parties MK Ayman Odeh welcomed Biden ’ s victory , saying “ Trump ’ s loss is an important step in the struggle against populism that has taken control in Hungary , Brazil , India and Israel , ” but said that “ the struggle for progressivism around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MK Nitzan Horowitz also welcomed Biden ’ s victory , and said that “ after four years of bad spirit , lies , and thuggery the time has come for honest and fair leadership in Washington , ” adding that “ Israel too needs to depose he who incites and destroys it from within.
” Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman congratulated Biden on his victory , but also thanked Trump for “ his important contribution ” to the State of Israel .
The Black flags movement that leads protests against Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden saying `` the American people chose truth , justice and the person who chose to connect in places where there was incitement and a culture of lies .
`` It is the job of citizens to get rid of those who are acting against them and that is what we are trying to do as well .
A wave of truth will wash over the world and with it Israel will also get new leadership that acts for the citizens and not against them . ''
“ I am certain that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , our great friend , will continue to strengthen .
”

The Israeli opposition and Jewish organizations around the world congratulated US President Elect Joe Biden on his election victory Saturday night after major US news networks called the race for the Democratic victor.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Alternate Prime Minister and Blue and White leader MK Benny Gantz, Yamina chairman MK Naftali Bennett, and other right-wing political leaders failed, however, to respond to Biden’s victory by press time.
“Congratulations to my friend President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, tweeted opposition leader and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid.
“The relationship between our countries is based on deeply held values and critical shared interests which I know will be at the heart of your administration. I look forward to working with the new administration and members of both parties in Congress to deepen and strengthen the special relationship between Israel and the United States.”
One senior member of the government who did congratulate Biden was Justice Minister and senior Blue and White Party member Avi Nissenkorn.
“Congratulations too to the entire American people for this fitting democratic process,” said Nissenkorn. “I am sure that the close and strong relationship between the US and Israel will be preserved and strengthened under a Biden administration.”
"I am convinced you will continue to be a true friend and partner to the state of Israel," Hendel said, though adding his thanks to Trump "for the wonderful friendship offered during his term in the White House, where he promoted peace and local stability [in the Middle East] through strength and balance." Despite the conspicuous lack of response from Netanyahu, one Likud MK who did congratulate Biden on his win was former Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, who said he believed that “under his leadership the brave and positive relationship between our two countries will continue.”Another response from the government was from Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel, who took to Twitter to extend his congratulations to Biden."I am convinced you will continue to be a true friend and partner to the state of Israel," Hendel said, though adding his thanks to Trump "for the wonderful friendship offered during his term in the White House, where he promoted peace and local stability [in the Middle East] through strength and balance."
Chairman of the Joint List of Arab Parties MK Ayman Odeh welcomed Biden’s victory, saying “Trump’s loss is an important step in the struggle against populism that has taken control in Hungary, Brazil, India and Israel,” but said that “the struggle for progressivism around the world will continue tomorrow.”
Meretz chairman MK Nitzan Horowitz also welcomed Biden’s victory, and said that “after four years of bad spirit, lies, and thuggery the time has come for honest and fair leadership in Washington,” adding that “Israel too needs to depose he who incites and destroys it from within.”
Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman congratulated Biden on his victory, but also thanked Trump for “his important contribution” to the State of Israel.