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Israelis Won Medals and Performed Remarkably on Day 6 of the Olympics

Paris 2024 Olympics – Judo – Women -78 kg Victory Ceremony – Champ-de-Mars Arena, Paris, France – August 01, 2024. Silver medallist Inbar Lanir of Israel celebrates. Photo: REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi

It’s amazing how quickly things can change.

After five days of these 2024 Olympics, Israel hadn’t done anything to write home about — the most significant results were gymnast Artem Dolgopyat qualifying for the floor final, and the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team qualifying for their final.

All that changed on Day 6.

For the first ever time, Israel won two Olympic medals in a single day — both of them in Judo.

Peter Paltchik started the day looking focused after defeating his Mongolian opponent in the first round. Then he had to take on a hometown Frenchman in the Round of 16.

Even though the Israeli was significantly higher in the rankings and considerably more experienced, the Frenchman was buoyed by the enthusiastic crowd and held his own with Paltchik. The match went on for an unusual amount of time: first through the four minutes of regulation and then another four or so minutes until Paltchik finally won.

Next up, he competed against the world champion from Azerbaijan. Paltchik looked like he leveled it up in the last 10 seconds, only for the point to be canceled on review. He then defeated a Dutch opponent, meaning he was playing Daniel Eich of Switzerland for a bronze medal.

With just 10 seconds to go and in the lead, it appeared he might be disqualified, but it was negated on review, leaving him to win the bronze, just like his coach Oren Smadja did 32 years ago.

Another 32-year first was an Israeli in an Olympic Judo final.

Inbar Lanir had a first-round bye, and then steamrolled her way through the competition defeating opponents from Mongolia, the Netherlands, and then Germany. In the final, she was up against the Italian, Alice Bellandi. Bellandi seemed more prepared for Lanir than the Israeli’s previous opponents, and Lanir was lacking a Plan B. With Bellandi up a point and the clock winding down, Lanir received a third yellow card and that was that.

But it was still an incredible achievement to win Israel’s second ever silver medal.

Lanir and Paltchik joined sailor Gal Fridman as the only Israelis to win multiple Olympic medals.

Also on Day 6, the jumping team of Daniel Bluman, Ashlee Bond, and Robin Muhr qualified in 9th position for the 10-team final, which is happening on Day 7.

The windsurfing competition concludes in Marseille on Friday, and Sharon Kantor and Tom Reuveny are both in the semi-final of their respective competitions. Only four competitors make the semi-final, and if they finish in the top two of the semi-final, they’re guaranteed to win a medal.

While the medalists get all the attention and plaudits, every single one of our Olympians has done a remarkable job just to get there — and has inspired generations of Israeli children who see what’s possible in each of their individual sports.

These athletes have inspired the next generation of Israelis to follow in their footsteps and become champion archers, triathletes, fencers, surfers, or whatever sport they want to play.

David Wiseman is the co-founder of Follow Team Israel, a page that shares the stories of Israeli sports to the world. You can find it on Facebook and Instagram. He is also the head of online reputation management at Buzzdealer.

The post Israelis Won Medals and Performed Remarkably on Day 6 of the Olympics first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump

US President Donald Trump looks on as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, Jan. 31, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs from the United States, after US President Donald Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the munitions by the administration of predecessor Joe Biden, the defense ministry said on Sunday.

The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000 pound bomb, which can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.

The Biden administration declined to clear them for export to Israel out of concern about the impact on densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

The Biden administration sent thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas terrorists from Gaza but later held up one of the shipments. The hold was lifted by Trump last month.

“The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight, released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said late on Saturday.

The shipment arrived after days of concern about whether a fragile ceasefire in Gaza agreed last month would hold, after both sides accused each other of violating the terms of the deal to halt fighting to allow the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.

Washington has announced assistance for Israel worth billions of dollars since the war began.

The post Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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US Mideast Envoy Says Phase Two Gaza Talks to Continue This Week

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that talks on phase two of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian terrorists Hamas would continue this week “at a location to be determined” to figure out how to reach a successful conclusion.

He told Fox News that he had “very productive and constructive” calls on Sunday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s director of intelligence.

Witkoff said they spoke about “the sequencing of phase two, setting forth positions on both sides, so we can understand… where we are today, and then continuing talks this week at a location to be determined so that we can figure out how we get to the end of phase two successfully.”

The post US Mideast Envoy Says Phase Two Gaza Talks to Continue This Week first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Arab States to Reveal 5-Year Plan to Rebuild Gaza: No Hamas or Relocation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 31, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed/File Photo.

i24 NewsArab countries will unveil their plan for the reconstruction of Gaza on February 27 in Cairo. This initiative, developed by the Palestinians and handed over to the Egyptians for implementation, will be presented to the leaders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The plan provides for reconstruction over three to five years, without the displacement of the Palestinian population and without Hamas control. The funding, estimated at several hundred million dollars, will come from Gulf countries. The work will be carried out by Egyptian companies, representing a significant source of income for Egypt, which is strongly opposed to any migration of Palestinians out of Gaza. The workforce will consist mainly of local Palestinians.

“The goal is to marginalize Hamas so that it understands that it has lost control of Gaza, and to completely eliminate the terrorist organization’s grip on the population and the territory within 5 years from the start of reconstruction,” a source involved in the plan said.

An independent “Palestinian administration,” separate from the Palestinian Authority but relying on it, will oversee the reconstruction. This power structure is designed to get the approval of Israel and the United States, who refuse direct management by the Palestinian Authority.

Arab countries fear a resurgence of fighting by Israel, which could, in their view, favor US President Donald Trump’s plan to move Palestinians to neighboring countries. The former US president said he wanted to see Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab countries welcome more displaced people from Gaza, so that the war-torn area can be “cleaned up.”

According to analyzed satellite images, approximately 65% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed during the war. Experts estimate that reconstruction could take more than a decade and cost several hundred billion dollars.

The post Arab States to Reveal 5-Year Plan to Rebuild Gaza: No Hamas or Relocation first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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