Israel’s leadership congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and thanked President Donald Trump for his historic contribution to the Jewish state after Biden declared his victory on Saturday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris on their victory in the 2020 US elections.

“Joe, we’ve had a long and warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel. I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel,” Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.

He also thanked President Donald Trump “for the friendship you have shown the state of Israel and me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights.”

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin conveyed the “blessings of the Israeli people and of the State of Israel, to our friend Joe Biden” on his election as the 46^th President and sent “congratulations and best wishes for your success” to Harris.

To Biden, he wrote on Twitter, that “as a long-standing friend of Israel, you are now the leader of the free world and of the State of Israel’s closest and most important ally.”

“The strategic alliance between our two countries and peoples is stronger than any political leadership, and is not based solely on friendship. It is rooted deeply in our shared values and in our long-standing commitment to freedom and democracy as the foundations of our societies,” he wrote.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz extended his “heartfelt congratulations to Biden, a long-time supporter and friend of Israel,” and to Harris, “who has made history as the first woman elected VP.”

He looks forward to “continuing to deepen the steadfast bond and strong defense ties between our peoples, as allies in the effort to strengthen democracy, stability, and peace worldwide.”

He also thanked Trump, “a valuable partner of the State of Israel, committed to its security and invested in its future.”

“The Middle East has taken major steps forward thanks to the president’s bold leadership over these four years, and for that we are immensely grateful,” he added.

Member of Knesset Naftali Bennett thanked Trump “on behalf of the people of Israel.”

“You will be remembered forever as a true member of the State of Israel. Leading revolutionary and courageous moves to fortify the existence of Israel. You broke outdated perceptions. You moved the US embassy to Jerusalem without fear. Recognized the Golan Heights as part of the State of Israel,” he wrote.

“You have brought us historic peace with the United Arab Emirates without relinquishing territory. Clarified that the focus of the conflict is not the Palestinians. Applied unprecedented pressure on the Iranian assassination regime,” he added.

“A fundamental feature of Judaism is gratitude, and we are grateful, and we will never forget it,” he concluded.

MK Nir Barkat congratulated Biden and stated his belief that “under his leadership, the courageous and positive relationship between the two countries will continue.”

He also “sincerely” thanked Trump for “his tremendous contribution to the State of Israel over the past four years. You will forever be engraved in the history of the people of Israel as our true friend.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Gilad Erdan on Wednesday blasted the General Assembly for its adoption of a series of anti-Israel resolutions submitted annually to the international body, calling them “outdated” and maintaining they “do nothing but perpetuate the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Erdan made his comments in the General Assembly plenum as part of a discussion in the UN’s Fourth Committee. Every year the committee reviews a number of pro-Palestinian resolutions, including ones that focus on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the status of the so-called Palestinian refugees, as well as human rights violations allegedly committed by Israel.

In his remarks, Erdan highlighted why the UN has continually failed to solve the conflict.

“One of the biggest reasons for the UN’s failure in ending the conflict is its continued support of UNRWA,” he said. “Simply put, UNRWA’s very existence makes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unsolvable, and I don’t intend to allow business as usual anymore.”

Erdan pointed out how UNRWA uses its schools to spread hatred and anti-Semitism, inciting Palestinian children to violence, promoting terrorism and questioning Israel’s right to exist.

Erdan also criticized the UN’s refusal to refer to Judaism’s holiest site as the Temple Mount, saying that using only the Islamic name was an “audacious attempt to rewrite history” and erase the centuries-old Jewish connection to Jerusalem.

“As Minister of Public Security, I ensured that all religions had access to Jerusalem’s holy sites,” said Erdan. “During my term, the number of Jews visiting the Temple Mount each year more than tripled. No resolution passed here will stop that process. No resolution passed here will change the eternal connection between the Jewish people and the holiest site of our faith – Har Habayit, the Temple Mount.”

Erdan pushed committee members to reconsider their blind support of these annual resolutions.

“What is the point of these resolutions? Just to pave the way for future resolutions?” he asked. “By supporting these resolutions, you are not only wasting UN resources, you are also sabotaging any changes of future peace.”

Every year, the General Assembly adopts a package of about 20 anti-Israel resolutions, including renewing the mandate of biased Palestinian committees.

Israel views this as part of a diplomatic effort led by the Palestinians to undermine its legitimacy.

“Instead of persuading the Palestinians to choose a path of negotiation and peace, these decisions only encourage them to harden their positions. Any vote in favor of the decisions is a step towards making the UN an irrelevant body,” he warned.

Terror attack near IDF base in Samaria, near Shechem (Nablus).

A terrorist shot at IDF troops from a passing vehicle. IDF troops returned fire. No IDF casualties.

Initial reports indicate terrorist wounded, unconscious. IDF reports terrorist was also armed with a knife.

Photos from the scene of the attack show the ambulance that arrived before checkpoints were put up. (Photo by Nadav Goldstein/TPS)

An Israeli team of specialists is being dispatched to the Czech Republic to help it contend with a serious wave of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.

The Czech Republic reported 11,428 new coronavirus cases over the weekend and 173 new deaths.

The total number of cases stood at 335,102, while deaths reached 3,251.

Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced Tuesday his decision to send an aid delegation from the Ministry of Health to the Czech Republic, to help the city of Brno cope with the Corona pandemic.

The Israeli team is being dispatched following a request from the Czech Republic and the World Health Organization (WHO), and after consultation with the director-general of the Israeli Health Ministry Hezi Levy.

The delegation, which consists of eight people, is headed by IDF Col. (Res.) Dr. Ram Sagi, is a senior Ministry of Health officials, and previously served as deputy chief medical officer.

Dr. Sagi will be joined by doctors from Sheba, Hadassah, Shaare Zedek and Bnei Zion hospitals, as well as MDA paramedics.

The delegation will leave for the Czech Republic on Thursday and will stay there for a week. Upon their return, members of the delegation will go into ten-day isolation, in accordance with the procedure of necessary health system workers.

Edelstein stated that “the State of Israel has a lot to contribute to the countries of the world regarding corona and emergencies and we will do so in the Czech Republic and elsewhere, as needed.”

The IDF on Monday morning demolished the home of the terrorist who murdered Rabbi Shai Ohayon in August.

IDF forces arrived at the village of Rujib, in the Shechem (Nablus) area, and demolished the house of the terrorist Khalil ‘Abd al-Khalq Muhammad Dweikat.

Arab rioters threw rocks and bottles filled with paint at IDF forces. There were no Israeli casualties.

Ohayon, 39 of Petah Tikva and a father of four, sustained multiple stab wounds to his upper body when getting off a bus near the Segula Junction in Petah Tikva. He subsequently died of his wounds.

The terrorist, Dweikat, was subdued by a passerby and then arrested by the police.

The demolitions of terrorists’ homes are meant to serve as deterrence for potential terrorists plotting future attacks.

The demolition was carried out after the High Court of Justice in October rejected a petition against the demolition order.

However, the High Court has recently accepted several petitions from terrorists’ families on the issue and have canceled demolition orders for terrorists’ homes.

The Im Tirzu Zionist organization panned the demotion as “too little too late. The murder of the rabbi would not have happened if the judges of the High Court had stopped repeatedly trampling on the security policy of the State of Israel.”

“Potential terrorists see how High Court judges reduce house demolitions, prevent the expulsion of terrorists and the rescinding of their residency, and say to themselves that the price of murdering Israelis does not justify the cancellation of the attack,” the organization said.

“This is how it is when politicians from the [extreme-left] Meretz party in robes sit in the High Court,” they concluded.