They came to Israel from all over the world and were crucial in the fight against the pandemic.

President Reuven Rivlin welcomed the traditional Independence Day ceremonies for the last time.

"Their wrongful deeds worthy of condemnation have long since taken away from them the title of 'ultra-Orthodox,' they do not deserve it."

Unrelated patients share beds, while bodies of the recently deceased lie outside the ward before being taken to the mortuary.

As of Wednesday, Israel had not had more than 300 new daily cases for over a week.

While pledging not to abandon US interests in Lebanon, Hale said resolving a maritime border dispute with Israel would "have potential to unlock significant economic benefits for Lebanon."

"Nothing less than a paradigm shift"

Shaked speaks English well and regularly dealt with international relations when she was justice minister and a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet.