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Year in Review: Israel in 2018

It was a year in waiting for Israel, says Anshel Pfeffer

December 27, 2018 11:15
Benjamin Netanyahu

By

Anshel Pfeffer,

Anshel Pfeffer

2 min read

This has been a topsy-turvy year for Israel, with highs and lows in just about every field.

On the security front, the first few months of Israel’s year in 2018 were unusually calm, but there were bursts of dramatic escalation in Gaza as the warmer months arrived.

The economy continued to grow with record low unemployment figures and, for the first time, a “double A” credit rating from Standard & Poor’s; but, by December, there was news of planned price rises.

In terms of diplomacy, things seemed to be going well: record numbers of foreign leaders visiting and even the first trip by an Israeli prime minister to the Gulf in over two decades, when Benjamin Netanyahu popped up in Oman.