Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ayman Odeh calls on fellow opposition factions to join together to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “as soon as possible.”
Addressing reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Odeh says that the government has three aims during the current parliamentary session, “harming the West Bank…promoting the judicial coup…and preventing the Arab population from running in the next elections.”
Similar views have been echoed by ministers within Netanyahu‘s government.
Last year, in a documentary, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was filmed advocating for the expansion of Israeli borders to include Damascus.
He suggested that Israel would gradually grow to encompass not only all Palestinian territories but also parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
(August 12, 2025)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells i24 he feels he is on a “historic and spiritual mission,” and that he is “very” attached to the vision of a Greater Israel, which includes areas slated for a future Palestinian state and possibly also areas that are part of present-day Jordan and Egypt.
The interviewer Sharon Gal, who was briefly a right-wing member of Knesset, gifts to Netanyahu what he says is an amulet of “a map of the Promised Land.”
Israel‘s High Court of Justice on Monday issued an injunction blocking the ouster of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara after a unanimous Cabinet vote to fire the woman currently prosecuting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption.
Former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit warned Monday that the government’s plan to oust his successor, Gali Baharav-Miara, could result in the “complete destruction” of Israeli democracy.
“This is a recipe for complete destruction of democracy and the rule of law in the State of Israel,” he told Kan public radio when asked about the possibility that Baharav-Miara’s potential replacement would scrap Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing years-long corruption trial.
“The hearing scheduled for today allows the government to dismiss the attorney general and any future advisor for foreign and corrupt considerations. In response to the fact that the advisor prevented illegal actions, ordered an investigation or prosecution of a coalition member, refused to halt a criminal proceeding against a sitting government member, or as part of a ‚political deal‘ to ensure the survival of the government,” she wrote.
(July 13, 2025)
The decision by Judge Noam Sohlberg came hours after Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli filed a notice to the court asking it to reject petitions against the new procedure and implied that the coalition could ignore the court if it ruled against it on the matter.
Two political explosive hearings have been scheduled by the far right and racist coalition for July 14, in proceedings that could both set historical precedents. On that day, the Knesset will meet to vote on expelling Hadash-Ta’al faction chair Ayman Odeh from parliament, while a ministerial committee is also scheduled to hold a hearing on firing embattled Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Netanyahu’s claim that the attack was about preventing an immediate threat to Israeli national security is not just facetious, it’s fictitious. I think it was really an attempt to realign the world behind Israel.
The reason Netanyahu felt he had to do that, even at the cost of starting a full-fledged war, was that Israel had exhausted pretty much all of its options in Gaza after a nearly two-year long genocidal campaign. From military action that has failed to return the hostages, to the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “aid centers” [that have so far failed to facilitate widespread ethnic cleansing] — nothing Israel was doing in Gaza seemed to catch on. So Netanyahu did what he has done throughout the past two years: open up another front.
Iran was much easier for him [than other fronts] because the idea that the Islamic Republic must be dealt with using military means is perhaps the broadest, most solid consensus in Israeli politics. I think Netanyahu wanted to make political gains and ensure his personal status and future — above all, postponing his trial — as well as try to drag the world into this conflict by forcing, at the very least, the United States to side with Israel.
Despite a crisis that makes an early election seem more likely, Likud members remain confident that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu see things unfold differently. The speculation includes scenarios ranging from a partial hostage deal to a significant security event.
“I am joining The Democrats today because it is a party with a backbone and public courage. The party that is leading the most determined struggle against the government and offers a path and real hope for Israel,” Sheffer said in a video announcement.
“Yesterday I heard the prime minister — a corrupt, failed man, who brought upon Israel the worst disaster in its history — declare that he does not accept the High Court of Justice ruling,” he said, referring to the decision that found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to have been “unlawful” and that barred the premier from involvement in selecting Bar’s successor.
(May 22, 2025)
Just yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled by a 2-1 majority that Ronen Bar’s dismissal was tainted by a conflict of interest, particularly due to the Qatargate affair. Although Bar announced he would leave “voluntarily,” Netanyahu had initially sought to remove him, but retracted under legal pressure. Following the court’s ruling, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed Netanyahu to refrain from involvement in appointing Bar’s successor.
Despite this, Netanyahu announced the new appointment today, openly defying the AG’s directive.
(May 22, 2025)
Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled Wednesday that the cabinet’s dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was “improper” and “unlawful.” The court found the firing lacked valid justification and was based on a “thin and shaky factual foundation.”
Expanding on the court’s reasoning, court president Justice Isaac Amit condemned the government’s failure to consult the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee.
רה“מ לשעבר אמר ל“מוריה וברקו“ כי צריך לעשות עסקה לשחרור החטופים גם במחיר של הפסקת המלחמה“. על נתניהו: „הכריז מלחמה על ישראל; קורא למרי אזרחי“. בליכוד תקפו: „לא נקבל הטפות מוסר ממי שעסוק בלקרוע את החברה הישראלית ונפגש למעלה מ-30 פעמים עם חברו הפדופיל ג׳פרי אפשטיין, גם אחרי שהורשע בשידול קטינה לזנות“
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has called for nationwide protests to remove Benjamin Netanyahu, telling Channel 13 the current leader has „declared war on Israel.“
Barak demanded Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara force Netanyahu‘s recusal, referencing a delayed High Court ruling from January that blocked legislation protecting the PM from removal.
But it’s unclear if Bar’s tenure will last that long. On March 21, the Israeli cabinet unanimously voted to dismiss Bar from his position as the head of the Israel Security Agency, commonly known as the Shin Bet.
Bar’s dismissal was to take effect on April 10, but Israel’s High Court froze the firing, enraging Netanyahu and his right-wing allies, who can still mount an effort to fire Bar before the self-announced retirement date.
Legally, submitting an affidavit is equivalent to providing binding testimony in court and, in exceptional cases, can also open the door to cross-examination.
This past Monday, Ronen Bar submitted a sharply critical affidavit to the High Court against the government and Netanyahu. In it, he claimed that the prime minister made „illegal requests“ at the end of work meetings, after asking that recording devices be turned off.
NIF grantee Zulat, an Israeli think tank advancing liberal values recently issued a formal call to Israel’s attorney general, state prosecutor, and police commissioner to open a new criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for possible obstruction of justice, misuse of the power and breach of trust.
The call comes on the heels of revelations of a new affidavit submitted to the High Court by Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar to stave off his dismissal.
– I authorized, following a request from the IDF Chief of Staff, the opening of an investigation into the theft of classified military documents and their transfer to media outlets.
– I refused to draft a legal opinion whose aim was effectively to prevent the possibility of the Prime Minister continuing to testify in his trial.
– The draft of the internal Shin Bet review was submitted to the Prime Minister. It refers to the service’s failure to prevent the massacre, while also presenting the long-standing policy of the political leadership regarding the Gaza Strip and the exceptional and repeated warnings delivered by the Shin Bet to the political echelon throughout 2023 – which were ignored.
– A letter was attached to the review, addressed to the Prime Minister, explaining how Hamas’s military buildup occurred before the eyes of the State of Israel, funded by Qatar and enabled by a defensive policy, and highlighting the need for a state commission of inquiry to investigate all aspects of the road that led to October 7.
Ferner heißt es in der Erklärung, Bar habe es abgelehnt, Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, welche zu Verzögerungen in einem gegen Netanjahu laufenden Korruptionsprozess geführt hätten. Dies sei auch der wahre Grund für seine vom Obersten Gericht gestoppte Entlassung als Geheimdienstchef, ließ Bar verlautbaren. Zudem beschuldigte Bar den Premier, von ihm persönliche Loyalität verlangt zu haben. Es bestand keine Zweifel daran, dass Bar im Falle einer Verfassungskrise Netanjahu und nicht dem Obersten Gerichtshof hätte dienen müssen, heißt es in der Erklärung.
Die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft publizierte das brisante Dokument Bars.
Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar submitted a sworn affidavit Monday to Israel‘s High Court as part of a petition against his expected dismissal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government.
The affidavit that Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar submitted to Israel‘s High Court of Justice on Monday to stave off his dismissal is a painful documentation of Israel‘s disasters – past, present and future. The disasters range from the specific and shocking, to the deeply alarming, even dystopian image of the future, depending on what happens next.
Head of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, attorney Eliad Shraga, accuses the prime minister and the government of trying to turn the Shin Bet domestic security agency into “the Stasi,” the feared secret police force in Communist East Germany.
Addressing the High Court of Justice in the hearing over the government’s firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, Shraga also alleges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to install a new head of the service who would be specifically loyal to him.
The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. and will be broadcast on the Supreme Court’s website and the Judicial Authority’s YouTube channel.
Four opposition parties and four government watchdog groups filed petitions against Bar’s dismissal, arguing that since the Shin Bet is one of the agencies investigating the Qatargate affair involving alleged wrongdoing by Netanyahu’s aides, the decision to fire Bar was tainted by a conflict of interest and by ulterior, political motives.
The High Court of Justice‘s intervention in the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar would harm the security of the state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued on Sunday in his response to a High Court petition to cancel the dismissal. The response came two days prior to a consequential court hearing on Tuesday on the legality of Bar’s removal.
The police say they feel as though the judge is “‘giving his regards’ to the Judicial Selection Committee in order to pave the way for him to be appointed as a district judge.”
They further accuse him of forcing police investigators to discuss “sensitive documents” in hearings and say he writes his case decisions as though he is writing “press releases.”
“He writes classified things and then deletes them from the minutes after the media has already published them,” police charge.
Judge Menachem Mizrahi also levels criticism at the police investigators, saying that he suspects they didn’t focus solely on Urich and Feldstein’s alleged ties to Qatar during the last few days of interrogations, but also used the opportunity to probe the two prime ministerial aides about the classified documents leak from the Prime Minister’s Office, in which Feldstein is also a central suspect.
Known as “Qatargate,” the case hinges on the claim that Mr. Netanyahu’s media advisers were paid by a representative of Qatar to promote Qatari interests in the Israeli news media. That claim has angered many Israelis because it created the perception of a conflict of interest; for years, Qatar has hosted leaders of Hamas.
Mr. Netanyahu’s recent efforts to fire the head of the Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security agency, has compounded the furor. It was the Shin Bet that first instigated the investigations into Mr. Netanyahu’s aides.
(March 31, 2025)
The 20th session of the testimony of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his criminal corruption trial ended unexpectedly early on Wednesday, as suspicions swirled around the involvement of figures close to Netanyahu with Qatar.
(March 31, 2025)
The Israel Police on Monday announced that it had arrested two employees of the Prime Minister‘s Office as part of the „Qatar-gate“ investigation.
The two have been identified as Eli Feldstein and Yonatan Urich, with the arrest coming on the 20th day of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s testimony in his corruption case at the District Court in Tel Aviv.
(Updated March 31, 2025 at 3:34 p.m. EDT)
Jonatan Urich and and Eli Feldstein were arrested amid increasing allegations that Netanyahu’s inner circle was involved in the transfer of money from Qatar, a key backer of Hamas.