Archiv: Shas (political party)


10.04.2024 - 16:32 [ Times of Israel ]

Of course Netanyahu should go – in an orderly process that gives our enemies cause for fear

(today)

And therefore, as was the case when he insisted on continuing to run the country while in the midst of a corruption trial, and as was the case when he pressed on with his assault on Israeli democracy and briefly fired that defense minister, so too, now, it falls to a potential few good men and women within his own coalition base to tell him that his presence is harming Israel, that his policies empowered and emboldened Hamas, and that far from being uniquely capable of ensuring Israel has the practical and diplomatic room to destroy Hamas, he is almost uniquely incapable of doing so.

10.04.2024 - 16:30 [ New York Times ]

Netanyahu Must Go

(09.04.2024)

Israel must destroy Hamas as a military and political force in the territory while minimizing harm to civilians. It must do what it can to rescue its hostages without jeopardizing the overriding goal of destroying Hamas. It must, by diplomacy or force, push Hezbollah back from Lebanon’s southern border, so that 60,000 Israelis can return safely to their homes in the north. It must take the battle directly, as it did last week in Damascus, to Hamas’s and Hezbollah’s patrons, whether in Syria, Qatar or Iran.

And for all of that to happen effectively, Benjamin Netanyahu must go.

23.01.2024 - 04:44 [ Times of Israel ]

No-confidence motion against Netanyahu fails in Knesset, with only 18 votes in favor

With the government’s popularity plummeting, a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nevertheless garnered only 18 votes in the Knesset on Monday evening, falling far short of the necessary majority to pass in the 120-strong Knesset plenum.

The vote was boycotted by the coalition, whose heads stated earlier in the day that they would “not take part in political theater during wartime.”

01.01.2024 - 17:07 [ Times of Israel ]

Shas set to push law allowing High Court to delay reasonableness ruling

Lawmakers from the Shas coalition party are reportedly seeking to advance a bill that would temporarily extend the time in which High Court justices can publish rulings on petitions, allowing the bench to postpone a decision that is widely expected to strike down a piece of the government’s judicial overhaul.

In an unprecedented leak, a draft ruling published last week previewed the court’s intention to strike down, by an 8-7 vote, a law limiting the court’s ability to reverse government and ministerial decisions based on the doctrine of reasonableness.

22.11.2023 - 04:49 [ Times of Israel ]

Cabinet approves deal for release of 50 hostages in exchange for multi-day ceasefire

In exchange, Israel has agreed to a ceasefire for at least four days for the first time since the outbreak of the war.

12.10.2023 - 14:49 [ Blake Allen / Twitter ]

Obviously we won’t know until more details come out but since the unity government is with Benny Gantz and not Yair Lapid that means that Ben Gvir and Smotrich will remain in government. That’s horrible for a host of reasons

12.10.2023 - 14:45 [ Louis Weijl / Twitter ]

It‘s not clear to me who is and isn‘t in it. Not Lapid (yet), Liberman, nor Michaeli, but Ben Gvir and Smuthrich? What kind of ‚unity‘ is that? We are used to Gantz immediately taking action. As soon as he can move up a step, he forgets principles and agreements.

10.09.2023 - 15:20 [ Times of Israel ]

Gallant and two other ministers say government must respect High Court rulings

That sentiment was echoed by Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel, also of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party: “Of course.”

Interior and Health Minister Moshe Arbel of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party took a similar tone. “Yes, unequivocally,” he responded when asked if High Court rulings need to be followed.

09.07.2023 - 20:00 [ Haaretz ]

They Incited Rabin‘s Murder. Now They‘re Murdering Israel‘s Democracy

Following Rabin’s murder, the public turned against Netanyahu. Many believed his political career was over. But he was soon brought to power amid a wave of terror by Hamas and a slick campaign capitalizing on the public‘s fears.

And that original assault against democracy, secular law and territorial compromise that launched both Netanyahu’s career and the ascent of the religious right, is today continuing its illiberal advance via a legal hijacking.

18.06.2023 - 14:27 [ @AvigdorLiberman, Chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party / Twitter ]

ביומיים האחרונים שוחחתי עם שורה של בכירים מאוד בליכוד. התמונה המסתמנת, היא שכל מה שהיה ביום רביעי בכנסת, סביב ההצבעה לוועדה לבחירת שופטים הייתה הצגה אחת גדולה, שמאחוריה היה דיל מרובע בין גנץ ולפיד מצד אחד לנתניהו ודרעי מהצד השני.

(17.06.2023)

ומי שהצביעו עבור קארין אלהרר ופנינה תמנו שטה היו גם חברי הכנסת של ש״ס, בהוראה של דרעי ואולי אף דרעי בעצמו, ובידיעת נתניהו, גנץ ולפיד.

האינטרס של לפיד וגנץ היה להראות ״הישג״ בהצבעה בכנסת, האינטרס של נתניהו היה להקפיא את ההפיכה המשטרית על מנת להגיע לוושינגטון ולמסמס את המחאה, והאינטרס של דרעי היה להמשיך את השיחות בבית הנשיא על מנת לסלול את דרכו לממשלה.

נתניהו ודרעי הבינו שללא נציגת האופוזיציה בוועדה תקום סערה ציבורית והכל יתפוצץ. לכן פעלו כפי שפעלו בתיאום מלא עם גנץ ולפיד.
ולכן גם ההודעה של גנץ ולפיד, שהם משהים את השיחות עד לבחירת נציג הקואליציה לוועדה וכינוסה, גם האמירה הזאת היא עבודה בעיניים, הכל בלוף.

זה פשוט המשך שיתוף פעולה, וחלק מאותה הסכמה של גנץ ולפיד להכשיר את דרעי ולהכניסו לממשלה.

גנץ ולפיד הרימו דגל לבן, ועשו מכירת חיסול של הציבור הליברלי במדינת ישראל.

לצערי זו האמת מאחורי השיחות בבית הנשיא וההצבעה בכנסת ביום רביעי.

18.06.2023 - 14:25 [ Haaretz ]

„One Big Show“: Opposition Lawmaker Says Gantz and Lapid Cut Deal With Netanyahu Over Key Judicial Panel Vote

(17.06.2023)

“The picture that arises is that everything that happened on Wednesday in the Knesset vote for the Judicial Appointments Committee was one big show, behind which there was a four-way deal between [National Unity Party chief Benny] Gantz and [Opposition leader Yair] Lapid on one side and Netanyahu and [Shas leader Arye] Dery on the other,” Lieberman posted on his Twitter account.

“The interest of Lapid and Gantz is to show ‘an achievement’ in the Knesset vote, Netanyahu’s interest is to freeze the [judicial overhaul] so he can go to Washington and soften the protests, and Dery’s interest is to continue the talks at the President’s Residence to pave his path back to the government,” he wrote.

23.05.2023 - 21:04 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

Protest at the Knesset as Netanyahu government passes a budget granting exorbitant allocations to West Bank settlements and to the ultra-Orthodox communities

23.05.2023 - 21:01 [ Haaretz ]

Thousands of Israelis Protesting Outside Knesset Ahead of Crucial State Budget Vote

The demonstrators are protesting the government’s proposed state budget that is slated to send billions of shekels to the ultra-Orthodox communities. Protest organizers said in a statement that this “isn’t a state budget [that’s being put up for a vote], but rather raiding the public coffers that will destroy Israel’s economy for generations to come.”

20.05.2023 - 22:28 [ Haaretz ]

20th Week of Protests – ‚Robbing Our Children of Their Futures, With Our Money‘: Israelis Protest Controversial Budget, Judicial Overhaul

he Knesset is slated to devote several days next week to debating and passing the budget.

Despite the tension, leaders of all the coalition parties expect the budget to pass next week and say the government is at no real risk of falling. “In the long run, things can’t work this way, but at least for now, the budget will pass,” one minister said. “There’s no immediate threat to the government.”

04.04.2023 - 21:40 [ New York Times ]

Israel Moves Forward With Far-Right Plan for National Guard

(02.04.2023)

The form and leadership of the national guard were yet to be determined and will take months to be fleshed out by a committee of government officials, who will then present their proposal for the cabinet’s approval.

Regardless of the form the guard ultimately takes, the government’s decision on Sunday reflected the influence that figures like Mr. Ben-Gvir, a once-marginal activist, wield within the most right-wing government in Israeli history.

02.04.2023 - 18:35 [ Times of Israel ]

Ministers approve Ben Gvir-led national guard, major budget cuts to fund it

After a heated discussion at their weekly cabinet meeting, ministers voted Sunday in favor of forming a national guard under the command of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, along with a major budget cut across all ministries to fund it.

The controversial force is expected to comprise 2,000 servicemembers who will report directly to the far-right minister and will be tasked with tackling “nationalist crime” and terrorism, and “restoring governance where needed.”

02.04.2023 - 16:07 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Thousands Rally Against Forming Fascist Ben Gvir-led National Guard

(31.03.2023)

Addressing the protest, the head of the Hadash-Ta’al parliamentary faction likened the National Guard to “the brown shirts” of the Nazi paramilitary, “or the yellow shirts,” MK Ayman Odeh said in reference to the color included in the logo of several Israeli nationalist groups, including the Jewish supremacist Kach movement that Ben Gvir was active in as a teen. Kach was founded by the late extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane, who Ben Gvir and other members of his Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party have described themselves as disciples of. “We won’t allow you to form fascist militias in the service of Kahanism,” Odeh said at the protest.

02.04.2023 - 16:02 [ Haaretz ]

Israel‘s AG, Police and Shin Bet Chiefs Oppose Establishing National Guard Under Ben-Gvir

Ben-Gvir‘s proposal to establish a national guard will be discussed Sunday during the weekly cabinet meeting.

28.03.2023 - 06:52 [ Haaretz ]

Israel‘s Opposition Overtakes Netanyahu Bloc to Reach Majority, Polls Show

According to the polls, conducted by Channel 12 and public broadcaster Kan, if an election were held today, the parties that make up the current ruling coalition – Netanyahu’s Likud, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, Shas and United Torah Judaism – would amass a total of just 54 seats, seven short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The opposition, made up of National Unity, Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu, Meretz, Ra’am and Labor, is projected to win 61 seats. Hadash-Ta’al would garner the remaining five seats.

27.03.2023 - 04:35 [ Haaretz ]

Israel‘s Night of Chaos: Growing Calls Inside Netanyahu‘s Coalition to Delay Judicial Overhaul After Defense Minister‘s Sacking, Massive Protests

Netanyahu ally and chairman of ultra-Orthodox party Shas, Arye Dery, reportedly expressed support for halting the process, as did ministers Ron Dermer and Yoav Kish of Likud who spoke to Netanyahu on the subject, according to a source in the party.

Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism party‘s Degel Hatorah faction expressed support for the „prime minister and his decisions,“ while far-right coalition party Otzma Yehudit called on Netanyahu not to stop the legislation.

26.02.2023 - 20:45 [ Times of Israel ]

Coalition advances bill that would return Deri to cabinet, defying High Court ruling

(22 February 2023)

In addition to his January 2022 conviction for tax fraud, Deri served prison time for a 1999 bribery conviction related to his conduct while a minister. In its explosive January ruling, the High Court of Justice said Netanyahu’s decision to appoint a convicted financial criminal as minister in charge of the large Health Ministry and Interior Ministry budgets was “unreasonable in the extreme.”

22.01.2023 - 14:19 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Fires Loyalist Dery in Cabinet Meeting Following High Court Ruling

The High Court‘s bombshell decision on Wednesday barred the Shas party chair from serving in the cabinet following his criminal conviction on tax evasion charges last year and subsequent suspended sentence.

In a letter read by Netanyahu at the cabinet meeting, he expressed regret over the decision and described Dery as an „anchor of experience, intelligence and responsibility.“

21.12.2022 - 02:24 [ Times of Israel ]

Ex-police chief says he recommends seeking plea deal in Netanyahu corruption trial

Roni Alsheich – who led police investigation into former premier – suggests AG seek plea bargain as ‘our democracy is not yet ready to prosecute a sitting PM’

21.12.2022 - 01:57 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Far Right‘s Plan to Oversee Police Clears First Hurdle in Knesset

According to Itamar Ben-Gvir, „the correction to the law that we brought is a blessing for democracy. Only in police states does the police commissioner work on his own.“ He also accused the opposition of never having been democratic. „You are dark people, non-liberals who do not correspond with the democratic system of government,“ he added.

19.12.2022 - 19:22 [ Haaretz ]

American Jews Wonder: Is It Time to Declare Independence From Israel?

The painful truth for American Jews is that while they have tended to worship Israeli Jews, their “cousins” have, historically, returned this feeling with a combination of amusement and contempt.

19.12.2022 - 19:12 [ New York Times ]

The Ideal of Democracy in a Jewish State Is in Jeopardy

Mr. Netanyahu’s government, however, is a significant threat to the future of Israel — its direction, its security and even the idea of a Jewish homeland. For one, the government’s posture could make it militarily and politically impossible for a two-state solution to ever emerge. Rather than accept this outcome, the Biden administration should do everything it can to express its support for a society governed by equal rights and the rule of law in Israel, as it does in countries all over the world. That would be an act of friendship, consistent with the deep bond between the two nations.

03.12.2022 - 17:02 [ J Street / Nitter ]

This is an excellent conversation with our friends @ShibleyTelhami & @ChrisVanHollen. Thank you, Sen Van Hollen, for calling out Ben-Gvir and Smotrich‘s extremism and bigotry and highlighting the important work being done by progressive groups in Israel and the US to oppose them.

03.12.2022 - 02:18 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu’s Lust for Power Revealed in All Its Sickening Glory

To paraphrase Ben-Gurion: Every Hebrew mother should know that she has placed her children’s fate in the hands of a prime minister, other politicians and a school system that are unworthy of it. If there was ever a justification for a civil rebellion (not violent, but also not so polite and photogenic as the social protests of the summer of 2011), here it is – in all its sickening glory.

02.12.2022 - 07:15 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Koalitionsverhandlungen: Wird Israels Rechtsstaat ausgehöhlt?

Verhandelt wird nun, ob die Knesset künftig die Möglichkeit erhält, sich über solche Entscheidungen in einer erneuten Abstimmung hinwegsetzen zu können. Dann könnte das Parlament Gesetze beschließen, die den grundlegenden Gesetzen Israels widersprechen.

02.12.2022 - 07:08 [ ORF.at ]

Israel: Netanjahu kurz vor neuer Koalitionsbildung

Parteichef Besalel Smotrich nannte die Vereinbarung einen „historischen Schritt“ in Richtung einer Regierung, die das „Siedlungsvorhaben regeln und entwickeln“ werde. Netanjahu sprach von einer „rechtsnationalen Regierung, die sich um alle Israelis kümmern“ werde.

01.12.2022 - 12:47 [ Haaretz ]

Bad Blood: Netanyahu, Smotrich, Ben-Gvir All Spin Terror for Gains

The echoes of the explosions of the coordinated attacks in Jerusalem were still ringing, and the area had not yet been cleaned of the blood and broken glass. Politicians, seeing the promised land of power before their eyes, pounced on the opportunity they were given. Otzma Yehudit urged Likud members to stop with this “nonsense” of negotiating over forming a coalition (meaning: yield to all their demands). Religious Zionism repeated their demand that Benjamin Netanyahu convene the heads of all the relevant parties in a closed room and wrap things up. Needless to say, for the sake of security.

01.12.2022 - 12:14 [ allisrael.com ]

Will a parliamentary override clause for Supreme Court rulings balance power or harm democracy?

Israel’s right-wing majority considers the Supreme Court‘s authority “overreaching” – and the expected incoming coalition plans to pass legislation known as the “override clause” giving parliament the power to reverse rulings from the high court.

20.11.2022 - 17:56 [ Ynetnews.com ]

‚Override Law‘ would be ‘fatal blow’ to Israel’s democracy, legal experts warn

Members of the likely upcoming coalition government under Benjamin Netanyahu are said to be in favor of a proposal that would enable a 61-Knesset-member majority to overrule the Supreme Court and cancel its decisions. Netanyahu, who was initially reluctant to include the controversial override clause in coalition negotiations, agreed to do so following pressure from his allies in the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism and Religious Zionist parties.