Archiv: Coup in Israel Part I / Netanyahu takes on Judiciary / Supreme Court hearings / ruling delayed / Black Shabbat 07-10-2023 / Court ruling 01-01-2024 Basic Law amendment suspended


16.05.2025 - 23:29 [ DiEM25 / Youtube ]

Ofer Cassif, the Knesset Member Opposing the Genocide, in Conversation with Yanis Varoufakis

(streamed 5 hours ago)

Ofer Cassif, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Israel and MK with Hadash-Ta‘al, is the only Israeli Jewish MK campaigning out against the genocide in Gaza.

While his colleagues go along with Netanyahu’s lie that it is all about Israel’s right to defend itself, Cassif has called it what it is: Genocide practised by the last Apartheid State — and demanded it stop. For doing so, he was suspended from the Knesset for six months. Back from his suspension this Wednesday, he is back in the Knesset – fighting for decency.

In this livestream, Ofer joins Yanis for a rare, unfiltered conversation.

04.05.2025 - 10:46 [ Channel 13 - 13tv.co.il ]

ברק: נתניהו הכריז מלחמה על ישראל; צריך מרי אזרחי

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“

04.05.2025 - 10:44 [ Middle East Eye ]

Ex-Israeli PM Barak urges civil disobedience to topple Netanyahu

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.

30.04.2025 - 15:37 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(November 30, 2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

24.04.2025 - 23:12 [ New Israel Fund ]

Calling for a New Criminal Investigation into Prime Minister Netanyahu

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.

23.04.2025 - 10:50 [ Times of Israel ]

‘Out of deep concern for the State of Israel’: Full text of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s affidavit

– 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.

23.04.2025 - 10:47 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Israels Spionagechef erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen Premierminister Netanjahu

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.

04.04.2025 - 18:21 [ Times of Israel ]

Police accuse judge who released Qatargate suspects to house arrest of acting on personal interests

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.

04.04.2025 - 18:14 [ Times of Israel ]

Urich and Feldstein to be released to house arrest after judge rejects request to extend remand; police lodge appeal

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.

04.04.2025 - 15:09 [ New York Times ]

What Is ‘Qatargate,’ the Latest Furor Embroiling Israel?

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.

29.03.2025 - 15:30 [ Communist of Israel ]

Knesset Passes Law Boosting Far-Right Control Over Appointment of Judges

Throughout the evening, lawmakers quashed an unprecedented 71,023 objections filed by the opposition before finally voting 67-1 in favor of the legislation in the third and final reading, passing it into law.

In a fascist speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against his critics, insisting that the real danger, he claimed, is an unelected “deep state” working against the elected government.

29.03.2025 - 15:26 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Knesset approves dramatic judicial selection committee bill

(March 26, 2025)

The Judicial Selection Committee’s makeup since 1953 has included nine members – three High Court judges, two ministers, two members of Knesset (traditionally one coalition and one opposition), and two representatives of the Israel Bar Association (IBA). According to the new proposal, which will apply beginning with the next Knesset, the two IBA members will be replaced by two “public representatives”, one appointed by the coalition and the other by the opposition.

24.03.2025 - 12:32 [ New York Times ]

With No-Confidence Vote, Israeli Cabinet Moves to Fire Attorney General

Mr. Netanyahu and his allies have accused the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, of undermining them. The no-confidence vote against her, as well as the cabinet’s approval days before of the firing of Israel’s domestic intelligence chief, has rekindled street protests reminiscent of the upheaval over government plans to overhaul the judiciary before the war with Hamas began in 2023.

23.03.2025 - 14:05 [ Reuters ]

Israel anti-government protests flare after dismissal of top security agency chief

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday against the decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service and resume fighting in Gaza.
Netanyahu said this week he had lost confidence in Ronen Bar, who has led Shin Bet since 2021, and intended to fire him effective April 10, prompting three days of protests.

23.03.2025 - 13:25 [ Neue Zürcher Zeitung ]

Die Generalstaatsanwältin Gali Baharav-Miara ist Netanyahus gefährlichste Kontrahentin – nun will er sie loswerden

Ihre Gegner sagen häufig einfach nur abfällig «die Frau», wenn sie Gali Baharav-Miara meinen. Als könnten sie weder den Namen noch den Beruf der 65-jährigen Generalstaatsanwältin über die Lippen bringen; als wäre ihre Existenz eine einzige Zumutung. Andere beschimpfen sie als Volksfeindin oder drohen ihr mit dem Tod.

23.03.2025 - 13:18 [ Times of Israel ]

Government seeking to operate ‘above the law,’ AG charges ahead of no-confidence vote

“The [no-confidence] motion does not seek to advance trust but rather loyalty to the political echelon, not governability but rather unlimited regime power, as part of a broader process to weaken the judicial branch and deter the entire professional echelon,” charged Baharav Miara, referring to the government’s ongoing contentious judicial overhaul program.

23.03.2025 - 13:15 [ I24news.com ]

Government to begin impeachment of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara

After the expected vote of no confidence on Sunday, the case will be passed on to a selection committee chaired by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis. This committee could include Foreign Minister Gideon Sa‘ar or Knesset (Israeli parliament) Speaker Amir Ohana as former justice ministers, although this may be contested in the Supreme Court as either personalities are part of the current coalition.

22.03.2025 - 12:00 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Histadrut coordinated nationwide strike with PM‘s office – coalition member

(March 30, 2023)

The strike on Monday of Israel‘s largest worker‘s union, the Histadrut Labor Federation, was coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s inner circle, a senior member of the coalition confirmed on Thursday.

According to the report, one of Netanyahu‘s spokespersons, Yonatan Urich, contacted senior Histadrut officials on Monday morning urging them to launch a strike, in order to give the prime minister a decisive reason to announce that he was postponing the legislation, against the wishes of Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

22.03.2025 - 11:50 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Mass Protests in Jerusalem, Big Employers Warn that They Will ‘Shut Down the Economy’

Histadrut labor union chief Arnon Bar-David warns that he won’t sit idly if the government doesn’t abide by High Court rulings after ministers dismissed the injunction issued by the top legal body. However, Bar-David doesn’t explicitly say that he’ll launch a labor strike if the government ignores the High Court, but …

22.03.2025 - 11:19 [ TortoiseMedia.com ]

Netanyahu leads Israel into constitutional crisis days after shattering ceasefire

Defence minister‘s threats to annex Gaza distract from legislative coup d‘état at home

22.03.2025 - 11:14 [ Times of Israel ]

Cabinet schedules ‘no-confidence’ motion Sunday against AG, starting process of firing her

Document published by justice minister, hours after government voted to oust Shin Bet chief, calls Gali Baharav-Miara ‘long arm of the opposition,’ says she runs a tyrannical authority

22.03.2025 - 11:02 [ France24.com ]

Netanyahu says government ‘will decide’ new intel chief, ignoring court freeze

srael‘s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said earlier Friday that the prime minister was not allowed to appoint a new internal security agency chief after the government decided to sack Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

„According to the decision of the Supreme Court, it is prohibited to take any action that harms the position of the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar,“ she said in a message to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu published by a spokesperson. „It is prohibited to appoint a new head of Shin Bet, and interviews for the position should not be held.“

21.03.2025 - 14:42 [ Times of Israel ]

After injunction against Bar’s dismissal, Ben Gvir demands ‘judicial overhaul now!’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responds to the High Court’s temporary injunction against the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar with a post on X reading: “Judicial overhaul now!”

Ben Gvir was reinstated to his post earlier this week when his Otzma Yehudit party returned to the government following Israel’s resumed offensive in the Gaza Strip.

20.03.2025 - 20:32 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Ex-chief justice Aharon Barak warns: Israel is heading to civil war

Barak, who previously served as attorney general, has recently explored the possibility of a plea deal in Netanyahu’s corruption cases. “I believe an agreement can be reached,” he said. Once close to Netanyahu, Barak had often praised his commitment to the rule of law.

20.03.2025 - 13:19 [ Times of Israel ]

In shocking public spar, Herzog hits back at Netanyahu by expressing support for Israeli judiciary

(March 19, 2025)

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweets an attack on the “leftist deep state’s weapon[ization] of the justice system[s]” in the US and Israel, President Isaac Herzog’s office quickly posts a rebuttal.

“Israel’s strong and independent judicial system is an asset to our democracy, and the president of Israel is very proud of it,” Herzog’s office tweets.

20.03.2025 - 11:07 [ Institute for Politics and Economics of Southeast Europe (IPESE) ]

Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews – Srulik Einhorn: The strategic mastermind behind Netanyahu’s success

(October 2, 2024)

Einhorn’s career took a decisive turn when he transitioned into the political realm as Netanyahu’s strategic advisor and chief creative director. From 2019 to 2022, he advised on five of Netanyahu’s election campaigns, where his creative strategies were instrumental in securing victory. This shift into politics established Einhorn as one of Israel’s top political consultants, leading him to advise leaders across continents in recent years’ most high-stakes geopolitical and election campaigns.

In addition to his political work, Einhorn has contributed to supporting Israel’s security efforts.

11.03.2025 - 08:00 [ Gallup ]

Less Than Half in U.S. Now Sympathetic Toward Israelis

(Mqarch 6, 2025)

For years, a core tenet of Middle East peace proposals has been the so-called “two-state solution,” which would entail the creation of a Palestinian state. Gallup has measured Americans’ views on this since 1999. Since then, more Americans have supported than opposed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and that continues today. Currently, 55% are in favor and 31% opposed, while 14% do not have an opinion.

11.03.2025 - 07:29 [ Yahoo ]

Israeli protesters call Netanyahu ‚corrupt‘ outside his trial

(March 10, 2025 at 12:34 PM UTC)

„His corruption is connected with a straight line with the abandonment of our hostages, our families. And he thinks that this is not important. He wants war. He wants war. He wants war. All of us have kids that fought in the war in Gaza, in Gaza, in Lebanon. We don‘t want any more war. We want him out of government. He‘s corrupt. He‘s a danger for democracy. He‘s a danger to our people.“

27.02.2025 - 21:42 [ +972 Magazine ]

In its fight against fascism, Israeli academia remains blind to a basic truth

After leading the protest movement against the government’s planned judicial overhaul at the beginning of 2023, Israeli academia quickly fell into line after October 7. From militant speeches and op-eds defending a “just war” to the mass enlistment of Israeli students in the reserve service, the academy broadly supported the war in its first months.

What my academic colleagues fail to grasp, but what my activist friends understand clearly, is that the Israeli government’s ongoing assault on democratic norms and institutions cannot be separated from its genocidal oppression of the Palestinian people. They make up the two lobes of the same right-wing brain.

27.02.2025 - 20:48 [ Times of Israel ]

Faced with impeachment, far-left lawmaker slams attempts to silence him

(February 23, 2025)

And by the way, that [in no way] means that there is any justification for the war crimes and crimes against humanity of October 7 whatsoever. Not even the ongoing occupation and persecution and oppression of the Palestinian people. What happened on October 7 must be rejected 100%.

The second thing is that the Palestinian people didn’t launch a war against Israel. Those who are guilty of the crimes of October 7 are Hamas and some other elements of course. That’s not the Palestinian people. The Israelis, in general, are innocents, and the Palestinians, in general are innocents. There are those who are guilty of war crimes here and there and everywhere. In my view, [they] should be caught and brought to justice in The Hague.

The Times of Israel: Does that include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant?

Ofer Cassif: Yes.

27.02.2025 - 20:46 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

MK Cassif: There’s a Fascist Atmosphere in Israel

(February 24, 2025)

“There are attempts to silence us and to pursue and to create an atmosphere of chilling effect to terrorize us. There are attempts, again, to silence us, to prevent us from raising our political voice. We were not elected to represent those who disagree with us. It’s our right and obligation to represent as firmly as possible our values for which we were elected. Since October 7, people have been arrested because of tweets [in which] they simply expressed sympathy for the children of Gaza, not for Hamas, perish the thought…There’s a fascist atmosphere,” Cassif said to The Times of Israel. Above excerpts from the interview.

27.02.2025 - 20:34 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF’s Oct. 7 probes show it misread Hamas for years, left southern Israel utterly vulnerable

The investigation into the decision-making process made by top officials on the eve of the attack found that the IDF identified five signs of unusual Hamas activity the night before the terror group’s October 7 onslaught, but believed they did not indicate an imminent attack.
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This investigation also found that the IDF’s conduct, decision-making, and intelligence assessments on the night between October 6 and 7 were based on the result of years of false assessments about Hamas.

As a result, intelligence officials on all levels failed to provide a warning for what would come.

25.02.2025 - 22:25 [ Times of Israel ]

Leaked IDF probe: Only one soldier was guarding Nahal Oz outpost on Oct. 7, Hamas had studied base layout for years

Hamas had studied Nahal Oz from afar for years prior to launching the deadly assault and was intimately familiar with the layout of the base, including “where every room was,” the report says. It adds that the terror group knew that the base would be operating at a reduced capacity due to the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah, which fell on a Saturday that year.
(…)
The probe also reportedly addresses the impact that the incessant rocket fire had on the devastation inside the military outpost, as terrorists were able to easily kill large groups of soldiers who had gathered in bomb shelters.

25.02.2025 - 21:23 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(November 30, 2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

23.02.2025 - 20:02 [ Times of Israel ]

Netanyahu testimony likely to take another 9 to 14 months, court told

(February 17, 2025)

To date, Netanyahu has been scheduled to testify three times a week, although that has yet to transpire since he began his testimony on December 10, 2024. And his defense attorneys requested on Monday that the scheduled hearings be pared back to two a week, meaning that the 126 hearings to come would take another 63 weeks to complete.

The trial began in May 2020 and is now rapidly approaching its fifth year. Even after Netanyahu’s testimony ends, his defense team will have a list of other witnesses to call to the stand. If convicted, Netanyahu would be entitled to appeal to the Supreme Court.

23.02.2025 - 19:54 [ Times of Israel ]

High Court gives government another delay for answer on establishing Oct. 7 state commission of inquiry

The High Court of Justice agrees to a request by the government to grant it another 90 days before updating the court as to its position on establishing a state commission of inquiry into the failures leading up to, during and after the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and atrocities.

The government must now provide the court with a new update by May 11.

15.02.2025 - 15:44 [ Morning Star (UK) ]

The US war against the Palestinians, and the struggle to oppose it

WHAT is your view on Trump’s pronouncements on Gaza? How do these reflect on the US’s relationship with Israel and its role in the Middle East?

These declarations by Trump show a barbaric mentality; bringing to the Gaza issue a “cowboy” attitude from the American experience: removing the native people because the white man has decided it.

We need to be clear that this has not really been a war against Hamas for reasons of security but a strategic war, planned in advance, with the goal of displacing and erasing the Palestinian population.

15.02.2025 - 15:43 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

The US War Against the Palestinians, and the Struggle to Oppose It

A leading member of the Communist Party of Israel, former member of the Knesset and currently president of Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality), talks to the Morning Star, British Socialist newspaper. The interview was published Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

11.02.2025 - 17:52 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

‘Netanyahu, You Need a Revolt’: An Interview with Tamar Gozansky

Recently Haaretz’s weekend edition published a long interview, seven pages in the Hebrew version, with the veteran Communist Party of Israel leading member Tamar Gozansky, a former Hadash MK. She entered the Knesset in July 1990 as a replacement for veteran Hadash MK Tawfik Toubi and retained her seat in the 1992 elections, after which she chaired the Knesset’s joint committee on early childhood. She was reelected in 1996 and again chaired the joint committee on early childhood. Following a third re-election in 1999 she became chairwoman of the committee on the rights of the child and the special committee for school dropout rates.