Archiv: third Netanyahu government (December 2022 – Armageddon)


20.03.2023 - 14:45 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s National Security Is in Peril. And the Biggest Threat Is Its Government

Almost a year ago, I completed my tour of duty as Israel’s Ambassador to Germany after four decades of service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In recent months, I participated in the establishment of the Foreign Policy Forum, consisting of several former senior ambassadors, who have devoted decades to promoting the foreign relations of the State of Israel in the political, strategic, economic, security and cultural fields.

Just as we all fought on Israel’s diplomatic front in many countries, we are now fighting on the streets of Israel, shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of thousands of fellow citizens.

20.03.2023 - 14:39 [ Times of Israel ]

A year after its launch, details of submarine affair probe’s work yet to surface

(28 January 2023)

However, as of this time, the name of only one witness has been publicly announced — Amos Gilad, who was the director of the Defense Ministry’s Political-Military Affairs Bureau at the time of the purchase of the submarines.

The names of any other witnesses, if they exist, are unknown. Nor is it known how many times a week the commission meets, and which of the panel members are present when it does.

20.03.2023 - 14:37 [ Tal Schneider טל שניידר تال شنايدر / Nitter ]

A year after its launch, details of the submarine affair probe’s work have yet to surface While the identities of the witnesses and the materials studied remain unknown, some believe staying under the radar may save panel from being torpedoed by Netanyahu

18.03.2023 - 13:33 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s High Court Will Strike Down the Coup Legislation, Top Legal Experts Say

The judicial overhaul will destroy democracy, the Knesset isn’t authorized to enact such laws, and their important clauses will be struck down by the High Court: Retired justices, former attorneys general and law professors weigh

16.03.2023 - 14:41 [ Haaretz ]

For Israel’s Leaders, Democracy Is a Foolish Invention of Gentiles

The members of Likud who could stop the carnage but continue to participate in this government will go down in history as far worse than collaborators. Petain, the ruler of Vichy France, at least believed he was saving France. I cannot believe that Nir Barkat, Avi Dichter, Gila Gamliel, Yoav Gallant, Yuli Edelsein think they are saving Israel. They know in their heart of hearts that without legitimacy, they are gambling with the entire future of the country. To you distinguished ministers and members of Knesset, I ask: Will you willingly sacrifice the country you served for the sake of a cabinet position or Knesset seat? Will you silence your conscience for that?

16.03.2023 - 14:15 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

This is not a warning: IDF Special Forces reserve units & Cyber Intel reservists announce they will not show up for duty SUNDAY to protest Netanyahu’s attempted régime change.

16.03.2023 - 14:02 [ Times of Israel ]

A last, desperate, long-shot plea: Prime Minister Netanyahu, stop this madness

Some say you’ve unleashed this revolution to evade your trial. That makes no sense. You could drag it on for years or subvert it with less drastic legislative initiatives.

Others posit that you are intimidated by the extremists — those you have empowered politically, and the toxic commentators on TV, radio and social media, including some very close to home.

I hear that some people who know you well think you have convinced yourself that you are truly King Bibi, a great, historic national figure, wiser and more capable than all.

16.03.2023 - 13:55 [ ifpnews.com ]

UAE halts purchase of Israeli defense shields following Iran-Saudi deal

(March 13, 2023)

”Until we make sure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a government that he controls, we will not be able to do common things, “said UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.

16.03.2023 - 13:24 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Netanyahu in 1993: Iran will have bomb by 1999

(04.03.2015)

The prime minister has been warning for over 20 years that Tehran is close to achieving its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

16.03.2023 - 13:17 [ Tovah Lazaroff / Nitter ]

Netanyahu say evil must be halted in its initial stage as he speaks both about the Holocaust and the modern day threat against Iran while standing with German Chancellor Scholz at platform 17 in Berlin

16.03.2023 - 08:46 [ Ynetnews.com ]

No White House visit for Israel’s Netanyahu as U.S. concern rises

Analysis: Washington sends clear message to Israeli leader; ‚If you pursue objectionable policies, there’s no entitlement to the Oval Office sit-down,‘ says expert

16.03.2023 - 08:30 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Netanyahu in Berlin: Besuch im Zeichen der Proteste

Der israelische Premier Netanyahu ist zu Besuch in Berlin. Die innenpolitischen Proteste gegen seine geplante Justizreform werden ihm in die deutsche Hauptstadt folgen. Die Demonstranten fordern von der Bundesregierung eine klare Position.

15.03.2023 - 17:44 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

God knows why but FinMin Bezalel Smotrich cut short a planned visit to Panama, Mrs Netanyahu has cancelled her Berlin +1 & the PM has delayed his takeoff „til after 10 pm“ & shortened his trip to only 24 hours due to „talks on judicial reform & a security incident in the north“

15.03.2023 - 17:25 [ Haaretz ]

Entebbe Veterans With ‘Idi Amin Car’ Join Airport Protest as Netanyahu Flies to Berlin

A convoy of Israeli army veterans and former hostages who were involved in the 1976 Entebbe Operation in Uganda arrived on Wednesday to protest at Ben-Gurion Airport ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure to Germany for a state visit.

The convoy is part of the protest movement aimed at disrupting Netanyahu’s departure over his constitutional coup.

15.03.2023 - 11:38 [ Haaretz ]

Head of Israel’s Central Bank Warns ‘Hasty’ Judicial Coup Will Lead to Dangerous Brain Drain

Recent moves by the Israeli government to undermine the power of the courts could undermine investment and spark an exodus of educated Israelis, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron warned on Wednesday. He further declared that it was “imperative” to maintain the independence of the judiciary.

15.03.2023 - 11:31 [ Haaretz ]

Amid Judicial Coup, Tech Unicorn Pulls $500 Million Out of Israel, Offers Relocation to Lisbon

The CEO of Riskified, an Israeli fraud-prevention company, said in a staff email that the judicial overhaul could lead to an economic downturn and put Israel on the path to authoritarianism.

14.03.2023 - 19:14 [ Haaretz ]

Warning of ‚Theocratic Dictatorship,‘ 1,000 Israeli Cultural Figures Call on U.K., Germany to Cancel Netanyahu Visit

The letter wrote that the racist, homophobic and undemocratic intentions by the government is targeting all Israeli citizens at home and abroad, referring to the ongoing judicial overhaul plans and a host of other proposed laws that will adversely affect the “freedom of authors and artists in Israel.”

The authors wrote that Netanyahu supports current legislation running through the Knesset that would turn the Israeli police into a “political police, a tool that every dictatorship needs in order to enforce state power on citizens.”

14.03.2023 - 19:06 [ Haaretz ]

Videos From Hawara Rampage Indicate Depth of Israeli Authorities’ Failure

The deeds were filmed in many videos in which soldiers, the Border Police and vehicles of the security forces can be seen all around town. For many long hours, those forces did not stop the pogrom launched by the settlers; Palestinians who have spoken with Haaretz have said that when they tried to defend their homes, soldiers fired tear gas and threw stun grenades at them. Only at about 11 P.M. did Israeli security forces achieve control over the raging crowds. This is how the events looked.

14.03.2023 - 18:54 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s Judicial Coup: Israel’s Knesset Passes Three Bills Aimed at Enfeebling Top Court in First Reading

(13.03.2023)

The third amendment approved by the Knesset, the override clause, allows its members to enact laws previously overruled by the court. This proposed amendment to the Basic Law on the Judiciary would also make any law passed by a slim majority (61 out of 120 lawmakers) immune to judicial review by the court.

13.03.2023 - 17:39 [ @IfNotNowOrg / Nitter ]

BREAKING: 13 Jewish IfNotNow activists were just attacked by security at the Israel Bonds Conference as they prayed Maariv to protest the visit by genocidal Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for a Palestinian town to be wiped out.

13.03.2023 - 17:32 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel’s Smotrich met by hundreds of protesters in Washington, DC

Protesters descended on the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC, where Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was giving a speech to an Israel Bonds convention on Sunday.

12.03.2023 - 15:21 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu: Judicial Overhaul ‚Just an Excuse‘, Opposition Wants to Topple the Government

Later in the meeting, Netanyahu seemed to comment on the friction between National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, following the dismissal of Tel Aviv’s police chief and the subsequent reversal of the decision.

„The elected government is in charge of the army, the police and all other security organizations… No one else will decide who is in charge of those organizations,“ Netanyahu said.

11.03.2023 - 19:25 [ Yonatan Touval / Nitter ]

@YairNetanyahu (PM’s son) tweeted his perfect agreement (using 🎯 for „direct hit“) w/ a tweet comparing Israel’s pro-democracy protesters with the Nazi S.A. (Sturmabteilung/Storm Troopers), the paramilitary org that played a key role in Hitler’s rise to power.

11.03.2023 - 19:22 [ Yonatan Touval / Nitter ]

This, coming from someone who’s been featured as a poster boy for the #AfD.

11.03.2023 - 19:03 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Israeli NGO presents constitution as alternative to judicial reform

(March 9, 2023)

“After 75 years, it’s time for a constitution for the State of Israel,” which would fix Israel’s government system, protect human rights and enshrine the Declaration of Independence, MQG head Eliad Shraga said during a press conference at the group’s judicial reform protest tent in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. The movement presented the proposal to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday night, he said.

11.03.2023 - 18:11 [ Times of Israel ]

Lapid proposes constitution for Israel to extract itself from ‘terrible crisis’

Lapid said that while “judicial activism” should be limited, “a democratic state cannot exist without a strong and independent court.”

In addition, the Yesh Atid leader said that the judicial appointment committee would have its composition changed so that the Supreme Court is “diverse in its composition and opinions, but will ensure that politicians — from any side — will not have control over the selection of judges.”

11.03.2023 - 18:01 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Opposition leader calls for constitution to fix political impasse

On his Facebook page, the former prime minister argued that this constitution should begin with the first paragraph of Israel’s 1948 Declaration of Independence, which states that the land of Israel is the cradle of the Jewish people.

According to Lapid, this constitution should be composed of three fundamental laws: the first would be a declaration of the superiority of the fundamental laws of the country, and would subject all authorities to restrictions established by law.

10.03.2023 - 19:08 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

Lapid: „Netanyahu briefed that I’m to blame for the Saudi-Iran deal. Its delusional. During our time in govt we signed the Saudi aviation agreement, the tripartite security deal with Egypt & the accord on direct flights during Hajj. Pres Biden flew directly from Tel Aviv to KSA…

(today)

10.03.2023 - 19:05 [ Haaretz ]

Israel, Saudi Arabia Reportedly in Talks Over Increasing Military and Intelligence Ties

(18.02.2023)

The talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are backed by the U.S., were held before the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Working Group gathering in Riyadh, which was focused on defense and security, Bloomberg reported several anonymous sources involved in the meetings as saying.

More meetings between the two countries are expected to occur this weekend in Prague, during the Munich Security Conference, according to several of the sources.

10.03.2023 - 08:38 [ Tehran Times ]

Iran dedicated to multilateral nuclear talks, diplomacy: Foreign Ministry

(06.03.2023)

Kanaani was referring to the nuclear negotiations that started in April 2021 to revive the 2015 nuclear deal but the talks came to a standstill in the summer of 2022 as the Biden administration is refusing to lift the sanctions imposed during Donald Trump’s presidency.

10.03.2023 - 08:35 [ theGuardian.com ]

IAEA chief holds ‘constructive’ talks in Iran after uranium enrichment findings

(04.03.2023)

The two-day visit by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, comes as the Vienna-based organisation seeks greater cooperation with Iran over its nuclear activities.

“By having a constructive discussion … and having good agreements, like I am sure we are going to have, we are going to be paving the way for important agreements,” Grossi told a news conference on Saturday alongside the head of Iran’s atomic energy organisation, Mohammad Eslami.

10.03.2023 - 07:49 [ Nitter Search ]

Netanyahu, Hamas, coin

10.03.2023 - 07:29 [ OSINTdefender / Nitter ]

The Paramilitary Wing of Hamas has claimed responsibility for the Terrorist Attack which Injured 3 Israeli Civilians in the City of Tel Aviv earlier tonight; the Shooter was identified as a 23-year-old Hamas Member.

09.03.2023 - 21:08 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

Tel Aviv police commander Ami Eshed, who was fired by Itamar Ben Gvir tonight, is briefing the public on the Tel Aviv terror attack– Ben Gvir is not showing up at the site.

09.03.2023 - 20:53 [ i24NEWS English / Nitter ]

NEW: Statement from the Tel Aviv District Commander: ‚While handling the protest, a terrorist arrived and fired at 3 protesters and escaped. Two police officers who were on the scene attempted to contact him and killed him on the spot‘

09.03.2023 - 20:50 [ HonestReporting / Nitter ]

BREAKING: Terror attack in Tel Aviv. At least 2 Israelis are in serious condition after being shot. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai: „This is an attack, one of the terrorists has been neutralized or eliminated – I ask all the demonstrators to stop the demonstration and go home.“

09.03.2023 - 19:51 [ Knesset.gov.il ]

Declaration of Independence

(14TH MAY,1948)

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

09.03.2023 - 19:45 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

Tel Aviv mayor, displaying Israeli declaration of independence on City Hall: „In a time of darkness there are things important to illuminate.“

09.03.2023 - 19:36 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

#Breaking: Ben Gvir was infuriated at the police for „disobeying“ him & allowing the Ayalon highway to be blocked fir about 90 minutes. He has gotten rid of Tel Aviv police commissioner by appointing him „head of the training department.“

09.03.2023 - 19:01 [ Haaretz ]

This Is Definitely a Coup. Israel Is on Its Way to Becoming a Dictatorship

It can be very confusing when a “coup from above” takes place. On the face of it, everything looks normal. There are no tanks in the streets, and no general with a uniform sagging with medals interrupts the television broadcasts. The coup occurs behind closed doors, with laws being passed and decrees being signed that remove all restraints on the government, and dismantle all checks and balances. Of course, the government does not declare that it is carrying out a coup. It claims only that it is passing some much-needed reforms, “for the good of the people.”

09.03.2023 - 17:55 [ Esther Solomon / Nitter ]

Netanyahu’s pre-trip interview with La Repubblica contains interesting language before meeting ‚post-fascist‘ Meloni: History ‚favors the strong,‘ he opines, trashing the idea that the far-right is dangerous. The true threat comes from the „extreme left“

09.03.2023 - 06:12 [ Haaretz ]

The Eight Ways Herzog Is Damaging Israeli Democracy

Ever since the coup against our system of government – and the sweeping opposition to it – began, President Isaac Herzog has been doing damage to Israel’s democracy. Even if his intentions are good, at this point we have to call a spade a spade and urge him to stop.

07.03.2023 - 07:10 [ Haaretz ]

With Netanyahu’s Coup in Full Swing, His Trial Is Stuttering. Not by Accident

The trial and the coup are now simultaneously underway, but while the first is lumbering along, the second is galloping forward. The hearings in the Jerusalem District Court will resume only after Passover. Until the judges return from their hiatus, the wings of the High Court of Justice might be clipped, the Judicial Appointments Committee might be under full control of the politicians, or Israel might be in the throes of a historic constitutional crisis.

06.03.2023 - 21:16 [ ]

Israeli Army Chief to Meet With Top Reserve Commanders Amid Reservists’ Judicial Overhaul Protests

IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi will sit down with reserve air force pilots and commanders to discuss the importance of serving after reserve pilots in an elite air force unit said they would not participate in a training exercise in protest of the ongoing government’s judicial overhaul efforts

06.03.2023 - 20:48 [ Haaretz ]

Haaretz-UCLA Conference : Is Netanyahu Leading a Right-wing Government? ‘It Looks More Like a Gang of Thugs’

“This is a very different kind of right wing. It’s not ideological right wing or public policy right wing. This is, tragically – and I say this with tremendous sadness – something that looks a lot like a gang of thugs.”

02.03.2023 - 10:24 [ U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs / Nitter ]

Special Rep. Hady Amr visited with the victims of Sunday’s Huwara attack. He expressed his deepest condolences and condemned the unacceptable widescale, indiscriminate violence by settlers. Extremely concerned by recent escalating violence in the West Bank.

(28.02.2023)

02.03.2023 - 09:31 [ Axios ]

U.S. says Israeli minister’s call to wipe out Palestinian town is „disgusting“

What to watch: Smotrich is expected to visit the U.S. the second week of March for a meeting of the Israel Bonds organization.

Israeli officials said he hasn’t asked for any meetings with the Biden administration.
Two U.S. officials told Axios that even if he asked for meetings with Biden officials, he likely wouldn’t get them.

02.03.2023 - 09:27 [ CNN ]

US condemns Israel far right minister’s call for Palestinian town ‘to be erased’

Price issued a strong condemnation from the US State Department podium Wednesday, saying, “I want to be very clear about this. These comments were irresponsible. They were repugnant. They were disgusting.”

“And just as we condemn Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn these provocative remarks that also amount to incitement to violence,” he said at a State Department briefing.

Price also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “and other senior Israeli officials to publicly and clearly reject and disavow these comments.”

01.03.2023 - 20:22 [ Jacob N. Kornbluh / Nitter ]

Inbox: J Street calls on the Biden admin to decline meetings with Israeli finance minister Smotrich on his visit to U.S. following his comments about wiping out the Palestinian village of Huwara. They suggest the remarks are also ground for re-examining the approval of his visa

01.03.2023 - 20:19 [ J Street / Nitter ]

LIVE NOW: J Street President @JeremyBenAmi and Chief of Staff Adina Vogel Ayalon discuss the crisis and escalation in Israel and the West Bank and reflect on what we saw on our latest Congressional Delegation to the region.

01.03.2023 - 19:12 [ PBS.org ]

WATCH LIVE: State Department holds news briefing as demonstrators hold ‘Day of Disruption’ in Israel

Netanyahu and his government, made up of ultranationalists, have branded the protesters anarchists, while stopping short of condemning a West Bank settler mob that torched a Palestinian town earlier this week.

The legal overhaul has sparked an unprecedented uproar, with weeks of mass protests, criticism from legal experts and rare demonstrations by army reservists who have pledged to disobey orders under what they say will be a dictatorship after the overhaul passes.

01.03.2023 - 15:12 [ Haaretz.com / Nitter ]

Following Sunday’s deadly settler riot in the West Bank village, MK Zvika Fogel (from Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party), said he „looks favorably on the results“

01.03.2023 - 15:06 [ Haaretz ]

Palestinian ‚Village of Hawara Needs to Be Wiped Out‘: Israel’s Far-right Finance Minister Justifies ‚Disproportionate‘ Response to Terrorism

Israel’s Finance Minister called for the destruction of a West Bank Palestinian village on Wednesday, days after it was attacked by a mob of settlers who torched dozens of homes and reportedly killed one resident.

“The village of Hawara needs to be wiped out. I think that the State of Israel needs to do that [and] not, God forbid, private individuals,” said Bezalel Smotrich, when asked why he had “liked” a tweet by deputy Samaria Regional Council head Davidi Ben Zion calling for Hawara to be “wiped out today.”

01.03.2023 - 13:00 [ Times of Israel ]

Knesset committee okays bill sharply limiting judicial review; opposition: ‘Putsch’

Opposition lawmakers boycotted the final votes in committee approving the bill for its first reading in the Knesset plenum, after Rothman granted only one MK from each Knesset faction the right to speak for five minutes.

“This is a dictatorship and the silencing of people’s opinions, we won’t be part of it. Vote among yourselves” shouted Hadash MK Ofer Cassif at Rothman.

“This is a regime putsch!” Yisrael Beytenu Yulia Malinovsky fumed before leaving the committee room.

01.03.2023 - 11:30 [ i24news.tv ]

Thousands of Israelis donate to Palestinian victims of riots

In less than 24 hours, Israelis gave more than $272,750 to help Palestinians whose homes and businesses were destroyed by dozens of rioting settlers in the northern West Bank town of Huwara on Sunday.

A 37-year-old Palestinian man was killed, 300 were wounded – four of them seriously – and dozens of buildings and vehicles were set on fire in the mass riot that followed the killing of two Israeli brothers in a terror shooting in the same town. Labor party member Yaya Fink started an online crowd-funding campaign the morning following the attack.

01.03.2023 - 11:21 [ associated press ]

Israel says motorist killed in West Bank held US citizenship

(28.02.2023)

The attackers remained at large Tuesday. (…)

The army said the attackers opened fire at an Israeli car near the Palestinian city of Jericho, hitting Ganeles. The assailants, traveling in one vehicle, then drove further and fired again, the army said. The attackers set their own vehicle afire and fled, setting off a manhunt.

01.03.2023 - 11:20 [ CNN ]

US citizen killed in West Bank as Israeli-Palestinian tensions rise

(Updated 7:10 AM EST, Tue February 28, 2023)

Elan Ganeles, 27, was shot dead on Monday evening in what Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service described as a “terror attack” on a highway between Jericho and the Dead Sea.

The attack took place on Route 90, north of the Beit Ha’Arava Junction, the MDA said. The location is normally peaceful and on one of the main routes for Israelis to visit the Dead Sea.

01.03.2023 - 11:17 [ AFP News Agency / Youtube ]

Palestinians stunned by Israeli settler violence in West Bank | AFP

(Feb 27, 2023)

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are left reeling after deadly violence and arson by Israeli settlers targeted a town where two Israeli brothers were killed. Dozens of Israeli settlers set homes and cars ablaze in the northern town of Huwara overnight, after a day of Israeli-Palestinian talks in neighbouring Jordan aimed at quelling a surge in violence in the Palestinian territory.

01.03.2023 - 11:13 [ Hindustan Times / Youtube ]

Israeli settlers burn Palestinian homes in West Bank as tensions simmer after ‘peace talk’ | Watch

(Feb 27, 2023)

Israeli settlers went on a rampage after two brothers were shot and killed in the West Bank on Sunday. The latest attack on Israeli citizens sparked revenge attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, causing at least one death and numerous injuries. Dozens of cars and homes belonging to Palestinians were set on fire by angry Israelis.

01.03.2023 - 11:10 [ JNS.org ]

Israeli brothers killed in Samaria terror shooting

(26.02.2023)

Israeli forces blocked roads in the area of the attack and initiated a manhunt for the perpetrator.

An initial IDF probe found the gunman took advantage of a traffic jam to carry out the attack.

01.03.2023 - 11:08 [ Mairav Zonszein מרב זונשיין / Nitter ]

US State Dept puts out statement following Aqaba summit that Israel will hold off on settlements for 4-6 months, minutes later Netanyahu tweets “there will not be any freeze.”

(26.02.2023)

26.02.2023 - 21:00 [ Haaretz ]

Analysis | Netanyahu Is No Longer Israel’s Legitimate Prime Minister

What’s happening to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? The extreme mood swings reflected in both his statements and body language attest to pressure, psychological distress and loss of his senses. He quickly slips into the mindset of paranoid tyrants who live in a bubble, divorced from reality.

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.”

26.02.2023 - 20:39 [ Haaretz ]

Bill Curbing Power to Rule Netanyahu Unfit Could Lead to ‚Absurd Situations,‘ Attorney General Warns

The bill, submitted by coalition chairman Ofir Katz, states that only the cabinet can declare a prime minister unfit or incapacitated by a two-thirds majority, and that in some cases, such a declaration would require approval by a majority of 90 lawmakers. Moreover, a declaration of incapacitation would apply to incompetence for health reasons only.

The bill is being advanced in response to the Movement for Quality Government in Israel’s petition to the High Court asking to declare Netanyahu unfit for office over a conflict of interest due to the ongoing criminal proceedings against him.

26.02.2023 - 20:30 [ Times of Israel ]

Court gives Netanyahu 1 month to respond to petition to declare him unfit for office

(10 February 2023)

The High Court of Justice on Friday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one month to respond to a petition to declare him unfit for office and force him to take a leave of absence.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitioned the court on Thursday, arguing that Netanyahu is in violation of a conflict of interest arrangement that bars him from involvement in matters that could impact his ongoing trial on graft charges.

26.02.2023 - 20:17 [ Jerusalem Post ]

AG pondering declaring Netanyahu unfit as PM due to conflicts of interest

(Jan 22, 2023)

In 2021, the High Court of Justice ruled that a conflict of interest arrangement formulated under then former attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit was binding for Netanyahu.

The arrangement prohibits Netanyahu from being involved in the nomination of judges or of the police commissioner and from being involved in legislation that has an impact on the criminal proceedings against him.

26.02.2023 - 20:05 [ Haaretz ]

Raising Fists Against Netanyahu’s ‚Proposed Dictatorship,‘ Israelis Protest Judicial Coup in Record Numbers

Saturday evening saw the largest protest against the far-right government’s judicial overhaul plan thus far, as the demonstrations entered their eighth consecutive week.

In addition to the main protest in Tel Aviv and the demonstration outside the president’s residence in Jerusalem, protests took place at dozens of locations throughout the country, including the Gaza border town of Sderot, the northern town of Rosh Pina, Rehovot, Eilat, Modi’in, Herzliyah, Ra’anana, Hod Hasharon, Hadera, the settlement of Efrat and dozens more bridges and junctions across Israel.

23.02.2023 - 08:33 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu’s Coup for Dummies: Israel’s Constitutional Crisis, Explained

The government’s proposed legislation includes an “override clause” that would allow the smallest possible majority – 61 out of 120 lawmakers in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament – to overturn rulings by the Supreme Court. Israel does not have a constitution, and the separation between the legislative and executive branches is very weak, since the government almost always holds a majority in the Knesset.

This makes the Supreme Court the only institution with any power to review government actions and legislation passed by a parliamentary majority. Netanyahu’s government wants to strip the court of that power.

23.02.2023 - 07:58 [ United Nations ]

Israel’s new legal proposals pose ’serious risks‘, UN rights chief warns

“If passed, these changes risk weakening human rights protections for all, but especially the most vulnerable communities and groups less able to vindicate their rights through representation in the executive and legislative branches of Government,” he said.

The proposals in their current form would limit the Supreme Court’s ability to subject legislation to judicial review and would require either a super majority of judges, or even unanimity, for the top court to strike down legislation, he cautioned.

News reports said tens of thousands of people have, in the past weeks, attended demonstrations against the proposed changes, including in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem.

23.02.2023 - 07:38 [ United Nations ]

Warning Situation in Occupied Palestinian Territory ‘at Its Most Combustible’ in Years, Secretary-General Urges Action to Ease Tensions, as Rights Committee Begins Session

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the 2023 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York today:

It is my privilege to join this meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. I congratulate the Chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, and other members of the Bureau on your election. And I commend all of you for your tireless commitment.

We meet as the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is at its most combustible in years. Just this morning, we had more deeply concerning news. An operation by Israeli security forces and ensuing clash in Nablus left 10 Palestinians dead and over 80 injured.

21.02.2023 - 17:52 [ Haaretz ]

‚History Will Judge You‘: Netanyahu Gov’t Passes First Reading of Flagship Bills Neutering Israel’s Judiciary

(today)

In stormy Knesset vote, Netanyahu coalition approves government control over judicial appointments and dramatically limiting Supreme Court’s ability to strike down lSixty-three lawmakers voted in favor of the bills, while 47 objected to them.

The bills, forming the core of the government’s contested judicial overhaul plan, change the composition of the Judicial Appointments Committee, which selects the country’s judges, and bar the High Court of Justice from exercising judicial review or striking down basic laws.aws

21.02.2023 - 17:47 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Quarter Million Protesters Take to the Streets Across Israel

(19.02.2023)

Quarter million protesters tale of the streets across Israel Satudary evening, in the seventh consecutive weekend of demonstrations against the far-right government, ahead of judicial reform bills being placed before the Knesset plenum on Monday. Organizers of the protest movement have declared Monday as a “National Day of Struggle”, which, for the second week in a row, will include a large rally outside the Knesset, as well as demonstrations in various cities and the shuttering of some businesses.

20.02.2023 - 07:41 [ theIntercept.com ]

GOP Megadonor Is Funding a Far-Right Israeli Think Tank — and Establishment Democrats

Pulling from the playbook of the American Legislative Exchange Council — a Koch-backed group that writes model legislation for conservative lawmakers across the U.S. — Kohelet’s founder helped draft the law that became Israel’s Basic Law on the Nation-State in 2018. The controversial policy established Jewish people as having the sole right to self-determination, downgraded Arabic from its status as an official language, and declared the development of Jewish settlement a “national value.” Kohelet also drafted a new law that gives Israel’s Parliament the power to override Supreme Court decisions, grants the government complete control over judicial appointments, and abolishes the courts’ reasonableness doctrine, which was most recently used to disqualify a thrice-convicted criminal and Netanyahu ally from serving as health and interior minister.

20.02.2023 - 06:11 [ Haaretz ]

In Battle Over Israeli Democracy, Netanyahu Is Fighting His Own Former Spy Chiefs

Why a former head of Mossad and former chief of the Shin Bet, both of whom were appointed by Netanyahu, now find themselves fighting to stop the prime minister from destroying Israel’s legal system

20.02.2023 - 06:03 [ Axios ]

Scoop: Schumer expected to visit Israel as Bibi faces criticism over judicial plan

(Feb 15, 2023)

Driving the news: Israeli officials said Schumer and his delegation are expected to visit Israel Feb. 23–25.

20.02.2023 - 05:47 [ Haaretz ]

Equating Israeli and Iranian Protests, U.S. Lawmakers Slam Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul

“All over the world liberal democracy is under siege by right-wing autocrats and fanatical extremists who are in a coordinated global attack on freedom,” says Raskin, 60, who was a constitutional law professor prior to serving in Congress.

„Fortunately, the forces of strong democracy, judicial independence, human rights and women’s equality, religious pluralism and the rule of law are on the march too – from the streets of Jerusalem to the streets of Tehran to the heroic people of Ukraine battling fascist invasion to all their powerful democratic allies in the United States and Europe,“ he continues, putting the Israeli government in some previously unimaginable company.

19.02.2023 - 08:20 [ Times of Israel ]

Syria says 5 killed, 15 wounded in Israeli strike on Damascus residential are

(today)

As a rule, Israel’s military does not comment on specific strikes in Syria, but has admitted to conducting hundreds of sorties against Iran-backed groups attempting to gain a foothold in the country over the last decade.

19.02.2023 - 08:11 [ Anna Ahronheim, former Military & Defense Correspondent, Senior writer @Jerusalem_Post / Nitter ]

Despite being concerned that supporting Ukraine by providing military support would lead to Russia interfering against its MABAM, Israel continues to have aerial supremacy over Syria, carrying out over 30 strikes against Iranian targets in the country with no opposition by Moscow

(29. Dec 2022)

18.02.2023 - 17:59 [ Haaretz ]

Israel, Saudi Arabia Reportedly in Talks Over Increasing Military and Intelligence Ties

The talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are backed by the U.S., were held before the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Working Group gathering in Riyadh, which was focused on defense and security, Bloomberg reported several anonymous sources involved in the meetings as saying.

More meetings between the two countries are expected to occur this weekend in Prague, during the Munich Security Conference, according to several of the sources.

18.02.2023 - 17:52 [ Haaretz ]

Tens of Thousands Set to Rally Against Judicial Overhaul for Seventh Consecutive Week

Updates

14.02.2023 - 06:01 [ JStreet ]

Israel’s Crisis Must Be Our Call to Action

For fifteen years, J Street has been warning of the dire threat posed to the future of Israel — its democracy, its values and its security — by the agenda of far-right ultranationalists and religious zealots.

We have spoken out about these looming threats because we care so deeply about the state and the people of Israel who are our family, our friends and our colleagues.

We’ve centered our work opposing settlements, demolitions and creeping annexation precisely on the point that never-ending occupation will ultimately take a toll on the occupier, not just on the occupied — and will lead to the erosion of Israel’s very democracy itself.

Sadly, the far-right — and the settlement movement at its core — that has single-mindedly pursued permanent control over the West Bank and dominance over the Palestinian people is now firmly in control of the government of Israel.

14.02.2023 - 05:53 [ Haaretz ]

J Street Bashers Back Off: AIPAC Backs America and Israel’s Most Dangerous Right-wingers

AIPAC demands that American Jews leave their consciences and values at the door. But we will no longer automatically back a ‚pro-Israel‘ organization that supports those who subvert democracy – at home and in Israel

13.02.2023 - 17:04 [ Barak Ravid, Diplomatic Correspondent at Walla News / Nitter ]

More than 100K Israelis demonstrated today in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem against Netanyahu’s plan to weaken the Supreme Court & other Democratic institutions. The government still refuses to accept President Herzog’s proposal and suspend the legislation

(Video: Yair Palti)

13.02.2023 - 15:23 [ Haaretz / Nitter ]

LIVE UPDATES: 80,000 Israelis gather in Jerusalem to protest judicial overhaul amid mass strike

13.02.2023 - 15:19 [ Times of Israel ]

Mass protests against judicial overhaul start, thousands flock to Jerusalem

Mass rallies began Monday morning across the country as thousands headed to Jerusalem amid a large-scale strike to protest the government’s plans to impose radical, sweeping changes on the judiciary.

Thousands of parents and students were marching in Tel Aviv, while protesters blockaded the main entrance to the airport as others demonstrated outside the home of a far-right lawmaker.

13.02.2023 - 13:54 [ Michael A. Horowitz / Nitter ]

Picture of the protest in #Jerusalem denouncing Netanyahu’s attempt to curtail the judiciary

13.02.2023 - 13:41 [ @i24NEWS_EN / Nitter ]

ISRAEL: Shouting breaks out as the Knesset Constitution, Law & Justice Committee convenes to vote on the proposed judicial reform package Opposition lawmakers can be heard chanting “SHAME,” as the committee chairman refuses to heed the President’s call to delay the vote

13.02.2023 - 12:47 [ Haaretz.com / Nitter ]

Knesset law committee approves law barring High Court from interfering in Basic Laws

LIVE UPDATES

13.02.2023 - 12:47 [ Haaretz ]

Black Monday: Anyone Who Cares About Israel Must Strike Today

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee will begin a legislative blitz on Monday whose goal is to overturn Israel’s system of government. Committee chairman Simcha Rothman will try to secure passage of bills that would bar the Supreme Court from overturning unconstitutional Basic Laws and change the Judicial Appointments Committee’s composition so that representatives of the governing coalition can select the judges.

13.02.2023 - 06:24 [ euronewsde / Nitter ]

An diesem Montag gibt es in Israel einen Generalstreik aus Protest gegen die Regierung von Benjamin Netanjahu und die geplante Justizreform.

12.02.2023 - 08:20 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

62% of Israelis want Netanyahu to stop or pause the planned „reform“ 42% Netanyahu bloc voters want the plan paused or stopped 45% Netanyahu bloc voters want plan to move ahead. 50% of Israelis support the general strike on Monday 31% oppose

(@N12News poll)

12.02.2023 - 08:10 [ Haaretz ]

Israelis Decry ‘Dictatorship of Criminals’ in Sixth Week of anti-Netanyahu Gov’t Protests

The anti-occupation bloc was also present, chanting “no apartheid government… from Sheikh Jarrah to Jenin, Palestine will be free.” Members of the group carried Palestinian and LGBTQ pride flags.

„Democracy is not built on the bodies of children. Democracy is not built on house demolitions and evictions,“ they shouted. Later in the evening, a man in the crowd reportedly attacked the bloc’s protesters and was detained by the police.

11.02.2023 - 12:56 [ Haggai Matar, board member at the Union of Journalists in Israel / Nitter ]

Late night session at the Knesset. MK Ofer Cassif is removed from the podium for calling the new government „fascist“ and for calling for „civil rebellion“

(07.02.2023)

11.02.2023 - 12:40 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Communist MK Urges the People to Rise Up against the Far-Right Govt’

(08.02.2023)

A Communist lawmaker on Tuesday urge at the Knesset podium citizens of the nation to civil unrest against the “dictatorship” of the new Netanyahu government. MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) was quickly removed by Knesset ushers. “In light of the current emergency situation, I call for civil unrest…” Cassif said before being interrupted by Deputy Speaker Nissim Vattori (Likud), who called on Knesset ushers to forcibly remove Cassif from the plenum.

The Hadash lawmakers present at the time then erupted in a shouting match, with Cassif and fellow opposition MKs labeling the coalition members as “fascists.”

11.02.2023 - 12:21 [ Haaretz ]

As Israel’s McCarthy Atmosphere Spreads, the Government Prepares Its Coup

And here, not a day goes by without more business owners moving their money and their activity, or at least some of it, abroad. As a self-defense mechanism to keep its value from being destroyed. Most them aren’t declaring this. It is their own personal money that they are moving. But in the atmosphere of McCarthyism that is spreading here like the plague, they are immediately denounced as traitors. As defaming the state. Foxes in its vineyards. Journalists who report on what is happening or bring evidence from other countries that have been through similar processes are chastised and lambasted.

10.02.2023 - 05:47 [ Times of Israel ]

Lapid backs call for general strike on Monday in anti-government protest

(08.02.2023)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid comes out in support of a worker’s strike on Monday in protest of the government’s judicial overhaul plan.

10.02.2023 - 04:57 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Netanyahu in 1993: Iran will have bomb by 1999

(04.03.2015)

The prime minister has been warning for over 20 years that Tehran is close to achieving its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

10.02.2023 - 04:51 [ WeAreTheMighty.com ]

Israeli Mossad is striking Iranian military centers and leaders, anywhere in the world

Aside from the biblical stories of persecution, Jews in Russia, Portugal and even Brooklyn, New York, have been the victims of anti-Jewish hate killings. Then, of course, there’s Nazi Germany.

Iran is just the latest to threaten the annihilation of the Jewish people, but this time, the Jewish people have a state of their own, a military that rivals anything in the region, and an intelligence service that is notoriously willing and able to do whatever it takes to protect the world’s Jews, especially those inside Israel.

10.02.2023 - 04:18 [ Haaretz ]

German Envoy ‚Disappointed‘ With Israeli Minister’s Claim That Iran, Germany Fund Anti-government Protests

In an interview with Army Radio this past Tuesday, the minister claimed that the left relies on foreign funding to carry out its political activity. “Let’s not even talk about foreign funding, where the left can take the right to school,” Distal Atbaryan said.

She added: “Funding from foreign nations and actors, most [of whom are] antisemites, taking people out into the streets without them knowing that the money [bankrolling them] to protest ultimately comes from countries like Germany or Iran – that’s what’s on the left.”

10.02.2023 - 04:12 [ ישראל פריי / Twitter ]

Minister of Propaganda in the Netanyahu government Distal to media: The Israelis protesting against the judiciary coup are funded by anti-Semitic countries like Germany and Iran

(08.02.2023)

08.02.2023 - 21:37 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Doctors and Health Professionals to Join General Strike to Protest Judicial Overhaul

In a statement, the healthcare professionals‘ civil organizations said: „Israeli democracy is under brutal attack and we must not stand by. The dangerous changes promoted by the government will fatally harm the physical and mental health of the public, and healthcare in Israel. This is a matter of saving lives, and we do it out of commitment to our patients, and for the future of Israel.“

On Tuesday, protest leaders called for a shutdown of Israel’s economy next Monday in response to the far-right government’s plan to overhaul Israel’s legal system.

08.02.2023 - 21:31 [ Haaretz ]

In Key Vote on Weakening Judiciary, Netanyahu Aims to Assuage Far Right, Steal a March on Left

In the Knesset next week, the new hard-right cabinet will launch its efforts to increase the government’s representation on the Judicial Appointments Committee, the first plank in a bid to sap the strength of the Supreme Court

08.02.2023 - 21:12 [ Haaretz ]

As Israel Descends Into Chaos, Clowns Are Running the Circus

Anyone who derives pleasure from crudely splashing filthy water around, anyone interested in seeing what a crazy circus looks like, one that drives everyone mad and gives its audience a neurosis and a massive headache, is invited to come to the Knesset Constitution Committee, where discussions are being held on the coup against our system of government (which its sponsors dub “legal reform”).

08.02.2023 - 06:36 [ @talschneider / Twitter ]

Day #31 in Israel’s deterioration to a less democratic state: Votes on the judicial coup will begin tomorrow -in the committee and on Monday in the plenum

(07.02.2023)

08.02.2023 - 06:30 [ Times of Israel ]

Top Bank of Israel official quits, says he can’t remain ‘while democracy in danger’

(23 January 2023)

Hazan, a senior lecturer and an expert on macroeconomics and growth at Tel Aviv University, was a member of the bank’s six-person monetary committee which is tasked with setting the interest rate every six weeks. A replacement for him will be sought.

In Hazan’s letter of resignation, he cited his intent to “become involved in the sociopolitical sphere.”

08.02.2023 - 06:17 [ Times of Israel ]

University chiefs warn judicial reform will spark global academic boycott

(23 January 2023)

“This is liable to manifest itself as a brain drain, and in the fact that faculty members will hesitate to join our ranks; that students, research students, post-doctoral students, and international colleagues will not come to Israel; that our access to international research funds will be limited; that foreign industries will withdraw themselves from cooperating with Israeli academia; and we will be excluded from the international research and educational community,” the Committee of University Heads wrote.

08.02.2023 - 03:45 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Will Israel stay a parliamentary democracy or become a dictatorship? – opinion

If an incumbent majority in an elected legislature that forms the government has absolute power to make any changes to the law it wants, it becomes a parliamentary dictatorship.

08.02.2023 - 03:17 [ Haaretz ]

In Battle Against Judicial Overhaul, Protest Leaders Call for Shutdown of Israeli Economy

The leaders added that they will stage a protest in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem at the same time the government is slated to bring parts of the plan to weaken the judicial system before the Knesset for a first vote.

„The plan to swiftly pass the laws of the dictatorship will face the people of Israel, more determined than ever to maintain their independence,“ the organizers said in a statement.

07.02.2023 - 21:38 [ Dan Arbell / Nitter ]

Breaking: the protests against the Netanyahu govt.’s onslaught on the judicial branch are moving one notch up, as organizers just announced a general strike throughout Israel that’ll be held next Monday (Feb.13)

#defendingdemocracyindaylight

05.02.2023 - 22:13 [ Haaretz ]

The Battle for Democracy Will Divide Israel for Years

It was a fifth weekend of mass protests in Tel Aviv and other cities, somewhat overshadowed by a bizarre social media post by a retired air force officer. According to Col. Zeev Raz, “If a prime minister stands up and assumes dictatorial powers, he’s a dead man. It’s as simple as that.”

This prime minister, who’s not quite yet a dictator, spent the weekend in Paris after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

05.02.2023 - 22:06 [ theGuardian.com ]

Israel protests: thousands rally for fifth week against government’s legal reforms

Crowds carrying blue and white Israeli flags filled the city’s central Kaplan Street on Saturday, with signs labelling the new government a “threat to world peace”.

The protests have become a weekly fixture on Saturday evenings since the prime minister’s new government – dubbed the most rightwing in Israel’s history – took office in late December.

03.02.2023 - 19:27 [ CBC.ca ]

House Republicans vote to oust Democrat Ilhan Omar from key committee, citing Israel comments

The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments, in a dramatic response after Democrats in the last session booted far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks.

29.01.2023 - 07:48 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Protest | 60,000 Rally Against ‘Government of Tyranny’ for Fourth Week

‚It’s important that they know their parents fought for democracy – that we fought for their future,‘ one protester who attended with her daughters and niece says

28.01.2023 - 20:38 [ Matti Friedman / Nitter ]

Jerusalem protest, week 3. Subdued because of the terror attacks, but a big and diverse crowd outside the President’s House:

28.01.2023 - 20:32 [ Danielle Bett / Nitter ]

Pro-democracy protests across Israel today began with a minutes silence for the victims of terror in Jerusalem. But despite it all – we continue to protest. We must. We can’t allow this government to use terror attacks to stop or silence us. Democracy is needed more than ever.

(today)

28.01.2023 - 20:29 [ @noa_landau / Nitter ]

Tel aviv march against the government.

📸: Amir Goldstein

28.01.2023 - 20:21 [ Tomer Appelbaum / Nitter ]

ההפגנה נכון ל20:05

28.01.2023 - 19:38 [ Haaretz.com / Nitter ]

A few hundred Orthodox Jewish protesters are at a demonstration in Tel Aviv, marching with banners against the Netanyahu-led government’s judicial overhaul

28.01.2023 - 19:18 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Protest | Tel Aviv Protests Kicks Off With Minute of Silence for Victims of J’lem Attacks

Thousands are protesting in Tel Aviv on Kaplan street, according to police estimates.

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.“

22.01.2023 - 14:08 [ theNationalNews.com ]

Netanyahu’s hard-right government poses challenge for old friend Biden

(20.01.2023)

On a sweltering day last July, US President Joe Biden, on his first presidential visit to Israel, made sure to seek out his old friend Benjamin Netanyahu in the crowd of Israeli delegates welcoming him to the Holy Land.

At the time, Mr Netanyahu’s political fortunes were diminished. After more than a decade in power, he was now opposition leader, having been replaced by a fragile alliance of younger leaders.

Mr Biden’s overture on the tarmac of Ben Gurion Airport appeared to be simply a recognition of their decades-long friendship.

22.01.2023 - 14:02 [ Times of Israel ]

‘Night is descending upon Israel’: Masses rally against Netanyahu’s government

Moshe Ya’alon, former defense minister and protest leader, addresses the estimated 100,000 Israelis gathered on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street to call Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government a “dictatorship of criminals.”

“A state in which the PM will appoint all of the judges, there’s a name for it: dictatorship,” he says.

21.01.2023 - 19:15 [ @NTarnopolsky / Twitter ]

Ha’aretz reports Israel Police say over 100,000 protestors are on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street, a further 10,000 are at HaBima Square– and thousands more are protesting throughout the country.

21.01.2023 - 19:13 [ Partners for Progressive Israel / Twitter ]

If you’re in Israel: Tomorrow, January 21, at 7pm local time on Kaplan Street: „Stopping the regime coup. Fighting for democracy.“

(20.01.2023)

21.01.2023 - 18:54 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Massive Anti-government Protests in Mayor Cities Planned for Saturday Night

he main protest in Tel Aviv will be divided, with one organizer, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, holding a rally at Habima Square for the second weekend in a row while other most radical organizers will demonstrate less than a kilometer away at the intersection of Kaplan and Begin streets. After skipping the twolast week’s events, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said Wednesday he would attend this weekend, alongside other members of the opposition.

The Black Flag protest group said it would center its efforts on Kaplan Street and urged opposition politicians to show up. “Following the attack on the judicial system over Deri’s disqualification, and the calls from within the coalition to disobey the ruling, the organizers of the demonstration are calling on the heads of the opposition parties to announce that they will come to the mass demonstration and stand at the head of the protest march,” said Black Flags in a statement.

16.01.2023 - 18:09 [ עומדים ביחד نقف معًا Standing Together / Nitter ]

Huge turnout tonight in Tel-Aviv, against the policies of the Far-Right government. Thousands of our purple placards, in Hebrew and Arabic, were raised in the rally, saying: THIS IS THE HOME OF ALL OF US. We will continue to fight for equality, democracy, justice and peace.

(14.01.2023)

16.01.2023 - 18:01 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

100,000 Rally in Israel to Protest Netanyahu’s Far-right Gov’t

Police in Tel Aviv said around 80,000 protesters had gathered at and around Habima square.

Protests were also taking place in Jerusalem, Haifa and other cities, as center and left-wing parties, including Hadash and the Communist Party of Israel called on Jews and Arabs to reject new government policies. The demonstration marked the second week that opponents of Netanyahu’s government took to the streets.

16.01.2023 - 12:10 [ Ehud Barak / Ynetnews.com ]

Netanyahu’s rule will end, but the road may be long

As we speak, sparks of collective will, determination, and unity are being ignited. If we get pushed over the edge, fire will break out. And if attempts to dismantle the Israeli Declaration of Independence persist, its flames will grow and spread.

The day a million citizens take to the streets, this government will crumble.

I don’t know how long it will take, or how much harm will be done on the way. What I do know is that at the end of the day – we will prevail.

16.01.2023 - 12:05 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Netanyahu brushes off mass protests; calls justice reform ‚will of the people‘

„My friends and I, many of whom are here around the table, have said this countless times, and millions of citizens who voted for the right-wing camp knew about the intention to reform the judicial system comprehensively,“ the prime minister added. „More than that, they demanded it from us. Anyone who was at our election rallies, in the city centers, in the neighborhoods, we heard the voice rising from the crowd.“

16.01.2023 - 11:18 [ Haaretz ]

With only days left in his four-year term as leader of the Israel Defense Forces, Aviv Kochavi speaks out against plans for defense and security by Israel’s most extreme government ever

(13.01.2023)

With only days left in his four-year term as leader of the Israel Defense Forces, Aviv Kochavi speaks out against plans for defense and security by Israel’s most extreme government ever

16.01.2023 - 11:12 [ derStandard.at ]

Landesweite Proteste als „letzte Rettung“ gegen ultrarechte Regierung in Israel

(14.01.2023)

Dutzende Bürgerrechtsplattformen, sämtliche Oppositionsparteien und zahlreiche frühere hohe Offiziere der Armee und des Geheimdienstes haben aufgerufen, sich der Demonstration anzuschließen. Eine der Plattformen, die „Schwarzen Flaggen“, warnen in ihrem Aufruf vor nichts weniger als einem „Putschversuch“ der neuen Regierung.

15.01.2023 - 14:20 [ Deborah Achtenberg / Nitter ]

Jew and Arabs together say, „This is the Home of All of Us“ at rallies organized by Standing Together (Omdim Beyachad) including one in Tel Aviv numbering 30,000.

15.01.2023 - 14:14 [ Anshel Pfeffer / Haaretz ]

The Tel Aviv Protest Was a Success, but It’s Only the First Test in a Long Struggle

But this protest still has no leader. The official leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, wasn’t even there and the smaller opposition figures were greeted with politeness at best, but with no great excitement. There were even some angry shouts towards Labor leader Merav Michaeli.

15.01.2023 - 13:52 [ Haaretz ]

„A Mortal Wound to Democracy“: Israel’s Chief Justice Slams Netanyahu’s Legal Overhaul

Hayut said the clause “will deprive the court of the option to override laws that disproportionately violate human rights, including the right to life, property, freedom of movement, as well as the basic right of human dignity and its derivatives – the right to equality, freedom of speech and more.”

The planned override clause authorizes the Knesset, with the support of the government, to make laws without obstruction that would hurt these rights. That’s why anyone who thinks that this override clause overrides the court is mistaken. It’s actually an override of human rights in every aspect of Israeli society.”

15.01.2023 - 13:20 [ Haarez ]

Journalist Israel Frey: ‘If I Were Palestinian I Would Have Been Arrested and Disappeared’

He was arrested after not reporting for police questioning in the wake of a tweet that he posted. The Israeli right has pegged him as an enemy of the state, for others he’s the hero of the hour. Who is ultra-Orthodox journalist Israel Frey? What drives him – and why doesn’t he regret his actions despite the high price he’s paying?
Send in e-mailSend in e-mail

15.01.2023 - 12:41 [ theGuardian.com ]

Netanyahu is Israel’s own worst enemy. Why won’t western allies confront him?

A few have issued veiled warnings. None has imposed the sort of sanctions or boycotts levelled in the past on political extremists in other countries.

The coalition’s objectionable plans raise a broader, uncomfortable question for the US and Europe reaching beyond the too-familiar abuses and impunity of military occupation. In short, can Israel still be considered a reliable, law-abiding ally that shares a set of common values and standards with the western democracies? Maybe this is why governments are keeping stumm.

15.01.2023 - 12:27 [ BBC ]

Over 80,000 Israelis protest against Supreme Court reform

More than 80,000 Israeli protesters have rallied in Tel Aviv against plans by the new right-wing coalition government to overhaul the judiciary.

The reforms would make it easier for parliament to overturn Supreme Court rulings, among other things.

14.01.2023 - 20:25 [ Crannofonix / Youtube ]

LIVE | Anti-Government Protests in Tel Aviv – Demonstrations Against Netanyahu and His Government

Live from Tel Aviv on Saturday, January 14, as hundreds are gathering to demonstrate against recently-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

The protesters are rallying against judicial reforms announced earlier this month by new Justice Minister Yariv Levin, which give lawmakers increased powers over the Supreme Court.

Netanyahu himself has said that the plans give ‚the right balance between the three branches’ of government; the legislative, executive and judiciary.

14.01.2023 - 19:52 [ Uri Weltmann אורי וולטמן أوري فلطمان / Nitter ]

בשבוע שעבר התעקשנו בעומדים ביחד לסיים את הפגנת הענק בעצרת שקרוב למחצית מהנואמים בה היו ערבים-פלסטינים אזרחי ישראל, שרוב גדול מהדוברים בה היו נשים, ושנתנה ביטוי גם למאבק של הקהילה הטרנסית נגד אפליה ודיכוי, לקולות מתוך הציבור החרדי שמתעקשים על שלום ישראלי-פלסטיני ועל שוויון, >

14.01.2023 - 19:38 [ Yonat Friling (Frühling) / Nitter ]

Happening now in Tel Aviv: more than 50,000 people protesting against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, despite the rainy weather. This is the 2nd week. Similar protests in Jerusalem and Haifa.

14.01.2023 - 19:06 [ Washngton Post ]

Israel braces for massive protests as far-right government targets courts

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in November elections after a year and a half on the sidelines, propelled by a bloc of once-fringe, far-right partners. In the two weeks since its inauguration, his government has embarked on a blitz of legislative initiatives, characterizing them as a “revision” to right the “imbalance among the three branches of government.”

But critics say the measures amount to a “coup d’etat” that will destroy the nation’s system of checks and balances to save Netanyahu from prosecution in three separate corruption cases and embolden his extremist religious partners to advance legislation supporting the expansion of Jewish settlement in the West Bank and the application of conservative Jewish law to public institutions.

14.01.2023 - 18:54 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Netanyahu’s Judicial Reform Push Bolsters Opposition and Protests

The far-eight government’s planned judicial reform will “crush” the Israeli judicial system, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut warned at the annual convention of The Israeli Association of Public Law on Thursday evening. “Israel will soon mark 75 years of independence, the 75th year will be remembered as the year in which Israel’s democracy suffered a fatal blow,” said Hayut. “This is an unbridled attack on the judicial system, as if it were an enemy that must be attacked and subdued.”

14.01.2023 - 18:34 [ i24news.tv ]

Police boosts security as major anti-govt rallies staged in Jlem, Tel Aviv

Tens of thousands of Israelis were gathering in central Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem on Saturday to stage twin rallies against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

14.01.2023 - 18:29 [ Haaretz ]

Thousands Protesting Netanyahu’s Far-right Gov’t, Police Boost Forces in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv District commander Maj. Gen. Amichai Ashad said in a briefing to the police on Saturday that “the policy has not changed,” and added: “We only have one interest: to allow this demonstration to take place, in its full capacity,” he said. Ashad instructed police to be “very, very sensitive, and very, very patient,” and noted that the police would only act against people who commit “vandalism and behave violently.”

11.01.2023 - 16:45 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Hadash-Ta’al Chair Odeh Accuses Lapid of Constantly Lying

Hadash-Ta’al MK Ayman Odeh accuses liberal opposition leader MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) of “constantly lying,” pointing to comments he made earlier today saying the Arab-Jewish list is working together with Likud. “He knows that it doesn’t have a grain of truth, that it’s all lies,” Odeh says Monday at a faction meeting in the Knesset of the Hadash-Ta’al parliamentary faction. “You didn’t succeed in leading your camp in the election, you’re not succeeding in leading the opposition,” Odeh says to Lapid. “You got used to the ‘nice Arab,” therefore it’s hard for you to deal with Arabs with a backbone.”

11.01.2023 - 16:40 [ Haaretz ]

Who Will Lead the Real Opposition to Netanyahu’s Onslaught?

The largest demonstration held so far against the new government of Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, was notable in that none of the leaders of the parties of the previous government were present. It wasn’t just leader of the opposition Yair Lapid, who was on a brief weekend vacation in Paris. None of his other colleagues turned up either.

11.01.2023 - 13:32 [ Haaretz ]

‚Police Promised They Won’t Be Violent Against Protesters‘ in Tel Aviv This Weekend

Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai met on Wednesday with former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon, former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, and attorney Eliad Shraga, chairman of The Movement for Quality Government, in light of the protest against planned judicial reforms in Israel and ahead of the Saturday demonstration in Tel Aviv.

10.01.2023 - 10:18 [ Antiwar.com ]

Netanyahu Tells AIPAC It’s Time for the US and Israel to ‘Close Ranks’ on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Monday and said it was time for the US and Israel to become more closely aligned on Iran.

“It’s time to close ranks between Israel and the United States – and others. And I look forward to discussing this issue with President Biden and his team. I think there is more of a meeting of the minds today than there has ever been,” Netanyahu said in a video address to AIPAC members in Washington.

Netanyahu is a staunch opponent of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, known as the JCPOA, and played a major role in convincing the Trump administration to pull out of the agreement in 2018 and reimpose sanctions on Iran. Now that he’s presiding over a new Israeli government, Netanyahu is set to continue Israel’s hawkish approach toward Tehran.

08.01.2023 - 13:42 [ @Flash_news_ua / Nitter ]

In Israel, 10,000 people came out to protest in Tel Aviv, — The Times of Israel. The protesters are opponents of the new Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. The action was held in connection with the publication of plans to change the judicial system of Israel

08.01.2023 - 13:41 [ FRANCE 24 / Youtube ]

Israël : manifestation contre le gouvernement Netanyahu à Tel-Aviv • FRANCE 24

Une marche contre le gouvernement de Benjamin Netanyahu a rassemblé samedi soir plusieurs milliers de manifestants à Tel-Aviv. Ces derniers dénoncent la présence d'“extrémistes“ et le danger qu’ils représentent selon eux pour la démocratie.

08.01.2023 - 13:12 [ Haaretz ]

Thousands March in Tel Aviv in Protest of Netanyahu’s Far-right Gov’t, Judicial Overhaul

At the Standing Together rally, Ayman Odeh, chairman of the left-wing Hadash party, said: „With this historic crisis there is also a huge and historic opportunity… The fascists‘ only chance is to separate us, and we won’t let them.“

After his speech, Odeh said that he was attacked by a protester. „After my speech tonight against the fascism I was verbally assaulted by a group of fscist protesters, one of them physically attacked me and was immediately pushed away by protesters around me,“ he said on Twitter.

04.01.2023 - 17:20 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Israel can normalize ties with Saudi Arabia – with Biden’s help – opinion

“First, a written agreement defining our strategic partnership and what the US commitment is to our security if we’re attacked.

“Second, a status that assures us that US weapons sales will be reliable. It’s intolerable that from one month to the next we don’t know anymore if the US will fulfill its commitments. We need to be treated more like NATO or Israel where we can disagree on political and economic issues, but the underlying commitment to sell us what we need to defend ourselves doesn’t change.

04.01.2023 - 07:18 [ Times of Israel ]

UN Security Council slated to meet on widely decried Temple Mount visit by Ben Gvir

A date has not been set for the Security Council meeting — which was formally requested by the United Arab Emirates and China on behalf of the Palestinian and Jordanian UN missions — but it could take place as early as Thursday, a diplomat on the top panel told The Times of Israel.

04.01.2023 - 07:15 [ CNN ]

Israel’s far-right Ben Gvir visits flashpoint Jerusalem holy site as Palestinians slam ‚provocation‘

Ben Gvir entered the compound on Tuesday but not the Al-Aqsa Mosque building itself. The lawmaker’s visit was his first since he was sworn in last week as national security minister, in what is set to be the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. It is led by Netanyahu, who has returned for his sixth term as prime minister at the head of a coalition that includes several extremist parties.

04.01.2023 - 06:47 [ theNationalNews.com ]

Eli Cohen makes first phone call to Russian counterpart Lavrov as Israeli foreign minister

Mr Cohen, a senior member of returning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, spoke to Mr Lavrov a day after he gave his first speech as Foreign Minister.

Mr Cohen said Israeli aid to Ukraine would continue, during his address on Monday, adding that there would be “less talk” on the Russia-Ukraine issue.

04.01.2023 - 06:41 [ Haaretz ]

Team Biden’s Effusiveness to Netanyahu Is Thirty Years Outdated

Israel, Cohen said, will take a more pro-Russian position on the Ukraine war. Israel will not condemn Russia, he added, noting that he will speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry, he ceremoniously promised, will “prepare a detailed presentation to the security cabinet on the issue.”

That’s quite the statement from a man with less than 24 hours’ foreign policy experience, slated to serve as foreign minister for just a year (later returning for a further year in rotation).

04.01.2023 - 06:23 [ Haaretz ]

IN PHOTOS: U.S. Jews Protest Netanyahu Government Outside Israeli Embassy in Washington

(02.04.2022)

WASHINGTON – Dozens of liberal American Jews on Monday demonstrated outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new extremist coalition, warning of the dangers it poses for U.S. Jewry, the two-state solution and Israeli democracy.

Organized by Americans for Peace Now, the protest was largely meant to support similar protests in Israel organized by its sister organization Peace Now.

02.01.2023 - 09:58 [ Times of Israel ]

UN asks world court to weigh in on Israeli ‘occupation’ and ‘annexation’

The resolution is titled “Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories” and calls on the Hague-based ICJ to “render urgently an advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.”

It also calls for an investigation into Israeli measures “aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem” and says Israel has adopted “discriminatory legislation and measures.”

02.01.2023 - 09:56 [ Haaretz ]

Why Won’t Netanyahu and His Far-right Allies Own the Occupation?

The United Nations on Friday gave the Israeli right a golden opportunity and the ideal international podium in which to stand up and unequivocally declare with clarity and resolve what they claim to believe: that something the world calls “occupation” is not temporary but permanent. Instead, true to character, they whine, lament and moan. Instead of owning it, they cry foul.

01.01.2023 - 18:42 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s Military Chiefs Could Face a ‚Mark Milley Moment‘ With New Government

According to “I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year,” by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, Milley was more emphatic in private conversations. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was telling lawmakers and colleagues at the time that any Trump-led attempted coup would fail.

“They may try, but they’re not going to fucking succeed,” he told his deputies, according to the book. “You can’t do this without the military. You can’t do this without the CIA and the FBI. We’re the guys with the guns.”

30.12.2022 - 19:37 [ Reuters ]

Israel’s Netanyahu urges US to reaffirm commitment to Saudi Arabia – Al Arabiya

(December 15, 2022)

„The traditional (U.S.) alliance with Saudi Arabia and other countries, has to be reaffirmed. There should not be periodic swings, or even wild swings in this relationship, because I think that the alliance…is the anchor of stability in our region,“ Netanyahu told the Saudi-owned website.

„I’m to speak to President Biden about it,“ Netanyahu said according to a published transcript of the interview.

30.12.2022 - 19:20 [ Haaretz ]

As It Was Sworn In, Israel’s Far-right Government Diverted Attention From the Real Catastrophe

For an entire year, from June 2021 to June 2022, he led a campaign of incitement, vilification and calls for insurrection against the outgoing government.

By means overt and covert, in violation of all rules of the game both in parliament and on the street, through violent thugs operating with his tacit blessing. His methods should be learned in every school for budding dictators, and every fascist cadet course.

29.12.2022 - 14:54 [ The Independent / Youube ]

Live: Israeli protesters gather in front of Knesset

Israeli left-wing and centrist activists as well as other protesters gathered in front of Israeli Knesset to protest against the inauguration of Netanyahu’s new government.

29.12.2022 - 13:53 [ Haaretz ]

This Is Netanyahu’s Dream State: Racist, Religious and Authoritarian

In his second comeback, Netanyahu has a chance to realize his old fantasy and land a knockout to liberal democratic Israel.

29.12.2022 - 13:47 [ ORF.at ]

Israels ultrarechte Regierung übernimmt

Der frühere Langzeitministerpräsident Netanjahu kehrt nach anderthalb Jahren zurück an die Macht. In Israels Geschichte war niemand länger im Amt als der 73-Jährige. Erstmals sind in einer israelischen Regierung auch rechtsextreme Politiker in der Koalition vertreten.

Netanjahu nannte als zentrale Ziele unter anderem: Alles tun, „damit der Iran uns nicht mit einer Atombombe zerstört“, und Annäherungsabkommen mit weiteren arabischen Staaten abschließen.

21.12.2022 - 02:42 [ Haaretz ]

Stop Persecuting Palestinian Rapper, Tamer Nafar

On Saturday, police in Haifa detained for questioning three Arab protesters who waved Palestinian flags and, on the same day, other police stopped a performance by the Palestinian rapper Tamer Nafar in the Christmas Market in the village of Kafr Yasif, claiming that his songs incite the state (See page 3).

These events are serious. They signal a change for the worse in the attitude, bad to begin with, toward the Palestinian minority, and they seem to be an attempt to criminalize Palestinian identity. The song that led police to stop Nafar’s show was “Salam Ya Sakhbi” – about violence in Arab society.

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.

20.11.2022 - 16:04 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel’s national security adviser praises Iran protests

Israel’s National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata on Sunday addressed the ongoing protests in Iran during a security conference in Bahrain’s capital Manama.

Speaking directly to Iranian women in Farsi, he said that „women’s lives are important.“

20.11.2022 - 15:53 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s Religious and Far-right Parties Demand Law to Legitimize Gender Segregation

In exchange for joining the coalition, the far-right Religious Zionism and United Torah Judaism parties have demanded legislation that gender separation at public events will not be considered discrimination. Likud has not yet decided whether to grant the demand.

20.11.2022 - 15:41 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Top Ben Gvir Aide: Legal Adviser for Group that Donates to Rabin Assassin and Jewish Terrorists

Chanamel Dorfman, the adviser who racist Otzma Yehudit chairman MK Itamar Ben Gvir (Religious Zionism) has described as his “right-hand man” helped establish an organization that donates money to incarcerated Jewish terrorists and extremists, among them prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin Yigal Amir, Channel 13 revealed Thursday.

20.11.2022 - 15:36 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Islamist Ra’am Will ‘Leave Door Open to Dialogue’ With Incoming Far-right Coalition

(15.11.2022)

The Islamist Ra’am party stressed on Sunday that although it sits in the opposition, it will not necessarily vote in line with the bloc that opposes incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will keep the channels of communications open with the next far-right and racist coalition, specifically when it comes to matters that concern Arab-Palestinian communities in Israel.

14.11.2022 - 08:14 [ ORF.at ]

Palästinensischer Präsident will mit Netanyahu verhandeln

Der palästinensische Präsident Mahmud Abbas ist bereit, mit dem israelischen Wahlsieger Benjamin Netanyahu über eine Lösung des Nahost-Konflikts zu verhandeln. „Ich kenne Netanyahu seit langem, seit den 1990er-Jahren“, sagte Abbas im palästinensischen Fernsehen gestern. „Er ist ein Mann, der nicht an den Frieden glaubt, aber ich habe keine andere Wahl, als mit ihm zu verhandeln.“

14.11.2022 - 07:45 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s New Proposed Civics Curriculum Favors Loyalty to State Over Equal Rights

Israel’s new junior high school civics curriculum highlights Jewish aspects of Israel and the power of the government while reducing the focus on civil and human rights, the status of the Arab minority, judicial oversight, equal rights and other components of democracy.

According to sources in the Education Ministry, the curriculum, which was formulated over the past year by five members of the curriculum committee (all Jews, and three are religiously observant), is expected to serve as a basis for a new high school civics program in the future. It is pending final approval.

04.11.2022 - 06:39 [ Arsen Ostrovsky / Nitter ]

Curious, why President #Biden has not yet congratulated Benjamin #Netanyahu on #Israel elections win? Host of other world leaders have done so and it took Biden less than 1hr to congratulate Lula earlier this week.

04.11.2022 - 06:14 [ Axios ]

Netanyahu assured Putin „I will be back soon“ after losing election

(Oct 13, 2021)

Days after being ousted as prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu passed a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin promising a quick comeback, a source close to Netanyahu and a European diplomat told me.

Why it matters: Netanyahu and Putin had a close relationship that grew even closer after Russia began its military involvement in Syria in 2015.

03.11.2022 - 03:52 [ AtlanticCouncil.org ]

As the election fog clears, Netanyahu poised to ride a hungry, far-right tiger

Conflicting priorities to maximize the performance of their own anchor slates and also strengthen the market shares of their allied factions—with which they would aspire to craft ruling coalitions—were the source of schizophrenic messaging by Likud and Yesh Atid, which left voters to choose in whom to place their trust. Those decisions shaped the current playing field.

02.11.2022 - 09:55 [ Haaretz ]

Kahanism Won. Israel Is Now Closing in on a Right-wing, Religious, Authoritarian Revolution

In recent years, Israel has become terrifyingly more extreme. Everything we were warned about is happening right before our eyes.

02.11.2022 - 09:45 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Wahl in Israel: Netanyahu kann Vorsprung ausbauen

In der Zeitung „Jediot Ahronot“ schrieb die Kolumnistin Sima Kadmon vor der Wahl: „Falls Netanyahu triumphiert, werden dies die letzten Tage des Staates Israel sein, wie wir ihn seit 75 Jahren kennen.“ Seine Kritiker sehen im Ex-Regierungschef eine Gefahr für die Demokratie. Würde er wieder Ministerpräsident werden, könnte das seine Chancen erheblich verbessern, eine Verurteilung oder eine Haftstrafe in den Korruptionsprozessen gegen ihn abzuwenden.

02.11.2022 - 00:55 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Wahl in Israel: Netanyahus Bündnis laut Prognosen vorn

Israel hat gewählt – zum fünften Mal binnen dreieinhalb Jahren. Erste Prognosen sehen das Bündnis von Oppositionsführer und Ex-Premierminister Netanyahu knapp vorn. Er will eine nationalkonservative Koalition schmieden.

02.11.2022 - 00:49 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election Exit Polls: Netanyahu Secures Razor-thin Majority, Shock Triumph for Far Right

According to Kan 11 public television, the exit polls show:

– Likud: 30 seats
– Yesh Atid: 22 seats
– Religious Zionism: 15 seats
– National Unity Party: 13 seats
– Shas: 10 seats
– United Torah Judaism: 7 seats
– Labor: 5 seats
– Yisrael Beitenu: 5 seats
– The United Arab List: 5 seats
– Meretz: 4 seats
– Hadash-Ta’al: 4 seats
– Habayit Hayehudi: Under electoral threshold
– Balad: Under electoral threshold

31.10.2022 - 11:55 [ Haaretz ]

Will Israel Fall to the Far Right Without a Whimper?

In his desperation to vacuum up every last vote on the right, to establish a government pliant enough to interfere with, if not quash, his criminal trial, Netanyahu engineered a political path to bring the far right in from the cold. He has diligently mentored their fortunes, even hosting Ben-Gvir at his home in Caesarea.

29.10.2022 - 04:07 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Lapid Reiterates Hadash-Ta’al Will Not Sit in His Coalition

However, with four days left, no clear coalition can be created following Tuesday’s election, according to a final poll carried out by Panels Politics on behalf of Maariv. As in a similar poll last Friday, the Netanyahu bloc received 60 seats, the Lapid bloc received 56 seats and Hadash-Ta’al received the remaining four, the survey found. The poll showed Hadash-Ta’al. Meretz, Labor, and Islamist Ra’am passing the electoral threshold of 3.25% of the general vote.

29.10.2022 - 03:54 [ Washington Post ]

Israel election: A far-right politician moves closer to power

For decades, Ben Gvir was a political untouchable. His roots in the overtly racist Kach party — founded by a radical American rabbi, Meir Kahane, and banned by Israel — put him beyond the fringe of even the most right-wing parties. That changed last year when then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had lost his governing coalition and was desperate for a few more parliamentary votes, invited Ben Gvir into his alliance.

Netanyahu downplayed his maneuver, largely dismissing Ben Gvir as a backbencher who wouldn’t play a major role in government.

What a difference a year makes.

29.10.2022 - 03:00 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Former army chief says Ben Gvir could spark ‘civil war’

Ben Gvir – leader of the Religious Zionism party and who the Israeli army refused to draft due to his extremist activities and views – is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Polls have credited his bloc with up to 14 seats in Israel’s parliament, which would make it the third-largest faction.

Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that if he were to regain his position as the Israeli premier, Ben Gvir would be a minister in his government.

24.10.2022 - 07:24 [ Haaretz ]

There Is a Place for Ben-Gvir in Netanyahu’s Cabinet, Former PM Says

The extreme-right MK Itamar Ben-Gvir would be a minister in a government formed by opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister said on Sunday evening.

When asked in a Channel 14 interview whether the Religious Zionism party member has a place in the cabinet if the right-wing-religious bloc receives 61 Knesset seats, Netanyahu responded „Yes, certainly.“

24.10.2022 - 06:48 [ @MairavZ / Nitter ]

Israeli elections are in 10 days and the apathy and fatigue are palpable, despite how high the stakes are – with the potential return of Netanyahu still on trial, the entry of the far right Zionist faction and the possible exclusion of a few Arab parties due to low voter turnout.

(22.10.2022)

21.10.2022 - 19:37 [ Haaretz ]

Legalizing Corruption

The reform that Bezalel Smotrich is proposing validates public corruption on a grand scale. It is intended as a come-on for Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters on the eve of the election, people who understand well that in contrast to the feigned denial of Smotrich, annulling the offense will necessarily lead to the cancelation of the bulk of the indictment against Netanyahu. This is another reminder of what is at stake in the forthcoming election.

19.10.2022 - 20:29 [ Haaretz ]

Two Weeks to Election Day, Netanyahu’s Right-wing Allies Are Going Rogue

The last thing Benjamin Netanyahu wants is for voters to start focusing on his political partners in Religious Zionism and the Haredi parties, but they’re acting as if they’ve already won the November 1 election

06.10.2022 - 14:11 [ IsraelHayom.com ]

Israel Hayom poll predicts election tie in Nov. 1 vote

(today)

Survey shows that were elections to be held now, the Netanyahu and Lapid blocs would garner 60 seats each, just one short of forming a coalition.

The upcoming election could be determined by a single Knesset seat, a poll conducted by Israel Hayom ahead of the Nov. 1 vote showed.

03.10.2022 - 17:33 [ Haaretz ]

The Trojan Horse That Is Destroying Israel

It would be interesting to know whether there will ever be a moment when supporters of the two-state solution will acknowledge that it is unfeasible, and when they will internalize that Israel is a binational state. After all, no official declaration will be issued. There will never be an official declaration. The Israeli government will not announce “in shock, with great sadness and deep sorrow,” as in Eitan Haber’s announcement of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the death of the two-state solution, the death of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and its rebirth from the ashes as a binational apartheid state.