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Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has signed a deal to give an Israeli government post to an openly homophobic ultra-nationalist party leader. It is the latest development set to give far-right parties unprecedented power within Israel's ruling coalition. Avi Maoz will be a deputy minister and run a "Jewish identity" authority. He heads Noam, a religious-nationalist, anti-Arab and anti-LGBTQ party that argues for a strict interpretation of Jewish religious laws in Israel. The agreement has added to a growing sense of alarm over the composition of Mr Netanyahu's likely government. Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid has described it as "full-on crazy",...

Reza Pahlavi, the son of late Iranian Shah, arrived in Israel on Monday on a trip that showed Israeli embrace of the Iranian figure who is seeking a regime change in his home country. Pahlavi arrived in Israel together with his wife, Yasmine. He met later with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Upon arrival, Pahlavi said he is committed to work for peace with Israel. The couple was welcomed at Ben Gurion International Airport by Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel. The minister referred to Pahlavi as "the Iranian crown prince" and as "the most senior Iranian personality ever to come on...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday that he is optimistic on the possibility of reaching an agreement on the government's planned judicial reforms. "We are currently in the process of negotiations with the aim of reaching a broad agreement. I would like to remind you that before the elections, many of the leaders of the current opposition supported fundamental changes in the judicial system. Therefore, there is a basis for agreements that can be reached with good will and genuine negotiations," Netanyahu said at the beginning of the Cabinet meeting. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant entered...

Israel is a sovereign country that does not make decisions based on pressures from abroad, says PM Netanyahu after US President Biden warned Tel Aviv "cannot continue" pressing for deeply controversial reforms. Israel is a sovereign nation that does not make decisions based on pressures from abroad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in response to comments by US President Joe Biden. Biden said on Tuesday he hoped Netanyahu would abandon judicial changes that had sparked protests in Israel and a political crisis for its government. "Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on Tuesday night to President Joe Biden's criticism of what is happening in Israel. “I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his longstanding commitment to Israel. The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us,” said Netanyahu. “My administration is committed to strengthening democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government, which we are striving to achieve via a broad consensus,” he added. “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its...

Civil unrest broke out in parts of Israel Sunday night after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister for criticizing the government's divisive judicial overhaul, prompting protesters to surge into the streets, universities to shut their doors, and union leaders to hint of a looming general strike.

As PM announces delay, protesters demand judicial reform move forward, rail against "elites", claim election was "stolen" from them Tens of thousands of government supporters demonstrated in Jerusalem on Monday in favor of its judicial overhaul and against its planned halt, shortly before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced it was being put on hold. The rally was the largest event of its kind since the government launched its far-reaching legislative plan in January. The past months have seen massive anti-overhaul protests, but supporters rallies were few and far between until it became clear Monday that the plan was being delayed....

Bending to a wave of mass protests, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed his contentious judicial overhaul plan Monday and said he wanted 'to avoid civil war' by making time to seek a compromise with political opponents. The announcement appeared to calm some of the tensions that have fueled three tumultuous months of unrest. But it failed to address the underlying issues that have polarized the nation, and the antigovernmental protest movement vowed to intensify its efforts. In his prime-time address, Netanyahu, who had previously rejected calls to delay the legislation, took a more conciliatory tone than in recent speeches....

JNS) After months of increasingly strident mass protests against his government’s plans to reform Israel’s out-of-control and highly partisan judicial system, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have given in to the pressure. He said he was going to be “delaying judicial reform to give real dialogue a chance.” But it’s highly doubtful that this will merely be a timeout that will help his supporters regroup and enable opponents to calm down and accept a compromise on the issue. On the contrary, Netanyahu is waving the white flag on judicial reform—and everyone knows it. And since the ultimate goal of...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded Donald Trump’s dinner with anti-Semitic rapper Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes as “horrible” in a stinging new attack on the former president. In an exclusive interview with me while mass protests continue in his home country over his controversial move to control judicial power, Netanyahu said of the secret meal at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida last fall: “I thought it was horrible. I think it’s a big mistake. It’s wrong from every point of view. It [anti-semitism] should not be countenanced, it should not be accepted, it should be rebuked...

Israel ratified a law on Thursday limiting the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed, despite worries voiced by a government jurist that it may be meant to shield the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu from any fallout from his corruption trials. The amended definition for the "incapacity" of national leaders is among legislative measures by the religious-nationalist coalition that have tipped Israel into crisis, with the opposition arguing that judicial independence is in peril. The coalition says the overhaul is aimed at pushing back against what it calls Supreme Court over-reach and restoring balance among branches of government.

The ongoing demonstrations in Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel are about more than just opposing the specific policies that make up the government’s judicial reform package. They are about removing from power Benjamin Netanyahu, whom protesters say is a dictator and a criminal who cannot legitimately hold the office of prime minister.And according to some Israeli and American officials, those domestic opponents bent on overthrowing Netanyahu are being fueled by money from the US Administration of President Joe Biden.Last week US Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) charged Biden and the Democratic Party with “trying to sabotage Netanyahu.”Citing a report...

Israel should establish rules of standing and recognize the distinction between policy and law.Judges and attorneys general throughout the world—I’ve served in both capacities in the U.S.—wield substantial authority. In any sound legal system, such authority is subject to clear, objective limits. That seemingly unexceptional principle might help clarify the debate roiling Israel over the country’s Supreme Court justices and attorney general, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposals to change that authority and the method of selecting justices.

An array of U.S. Jewish leaders are sounding alarms about what they see as a threat to Israel’s democracy posed by its new government, fearing it will erode the independence of its judiciary and legal protections for minority groups. While some Jewish leaders dismiss such fears are overblown, a solid majority of mainstream Jewish American groups are voicing unprecedented criticism of the Israeli government, raising fears about a growing rift between Israel and the predominately liberal American Jewish population. Some progressive voices have gone even further, saying Israel can never truly be a democracy as long as it rules over...

A policeman will be injured, a protester will be trampled, it will be violent and short. Yossi Klein in an article in 'Haaretz' about the legal reform: "You have to resist with force, it will be violent and short" The writer and journalist Yossi Klein claims in an article he wrote in the Haaretz newspaper that "protests are not effective..." According to him, "Protests belong to the old, polite world, a world where "public opinion" had an effect. This world is over." He refers to the demonstration last Monday outside the Knesset building and claimed that it was a "demonstration...

Netanyahu rejects Biden admin call to ‘pause’ Judea and Samaria construction U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly made the request during his visit last week to Israel in a bid to de-escalate tensions amid rampant Palestinian terrorism.

It was predictable given the fervor of the left-wing demonstrations against Benjamin Netanyahu that talk of assassination would arise sooner or later. Despite their own calls that right-wing Israelis accept the results of the previous election that propelled Yair Lapid and his center-left allies to power, left-wing Israelis have largely refused to pay the same courtesy to Netanyahu and his new coalition, which won a firm majority in the most recent vote. It’s not just that they oppose his proposed policies. They insist Bibi is an unrepentant criminal and a danger to democracy who must be removed from power. Since...

Israel is exploring the possibility of supplying Ukraine with its state-of-the-art Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. "The issue of arms supplies was considered and rejected by the previous Israeli government. I will study this issue and answer this matter in the most adequate manner," Netanyahu said in an interview with the French LCI channel. He, however, said that Israel has to review its options and to take into consideration its interests in the region. Israel's "contribution will probably be in other areas," the Israeli premier added.

The Pegasus Affair: This is how the right-wing government was overthrown They had a problem. The majority of the people in Israel vote right. The national camp has been in power for too long and they had no democratic way to replace it, so they found a solution Yehuda Vald, 10.02.22 The revelation this week [https://www.srugim.co.il/?p=645212] in the Calcalist newspaper about the activation of spy software against senior officials in the economy, including those close to Prime Minister Netanyahu, is the tip of the iceberg that has been revealed about the anti-democratic revolution led by influential people in the police...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said the U.S. “genuinely” hopes to forge a united front with Israel to combat the Iranian threat. Last week’s visit to Israel by U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan came at a “special time, one of serious challenges to our national security, and of serious opportunities for peace with our neighbors,” Netanyahu said at the start of the cabinet meeting.