Free Republic

Israel's parliament the Knesset on Sunday approved a new coalition government, ousting longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and making Naftali Bennett the new head of government. Netanyahu had held the role for 12 years, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history. The Israeli politician, mired in controversy and charged with corruption, had already failed to form a sustainable government after four elections within just two years. "This is a holiday for the press but a difficult day for millions of citizens of Israel," Netanyahu, who leads the right-wing Likud party, told reporters, according to The Jerusalem Post. "I...

Shocking scenes in Melbourne, Australia as a church service is attacked by police and new government is on the way in Israel but first... Israel's health ministry says its probable that heart inflammation cases found mainly in vaccinated young men are linked to the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine... That news Tuesday and today Israel's health ministry announcing that 12 to 16-year olds will be vaccinated starting next week... (Story Updated) Shocking video of the crackdown on outdoor worship in Melbourne, Australia last Sunday. Worshipers outdoors after their pastor was arrested Saturday night and the church blocked off by police on Sunday....

As Yesh Atid party leader MK Yair Lapid was reportedly set to formally announce Tuesday that he had managed to put together a coalition after marathon overnight talks, the legal adviser to the president pushed back against a claim by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party that the nascent government could not have Yamina’s Naftali Bennett serve as its first premier. The legal adviser to the office of President Reuven Rivlin, Udit Corinaldi-Sirkis, said in a statement that there was no legal reason why the MK entrusted with forming the coalition should not serve as alternate prime minister during the...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming out swinging against the coalition of opposition groups that have come together to oust him, calling it the “fraud of the century.”In televised remarks to the Israeli people Sunday night, the defiant leader made it clear he was not going down without a fight.“This is not unity, healing or democracy. This is an opportunistic government. A government of capitulation, a government of fraud, a government of inertia. A government like this must not be formed,” the Israeli leader said of the unity pact between opposition groups to oust him after 12 years in...

Benjamin Netanyahu's rivals were on the brink of removing him from power on Sunday after Naftali Bennett, a right-wing firebrand, signalled that he would join a coalition government with centrist leader Yair Lapid. Mr Bennett, the leader of the Yamina party, and Mr Lapid are said to be closing in on a coalition deal that unites parties across the political spectrum, in a move that would oust Israel's longest-serving and most controversial prime minister after 12 years in power. According to Israeli media reports, Mr Bennett, a former defence minister and modern Orthodox Jew, has told allies in Yamina that...

Yamina leader Naftali Bennett agreed to forming a coalition government with Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, N12 reported. The two sides agreed that Bennett will serve first as prime minister until September 2023, when Lapid will take over until November 2025, according to N12. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place in 10 days, following an announcement of the new government either on Saturday night or Sunday.

Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) discussed the ongoing conflict between Israel and terrorist group Hamas. Durbin voiced his support for a cease-fire but made it clear that he “couldn’t disagree” more with the policies of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “when it comes to the treatment of Palestinians.” The Democratic lawmaker from Illinois added he believes a “two-state solution is the only realistic future” in the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the death of a Hamas commander is "just the beginning" of attacks against the militant group, as the conflict between the two groups continues to escalate.Netanyahu said, "We'll hit them like they've never dreamed possible," Reuters reported.Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 56 people - including 14 children and several Hamas members - in Gaza since the violence began, the Palestinian Ministry of Health told Ragip Soylu, the Turkey correspondent for the Middle East Eye.At least 6 Israelis have been killed by Hamas rocket fire, Reuters reported.

An airstrike launched by Israel on Wednesday has taken out Hamas’ Gaza City commander, dealing a substantial blow to the Palestinian militant group’s leadership. Bassem Issa is the highest-ranking military figure in Hamas to be killed by Israel since 2014, according to The Associated Press. Hamas confirmed his death in a statement. The armed wing of Hamas said Issa was killed "along with a few of his fellow brothers of leaders and holy fighters" during the fighting that has been going on for two days in Gaza. Israel’s internal security agency said a series of airstrikes had killed Issa and...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to form a coalition government before the scheduled midnight deadline. After a series of deadlocked elections, Netanyahu, a five-term incumbent, was given a mandate on April 6 by President Reuven Rivlin to try to piece together a coalition of smaller parties to comprise a ruling majority. The deadline of midnight on Wednesday came and passed without Netanyahu cobbling one together, leaving the prime minister's political future unclear. Rivlin said Beit HaNassi, or the "President's House," will "contact the parties in the Knesset regarding the process of forming a government" Wednesday morning. Benny Gantz,...

The Biden administration has delivered a “sharp rebuke” to Israel for undermining its position in talks with Iran by its “embarrassing chatter and bragging” about the bomb at the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant, Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday.

On Friday, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was welcomed to the White House as part of the first diplomatic summit of Joe Biden’s presidency — but Biden was not the one to welcome him to the United States. Instead, Suga was greeted by Vice President Kamala Harris. ... The strange, awkward greeting was met with alarm from Cutis Houck, the managing editor of NewsBusters, who tweeted that “If Vice President Pence welcomed and then showed the head of a major U.S. ally and global power around the White House and not President Trump, CNN and MSNBC would have melted down...

In a discussion with associates on Tuesday, Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett spoke candidly about his political plans, which, according to media reports, he is closely coordinating with New Hope party leader Gideon Sa’ar. Both Bennett and Sa’ar hail from the ideological right and both are outspoken opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seek to unseat him as premier. Although Bennett refused to recommend that President Reuven Rivlin confer the mandate to form a government on Netanyahu last week, he has made clear that he will join a Netanyahu-led governing coalition if Netanyahu is able to secure the two seats...

Israel’s political structure is a mystery to most Americans. They vote for parties instead of candidates. Thirteen parties received enough votes in last month’s elections to earn seats in the Knesset. A coalition must be formed with over 50% of Knesset Members backing a Prime Minister. The President is not like our President and has very little power other than helping to form the government. And these are just a few of the things that differ from our own electoral process. With that in mind, it’s understandable that supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including me, are not excited that...

Do you have your scorecards ready? We’re going to do our best to sort out the results of this week’s elections in Israel, the fourth in a period of just two years (can you imagine that?). But first, a disclaimer: by the time you read this article, the outcome may have changed. That’s how inconclusive the final voting turned out to be. A shift in affiliation by one of the many parties receiving votes could change things overnight. Plus, on Friday, 450,000 double-sealed votes will be counted (including military votes, votes from abroad, and votes sent in because of COVID)....

JERUSALEM — For the fourth time in less than two years, Israelis are voting Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to maintain his grip on power after a record-breaking 12 consecutive years in office. Indicted for alleged bribery and fraud, he has refused to resign, polarizing the country between diehard supporters and enraged opponents, and sparking a political gridlock that has led Israel to hold elections more frequently than any other major democracy. Netanyahu no longer has former President Donald Trump's policy gifts and pre-election boosts. Instead, a world-leading COVID-19 vaccination drive and a quick reopening of the economy...

Answering questions from his audience on Zoom at a Likud event on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of two reasons four Arab states normalized ties with Israel in the past year, and more want to join them: the economic advantages of cooperating, and shared security aims. Netanyahu referred to his 2015 speech before both houses of the US Congress against the Iran deal: “During the speech, during the live broadcast, senior people from the Arab world called my people – I was still speaking – and they said: ‘We cannot believe what we are seeing... the daring of the...

Who is really running the country? Kamala Harris on Thursday spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel as Joe Biden slouched around the White House. Joe Biden hosted a group of House members at the White House on Thursday and joined a virtual call with NASA. Apparently Biden’s schedule was so grueling today that he had to have his babysitter Kamala take another call with a foreign leader. Kamala Harris, in a phone call with Netanyahu, “emphasized the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.” Harris and Netanyahu also agreed to advance Covid cooperation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday spoke to US Vice President Kamala Harris, with the conversation focusing on the pandemic, the Iranian nuclear program, and the International Criminal Court’s decision to open an investigation into Israel over alleged war crimes, his office said. The call, the first between them since the inauguration, came a day after the ICC announced it would investigate Israel and Palestinian terror groups over alleged war crimes and as the Biden administration seeks to reenter the Iran nuclear deal. Netanyahu’s office said Harris “expressed the total opposition of the American administration to the decision by the...

JERUSALEM - Israel held out the possibility on Tuesday that it would not engage with U.S. President Joe Biden on strategy regarding the Iranian nuclear programme, urging tougher sanctions and a “credible military threat” against its arch-enemy. The remarks by Israel’s envoy to Washington came at a touchy juncture for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Up for re-election next month, he has revived his hard line on Iran while not yet having any direct communication with Biden. The new administration has said it wants a U.S. return to a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran - which former President Donald Trump quit,...