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☆ Israel thrust between far-right support and Gaza cease-fire, as Netanyahu rival quits war cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Amir Levy | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIsrael's war cabinet minister Benny Gantz resigned from the emergency government, dealing a decisive blow which is expected to entrench Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deeper into a far-right support base that opposes a cease-fire in Gaza. A former chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, centrist Gantz co-founded and led the National Unity party that joined Netanyahu's emergency government after the outbreak of the Gaza war. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cabinet minister Benny Gantz during a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv , Israel , 28 October 2023. And the prime minister himself. Around 1,200 people were killed in Israel, Israeli official figures say, since the start of the Gaza conflict.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Amir Levy, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz, Netanyahu, Regrettably, Yoav, Gallant, entreat Gantz, Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Lapid, Eran Etzion, Etzion, Jack Guez, Nimrod Goren, Goren, Itamar Ben Organizations: Getty, entrench, Israeli Defense Forces, National Unity, Gaza, Palestinian, Hamas, Reuters, Defense, Criminal, Gaza's Ministry of Health, Israel's National Security Council, CNBC, Ultra, Sheba Tel, HaShomer Medical Centre, Afp, Middle East Institute, U.S, Jewish Power Party Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, Rafah, Sheba, Ramat Gan, of Israel

☆ Netanyahu aide says Israel agreed to Biden's cease-fire plan for Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Freddie Clayton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Britain's Sunday Times that Israel had agreed to the framework for President Joe Biden's plan to bring an end to the war in Gaza, though he said it was "not a good deal." He added that Israel's conditions "have not changed" — the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas. "Indefinite war in pursuit of an unidentified notion of total victory will only bog down Israel in Gaza," Biden said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made calls to Arab leaders on Saturday affirming their commitment to the cease-fire. Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to urge the government to accept a cease-fire.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Joe Biden's, Biden, Netanyahu, Ophir Falk, — it's, Biden's, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Yair Lapid, Ben Gvir, Lapid, Smotrich, Laura Blumenfeld, Antony Blinken Organizations: Britain's Sunday Times, NBC News, Minister's, Sunday Times, Zionist Party, Jewish Power Party, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, U.S, Families Locations: Gaza, Israel, Hamas, East, Washington, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Qatar, Egypt, U.S, Tel Aviv

☆ Far-Rightist Threatens to Quit Israel Gov't Over Any 'Reckless' Gaza Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A far-right partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition threatened on Tuesday to quit the government over any attempt to enter a "reckless" deal with Hamas to retrieve hostages held by the Palestinian militants. "Reckless deal = dismantling of the government," Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party posted on X, amid media reports that Israel was considering a long-term halt, brokered by Qatar an Egypt, to its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Jewish Power accounts for six of the 64 seats that Netanyahu's religious-rightist coalition held in the 120-seat parliament before the Gaza war. They have called for no let-up in the offensive and for Israel to resettle Gaza, from which it withdrew in 2005. Netanyahu has ruled out rebuilding of Jewish settlements there but says post-war Gaza will be under Israeli security control.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Itamar Ben, Israel, Ben, Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu, Dan Williams, Ari Rabinovitch, Ros Russell Organizations: Jewish Power, Hamas, Jewish, National Locations: JERUSALEM, Qatar, Egypt, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israel’s far-right wants to move Palestinians out of Gaza. Its ideas are gaining attention
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Mick Krever | Jomana Karadsheh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —The Israeli soldiers stand rifles in hand, arm over shoulder, speaking to the camera. “We must promote a solution to encourage the emigration of the residents of Gaza,” far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on January 1. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a position in the Defense Ministry, says that Israel “will rule there. If Palestinians in Gaza are “post-Jihad, pro-Israel, and want to live that good life in that beautiful soil, there should be an opportunity for that,” he said. That color was adopted in 2004 and 2005 by the movement protesting Israel’s disengagement from Gaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, “, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel “, Antony Blinken, Dahlia Scheindlin, Itamar Ben Gvir, restoking, Netanyahu, ” Scheindlin, Diana Buttu, Netanyahu’s, ”, Ariel Sharon’s, Katif, Yishai Fleisher, ” Fleisher, we’ve, Fleisher, –, Jordan, ” Israel, Gush Katif, Hanan Ben Ari serenaded, Ben Gvir, Gila, Mahmoud Abbas, ” Omer Bartov, Buttu, ” Netanyahu, ” Tzvi, Melech, Ben Gvir’s Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Gaza . Social Media, ”, Likud, National, Defense Ministry, United, Haaretz, Israeli, National Security, Settler, West Bank, “, Israel, Norwegian Refugee Council, United Nations, International Court of Justice, Israel Defense Forces, Gush, Social Media, Oregon State University, City University of New, Brown University, Smotrich’s, Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power Party Locations: Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Ramallah, Authority, ”, United States, Palestinian, Qatar, “, Hebron, Turkey, South America, South Africa, The Hague, Jerusalem, Gush, Israeli, Nova Beach, City University of New York, Israel’s

CNN —Tensions are boiling over in Israel as frustrated families of hostages demand answers from the government about the fate of their loved ones and a deal for their release. Wenkert spoke to media on Monday, before he and other relatives met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet in Tel Aviv. So far only a handful of families have met with Netanyahu – infuriating hundreds of other relatives of hostages who say the government isn’t doing enough to free them. But many hostage families accuse Ben-Gvir of endangering their loved ones further, arguing that Hamas could be less willing to release hostages if there is suggestion that Israel might execute Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed two goals of the war – the release of all hostages, and the destruction of Hamas.

Persons: ”, Shai Wenkert, Omer, Wenkert, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Goren, Tal Chaimi, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Judith Tai Raanan, Natalie Raanan –, Nurit Cooper, Yocheved Lifshitz, Lifshitz, “, Itamar Ben, Ben, Gil Dickmann, Avigdori, Almog Cohen, ” Cohen, Gvir’s, Ismail Haniyeh, ” Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Palestinian Ministry of Health, West Bank, National, Jewish Power Locations: Israel, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Qatar, United States, Gulf, –

☆ Israelis are arming up in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack. Some are worried it is playing to the far right’s vision for the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Tara John | Adi Koplewitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“We saw this in the first days of the war, wherever there were weapons, the scale of the disaster was smaller,” Ben Gvir said in a press release. Critics see it as part of a far-right vision to inflame Israeli-Palestinian relations in the country, especially in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Some in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, such as Ben Gvir and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, support annexing the West Bank. When CNN asked Ben Gvir at the Caesarea event last week whether his actions were inciting violence against Palestinians, CNN was kicked out of the ceremony. He adds that arming people like that “is only showing what he (Ben Gvir) is trying to cause, which is chaos.”CNN has reached out to Eliasi for comment.

Persons: Itamar Ben Gvir, ’, “, Ben Gvir, ” Ben Gvir’s, Mariam Barghouti, Ben Gvir’s, , ”, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Bezalel Smotrich, we’re, we’ll, Itamar Ben, Gvir, William Bonnett, Amichay Eliyahu, Ben, Eliyahu, Roy Malkan, ” Malkan, Yoav Eliasi, Ori Givati, Guy Ben, Israel’s Ben, ” Ben, Porat, Liat Eisner, We’re, Eisner, she’s, Netanyahu’s, I’m Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Ministry of National Security, West Bank, Power, New York Times, “, Jewish Power, CNN, Palestinian Ministry of Health, The United Nations, Israeli National Security, Israel Defense Forces, Heritage, ”, ” CNN, Reuters, Survey, Israel’s, Gurion University, ” Protesters, Ben, ” Security Locations: Caesarea, Jerusalem, Israel, Judea, Samaria, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Abdelathim, Qusra, Nablus, Judaea, ”, Ben Gvir’s, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Swiss

☆ Netanyahu suspends a minister who said that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was an option.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Isabel Kershner | More About Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel took the highly unusual step on Sunday of suspending a far-right minister from his government, after the minister said that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza and killing everyone there was “one way” of dealing with the threat from Hamas. Mr. Netanyahu’s swift action came amid an immediate and broad outcry over the comments made on Sunday morning by Amichay Eliyahu, the minister of heritage from the ultranationalist Jewish Power party. In his remarks, made to a Hebrew radio station, Mr. Eliyahu also said that there was no such thing as noncombatants in Gaza. While the Jewish Power Party is a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition government, Mr. Eliyahu is not a member of the war cabinet prosecuting Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. Still, his abrupt suspension appeared to reflect Mr. Netanyahu’s concerns both over the low levels of public confidence in his leadership, as shown by recent opinion polls, and the challenges Israel faces in maintaining international support amid its assault in Gaza, particularly given the high civilian death toll there.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Amichay Eliyahu, Eliyahu Organizations: Jewish Power, Jewish Power Party Locations: Gaza

☆ US, EU slam far-right Israeli minister’s ‘racist’ claim his rights outweigh that of Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Kareem Khadder | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Jerusalem CNN —The United States and European Union Friday slammed comments by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir that his right to life outweighs Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement in the occupied West Bank. “We strongly condemn Minister Ben Gvir’s racist, destructive comments on the freedom of movement of Palestinian residents of the West Bank,” a US State Department spokesperson said. Ben Gvir’s far-right Jewish Power party draws support mainly from Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, and Ben Gvir is himself a settler. The United States frequently says that it considers settlements in the area Israel captured in 1967 to be an obstacle to peace. Palestinians want the West Bank to be part of a future Palestinian state.

Persons: Itamar Ben Gvir, Ben Gvir’s, Joe, Biden, State Antony, Blinken, ” Ben Gvir, Mohammed, ”, Mohammed Magadli, Ben Gvir, ” Israel, “, Itamar Ben Gvir … Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, European Union, National Security, West Bank, US State Department, Union, Israel’s, Jewish, EU, United, Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Jerusalem, United States, ”, State, Palestinian

☆ Israel PM adviser says road to deal on Saudi ties is 'still long'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

JERUSALEM, July 31 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser on Monday said the road to normalising ties with Saudi Arabia was "still long" while members of his hard-right cabinet ruled out concessions to Palestinians as part of any deal. U.S. President Joe Biden last week dispatched his national security adviser to Riyadh to discuss a possible deal, and on Friday said a rapprochement was "maybe under way". PALESTINIAN CONCESSIONSThe idea of Israel and Saudi Arabia formally cementing ties has been under discussion since the Saudis gave their quiet assent to Gulf neighbours United Arab Emirates and Bahrain establishing ties with Israel in 2020. "We certainly won't agree to such a thing," National Missions Minister Orit Strock told Kan."We are done with withdrawals. Her remarks were echoed by the head of another government member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who heads the far-right Jewish Power party.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Tzachi Hanegbi, Eli Cohen, Minister Orit Strock, Kan, Strock, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Cohen, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovitch, Henriette Chacar, Conor Humphries, Grant McCool Organizations: Monday, U.S, United, Kan, U.S ., Israel, National, Minister, West Bank, Jewish, Army Radio, Authority, Netanyahu's, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, U.S, Riyadh, Israel, Saudi, Gulf, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Judea, Samaria, East Jerusalem, Gaza

Jerusalem CNN —A Jerusalem court acquitted an Israeli border police officer of “involuntary reckless manslaughter” in the fatal shooting of Eyad al-Hallaq, an unarmed Palestinian man. The defendant was granted anonymity by the court following a request from the Israeli Border Police, according to Khaled Zabarqa, one of the lawyers for the al-Hallaq family. Zabarqa said al-Hallaq had a “special needs” document issued by Israeli National Insurance, a government entity. The victim’s mother, Rana al-Hallaq, told CNN her son didn’t understand or speak Hebrew. The acquitted officer will return to active duty, and participate in a “commander’s course,” according to a Border Police statement released Thursday.

Persons: Eyad, Khaled Zabarqa, ”, Hallaq, Zabarqa, Rana, didn’t, Chana Miriam Lomp, “, ” Itamar Ben Gvir, Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “, ” Zabarqa, ” “ Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, CNN, Israeli Border Police, Israeli National Insurance, National Security, Jewish Power, Border Police, Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Jerusalem, Jerusalem’s, Israel

☆ Tel Aviv police chief quits, citing government meddling against protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/9] People take part in a demonstration after the Tel Aviv police chief quit citing government meddling against anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 5, 2023. Soon after Eshed's announcement, hundreds of protesters carrying Israeli flags and chanting "democracy" marched through Tel Aviv. "I could have easily met these expectations by using unreasonable force that would have filled up the emergency room of Ichilov (Tel Aviv hospital) at the end of every protest," Eshed said. The leader of the Jewish Power party has since rebuked police for its treatment of protesters. Other members of Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition have echoed Ben-Gvir, saying police have shown favourable treatment to the protesters who have filled Tel Aviv streets weekly since January, compared with what they see as far harsher treatment of settlers and ultra-Orthodox protesters.

Persons: Nir Elias JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Ami Eshed, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Eshed, Ben, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv police, REUTERS, National, Jewish Power, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Tel, Ichilov

☆ Protester turned protector, Ben-Gvir officiates uneasily at Jerusalem Pride
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, June 1 (Reuters) - Accustomed to a hostile response from some religious residents of Jerusalem, participants in the city's Gay Pride parade on Thursday found themselves in the unwelcome situation of looking to a far-rightist former adversary for their protection. Catapulted into national politics last year at the head of the ultranationalist Jewish Power party, Ben-Gvir has disavowed his past remarks. Ahead of the event, police said three people were detained over suspected threats against the marchers. The Islamist militant group Hamas also called on Palestinians, who contest Israeli control of Jerusalem, to "confront" the Gay Pride parade. Describing Jerusalem as a "mosaic" of differing views, Ben-Gvir said he would also safeguard the right to counter-protest.

Persons: Itamar Ben, Gvir, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Meirav Cohen, Jerusalem, Alon Sheler, Dan Williams, Emily Rose, Ros Russell Organizations: Jewish Power, Hamas, Reuters, Open, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem

☆ EU in Israel cancels Europe Day event over far-right minister's participation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, May 8 (Reuters) - The European Union delegation in Israel on Monday cancelled its Europe Day diplomatic reception over the planned participation of far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who criticised the decision as a form of "undiplomatic silencing". Brussels marks May 9 as "Europe Day", honouring a 1950 French declaration that led to the founding of the body that became the EU. National Security Minister Ben-Gvir was set to represent the Israeli government at this year's event. "It is a shame that the European Union, which claims to represent the values of democracy and multiculturalism, is engaging in undiplomatic silencing," Ben-Gvir said in a statement. (This story has been refiled to say 'undiplomatic silencing,' not 'undemocratic silencing,' in paragraph 1)Writing by Henriette Chacar; Editing by Ari RabinovitchOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Summary Death of Palestinian hunger striker triggered fightingPalestinian militants fired rockets at IsraelIsraeli jets struck in GazaJewish Power party calls Israel's response 'weak'Adnan had been on hunger strike for 87 daysGAZA/JERUSALEM, May 3 (Reuters) - A truce along the Israel-Gaza border appeared to be holding on Wednesday morning following a brief bout of fighting triggered by the death of a jailed Palestinian hunger striker. Adnan had been on hunger strike for 87 days as he awaited trial on security charges. Palestinian leaders accused Israel of causing the death of Adnan, the first Palestinian hunger striker to die in Israeli custody in more than 30 years. In Gaza, armed Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket salvoes fired towards Israel, where one person was seriously injured. [1/5] Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli air strike, in Deir al-Balah town in the central Gaza Strip, May 3.

☆ Israel isn't 'out of the woods' even though Netanyahu paused the plan that pushed his country into chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A judicial overhaul plan pushed by Netanyahu's government sparked a major crisis in Israel. "The crisis was deferred, but definitely not resolved," a former US ambassador to Israel told Insider. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to hit pause on a deeply controversial plan to overhaul the country's judiciary, but Israel's problems are far from over. One piece of the plan has already been passed into law, narrowing the circumstances under which a prime minister can be deemed unfit for office. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a voting session in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, Israel on March 27, 2023.

☆ Israel arrests suspects in settler rampage described by general as 'pogrom'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, March 1 (Reuters) - Police have arrested six suspects over a settler rampage in the occupied West Bank earlier this week that an Israeli general described as a "pogrom" and which followed a deadly Palestinian gun attack. Israeli police said on Wednesday they expected to make more arrests during their ongoing investigation into the settler violence in and around Huwara, a Palestinian village where the two Israeli brothers from a nearby settlement were shot dead. "The incident in Huwara was a pogrom carried out by outlaws," he told N12 News late on Tuesday. A 'pogrom' is a mob attack, often approved by authorities, against a religious, racial, or national minority. POLITICAL TENSIONSFuchs' comments came amid increased tensions within the nationalist-religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes hard-line settlers demanding tough action against Palestinian attacks.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel will increase security and “strengthen the settlements” in response to gun attacks in Jerusalem Friday and Saturday that killed seven Israelis and badly wounded five others, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday. On Saturday, two people were allegedly injured in a separate gun attack in east Jerusalem by a Palestinian shooter in his early teens. In response, Palestinian militants in the Gaza strip fired rockets into Israel, which in turn triggered retaliatory Israeli airstrikes. The attacks present a challenge for the recently re-elected Netanyahu, who on Sunday visited those injured in Friday's attack at two hospitals in Jerusalem. At protests in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Saturday night, demonstrators held a moment of silence for the Jerusalem shooting victims.

☆ U.N. Security Council members stress Al Aqsa mosque status quo
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Mike SegarUNITED NATIONS, Jan 5 (Reuters) - U.N. Security Council members voiced concern on Thursday and stressed the need to maintain a status quo at the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, days after Israel's new far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir briefly visited the site. The decades-old status quo allows only Muslim worship at the compound, a site also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. "What red line does Israel need to cross for the Security Council to finally say, enough is enough," Mansour told the 15-member council, accusing Israel of showing "absolute contempt." Israel has not harmed the status quo and has no plans to do so." "We note that Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing platform calls for preservation of the status quo with relation to the holy places.

☆ Israel's Ben-Gvir visits contested Jerusalem holy site, Palestinians protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Temple Mount is open to all," Ben-Gvir said on Twitter, using the Jewish name for the site. The Palestinian foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict". "If Hamas thinks that it can deter me with threats, it should understand that times have changed," Ben-Gvir said on Twitter. But Netanyahu, now in his sixth term as premier, has pledged to preserve the "status quo" around holy sites. The Al-Aqsa compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is Islam's third-holiest site.

☆ Factbox: Top ministers in Israel's new religious-nationalist cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled his new government that includes religious and nationalist parties. In the past, he has agitated against Israel's Arab minority citizens, condemned LGBT activists and called the justice system too liberal. NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER ITAMAR BEN-GVIRA West Bank settler who heads the far-right Jewish Power party, Ben-Gvir secured an expanded cabinet ministry in charge of police. His appointment to the new Netanyahu government has been challenged in Israel's Supreme Court given his conviction for tax fraud - without prison time - last year. Shas, along with another ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism, has long raised concerns among secular liberals by demanding welfare benefits and military draft exemptions for its constituents.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu closer to hard-right government with new legislation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu moved one step further on Tuesday toward establishing a government after parliament approved divisive legislation agreed with his far-right coalition partners. A second amendment will allow Aryeh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, to serve as a minister despite a conviction for tax fraud. Deri is expected to serve as finance minister in two years, in a rotation deal with Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich. But soon after the legislation was passed, Israel's Supreme Court said it would hear an appeal against Deri's appointment by a group of scientists, academics and former diplomats called "Democracy's Bastion." In response, Netanyahu has repeatedly said that he will safeguard civil rights and will not allow any harm to the country's Arab minority or to the LGBTQ community.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu looks to vote in new government on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu called a vote in parliament on his new government for Thursday Dec. 29, the speaker of the Knesset said on Monday, after almost two months of coalition wrangling. Despite campaigning together, Netanyahu has struggled to meet the demands of his allies, who have demanded a significant slice of power in exchange for their support. Ahead of the vote in parliament and a formal swearing in of the new government, Netanyahu will have to officially present the members of his cabinet. The finance ministry is expected to be shared by Smotrich and Aryeh Deri, from the religious Shas party, with each man serving for two years. Deri's appointment will depend on parliamentary support for a legal amendment allowing him to serve despite a conviction for tax fraud.

☆ Israel's president urges protection of people's rights as far right eyes legal revisions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Israel's president voiced concern for the well-being of all members of the public regardless of their identity or values on Sunday after far-right members of the incoming government called for revisions to anti-discrimination laws. Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, who is preparing to present his religious-nationalist coalition this week, has vowed to preserve principles of tolerance. But his political rivals have accused the veteran conservative leader of being vulnerable to his far-right allies’ policy demands. Netanyahu's conservative Likud and like-minded religious-nationalist parties close to Israel's ultra-Orthodox and West Bank settler communities won a comfortable majority in a Nov. 1 election. The inclusion of hardliners Itamar Ben-Gvir of the ultranationalist Jewish Power party and Bezalel Smotrich from the far-right Religious Zionism party in the coalition has dismayed Palestinians and liberal Israelis.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu says he has secured deal to form new government
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Henriette Chacar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Wednesday he had secured a deal to form a new government after weeks of unexpectedly tough negotiations with religious and far-right coalition partners. "I have managed (to form a government)," Netanyahu said on Twitter, minutes before a midnight deadline set by President Isaac Herzog. Netanyahu's conservative Likud and like-minded religious-nationalist parties close to the ultra-Orthodox and West Bank settler communities won a comfortable majority in a Nov 1 election, promising him 64 of parliaments's 120 seats. But agreement to form a government was held up by disputes over a package of proposed legislation on issues ranging from planning authority in the West Bank to ministerial control over the police. At the same time, Aryeh Deri, head of the religious Shas party, is bidding to become finance minister, despite a conviction for tax fraud.

☆ Israeli Far-Right Leader Ben-Gvir to Take Important Security Role in New Government
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Benjamin Netanyahu is tasked with forming Israel’s next government since his right-wing and religious bloc won a narrow majority in Parliament. Benjamin Netanyahu ’s Likud party signed a coalition deal with Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party that gives the latter control of the police ministry and a seat in the security cabinet. Mr. Netanyahu was tasked with forming Israel’s next government after his right-wing and religious bloc won 64 seats in the 120-member Parliament in elections this month. Friday’s agreement doesn’t account for a full new government but marks a step toward that end, and the potential establishment of Israel’s most right-wing administration.

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