DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Israeli settlers attack Palestinian village after deadly Hamas strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Ali Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] An aerial view shows burned vehicles after an attack by Israeli settlers near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 21, 2023. "There was heavy gunfire but we couldn't distinguish whether it came from settlers or the soldiers because of the darkness." Attacks were also reported in other West Bank towns and villages. Netanyahu's government is set on expanding settlements in the West Bank and includes members who rule out a Palestinian state. Hamas, which advocates armed resistance against Israel, has been steadily expanding its operations in the West Bank.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Yaqoub Oweis, Lubban, Eli, Mahmoud Dawoud, Gharbeya, Itamar Ben, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel Katz, Nidal al, James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Bank, Rampage, Al, Palestinian, Monday . Local, Israeli National Security, Energy, Cabinet, Army Radio, West, Hamas, Seven, Thomson Locations: Ramallah, RAMALLAH, West, Palestinian, West Bank, Huwara, Hamas, Gaza, Jenin, Monday, Al, Israel, East Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Jerusalem CNN —Thousands of Israelis waving Star of David flags streamed into the Old City of Jerusalem Thursday, as part of a contentious march taking place at a time of high tensions in the region. Israelis sing and dance with flags by Damascus gate to Jerusalem's Old city as they mark Jerusalem Day. Ronen Zvulun/ReutersThe march marks Jerusalem Day, when Israelis celebrate capturing east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war. Israelis wave national flags during a march marking Jerusalem Day, just outside Jerusalem's Old City. A number of Palestinian shopkeepers told CNN before the event that they would close their shops in the Old City for fear of attacks by far-right Jewish nationalists.

☆ 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.

☆ Thousands rally in Jerusalem in favor of planned judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Dedi Hayun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Right-wing demonstrators hold flags as they attend a protest calling on the Israeli government to complete its planned judicial overhaul, in Jerusalem, April 27, 2023. "The nation demands a judicial reform," demonstrators chanted. Demonstrations against the judicial overhaul plans, however, have gripped the country for weeks and have garnered large crowds in cities across the country, mostly and consecutively every Saturday night since the plans were announced. Recent polls have found the overhaul plans are deeply unpopular. "The nation demands a judicial reform," the crowd chanted in response.

☆ A divided Israel stands at a perilous crossroads on its 75th birthday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And weakens the pillars that hold our nation together,” Israel’s President Isaac Herzog warned this week in a speech to Jewish groups. The legislation has plunged Israel into the largest and longest protest movement in the country’s history. Frozen peace processBut as Israel celebrates 75 years since its founding with fanfare, Palestinians mark the same event with mourning. It was during the Jewish state’s creation that more than 700,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in what is now Israel. “This is the end of the era of limited conflicts,” Gallant told reporters, according to the Times of Israel.

☆ Palestinian reporter breaks barriers by reporting in Hebrew on Israeli TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

He is one of the few Palestinian reporters who report in Hebrew, on Israeli TV. Maswadeh is not the first or the only Palestinian reporter on Israeli TV – there are several on the Arab affairs beat. “I was born in East Jerusalem to a Palestinian family, to a Palestinian culture. “We were there looking at the TV – Israeli TV – and saw, you know, the smokes and people screaming and I didn’t know what’s happening, I didn’t speak Hebrew. “I get threats from both sides [Palestinian and Israeli], but it was mainly from Palestinians who don’t like the fact that I work for Israeli TV,” he added.

By Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced it would prohibit non-Muslims from entering the holy site for the rest of Ramadan. “I see these visits as a raid on our holy site,” he said. That status quo is slowly being chipped away, says Sheikh Rani Abusibr, an Imam of nearly twenty-years at Al-Aqsa. There was a heightened security presence at the holy site when Easter, Ramadan, and Passover celebrations overlapped. Without the status quo arrangement being enforced, there are fears that an already tumultuous region could spiral out of control.

☆ Canadian PM urges Israel to change its approach after raid, clashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ammar AwadOTTAWA, April 5 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday criticised the Israeli government's "inflamed rhetoric" and urged it to change its approach to the Palestinians amid an upsurge in violence. He also condemned the rocket attacks by Palestinian militants from Gaza. "We're extremely concerned with the inflamed rhetoric coming out of the Israeli government, we're concerned about the judicial reforms ... we're concerned by the violence around the al-Aqsa mosque," Trudeau said. "We absolutely, unequivocally condemn the rocket attacks from militants in Gaza. We need to see a de-escalation of violence," Trudeau added.

JERUSALEM, March 29 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced confidence on Wednesday that he would find compromise with the political opposition over his judicial overhaul after the contested reforms drew a strong reproach from U.S. President Joe Biden. Separately, Netanyahu predicted on Wednesday that Israel would join the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme in September after passing legislation required by Washington. The national guard was launched last year under former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. "We don't trust the government and certainly not the prime minister and his gang," said 75-year-old retiree Chanoch Lipperman in Tel Aviv. But Biden, when asked by a reporter if he would be inviting Netanyahu, replied: "No, not in the near term."

☆ 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.

☆ Israeli PM Netanyahu expected to back down on judicial reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Fire burns as people attend a demonstration after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the defense minister and his nationalist coalition government presses on with its judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 27, 2023. Israel's Channel 12 TV reported Netanyahu would announce a halt to the overhaul at 10:30 a.m. (0730 GMT). "The law is balanced and good for Israel," Rothman said as the bill passed the committee stage. "We must not stop the judiciary reform and must not surrender to anarchy," he tweeted. The judicial overhaul, which would give the executive control over appointing judges to the Supreme Court and allow the government to over-ride court rulings on the basis of a simple parliamentary majority has drawn mass protests for weeks.

☆ Israel's attorney general accuses Netanyahu of breaking the law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Henriette Chacar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Israelis demonstrate during the "Day of Shutdown", as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Nir EliasJERUSALEM, March 24 (Reuters) - Israel's attorney-general on Friday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of breaking the law by ignoring a conflict of interest over his ongoing trial for corruption and getting directly involved in his government's judicial overhaul plan. The protests followed Netanayhu to London on Friday, where he met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Broadcasters had expected to be able to film the start of the meeting between Sunak and Netanyahu but that appeared to have been cancelled. Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Clarence Fernandez, James Mackenzie, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Netanyahu summons Israeli defence minister as judicial overhaul strains coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, March 23 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his defence chief on Thursday after local media reported the minister had called for a halt to a planned judicial overhaul that has set off unprecedented protests, including within the military. Netanyahu's office did not elaborate on the reasons for the summons of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, a senior member of his conservative Likud party, but said the prime minister would deliver televised remarks at 8:40 p.m. (1840 GMT). Israeli media had earlier reported that Gallant, a former deputy chief of the armed forces, would convene his own news conference. Protesters heckled a Cabinet minister and unfurled a massive replica of the country's Declaration of Independence on a wall of Jerusalem's Old City. [1/7] Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 9, 2023.

☆ Israeli protesters block highway as government presses on with judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, March 1 (Reuters) - Israeli protesters blocked the main highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Wednesday, as lawmakers were set to plough ahead with a contentious judicial overhaul that opponents see as a threat to democracy. "Israel is not a dictatorship, Israel is not Hungary," the protesters called, waving blue and white Israeli flags. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would not allow a "mutiny", or "anarchists" to block roads. In parliament on Wednesday, the Knesset's Constitution, Justice and Law Committee was set to give initial approval to more proposals in the plan. Ambassador Tom Nides said at Tel Aviv University's conference of the Institute for National Security Studies late on Tuesday.

☆ 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, March 1 (Reuters) - Israeli police fired stun grenades and scuffles broke out in Tel Aviv on Wednesday during a nationwide "day of disruption", raising the intensity of weeks of protests against a contentious government plan to shake up the judiciary. In images not seen in Tel Aviv demonstrations in years, police on horseback tried to stop demonstrators breaching barricades as traffic piled up. [1/6] Israelis demonstrate as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its contentious judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 1, 2023. Ambassador Tom Nides said at Tel Aviv University's conference of the Institute for National Security Studies on Tuesday. Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Rami Amichay and Amir Cohen in Tel Aviv; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Nick Macfie and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ultra-conservative Israeli minister quits, will back Netanyahu in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 27 (Reuters) - An ultra-conservative Jewish politician on Monday said he was resigning from his role in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government after failing to advance his agenda, but that he would still support the coalition in parliament. His inclusion shook Israel's once-dominant secular liberals, who have been holding weekly mass-demonstrations against reforms sought by Netanyahu to curb the power of the Supreme Court. "To my amazement, I discovered that there is no serious intent to implement the coalition agreement regarding the administration of national Jewish identity," Maoz said in a resignation letter circulated to Israeli media. But cracks have appeared in the support of his powerful far-right partners, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Both chafed at Netanyahu envoys' undertaking, at a Jordania-hosted security meeting with Palestinians on Sunday, to hold off on any new announcements regarding Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank in the coming months.

☆ Analysis: Netanyahu's balancing act got harder after post-summit violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On Monday, another suspected Palestinian shooting attack in the West Bank critically wounded one person, emergency services said. "It's now in his interest to show that he is clamping down on this kind of settler violence." "The U.S administration, which fosters this government, must end all these crimes," said the spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "One can see the Aqaba summit as a parable: the Americans announce that Israel has promised to freeze settlement construction, which Netanyahu then denies. "On the eve of the election Netanyahu was pondering the legacy he will have when he is reelected prime minister.

☆ At remote desert outpost, Israeli settlers triumphant despite Western anger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ronen Zvulun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] An aerial view shows a cluster of mobile homes in Beit Hogla, a settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunBEIT HOGLA SETTLEMENT, West Bank, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Between Jericho and the Dead Sea, Israeli settlers rejoice after the government granted their outpost retroactive approval. Drawing Western concern and Palestinian anger, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government authorised nine settler outposts in the occupied West Bank this week, in response to two Palestinian street attacks in which nine Israelis were killed. Israel disputes the illegality of the settlements and cites Biblical and historical ties to the West Bank, which it calls by its Biblical name - Judea and Samaria. More than 450,000 people, or less than 5% of Israel’s population, are Jewish settlers in the West Bank, home to about 3 million Palestinians who exercise limited self-rule there.

☆ New Israel law allows stripping residency of Palestinians convicted of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israel calls stipends for militants and their families a "pay for slay" policy that encourages violence. Palestinians hail the prisoners as heroes in a struggle against decades of occupation and deserving of support. Under the new law, Palestinians from East Jerusalem who directly or through their families receive stipends from the Palestinian Authority after having been jailed in Israel for security offences, can be deported to the Palestinian territories. It could also apply to some members of Israel's Arab minority, many of whom identify as or with the Palestinians. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the law as "the ugliest form of racism."

☆ Israel's Netanyahu pledges more action against Palestinian attackers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday promised a stronger Israeli response in dealing with a spate of Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, as pressure swelled within his right-wing government to employ more severe tactics. Tensions are also high in the West Bank, where Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of arrests in recent months during near-daily raids that have seen bloody gunbattles with Palestinian militants. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu's far-right national security minister, said however that police had already begun a major enforcement campaign in East Jerusalem that would include measures from handing out traffic tickets to demolishing houses of Palestinian attackers. Speaking in Cairo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Palestinians were facing a "lethal assault," and repeated a pledge to pursue action against Israel before the United Nations and International Criminal Court. Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

GAZA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza on Thursday in response to Palestinian rocket fire, days after the United States called for calm, but there was no immediate sign of a wider escalation in violence following days of tension. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said it had fired some of the rockets in response to the air strikes and the "systematic aggression" against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. In Gaza, activists rallied in support of women prisoners held by Israel after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees prisons, said he would push ahead with plans to toughen conditions for Palestinian prisoners. Ben-Gvir has vowed a crackdown on "benefits and indulgences" offered to Palestinian prisoners and ordered amenities including prisoner-operated bread ovens in some prisons to be curtailed. Cairo has also invited Hamas chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who currently resides between Qatar and Turkey, for separate talks next week, said a Palestinian official familiar with Egyptian mediation.

Now Israel has normalised relations with more Arab states, while Palestinians have grown more isolated and divided. Most world powers consider Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal. Israel says its West Bank raids targeted militants such as the suspects behind deadly attacks carried out by Palestinians inside Israel last year. "Each area of the West Bank is witnessing some form of armed clashes, but these are not united mass-scale movements," said Tahani Mustafa of the International Crisis Group. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Israel and the West Bank this week.

☆ Israeli army reinforces in West Bank after synagogue shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Friday night's shooting came a day after the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in years and cross-border fire between Israel and Gaza that heightened fears of a spiral in bloodshed. On Saturday, the Israeli ambulance service said two people were hurt in what appeared to be another shooting attack. "Following an IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) situational assessment, it was decided to reinforce the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) Division with an additional battalion," the military said. It came days before a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel and the West Bank. Violence in the West Bank surged after a spate of lethal attacks in Israel last year.

☆ King Abdullah meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in surprise Jordan visit, royal court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise trip to Jordan on Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah, who the royal court said underlined the need for Israel to respect the status quo of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, under heavy security this month. It is hopeful that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will pressure Israel to preserve the status quo in the Al-Aqsa mosque, whose upkeep is paid for by Jordan. Officials told Reuters that King Abdullah is expected to visit Washington at the end of January. Blinken underscored the importance of preserving the historic status quo at the site, according to a statement by the State Department.

Search resuls for: "National Security Minister"

25 mentions found