DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Two Israels face off as justice overhaul deepens the divide
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

For them, weakening the Supreme Court would undermine the bedrock of Israel's democracy and could set the country on the path to becoming a corrupt and religiously coercive state. In 2020, the Supreme Court struck down a law that had retroactively legalised homes built by settlers on land owned by Palestinians, like Amona. Settlers driven by ideology see themselves as pioneers redeeming land that was promised by God and many feel betrayed by Supreme Court rulings against settlements. The Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment. "The Supreme Court has challenged parliament time and again, playing politics, not nicely."

☆ Major fears are sweeping into Israel's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Jason Gewirtz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesNew concerns about Israel's economy are leading global investors to question the money they have in the country. The law would alter Israel's judicial system by giving sitting governments full control of judicial appointments. A drop in Israel's credit rating would increase the cost of borrowing and hurt fundraising. A major part of the Israeli economy is tied to the value of the Israel shekel against the U.S. dollar. That in turn hurt critical parts of Israel's economy including real estate, as companies and individual citizens moved their money into U.S. dollars or other currencies.

☆ Tens of thousands take to streets of Israel opposing proposed judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court, in Tel Aviv, Israel February 11, 2023. REUTERS/Ilan RosenbergJERUSALEM, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday for a fifth week of protests against judicial overhaul plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government which critics say threaten democratic checks on ministers by the courts. "We are ...very proud of our democracy and he wants to make Israel something else. We will not agree, we will do everything in our power to stop it," Hadar Weis, 61, told Reuters at the protest in Tel Aviv. Israel's N12 news released a poll on Saturday revealing that 62% of Israelis want the proposed judicial plans to be either paused or halted all together.

☆ Israeli judicial reform legislation won't be halted, justice minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Israel's justice minister said on Sunday he would not freeze "for even a minute" the legislative process for proposed judicial reforms that have drawn widespread condemnation both domestically and globally. Israel's Justice Minister Yariv Levin's comments to Hebrew media's Channel 13 followed a statement earlier in the day from Israeli president Isaac Herzog, calling for the process to be temporarily halted. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the reforms are needed to curb overreach by judges. Critics say the proposed changes will politicize the judiciary and compromise its independence, foster corruption and harm Israel's legal protection abroad and its economy. The Israeli president, who was appointed and not elected, has previously called for all sides of the debate to defuse the tension and try to reach a common understanding.

☆ Tens of thousands of Israelis protest against justice reform plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court in Tel Aviv, Israel February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunJERUSALEM, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Israelis braved heavy rain on Saturday for a fifth week of protests against judicial reform plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government that critics say threaten democratic checks on ministers by the courts. "I'm here tonight protesting against the transition of Israel from a democracy to an autocracy," Dov Levenglick, 48, a software engineer told Reuters in Tel Aviv. Opposition leader Yair Lapid joined demonstrations in the coastal city of Haifa, where he said protesters "came to save their country, and we came to protest with them." Reporting by Emily Rose Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Blinken begins Middle East trip amid spate of violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

CAIRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Middle East on Sunday, beginning a three-day visit as violence flares between Israelis and Palestinians, and with Iran and the war in Ukraine high on the agenda. There has also been a spate of deadly violence in recent days, heightening fears that already spiralling violence will further escalate. A Palestinian gunman killed seven people in an attack outside a Jerusalem synagogue on Friday. Blinken will also travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, other Palestinian officials, and members of civil society. Blinken will hear from people inside and outside of government on the reforms, she added.

☆ Tens of thousands of Israelis protest against Netanyahu justice plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court, in Tel Aviv, Israel January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Ilan RosenbergTEL AVIV, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Israelis joined demonstrations on Saturday against judicial reform plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government that protesters say will threaten democratic checks and balances on ministers by the courts. "We are fighting for democracy," said Amnon Miller, 64, among crowds of protesters, many bearing white and blue Israeli flags. Likud has long accused the Supreme Court of being dominated by left-wing judges who it says encroach on areas outside their authority for political reasons. A survey released by the Israel Democracy Institute last week showed trust in the Supreme Court was markedly higher among left-wing Israelis than among those on the right, but that there was no overall support for weakening the court's powers.

☆ Israel's Herzog tries to prevent 'constitutional crisis' over judicial reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Lightning strikes as Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court in a main square in Tel Aviv, Israel January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunJERUSALEM, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Israel's president warned on Sunday that the country faced an "historic constitutional crisis" over a contested judicial reform plan, and said he was mediating between the relevant parties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now in his sixth term, wants to rein in the Supreme Court, which members of his religious-nationalist coalition accuse of overreach and elitism. This conflict worries me deeply, as it worries many across Israel and the (Jewish) Diaspora," President Isaac Herzog said in a statement. Judicial reforms, he said, had been sought by previous governments of various political stripes "and no one then thought about talking about an end to democracy".

☆ Netanyahu seals dramatic comeback as he is sworn in as Israel prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The plans have sparked an unprecedented uproar from across Israeli society, including the military, LGBTQ rights groups, the business community and others. Netanyahu is the country’s longest serving prime minister, having held office from 2009 until 2021 and a stint in the 1990s. Netanyahu’s previous administrations have been strong proponents of Israel’s West Bank settlement enterprise, and that is only expected to be kicked into overdrive under the new government. Most of the international community considers Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu has tried to allay those concerns by pledging no harm to LGBTQ rights.

KIRYAT ARBA, West Bank—Military towers loom over the highway leading to far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir ’s hometown, a settlement next to the Palestinian city of Hebron. Residents walk around with pistols strapped to their thighs, just beside their tzitzit, the ritual tassels mandated by Jewish law, as clusters of children play in the streets. Once largely confined to the fringes of Israeli society, an ultranationalist political outlook forged in Jewish West Bank settlements like Kiryat Arba has now been thrust to the center of Israeli public life by Mr. Ben-Gvir’s success in last week’s election. The Religious Zionism ticket co-led by Mr. Ben-Gvir won 14 seats in the 120-seat Parliament, or Knesset, making it the third-largest party in Israel.

Search resuls for: "Israeli Society"

10 mentions found