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☆ Israel, Palestinian Authority Pledge to Reduce West Bank Violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Security forces were deployed Sunday after a shooting attack in the Palestinian town of Huwara in the West Bank. TEL AVIV—Israeli and Palestinian officials pledged Sunday to reduce the escalating violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem, but the fatal shooting of two Israeli settlers and subsequent riots in Palestinian villages underscored how tensions are spiraling. Israelis and Palestinians issued a joint statement after a rare meeting with U.S., Jordanian and Egyptian officials hosted in Jordan’s southern coastal city of Aqaba. The summit brought high-level diplomacy to efforts to stem spiraling tensions between Israelis and Palestinians ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in late March. Regional officials have warned that Ramadan could be a flashpoint for new violence, as it has been in the past.

☆ Israel Strikes Hamas Sites as Conflict Widens
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gaza City after Israel launched air strikes on the Palestinian enclave early on Thursday. JERUSALEM—Israeli jet fighters struck Hamas sites after militants fired rockets from Gaza on Thursday, the Israeli military said, raising fears of a wider conflict after a raid in the occupied West Bank left 11 Palestinians dead. The Israeli military said it bombarded a weapons-manufacturing facility affiliated with Hamas, the de facto rulers of the Gaza Strip and a U.S.-designated terror group. Israeli forces also attacked a Hamas military site in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

☆ At Least 10 Palestinians Dead in Shootout Between Israeli Forces and Militants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Palestinians carry the body of a man killed during a shootout in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday. TEL AVIV—At least 10 Palestinians were killed during a shootout between Israeli forces and militants in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday, according to Palestinian health officials, as violence escalated in the territory despite international efforts to ease tensions. Among those who died during the daytime Israeli raid in Nablus’s bustling center included a 72-year-old man and other civilian bystanders, said Mahdi Akoub, a local leader. At least another six Palestinians were seriously injured during the firefight, and over 100 wounded in total, many by gunfire, the Palestinian health ministry said.

☆ At Least 11 Palestinians Dead in Shootout Between Israeli Forces and Militants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Palestinians carry the body of a man killed during a shootout in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday. TEL AVIV—At least 11 Palestinians were killed during a shootout between Israeli forces and militants in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday, according to Palestinian health officials, as violence escalated in the territory despite international efforts to ease tensions. Among those who died during the daytime Israeli raid in Nablus’s bustling center included a 72-year-old man and other civilian bystanders, said Mahdi Akoub, a local leader. At least another six Palestinians were seriously injured during the firefight, and over 100 wounded in total, many by gunfire, the Palestinian health ministry said.

☆ Israeli Parliament Begins Voting on Judicial Overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused demonstrators who oppose a judiciary overhaul he favors of ’trampling on democracy.’JERUSALEM—The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed ahead Monday with voting on an overhaul of Israel’s judicial system that has bitterly divided the country, despite calls from the U.S. to delay the process and build consensus. Lawmakers began voting Monday night on the first reading of two bills that will grant Israel’s ruling coalition effective control over the appointment of judges and ban judicial review over laws that have quasi-constitutional power, known as Basic Laws. The bills will still need to pass two more rounds of voting before becoming law, a process that could take weeks or months.

☆ Netanyahu Advances Overhaul of Top Israeli Court, Drawing Thousands of Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s conservative government advanced legislation Monday that would overhaul the country’s top court, drawing thousands of Israelis to protest the proposal in front of the parliament, or Knesset, as workers across the country went on a general strike. The proposed changes would allow a simple majority of lawmakers to overturn Supreme Court decisions and dominate the committee that appoints judges. The political opposition, as well as top high court officials, have said the proposal gives the ruling coalition unchecked power. Israel has a limited system of checks and balances, with its top court playing the leading role in checking the power of the legislative and executive branch.

☆ Jerusalem Car-Ramming Kills Two Israelis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Two Israelis, including a 6-year-old boy, were killed on Friday when a Palestinian driver deliberately rammed his car into people at a Jerusalem bus stop on Friday afternoon, authorities said, prompting a top Israeli official to vow a police crackdown on militants in the city’s Arab-majority east. At least four other Israelis were seriously or critically injured in the attack, among them an 8-year-old boy, health officials said. The ramming took place near the ultraorthodox Israeli enclave of Ramot in East Jerusalem. Police said security forces fatally shot the assailant at the scene.

JENIN, West Bank—A recent spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians is worsening after two gun attacks in Jerusalem and a wave of Israeli raids in the West Bank. The deteriorating situation has raised concern among world leaders and poses the first major security test for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s new right-wing and religiously conservative government, which came to power last year amid an aggressive military campaign to weed out militants in the occupied West Bank. Since then, near-daily raids by Israeli security forces have led to a rising Palestinian death toll. A spate of Palestinian terrorist attacks in Israel threatens to cause further instability ahead of a Monday visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken , the latest in a series of U.S. officials to head to Jerusalem in recent days.

☆ Jerusalem Attack: Shooting at Synagogue Kills Seven People
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Victims at the scene of a shooting attack on Friday that authorities said was carried out by a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem. JERUSALEM—At least seven people were killed and five were injured Friday night when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in a Jerusalem synagogue, in what authorities said was a terrorist attack. The shooter was killed at the scene in a Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem, Neve Ya’akov, and a large police force responded, Israeli authorities said.

☆ Palestinians Say They Will End Coordination With Israel After West Bank Raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Fatima Abdulkarim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JENIN, West Bank—The Palestinian Authority said Thursday it would cease coordinating with Israel on security after nine Palestinians were killed during a battle between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The two sides work closely together to fight militants in the occupied West Bank, a policy unpopular among the Palestinian public, according to polls. Israeli security officials say coordinating with Ramallah is a key pillar of stability in the area.

☆ Israeli Raid in West Bank Leaves Nine Palestinians Dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Fatima Abdulkarim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The ocuppied-West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday after a firefight between Israeli security forces and militants left nine Palestinians dead. Nine Palestinians were killed in a firefight between militants and Israeli security forces in a refugee camp during an Israeli raid in the West Bank on Thursday morning, according to Palestinian health officials, in the deadliest operation in months in the occupied territory. The Israeli army said troops entered the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday as part of an operation targeting Palestinian militants. Soldiers killed at least six militants in the resulting battle, the army said.

☆ Thousands of Israelis Protest Netanyahu Government’s Judicial Overhaul Plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Israelis protested in Tel Aviv Saturday, with some waving signs calling for the government to ‘take its hands off the court.’TEL AVIV—Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities Saturday night to protest the newly sworn-in Netanyahu government’s plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system, saying that such a move could weaken Israel’s democracy. Activists and the political opposition say the ruling coalition’s proposals, which aim at curbing the power of Israel’s judiciary, could undermine the country’s existing system of checks and balances. The proposed changes include giving the ruling coalition more say in which judges are appointed, limiting the top court’s ability to strike down laws and allowing a simple majority of lawmakers to override the Supreme Court should it strike down legislation.

JERUSALEM—A small group of Jewish men clad in black and white stood in a quiet nook of Judaism’s holiest site one recent morning, gently rocking and murmuring prayers before Israeli police motioned for them to move on. Such a scene would have resulted in arrests just a few years ago for violating a longstanding unofficial agreement between Israel and Islamic religious authorities, which forbids non-Muslims from praying on the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

☆ Israel’s Powerful New Finance Minister Aims to Entrench Israeli Rule in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM—Israel’s new finance minister, the leader of the country’s far-right Religious Zionism party and an advocate of outright annexation of at least parts of the West Bank, said he plans to spend billions of dollars building infrastructure and investing in Jewish settlements in the territory. “We will lead the development, formalization and strengthening of our grip in these areas of our homeland, Judea and Samaria,” said Bezalel Smotrich as the new government was sworn in last week, using the biblical name for the West Bank.

☆ Israeli Far-Right Leader Ben-Gvir Visits Flashpoint Jerusalem Site
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Itamar Ben-Gvir is national security minister in a coalition government led by Israel’s new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. JERUSALEM—Israeli far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir visited early Tuesday Jerusalem’s holiest site in his first week as a minister, raising tensions with the Palestinians who are concerned about the new government expanding Israeli control over the contested hilltop compound. “No Israeli government in which I am a member will surrender to a vile group of murderers,” said Mr. Ben-Gvir, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas warned it would consider his visit “a great aggression.”

☆ Israeli Army Kills Two Palestinians in West Bank Clashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Fatima Abdulkarim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Palestinians carried the bodies of the two men who died in the clash during their funeral in the West Bank city of Jenin. JERUSALEM—Israeli forces killed two Palestinians during clashes near the West Bank city of Jenin early on Monday, Palestinian health officials said. This latest incident of violence comes on the heels of the deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in more than a decade and a half.

JERUSALEM— Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in for the sixth time as prime minister of Israel on Thursday, having been propelled back to the premiership by a coalition of ultranationalist and religious parties that will wield unprecedented power. Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition aims to expand Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, give lawmakers greater control over the top court and make changes to matters of religion and state. His coalition will include six right-wing parties, five of which are religiously conservative, and will control 64 of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset. The new government is set to be the most right wing in Israel’s history, according to political analysts, and caps a decadeslong rightward shift among the electorate.

Salah Hammouri arrives in Paris after his extradition. EAST JERUSALEM—Israel deported Salah Hammouri, a Palestinian-French lawyer, to France on Sunday, marking the first time Israel has relied on a recent law that permits revoking the residency status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem for a “breach of allegiance” to the state. France condemned the deportation and called it illegal under international law.

☆ Teen Palestinian Girl Killed During Shootout Between Israeli Forces, Militants
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Palestinians inspect the area where the girl, who was 15 or 16 according to Palestinian authorities, was shot. JERUSALEM—A teenage Palestinian girl was fatally shot Monday during a gun battle between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants, adding another young casualty to the bloodiest year in decades at the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said that it raided the Palestinian city of Jenin in the northern West Bank early Monday morning and that its forces were attacked by militants, who shot at them and hurled explosive devices. Its soldiers returned fire, it said.

Israeli soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda unit taking part in training in the Golan Heights in 2014. The Israeli military said Tuesday that it is moving one of its most troubled units out of the West Bank amid recent allegations of abuse and disciplinary action against soldiers accused of mistreating Palestinians. The Israel Defense Forces is removing the Netzah Yehuda—a unique, ultraorthodox military unit—from the West Bank after soldiers in the battalion were suspended or demoted for allowing an elderly Palestinian-American to die in their custody earlier this year and beating Palestinian men with no justification, according to Israeli military investigations.

☆ Israel’s Right-Wing Lawmakers Aim to Remake Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Benjamin Netanyahu would likely be unable to form a government without support from ultraorthodox lawmakers, who are pushing for judicial reforms. TEL AVIV— Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s right-wing political allies aim to make sweeping changes to Israel’s judicial system, which could allow lawmakers to pass laws previously struck down as unconstitutional, including bills aimed at expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank. For decades, Israel’s right wing has accused the country’s Supreme Court of abusing its power and having a left-wing bias because it disproportionately struck down laws connected to the right wing’s legislative agenda.

Nawaff Assad, wearing a mask, was consoled at a gathering to mourn the death of his 78-year-old brother, Omar Assad, who had been detained by soldiers from Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion. The Israeli military said Thursday that it is considering filing charges against two soldiers over the death earlier this year of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American, Omar Assad , who died after being detained by Israeli soldiers at an impromptu West Bank checkpoint. Military lawyers informed attorneys for the two soldiers that they are considering pursuing charges against them for their actions the night Mr. Assad died, the Israeli military said. Attorneys for the two men said they don’t believe their clients will face manslaughter charges, because investigators haven’t been able to directly link their actions to Mr. Assad’s death. The decision to charge the soldiers is pending a hearing.

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.

Former Israeli prime minister and leader of the Likud party, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a blue tie, with supporters on Tuesday. TEL AVIV—Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the cusp of a comeback that could usher in one of the country’s most right-wing and religious governments, after Israelis delivered him and his political allies a clear edge in Tuesday’s election. Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party is projected to win 31 seats, with 84% of the vote counted, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, while Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid party is projected to win 24 seats. A government led by Mr. Netanyahu is projected to win between 62 and 65 seats in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset, according to calculations by Kan.

☆ Israel Heads to Polls in Fifth Election Since 2019 as Netanyahu Eyes Comeback
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Dov Lieber | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Supporters of Israel’s Likud party and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, campaigning in Jerusalem on Monday. TEL AVIV—A deeply divided Israeli electorate is casting ballots Tuesday in the nation’s fifth election since 2019, with polls predicting an extremely tight vote that gives neither Prime Minister Yair Lapid nor opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu a clear path to power. Some of the most recent polls showed Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition with a slight edge of 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. Other polls showed a 60-60 tie. Mr. Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, is polling at around 27 seats.

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