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☆ Far-right Israeli ministers urge Netanyahu not to accept ceasefire proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Benjamin Brown | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under fierce pressure from far-right members of his government not to agree to the ceasefire proposal currently on the table, which could prevent an Israeli military offensive in Rafah from moving forward. Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 27, 2024. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty ImagesFormer Israeli Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid hit back at Strook’s remarks. In the first phase, between 22 and 33 hostages are to be released over several weeks in exchange for the pause and the release of Palestinian prisoners. A woman looks at a wall of photos of hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, displayed in Tel Aviv.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Orit Strook, Strook’s, Netanyahu mulls, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Netanyahu, Jack Guez, Yair Lapid, “, Benny Gantz, Gantz, ” Strook, Amir Levy, Blinken, Jordan, “ We’re, ” Blinken, Isaac Herzog, wouldn’t, Herzog, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Israel’s Army, Hamas, Getty Locations: Rafah, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, AFP, “, Saudi Arabia

☆ Blinken Presses Hamas to Accept Israel’s Latest Cease-Fire Proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

One of the Israeli officials said those returning to the north would be subject to no inspections or limitations, while the second said there would be nearly no restrictions, without elaborating. It was not clear whether Hamas would accept the most recent Israeli proposal, which is part of negotiations that the two sides are conducting indirectly through mediators from Egypt and Qatar. The cease-fire talks were a focus of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken as he visited Israel on Wednesday. The Israeli offer, according to one of the Israeli officials, doesn’t include language that refers explicitly to an end to the fighting. On Monday, The New York Times reported that, as part of its proposal, Israel had reduced the number of hostages Hamas would need to release in the initial phase of a deal.

Persons: hadn’t, Antony J, Blinken, we’ve, ” Mr, Isaac Herzog, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Mr, doesn’t, ”, “, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Hamas, The New York Times, Mr, Finance Locations: Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Rafah

☆ Israeli leaders and military criticize reported US plans to sanction IDF unit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Eugenia Yosef | Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers have sharply criticized reports of plans by the United States to sanction an Israeli military unit for alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The allegations are said to implicate members of the Netzah Yehuda battalion of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the occupied West Bank, a unit established in 1999 comprising religious and Ultra-Orthodox Jews. He didn’t explicitly name Netzah Yehuda. An ‘inseparable part’ of the IDF“The ‘Netzah Yehuda’ battalion is an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces. Remo Casilli/Reuters“The reports regarding sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion are not currently known to the IDF.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, “, ”, Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, didn’t, Netzah Yehuda, Netzah Yehuda ’, ” Benny Gantz, Israel, Gantz, Bezalel Smotrich, Netzah, Remo Casilli, ” Blinken, I’ve, Blinken Organizations: CNN, Israeli, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, “, Rights Watch, HRW, Palestinian Ministry of Health, IDF, International, Reuters, Netzah Locations: United States, Gaza, Israel, Capri, Italy

☆ Analysis: Can Netanyahu avoid triggering a regional war?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In a paradigm shift after decades of shadow proxy war, Tehran is usurping Israel’s strategy. “We have decided to create a new equation,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami said. When faced with existential threats in the past, Israel has executed the most audacious raids the region has ever witnessed. The damage that can be inflicted on Iran is huge, is huge.”So the most important question right now must be, can Netanyahu read the room right – with Iran threatening to attack, allies warning him not to – and avoid triggering a regional war. Iran, he implied, won’t attack Israel as long as it fears America’s reaction.

Persons: CNN —, Joe Biden’s, Ebrahim Raisi’s, ” Israel, Hossein, “, Bashar al, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Ganz –, David Barnea, Staff Herzi Halevi, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, of National Security Itamar Ben, Gvir, Ganz, Gallant, – Ganz, ” Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu’s, Saleh Al, Amos Yadlin, Yadlin, ” Yadlin, Bashar, Iran’s, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Biden Organizations: CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, –, Staff, of National Security, IDF’s Military Intelligence, UN Security Locations: CNN — Israel, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Osirak, Syria, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Lebanese, Beirut, Lebanon, Damascus, America

☆ Opinion: 5 critical takeaways from Iran’s attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Miraculously, by a feat of military technology bolstered by coordination with friends and allies, Israel was able to repel the massive attack. The Quds Force commanders have been working with Iran-allied Hezbollah, which has been shelling Israel since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack from Gaza. What if Iran’s missiles and drones had carried nuclear material? In addition, the US was able to work out of its bases in Qatar and northern Iraq to counter Iran’s attack. The Iranian attack has revealed that Israel does have friends, including some in very important places: across the Middle East.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Israel, Frida Ghitis Tanya Malott, Jerusalem —, Jesus, Israel unlivable, Israel —, Benjamin Netanyahu, —, General Antonio Guterres “, ”, Jordan, ” Saudi Arabia — Iran’s, Benny Gantz, ” Biden, “, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, John Bolton Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel, Quds Force, Hamas, Ukraine, Street Journal, United Arab, Finance, National Security Locations: Israel, Jerusalem, al, Aqsa, Iran, Arab Israeli, Damascus, Gaza, Beirut, Buenos Aires, Jordan, Iraq, North Korea, Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Russia, Argentina, Japan, United States, France, ” Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Republic

☆ Why Iran attacked Israel and what comes next
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

How did Iran attack Israel? Israel and Iran are long-standing rivals and have been engaged in a shadow war for years. Israel’s war on Hamas, waged since the militant group attacked Israel on October 7, has heightened those tensions. But fears of a spiralling regional war spiked further in early April, when Iran accused Israel of bombing its diplomatic complex in Syria. The “Zionist regime” is a term Iran uses to refer to Israel.

Persons: percolated, Daniel Hagari, won’t, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israel, Ebrahim Raisi, “, IRNA, Yoav Gallant, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Biden, Benny Gantz, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Hossein Organizations: CNN, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Revolutionary Guards, West, Israeli, White, Finance, National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, TV Locations: East, Iran, Damascus, Syria, Israel, Iranian, Iraq, Gaza, Baghdad, Lebanese, ”

☆ Domestic Politics Drive Divisions Between Biden and Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Relations between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel appear to have sunk to a new low, with both men pressed hard by domestic politics and looming elections. Mr. Netanyahu, however, allowed his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, to remain in Washington for talks. In a recent interview, Mr. Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, accused Mr. Biden of tacitly supporting Israel’s enemies. Mr. Biden called it “a good speech” without endorsing the call for new elections. But Mr. Biden is far more popular in Israel than Mr. Obama was and a serious break with Washington would deeply undermine Israel’s security and its future.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mr, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Nadav, Ben, ”, Yahya Sinwar, “, ” Mr, Biden “, Smotrich, Chuck Schumer, Washington, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton —, Obama, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Security, West Bank, Mr, Palestinian, U.S . Congress, Israel, United, Washington Locations: Gaza, United States, Washington, Rafah, Israel, New York

☆ Opinion: What to make of Schumer’s scathing speech on Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Opinion Aaron David Miller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

So, is Schumer’s speech likely to have a major impact in Israel or on Biden administration policy? One way to read the impact of Schumer’s speech is that it will give the administration the political space to toughen up its policies toward the Netanyahu government. How Schumer’s speech will impact Israel and the US-Israeli relationship is hard to predict. Just look at the Republican reaction to Schumer’s speech. In an interview with CNN, Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell said Schumer’s speech was a contradiction of US policy.

Persons: Aaron David Miller, ” Miller, Chuck Schumer, ” that’s, Howard Beale, Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘, Schumer, Biden, Netanyahu, “ atta, Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, ” Benny Gantz, Schumer “, “, ” Gantz, We’re, Donald Trump, Trump, Will Biden, Joe Biden, It’s, that’s, he’s, Israel –, Schumer won’t, George H.W, Bush, State James Baker, Yitzhak Rabin’s, Yitzhak Shamir, Rabin, Bill Clinton, Shimon Peres, Peres, John Boehner, Sen, Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Mitch McConnell, can’t, ” Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Democratic, Republican, CNN, “, Likud, State, Republican Party, Democrat, Hamas, Biden, Israel, White, GOP, Republicans, West Bank Locations: East, Israel, Washington, “, Gaza, Arab, Michigan, Qatar, Iran, Jerusalem, America

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday declared that any expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank would be inconsistent with international law - reversing a Trump era position that broke with longstanding US policy. “They’re also inconsistent with international law. The Trump administration had reversed US policy to declare that settlements did not violate international law. The top US diplomat said he was “disappointed” by reports that Israel would expand the settlements in the occupied West Bank. “It’s been a longstanding US policy, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, that new settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace– frankly, they’re also inconsistent with international law, and this administration maintains this firm opposition to settlement expansion,” he said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, “ It’s, ” Blinken, “ They’re, Trump, Mike Pompeo, ” Israel’s, Bezalel Smotrich, Blinken, ”, John Kirby, they’re Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Republican, Democratic, Trump, White, National Security Locations: Buenos Aires, Israel

☆ Blinken Says New Israeli Settlements in West Bank Are Illegal, Reversing a Trump Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Friday that the American government now considers new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories to be “inconsistent with international law,” reversing a policy set under the Trump administration and returning to a decades-long U.S. position. Mr. Blinken spoke at a news conference in Buenos Aires, after Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, made an announcement on Thursday indicating thousands of new residences would be added to settlements. “It’s been longstanding U.S. policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching enduring peace,” he said. And in our judgment, this only weakens — it doesn’t strengthen — Israel’s security.”Mr. Blinken was in Argentina for meetings with the recently elected president, Javier Milei, and the foreign minister, Diana Mondino. State Department officials declined to say what actions, if any, the United States might take to hold Israeli settlers or the government legally accountable for the building of new settlements.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Trump, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, “ It’s, “, Mr, Javier Milei, Diana Mondino, John F, Kirby Organizations: Republican, Democratic, State Locations: Buenos Aires, U.S, Argentina, Washington, United States

☆ Egypt on edge as Israel’s war presses more than a million Palestinians up against its border
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The fortification by the border with Gaza is a “precautionary” measure ahead of an expected Israeli ground operation in Rafah, Egyptian security officials told CNN. Now, Egypt is sounding alarms again as Israel pushes more than a million Palestinians toward its territory and prepares for a military operation in Rafah. The treaty also limited the number of troops stationed on the border between Egypt and Gaza, which at the time was controlled by Israel. A satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows Rafah, Gaza, on February 3. After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it agreed with Egypt on a mechanism to secure the area with only Egyptian border patrol forces on the Egyptian side of the border.

Persons: Israel’s, Gazans, Kerem, Karm, Said Khatib, Bezalel Smotrich, “, Emad Gad, ”, Winter, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, Abed Zagout, Itamar Ben Gvir, Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ahmed Abu Zeid, ” Abu Zeid, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Israel, it’s, Gad, ” Gad Organizations: CNN, Getty, Twitter, Israel, Associated Press, The New York Times, Ahram, Maxar Technologies, Maxar, Ahram Center for Political, Strategic Studies, Institute for National Security Studies, Department of, Islamic, Tel Aviv University, National, Finance, Foreign, Foreign Ministry, Alghad, Reuters, Egyptian, demilitarize, Al, News, Ahram Center Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Rafah, North Sinai, Israel, Karm Abu Salem, AFP, Cairo, Western, United States, Washington, Tel Aviv, Anadolu, Sinai, Israeli, Al

It is the first time Moody’s has lowered Israel’s credit rating, which is used by investors to measure the riskiness of investing in a global entity or government. Moody’s downgraded Israel from A1 to A2 and said the outlook for the country’s economy was “negative.” The A2 rating nonetheless continues to carry relatively low risk, according to Moody's. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesStill, Israeli officials fear that the Moody’s downgrade could lead other major agencies also to downgrade Israel’s outlook. Israel’s economy bounced back after previous wars with Hamas, but the current war is much longer than any of those. Concerns about Israel’s governance, rising inflation and a worldwide slowdown in tech investments last year also weighed on the economy.

Persons: “, ” Moody’s, Moody’s, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Michel Strawczynski, it’s, Amir Yaron, Israel –, Western Europe —, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Moody's Organizations: —, Sunday, Finance, Hebrew University, Bank of Israel, Bank of Israel Gov Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Western Europe

☆ UN Agency Says Aid Shipment Blocked in Israeli Port
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The main United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza is facing growing administrative hurdles from Israel, with a shipment amounting to a month's supply of food blocked in port, the agency's chief said. UNRWA has dismissed staff accused of involvement in the attack and launched an investigation. He said UNRWA had been informed by a contractor that provided handling services in the port of Ashdod that it could no longer continue working with UNRWA, following instructions from the Israeli authorities. Last week, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on social media platform X that Israel was cancelling tax breaks previously offered to UNRWA. The decision was not formally communicated to the agency which only learned about it when the statement appeared on the platform, Lazzarini said.

Persons: Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini, Bezalel Smotrich, James Mackenzie, Steve Scheer Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, Israel, West Bank Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel, East, Ashdod, Turkey, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria

When Israel established a checkpoint near the Mousas' land a decade ago, the family converted their ancestral farm into a parking lot for Palestinian workers entering Israel. But the lot has been empty since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip, and Israel, fearing more attacks, barred Palestinian workers from the West Bank from entering Israel. Before October, over 10,000 Palestinian workers crossed the checkpoint there daily, heading to Israeli construction sites and farms. An estimated 200,000 Palestinians worked in Israel and Israeli settlements before the war, according to the Israeli workers' hotline Kav LaOved. The Palestinian economy in the West Bank contracted by over a fifth in the last quarter of 2023, according to the Palestinian economic ministry.

Persons: Mohammed Mousa’s, They've, Israel, “ I've, Mousa, “, Alaa Mousa, Ahmad Srour, ”, Srour, “ We’ve, we’ve, Nidal Khawaja, Khawaja, Israel's, Bezalel Smotrich, Khalid Al, Esseily, Khalidi, Raul Sargo, Mohammed Mousa Organizations: West Bank, —, Palestinian Authority, Bank, World Bank, Palestinian Economic Ministry, Palestinian, Associated Press, Israel, Israel's Finance Ministry, Israeli Builders Association Locations: West Bank, Nilin, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, U.S, israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has imposed financial restrictions on the main U.N. agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip, a measure which prevented a shipment of food for 1.1 million Palestinians from reaching the war-battered enclave, the agency's director said Friday. The U.N. food agency defines a famine as when 30% of children are malnourished, one-fifth of households face acute food shortages and two of every 10,000 people are dying from hunger or malnutrition. UNRWA, which serves about 6 million Palestinians whose families were displaced during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, denies the charges. UNWRA is the main provider of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, but Israeli bombardment and combat between Israel and Hamas has made much of the territory too dangerous for aid convoys to cross. Israel alleged last month that 12 employees of the aid agency participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.

Persons: — Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel, Juliette Touma, Touma, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, didn't, Lazzarini, “ Organizations: JERUSALEM, UNRWA, Food, Israel, Bank Leumi, Hamas, Food Program Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Turkey, Ashdod, Port Said, Egypt, Rafah

☆ Palestinian Authority to Pay Reduced Salaries as Israel Blocks Funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ali SawaftaRAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday it will pay public sector workers 60% of their December salaries this week as it grapples with the longrunning fallout of Israel's refusal to transfer tax funds earmarked for Gaza. Funding to the Palestinian Authority, the body which exercises limited governance in the occupied West Bank, has been severely restricted by the months-long dispute over transferring tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians. Although Gaza is controlled by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority continues to fund essential areas of the blockaded enclave's budget including paying the salaries of health workers. The dispute over the Palestinian Authority budget coincides with a separate dispute over funding to UNWRA, the United Nations agency which pays for emergency relief for Palestinians. Much of the UNWRA budget has been cut off since Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 Gaza workers of involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Ali Sawafta, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Shtayyeh, Antony Blinken, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher Organizations: Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian, Israeli, Hamas, U.S, United Nations, Israel, International Court of Justice Locations: Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, Gaza, Israel

Among Israeli and Palestinian leaders, reactions to Biden administration sanctions against West Bank settlers fell predictably along ethnic and ideological lines, from far-right Jewish nationalists who denounced the penalties as unjust to Arabs who said they did not go far enough. The sanctions announced on Thursday came in response to violence by Jewish settler extremists, which has increased sharply in recent months. “4 settlers?! Pathetic,” Ahmad Tibi, an Arab member of the Israeli Parliament, wrote on X. “The ‘settler violence’ campaign is an anti-Semitic lie spread by Israel’s enemies,” Mr. Smotrich wrote on X, though such violence has been amply documented.

Persons: Biden, ” Ahmad Tibi, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben, ” Mr, Smotrich, Yossi Dagan, “ Organizations: West Bank Locations: West

☆ Netanyahu faces pressure from all sides as hostage deal hopes rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Analysis Elliott Gotkine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas don’t agree on much. Hamas is demanding Israel withdraw all its troops from Gaza and release vast numbers of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Phase one would see a six-week pause in fighting, during which civilian hostages would be released; three Palestinian prisoners would be freed for each one. Yet even without Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu would still have the numbers in cabinet to push a hostage deal through. And even if he didn’t, opposition leader Yair Lapid says he’d step in to support the prime minister on this issue.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, don’t, Netanyahu, “, Itamar Ben Gvir, Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Yair Lapid Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Gaza, firebrand National Security, Israel Channel, Finance Locations: Gaza, Iran, Israel

☆ 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

☆ Netanyahu must be removed, say top former Israeli national security officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —More than 40 senior former Israeli national security officials, celebrated scientists and prominent business leaders have sent a letter to Israel’s president and speaker of parliament demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be removed from office for posing what they say is an “existential” threat to the country. “The victim’s blood is on Netanyahu’s hands.”The letter was sent to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday and to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on Friday. The frontrunner in the poll was the National Unity party led by former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, currently a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet. Video Ad Feedback Backlash grows over Israel's Netanyahu seemingly ruling out a two-state solution. Netanyahu told a news conference last week that politicians who are asking him to step down are essentially asking for a Palestinian state.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Amir Ohana, “, Moshe Ya’alon, Dan Halutz, Tamir Pardo, Danny Yatom, Nadav Argaman, Yaakov Peri, Shin, Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko, Dan Shechtman, Benny Gantz, aren’t, Yair Lapid, ”, Haim Tomer, ” Tomer, Israel's Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Biden, Tomer, I’ve, ” Israel Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, “, Shin Bet, Israel’s, Likud, National Unity, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Mossad, International Court of Justice Locations: Israel, Iran, United States, Gaza, Qatar, Palestinian, South Africa

☆ Explainer-What Is the Two-State Solution to the Israel-Palestinian Conflict?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

Obstacles have long impeded the two-state solution, which envisages Israeli and Palestinian states alongside each other. Advocates of the two-state solution have envisaged a Palestine in the Gaza Strip and West Bank linked by a corridor through Israel. As the two-state solution has floundered, talk of a one-state solution has risen. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a Jan. 23 speech, said the two-state solution remained the only way to address the aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians. He criticised "clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution at the highest levels of the Israeli government".

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, Rabin, Bill Clinton, Arafat, Ehud Barak, Camp David, Jerusalem, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah al, Abbas, Mahmoud Abbas, Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu, Abbas's Fatah, Biden, Osama Hamdan, General Antonio Guterres, Nidal al, Ali Sawafta, Maayan Lubell, Dan Williams, Ari Rabinovitch, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, Arab League, Israel, West Bank, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Palestinian Authority, Israeli, Bank, Geneva Accord, Finance Locations: Washington, Gaza, Palestinian, Jordan, Jerusalem, Palestine, Europe, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, East Jerusalem, Egypt, U.S, Oslo, Israeli, West Bank, Jordanian, Oslo Accords, U.N

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Israel to Make Case for War Before E.U. Amid Growing Criticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Peter Baker | Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“My insistence is what has prevented — over the years — the establishment of a Palestinian state that would have constituted an existential danger to Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement in Hebrew on Sunday. While there was no indication that Mr. Netanyahu would ease his strenuous opposition, which is popular with his fragile right-wing political coalition, Mr. Biden had expressed optimism that they might yet find consensus. President Biden and his top diplomat, Antony J. Blinken, have urged Israeli officials to move toward the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state. Mr. Netanyahu has rejected the idea of the authority returning to the enclave. Analysts pointed out that Mr. Netanyahu’s willingness to undermine his American counterpart was becoming routine.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Biden, “, —, ” Mr, Netanyahu, Mr, Netanyahu’s, ”, Grant Shapps, Shapps, ” António Guterres, Guterres, Antony J, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben, Gvir, ” Khaled Elgindy, Peter Baker Organizations: Mr, White House, Sky News, ” Palestinian Authority, West Bank, American, Middle East Institute Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, Israel, ”, Washington

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday rejected calls for Palestinian sovereignty following talks with US President Joe Biden on post-war Gaza. Netanyahu said Israel’s need for security control over all territory west of Jordan is incompatible with the existence of a Palestinian state. Biden administration officials have recently been engaged in discussions about a future demilitarized Palestinian state, an idea the US president finds “intriguing,” the source said. It remains an open question how post-war Gaza will be governed but Netanyahu has had long-standing objections to a two-state solution. He and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked anger when advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Israel’s, ” Netanyahu, Jack Guez, Critics, Gadi Eisenkot, Biden, “, ” Biden, Samuel Corum, Antony Blinken, —, General Antonio Guterres, ”, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Twitter, West Bank, Hamas, Getty, Saturday, Biden, UN, White, National Locations: Gaza, Jordan, Palestinian, “, Israel, AFP, Tel Aviv, East

☆ 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

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed at least 24,100 Palestinians and injured another 60,834, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, pictured on December 18 in Tel Aviv, announced the withdrawal of some troops from Gaza on Monday. It was the most significant sign so far of a new phase in Israel's military offensive. The withdrawal means there are now three IDF combat divisions left in Gaza, alongside special forces, according to the spokesperson. Thousands of families have moved multiple times as Israel’s offensive has moved to new areas.

Persons: Itamar Ben Gvir, ”, Yoav Gallant, Violeta Santos Moura, Gallant, Ben Gvir’s, Bezalel Smotrich, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Abir Organizations: CNN, National, IDF, of Health, Israeli, Reuters Israeli, Getty, Palestinian Authority, UN Relief and Works Agency Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Netanyahu’s, Jerusalem, Netanyahu's, Abir Sultan, AFP, United States, Palestine

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