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☆ Abandoned cars underline panic at Israeli music festival where Hamas gunmen killed hundreds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of cars abandoned in the scramble to flee a massacre at an Israeli music festival where Hamas gunmen killed 260 people and took captives back into Gaza underline the scale of the deadliest attack on Israel in decades. Video footage circulating on social media shows the gunmen descending in paragliders on the gathering in the Negev Desert. Israeli emergency services said 260 bodies had been recovered from the site of the festival. Other social media footage shows some of those taken captive from the party being led away by jubilant gunmen. "I live on the Gaza border and I've seen things in my life, but I've never felt it this close," Maariv said.

Persons: Arik Nani, Maariv, I've, James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, Reuters, Nature Party, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Kibbutz Re'im, paragliders

☆ Israel retaliates after Hamas attacks, deaths pass 1,100
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the country had called in around 100,000 soldiers. Iran is an ally of Hamas and while it congratulated Hamas on the attack, its mission to the United Nations said Tehran was not involved in the attacks. Several international air carriers have suspended flight services with Tel Aviv in light of the Hamas attack, saying they are waiting for conditions to improve before resuming. In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the U.S. announcement as "an actual participation in the aggression against our people" and said the group would not be intimidated. The United States led Western denunciations of Hamas' attack, with Biden issuing a blunt warning to Iran and others on : "This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks."

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Yoav Gallant, Jonathan Conricus, Brent, Ebrahim Raisi, they're, They're, Yoni Asher, Uri David, Mohammed Salem, Attar, Daniel Hagari, Netanyahu, Aaron David Miller, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Gerald R, Hazem Qassem, Lebanon's, Peacemaking, Ismail Haniyeh, Gazans, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovitch, Nidal, Ammar Anwar, Henriette Chacar, Emily Rose, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, Steven Scheer, James Mackenzie, Angus McDowall, Andrew Cawthorne, Matt Spetalnick, Stephen Coates, Michael Perry Organizations: Fighters, United Nations, Nasdaq, Sunday, REUTERS, White, National Security, Islamic, Carnegie Endowment, International, . Defense, Ford Carrier Strike Group, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Jerusalem, United, Biden, Thomson Locations: Gaza, JERUSALEM, GAZA, Israel, Egypt, Yom, Ofakim, Iran, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Lebanon's Iran, Palestine, Gaza City, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi Arabia, United States, Jerusalem, Sderot, Ramallah, Modiin, Washington

☆ Israel's security forces face questions after Hamas attack lays bare intelligence gaps
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"It looks quite similar to what happened at that time," said retired General Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel's National Security Council. "As we can see it, Israel was completely surprised, by a very well coordinated attack," he told a briefing with reporters. "This was an intelligence failure; it could not be otherwise," said Jonathan Panikoff, the U.S. government's former deputy national intelligence officer on the Middle East, who is now at the Atlantic Council think tank. "They've been planning this for a long time," said former Israeli National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata. "Obviously this is a very coordinated attack, and unfortunately they were able to surprise us tactically and cause devastating damage."

Persons: Israel, Giora Eiland, Gazans, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Amir Cohen, Jonathan Panikoff, government's, They've, Eyal Hulata, Matt Spetalnick, James Mackenzie, Chris Reese Organizations: Israel's National Security Council, West Bank, West, REUTERS, Atlantic Council, National, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, West Bank, Ashkelon, U.S, Sderot, Washington

☆ Israel's security forces face questions after Hamas attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"It looks quite similar to what happened at that time," said retired General Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel's National Security Council. "As we can see it, Israel was completely surprised, by a very well coordinated attack," he told a briefing with reporters. "It was a security failure, undermining what was thought to be an aggressive and successful layered approach toward Gaza by Israel," he said. "They've been planning this for a long time," said former Israeli National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata. "Obviously this is a very coordinated attack, and unfortunately they were able to surprise us tactically and cause devastating damage."

Persons: Israel, Giora Eiland, Gazans, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Ronen, Jonathan Panikoff, government's, They've, Eyal Hulata, Matt Spetalnick, James Mackenzie, Chris Reese Organizations: Israel's National Security Council, West Bank, West, Atlantic Council, National, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, West Bank, Sderot, U.S, Washington

In southern Israel, Hamas gunmen were still fighting Israeli security forces in several places 24 hours after their incursion in the early hours of Saturday, both sides said, as more rockets were fired from Gaza, sparking air raid sirens. More than 300 Gazans were killed when Israel responded with one of its most devastating days of retaliatory strikes. [1/23]Palestinian inspect a mosque destroyed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 8, 2023. Bodies of Israeli civilians surrounded by broken glass were strewn across the streets of Sderot in southern Israel near Gaza in the aftermath of Saturday's assault. Senior military officers were among those killed in fighting near Gaza, the Israeli military said.

Persons: Israel, Israel Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, DAWN, Gunmen, Al Hadath, Khan Younis, Abu Mustafa, Peacemaking, YOU, Ismail Haniyeh, Gazans, Jerusalem's Al, Joe Biden, Osama Hamdan, Maayan Lubell, Nidal, Ammar Anwar, Henriette Chacar, Emily Rose, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Angus McDowall, Robert Birsel, Lisa Shumaker, William Mallard, Alex Richardson Organizations: Hamas, Gaza, Jets, Palestinian, West Bank, REUTERS, Jerusalem, Senior, Islamic, BIDEN, NETANYAHU, White, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Lebanon JERUSALEM, GAZA, SDEROT, Gaza, Lebanon, Israeli, Egypt, Syria, Yom, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Gaza's Beit Hanoun district, Aqsa, Sderot, United States, Iraq, Yemen, Jerusalem, Ramallah

Saturday's incident marked an unprecedented infiltration by Hamas gunmen into Israel from Gaza, and was the most serious escalation since Israel and Hamas fought a 10-day war in 2021. Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel. Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight. The Israeli military was aware of reports of captives, a security source said, but provided no further details. Israel's ambulance service said teams had been dispatched to areas in southern Israel near Gaza and residents were warned to stay inside.

Persons: Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammad Deif, Amir Cohen, Yoav Gallant, Khan Younis, Abu Hamza, ”, Henriette Chacar, Dan Williams, Nidal Al, James Mackenzie, William Mallard, Robert Birsel, Alex Richardson Organizations: Israel Hamas, Hamas, Israeli Army Radio, REUTERS, Islamic, Qassam, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, JERUSALEM, GAZA, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Sderot, Beeri, Ashkelon, Khan, Syria, Egypt, Mughrabi

The issue has exposed deep divisions between his nationalist-religious supporters and more liberal and secular sections of Israeli society, posing major questions about the constitutional foundations of Israel and its future direction. Over 2,600 Israelis including Zwebner's brother were killed, the largest loss of life Israel has ever suffered in a single war. For many front-line soldiers, the war remains a traumatic event but the feeling many express five decades later is pride in having helped save their country. "I had a meeting with my friends this week which really made me emotional, but you feel very much like you saved the existence of Israel," Zwebner said. For Zwebner, who himself opposes the judicial overhaul, a lesson of the 1973 war was that people had to be prepared to think for themselves rather than blindly accepting what leaders of any kind said.

Persons: Uzy, Yonti, Amir Cohen, Uzy Zwebner, Golda Meir, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Herzi Halevi, Israel, Jordan, Abraham, Zwebner, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Labour Party, ISRAEL, U.S, Abraham Accords, Thomson Locations: Sinai, Kippur, Tel Aviv, Israel, Yom Kippur, Golan, Soviet Union, Egypt

He suggested the more immediate reason for the unrest was less long-time grievances related to the Palestinian national cause and more Gaza's economic misery. "The protests are about money," said the Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the topic's sensitivity. FRAGILE CEASEFIREA recent International Monetary Fund report said that for any stable long-term economic recovery in Gaza, "lifting of the blockade and easing of the Israeli-imposed restrictions are essential". With an official unemployment rate in Gaza of over 46%, Hamas itself has faced rumbling discontent over its economic management although for its part, the movement blames the Israeli blockade for the enclave's economic woes. Last month, Israel imposed a brief blockade on exports from Gaza after inspectors said they uncovered an attempt to smuggle explosives into the West Bank.

Persons: Gaza's, Al, Bassem Naim, Bilal Al, Najar, Bashir Al, Nidal al, James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, West Bank, Monetary Fund, Unipal Company, Thomson Locations: Israel, GAZA, Gaza, Al Aqsa, Egypt, Jerusalem, Lod, Gaza's

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives U.S. President Joe Biden at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. Washington could also sweeten any deal by designating Saudi Arabia a Major Non-NATO Ally, a status already given to Israel, the U.S. source said. "Saudi Arabia supports a peace plan for the Palestinians, but this time it wanted something for Saudi Arabia, not just for the Palestinians." SEEKING ISRAELI COMMITMENTSIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the possibility of a "historic" peace with Saudi Arabia, the heartland of Islam. Yet, even if the U.S, Israel and Saudi Arabia agree, winning support from lawmakers in the U.S. Congress remains a challenge.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, NATO Ally, Biden, Washington, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Jamal Khashoggi, China, Samia Nakhoul, James Mackenzie, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, Aziz El Yaacouby, Steve Holland, Matt Spetalnick, Humeyra Pamuk, Patricia Zengerle, Edmund Blair Organizations: Al, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS Acquire, Defence, NATO, Saudi, U.S, U.S . Navy Fifth, Saudi Arabia, U.S . State Department, U.S . Atomic Energy, Israel's, MbS, Fox, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, West, Biden's Democratic Party, Washington Post, Congress, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bandar, Bahrain, Washington, Israel, United States, U.S, Riyadh, Iran, Tehran, Japan, Egypt, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Yemen, Beijing, Dubai, Jerusalmen

☆ Arab Family of Five Shot Dead as Crime Rates in Israel Soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Five members of an Arab family were shot dead in their home in Israel, police said on Wednesday, in the latest in a wave of crime-related killings in Israel's Arab communities that has reached a new peak this year. Arab mayors have accused the government and police of deliberately neglecting their communities and of enabling criminals to act with impunity. With Israel facing its worst political crisis in decades, over Netanyahu's drive to push through divisive changes to the judiciary, Arab citizens say the collapse of personal safety in their communities must receive more government attention. "As police, we will do everything to get to the killers," police spokesman Eli Levi told reporters at the scene of Wednesday's crime. Arab citizens, most of whom are descendants of Palestinians who remained in Israel during the mass exodus of refugees in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, make up about a fifth of the country's population.

Persons: Basmat Tab'un, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mansour Abbas, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Netanyahu, Eli Levi, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, William Maclean Organizations: National, Israel, Jewish Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Basmat

☆ Arab family of five shot dead as crime rates in Israel soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] People attend a protest against a spike in deadly crime-related violence in Israel's Arab communities after a family of five, including a woman and two teenagers, were shot dead in their home in Basmat Tab'un, northern Israel September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Five members of an Arab family were shot dead in their home in Israel, police said on Wednesday, in the latest in a wave of crime-related killings in Israel's Arab communities that has reached a new peak this year. Arab mayors have accused the government and police of deliberately neglecting their communities and of enabling criminals to act with impunity. "As police, we will do everything to get to the killers," police spokesman Eli Levi told reporters at the scene of Wednesday's crime. Arab citizens, most of whom are descendants of Palestinians who remained in Israel during the mass exodus of refugees in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, make up about a fifth of the country's population.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Basmat Tab'un, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mansour Abbas, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Netanyahu, Eli Levi, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, National, Israel, Jewish, Thomson Locations: Basmat Tab'un, Israel, Basmat

☆ Israel says US to announce it has joined Visa Waiver Program
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen speaks during a press conference with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis at the Foreign Ministry in Athens, Greece, July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it expects the United States to announce this week that it will be admitted to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which would allow Israeli citizens visa-free entry to America as of November. "Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program is a diplomatic achievement and good news for all Israeli citizens," said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. In Israel's case, that would mean free passage for Palestinian Americans at its airports and when travelling into and out of the occupied Palestinian territories. Between 45,000 and 60,000 Palestinian Americans live in the West Bank, a U.S. official estimated.

Persons: Eli Cohen, Giorgos Gerapetritis, Louiza, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel, Henriette Chacar, Simon Lewis, Caitlin Webber, James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich, Sonali Paul Organizations: Israel, Greek Foreign, Foreign Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, Visa, Israeli, U.S . State Department, Homeland Security, State, Palestinian, West Bank, U.S, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, United States, America, Israel, U.S, Washington, Palestinian, Croatia

☆ Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Fighter in Northern West Bank Raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian militant during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the seventh person killed this week as President Mahmoud Abbas sought to revive statehood talks amid efforts to further integrate Israel into the Middle East. In a statement, they said he was shot while confronting Israeli soldiers who raided the village of Kafr Dan near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The Israeli military said soldiers opened fire at suspects who shot at and hurled an explosive device at its forces during a weapons search operation in Kafr Dan. Violence in the West Bank violence has surged for over a year, with stepped up Israeli military raids, increased settler assaults on Palestinian villages and a spate of Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis. Israel occupied the West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state, in a 1967 Middle East war.

Persons: Mahmoud Abbas, Kafr Dan, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Abbas, Ali Sawafta, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher Organizations: West Bank, Reuters, Islamic, Defense, Children International, U.S, United Nations General Assembly, UN Locations: RAMALLAH, West, Palestinian, Israel, Kafr, West Bank, Jenin, Kafr Dan, Palestine, New York, Saudi Arabia

☆ Israel's Netanyahu to visit Silicon Valley, New York next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a news conference with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides (not pictured) at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, September 3, 2023. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit California's Silicon Valley next week before traveling to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, his office said on Sunday. Netanyahu's office did not give specific details of who he would be meeting. Israeli news website YNet reported the visit to Silicon Valley would focus on strengthening ties in the field of artificial intelligence. Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; editing by James MackenzieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Nikos Christodoulides, Iakovos, Ari Rabinovitch, James Mackenzie Organizations: Cyprus, Rights, General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Nicosia, Cyprus, New York, Silicon

☆ Libyan PM sacks foreign minister as row over Israel meeting grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Libyan Foreign Minister Najla el-Mangoush attends a joint press conference at the conclusion of the Libya Stabilization Conference, in Tripoli, Libya, October 21, 2021. Mangoush had said her meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Rome was unplanned and informal, but an Israeli official told Reuters it had lasted two hours and was approved "at the highest levels in Libya". The meeting is contentious because Libya does not formally recognise Israel and there is widespread public support across the Libyan political spectrum for the Palestinian cause of creating an independent state in territory Israel occupies. The Libya prime minister sees Israel as a possible bridge to the West and the U.S. administration," the official said. Libya's parliament based in the east, which rejects the GNU, said on Sunday it would hold hearings into the meeting with the Israeli minister.

Persons: Najla, Mangoush, Hazem Ahmed, Najla Mangoush, Eli Cohen, Abdulhamid, Muammar Gaddafi, Cohen, Antonio Tajani, Dbeibah, Libya's, Abraham, Francesco Galietti, Giorgia Meloni, Dan Williams, Francesca Landini, Gavin Jones, Angus McDowall, James Mackenzie, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich, Conor Humphries Organizations: Libyan Foreign, Libya Stabilization Conference, REUTERS, Rome Israeli, Israeli, Reuters, Protesters, Libya's Foreign, Palestinian, Libyan, U.S, United Arab, Abraham Accords, of National Unity, GNU, UAE, High State Council, Dbeibah, Italian, Thomson Locations: Libya, Tripoli, Rome, TRIPOLI, JERUSALEM, Israel, Benghazi, Italian, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, United States, Dbeibah's, Reuters Libya, Jerusalem

[1/9] United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) members stand near their vehicles in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, August 16, 2023. Israel and Hezbollah have avoided war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since their last major clash 17 years ago, deterred by mutual threats of destruction. The tensions come against the backdrop of a political crisis in Israel that has emboldened its enemies. Lebanon can ill afford conflict four years into a financial meltdown that has paralysed the state. Hezbollah last year gave its blessing to a maritime border deal with Israel that allows Lebanon to explore for offshore energy.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hassan al, Baghdadi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohanad Hage Ali, General Lázaro, Andrea Tenenti, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations Interim Force, REUTERS, Reuters, National Security, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center, West Bank, UNIFIL, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Naqoura, Lebanese, Israel, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Iran, Syria, Ghajar, Western, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza, Jerusalem, Al, Aqsa, Beirut

"We are sons of Jenin," said one of the Islamic Jihad fighters, who identified himself as Abu Salah. Islamic Jihad is a Palestinian faction sworn to destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamic state. Many of the Palestinian attackers who have killed Israelis in Israel and the West Bank came from the area. Sometimes the transfers involve criminals and sometimes legitimate or semi-legitimate businesses help to move funds to the West Bank, the militant sources said. Much of the weaponry used by the Jenin fighters comes from Israel itself, stolen and sold on through criminal gangs, Israeli officials say.

Persons: Raneen, Tzachi Hanegbi, Abu Salah, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mahmoud Al, Saadi, Tamir Hayman, Daoud Shehab, Yasser Arafat, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Suleiman al, Khalidi, Raneen Sawafta, Maayan Lubell, Jonathan Saul, Jerusalem, Nidal, Michelle Nichols, Leila Bassam, David Clarke Organizations: Bank, REUTERS, West Bank, Islamic, Israel's National, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, HIT, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, Israel's Institute for National Security, United Nations, Palestinian Center, Policy, Survey Research, Jenin Brigade, Gulf, Aqsa Brigades, Fatah, Thomson Locations: Jenin, JENIN, West, Islamic Jihad, Iran, Jihad, Lebanon, Israel, Oslo, Crescent, Tel Aviv, New York, Nablus, Palestinian Territories, China, Jordanian, Al, Aqsa, Amman, Maayan, Gaza, Beirut, Parisa, Dubai

REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File PhotoSummary Funds were meant to narrow socio-economic gapsSmotrich says money would go to criminals, militantsLawmakers, colleges criticise decision as racistJERUSALEM, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has frozen funds for Arab towns and Palestinian education programmes in East Jerusalem, citing crime and safety fears and prompting accusations of racism. "Arab citizens are entitled to those funds, which were meant to close the gaps between Arab and Jewish communities," he told Reuters. 'HATRED AND RACISM'Smotrich said a separate 200 million shekels for encouraging academic studies among Palestinians from East Jerusalem would also be frozen until what he described as "extremist Islamic activity" on campus was eradicated. Smotrich said the new East Jerusalem plan would have a total increased budget but that although encouraging academic studies among the city's Palestinians was a worthy cause, this also had unwelcome consequences. Reporting by Henriette Chacar and Maayan Lubell; Editing by James Mackenzie and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Kan, Moshe Arbel, Mansour Abbas, Yair Lapid, Smotrich, Ameer Bisharat, Israel, Netanyahu, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Israeli, Reuters, National Committee of, Facebook, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Thomson Locations: Rahat, Israel, JERUSALEM, East Jerusalem, Smotrich, Arab, Jerusalem, Gaza

☆ Netanyahu judicial overhaul faces showdown in Israeli Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

CONSTITUTIONAL QUAGMIREThe reasonableness amendment is part of Israel's so-called "Basic Laws" that the court so far has refrained from quashing. Striking down a basic law or an amendment to one has been described in Israel as the Supreme Court using a legal doomsday weapon. As Israel has no written constitution, it relies instead on these Basic Laws which enshrine some rights and liberties and establish rules of governance. In its legal response ahead of Tuesday's hearing, the government argued that the Supreme Court does not have legal authority to review basic laws. From mid-October those vacancies will include the chief justice and another Supreme Court justice.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Israel, Esther Hayut, Aryeh Deri, Ronen, NETANYAHU, Yariv Levin, Levin, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Howard Goller, Michael Perry Organizations: reining, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Israel, Israel's, Jerusalem

☆ Israeli deputy says normalisation with Saudis does not appear imminent
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, July 30 (Reuters) - A top Israeli lawmaker said on Sunday that any forging of relations with Saudi Arabia did not appear imminent, citing what he described as sticking points in negotiations currently being held between Riyadh and U.S. mediators. U.S. President Joe Biden, having dispatched his national security adviser to Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible normalisation deal with Israel that he deems a policy priority, said on Friday that "there's a rapprochement maybe under way". But Riyadh has not followed suit, saying Palestinian demands must first be met. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, asked by reporters as he entered the weekly cabinet meeting whether there would be progress in the Saudi talks, said: "I hope so." Saudi Arabia seeks U.S. cooperation in establishing a civilian nuclear programme on its soil.

Persons: Joe Biden, Yuli Edelstein, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu, Dan Williams, James Mackenzie, David Evans Organizations: United, Israel, Foreign Affairs, Defence Committee, Israel's Army, Washington, National Security, Tel, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, U.S, Israel, Gulf, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi, Tel Aviv

☆ Israel plans $27 billion rail expansion, eyes future link to Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, July 30 (Reuters) - Israel will build a 100 billion shekel ($27 billion) rail expansion that will connect its outlying areas to metropolitan Tel Aviv and, in the future, could provide overland links to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. The announcement followed a trip by top U.S. officials to Saudi Arabia last week to advance a possible forging of formal relations between the Muslim powerhouse and Israel. The government in 2010 approved a similar multi-billion shekel initiative for a nationwide network that did not gain traction. "I would like to add that in the future we will also be able to transport cargo by rail from Eilat to our Mediterranean, and will also be able to link Israel by train to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian peninsula," he said in televised remarks. Israel's finance minister said the idea was to have the high-speed, north-south rail link ready in the next 10 years.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Dan Williams, James Mackenzie, David Evans Organizations: Tel, U.S, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Saudi Arabia, Eilat

☆ Israeli financial markets slide after judicial overhaul vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, July 24 (Reuters) - Israeli financial markets tumbled on Monday, with the shekel hitting a two-week low versus the dollar, after lawmakers ratified the first bill of a judicial overhaul sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In protest at the vote, a forum of some 150 of Israel's largest companies held a strike on Monday. Azrieli (AZRG.TA) and Big (BIG.TA), two of Israel's largest malls, said stores in their shopping centres would be closed. But news that compromise talks collapsed erased early gains and sent the shekel weaker, with losses deepening after the vote. The shekel has weakened some 10% versus the dollar since late January when the government unveiled its controversial judicial overhaul plan, setting off mass protests and harming foreign inflows.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Nir Elias, Arnon Bar, Netanyahu, Steven Scheer, Bansari Mayur, Karin Strohecker, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of Israel, MPC, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Washington

☆ Benjamin Netanyahu, a hawk in the eye of the storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits between Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as lawmakers gather at the Knesset plenum to vote on a bill that would limit some Supreme Court power, in Jerusalem July 24, 2023. POLARIZINGPerhaps the most polarizing of Israel's leaders, but a supreme pragmatist, Netanyahu had always been seen as a recognizable conservative - pro-business and tough on security. A stocky, imposing figure, his poise and flawless American English have underlined his outsized role on the world stage. That meant closing ranks with religious and ultra-nationalist parties untroubled about upsetting Israel's allies with their openly expansionist agenda. A lifelong security hardliner and a scourge of liberal opinion, Netanyahu described himself in his autobiography - "Bibi My Story" - as "conservative but decidedly not extreme".

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yariv Levin, Yoav Gallant, Amir Cohen JERUSALEM, Netanyahu, Herzi Halevi, pragmatist, Israel's, Bibi, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Joe Biden, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Special Forces, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel

☆ Hundreds of Israeli reservists vow to refuse service if judicial overhaul passes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, July 19 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Israeli reservists marched in Tel Aviv on Wednesday threatening to refuse their volunteer service if the government presses ahead with its controversial plan to curb the power of the Supreme Court. Protests have intensified as ratification nears, while one cabinet minister said the government could rethink its polarising drive to overhaul the judiciary if protests escalate. Soldiers who refuse to report for volunteer service are not in violation of military or civil law and thus cannot be punished. Some reservists have made clear that if Israel entered a state of emergency, they would report for emergency call-ups. Israeli Military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, during an air force base visit on Wednesday, called the volunteer system critical, adding: "The calls for non-reporting hurt."

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Ron Scherf, it's, Israel, Staff Herzi Halevi, Emily Rose, Alexandra Hudson, James Mackenzie, Susan Heavey, Alex Richardson Organizations: Special Forces, General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, Reuters, Staff, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, United States

☆ Palestinian President Abbas visits Jenin, trying to calm tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Raneen Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JENIN, West Bank, July 12 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday, days after three of his senior officials were forced to flee a funeral by crowds furious at their response to an Israeli assault days earlier. The anger of the crowd at the funeral for fighters killed in the two-day long Israeli operation highlighted the deep unpopularity of the Palestinian Authority and the widening rifts among different Palestinian factions. The 87-year-old Abbas, who has rebuffed pressure to step down, visited the cemetery where the funeral was held, at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp. "The heroic Jenin camp stood against the aggression sacrificed its casualties and offered all it has for the sake of the homeland," Abbas said. [1/4]Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visits Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 12, 2023.

Persons: Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas, Fatah, Mohamad Torokman, Nidal al, James Mackenzie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West Bank, Palestinian Authority, REUTERS, Palestinian, Fatah, Thomson Locations: JENIN, West, Jenin, Israel, Nablus, Oslo, Gaza

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