Tag: Netanyahu

Israel’s Netanyahu delays judicial reform after mass protests

[ad_1]

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday he would postpone a controversial reform that would give parliament more control over the country’s judiciary, after weeks of mass protests against the legislation.
“When there’s an option to avoid civil war through dialogue, I take a time off for dialogue,” he said in a press statement delivered shortly after 8 p.m. local time amid ongoing protests involving supporters from both sides. He added that “out of national responsibility,” he is delaying the final readings of the divisive judicial appointments bill until the next session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, which starts in early May.
Netanyahu sparked weeks of chaos with proposals to rein in Israel’s top court, while he is currently on trial for corruption himself and could benefit from the overhaul.
The proposed reform consists of a series of bills that would grant the Knesset more oversight over the country’s judiciary — including how judges are selected, what laws the Supreme Court can rule on, as well as overturning Supreme Court decisions.
Monday’s announcement follows calls for action from President Isaac Herzog, who had demanded earlier in the day that the government “halt the legislative process immediately” in a statement on Twitter.
The legal overhaul was an important part of Netanyahu’s program upon returning to power last December to head a coalition government that has been described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has said that Netanyahu, who is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, should not be involved in a judicial overhaul before the end of his court cases, in case of a potential conflict of interest.
Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing, calling the corruption charges “a witch hunt.”

The judicial reform has triggered enormous protests nationwide in the past three months. On Sunday evening, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in cities across the country to oppose Netanyahu’s dismissal of his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for challenging the reform, announced by the prime minister’s office in a brief statement.
In reaction, Gallant wrote on Twitter: “The security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life mission.”
The growing popular dissent against the judicial overhaul grew Monday as the leader of Israel’s top trade union called for a general strike, according to French newswire AFP. According to The Times of Israel, all flights were grounded at the country’s main international airport, while public hospitals only provided emergency care.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered once again in front of parliament on Monday to protest the reforms, while far-right leaders, like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, had called their supporters to a join counter-rally in support of the reform, which was reportedly also attended by several thousand government supporters later in the day.

[ad_2]
#Israels #Netanyahu #delays #judicial #reform #mass #protests
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 23, 2023
Biden calls Israel’s Netanyahu to express judicial plan ‘concern’

[ad_1]

The White House in statement added that Biden “underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship, that democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support.”
“The President offered support for efforts underway to forge a compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with those core principles,” the statement said.
Netanyahu said Sunday the legal changes would be carried out responsibly while protecting the basic rights of all Israelis. His government — the country’s most right-wing ever — says the overhaul is meant to correct an imbalance that has given the courts too much power and prevented lawmakers from carrying out the voting public’s will.
Critics say it will upend Israel’s delicate system of checks and balances and slide the country toward authoritarianism. Opponents of the measure have carried out disruptive protests, and has even embroiled the country’s military, after more than 700 elite officers from the Air Force, special forces, and Mossad said they would stop volunteering for duty.
The conversation followed a Sunday meeting in Egypt between Israeli and Palestinian officials in which they pledged to take steps to lower tensions ahead of a sensitive holiday season. Administration officials praised the outcome of the summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. A joint communique said the sides had reaffirmed a commitment to de-escalate and prevent further violence.
Biden in the call “reinforced the need for all sides to take urgent, collaborative steps to enhance security coordination, condemn all acts of terrorism, and maintain the viability of a two-state solution,” according to the White House.
The Israeli and Palestinian delegations met for the second time in less than a month, shepherded by regional allies Egypt and Jordan, as well as the United States, to end a yearlong spasm of violence.
[ad_2]
#Biden #calls #Israels #Netanyahu #express #judicial #plan #concern
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 20, 2023
Scholz voices concern on Israel overhaul as Netanyahu visits

[ad_1]
Berlin: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced concern about the Israeli government’s planned overhaul of the country’s judicial system as he hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, offering praise for efforts by Israel’s president to seek a “broad basic consensus.”
Netanyahu met with German leaders in Berlin the day after Israeli President Isaac Herzog unveiled a compromise proposal for overhauling the legal system, an approach that Netanyahu rejected.
Lower-level German officials already had voiced concern about the Israeli government’s plan, which would allow parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions and give Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition the final say over all judicial appointments.
Germany is a close ally of Israel in Europe and has tended to refrain from strong public criticism of its government.
“As close friends of Israel with shared democratic values, we are following this debate very closely, and I cannot hide the fact that we’re following it with great concern,” Scholz said at a news conference alongside Netanyahu. “The independence of the judiciary is a precious democratic asset. We agree on that.”
“It is good and valuable that President Herzog talked to a large of actors in society in order to counter a further polarization of Israel,” Scholz said. “Allow me to add that I think this search for a broad basic consensus is right and important.”
Of Herzog’s suggestion, Scholz said: “As friends of Israel, we would like the last word not to have to have been spoken on this proposal.”
Netanyahu showed no sign of being swayed. “Israel was, is and will remain a liberal society,” he said.

The prime minister argued that appeals for discussions with the Israeli opposition were “met with complete refusal” and that “there is a desire to reach a moment of crisis, perhaps a governmental breakdown, a search for new elections.”
“If that continues, that’s regrettable, but we will do whatever we think is the right thing to achieve something that corrects the imbalance that exists today between the branches of government and yet, at the same time, could over time be accepted as the best solution for Israel in line with my principles of keeping Israel a liberal, balanced democracy,” Netanyahu said.
The leader of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, met Netanyahu himself earlier Thursday. Schuster said he voiced concern to the prime minister that “his government is increasingly dividing Israeli society and is squandering confidence in democratic Israel,” German news agency dpa reported.
Around 500 Israelis protested at Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate, waving Israeli flags, singing and holding up banners against Netanyahu’s visit.
“He is destroying our democracy for the sake of staying out of jail,” Nasich Philip, a project manager in construction who moved to Berlin nine years ago, said. “He is sacrificing the whole country to protect himself and his family.”
Germany and Israel share concerns about Iran’s nuclear activities. Netanyahu has threatened military action against Iran’s nuclear program as it enriches uranium closer to weapons-grade levels.
Germany is one of the world powers that entered a 2015 deal with Tehran to address concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The agreement unraveled after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States.
“The Jewish state will do everything necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, period,” Netanyahu said, without giving details.
“Our hope is that we will ultimately succeed in preventing this with a diplomatic solution,” Scholz said.
[ad_2]
#Scholz #voices #concern #Israel #overhaul #Netanyahu #visits
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 16, 2023
Israel ready to help transform Italy into energy hub: Netanyahu

[ad_1]
Rome: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to help energy-starved Italy transform into a regional energy hub during his visit to the Italian capital.
After meeting with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Netanyahu said on Friday that he wanted to increase natural gas exports to Europe via Italy, Xinhua news agency reported.
Such a move would be welcome in Italy, which has struggled to replace natural gas imports from Russia.
Netanyahu and Meloni did not reveal the specifics of the import scheme.
“Italy has said it wants to be a hub for the supply of energy to Europe,” said Netanyahu. “We think exactly the same thing, and we have gas reserves that we will start exporting, and we would like to expedite more gas exports to Europe through Italy.”
In November 2022, Israel signed an initial agreement with Italian energy giant Eni and France’s TotalEnergies to facilitate explorations for natural gas near Israel’s Mediterranean border with Lebanon. Netanyahu mentioned the deal with Eni on Friday and said he would like to see it carried “to a much higher level.”
Netanyahu vowed to build deeper ties with Italy in other sectors as well, including water supplies and cyber-security.
Meloni said Italy’s ties with Israel were “important … and would increase in importance.”

Netanyahu will remain in Italy through Sunday, meeting with political, business and religious leaders.
[ad_2]
#Israel #ready #transform #Italy #energy #hub #Netanyahu
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 11, 2023
Israeli carriers can fly directly to India with Oman opening its airspace: Netanyahu

[ad_1]
Jerusalem: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday welcomed the authorisation for Israeli carriers to fly over Oman as a “great day” for the aviation industry as it will connect the country directly with India and also help establish Israel as the main transit point between Asia and Europe.
“The Far East is not so far away and the skies are no longer the limit”, Netanyahu said in a statement after receiving the Omani authorisation.
“This is a day of great news for Israeli aviation. Israel has, in effect, become the main transit point between Asia and Europe”, the Israeli prime minister added.
Israel received authorisation from Saudi Arabia and the Israeli leader said that he worked since his 2018 visit to Oman on getting permission for Israeli carriers to fly over its airspace so that they could go directly to India and onwards to Australia.
Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic ties.
“This was achieved today, after considerable effort, including in recent months. Here is good news Israel is opening up to the east on an unprecedented scale”, Netanyahu stressed.
Until now, Israeli airlines’ flights to East Asia, India and Thailand were forced to fly south to avoid the Arabian Peninsula a route that added two and a half hours and wasted expensive fuel, local media reported.
With the Omani announcement, Israeli flights can shave off two to four hours to popular destinations like India and Thailand.

The development could potentially reduce ticket prices as well, given that airlines would save money on fuel.
Air India has been flying from Tel Aviv to Delhi directly using Saudi and Omani airspace, which saves time and makes the flights much more cost-efficient.
Last year Saudi Arabia allowed Israeli airlines to use its airspace but because Omani airspace was closed, Israeli carriers could not use the route to fly to Asia. The Saudi Arabian decision came after United States President Joe Biden visited the region last year.
[ad_2]
#Israeli #carriers #fly #India #Oman #opening #airspace #Netanyahu
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
Israelis protests for fifth week against Netanyahu government

[ad_1]
Jerusalem: Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in several cities to protest the government’s plan to reform the judicial system.
The largest protest is being held in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, which was attended by thousands of people, Xinhua news agency reported.
Demonstrators have rallied for five weeks in a row to voice their discontent with the judicial reforms proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. They say the reforms will weaken the courts and give the ruling coalition more power.
“These people (protestors) came to save our country,” said former Prime Minister Yair Lapid at the demonstration in Haifa, northern Israel. “We will fight this in the parliament and the courts … and we will save our country.”
Netanyahu and his partners say the changes are necessary in order to limit the judicial system’s power, which has become too powerful in recent decades. They also say the supreme court often intervenes in political issues that should be determined by the parliament.
Netanyahu has vowed to push forward with the reforms despite the protests.
Netanyahu himself is facing a trial on corruption charges. While he denies any wrongdoing, his opponents say the reforms are personally motivated.
The reforms include giving the parliament the ability to override supreme court rulings with a simple majority, greater influence for politicians in the appointment of supreme court judges. In addition, legal advisers to ministries will be political appointments instead of civil servants. All could enable Netanyahu to influence the outcome of his own case.

According to Israeli media reports, doctors and lawyers will stage symbolic strikes next week to protest against the reforms.
Israel’s tech sector has also staged demonstrations against the plans, claiming they will harm the economy.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
[ad_2]
#Israelis #protests #week #Netanyahu #government
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 5, 2023
Thousands of Israelis protest against Netanyahu government

[ad_1]
Thousands of Israelis protested in several cities against the new government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday, January 28, 2023, for the fourth week in a row, Anadolu Agency reported.
The protests against the Netanyahu government, held in the several cities including— Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba.
According to Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), about 40,000 demonstrators participated in Kaplan Street and Habima Square in Tel Aviv, while about 13,000 people demonstrated in Haifa.
Hundreds participated in front of the Israeli President’s house in Jerusalem, and thousands participated in a demonstration in front of the municipal building in Herzliy.
مصادر عبرية: “آلاف الإسرائيليين يتظاهرون في مدينة حيفا رفضًا لحكومة بنيامين نتنياهو”. pic.twitter.com/cGab09rExJ
— الجرمق الإخباري (@aljarmaqnet) January 28, 2023
The protestors held the Netanyahu government responsible for the recent operations against the Israelis.
Tel Aviv police were on high alert for fear of a possible attack on the protestors who had gathered in the thousands. The protestors demanded Netanyahu’s resignation because of his prosecution in corruption cases.
Saturday’s protests is the fourth in a row that the Israeli opposition organizes on a weekly basis, in protest against the judicial reform plan presented by Yariv Levin, Minister of Justice in Netanyahu’s government, earlier this month.
The plan includes government control of the Judge Appointment Committee, and an unprecedented reduction in the powers of the Supreme Court.

As per media reports, the opposition describes the plan as a judicial coup and says it represents the beginning of the end for Israeli democracy, which Netanyahu denies and says it comes to restoring balance between the three authorities in his entity.
The newly formed coalition government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in at the Knesset on Thursday, December 29, 2022.
مصادر عبرية: “مستوطنون يتظاهرون في تل أبيب رفضًا لحكومة بنيامين نتنياهو”. pic.twitter.com/fGwEZwpJts
— الجرمق الإخباري (@aljarmaqnet) January 28, 2023
Tensions escalated after Jenin camp stormed
Israeli media announced, on Saturday, January 28, 2023, that two settlers were seriously injured, in a shooting in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem.
This comes hours after eight people were killed, including the perpetrator of the attack, Khairy Alqam, in Jerusalem, and at least 6 others were wounded in a shooting in front of a Jewish synagogue, in Jerusalem, on Friday evening, January 27.
At least nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed in an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday morning.

[ad_2]
#Thousands #Israelis #protest #Netanyahu #government
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 29, 2023
Israel’s Netanyahu fires Cabinet ally, heeding court ruling

[ad_1]

According to his office, Netanyahu told Deri he was removing him from his post with “a heavy heart and great sorrow.”
“This unfortunate decision ignores the people’s will,” Netanyahu told Deri. “I intend to find any legal way for you to continue to contribute to the state of Israel.”
Deri said he would continue to lead his party and assist the government in advancing its agenda, including the legal overhaul.
Deri’s firing is also expected to shake Netanyahu’s governing coalition, a union buoyed by ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties, including Deri’s Shas, which is the third largest party in the government. While some Shas lawmakers threatened to bolt the fledgling coalition in the aftermath of the court ruling, it is expected to survive Deri’s absence and to attempt to craft legislation that would pave the way for his swift return.
Netanyahu is now expected to appoint other Shas members to replace Deri, at least temporarily.
Deri has long been a kingmaker in Israeli politics and has become a key ally of Netanyahu’s who has relied on him repeatedly to join his governments and back his agenda.
Netanyahu’s government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, has made overhauling the country’s judiciary a centerpiece of its agenda. It says a power imbalance has given judges and government legal advisers too much sway over lawmaking and governance. Critics say the overhaul could help Netanyahu, himself on trial for corruption charges, evade conviction or see his trial disappear entirely.
The plan has drawn fierce criticism from top legal officials, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, former lawmakers and tens of thousands of Israelis who have come out repeatedly to protest the overhaul.

In a move that was seen as crucial to bringing the governing coalition together, Israeli legislators last month changed a law that prohibited a convict on probation from being a Cabinet minister. That cleared the way for Deri to join the government but prompted the Supreme Court challenge.
Deri has faced legal problems in the past. He was sentenced to three years in prison for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in 2000 during a stint as interior minister in the 1990s. He served 22 months in prison but made a political comeback and retook the reins of Shas in 2013.
[ad_2]
#Israels #Netanyahu #fires #Cabinet #ally #heeding #court #ruling
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

January 22, 2023
Over 100,000 of Israelis protest against Netanyahu government

[ad_1]
Jerusalem: Tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in several cities on Saturday evening to voice their dissatisfaction over the government’s plan to make sweeping reforms in the country’s judicial system.
Israeli media quoted police as saying that more than 100,000 protesters arrived at the main demonstration in Tel Aviv. Smaller demonstrations were also held in other cities.
This is the second week in a row that massive protests are being staged against the government. The demonstrators said the reforms will weaken the courts and give the ruling coalition limitless power, Xinhua news agency reported.
The government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the changes are necessary in order to rein in the judicial system which has become “too powerful” in recent decades. They also said the Supreme Court often intervenes in political issues that should be determined by the parliament.
Netanyahu and his coalition partners have said they will continue to push for the reforms despite the widespread protests.
The reforms include allowing the parliament to override Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority. In addition, politicians will have greater influence in appointing Supreme Court judges.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#Israelis #protest #Netanyahu #government
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 22, 2023