Author: Ilan Ben Zion
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Netanyahu fires defense minister, sparking mass protests
JERUSALEM • Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets of cities across the country on Sunday night in a spontaneous outburst of anger after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly fired his defense minister for challenging the Israeli leader’s judicial overhaul plan. Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked a main highway and lit a large…
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Israeli ministers approve bill on $270,000 gift to Netanyahu
JERUSALEM • Israeli Cabinet ministers on Sunday advanced a bill that would allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep a $270,000 donation he received from a relative to pay for his legal bills as he fights corruption charges. The bill is part of a proposed overhaul of Israel’s legal system by Netanyahu’s new government. The…
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Netanyahu: West Bank settlements top priority
JERUSALEM • Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming hard-line Israeli government put West Bank settlement expansion at the top of its priority list on Wednesday, vowing to legalize dozens of illegally built outposts and annex the occupied territory as part of its coalition deal with ultranationalist allies. The coalition agreements, released a day before the government is to…
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Israel, Gaza militants trade fire as Mideast tensions mount
JERUSALEM • Palestinians fired several rockets into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip early Thursday as Israeli aircraft hit Gaza militant sites soon after an earlier rocket strike that was the second such attack this week. The cross-border Gaza violence was an extension of Israeli-Palestinian tensions that have been boiling in Jerusalem. The Israeli military…
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Gunman kills 5 in mass shooting spree in central Israel
JERUSALEM • A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in a crowded city in central Israel late Tuesday, methodically gunning down victims as he killed at least five people in the second mass shooting rampage this week. The shooter was killed by police. The shooting appeared to be the latest in a string of attacks…
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Thousands join in Jerusalem funerals, flout pandemic rules
JERUSALEM • Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis thronged a pair of funerals for two prominent rabbis in Jerusalem on Sunday, flouting the country’s ban on large public gatherings during the pandemic. The initial funeral procession, for Rabbi Meshulam Soloveitchik, who died at age 99, wended its way through the streets of Jerusalem in the latest display…
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Israeli parliament takes step toward new national elections
JERUSALEM • Israel took a major step toward plunging into its fourth national election in under two years on Wednesday as lawmakers — supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main coalition partner — passed a preliminary proposal to dissolve parliament. The 61-54 vote came just seven months after the coalition took office following three inconclusive…
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Reports: Israeli PM flew to Saudi Arabia, met crown prince
JERUSALEM • Israeli media reported Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which would mark the first known encounter between Israeli and Saudi officials. The reported meeting was the latest move by the Trump administration to promote normalized ties between Israel and…
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Israel bars entry to outspoken US congresswomen
JERUSALEM • Israel said Thursday that it will bar two Democratic congresswomen from entering the country ahead of a planned visit over their support for a Palestinian-led boycott movement, a decision announced shortly after President Donald Trump tweeted that it would “show great weakness” to allow them in. The move to bar Reps. Rashida Tlaib…
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Israel approves Palestinian construction in West Bank
JERUSALEM • The Israeli Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal to build over 700 housing units for Palestinians in addition to 6,000 Israeli settlement housing units in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government advanced the proposal late Tuesday, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the closed-door meeting.…