Tag Archives: Israel

Haaretz reports: In huge gilded letters (what else?), on a piece of synthetic lawn (of course), a large sign was erected in the Golan Heights, as if taken directly from the best of comedy sketches. Ramat Trump, or Trump Heights, will be built here. Even the strong gusts, which made it difficult to put up the scenery, gave this ridiculous …

The New York Times reports: Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, accepted a plea bargain on Wednesday morning and will pay about $15,000 in fines and restitution to settle accusations that she misused about $100,000 in public funds in managing the couple’s official residence. Prosecutors said that Ms. Netanyahu, whom they charged with fraud, had …

The Voice Of America reports: Thousands of people marched through the streets of Jerusalem on Thursday in the city’s annual gay pride parade, a festival that exposes deep divisions between Israel’s secular and Jewish ultra-Orthodox camps. Some 10,000 revelers waving rainbow flags joined the carnival-like procession, as over 2,500 police officers in plain clothes, in uniform and on horseback patrolled …

Courthouse News reports: The Miami Herald and others sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his cabinet on Tuesday, claiming their planned meeting in Jerusalem on Wednesday will violate the open-meetings provision of the state’s Sunshine Law. The Tampa Bay Times, Gannett, and Gatehouse Media joined the Herald and the First Amendment Foundation in opposing the cabinet meeting planned for the …

Haaretz reports: The Knesset voted Wednesday night to dissolve itself after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition, sending Israel to a new election mere seven weeks after the last one. At the heart of the impasse was the issue of drafting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students: Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Lieberman, without whom Netanyahu can’t form a coalition, refused …

The Associated Press reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urgently worked to break a deadlock in coalition negotiations Tuesday as the once far-fetched possibility of fresh general elections only months after April polls loomed ever larger. Netanyahu has until Wednesday night to reach a coalition deal, but he has been unable to convince ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman to abandon a …

Bloomberg reports: Israel’s newly elected parliament is drafting a bill to dissolve itself. The move comes as a deadline to form a coalition government nears with no progress in sight. If the bill passes, Israel would face its second election campaign in a matter of months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to have a clear path to a majority coalition …

The Times Of Israel reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Thursday for a printed Bible to be carried to the moon by the next Israeli spacecraft to make the journey, and credited Judaism’s foundational text for the “daring” and “spirit” Israelis demonstrate in the attempt. Speaking at the International Bible Quiz for Youth, the prime minister vowed to send a …

Axios reports: At a special meeting on U.S.-Iran tensions with Israel’s intelligence chiefs and top military brass, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would make every effort not to get dragged into the escalation in the Gulf and would not interfere directly in the situation, Israeli officials tell me. Israel was one of the main sources of intelligence on alleged …

“I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be. My heart breaks every time I hear about the innocent lives that are lost in this region and the violence that is so often perpetuated to suit the political goals of people …

Reuters reports: Facebook’s WhatsApp urged users to upgrade to the latest version of its popular messaging app after reporting that users might be vulnerable to having malicious spyware installed on phones without their knowledge. Earlier, the Financial Times (FT) reported that a vulnerability in WhatsApp allowed attackers to inject spyware on phones by ringing up targets using the app’s phone …

The Hill reports: A top Israeli official says that the country will officially name a train station in Jerusalem after President Trump next week during the country’s annual Independence Day celebrations. Trump has maintained a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and broke with previous U.S. administrations to recognize Jerusalem as the country’s official capital in late 2017. …

The Jerusalem Post reports: If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has his way, alongside Katzrin, Ramot and Ramat Magshimim on the Golan Heights, there may someday soon be a community named Kiryat Trump. Netanyahu, who on Tuesday toured the Golan with his wife and sons, said a community or neighborhood on the Golan Heights should be named after US President Donald …

The BBC reports: The first privately funded mission to the Moon has crashed on the lunar surface after the apparent failure of its main engine. The Israeli spacecraft – called Beresheet – attempted a soft landing, but had several technical and communication problems. The aim of the mission was to take pictures and conduct experiments. Only government space agencies from …

The Associated Press reports: Israel’s Blue and White party leaders are conceding defeat in Israel’s election, saying they will work against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the opposition. Yair Lapid, the party’s No. 2 figure, told a press conference Wednesday that though his party “did not win in this round, I respect the voters.” He said his party will …

The Jerusalem Post reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz both declared that they won Tuesday’s election after inconclusive exit polls were broadcast on the three Israeli networks. Netanyahu claimed victory, because his Right-Center bloc won handily over Gantz’s Center-Left bloc in polls broadcast on Channel 13 and KAN, 66 to 54 and 64 to …

The Jerusalem Post reports: Warning of the rise of the Left, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned campaign event in Ashdod on Tuesday and returned to Jerusalem, where he said he was going to work to “save the Right” and ensure that a right-wing government comes to power following the elections. “I received a dramatic update that there is …

The BBC reports: Madonna is set to play two songs during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel next month. The pop icon will reach more than 180 million viewers when she takes to the stage in Tel Aviv on 18 May. Her appearance was first announced by local promoters Live Nation Israel, who said the performance would …

The Guardian reports: Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic White House hopeful, has weighed in on Israel’s election, describing the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as a racist and obstacle to peace in the Middle East. “The US-Israel relationship is one of the most important relationships that we have on the planet,” O’Rourke said on a campaign stop at the University of …

The Times of Israel reports: Leaders of Israel’s LGBT community blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday after the Likud leader told them during a meeting that coalition pressures prevented him from promising to promote equal rights. In a rare meeting with activists at his residence in Jerusalem, the prime minister said opposition from religious and ultra-Orthodox parties blocked him from …