Tag Archives: Israel

The Associated Press reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictment has sharpened the battle lines in Israel’s deadlocked political system and could test the loyalty of his right-wing allies, Israeli commentators said Friday. The serious corruption charges announced Thursday have dashed already slim hopes for a unity government after September elections, paving the way for an unprecedented repeat vote in March, …

Haaretz reports: For the first time in Israel’s history, a sitting prime minister is accused of bribery: Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit announced Thursday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be charged with bribery, fraud and breach in three corruption cases, dubbed Cases 4000, 2000 and 1000. The indictment comes after a four-day hearing with Netanyahu’s defense team last month, followed by …

The New York Times reports: Benny Gantz, the chief political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Wednesday that he had failed to form a new government ahead of a looming midnight deadline, propelling a deeply divided Israel into a new, uncharted phase of political chaos and increasing the likelihood of a third election in a year. Israel has been …

The Jerusalem Post reports: The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem late on Monday warned Americans about traveling in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, soon after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the United States was softening its position on Israel’s Jewish settlements. “The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens in or considering travel to or through Jerusalem, the West Bank, or …

The Associated Press reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to announce on Monday that the U.S. is softening its position on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a series of Trump administration moves that weaken Palestinian claims to statehood. Pompeo plans to repudiate a 1978 State Department legal opinion that held that civilian settlements …

Haaretz reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced to President Reuven Rivlin that he is returning the mandate to form a governing coalition. In a Facebook video posted Monday, Netanyahu said “Ever since receiving the mandate [to form a government] I have worked relentlessly … to establish a broad national unity government. This is what the people wants.” But he argued …

Axios reports: Jared Kushner will travel to Israel during the last week of October, Israeli officials tell me. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Benny Gantz, the man seeking to replace Netanyahu as prime minister. Why it matters: Kushner knows Netanyahu well after their many meetings, but this will be his first meeting with …

The Associated Press reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-awaited pre-indictment hearing on corruption charges began Wednesday in Jerusalem, as a jittery political world eagerly sought clarity on his legal standing amid the stalemate that followed the country’s second inconclusive election of the year. Netanyahu is currently struggling to prolong his lengthy rule by building a unity government with his …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tapped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government, setting off weeks of political jockeying as the incumbent tries to maintain his hold on power. Mr. Rivlin’s announcement came as talks between Mr. Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz to form a broad unity government after last week’s inconclusive election have …

Vanity Fair reports: Benjamin Netanyahu is learning the hard way that Donald Trump is a fair-weather friend. The right-wing Israeli prime minister had been among the president’s few steadfast friends on the world stage; Trump, in turn, has long stood strong with Netanyahu. But after Bibi appeared to suffer a stinging loss in the Israeli elections this week, Trump did …

Haaretz reports: U.S. President Donald Trump was “played” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on several occasions, said Trump’s former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday during a panel interview with Harvard professors. Tillerson, who had a contentious tenure as the U.S.’s top diplomat, said that Netanyahu is “an extraordinarily skilled” politician and diplomat, but “a bit Machiavellian.” He continued, …

Haaretz reports: With 98 percent of the vote counted in Israel’s election, Kahol Lavan grew by one seat to 33, widening its edge over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party. Kingmaker Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party lost a seat, leaving it with eight in the incoming Knesset. The results give the center-left a slight advantage of 57 seats, compared to …

The Jerusalem Post reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on his chief electoral rival Blue and White Party head Benny Gantz to hold talks toward the creation of a unity government, during a speech he gave at the memorial ceremony for former Israeli president Shimon Peres. “I propose that we meet as soon as possible without preconditions to cooperate in …

Politico Europe reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies failed to garner a majority of seats in Israel’s legislature, as Israelis went to the ballot boxes for the second time in a year on Tuesday following an inconclusive election in April. With 92 percent of votes counted, the prime minister’s Likud party is set to take a total …

The Associated Press reports: In an apparent setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the longtime Israeli leader on Tuesday fell short of securing a parliamentary majority with his hard-line allies in national elections, initial exit polls showed, putting his political future in question. Results posted by Israel’s three major TV stations indicated that challenger Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White …

The Guardian reports: Facebook has suspended a chatbot on Benjamin Netanyahu’s official page after it breached hate speech policy by sending visitors a message warning of Arabs who “want to destroy us all”. Battling a tight election race in the run-up to the 17 September polls, the Israeli prime minister has sought to appeal to far-right religious and nationalist voters …

Politico reports: The U.S. government concluded within the last two years that Israel was most likely behind the placement of cell-phone surveillance devices that were found near the White House and other sensitive locations around Washington, D.C., according to three former senior U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter. But unlike most other occasions when flagrant incidents of foreign spying …

NBC News reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that he may annex the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank “in coordination” with the United States — a move that risks shattering the fragile status quo in the volatile region. “This is a historic opportunity to apply sovereignty to communities in Judea and Samaria,” he …

The Times Of Israel reports: The US State Department has removed the “Palestinian Territories” from its website’s list of countries and areas in the Middle East, sparking an uproar among Palestinian officials. The current version of the website only mentions Palestinians on its page for Israel, in the context of the Trump administration’s peace efforts. Archived versions of the State …

Israel’s Haaretz reports: U.S. President Donald Trump, in a series of bizarre Wednesday morning tweets, quoted praise from a conservative radio host who referred to him as the “King of Israel” and renewed his attacks on Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. The Twitter storm follows Trump’s latest controversy on Tuesday when he claimed that American Jewish people who vote for Democrats …