Page 4 - Israel

Thousands of Israelis protest Benjamin Netanyahu government's policies

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday evening to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government that opponents say threaten democracy and freedoms. The protesters gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv days after the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country's 74-year history was sworn in. The settler government is against me, read one placard. Another banner read, Housing, Livelihood, Hope. Some protesters carried rainbow flags. The protest was led by left-wing and Arab members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. They contend that proposed plans by the new Cabinet will hinder judicial system and widen societal gaps. The left-wing protesters slammed Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who on Wednesday unveiled the government's long-promised overhaul of the judicial system that aims to weaken the country's Supreme Court. Critics accused the government of declaring war on the legal system, saying the plan will upend Isra

New Israeli govt takes punitive steps against Palestinian leadership

In some of its first acts since coming to power, Israel's new Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Friday. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the move is in retaliation for Palestinians pushing the U.N.'s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation. The development underscores the hard-line approach to the Palestinians that Israel's new ultranationalist government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories. It comes a week after the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice intervene and render an opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. Israel's Security Cabinet described the Palestinian Authority's request to the U.N. as a decision to wage political and legal war against the State of Israel. "The .

Israel builds 4.6 km wall around Gaza Strip to protect communities

Israel has already built on-ground and underground barriers to prevent Palestinians in Gaza from entering the Jewish state

UN calls for de-escalation following Israeli minister's Al-Aqsa visit

A senior UN official called for de-escalation of tensions following Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

Foreign Ministers of India, Israel discuss ways to strengthen ties

Israel's newly-appointed Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Thursday in a telephonic call spoke about ways to strengthen bilateral ties, including ways to promote Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and projects in the field of innovation, food and water security. Jaishankar congratulated Cohen on his assumption of office, a press release from the Israeli foreign ministry said. "The ministers discussed the importance of relations between Israel and India, relations that are strategic partnership, and the ways to strengthen them through the promotion of a Free Trade Agreement between the (two) countries and projects in the field of innovation, food and water security," it said. The ministers also discussed the events that were held in 2022 to mark the 30th anniversary of establishment of full diplomatic ties between the two countries and the cooperation between Israel, India, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. The four countries are collaborati

Any action jeopardizing status quo of Jerusalem holy sites unacceptable: US

"We're deeply concerned by any unilateral actions that have the potential to exacerbate tensions precisely because we want to see the opposite happen," State Department spokesman Ned Price said

Israel's central bank raises interest rate to 3.75%, highest since 2008

This is the seventh consecutive rise in the base interest rate in Israel since April 2022 when the figure then stood at 0.1 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency

Israeli missile strikes put Damascus airport out of service, kills 2

Israel's military fired missiles toward the international airport of Syria's capital early Monday, putting it out of service and killing two soldiers and wounding two others, the Syrian army said. The attack, the second in seven months to put the Damascus International Airport out of service, caused material damage in a nearby area, the army said, without giving further details. Israel has targeted airports and ports in government-held parts of Syria in an apparent attempt to prevent arms shipments from Iran to militant groups backed by Tehran, including Lebanon's Hezbollah. An opposition war monitor reported the Israeli strikes hit the airport as well as an arms depot close to the facility south of Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people were killed in the strike. There was no comment from Israel. On June 10, Israeli airstrikes that struck Damascus International Airport caused significant damage to infrastructure and runways. It reopened t

Palestinian authorities hail UN vote on Israeli occupation of territory

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian presidency, on Saturday said, "the vote is evidence of the whole world standing by our people and their inalienable historical rights"

Huge crowds of Palestinians mark Fatah anniversary in Gaza City park

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians thronged a Gaza City park on Saturday to mark the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah party, a rare show of popularity in the heartland of the militant Hamas group, Fatah's main rival. The crowds turned Katiba Park into a sea of yellow flags and pictures of Fatah founders and leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat. Hamas, which took over Gaza after routing pro-Abbas forces in 2007, permitted Fatah to hold the rally. In several past occasions following the 2007 takeover, Hamas had blocked or restricted activities for Fatah. While polls indicate Fatah is not that popular, the huge turnout could be seen as a rare opportunity to protest Hamas' heavy-handed rule in Gaza. The Islamic group has exhausted Gazans with heavy taxes amid record levels of unemployment and poverty. The 2.3 million residents live under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade that Israel says is necessary to stop Hamas .

Indian, Israel, US researchers developing drug for GNB1 Encephalopathy

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, Tel Aviv University and Columbia University are studying a rare genetic brain disease called "GNB1 Encephalopathy" and trying to develop a drug to treat it effectively. With less than 100 documented cases worldwide, GNB1 Encephalopathy is a kind of brain disease or neurological disorder which affects individuals in the foetus stage. Scientists say delayed physical and mental development, intellectual disabilities, frequent epileptic seizures, are among the early symptoms of the disease and since genome sequencing is an expensive exercise, not many parents opt for it early on. According to Haritha Reddy, a former PhD scholar at IIT Madras, a single nucleotide mutation in the GNB1 gene that makes one of the G-proteins, the "G1 protein," causes this disease. "This mutation affects the patient since they are a foetus.Children born with GNB1 mutation experience mental and physical developmental delay, epilepsy (abnormal

Israel's overnight tourist stays reach 922,300 in Nov, highest in 3 years

The November figure is even more than that of all months combined in 2021, during which only 801,700 tourist stays were registered in Israel

Over 1,000 senior Israeli air force veterans say incoming govt a danger

Over 1,000 senior Israeli air force veterans, including a former Israeli chief of staff, on Monday urged the country's top legal officials to stand tough against the incoming government. In a letter to the chief of Israel's Supreme Court and other top officials, they said the alliance of religious and ultranationalist parties threatens Israel's future. The letter was delivered days before the new government is to take office. We come from all strata of society and from across the political spectrum, the letter said. What we have in common today is the fear that the democratic state of Israel is in danger. It called the legal officials the final line of defence and implored them to do everything in your reach to stop the disaster that is affecting the country. Among the nearly 1,200 signatories were Dan Halutz, who served as military chief from 2005-2007; Avihu Ben-Nun, a former commander of the air force and Amos Yadlin, a former head of military intelligence. All three are form

PM-designate Netanyahu vows not to allow anti-LGBT laws in Israel

The new government, which is expected to be sworn in by Thursday, will be the most rightist in Israeli history and includes many members who openly oppose LGBT rights

Israeli PM-designate Netanyahu agrees to annex West Bank in coalition deal

Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to annex the occupied West Bank in a coalition deal that was made public

Israel's designated PM Netanyahu says he has successfully formed new govt

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has been able to form the next government that would "work for the good of all Israeli citizens", minutes before the midnight deadline. Netanyahu, 73, informed President Isaac Herzog late on Wednesday paving the way for the swearing-in no later than January 2, or even earlier. In November, President Herzog officially invited Netanyahu to form the new government. He has won the backing of 64 Members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, in a phone call to Herzog said that he was ready to form the next government "thanks to the enormous public support we received in the last elections" that would "work for the good of all Israeli citizens". He made the call a few minutes before the end of a ten-day extension given by the President following the 28 days initial period the Prime Minister-designate received at being tasked to form the government. The new government will

Donald Trump omits dinner with white nationalist in speech to Jews

Speaking at a conference of Orthodox Jews on Friday, Donald Trump did not address a widely criticized private meal he shared last month with a Holocaust-denying white nationalist and a rapper who has spewed antisemitic conspiracies. The former president told the audience he was the best ally you've ever had. Over and over, Trump heaped praise on the Jewish people and highlighted his support for Israel as he addressed the annual President's Conference of Torah Umesorah at his National Doral club in Miami. He alleged Congress was almost anti-Israel and said without evidence that some Democrats in Washington hate Israel with a passion. Trump is struggling for political momentum a month after becoming the first official candidate to enter the 2024 presidential contest. He hoped the early announcement might scare off potential challengers, but a series of political setbacks have instead left him deeply vulnerable as he ramps up his third presidential campaign. The 76-year-old Republica

Israel's Netanyahu set to return to office, eyes deal with Saudi Arabia

Israel's designated prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to seek full diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia once he takes office, claiming that doing so would also promote peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu also said he would be open to restarting behind-the-scenes peace talks with the Palestinians. The comments, made in a rare interview with an Arab news outlet, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel, appeared to be aimed at easing concerns over the far-right makeup of the government that Netanyahu is forming. He has already reached a series of coalition agreements with hard-liners who favour tougher action against Palestinian militants, increased settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and vehemently reject the idea of an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu told the channel that he will set overall policies. I will govern and I will lead, he said. The other parties are joining me. I'm not joining them. Netanyahu said he hoped to expand the Ab

Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems rolls out 100th surface-to-air missile kit

KRAS is a joint venture set up by Israeli company, Rafael, in partnership with Kalyani Strategic Systems

Palestine slams US pressure over updating companies in Israeli settlements

The UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which was enacted in 2016, deemed these Israeli settlements illegal and urged an immediate end to them in the Palestinian territories