Israel

3 Aug 2019; MEMO: European diplomats revealed to Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Israeli officials have been holding secret meetings with Iraqi government officials.

In a long report published by the newspaper yesterday, Zvi Bar’el – Haaretz’s Middle Eastern affairs analyst – said that some of the meetings were even held in Israel.

29 July 2019; MEMO: Israel’s electricity company has been approved by the Finance Ministry to collect half a billion shekels ($ 141 million) from Palestinian tax money collected by Israel, a Hebrew economic newspaper reported on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reports.

27 July 2019; MEMO: The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed details of a proposed railway project that will connect the port of Haifa to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

26 July 2019; MEMO: The Indonesian government condemned on Thursday the Israeli occupation’s demolition of Palestinian houses in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

A statement issued by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said that Indonesia calls on Israel to stop these practices as soon as possible.

The statement added that Israeli practices violate international laws and resolutions of the UN Security Council.

25 July 2019; MEMO: Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Meretz and Labor party defector Stav Shaffir today announced a united list in September’s elections, reported the Times of Israel.

25 July 2019; MEMO: Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert cancelled a planned trip to Switzerland after being told he could be arrested over war crimes charges, Israeli media reported yesterday.

24 July 2019; MEMO: A “purported apology” made by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak for the October 2000 killings of Palestinian citizens was slammed as lacking “all value” by leading legal rights centre Adalah in a press release yesterday.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli work crews on Monday began demolishing dozens of Palestinian homes in an east Jerusalem neighborhood, in one of the largest operations of its kind in years.

The demolitions capped a years-long legal battle over the buildings, built along the invisible line straddling the city and the occupied West Bank. Israel says the buildings were erected too close to its West Bank separation barrier. Residents say the buildings are on West Bank land, and the Palestinian Authority gave them construction permits.

22 July 2019; MEMO: The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is continuing its efforts with the International Criminal Court to push forward a formal investigation into Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes, especially in the town of Sur Baher, southeast of occupied Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM (AP) — As Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, he is solidifying his place as the country’s greatest political survivor and the most dominant force in Israeli politics in his generation.

He has persevered through scandals, crises and conflicts, winning election after election even as the country grows more bitterly polarized. His supporters credit him with keeping Israel safe and prosperous, maintaining its Jewish character and boosting its standing internationally.