Israel

15 Mar 2023; MEMO: Senior Jewish Power party officials have accused their leader Itamar Ben-Gvir of toning down his extremism in favour of Israel's coalition government interests, Makor Rishon revealed on Tuesday. Michael Ben-Ari and Baruch Marzel are reported to have decided to defect and form a new far-right party.

14 Mar 2023; MEMO: Israel's President Isaac Herzog said on Monday evening that the situation in the country is "very serious" and may have political, economic, social and security consequences, Israel Today has reported. He was speaking in light of the ongoing protests against the coalition government's plan for "judicial reform" which have seen tens of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets for the past ten weeks.

14 Mar 2023; MEMO: Likud MK Danny Danon described the demonstrators who are opposed to the judicial overhaul in Israel as "extremists" who are trying to drag Israel into a civil war, local newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

14 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has approved the first reading of the Basic Law: The Government Bill, which aims to prohibit the suspension of the prime minister from office and declaring him or her to be incapable of performing their duties. The first reading of the bill was passed by a majority of 61 in favour, with 51 MKs opposing it.

A special committee in the Knesset had approved the bill earlier on Monday in preparation for putting it to a vote before the Knesset.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament on Tuesday advanced a bill that would let lawmakers pass laws that the Supreme Court cannot overturn — a key piece of legislation in Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies’ proposed judicial overhaul that has divided the country.

Netanyahu’s governing coalition of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties has pressed ahead with its legislative blitz despite calls for compromise and demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands of Israelis to the streets over the past two months.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Recent poll shows massive support for reservists' refusal of military service in protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul, Quds Press reported yesterday.

The poll, whose results were published by Ynet News, showed that 70 per cent of the opposition supported reservists who refuse military services in protest against Netanyahu's judicial changes.

12 Mar 2023; MEMO: Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing policies and a plan that would restrict the powers of the judiciary, Anadolu reports.

Israelis have held demonstrations every Saturday against the judicial regulation of the extreme right-wing coalition government led by Netanyahu.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak yesterday called for civil disobedience in order to prevent the judicial reforms being pushed through by the government.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian militants Sunday who opened fire on troops in the occupied West Bank, the military said, the latest bloodshed in a year-long wave of violence in the region.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, claimed the men killed as members.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the men were killed by Israeli fire near the city of Nablus and identified them as Jihad Mohammed al-Shami, 24, Uday Othman al-Shami, 22 and Mohammed Raed Dabeek, 18.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian militants Sunday who opened fire on troops in the occupied West Bank, the military said, the latest bloodshed in a year-long wave of violence in the region.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, claimed the men killed as members.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the men were killed by Israeli fire near the city of Nablus and identified them as Jihad Mohammed al-Shami, 24, Uday Othman al-Shami, 22 and Mohammed Raed Dabeek, 18.