Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister signaled Friday that the military would stop its airstrikes if Palestinian militant groups halted rocket attacks, a day after the deadliest Israeli raid in decades raised the prospect of a major flare-up in fighting.

After a limited exchange of Palestinian rockets and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight, residents of Jerusalem were on edge Friday morning as they waited to see what comes next.

Israel’s defense minister instructed the military to prepare for new strikes in the Gaza Strip “if necessary.”

JERUSALEM (AP) — Gaza militants fired rockets and Israel carried out airstrikes early Friday as tensions soared following an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank that killed nine Palestinians, including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman.

It was the deadliest single raid in the territory in over two decades. The flare-up in violence poses an early test for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government and casts a shadow on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s expected trip to the region next week.

25 Jan 2023; MEMO: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that "thugs" are working to save Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his corruption trial, Sama has reported. Olmert stressed that any judicial overhaul "must" take place through comprehensive negotiations among all parties.

25 Jan 2023; MEMO: Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, warned Tuesday that political differences and division may lead to an "explosive" internal conflict.

In statements reported by the Israeli Ynet news site, Herzog called on all political parties to strive to reach broad agreements to end differences.

24 Jan 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his government will fight against Palestinian construction in Area C of the Occupied West Bank.

"We came to power with a clear promise to change course and fight illegal Palestinian construction," Netanyahu said, while chairing a meeting of the Likud bloc.

"This does not mean that we will allow illegal Israeli construction, and there is a comprehensive agreement on these two points".

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise trip to Jordan on Tuesday to meet with King Abdullah II for the first time in over four years, seeking to shore up ties that have strained since he took office at the helm of Israel’s most right-wing government in history.

24 Jan 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri as Minister of the Interior and Health Ministries on Sunday in order to comply with a High Court of Justice ruling, Israeli media have reported. The court ruled last Wednesday Deri is unfit to serve as a minister in the Israeli government due to his criminal record.

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: Israeli ministers from the far-right Religious Zionism party boycotted the cabinet meeting on Sunday claiming that the evacuation of an illegal settler outpost in the occupied West Bank was done in violation of coalition agreements.

A spokesperson for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the party, said, "We do not intend to continue as normal, and we are weighing additional steps."

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: New Israeli guidelines on access to the Occupied West Bank for foreigners threaten to further isolate Palestinians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today.

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli group raising funds for Jewish extremists convicted in some of the country’s most notorious hate crimes is collecting tax-exempt donations from Americans, according to findings by The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative platform Shomrim.

The records in the case suggest that Israel’s far right is gaining a new foothold in the United States.