Israel

27 June 2019; DW: Ehud Barak, a former Israeli premier and outspoken critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday announced his return to politics with a new party that has yet to be named.

Barak, who is considered one of the most decorated Israeli soldiers, warned that Israel had "never experienced such dark days."

25 June 2019; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may seek to avoid fresh elections currently scheduled for September, in light of poor performances in recent polling, reported Ynet.

According to the article, “Likud sources” say Netanyahu has polling data showing that the new elections would “leave him in worse political shape than today”.

The September elections were called after Netanyahu was unable to form a coalition majority after April’s vote.

TEL AVIV, June 23. /TASS/: US President Donald Trump is looking forward to meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Japan’s Osaka, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday.

"President Trump looks forward to meeting with President Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Osaka, Japan," Bolton said.

22 June 2019; MEMO: The former chief of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, Shabtai Shavit, has said that Israel does not want peace and that, if it had, it would have made peace with the Palestinian Authority (PA) long ago.

Shavit gave his remarks to Israeli daily Maariv, reiterating that if Israel wanted peace it would have discussed it in economic and infrastructure terms that serve the interests of both parties, Arab 48 reported yesterday.

19 June 2019; MEMO: Israeli government is to cut 800 billion shekels ($221.7 billion) from the budgets of its ministries and transfer the funds to the Ministry of Defence, Channel 2 reported yesterday.

According to an Israeli defence institute, the defence ministry needs money to continue building the separation wall along the eastern side of the Gaza Strip.

18 June 2019; MEMO: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report that despite maintaining a long-term policy of not commenting on its nuclear arsenal, Israel is believed to own between 80 and 90 nuclear warheads.

18 June 2019; MEMO: Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has “proposed a new bill that would impose a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison for those who sponsor, finance, support or organise activities for the Palestinian Authority (PA)” in occupied East Jerusalem, reported Asharq Al-Awsat.

JERUSALEM, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Israel's government inaugurated on Sunday a new settlement in the annexed Golan Heights named after the country's close ally, U.S. President Donald Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a sign with the name of the settlement, Ramat Trump, or "Trump Heights," in Hebrew.

The ceremony was held as part of a special cabinet meeting at the site, attended by senior ministers, officials with the Golan Heights regional council, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

16 June 2019; AFP: An Israeli court Sunday convicted the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fraudulently using state funds for meals, under a plea bargain which saw her admit to lesser charges.

Sara Netanyahu was found guilty of exploiting the mistake of another person and ordered to pay a fine and compensation, in a deal approved by Jerusalem magistrates' court justice Avital Chen.

14 June 2019; MEMO: Israeli authorities are pressing ahead with plans to demolish an entire Palestinian neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, human rights NGO B’Tselem reported, which will leave 550 homeless.

Wadi Yasul, located between the neighbourhoods of Abu Tur and Silwan, is home to 72 Palestinian families.

According to B’Tselem, the Jerusalem Municipality has “issued demolition orders for all the neighbourhood homes so all the families there are facing the threat of expulsion.”