Israel

JERUSALEM, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Jerusalem District Court on Sunday instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appear in court on December 6 to answer corruption charges.

The court said Netanyahu's presence is required in the session in order to answer to the charges against him, which include bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.

Three other defendants in the same cases were also instructed to appear in the session.

25 July 2020; MEMO: Israeli occupation police arrested on Friday at dawn 55 Israelis who took part in demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, news agencies reported.

According to Israel Radio, thousands of angry Israelis took part in demonstrations staged near Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, and many clashes erupted between them and police.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police used water cannons to disperse protesters in central Jerusalem and arrested at least 55 of them as clashes broke out overnight after thousands staged a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israelis have held a series of demonstrations in recent weeks calling on Netanyahu to resign, citing his trial on corruption charges and his fractious unity government’s poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

24 July 2020; MEMO: The President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, slammed the government on Thursday and called for officials to stop floating the idea of holding early elections.

24 July 2020; MEMO: The former head of the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, Shabtai Shavit, said Israel cannot prevent Iran from joining the nuclear weapons club, however it can deter it from using the bomb.

In a lengthy interview with the Times of Israel, Shavit said: “I’m not one of those who say that the moment they [the Iranians] have a bomb they will physically threaten Israel’s existence. No. But a state with the bomb can use it to create all kinds of axes of influence to advance its interests.”

24 July 2020; MEMO: On Thursday, the Israeli authorities released Hassan Yousef, a prominent leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, from the city of Ramallah, after a year and a half of administrative detention without charge.

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli authorities released Yousef at the Ofer Security Checkpoint near Ramallah.

23 July 2020; MEMO: Israel saw a record rise in coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with 1,977 new cases, according to the country’s Health Ministry, Anadolu reports.

A ministry statement said three people succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 54,663, including 430 deaths, and 22,647 recoveries.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein warned that the government might impose a lockdown if the country sees a surge of 2,000 cases a day.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Jordan’s prime minister says the kingdom would look “positively” on the creation of a binational state that guarantees equal rights to Israelis and Palestinians if Israel’s proposed annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank closes the door on a two-state solution.

The international community and the Palestinian leadership remain committed to a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict. Israel rejects the idea of a binational state, fearing an eventual Palestinian majority would endanger its existence as a Jewish and democratic state.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A year ago, Cijay Brightman was doing sound and lighting for a Madonna performance in Israel. Now, after the coronavirus wiped out live events, he’s making sandwiches, slicing cheese and serving customers at a Tel Aviv deli.

Brightman spent the last 15 years perfecting his craft and doing what he loves as a stage technician. But in the wake of the pandemic, he has been forced to abandon his passion and profession — like thousands of others in Israel — and find any job that will pay the bills.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will resume in earnest in January, with thrice-weekly evidentiary hearings set to begin then, a Jerusalem court decided Sunday.