Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he would seek immunity from corruption charges, likely delaying any trial until after March elections, when he hopes to have a majority coalition that will shield him from prosecution.

Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. After failing to assemble a governing majority following back-to-back elections last year, he will get a third shot at remaining in office in March.

01 Jan 2019; MEMO: A squabble broke out between supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud rival Gideon Sa’ar during an event to light the eighth and final candle of the Hanukkah menorah, the Shehab News Agency reported on Sunday.

JERUSALEM, Jan 1 (NNN-MA’AN) – The National Insurance Institute of Israel (NII), said that, about 30 percent of Israeli children, up to the age of 18, or 841,700, live in poverty.

In addition, about 21.2 percent of the Israeli population live in poverty, while 469,400 households, or 18 percent live in poverty, according to an annual report released by NII.

The incidence of poverty among elderly-headed households (women over 60 and men over 65) is 23.4 percent, while the incidence of poverty among elderly people is 18.8 percent.

31 Dec 2019; MEMO: The majority of Israelis oppose granting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immunity over the corruption charges against him, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported yesterday.

According to the poll conducted by Israel’s Channel 12 News, 51% of the 500 respondents questioned said they oppose granting immunity to Netanyahu, 33% supported it and 16% said they do not know.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: The son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes that British diplomats will soon be “kicked out” of Israel following a tweet by consulate staff in Jerusalem in which the Palestinian territories were referred to as “occupied”.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: Palestinian Prisoners’ Commission (PPC) has documented witnesses of Palestinian minor prisoners inside Israeli jails stating that they had been tortured and humiliated when they were arrested and during their investigations, Safa Press Agency reported.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli Security Cabinet on Sunday voted to withhold $43 million of tax funds from the Palestinians, saying the money has been used to promote violence, Israeli media reported.

The sum represents funds that Israel says the Palestinians have used to pay the families of Palestinians who have been jailed or killed as a result of attacking Israel, according to various reports.

27 Dec 2019; MEMO: The Israeli army yesterday admitted that a faulty assessment of the risk to civilians led to the killing of eight members of the same family in Gaza Strip.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday scored a landslide victory in a primary race for leadership of the ruling Likud party, giving the embattled leader an important boost ahead of the country’s third election in less than a year.

26 Dec 2019; MEMO: Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a fresh challenge to his power on Thursday as his Likud party held leadership primaries in the run-up to a national election, the country’s third in under a year, Reuters reports.

Netanyahu, head of Likud for the past 14 years, is widely expected to retain the right-wing party’s leadership.