Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Avigdor Lieberman entered Israeli politics as a loyal protégé of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Now, the maverick politician could be the one to topple his former mentor.

Lieberman, a burly, tough-talking immigrant from the former Soviet Union, forced Israel’s unprecedented second election of the year and is poised to be the kingmaker again.

Polls suggest Netanyahu won’t be able to form a coalition government without Lieberman’s support.

Lieberman has played hard to get.

TEL AVIV, September 8. /TASS/: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement at a weekly government meeting on Sunday he could visit Russia next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"During the week, I may head to Russia to discuss with President Putin the efforts on continuing coordination between our military," Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

On September 5, Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov said Netanyahu’s visit to Russia could take place very soon. The visit is most likely to be held in Sochi, he said.

6 Sep 2019; MEMO: Likud and the opposition Blue and White alliance remain tied ahead of Israel’s 17 September election, according to polls published yesterday by Channel 13 News and Channel 12 News.

JERUSALEM, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged world leaders on Thursday not to open talks with Iran, as he departed to London to meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the Islamic Republic.

The two will discuss "the situation in the region and the way to rebuff Iran's terrorism and aggression," the Israeli PM's Office said in a statement.

He will also meet there with United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

4 Sep 2019; MEMO: The Israeli occupation forces arrested 450 Palestinians, including 69 children and 13 women, during August, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Centre for Studies said on Monday.

The Centre registered 10 detentions from Gaza, including a fisherman captured while working off the coast, said spokesperson Riyadh Ashqar. He added that the Israelis arrested eight children from Gaza near the nominal border fence along the east of the coastal enclave.

4 Sep 2019; MEMO: Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has headed to Switzerland in a bid to end the threat of arrest warrants faced by Israeli war crimes suspects visiting the country, reported Ynet.

4 Sep 2019; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled his trip to India, which was slated to take place next week ahead of Israel’s upcoming general election on 17 September.

Netanyahu had been due to visit his “close friend” and political ally, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the Indian capital New Delhi for a one-day trip on Monday. The pair were slated to discuss bilateral ties including trade and defence industry deals.

4 Sep 2019; MEMO: Israel’s latest public opinion poll yesterday showed that the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Avigdor Lieberman, was continuing to gain nine seats and “remain the biggest obstacle to forming a right-wing government two weeks before elections.”

The study also said that the supporter of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had fallen from 43 per cent two weeks ago to 39 per cent.

3 Sep 2019; MEMO:  Benny Gantz, chair of the main Israeli opposition alliance Blue and White (Kahol Lavan), declared yesterday that he would not pursue a unilateral withdrawal from occupied West Bank territory.

3 Sep 2019; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked ultra-right-wing party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) to drop out of Israel’s upcoming general election, the second such demand in less than a week.