Israel

02 May 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he does not intend at this time to introduce a bill that would grant ultra-Orthodox Jews exemption from service in the Israeli army, the Hebrew news website Walla has reported.

01 May 2023; MEMO: Suicide rates among the Israeli military are on the rise, presenting a "dangerous and daunting" challenge, warned Lieutenant- General Herzi Halevi according to a report published by Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

The chief of general staff also called on military authorities to devise a solution to address the growing problem. Local media reported that three Israeli soldiers committed suicide since the beginning of this month, two of whom took their own lives last week.

An Israeli army officer was dismissed yesterday from his command position after participating in a political protest in uniform.

Hebrew Channel 14 identified the officer as a major, adding that he was spotted on television participating in a pro-government reforms rally on Thursday.

The channel quoted military sources as saying that the officer was "stripped of his command authorities," adding that his act was "violating all the army orders."

01 May 2023; MEMO: Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir approved on Sunday the easing of conditions to obtain firearm licenses, Israeli media reported.

According to the Walla news website, former Israeli combat soldiers, police officers, firefighters and active reservists will receive an exemption from personal interviews when applying for a license.

02 May 2023; MEMO: Sheikh Khader Adnan was announced dead by Israeli authorities this morning after 86 days on hunger strike in protest against his illegal administrative detention.

Adnan, a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in the occupied West Bank, was found unconscious in his cell at the Israeli prison of Nitzan, and was declared dead at Assaf Harofeh Hospital.

02 May 2023; MEMO: Leader of Israel's National Unity Party, Benny Gantz, said yesterday that there has been no progress in talks launched to reach an agreement on planned judicial overhaul, local media reported.

The talks are being hosted and mediated by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Both sides of the talks blame each other for the stalemate.

02 May 2023; MEMO: Some 80 per cent of Israeli firms founded by Israeli entrepreneurs are relocating to other countries due to the planned judicial overhaul, Israeli economic outlet the Globes reported.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A high-profile Palestinian prisoner died in Israeli custody on Tuesday after a nearly three-month hunger strike, Israel’s prison service announced, at a time of already soaring tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.

Khader Adnan, a leader in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, is the first Palestinian prisoner to die since Palestinian inmates began staging protracted hunger strikes about a decade ago. His death raises the potential for renewed violence between Israel and Palestinian militant groups as violence surges in the West Bank.

JERUSALEM, April 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tens of thousands of Israelis have rallied in Jerusalem in support of controversial plans by the far-right government to reform the judiciary.

It was the biggest demonstration of its kind yet. Plans include curbing the Supreme Court and giving the government control over the appointment of judges.

“The nation demands a judicial reform,” was the repeated cry from the crowd.

JERUSALEM, April 30 (Reuters) - An Israeli army officer was removed from his post on Sunday for attending a political protest in uniform, the first such case during a crisis over the government's planned judicial overhaul that has stirred rancour within the military ranks.

Local media identified the officer as a major who was televised carrying a stretcher in a publicity stunt during a pro-government rally that was convened on Thursday in an attempt to off-set months of demonstrations against the reforms.