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Netanyahu wants to reach a compromise, specific lawmakers are intentionally torpedoing talks and will be responsible for fate of Israel’s most serious internal crisis, says Israeli president.

By World Israel News Staff

President Isaac Herzog hinted that certain political parties or figures were not being reasonable during negotiations aimed at achieving a compromise agreement for the judicial overhaul, and said that those sabotaging the discussions would bear a “historic responsibility” for the fate of the country.

Herzog told Channel 13 News that if the discussions are not successful and no compromise is reached, he “knows who is to blame,” and added that “this historic responsibility needs to be recorded somewhere.”

Left-wing figures have claimed that Netanyahu is using the talks as an opportunity to buy time. They argue that he has no intention to soften the overhaul, and rather wants to wait until public furor and protests over the legislation dies down, then intends to pass the reforms.

Herzog told Channel 13 that he rejects that narrative and is confident that Netanyahu genuinely wishes to obtain a compromise on the issue.

“I’m convinced he wants to reach a compromise,” Herzog said.

“No one is using me,” he added. “That phrase is incorrect — I have a great appreciation for Netanyahu. I think that he is a brilliant man who has done great things as prime minister. I don’t want to talk about the current period, because whatever I say will be construed as political.”

Echoing his earlier comments, Herzog told Kan News that specific lawmakers were attempting to “pull the rug” on the compromise discussions.

He reiterated his warning that “whoever tries to harm the talks will carry the burden of historic responsibility for the fate of the state and the nation.”

Herzog said that the vehement clashes over the overhaul, which have seen hundreds of thousands of Israelis take to the streets in protest and an unprecedented labor strike that brought the Israeli economy to a virtual halt, constituted “the most serious internal crisis in the country’s history.”

The post Judicial compromise saboteurs will be judged harshly – Herzog appeared first on World Israel News.

“Khan Al-Amar is the symbol of lawlessness and selective enforcement, whereas questionable Jewish properties are immediately destroyed while illegal PA encampments, funded by the EU, are allowed to remain intact,” a spokesperson for the Gush Etzion Regional Council said.

By World Israel News Staff

Despite campaign promises from the Religious Zionist Party to dismantle the long-standing illegal Bedouin outpost Khan Al-Amar, the right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to file yet another request with the Supreme Court to delay dismantling the community.

The subject of a decades-long court battle, some 200 Bedouins live in huts and tents at the outpost, which is located in Samaria, on the outskirts of the Jerusalem suburb Ma’ale Adumim. Dwellings at the site are not connected to sewage or water systems, nor the electrical grid.

In 2018, after lawsuits that stretched some twenty years, the Supreme Court ruled that Khan Al-Amar had never been a permanent community, but rather a waypoint used for several weeks a year by nomadic Bedouins.

The court also found that the residents did not have any rights to the land, and that the Israeli government had the authority to evacuate the site in accordance with the Oslo Accords, because Khan Al-Amar is in Area C.

The Regavim NGO, which advocates for Israeli sovereignty and battles illegal Arab building, filed a petition with the Supreme Court in 2018 aimed at forcing the government to execute the court’s decision and dismantle the community.

Since 2019, the government has consistently refused to do so and filed numerous requests postponing the execution of the evacuation.

The expected request on Sunday marks the ninth time that the government has asked for a delay. This time, the government’s justification is expected to be that dismantling the community will spark international background during a sensitive security period, and that final negotiations for evacuating the site are currently underway.

“Khan Al-Amar is the symbol of lawlessness and selective enforcement, whereas questionable Jewish properties are immediately destroyed while illegal PA encampments, funded by the EU, are allowed to remain intact,” a spokesperson for the Gush Etzion Regional Council told World Israel News.

The spokesperson noted that the encampment “is not only illegal, but [also] a danger to the squatters there, particularly the children, who are being used as political pawns by their leadership, alongside Highway 1, a major thoroughfare.

“Various Israeli governments have offered numerous legal housing alternatives, but the PA won’t allow the people there to move onto the grid and lead normal lives.

“All governments which fail to act and take down Khan Al-Amar are doing a disservice to the residents there and are ignoring the courts, which have already ruled that their presence there on state lands is illegal. This type of weakness breeds further lawlessness.”

The post ‘Symbol of lawlessness’ – Gov’t to postpone Khan Al-Amar evacuation, again appeared first on World Israel News.

The rejection of Jerusalem’s formal appeal is seen as payback for Israel’s support for Ukraine.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

As current president of the United Nations Security Council, Russia has rejected Jerusalem’s request to postpone the discussion on the Middle East that is scheduled for Remembrance Day, in a move that is being regarded as payback for Israel’s support for Ukraine, Channel 12 reported Saturday night.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, sent a formal letter to his Russian counterpart explaining the importance of the day to Israel’s citizens, saying that Moscow should take this into consideration if it wants to play a neutral role between Israel and the Palestinians. However, the report said, not only did the Kremlin not accede to the request, it even upgraded the discussion to the level of foreign ministers, and told Jerusalem so.

The report by the UN’s emissary to the region takes place quarterly and regularly devolves into a condemnation of Israel regarding the Palestinian issue.

It is already known that the account will cover Israeli police actions on the Temple Mount during Ramadan against Palestinian rioters and IDF counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria. These are subjects that are usually depicted in a negative light by UN staff, who downplay the security danger Israel faces and disregard the security forces’ attempts to avoid casualties to non-combatants.

The Palestinians, the report added, consider the rejection a great victory. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki will participate in the debate, as will Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.

A political source told Channel 12 that the reason the Russians did not respond to the Israeli request is some kind of reaction, signal or a political price tag for the rapprochement between Israel and Ukraine, which Russia invaded 14 months ago.

Israel has denied repeated requests from Kyiv for offensive weaponry due to its concerns that Russia will stop turning a blind eye to the IDF’s constant airstrikes against Iranian military targets in Syria, where Russian forces could activate the advanced air-defense systems they have installed in their client state. However, last month, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen reportedly told President Volodymyr Zelensky that Jerusalem had approved the private sale of defensive electronic systems to Ukraine that could help protect the country against drone attacks.

Russia had warned Israel in February against supporting Ukraine with anything more than the humanitarian aid it has sent.

A Ukrainian official told Walla News at the time that while Kyiv would be happy to receive these systems, what it really needed was anti-missile systems, saying, “On that, we have a gap that we are not managing to solve.”

Israel has refused Ukrainian appeals for its famed Iron Dome batteries, saying it does not have enough of them yet to even fully protect the whole country, let alone export any abroad.

The post Russia rejects request to reschedule UN debate on Israel on Remembrance Day appeared first on World Israel News.

The decision came after a backlash from liberal American Jews.

By JNS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nixed his decision to appoint fellow Likud lawmaker May Golan as consul general in New York following a backlash among liberal American Jews.

Netanyahu on Thursday tapped Golan for the position, widely considered Israel’s third-most senior diplomatic position in the United States after the ambassadorships to Washington and the United Nations.

The move drew condemnation from many left-leaning Jews and prompted the U.S. State Department to weigh in on past comments made by the firebrand Golan.

“Broadly, we would condemn such kind of rhetoric and believe that such kind of language is also particularly damaging when it’s amplified in leadership positions,” said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

Golan first entered the public eye as a campaigner against African asylum seekers. She is known for her staunchly right-wing ideology and previously designated herself “the mother of politically incorrect.”

She had responded positively to being chosen for the position.

“I am very flattered to be considered for the post of Israel’s consul general in N.Y. I want to assure everyone that if I will be appointed, I will represent 100% the mainstream policies of PM Netanyahu and the Likud Party to which I belong,” she wrote on Twitter.

“I am completely committed to the unity of the Jewish people, and that is the exact policy that I will follow. If appointed, I will work with the leaders of all the Jewish organizations as part of the effort to strengthen the great partnership between Israel and the American Jewish communities,” she added.

Officials in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office concluded that her appointment was no longer feasible.

The post Netanyahu nixes appointment of rightist MK as NY consul appeared first on World Israel News.

Commemorations begin at sundown on April 23 and end 24 hours later, when the Jewish state ushers in its 75th Independence Day.

By JNS

Fifty-nine Israeli soldiers fell in the line of duty since the last Memorial Day and an additional 86 disabled veterans died due to their condition, the Defense Ministry announced over the weekend.

Overall, 24,213 soldiers have lost their lives in service to the nation since 1860.

Israel will mark this year’s Memorial Day beginning Monday night, when a one-minute siren will sound across the country. Commemorations will take place at 52 military cemeteries and memorial sites during the following 24 hours, with the main ceremony held at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

President Isaac Herzog and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi will address the central event.

On Tuesday at 11 a.m., a two-minute siren will blare, followed immediately thereafter by an air force flyover of the Memorial Hall at Mount Herzl. Another state ceremony will then take place there, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in attendance.

The names of Israel’s fallen soldiers will be broadcast on Israeli television from 8:45 p.m. on April 24 until the following day, and can also be found on the Izkor website.

Netanyahu on Thursday called on citizens to put aside differences, especially as it relates to the debate over the government’s judicial reform initiative, for one day, as the country finds common cause in mourning its heroes.

“In a few days, we will fix our gaze on the military sections in the cemeteries. Every headstone there tells the story of a life that was cut short. The unity of silent bereavement in the cemeteries cries out to us at this time. Our loved ones who fell, our loved ones who paid for our revival with their lives, did so for us—and we must stand together for them, united, in order to be worthy of their sacrifice,” said Netanyahu.

“In recent months, there has been an important debate in our democracy, but at this time, I ask all elected officials, from the right and the left, to put aside the debate, to leave it outside the cemeteries, to allow the bereaved families, all of us, to be in silence with the memory of our loved ones. We all deserve to experience these days with the entire people of Israel standing united behind our heroes, without any argument,” he added.

In a rare show of consensus, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and National Unity Party head Benny Gantz also called for politics to be omitted from the special day.

Memorial Day ends Tuesday night, when Israel will usher in its 75th Independence Day.

The post Israel lost 59 soldiers since last Memorial Day appeared first on World Israel News.

Marilyn Jones, 78, and her family have filed a federal lawsuit against Celebrity Cruises Inc. in the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida, claiming that the luxury liner’s staff failed to properly preserve the body of her husband, Robert Jones, 79, after he passed away during their Caribbean cruise. The couple had been married for 55 years and had set sail on August 13th on the Celebrity Equinox, with a planned 8-day excursion to ports in the East Caribbean.

Following two days on the cruise, Robert suffered a heart attack and passed away, leaving his wife to decide whether to keep his body in the ship’s morgue until they docked in Fort Lauderdale or to leave the ship with the body in San Juan. Marilyn was warned that if she chose the latter, there was a “50/50 chance” that a medical examiner in San Juan could take possession of the body and perform an autopsy and that she would be responsible for arranging travel for both herself and her deceased husband back home.

When the ship docked in Florida, the family was shocked to find that Robert’s body was not in the morgue but instead had been moved to a cooler on a different floor. This cooler was not cold enough to preserve the body, resulting in it being in a state of severe decomposition, which robbed the family of an open-casket funeral and wake service. The lawsuit claims that Celebrity Cruises should have been equipped to handle death and should have kept a working morgue or checked the body with reasonable frequency to ensure preservation.

The family is seeking a jury trial and damages of at least $1 million. A representative from Celebrity Cruises declined to comment on the matter due to the sensitivity of the allegations.

On Tuesday, April 18, an unfortunate event occurred when 26-year-old Blake Mohs, a security guard at Home Depot in Pleasanton, California, was killed while trying to prevent a robbery.

He had noticed a female suspect attempting to steal a phone charger worth less than $100, and when he confronted her, a struggle began, and he chased her to the loading dock. At that point, the suspect pulled out a firearm and fired at Mohs before fleeing the scene. Despite being rushed to a hospital, he did not survive.

Mohs had been an Eagle Scout since he was 14 and was on the brink of marrying his fiancée Kasey, whom he had met five years ago while volunteering at a Scout camp. His parents, Eric and Lorie Mohs, spoke of their son’s devotion to the Scouts and his dreams of a future with Kasey.

The suspect, 32-year-old Benicia Knapps, and her boyfriend, 31-year-old David Guillory, were apprehended along with Knapps’ 2-year-old child in the car.

A gun was located close to the incident. Knapps, a licensed security guard with a history of theft, is facing charges of murder, robbery, child endangerment, and conspiracy. At the same time, Guillory is accused of child endangerment, evading police, and driving the wrong way.

Mayor Karla Brown of Tri-Valley, including Pleasanton, expressed her sorrow for Mohs’ family, friends, and everyone else impacted by the tragedy. She noted his commitment to the Tri-Valley organizations and the sadness of his life is cruelly cut short.

An estimated 150,000 took part in the Tel Aviv protest for the 16th consecutive Saturday.

By World Israel News Staff

Tens of thousands of people protested in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities against the government’s judicial reform plans for the 16th consecutive Saturday, with members of bereaved families lighting candles in memory of fallen soldiers ahead of Memorial Day.

The protests have been ongoing despite the government’s announcement earlier this month suspending the legislation until after May.

“The public understands that the sword of the dictatorship is still on its neck, threatening to destroy everything we built,” protest organizers said.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid spoke at a rally in Hod Hasharon, a suburb of Tel Aviv.

“This week, between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day, is the week of Israeliness. On Tuesday we will remember that we are the only country in the world where between the saddest day and the happiest day, there are exactly sixty seconds.

“If you hadn’t taken to the streets, the disaster would have already happened. Israel would no longer be democratic,” he said.

“One day you will tell this to your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren about how in 2023, you marched through the streets wrapped in a flag and saved the State of Israel. How before Independence Day, you fought for your country, you fought and won.”

The post Lapid at protests: ‘If you hadn’t taken to the streets, Israel would no longer be democratic’ appeared first on World Israel News.

A tragic event occurred in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, on Wednesday, April 19. It is estimated that 80 people were killed in a stampede during a celebration to observe the end of Ramadan.

These individuals were impoverished and had gathered to receive aid when shots were heard, resulting in a frenzied panic. Videos of the aftermath of the misfortune circulated on social media.

A Houthi official reported that more than 300 people, including women and children, were injured in the stampede. The nation’s interior ministry declared the event as “unstructured financial aid from some merchants without coordination from the Ministry of Interior,” Those who died or were hurt were taken to hospitals.

Two of the merchants responsible for the tragedy have been locked up. It is speculated that Houthis released their weapons into the air as an attempt to control the crowd, but the rounds struck an electrical wire, resulting in an explosion that provoked greater fear.

Houthi rebels were said to have blocked the school off to journalists. Sanaa has been under control of the Houthi rebels since 2014. The ensuing conflict has caused more than 100,000 deaths, making it one of the most significant humanitarian crises in the world, according to the United Nations.

Police were alerted to the scene after receiving a call that the woman was screaming.

By World Israel News Staff

Three residents from the southern Arab town of Lakiya were arrested on Friday evening for attacking and attempting to kidnap a woman and breaking through a police checkpoint when fleeing the scene.

The three men, whose ages range from 19-26, attempted to kidnap a woman, with whom one of them was acquainted, from her apartment in Kiryat Malakhi, around 30 miles north of Lakiya. The men tried to force her into their vehicle but she fought them.

Police were alerted to the scene after receiving a call that the woman was screaming. The three fled, but not before assaulting another resident of the southern Israeli town and stealing his mobile phone.

The suspects smashed through a police barricade with their vehicle but were stopped further on the road after officers shot their tires. They were caught following a chase on foot.

Chief Superintendent Mevorach Avraham from the Kiryat Malakhi police station listed the suspects’ “grave crimes” which he said, included “an attempted kidnapping, a robbery, and endangering human lives.”

He praised the police’s “quick response” as well as “cooperation between police stations” to catch the suspects.

“We will work to bring the suspects fully to justice, and ensure that they are kept away both from the victim of their crime as well as from the public,” he said.

The post Three Arab Israelis arrested after attempted kidnapping of young Jewish woman appeared first on World Israel News.