Blow to Benjamin Netanyahu who appeared to come out ahead in recent election
Israeli political parties have backed the opposition leader, Benny Gantz, to form a government, in a shocking blow to Benjamin Netanyahu after he appeared to come out ahead in an election held earlier this month.
The dramatic news came as a Jerusalem court postponed the prime minister’s corruption trial due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Continue reading...Israel’s voters either do not believe the allegations against their PM – or do not care
If Benjamin Netanyahu was going to lose one Israeli election in a big way, it may have been this one. Or at least that is how it appeared to some onlookers.
The prime minister was clearly on a downward trajectory. After embarrassingly losing allies and failing to form a government after last April’s election, the 70-year-old rightwing leader suffered a humiliating result in a repeat vote in September.
Continue reading...Prime minister set for comeback despite upcoming criminal corruption trial
Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in Israel’s third election within a year, even as the country looked set for further political deadlock after early counts suggested he was still short of securing a historic fifth term.
By Tuesday morning, with 90% of the votes counted, the prime minister’s Likud party appeared to be ahead with 36 seats, with a total of 59 for his rightwing alliance.
Continue reading...Netanyahu says main rival Gantz ‘not a leader’, while Gantz has focused on PM’s alleged corruption
Israelis are voting in the country’s third election within the space of a year, in a fight Benjamin Netanyahu is desperate to win on the eve of a criminal corruption trial against him.
More than 6.3 million people are eligible to cast their votes in polling stations that will close at 10pm (8pm GMT) on Monday, after which exit polls will be reported.
Continue reading...Neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor opponent Benny Gantz are likely to break political deadlock
Israelis are due to vote on Monday in the country’s third election in 12 months, with many worried the result will be just as inconclusive as previous rounds, extending a painful political stalemate deep into 2020.
After two failed attempts to form a government, the country has been plunged into limbo, run by an interim administration without powers to pass significant legislation or even a budget.
Continue reading...Sara Netanyahu faces fresh allegations of mistreating staff a week before Israeli elections
A former housekeeper at Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence is suing the Israeli prime minister’s wife, Sara, for $190,000 (£148,000) in damages for pain and suffering allegedly caused during her employment there.
The woman’s lawyer, Opheer Shimson, said his client worked at the residence for five months until last November when she was injured in a fall allegedly resulting from what he described as Sara Netanyahu’s tyrannical demands.
Continue reading...Ministry says prime minister must be present at session, where indictment will be read
The corruption trial of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will begin on 17 March, two weeks after a national election, the justice ministry has said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said Netanyahu would be required to be present at the session, at which an indictment against him would be read. The rightwing leader has denied any wrongdoing in three corruption cases. He is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be charged with a crime.
Continue reading...The Palestinian Authority has cut all ties with the US and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting a Middle East peace plan presented by Donald Trump, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said on Saturday.
Continue reading...Donald Trump’s Arab-Israeli peace plan rests upon the absurdity of the Palestinians accepting a state in name alone. Since 1993’s Oslo accords, hope had been kindled that a “Palestine” could be created from most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with its capital in East Jerusalem. The Trump administration’s document pays lip service to such an entity while shrinking its size and mutilating its scope to non-existence. It envisages the potential transfer of Palestinian towns out of Israel. It contains a blatant attempt to stop Palestinians seeking justice for war crimes – including those currently under way. Mr Trump boasts he is a dealmaker, offering $50bn in investment if Palestinians trade away their civil and national rights. But Palestinians see a conman with no intention of making good on empty promises.
This proposal is a sop to rightwing ideologues in the US and Israel. It ends the charade that Mr Trump could play a mediating role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has good reason to think his visit to Washington is his finest hour. He once warned Israel would be in mortal danger if a viable Palestine existed alongside it. The indications are Mr Netanyahu’s cabinet will vote in days to begin annexing all settlements in the West Bank as well as the Jordan Valley. The old gibe against the Palestinians – that they never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity for peace – is singularly inappropriate. Mr Trump’s blatant support for Israel and his snub of the Palestinians in drafting his plan has let Mr Netanyahu do whatever he wants.
Continue reading...Plan offers route to Palestinian state but recognises Israeli settlements in West Bank
Donald Trump has unveiled his vision for Middle East peace in a White House launch that gifted Israel a wishlist of its long-held demands while promising Palestinians a potential “state”, but with severe restrictions.
Standing next to the smiling Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump announced details of the 181-page plan to cheers and applause. Palestinian leaders were absent from the launch, having pre-emptively rejected his proposal, citing flagrant bias.
Continue reading...Israeli prime minister to travel to US for unveiling of Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said he hopes to “make history” during his upcoming visit to the White House for the unveiling of Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan.
Addressing his cabinet before departing for the US, Netanyahu described the current environment, characterised by close ties with Trump, as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Israel should “not miss”.
Continue reading...Donald Trump has invited Israel’s prime minister and leader of the opposition to Washington for talks on the “prospects of peace”, signalling that the White House was preparing to share details of its long-awaited “ultimate deal” for Israelis and Palestinians.
Mike Pence, the US vice-president who is visiting Jerusalem for a Holocaust remembrance forum, said after a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu that he had asked the leader to fly to Washington next week.
“President Trump asked me to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to the White House next week to discuss regional issues as well as the prospect of peace here in the Holy Land,” he said. Opposition leader Benny Gantz would also visit, he added, although it was not clear if at the same time.
No Palestinian representatives appeared to have been invited.
Continue reading...Israeli PM condemns ‘travesty’ after court said it intended to look at alleged incidents
Benjamin Netanyahu has called for sanctions against the international criminal court and people who work for it, a month after its chief prosecutor announced she intended to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes.
“I think that everybody should rise up against this,” the Israeli prime minister said in an interview with Trinity Broadcasting Network, the world’s largest Christian television network.
Continue reading...The US president announced on Wednesday that Iran appeared to be 'standing down' after it launched more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US and coalition troops.
While Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, showed his support for the US president, other world leaders struck a more cautious note. European commission president Ursula von der Leyen called for dialogue to replace the use of weapons.
In Washington, the US Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Americans now feared for their safety.
Continue reading...Ruling on whether indicted PM can return to role delayed until after March election
The supreme court in Israel has declined to weigh in on whether Benjamin Netanyahu can return to his post as prime minister now that he has been indicted, postponing any ruling on his political future until after March elections.
A three-judge panel said while the question of whether an indicted member of parliament could form a government was important, it would be premature to rule on the issue before the vote.
Continue reading...The Israeli prime minister’s request to parliament could delay his trial for months
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said he will ask parliament to grant him immunity from corruption charges, a step that is expected to delay his trial until after elections in March, when he hopes to win a majority coalition that would shield him from prosecution.
Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. After failing to assemble a governing majority following back-to-back elections last year, he will have a third shot at remaining in office in March.
Continue reading...Prime minister to enter March election campaign while under indictments for corruption
Triumphant after quashing a mini-revolt within his party, Benjamin Netanyahu faces what is likely to be a gruelling campaign to win Israel’s third national election in a year with damning corruption indictments still hanging over him.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, famed for his political acumen in escaping seemingly impossible situations, won a primary leadership contest held on Thursday by a landslide.
Continue reading...Prime minister gets backing of 72% of members despite corruption indictments
Benjamin Netanyahu has won a landslide victory in a primary election for leadership of the ruling Likud party in Israel.
Official results announced early on Friday showed Netanyahu capturing 72% of the votes, compared with 28% for challenger Gideon Saar. Earlier, Netanyahu had declared a huge victory following an exit poll that put him on course for more than 70% of the vote.
Continue reading...Israel's prime minister was bundled off the stage at an election rally on Wednesday after sirens rang out, warning of a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. The incident happened in the southern town of Ashkelon, a few miles from Gaza. Israeli authorities said their Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted the rocket. Netanyahu was campaigning hours before an internal Likud party leadership ballot
Second attack in three months forces Israel’s prime minister to interrupt campaign rally
A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at a southern Israeli city as it hosted a campaign rally prompted the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to take shelter briefly before resuming the event, Israeli TV stations have reported.
The Israeli military confirmed the launch on Wednesday against Ashkelon, which is 12km (7.5 miles) from the coastal Palestinian enclave, and said the rocket was shot down by an Iron Dome air defence interceptor.
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