Israel

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency busted a Hamas terror cell comprised of east Jerusalem Palestinians who planned to carry out attacks against high profile targets, including hawkish Member of Knesset Itamar Ben Gvir. Five men were arrested for planning a shooting attack against Ben Gvir, in addition to kidnappings of Israeli soldiers and a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem. Authorities also seized a drone that was intended to be weaponized for an attack on Jerusalem’s light rail. The cell’s leader Rashid Rashek, from Jerusalem’s Old City, was described by authorities as a “prominent” Hamas operative who was also in charge of mobilizing Hamas supporters to riot at the Temple Mount during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan “in order to destabilize the Temple Mount and Jerusalem.” Ben Gvir reacted to the Shin Bet’s announcement by blaming the Hamas plot on “leftists”, as well as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. This is who Hamas is. … [Read more...] about Israel Thwarts Hamas Plot to Assassinate Conservative Lawmaker

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is currently in Jerusalem meeting his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, in the first visit in a decade and a half by Ankara’s top diplomat. The two discussed reviving Israel-Turkish cooperation after years of frosty relations, which would include restoring ambassadors and signing a series of agreements. In a humiliating scene that was filmed, Turkey expelled Israel’s envoy in 2018 in response to fatal clashes by Palestinian rioters on the Gaza-Israel border. Jerusalem responded by likewise dismissing Ankara’s envoy. Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday said a Turkish-Israel rapprochement will also help advance a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in light of Ankara’s history of playing a diplomatic role in the peace process. “We agreed to relaunch our Joint Economic Commission,” Lapid said in English-language remarks, “and to begin working on a new civil aviation agreement between our countries.” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut … [Read more...] about Turkey FM Visits Israel for First Time in 15 Years in a Sign of Warming Relations

The death of Shireen Abu Akleh , Al Jazeera’s celebrated Palestine correspondent—who was shot in the head while covering a gun battle between Israeli army forces and Palestinian fighters in the West Bank city of Jenin last Wednesday—has spiraled from tragedy into a full-blown diplomatic crisis for Israel. A series of clumsy reactions to the journalist’s death, and the police’s catastrophic handling of her funeral on Friday, where officers beat pallbearers with batons and dispersed the crowds with stun grenades, have left Israel exposed to a diplomatic maelstrom, with criticism coming from even the country’s strongest allies. Israeli police has not responded to queries about its deployment of anti-terror police at the funeral, or its methods of riot control. Videos of Abu Akleh’s coffin tipping over, slipping from the pallbearers’ hands and almost hitting the ground drew a rare rebuke from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who personally called Abu Akleh’s family to express … [Read more...] about Israel Is in All-Out Crisis Mode After Terrible Handling of Reporter’s Death

A perfect storm of grievances has enveloped Israel just as a second coronavirus lockdown appears inevitable and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems close to losing control of his government. Protests were held in more than 200 cities and highway junctions all across Israel on Saturday night, and on Sunday, Netanyahu said money from the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was funding the mounting demonstrations. Hard-liner Netanyahu heads a rickety coalition formed only in May with former rival Benny Gantz, a centrist former army chief, following a year and a half in which Israelis went to the polls three times, never giving either leader enough support to form a workable government without the other. On Sunday morning, Netanyahu’s only comment about the rallies , which drew thousands in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv, was to repeat a conspiracy theory that the Wexner Foundation, an American philanthropy, is funneling Epstein money to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, … [Read more...] about Besieged Netanyahu Blames Israel’s Protests on Epstein Money Conspiracy Theory

An Al Jazeera journalist was shot in the head Wednesday while covering Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, the news outlet reported . Shireen Abu Akleh, a U.S. citizen, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the shooting, which the reporter’s colleagues described as a targeted attack by Israeli forces. “We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” said Akleh’s colleague Ali Samoudi. “The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen… there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene,” Samoudi said. Samoudi, who was shot in the back, has been hospitalized in stable condition after the shooting in the town of Jenin. Another Palestinian journalist at the scene, Shatha Hanaysha, alleged that the press had been deliberately targeted by Israeli forces. “We were four journalists, we were all wearing vests, all wearing helmets. The [Israeli] occupation army did not stop firing … [Read more...] about Veteran Al Jazeera Journalist Shot Dead Covering Israel’s West Bank Raid

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill criminalizing normalization of ties and any relations, including business ties, with Israel. The legislation says that violation of the law is punishable with the death sentence or life imprisonment. The law was approved with 275 lawmakers voting in favor of it in the 329-seat assembly. A parliament statement said the legislation is “a true reflection of the will of the people.” Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose party won the largest number of seats in Iraq’s parliamentary elections last year, called for Iraqis to take to the streets to celebrate this “”great achievement." Hundreds later gathered in central Baghdad, chanting anti-Israel slogans. It was unclear how the law will be implemented as Iraq has not recognized Israel since the country's formation in 1948; the two … [Read more...] about Iraqi lawmakers pass bill criminalizing any ties with Israel