Displaying items by tag: Benjamin Netanyahu

Following extensive air strikes targeting Hezbollah, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, Israel's military chief, has indicated that a ground invasion into Hezbollah-controlled territory in Lebanon might be imminent. The air strikes, which hit Hezbollah’s intelligence directorate and weapons stores, killed over fifty people, according to Lebanon's health minister. Hezbollah escalated the conflict by firing a missile toward Tel Aviv, the first such strike by the group on the city, which Israel intercepted. Cross-border fighting has continued, with Hezbollah launching more rockets and Israel responding with over 280 airstrikes on Hezbollah targets. Since Monday, more than six hundred people have been killed in Lebanon, and 90,000 have been displaced. There is no end in sight to the fighting, which is linked to Hezbollah’s support for Hamas in Gaza. Breaking news: Benjamin Netanyahu has flown to New York to address the UN General Assembly on 27 September.  He has resolutely turned down the call by a number of countries for an immediate 21-day ceasefire. See

The USA has filed criminal charges against Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, and five other individuals for orchestrating the deadly attack on 7 October which killed 1,200 people, including forty Americans. The charges include conspiracy to support a terrorist organisation, conspiracy to murder US nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The complaint alleges support from Iran and Hezbollah. Three of the defendants are believed to be dead, while Sinwar remains in hiding. These charges are part of a broader effort to dismantle Hamas’s operations, but the White House also says it is actively working with Egypt and Qatar on a new ceasefire and hostage deal. In other developments, in Israel there have been three days of huge protests against Benjamin Netanyahu, and the UK government has decided to suspend sale of certain types of arms sales to Israel because they might be used in violation of international humanitarian law.

Joe Biden has proposed a ceasefire plan for Gaza comprising three stages: negotiating a captive exchange, achieving a permanent cessation of hostilities, and rebuilding homes and public facilities. He has urged immediate acceptance of the deal by Israel and Hamas, linking his reputation to its success. While Hamas responded positively, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government remains ambiguous. Biden has claimed Hamas's military capabilities are diminished, suggesting Israel can now withdraw from Gaza. His absence from the Ukraine peace summit (see Europe article) and his focus on Gaza reflect his desperation to improve his political standing amid declining approval. Netanyahu also faces pressure, risking imprisonment for corruption and needing to appease various factions. The ceasefire plan faces numerous obstacles; the complex dynamics and divergent interests involved make achieving a lasting resolution challenging. Meanwhile, Israel has confirmed the deaths of four more hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October: see

Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted his troops will advance on the Gazan city of Rafah, defying international pleas to reconsider. He has ordered his army to prepare for a ground assault on the city, where some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering, but talked of first ‘allowing the civilian population to leave the battle zones’. His aim is to eliminate Hamas from the city. The prime ministers of France, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have urged Israel to refrain from the operation to avoid a humanitarian disaster, while Spain and Ireland have asked the EU to investigate ‘urgently’ whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations in Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry reports that the death toll in Gaza is now at least 28,500 casualties.

On 10 May militants fired 507 rockets and mortars at Israel, and Israel struck 158 Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in Gaza. Twenty-five people have died and 76 injured in Gaza since 9 May, when Israel began its operation against PIJ with a series of strikes which killed three of its commanders. The PIJ is responsible for many recent rocket attacks on Israel. On 11 May Israel's military killed the commander of the PIJ and two other militants in a pre-dawn air strike on an apartment in Gaza. Later Israel’s sirens sounded as 10 mortars were fired from Gaza at Israeli communities in southern Eshkol. Some hit homes and buildings, but most landed in open areas or were intercepted. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, ‘Israel's campaign is not over. We have hit PIJ with the most significant blow it has ever suffered’. PIJ threatened ‘dark days ahead' if Israel increased aggression.

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Jerusalem in a show of support for the controversial judicial overhaul plan by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Local media estimated that the event, which organisers had dubbed ‘The One Million March’, drew only about 80,000 people. It was sponsored by the Premier’s conservative Likud Party and its far-right coalition ally Otzma Yehudit faction. Among many who chanted ‘The people want judicial reform’ was justice minister Yariv Levin, who spearheaded the push for the overhaul. The nation has been gripped by unprecedented nationwide demonstrations against the deeply divisive plan since its unveiling 16 weeks ago. Mr Levin told demonstrators that ‘more and more people understand the need for the legislation. We are in an unusual situation. There is an atmosphere where people try to paint a picture of the elected government not representing the people. Today we are protesting to show that it does.’

Sharren Haske, a prominent Israeli opposition politician, has urged Christians in Britain to pray for peace for her country, following massive protests against plans to reform Israel's judiciary. This week, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay to the plans, saying he is ‘not ready to divide the nation in pieces’. Sharren is a member of the opposition National Unity party and chairs the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus. ‘It's a very challenging time right now in Israel. Many of our citizens are really heartbroken’, she said. ‘The division among the nation is one of the biggest challenges that such a diverse community as the people of Israel is facing every single day. We're not against it. We understand that there is the need for reform and for changes. The question is how the judicial system is going to look, the next day. They take a more extreme approach, we are for a more moderate one.’

Scores of Jewish settlers stormed Hawara torching vehicles and houses in a ‘revenge’ attack after two Israeli brothers were killed by a Palestinian gunman. West Bank’s safety has deteriorated with deadly attacks in Israel, leading to raids on Palestinian terror cells by Israel’s army. Israeli defence forces are being criticised for not quickly quelling Hawara’s violence, revealing stark divisions in Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government; some even encourage the settlers. Meanwhile, Netanyahu called on Israelis not to take the law into their own hands and condemned ‘anarchy.’ Many analysts say that he, the strong-minded leader, fears he is losing control of the security situation in the West Bank. This is a sensitive issue that will deepen government fissures if it goes unchecked. Jews rioting in Huwara have been rightly condemned. But why does the world tolerate Palestinian terrorism? Palestinians regularly take to the streets to celebrate the murders of Jews.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are worried that Israel’s new government will spark escalations in the West Bank and Gaza that spill over into their territory. Jordan’s King Abdullah warned Israel, ‘We have red lines, and if people push those red lines, we'll deal with that.’ They already crossed one red line when the coalition guidelines said, ‘Jewish people have exclusive and unassailable rights to the entire Land of Israel. The government will promote and develop settlement in all parts of the land - Galilee, Negev, Golan, Judea and Samaria (West Bank).’ May God bless Israel with effective, stable governance, and may Netanyahu's heart turn to the paths that please God. May God arise, conquer egos, and bring about a desire to do what is best for the nation and not what is best for one's personal political career. Pray for God to arrange the priorities of this coalition to line up with God’s priorities.

The veteran politician has the official mandate to form a new government, paving the way for his comeback as the head of what is widely expected to be the most right-wing coalition in the country’s history. However, the 73-year-old promised to serve all Israelis, ‘those who voted for us and those who did not - it is my responsibility’. After unprecedented political gridlock forced five elections in under four years, Netanyahu’s Likud party and its ultraorthodox and ultranationalist allies received a clear majority in parliament. He must now build a coalition with his allies and quickly wrap up the negotiations. His next moves will be closely scrutinised as unease mounts in some quarters over his policy plans and the goals of his controversial governing partners. Violence has soared between Israel and the Palestinians recently, causing the deadliest period in years in the West Bank, with near-daily army raids and increased attacks on Israelis.