INSIDER
US troops in Syria attacked after airstrikes on militias
Read full article: US troops in Syria attacked after airstrikes on militiasU.S. forces in Syria came under rocket attack Monday, with no reported casualties, one day after U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes against what the Pentagon called โfacilities used by Iran-backed militia groupsโ near the border between Iraq and Syria.
Netanyahu opponents reach coalition deal to oust Israeli PM
Read full article: Netanyahu opponents reach coalition deal to oust Israeli PMPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuโs opponents announced they have reached a deal to form a new governing coalition, paving the way for the ouster of the longtime Israeli leader.
Netanyahu challenger issues call for national unity
Read full article: Netanyahu challenger issues call for national unityIsraelโs opposition leader has called for a unity government and vowed to find common ground among the ideologically diverse parties seeking to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel's Netanyahu in court as parties weigh in on his fate
Read full article: Israel's Netanyahu in court as parties weigh in on his fatePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuโs corruption trial has resumed, with a key witness painting a picture of an image-obsessed Israeli leader forcing a prominent news site to flatter his family and smear his opponents.
Israel appears mired in deadlock as votes are tallied
Read full article: Israel appears mired in deadlock as votes are talliedโA stable government for the state of Israel, that is what the times require. For supporters, Netanyahu is the man who is uniquely qualified to lead the country through its numerous political, diplomatic and security challenges. "We want to avoid a fifth election, but not at any cost.โWhether Abbas can make history and lead an Arab party into an Israeli coalition remains uncertain. AdThe Israeli election commission was set to begin counting an estimated 450,000 absentee ballots, a higher-than-usual number due to the many people with the coronavirus or in quarantine. And a fifth election, despite the deep opposition voiced across the political spectrum, remains a strong possibility.
Leaders like UKโs Johnson who wooed Trump face tricky reset
Read full article: Leaders like UKโs Johnson who wooed Trump face tricky resetBut after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Johnson has changed his tune. But after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Johnson has changed his tune. Critics say Johnson took his courting of Trump too far, and got little in return. Like Trump, Johnson has engaged in populist stunts, exaggerated promises and, at times, racist and inflammatory language. Like Trump, Netanyahu frequently rails against the media and belittles opponents with language seen as racist or incendiary.
Israel begins virus inoculation drive as infections surge
Read full article: Israel begins virus inoculation drive as infections surgeTEL AVIV โ Israel on Sunday began its coronavirus inoculation drive, aiming to vaccinate some 60,000 people a day in a bid to stamp out the illness that is once again surging among its population. He called it an โexciting momentโ that would put Israel on the path to returning to its normal routines. Israel has an agreement with Pfizer to secure 8 million doses of the U.S. pharmaceutical companyโs vaccine โ enough to cover nearly half of Israelโs population since each person requires two doses. Israel reached a separate agreement with Moderna earlier this month to purchase 6 million doses of its vaccine โ enough for another 3 million Israelis. Israel has reported more than 368,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,000 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The Latest: Trump ally Netanyahu calls Biden president-elect
Read full article: The Latest: Trump ally Netanyahu calls Biden president-electPresident-elect Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, speaks about economic recovery at The Queen theater, Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON โ The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):1:20 p.m.Israelโs president and prime minister spoke with Joe Biden on Tuesday for the first time since his victory in the U.S. election, joining other world leaders in referring to him as the president-elect despite President Donald Trumpโs refusal to concede. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of Trump, congratulated Biden after the election was called earlier this month but did not refer to him as president-elect then and has avoided commenting on the election results. โIn a warm conversation, the president-elect reiterated his deep commitment to the state of Israel and its security,โ Netanyahuโs office said in a statement. Netanyahu โsaid that the special bond between Israel and the US is a fundamental component of Israelโs security and its policy.
Israel extends restrictions on protests amid virus lockdown
Read full article: Israel extends restrictions on protests amid virus lockdownThe Israeli government has extended an emergency provision that bars public gatherings, including widespread protests against Netanyahu, for an additional week. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)JERUSALEM โ The Israeli government has extended an emergency provision that bars public gatherings, including widespread protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for an additional week. Israel imposed a nationwide lockdown ahead of the Jewish High Holidays last month to rein in the country's surging coronavirus outbreak. The government then declared the state of emergency, limiting all public gatherings to within a kilometer (half a mile) of a person's home. Israel was initially praised for its swift imposition of restrictions in February to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Israelis mark Yom Kippur under 'painful' virus lockdown
Read full article: Israelis mark Yom Kippur under 'painful' virus lockdown(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)JERUSALEM โ The solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which annually sees Israeli life grind to a halt, begins on Sunday in a nation already under a sweeping coronavirus lockdown. Because of that, lives were lost.โAs part of the latest lockdown, Israelis can only pray in open areas close to home, with gatherings limited to 20 people. But he urged people to avoid going into synagogues on Yom Kippur and to pray outdoors. But he says the closure of synagogues during Yom Kippur is still "very painful for most Israelis,โ even those who don't attend regularly. "Itโs quite dramatic for Israelis, for all types of Israelis, secular and observant.โIn Israel, the holiday is also associated with the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, when Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur.
Netanyahu fails again to form new Israeli government
Read full article: Netanyahu fails again to form new Israeli government(CNN) - For the second time this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to form a government, opening the door for his main rival Benny Gantz to do so. In a statement, Gantz signaled he was ready to pick up the mandate and attempt to get a breakthrough. Failing to form a government after six weeks of negotiations, Netanyahu called a second general election, instead of giving Gantz the opportunity to try. It was the first time in Israel's history that a political leader was unable to form a government after an election. Netanyahu was given the first chance to form a government because he had united a bloc of 55 conservative, religious Zionist, and ultra-Orthodox seats behind him.
Netanyahu trails Gantz by two seats in latest Israeli election results
Read full article: Netanyahu trails Gantz by two seats in latest Israeli election resultsGantz's Blue and White Party have 33 seats to Likud's 31 in the latest standings from Tuesday's do-over election, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee. With 120 seats in the Parliament, both Gantz and Netanyahu need to build a coalition to succeed, giving small parties a vital say in the shape of the next government. If those talks also end in failure, the prospect of yet another general election -- which the Times of Israel has labeled a "nightmare third election scenario" -- could become a reality. Warning of that possibility on Thursday, Rivlin said he "will do everything I can to prevent another general election." Netanyahu could also face the possibility of fighting a third general election after being indicted on those charges -- providing added urgency to this attempt to forge a path to power.
Re-run Israeli election in dead heat
Read full article: Re-run Israeli election in dead heatJERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's grip on power was hanging in the balance Wednesday after local TV channels projected him trailing his centrist rival Benny Gantz by just one seat, following a re-run general election. Both Netanyahu and Gantz have vowed they can form a government, even though projected results give neither man a majority in the new Parliament. Israeli politics now appears all-but-deadlocked and destined for complex negotiations between the two main parties and the smaller parties over possible coalition arrangements. Gantz said contacts with other parties to build what he described as a "broad unity government" had already started. Netanyahu meanwhile, was hoarse as he addressed his Likud Party supporters, neither claiming victory nor conceding defeat.