Netanyahu left the Jerusalem residence overnight Saturday-Sunday, however, the information was not immediately confirmed by the authorities….reports Asian Lite News
Israel’s former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family have completed their departure from the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, vacating the house on Balfour Street after 12 years, according to local media reports on early Sunday.
Times of Israel reported that moving trucks were seen at the residence earlier this week.
On Friday, there were reports that several vehicles were seen departing the residence — apparently cars belonging to Netanyahu’s motorcade as opposition leader.
On Saturday evening that the family was spending its final Shabbat at the residence and would be leaving later Saturday night. While on the other media however reported that the Netanyahus spent Shabbat at their Caesarea home, and would only complete their departure from Balfour Street late Saturday night or early Sunday.
The Netanyahu left the Jerusalem residence overnight Saturday-Sunday, however, the information was not immediately confirmed by the authorities.
Netanyahu’s departure comes nearly a month after he was ousted from power, in line with an agreement he reached with new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Naftali Bennett, a right-wing nationalist and former tech millionaire have become the new prime minister of the country on June 13.
It is the first time in 12 years the country will be led by someone other than Netanyahu. (ANI)
This came after the new coalition government, headed by Bennett and Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid (Future) party, was approved by the parliament, or Knesset…reports Asian Lite News
Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Yamina (United Right) party, was sworn in as new Israeli prime minister on Sunday night, sending Benjamin Netanyahu to the opposition after a record 12-year rule.
This came after the new coalition government, headed by Bennett and Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid (Future) party, was approved by the parliament, or Knesset, in a vote of confidence, Xinhua news agency reported.
In the vote of confidence held in the parliament earlier, 60 lawmakers of the 120-member chamber voted in favour of the new government while 59 voted against it.
TV footages of the parliament session showed Bennett and Lapid taking their new seats at the coalition seats in the parliament, while Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, moved to the back seats of the opposition.
At the same time, the 27 new ministers of the new governing coalition were also sworn in.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) June 13, 2021
Bennett and Lapid will rotate as the prime minister on a two-year base, with Bennett going first. Lapid will serve as Israel’s alternate prime minister and foreign minister.
Israel’s parliament on Sunday night also elected Mickey Levy, a lawmaker with Yesh Atid, as its new speaker.
The new coalition includes eight parties, including the Islamist Ra’am party, the first Arab faction to be included in a governing coalition in Israel.
Thousands of Israelis gathered on Rabin Square in central Tel Aviv on Sunday night to celebrate the end of Netanyahu’s rule.
The forming of the new coalition government has ended a political crisis in Israeli, that has seen four elections in two years.
Photo taken on April 6, 2021 shows swearing-in ceremony of the Israeli 24th Israeli Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem.(Alex Kolomoisky/ JINI via Xinhua)
Levin made the formal announcement to Parliament on Monday, noting that opposition leader Yair Lapid informed the President last week that a coalition deal had been agreed….reports Asian Lite News
The Israeli Parliament will vote on approving a new government that could oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by June 14.
Parliament Speaker Yariv Levin, a lawmaker with Netanyahu’s Likud party and his close associate, declined to set a specific date for the vote, reports Xinhua news agency.
Levin made the formal announcement to Parliament on Monday, noting that opposition leader Yair Lapid informed the President last week that a coalition deal had been agreed.
Hesaid a vote to approve the new government will be held within a week, in accordance with the Israeli law.
Yair Lapid, leader of Israeli centrist party of Yesh Atid, speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Mage/IANS)
“An announcement regarding a date for the session to establish the 36th government will be conveyed down the line to MPs,” the Speaker said during the session.
Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, announced last week that he reached a deal to form a coalition government with nationalist Naftali Bennett, leader of the pro-settler party of Yamina, and six additional small parties.
The coalition has a slim majority of 61 out of 120 seats in the Knesset.
It also includes Ra’am, an Islamist party headed by Mansour Abbas, marking the first time for an Arab party to be part of a coalition in Israel.
LEAD – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and former Defence Minister Naftali Bennett. (Xinhua_JINI_IANS)
According to a rotation agreement, Bennett will initially become premier and be replaced by Lapid two years later.
This would be the first time in 12 years that a government has been formed without the right-wing conservative head of government Netanyahu.
For the unusual coalition to begin its work, a simple majority of the 120 legislators must vote in favour of it.
The coalition paves the way to the end of the rule of Netanyahu, the longest-serving Israeli Prime Minister who has been facing a criminal trial over corruption charges in three separate cases.
There has never been an Israeli government representing the entire political spectrum from the extreme left to the extreme right. This offers a rare chance to chart a new course to gradually end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It will be tragic to miss this historic opportunity, writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir
Now that the arduous wrangling between eight starkly ideologically different parties—including the Islamist Arab party Ra’am—has ended and a new coalition government will soon be sworn in, a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should top the agenda of the new government. However, due to the parties’ profound ideological differences, they agreed to not tackle issues over which they have significant disagreement, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (IPC). This is the worst possible decision particularly because the new government represents the whole political spectrum from left to right. Since Israel has moved significantly to the right, if this government refuses to deal with the IPC, which coalition government will? As we have witnessed in the past, the left and left-of-center parties could not form a government on their own capable of tackling the conflict, and the right and right-of-center parties largely oppose a peace agreement based on a two-state solution. This explains the decades-long sad and deteriorating impasse between Israelis and Palestinians.
The question is, will Israel’s political leaders, including Yamina’s and Jewish Home’s Bennett and Lieberman, rise to the occasion and acknowledge that the conflict with the Palestinians will not go away, and if they wait four more years it will only get worse unless they address it head-on?
The new government does not need to decide now about negotiating a peace agreement, because this will not happen given the profound distrust, hatred, and animosity between the two sides. The new government should focus on reconciliation, through building trust on both government-to-government and people-to-people levels during the four-year tenure, and substantially and mutually improve the relationship with the Palestinians. They have to agree in principle only that there will be a two-state solution down the road, and the purpose of the reconciliation process is to pave the way in that direction. In fact, even if they don’t achieve a peace agreement, any process of reconciliation in and of itself is positive, as it will create a more peaceful and conducive atmosphere to negotiate a peace accord at a later day.
This process should include Hamas. In order to prevent a future deadly conflagration between Israel and Hamas, a 15–20-year long-term ceasefire should be established. In fact, Hamas has been seeking that for many years, and Egypt has now taken the lead, with the strong support of the Biden administration. Mediating such an agreement on which to build a more cooperative relationship between Israel and Hamas would lead to easing the blockade and eventually lifting it altogether once Hamas recognizes Israel.
While the Biden administration can play a pivotal role in advancing the peace process, it must not channel the promised reconstruction aid in Gaza through the Palestinian Authority, but instead through a monitoring commission composed of the donor countries. That said, just as Egypt is negotiating with Hamas to establish a long-term ceasefire, the US should involve Hamas in the reconstruction efforts. Like it or not, Hamas officially represents the Palestinians in Gaza and enjoys tremendous sway in the West Bank as well.
However, involving Hamas should be conditional upon Hamas moderating its position by ending its poisonous narrative against Israel, fully adhering to the ceasefire agreement, and renouncing the use of force to achieve a political objective. If Hamas meets these conditions consistently, the US should declassify it as a terrorist organization which would provide Hamas with a huge incentive to behave responsibly as a legitimate governing authority.
Other than providing immediate humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands of Palestinians that have been displaced during the war, tying major reconstruction to a long-term ceasefire is critical. Without doing so, should Hamas provoke or threaten Israel in the future, Israel will not hesitate to level everything standing again. Moreover, involving Hamas will incentivize it not only to adhere to these pre-conditions, but also to prevent any violation of the ceasefire by renegade jihadists in Gaza.
Since the new Israeli prime minister will certainly be invited to the White House, President Biden should “read him his rights.” Biden ought to make it abundantly clear that the US will not, under any circumstances, support anything but a two-state solution. Moreover, it will never tolerate annexation of another inch of Palestinian territory in the West Bank, and it will fully support a process of reconciliation. Biden can certainly make a strong case because Democrats in the House and the Senate are becoming extremely critical of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, with prominent Democrats saying the US shouldn’t be selling arms to Israel, which has never been expressed by any congressmember before.
Finally, the new Israeli government must immediately focus on the unprecedented violence between Israeli Jews and Palestinians in Israel proper which erupted in the wake of the disturbances on Temple Mount and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war. Years of discrimination against Israeli Arabs has finally come to a boil. Furthermore, Netanyahu’s violation of Palestinians’ human rights in the West Bank and Gaza further enraged Israeli Arabs, as they have affinity towards their brethren and feel their suffering under occupation or blockade.
The Israeli Arabs can play a significant role to ameliorate the Israel-Palestinian relationship in general, or become a fifth column. Now that there will be an Arab party supportive of or in the government, it could usher in a new period of rapprochement between Israeli Jews and Arab. The new Israeli government must make every effort to end the discrimination against Israel’s Arab citizens, especially in the areas of education, job opportunities, and development of their towns and villages.
These measures are absolutely crucial, especially in time of violent conflict in the West Bank and Gaza. Otherwise, another rampage of violence will destroy the social fabric between the two sides, which is a recipe for disaster for all Israelis, Jewish and Arab alike. Any Israeli government that ignores this ominous development will do so at its peril.
Israel and the Palestinians have missed many opportunities to make peace. After more than seven decades, the situation is ever more intractable and deadly. The new Israeli government must seize this perhaps once-in-a-generation opportunity, show statesmanship, and demonstrate to the whole world that Israel is ready to make peace by taking concrete measures to that end.
(Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.)
Netanyahu says ready to risk friction with US over Iran
Embattled Israel PM says he is prepared to neutralize Iran’s nuclear capabilities even if the US and other nations succeed in reinstating the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, reports Asian Lite News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he is prepared to risk tension with the US if that is what it takes to neutralize Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The embattled premier, whose political future is in question just 11 days out from a bruising war, said Israel’s biggest threat remains the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran.
He said Israel is prepared to prevent that from happening even if the United States and other nations succeed in reinstating the 2015 Iran nuclear accord.
“If we have to choose, I hope it doesn’t happen, between friction with our great friend the United States and eliminating the existential threat — eliminating the existential threat” wins, Netanyahu said.
US President Joe Biden
He spoke at a ceremony for David Barnea, the new chief of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
Iran has accused Israel of being behind a number of attacks killing Iranian nuclear scientists or sabotaging Iranian nuclear facilities.
Netanyahu’s comments come amid ongoing talks in Vienna between nations seeking to update and reinstate the 2015 agreement, in line with President Joe Biden’s campaign promise. His predecessor, Republican President Donald Trump, pulled the US out of the accord in 2018 and imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The deal places curbs on Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for relief from crippling economic sanctions.
Netanyahu staunchly opposes the agreement, arguing that it does not have enough safeguards to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Israel also says the deal must address Iran’s support for militant groups, its military actions across the region and its development of long-range missiles capable of striking Israel.
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only and says the nuclear deal should be reinstated without any changes.
Netanyahu spoke about Iran on Tuesday as his rivals in the Knesset huddled to try to form a coalition government that would end Netanyahu’s 12-year rule.
The developments come amid a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas’ militant rulers in the Gaza Strip after a brutal 11-day war that killed more than 250 people, most of them Palestinian.
Hamas, which opposes Israel’s right to exist and is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US and other Western countries, receives millions of dollars of military aid from Iran each year.
Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, said he took the step in order to prevent yet another election after four inconclusive elections in two years….reports Asian Lite News
Former Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett, also leader of the pro-settler party of Yamina, announced that he has accepted a coalition deal with centrist Yair Lapid to form “the government of change” to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
Bennett said in a statement on Sunday that he and Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, will work to put together a coalition government following the March 23 elections, reports Xinhua news agency.
“I intend to do all I can to form a unity government with my friend Yair Lapid to rescue the county from the tailspin and return Israel to its course,” he added.
Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, said he took the step in order to prevent yet another election after four inconclusive elections in two years.
Lapid has till Wednesday to form a new government, otherwise there will be new elections – the fifth in the past two years with all previous four of them having failed to produce a clear majority.
Lapid’s centrist party came in second in the elections on March 23, behind Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud.
After the March elections, Netanyahu had failed to form a government, so President Reuven Rivlin appointed Lapid to do so.
He has until Wednesday to form a new coalition government.
Bennett and Lapid have agreed to rotate as Prime Ministers, with Bennett serving first, according to Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news.
Lapid is trying to ensure the support of several small parties that are far apart on the political spectrum, in order to form a minority government that would be acceptable to Arab deputies.
They are united above all by their rejection of Netanyahu, who is currently being tried for corruption.
However, the smaller parties have widely diverging political goals.
If Lapid succeeds, it would end bring an end to the era of Netanyahu, in office since 2009, as well as from 1996 to 1999.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd R) and Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett (2nd L) hold a press conference in Jerusalem
Israel has held four elections in the past two years but all have failed to produce a clear majority…reports Asian Lite News
Opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to form a coalition in order to establish a new government ahead of a deadline which would otherwise mean new elections.
Israel has held four elections in the past two years but all have failed to produce a clear majority, reports dpa news agency.
Former Defence Minister Naftali Bennett of the pro-settler Yamina party has decided to opt for an alliance with opposition leader Jair Lapid of Yesh Atid, Israeli radio reported on Sunday.
An official announcement is expected soon.
Bennett was reportedly planning to inform party members on Sunday.
He agreed with Bennett that the two would share the office of Prime Minister, with Bennett initially to take the role for two years, and then to be replaced by Lapid.
Lapid’s centrist party came in second in the elections on March 23, behind Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud.
After the March elections, Netanyahu had failed to form a government, so President Reuven Rivlin appointed Lapid to do so.
Lapid’s pro-reform party planned to continue coalition talks Sunday with Gideon Saar’s right-leaning New Hope.
Bennett at the pre-election foreign-policy debate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem(Wikipedia)
It has already reached agreements with the left-liberal Meretz Party, the Labour Party and former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party.
Lapid is trying to ensure the support of several small parties that are far apart on the political spectrum, in order to form a minority government that would be acceptable to Arab deputies.
They are united above all by their rejection of Netanyahu, who is currently being tried for corruption.
However, the smaller parties have widely diverging political goals.
Lapid’s mandate to form a government will run out on Wednesday midnight.
If he succeeds, it would end bring an end to the era of Netanyahu, in office since 2009.
“I am determined to continue this operation until its objective is achieved: to restore quiet and security to you, citizens of Israel.” said Netanyahu…reports Asian Lite News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was determined to continue its fight against the Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip after US President Joe Biden called for “a significant de-escalation”.
The White House said in a statement that Biden told Netanyahu on Wednesday “that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire” in the deadly violence, reports Xinhua news agency.
Netanyahu later in the day issued a video statement on Twitter, saying: “I am determined to continue this operation until its objective is achieved: to restore quiet and security to you, citizens of Israel.”
The two leaders have held three previous talks over the phone since Israel launched its “Guardian of the Walls” offensive in Gaza on May 10.
Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Rockets are fired by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas from Gaza City towards Israel, amid the escalating flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Photo: Mohammed Talatene/dpa/IANS
According to the latest data by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 219 Palestinians, including 63 children, were killed in Gaza.
In the West Bank, 25 Palestinian deaths were tallied, including four children.
Israeli sources reported 12 people killed, including two children and a soldier.
Thousands of people are injured, mainly in the West Bank and in Gaza
Militant groups fired barrages of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israel, while Israeli fighter jets kept carrying out intensive airstrikes on buildings and infrastructure in the besieged enclave.
Jerusalem, Sept. 13, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing on COVID-19 pandemic in Israel at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020. Israel will reimpose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, beginning on Friday, to slow a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections, the government decided on Sunday. (Yoav Dudkevitch/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)
“We both know the horrors of war. We both understand the importance of preventing war and we both agree that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons,said Netanyahu…reports Asian Lite News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
He made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference here on Monday with visiting US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.
Addressing Austin, Netanyahu said: “We both know the horrors of war. We both understand the importance of preventing war and we both agree that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons.
“My policy as Prime Minister of Israel is clear: I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel.
“Israel will continue to defend itself against Iran’s aggression and terrorism.”
Iran has repeatedly denied its attempts to obtain nuclear weapons and says its nuclear facilities are meant for civil purposes only.
Netanyahu then went on to say that “Israel has no greater ally and certainly no greater ‘mishpucha’ (family in Hebrew) than the US”.
“And I can say equally that the US has no greater ally and no greater ‘mishpucha’ than Israel.”
Thanking the Prime Minister for the “discussion on a range of regional security challenges, including Iran’s destabilising activities”, Austin said that Washington’s “commitment to the US-Israel strategic partnership is ironclad”.
“The US supports normalization between Israel and the Arab and Muslim world,” he added.
Austin’s two-day visit marks the first by a US official since President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz
On Sunday, Austin met Defence Minister Benny Gantz during he said that he was committed to boosting the Jewish state’s security and “continuing our close consultations on threats posed by Iran”.
This meeting came on the same day after Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz was attacked.
Iran has blamed Israel for the accident took place in a part of the electricity distribution network of the facility.
Austin’s visit also comes as the White House has been holding indirect talks over possible renewing of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, the Defence Secretary is not expected to visit the Palestinian Territories, although US President Joe Biden has signalled that he wants to rebuild ties with the Palestinians.
The previous administration of Donald Trump made several major diplomatic moves which were welcomed by Israel but denigrated by the Palestinians, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, and weakening support for a two-state solution.
Austin is expected in Germany on Tuesday, and in Brussels after that.
Rivlin entrusted the longest-serving Prime Minister with the task after Netanyahu received the most recommendations during post-election talks with party leaders…reports Asian Lite News
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government two weeks after the country’s fourth election in two years also ended in a stalemate.
Rivlin entrusted the longest-serving Prime Minister with the task after Netanyahu received the most recommendations during post-election talks with party leaders, reports dpa news agency.
The President emphasized that while none of the 13 groups represented in parliament currently held a majority, Netanyahu had slightly better chances of forming a coalition.
However, it was not an easy decision to put Netanyahu in charge of forming the government again, given he is being tried for corruption, Rivlin said.
Netanyahu, the first sitting premier in Israel’s history to stand trial, is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.
Prosecutors allege that he systematically accepted expensive gifts and tried to improve media coverage of him in return for favours.
Voters were again evenly split in the last election, giving no candidate a clear path to victory.
