| 1 |
Israel’s governing coalition whip Idit Silman (Yamina) announced she would withdraw her support for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in a move that leaves the latter without a majority in the Knesset. If an additional lawmaker were to leave the coalition, the government could be brought down by a parliamentary procedure that would disperse the Knesset.
Should the opposition have a majority, they would be able to attempt to form a government without needing to go to elections. The more coalition members that defect, the more likely this option becomes.
Silman said that she “could not take it anymore,” and that she could not continue undermining the Jewish identity of the State of Israel, likely a reference to a disagreement she had with Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz over allowing chametz (leavened bread) into hospitals during the Jewish holiday of Passover. Jewish law forbids consuming — and even owning — leavened products during the seven-day festival.
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Silman on her decision, thanking her “in the name of many people in Israel that waited for this moment.”
Silman ditched the coalition after she was reportedly offered the 10th spot on the Likud Party list in a future election and the position of Health Minister should the party — led by Netanyahu — successfully form an alternative government.
| 2 |
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday that a recent spate of deadly terrorist attacks in Israel should serve as a wake-up call, while more than 15 other planned attacks have been foiled.
“The last two weeks, in which we have been dealing with severe terrorist attacks, are a wake-up call for all of us,” Bennett told reporters during a visit to an army outpost in the West bank. The prime minister said that the series of attacks must spur officials to take action “after years of neglect, and fix what needs to be fixed with all our might.”
Israel’s premier added that more than 200 suspects have been arrested and dozens of raids have been carried out, and more than 400 individuals with connections to Islamic State or other “extreme jihadist organizations” have been identified. The attacks in Beersheba and Hadera were claimed by ISIS adherents.
Meanwhile, there have been near-nightly riots in Jerusalem since the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began, with dozens arrested and wounded during clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.
However, the prime minister urged citizens to “return to routine,” while security forces remain on high alert.
| 3 |
Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, Israel’s outgoing air force chief, announced in an interview that the country’s armed forces no longer have unrestricted aerial superiority over Lebanon.
The local report explained that Israel has scaled back on its surveillance flights over Lebanon after one of its drones was almost downed by an anti-aircraft missile around one year ago. This decision has reportedly hindered the Jewish state’s ability to gather intelligence via the use of UAVs over Lebanon’s skies.
Norkin also spoke about Jerusalem’s readiness to confront threats from Tehran — an issue he said was considered a lower priority until the United States withdrew unilaterally from the Iran nuclear deal back in 2018.
| 4 |
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday condemned the massacre in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.
“We are shocked by the horrible pictures from Bucha and we condemn them with all force,” Bennett said, speaking at a press conference at a West Bank army base, adding: “The suffering of the people of Ukraine is huge and we do everything we can to help.”
Shortly after, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stepped up Israeli criticism by accusing “Russian forces” of committing “war crimes.” He reiterated his strong condemnation of what happened in Bucha.
“There is a war in Europe. Once again, a large and powerful country has invaded a smaller neighbor without any justification. Once again, the ground is soaked with the blood of innocent civilians,” Israel’s top diplomat said during a visit to Athens.
Meanwhile, Greece, Cyprus and Israel will continue working together on natural gas pipeline projects, with European energy dependency being a new focus because of the war in Ukraine, the countries’ foreign ministers said on Tuesday.
Lapid, who met his Greek and Cypriot counterparts, said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed the structure of the energy market in Europe and in the Middle East.
The three allies, he said, would seek to boost their energy ties and expand their cooperation in the coming months to include more countries.
Recommended Reading
- PA Mother’s Day Message: ‘Strong Red Blood’ Will Achieve Victory (Nan Jacques Zilberdik, Algemeiner)
- Israeli-American Naval Medical Personnel Drill Sets up ‘Hospital at Sea’ (Yaakov Lappin, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Nobel Prize Winner Gives Inaugural Lecture to Designated Terrorist Organization (AJ Caschetta, The American Spectator)
- Researchers Find New Treatment Combo Effective For Head and Neck Cancer (Simona Shemer, NoCamels)
- Is Social Media Enabling Antisemitism? (Eve Glover, Jerusalem Post)
