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Likud lawmaker Yariv Levin has been elected as the speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, following a tumultuous parliamentary session on Monday.
The vote to elect the speaker was postponed from Monday to Tuesday after Knesset members from the opposition threatened to delay the vote with a filibuster.
Levin, who served as Knesset speaker between 2020 and 2021, will replace Yesh Atid’s Mickey Levy, who has served in the position since June 2021.
It is understood that Levin will serve in the role until a final coalition agreement is reached between presumptive prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party’s parliamentary allies.
As Knesset speaker, Yariv Levin is set to initiate votes on four pieces of crucial legislation: The expansion of the national security minister’s authority over the police, the permissibility of a Knesset member serving a suspended sentence to serve as a government minister, the enabling of a Religious Zionism party member to become an independent minister in control of building in the West Bank, and a bill that will make it harder for an MK to leave their parliamentary faction without sanctions.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc won a majority of Knesset seats following Israel’s November 1 election but a formal coalition agreement has yet to be reached. President Isaac Herzog has given Netanyahu an extension for coalition-building, which will terminate on December 21.
MK Yariv Levin elected as Speaker of the 25th Knesset: “We will be called upon to make a joint effort to strengthen the Knesset's standing as the legislative branch, after this standing has suffered greatly recently”https://t.co/5aSWXuitH3 pic.twitter.com/r8lvorT1nd
— The Knesset (@KnessetENG) December 13, 2022
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According to local Palestinian media, Iran has stopped sending payments to Palestinian terror groups as of three months ago.
While not confirmed, it is believed that Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) are all suffering from a financial crisis as they use Iranian funds to cover their operational costs as well as the salaries of their leaders and members.
According to anonymous sources, some of these organizations are already unable to pay their electricity bills and other expenses due to this abrupt cutting of funds.
While it is unclear why the Islamic Republic has halted payments to these Palestinian factions, there is speculation that it is due to the ongoing civil unrest in Iran that was ignited by the death of a 22-year-old woman while in government custody in September.
In a recent interview with the Al-Monitor news site, an Islamic Jihad member from Gaza connected the two issues, saying that the terror group is “concerned the protests will also affect the future of Iran’s financial and military support.”
Noteworthy. Amid protests, #Iran's regime has stopped channeling funds to a number of Palestinian factions, the newspaper Al-Quds revealed on Sunday. This is why the West should not offer a bailout in the form of an expiring JCPOA to finance terror.https://t.co/Mt4EDMAsYC
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) December 11, 2022
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Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, recently announced that it had uncovered a “catfishing” plot targeting Israeli citizens.
According to the Shin Bet, Gazan operatives uploaded social media accounts using images of real Israeli women and claimed that they were fitness trainers named “Maria David” or “Maria Shimon.”
The Israeli agency went on to claim that the goal of the catfishing was to “lure Israeli citizens into contact with the aim of harming them.”
Once the plot was discovered, the Shin Bet collaborated with the cyber department of the State Attorney’s office to get the profiles taken down.
The Shin Bet would not comment on which Gaza-based group was behind the plot or whether any Israelis were actually contacted by the fake profiles.
In the past, Hamas has used fake social media profiles in an attempt to contact Israeli soldiers online.
In its statement, the Shin Bet emphasized “the importance of careful and responsible conduct on social networks in order to reduce the risk of exploitation or harm by hostile elements.”
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With antisemitic incidents in the United State continuing to rise, the Biden Administration recently announced the creation of a new inter-agency group to counter antisemitism.
According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the group will be led by staff from both the Domestic Policy Council and National Security Council. President Biden has tasked them with developing “a national strategy to counter antisemitism.”
The White House announcement was greeted favorably by a wide variety of American Jewish organizations, with the Jewish Federations of North America stating that “This taskforce is especially critical at a time when antisemitic attacks are increasing at alarming rates and hate speech of all forms continues to infiltrate social media, schools, and the corporate sector.”
President Biden established a new effort to combat antisemitism, beginning with the development of a national strategy. As @POTUS has made clear: hate has no place in America.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 12, 2022
In related news, the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, announced on Monday that she was launching a Hate and Bias Prevention Unit to counter the growing wave of antisemitism in New York State and across the United States.
According to Hochul, the unit will be involved with public education and outreach as well as deploying agents to investigate possible hate incidents.
According to local police data, antisemitic incidents in New York State in November increased 125% from the same time period last year.
Recommended Reading
- Mossad Director Reveals Last Telegram of Israeli Spy Eli Cohen (Jewish News Syndicate)
- 2,200-Year-Old Coin Hoard Gives Hard Proof of Book of Maccabees, Say Archaeologists (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel)
- Academia’s Selective Deviation From Freedom of Inquiry (Norman L. Cantor, The Algemeiner)
- The Palestinians’ World Cup Propaganda Victory (Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom)
- Israeli Cast in Morocco Performs First Hebrew Play in Arab Country (The Algemeiner)
Featured Image: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
