U.S. Probes Apparent Intel Leak Regarding Spying on Allies
U.S. officials restricted intelligence sharing and scrambled to liaise with allies over the weekend in the wake of what seems to be the biggest leak of secret U.S. military documents in years, the Washington Post reported (WaPo); the leaked intelligence detailed U.S. surveillance of allies including Israel and South Korea. On Sunday, Israel denied one of the claims in the documents: that its Mossad intelligence service encouraged staff and civilians to join recent anti-government protests (The Guardian)
Meanwhile, Israel launched air strikes into Syria after rockets apparently fired by Palestinian militants there hit the Israel-occupied Golan Heights; no casualties were immediately reported (BBC)
Israel Strikes Lebanon, Gaza After Rocket Attacks
Israel struck targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip last night in response to a barrage of rockets fired into Israel from Lebanon; it is considered the most serious escalation along the Israel-Lebanon border since 2006, when Israel fought a war against Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement (NYT)
The Israeli military attributed the rocket fire to Palestinian militias present in Lebanon but said the fighters attacked with Hezbollah’s knowledge (NYT)
The military also said two Israeli women were killed in an attack in the West Bank today, and the government suggested that Palestinians were the suspects (Al Jazeera)
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians began escalating this week following Israeli military raids on al-Aqsa Mosque, located at the Jerusalem holy site known by Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary (Reuters)
The UN Security Council held a closed emergency meeting about the violence yesterday, its fourth emergency meeting on Israeli-Palestinian tensions since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to office three months ago (Times of Israel, AFP)
Israel Raids al-Aqsa Mosque for Second Time in Twenty-Four Hours
Israeli forces said the second raid was in response to “law-breaking juveniles” throwing fireworks and stones; during yesterday’s raid at the mosque compound, home to sites revered by Jews and Muslims, Israeli police arrested more than three hundred Palestinians (CNN)
That raid prompted an exchange of rocket fire between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip (BBC)
Violence at Jerusalem Holy Site
Israeli forces and fighters in the Gaza Strip traded air strikes after Israeli police clashed with Palestinian worshippers at Jerusalem’s holy site, which is known by Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary; no casualties were immediately reported after the strikes (AP)
Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said two Palestinian men were killed and dozens more injured from inhaling tear gas during a raid by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus; the total number of Palestinians killed this year has now risen to ninety four (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Government Approves Plan for National Guard
The cabinet approved the creation of a new national guard under the leadership of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir; critics have warned that the force could be used to repress dissidents and Arab citizens of Israel given Ben Gvir’s previous convictions for inciting racism (FT)
Defense Minister Still Working, Despite Apparent Firing
The defense minister who Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had fired on Sunday, Yoav Gallant, was still on the job as of yesterday; the announcement of Gallant’s departure had sparked a surge in Israel’s ongoing anti-government protests (NYT)
Government Holds Talks With Opposition Over Judicial Reform
The government and opposition yesterday held their first talks aimed at finding a compromise on controversial judicial reforms (Times of Israel)
The planned overhaul has raised tensions between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Biden saying yesterday that Israel “cannot continue down this road” (CNN)
Netanyahu Pauses Judicial Reform to Seek Compromise
After weeks of nationwide protests, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will delay advancing his judicial overhaul to allow for dialogue on its details (Times of Israel)
Demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed overhaul of the Israeli justice system escalated overnight, with protesters rallying nationwide after Netanyahu sacked a cabinet member who called for the changes to be delayed; the overhaul would give the government greater authority to choose Supreme Court justices and limit the court’s power over the Knesset, Israel’s parliament (Reuters)
Today, a strike by anti-reform airline employees grounded outgoing flights at Israel’s main international airport; workers at hospitals, government agencies, shopping mall chains, and Israeli diplomatic missions around the world also went on strike (Times of Israel)
Amid the turmoil, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who helped craft the reform, said he would respect any decision Netanyahu makes about whether to move forward with it (NYT)
Israel Legislature Passes First Portion of Judicial Overhaul
The new law limits the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed from office; opposition lawmakers denounced the law as a means to protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption (CNN)
Israeli Parliament Repeals Evacuation Order for West Bank Settlements
The 2005 order called for the evacuation of four Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank; residents will need the Israeli military’s approval to return to the settlements, which most countries consider illegal under international law (Reuters)
Israel’s Netanyahu Modifies Judicial Reforms After Call With Biden
The changes to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform plans include reduced government control over the nomination of some judges; Netanyahu announced the modifications after listening to U.S. President Joe Biden’s concerns about the reforms, which have prompted weeks of street protests (Reuters)
During a meeting in Egypt, Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to cooperate to “curb and counter violence” during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week (AP)
Israeli Raid Kills Four Palestinians
Undercover Israeli forces operating in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank killed four Palestinians, including a teenage boy; Israel has increased raids in Jenin and other areas in the northern West Bank over the past year to combat increasing armed Palestinian resistance (Al Jazeera)
Meanwhile, since prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration took office, seventy-seven Palestinian structures in East Jerusalem have been torn down; UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged three million dollars to support the reconstruction of the Palestinian town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank (FT; AFP)
Israel’s Netanyahu Rejects Proposed Compromise on Judicial Overhaul
Israeli President Isaac Herzog presented a compromise on the judicial reform plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which categorically rejected it; the initial plan has sparked weeks of protests (Haaretz)
Israel Declares Living Palestinians Dead
In two instances, Israel designated Palestinians as deceased who were discovered to be wounded in Israeli hospitals during the previous six months; Israeli forces have killed over two hundred Palestinians in the last year (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Military Kills Three Palestinian Gunmen
Near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said it killed three Palestinian gunmen who opened fire against Israeli forces (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Settler Shoots a Palestinian Man
In the northern area of the occupied West Bank, an Israeli settler shot and killed a Palestinian man; the Israeli military claimed the Palestinian man was armed with knives and an explosive device (Al Jazeera)
Protesters Block Airport Road as U.S. Defense Chief Lands in Israel
Demonstrators opposing the Israeli government’s proposed judicial overhaul staged nationwide protests today, one of which blocked a road leading to Israel’s main international airport; the blockage forced visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next to the airport (Times of Israel)
NYT: Secret Talks Aim to Water Down Israel’s Proposed Judicial Overhaul
A group of lawmakers and legal experts have been meeting at the home of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to try to reach a compromise on less-severe versions of reforms that would significantly weaken Israel’s judiciary; the plans have spurred weeks of mass protests (NYT)
An Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin killed six Palestinians, including the raid’s target, a man suspected of killing two Jewish settlers (CNN)
General Milley Meets With IDF For Talks on West Bank, Iran
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley arrived in Israel today for talks with military officials that are expected to cover tensions with Iran and violence in the West Bank (Times of Israel)
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will also begin a trip to the Middle East this weekend (Al-Monitor)
Israel Lifts Jericho Blockade
The Israeli army killed a man it claimed was responsible for an attack that killed an American-Israeli; the military subsequently lifted a three-day blockade on the Palestinian city of Jericho (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Police Crack Down on Protests Against Judiciary Overhaul
Police used stun grenades and water cannons against Israelis protesting proposed reforms to the justice system; it was the first such violence of Israel’s weekslong anti-government demonstrations (AP)
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities arrested six suspects in connection with a settler rampage in Huwara; the rampage followed an attack by a Palestinian gunman that killed two Israelis (Reuters)
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich said the Palestinian village of Huwara should be “wiped out” by Israel (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Settler Suspects Released
Israeli authorities released all suspects arrested in relation to the rampage by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank; two of the eight suspects were released on house arrest, according to Israeli police (Al Jazeera)
West Bank Violence Escalates
Israel sent hundreds of troops to the West Bank after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis and Israeli settlers subsequently torched homes and vehicles in a Palestinian town; health officials said a Palestinian man was killed in the rampage (AP)