Convicted Minster Blocked From Serving in New Government
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Health and Interior Minister Aryeh Machluf Deri after a court ruled that Deri could not serve in office due to past criminal convictions (Times of Israel)
White House Security Advisor Meets Israel’s Netanyahu
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed a pathway for deepening Israel-Saudi Arabia ties during a meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Times of Israel)
Israeli High Court Rules Netanyahu Minister Is Unfit for Office
The court ruled that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must dismiss new Health and Interior Minister Aryeh Machluf Deri due to Deri’s previous criminal convictions (Haaretz)
First Israeli Minister From New Government to Visit Washington
Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer became the first minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government to visit Washington, Axios reported; his visit is expected to focus on initial coordination between the new government and the Biden administration (Axios)
UAE, China Call For UN Security Council Meeting Over Israeli Minister’s Holy Site Visit Visit to
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China called for a UN Security Council meeting after Israel’s new far-right security minister visited a Jerusalem holy site that has been a hotbed for Israeli-Palestinian tensions (The National)
Ultranationalist Minister Visits Jerusalem Holy Site
Days after Israel’s new government took office, its ultranationalist national security minister became the first high-level Israeli official in years to visit Jerusalem’s holy site; the Palestinian foreign ministry said the visit to the site, long a flash point for Israeli-Palestinian tensions, was “an unprecedented provocation” (NYT)
Israel Swears In Its Most Far-Right Government Ever
The head of Israel’s military held rare talks with returning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to relay concerns that some of the new government’s proposed policies could escalate violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank (FT)
Netanyahu Government Looks to Expand West Bank Settlements
At the top of a list of priorities the incoming government released today is advancing and developing settlements in the West Bank (AP)
Meanwhile, Israel reinstated its ambassador to Turkey after more than four years of the position being vacant (Times of Israel)
Far-Right Israeli Politicians to Gain New Powers in Netanyahu’s Coalition Deal
Prime Minister-Designate Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he formed a government ahead of today’s deadline; the coalition reportedly includes several ultranationalist parties, and a politician who was convicted of racist incitement is set to become the national security minister (WaPo)
France Condemns Deportation of French Palestinian Lawyer
The French foreign ministry criticized Israel’s deportation of a French Palestinian lawyer whom the Israeli government accused of terrorism offenses (Times of Israel)
Israel’s Netanyahu Says He Will Seek Full Diplomatic Relations With Saudi Arabia
Benjamin Netanyahu, set to again become Israel’s prime minister, vowed to improve the country’s ties with Saudi Arabia and said doing so could facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace (AP)
Al Jazeera Asks ICC to Investigate Journalist’s Killing in West Bank
Al Jazeera’s request to the International Criminal Court (ICC) follows a complaint by the family of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who worked for the company before she was killed in May; several independent investigations have said Abu Akleh was killed by gunfire from Israeli forces (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Troops Kill Two in West Bank Raid
Two Palestinian militants who were allegedly members of Islamic Jihad were killed after an Israeli raid in Jenin triggered clashes (Reuters)
Another Palestinian was killed in a similar situation in the village of Yabad on Wednesday after Israeli troops moved in to arrest a Palestinian militant (AP)
Five additional Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops in two separate incidents near settlements in Ramallah and Hebron on Tuesday (Reuters)
Netanyahu Achieves Coalition Deal with Religious Zionism Party
The far-right Religious Zionist party will be given control of the Finance Ministry, on rotation, the ministry in charge of immigration, the new ministry for “national missions,” and hold a ministerial post in the Defense Ministry in charge of settlements and construction by Palestinians in the West Bank; the deal allowed Netanyahu to gain control over forty-six of the one hundred and twenty seats in the Knesset (AP, Reuters)
This follows Netanyahu’s appointment of the far-right politician and leader of the Jewish Power Party, Itamar Ben-Gvir, as Israel’s national security minister (Reuters)
Israeli Unit Linked to Palestinian-American’s Death Removed from West Bank
The Israeli military said it temporarily removed the unit of ultra-Orthodox soldiers from the West Bank who were responsible for the death of the seventy-eight-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad in January (AP)
In addition, three Israeli soldiers were arrested for throwing an improvised bomb at Palestinians in Bethlehem after Palestinian militants stole the body of a Israeli Druze high-schooler from a hospital in the West Bank (Reuters)
Palestinian Envoy Warns of End to Two-State Solution
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, warned the General Assembly that the two-state solution was at risk if the global community did not act “decisively” to advance peace between Israel and Palestine (The Times of Israel)
This statement came the same day the U.S. Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the two-state solution and confirmed that it would reopen its consulate in Jerusalem to Palestinians (Reuters)
Outgoing Lawmakers Condemn Appointment of Far-Right Official
Lawmakers from the outgoing ruling coalition criticized the incoming government for naming far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz as head of a new body focused on “Jewish identity” (Times of Israel)
His responsibilities will reportedly include overseeing the processing of immigrants to Israel from former Soviet countries (Times of Israel)
Twin Blasts in Jerusalem Kill One, Injures Eighteen
Two explosions at bus stops in Jerusalem killed one student and wounded eighteen others at the height of morning rush hour traffic (WaPo)
In addition, a Palestinian high schooler was killed after an Israeli Raid in Jenin caused armed confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants (Reuters)
New Israeli Parliament Sworn In
Israel’s 25th Knesset was sworn into office after almost four years of political deadlock and a series of five elections (AP)
This came hours after a Palestinian stabbed several Israelis in a settlement industrial zone in the West Bank before going on to hit another person along a highway while fleeing; three Israelis were killed and several more injured before the assailant was shot by an Israeli soldier (NYT)
U.S. Launches Probe Into Death of Palestinian American Journalist
Washington will investigate the May killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said; he called the probe “a grave mistake” and said Israel will not cooperate (WaPo)
In July, a U.S.-led analysis found that the Israeli military likely killed Abu Akleh unintentionally during a raid in the West Bank (WaPo)
Palestinian Authorities Move Ahead With UN Resolution Despite U.S. Request
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected a U.S. request to abandon plans for a UN resolution requesting an International Court of Justice opinion on whether Israel’s occupation of the West Bank should be considered de facto annexation (Axios)
Two Killed by Israeli Forces in West Bank
In separate incidents, a fifteen-year-old Palestinian boy died during a firefight with Israeli soldiers in Nablus while a Palestinian man succumbed to gunshot wounds in his legs after attempting to cross the separation fence (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the Israeli army moved to indict the two commanders responsible for the death of the seventy-eight-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad after he was detained at a military checkpoint in the West Bank (AP)
Prime Minister Yair Lapid Concedes to Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Yair Lapid conceded to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after general elections in which Netanyahu’s bloc gained a 64-seat majority in Israel’s 120-seat parliament (Times of Israel)
Palestinians Fear Increased Violence if Netanyahu is Elected
Concerns of a more extreme Israeli approach towards Palestine have increased ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections; candidate for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition have historically opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Israeli forces killed another Palestinian after he ran his car into a bus stop where Israeli soldiers were gathered (AP)
Israeli Military Kills Five Gunmen in West Bank Raid
The Israeli military said it killed five gunmen including an alleged leader of a Palestinian militant group, during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus (Times of Israel)