Israel

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?? Bibi's win streak

 

A year after presiding over the worst national security failure in Israel's history, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't close to losing power.

• He's racking up political and strategic wins that are emboldening him more than ever, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

Why it matters: Netanyahu has defied all odds by clinging to power through the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. 

• He now has the political capital for negotiations that could set the country's next budget and allow him to continue to call the shots for at least another year in the multi-front regional war Israel is fighting.

"He feels he is winning," one of Netanyahu's aides told Axios.

• But at home, a majority of Israelis still don't want the leader of the Likud (Israel's major right-wing party) to be prime minister.

⚡ Catch up quick: In the days and weeks after Oct. 7, President Biden, Israeli opposition leaders and Netanyahu himself thought the end of the prime minister's political career was not a matter of if, but when.

• But Netanyahu survived plummeting popularity and mounting calls for his resignation one day at a time — until a series of Israeli military successes helped him turn the tide.

It started in mid-July with an Israel Defense Forces airstrike in southern Gaza that killed Hamas military wing chief Mohammed Deif. It was the first time since the beginning of the war that Israel managed to kill one of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 attacks.

• It continued with other high-profile assassinations, including Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and almost all of its senior leadership.
• And last Tuesday, Israel defeated a massive Iranian ballistic missile attack in another military achievement.

Netanyahu managed to survive for two other reasons:

1. He refused to take responsibility for the security failures that led to the Oct. 7 attacks and to form a national commission of inquiry about them.
2. He also rode out protests over his refusal to agree to a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza. Netanyahu mobilized his supporters and his massive social media operation against the families of the hostages and made the deal a politically divisive issue — rendering the protest movement ineffective.

? The latest: Netanyahu rose significantly in recent polling. But polls show his coalition would lose if elections were held today, and that the majority of Israelis still want him to resign.

• Keep reading.

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Israel

Israel will "continue to fight," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks. A year into the war in Gaza, Israel's goals — including toppling Hamas, returning the hostages in Gaza to Israel and returning Israelis displaced by fighting with Hezbollah to their homes — seem far from reach. On Monday, Israel intercepted dozens of strikes from multiple directions, including projectiles launched from Gaza and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has issued fresh evacuation orders to residents in Gaza as it ramps up its military operation in parts of the battered enclave. However, Palestinian residents who spoke with CNN said they fear there is no safe place to take shelter.

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?? Biden, Netanyahu inch closer

A man uses his mobile phone as flames and smoke rise at the scene of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut yesterday. Photo: Bilal Hussein/AP President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved closer to an understanding on the scope of Israel's planned retaliation against Iran during their call on Wednesday, U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: The Biden administration accepts that Israel will soon launch a major attack on Iran. But it fears that strikes on certain targets could dramatically escalate the regional war. The current plans are still a bit more aggressive than the White House would like, a senior Israeli official said. However, after the Biden-Netanyahu call, a U.S. official said: "We are moving in the right direction." Another U.S. official said the administration was a little less nervous about Israel's plans after the call. The senior Israeli official also said the gaps between the U.S. and Israel on the nature and scope of the attack had narrowed. Keep reading.

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The US is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans

The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate. Read more.

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The Secret Recordings Netanyahu Wants Censored

A new documentary exposes never-before-seen video of the Israeli leader — and argues he’s prolonged the Gaza War to evade corruption charges.

https://www.levernews.com/the-secret-recordings-netanyahu-wants-censored/

ps:It has a very familiar sound to what we have here!!!!!

Israeli government votes to boycott Haaretz

The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday unanimously agreed to sanction Haaretz, the country's oldest newspaper, citing its critical coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

https://www.axios.com/2024/11/25/israeli-government-votes-to-boycott-haaretz?

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For thousands of Jews, Israel still doesn’t feel safe after the Oct. 7 attacks. So they’re leaving

LONDON (AP) — Leaving Israel is easier, Shira Z. Carmel thinks, by saying it’s just for now. But she knows better.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-migration-hamas-moving-stigma-4ec554e530c5dd821eed34deb9b579a2?

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Israel's plans to double the number of settlers in Golan Heights are met with conflicting emotions The Israeli government approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s $11 million plan of financial incentives to double the population of Israeli settlers in the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. In the towns and kibbutzim of the Golan, news of the plan to increase the number of settlers was met with a mixture of skepticism, excitement and shock. Read more.

Why this matters: The international community, with one exception, considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory, while the United Nations lists Israeli settlements there as illegal. In 2019, the United States became the only country to recognize Israel’s 1981 annexation.   About 50,000 people currently live there, roughly half of them Israeli settlers and the other half Arab Druze, a religious minority spread among Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights. Many Golan Heights Druze consider themselves Syrians under occupation. While Israeli citizenship is open to them, most have not taken it and have Israeli residency permits instead.   The Golan's economy relies heavily on farming and the hospitality industry. Previous government attempts to attract more settlers have had little success, largely because of a lack of job opportunities and the long distance from major cities.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Clashes between Islamists now in power in Syria and Assad’s supporters kill 6 fighters   Israeli strike kills 5 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, officials say   Why Palestinian forces are cracking down on Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank

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Israel's plans to double the number of settlers in Golan Heights are met with conflicting emotions The Israeli government approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s $11 million plan of financial incentives to double the population of Israeli settlers in the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. In the towns and kibbutzim of the Golan, news of the plan to increase the number of settlers was met with a mixture of skepticism, excitement and shock. Read more.

Why this matters: The international community, with one exception, considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory, while the United Nations lists Israeli settlements there as illegal. In 2019, the United States became the only country to recognize Israel’s 1981 annexation.   About 50,000 people currently live there, roughly half of them Israeli settlers and the other half Arab Druze, a religious minority spread among Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights. Many Golan Heights Druze consider themselves Syrians under occupation. While Israeli citizenship is open to them, most have not taken it and have Israeli residency permits instead.   The Golan's economy relies heavily on farming and the hospitality industry. Previous government attempts to attract more settlers have had little success, largely because of a lack of job opportunities and the long distance from major cities.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Clashes between Islamists now in power in Syria and Assad’s supporters kill 6 fighters   Israeli strike kills 5 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, officials say   Why Palestinian forces are cracking down on Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank

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Israel’s top general resigns over Oct. 7 failures, adding to pressure on Netanyahu

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s top general resigned Tuesday, taking responsibility for security failures tied to Hamas’ surprise attack that triggered the war in Gaza and adding to pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has delayed any public inquiry that could potentially implicate his leadership.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-01-21-2025-f836d6eb2d939c3c4bd241c79cad1ee2?

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Why Netanyahu’s political future is as fragile as the ceasefire

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be flying high.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-trump-ceasefire-gaza-f27c1dbbfba4bf268f5368aaceb47e29?

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As Israel uses US-made AI models in war, concerns arise about tech’s role in who lives and who dies

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services. But the number of civilians killed has also soared, fueling fears that these tools are contributing to the deaths of innocent people.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-ai-technology-737bc17af7b03e98c29cec4e15d0f108?

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?? Netanyahu firing intel chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to remove the head of the country's domestic security agency and will seek cabinet approval for the move this week, Axios' Barak Ravid writes.

• Why it matters: No government has ever fired the head of the Shin Bet, Israel's most powerful security agency.

Keep reading.

Netanyahu seeks to dismiss Israel’s internal security chief as power struggle boils over

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will seek to dismiss the head of the internal security service this week, deepening a power struggle focused largely on who bears responsibility for the Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-shin-bet-netanyahu-security-c33f6e2f9ace753e36cde694207ebae6?

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Israel’s domestic security chief says he will step down in June, defusing battle with Netanyahu

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The head of Israel’s internal security service says he will resign in June over the failure of his agency to warn of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — defusing an escalating battle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-shin-bet-security-ed3356cd209c32fd52769bd6b516a446?

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Israelis love Trump. But some are unnerved by his vow to save Netanyahu from his corruption trial

JERUSALEM (AP) — President Donald Trump’s call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial to be thrown out has plunged the American leader into one of Israel’s most heated debates, unnerving some in its political class just days after they unanimously praised his strikes on Iran.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-us-trump-netanyahu-trial-iran-e7cedec1c1a48101f83dc3fff0c2ac28?

ps:So now not only does he think he's king of the U.S.,but he thinks he's the ruler of the earth!!!!!

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The Israeli Plot to Extinguish the Journalists Documenting Genocide

On Monday, journalist Ibrahim Abu Ghazaleh was on his way to meet his friends and colleagues at Al-Baqa Cafe, an area of relative “normalcy” near the beach in Gaza City where civilians and journalists used to meet and work. Just before he stepped inside, a missile hit the building, killing his friend Ismail Abu Hatab and injuring another, alongside more than 20 other civilians.

https://theintercept.com/2025/07/03/israel-palestine-journalists-killing-gaza/?

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Israel didn’t give permits to these Bedouin villages to build bomb shelters. So they built their own

For Israel’s 300,000-strong Bedouin community, there are no shelters to protect them from incoming missiles, so they have to improvise: hiding in steel containers and vehicles buried under 10 feet (3 meters) of dirt and repurposing reconstruction debris in the hope of some protection. Read More.

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Bibi moves to fire political foe

In a first for an Israeli government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration voted today to fire its attorney general, who is currently prosecuting Netanyahu for corruption, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

? Why it matters: The move to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sparked immediate accusations that Netanyahu was seeking to protect himself and his aides.

• The resolution is one in a series of challenges to Israel's democratic institutions under Netanyahu — challenges that began before the war in Gaza and have continued during it.

⚖️ Yes, but: Before the Cabinet vote, the Supreme Court told the government this procedure for firing the attorney general was inappropriate and made clear it would issue an injunction if it passed.

• Once the resolution passed, the court swiftly ruled that the attorney general would maintain all of her authorities and the government wouldn't be allowed to name a replacement.
• ⏳The firing won't come into effect until the Supreme Court rules on the immediate appeals against it.

? Justice Minister Yariv Levin denied today that the decision was connected to Netanyahu's trial and claimed that the government had reached a "red line" in its "confrontational" relationship with the attorney general.

• Baharav-Miara said in a letter she sent to the Cabinet ministers before the vote that the unprecedented decision would allow any future government to fire the attorney general for political reasons.
• She warned that her removal could influence Netanyahu's trial and other criminal investigations against Cabinet members.

Go deeper.

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Jerusalem attack

At least five people were killed and several others injured in a shooting attack in Jerusalem today, Israeli emergency services said, adding that five people with serious gunshot wounds were transported to the hospital. Local police said two attackers arrived by vehicle at a major highway and opened fire on a bus stop. A security officer and a civilian at the scene then returned fire, killing the attackers. The shooting marks the deadliest attack in the city in more than two years, when a Palestinian man opened fire near a synagogue in January 2023, killing seven people.

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? Scoop: Israel's "America First" aid pitch

Israel is seeking a new 20-year security agreement with the U.S. — doubling the usual term and adding "America First" provisions to win the Trump administration's support, Israeli and U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: Passing such a deal — which in the past has included $4 billion per year in military aid — will now be more complicated because of growing frustrations with Israel, including within Trump's MAGA base.

Keep reading.

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Netanyahu requests a pardon to end his ongoing corruption trial in Israel

TEL AVIV (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday asked the country’s president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges, seeking to end a long-running trial that has bitterly divided the nation.

https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-netanyahu-pardon-5dbc2461b440c8edc8d82d31650cdbe8?

ps:Just like the criminal-in-chief, this leader also wants to commit the crime, but not the time!!!!!

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Israel’s parliament approves the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a measure that has been harshly condemned by the international community and rights groups as discriminatory and inhumane.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-death-penalty-bill-knesset-ben-gvir-c67c1c14f218a4d67ed3d5011cd5cf8d?