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I've Been Thinking:
Everyone, as you can tell,, has an opinion about judicial reform. Many are what we would call hot-headed
Everyone, as you can tell, has an opinion about judicial reform. Many are what we would call hot-headed opinions. But not all.
To give some perspective, listen to what one of the leaders of the judicial reform bill had to say after the legislation passed. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Israel has become "a little more democratic and Jewish. I am glad that we were able to take the first step, this is only the beginning … I say to the people of the left, to those who are protesting – you are our brothers and we love you, but our job is to govern and carry out a completely right-wing policy.
Today you understand the difference between this government and previous governments - with God's help, this is only the beginning."
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The chairman of the National Unity party, Benny Gantz, said in a statement to the media that: "We will do everything to turn back the wheel and fix it. It will happen … Everything approved here will be canceled and erased from the law books, sooner or later.”
Gantz also said that the "majority in the Knesset that wants agreements was defeated by extreme Knesset members who decided to change our identity, who want to take us to an abyss of hatred, to divide us, and to turn us on each other.”
He said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "preferred the political needs of Ben-Gvir and the whims of Levin over Israel’s political diplomacy and its security."
Gantz continues on and said that: “Anyone who saw the defense minister beg the justice minister to compromise understands how badly Israel now needs a responsible adult.”
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Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has jumped on the judicial reform bandwagon.
Nasrallah addressed the judicial reform issue in Israel in a religious speech preaching: "Once it was commonly believed that Israel could not be defeated and its army is invincible, and as such, the countries in the region accepted its existence as an inevitable fact that cannot be removed."
Nasrallah continued saying that: "Today specifically is the worst day in the history of Israel, as some Israelis testify, and today sets the country on the path to disappearance."
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According to a statement released by the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden will keep pressing and pressing for a broader consensus among Israeli politicians regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul.
The statement was released after Israel's parliament ratified an initial bill. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden has not given up on his goal of a broader consensus after last-gasp compromise efforts collapsed and failed to ease a constitutional crisis convulsing Israel for months.
The White House also said that the United States continues to support President Isaac Herzog's efforts to achieve a broad consensus regarding changes in the Israeli justice system.
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On a completely different topic – twitter is changing its logo. No longer will it be blue and white and a dove. The web address X.com now leads to Twitter – another step on the way to changing the name of the old social network to X.
Elon Musk, the owner of the platform, announced earlier today that he intends to get rid of the Twitter brand and the blue bird associated with it. A temporary X logo has already gone live.
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Before the vote in the Knesset, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog submitted a mediation proposal to representatives of the government and to the opposition regarding the law to abolish the reasonableness standard and freezing the rest of the judicial overhaul legislation.
According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the compromise proposal regarding the reasonableness standard was acceptable to the senior opposition, the only obstacle being the freezing of the legislation.
Likud, Netanyahu’s party, refuses to freeze the legislation for more than three months, while opposition leader Yair Lapid demands a freeze of 15 months. This is where compromise could have worked.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Nairobi at the invitation of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Kenyan Foreign Minister Monica Juma.
The visit was set against the backdrop of the semi-annual meeting of the African Union. It was a good meeting.
During the brief visit, Cohen met with his hosts and other African leaders. Kenya is one of the leading countries supporting Israel and implementing the Jewish state’s observer status in the African Union.
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Four additional energy companies have put forth bids in response to Israel's latest tender for offshore exploration blocks.
The Energy Ministry reports that bids have come from a total of nine companies, five of which are new to the Israeli market.
The ministry did not, however, name the companies that took part in the tender for exploration blocs off Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel has foiled about 50 Iranian attacks in recent years, some at the very last moment. Gallant made this announcement while on an official visit to Azerbaijan.
He told reporters that Tehran had not abandoned its objective of entrenchment in Syria and emphasized that Iran’s activity is in full swing – not only in the region but also around the world.
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There continues to be a massive heatwave in Israel. The Noga company, the company that is responsible for managing the electric grid in Israel, said that "due to the extreme weather, electricity consumption throughout the country is abnormal and causes loads on the system."
Wanting to avoid mass panic or alarm, the company further reported that "as part of our assessments, we do not foresee any difficulty in supplying the entire amount of the public's expected consumption in the coming days.
We ask the citizens of Israel to refrain from operating non-essential 'energy-guzzling' electrical appliances such as washing machines, clothes dryers and dishwashers between the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Israel during a meeting with NATO leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania for failing to support his country in its war against Russia.
The Ukrainian leader accused Israel of refusing to provide air defense systems and weapons to his country and og strengthening ties with Moscow instead.
Zelensky also stated that "Netanyahu has been invited to Ukraine several times but refuses to come."
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The IDF will purchase a third squadron of F-35 stealth fighter jets from the United States, the Defense Ministry announced. These jets will add to Israel’s Air Force which already includes 75 aircraft of this type in its arsenal. The cost of the purchase is estimated to reach three billion dollars. It will be paid for with military aid from the U.S.
This is one of the most important footnotes of US aid. The United States requires recipients to buy United States equipment with the aid they get from the United States.
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Tickets to Israeli singer Noa Kirel’s upcoming performance in Tel Aviv – slated to take place in September, were sold out just hours after the sale opened.
The production company announced that additional dates for a second performance are being looked into, to be set two days after the first show.
After Eurovision, Noa has become a household name in Israel. So popular, that she could easily sell out every night for a week.
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The Knesset's Ethics Committee determined that no sanctions would be imposed against Knesset member Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionism party following an incident that occurred in New York a month ago when Rothman grabbed a megaphone from a protester demonstrating against Israel’s judicial overhaul.
Following the incident, Knesset member Naama Lazimi of the Labor party appealed to the Ethics Committee claiming that Rothman acted violently even though he was not under threat. The committee's decision reads: "In this case, no ethical violation was committed.
At the same time, the committee wishes to point out that holding a public office brings with it criticism and Knesset members are expected not to enter into a physical confrontation with protesters."
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Israel's youth soccer team will participate in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
It is the first time in 47 years - ever since 1976, that Israel’s soccer team will compete in this sought after competition. This is not the under 20 competition or the Junior Olympics - this is the real deal of Games. This is the Olympics.
The spot was secured after England's team beat Portugal 1:0 in the quarter-finals of the Euro championship games. Only three young teams automatically qualify for the Olympic Games, and England cannot get that ticket, since Great Britain participates in the Olympics and not the individual countries that make up Great Britain.
Therefore, Israel will be among the three teams to qualify.
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Billions of Muslims around the world are watching as about 2 million Muslim pilgrims officially made the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
After circling Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, they converged on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert for a day and night of prayer. The Hajj pilgrimage, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, has returned to full capacity this year for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. If they are physically and financially able, all Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives.
Some Muslims spend years saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the journey.
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Not surprisingly, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who expressed full support for Russian leadership after the Wagner Group’s move toward Moscow was aborted. Russia and Iran are linked.
Both are isolated in the international community and their mutual support is essential.
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