Page 19 - Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu faces backlash over hostage death, citizens demand cease-fire

Israelis were plunged into grief and anger this weekend after the military said six hostages were killed by their captors in Gaza just as troops were closing in on their location. The rage sparked massive protests and a general strike the most intense domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of the war nearly 11 months ago. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the mounting number of dead hostages and are calling for a cease-fire agreement to free the remaining roughly 100 captives even if that means ending the conflict. Sunday's demonstrations were the largest show of support for a hostage deal since October 7, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and kidnapped 250 people. But Netanyahu has faced fierce pressure to reach a cease-fire agreement before, from key governing partners to top security officials and even Israel's most important international ally, the US. Yet a deal to wind down the war in Gaza remains elusive. Here's a look at

Netanyahu pushes back against new pressure over Gaza cease-fire deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and U.S. President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11 months of fighting. In his first public address since Sunday's mass protests showed many Israelis' furious response to the discovery of six more dead hostages, Netanyahu said he will continue to insist on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking point in talks continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow band along Gaza's border with Egypt where Israel contends Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza. Egypt and Hamas deny it. Netanyahu called the corridor vital to ensuring Hamas cannot rearm via tunnels. This is the oxygen of Hamas, he said. And he added: No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than me. But no one will preach to me." Israelis had poured into the streets late Sunday in grief

Israelis go on day-long protests nationwide as anger over hostages builds

The strike was called by the Histadrut labor federation, though a court order ruled Monday that it should end at 2.30 p.m.

Strike call in Israel over dead Gaza hostages reflects political divisions

A rare call for a general strike in Israel to protest the failure to return hostages held in Gaza led to closures and other disruptions around the country on Monday, including at its main international airport. But it was ignored in some areas, reflecting deep political divisions. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets late Sunday in grief and anger after six hostages were found dead in Gaza. The families and much of the public blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they could have been returned alive in a deal with Hamas to end the nearly 11-month-old war. But others support Netanyahu's strategy of maintaining military pressure on Hamas, whose October 7 attack into Israel triggered the war. They say it will force the militants to give in to Israeli demands, potentially facilitate rescue operations and ultimately annihilate the group. A labour court ruled that the strike must end by 2:30 pm local time, accepting a petition from the government saying it w

Israel recovers bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza, including Hersh Goldberg

Israel on Sunday said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including a young Israeli-American man who became one of the most well-known captives held by Hamas as his parents met with world leaders and pressed for his release, including at the Democratic convention last month. The news sparked calls for mass protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who many of the families of hostages and much of the wider public blame for failing to bring them back alive in a cease-fire deal with Hamas. Negotiations over such a deal have dragged on for months. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was seized by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on October 7. The native of Berkeley, California, lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack. In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him, his left hand missing and clearly speaking under duress, sparking new protests in Israel urging the government to do more to secure his and others' freedom. The army said he was among

ICC prosecutor insists court can issue warrants against Israeli leaders

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor on Friday called on judges to "urgently" rule on his request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others linked to the Israel-Hamas war, saying the court has jurisdiction. It is settled law that the Court has jurisdiction in this situation, Prosecutor Karim Khan wrote in a 49-page legal brief. Khan called on a panel of ICC pretrial judges to urgently render its decisions on the requests he filed in May for warrants for Netanyahu, his defence minister, Yoav Gallant and three leaders of Hamas, two of whom have since been killed. The brief filed by Khan came in response to legal arguments filed by dozens of countries, academics, victims' groups and rights groups either rejecting or supporting the court's power to issue arrest warrants in its investigation into the war in Gaza and the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. In his May request for arrest warrants, Khan accused Netanyahu, Gallant and three

Pro-Palestinian delegates to Chicago DNC to push for Israel arms embargo

The United States approved $20 billion in additional arms sales to Israel on Tuesday

Israel, Hamas accuse each other for impeding cease-fire & hostage deal

Mediators say the current round of negotiations have brought the two sides closest to an official pause in fighting in months

US, allies to defend Israel as Netanyahu says already in war with Iran

Israel is already in a "multi-front war" with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts "We want the escalation to end," Ayman Safadi said while the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region. "We are doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over," White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told ABC. In

US prepares to defend Israel as chances of multi-front war with Iran arise

Israel is already in a multi-front war with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts, while the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region. We are doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told ABC. In Israel, some prepared bomb shelters and recalled Iran's

Joe Biden tells Netanyahu to accept cease-fire in 'very direct' call

Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge against Israel, with Tehran ordering its security forces to assess options for attacking the Jewish state

Far-right protesters storm two Israeli army bases over soldiers' arrests

The protests were sparked by the arrests of soldiers at Sde Teiman, where suspected Hamas fighters who carried out the Oct 7 attacks are being held

Netanyahu meets Trump at Mar-a-Lago, offering optimism on Gaza cease-fire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked to mend ties with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday and offered measured optimism about progress toward a cease-fire deal for Gaza as he neared the end of a contentious US visit that put on display the growing American divisions over support for the Israeli-Hamas war. At Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate, where the two men met face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years, Netanyahu told journalists he wanted to see US-mediated talks succeed for a cease-fire and release of hostages. "I hope so," Netanyahu said, when reporters asked if his U.S. trip had made progress. While Netanyahu at home is increasingly accused of resisting a deal to end the 9-month-old war to stave off the potential collapse of his far-right government when it ends, he said Friday he was "certainly eager to have one. And we're working on it." As president, Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Netanyahu's top wishes fr

VP Harris asks Netanyahu to get hostage deal done and end Gaza war

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said she urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire deal soon with Hamas so that dozens of hostages held by the militants in Gaza since Oct. 7 can return home. Harris said she had a frank and constructive conversation with Netanyahu in which she affirmed Israel's right to defend itself but also expressed deep concern about the high death toll in Gaza over nine months of war and the dire humanitarian situation there. With all eyes on the likely Democratic nominee, Harris largely reiterated Biden's longstanding message that it's time find an endgame to the brutal war in Gaza, where more than 39,000 Palestinians have died. Yet she offered a more forceful tone about the urgency of the moment just one day after Netanyahu gave a fiery speech to Congress in which he defended the war, vowed total victory against Hamas and made relatively scant mention of cease-fire negotiations. There has been hopeful movement in the talks

Netanyahu to meet Harris, Biden at important moment in US and Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to make a long-awaited White House visit Thursday to meet with President Joe Biden and likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at an important moment for all three politicians. Netanyahu's White House visit, his first since before former President Donald Trump left office in 2020, comes at a time of growing pressure on all three to find an endgame to the nine-month war that's left more than 39,000 dead in Gaza. What's more, dozens of Israeli hostages and the remains of others who have died in captivity are still languishing in Hamas captivity. Biden is pressing to get Israel and Hamas to seal his proposal to release remaining hostages in Gaza over three phases something that would be a legacy-affirming achievement for the 81-year-old Democrat who abandoned his reelection bid earlier this week and endorsed Harris. It could also be a boon for Harris in her bid to succeed him. White House officials say that the ...

In fiery speech to US Congress, Netanyahu seeks support for war in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's ongoing war in Gaza and condemned American protesters in a scathing speech to Congress Wednesday that triggered boycotts by many top Democratic lawmakers and drew thousands of protesters to the Capitol to condemn the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it has created. Nine months into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu vowed to press on with the war until total victory. He also sought bolster U.S. support for his country's fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups, and bitterly condemned widespread opposition in the United States to the war. America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: we win, they lose. said Netanyahu, who wore a yellow pin expressing solidarity with the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu's speech quickly took on a darker tone as he defended his country but also derided those protesting the war, gesturing to demonstrations happening as he .

Netanyahu eyes bolstering US support during visit, but faces protests

Protesters against the Gaza war staged a sit-in at a congressional office building Tuesday ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress, with Capitol Police making multiple arrests. Netanyahu arrived in Washington Monday for a several-day visit that includes meetings with President Joe Biden and a Wednesday speech before a joint session of Congress. Dozens of protesters rallied outside his hotel Monday evening, and on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators took over the rotunda of the Cannon Building, which houses offices of House of Representatives members. Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters wearing identical red T-shirts that read Not In Our Name took over the Rotunda of the Cannon Building, chanting Let Gaza Live! After about a half-hour of clapping and chanting, officers from the U.S. Capitol Police issued several warnings, then began arresting protesters binding their hands with zip ties and leading them away one by one. I am the

Harris to pitch for 'end of war' in her White House meet with Netanyahu

: US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet the visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week but would not be able to preside over a joint session of the US Congress which would be addressed by him, according to her aide. The vice president is meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu this week at the White House. This meeting is separate from President Biden's planned meeting. The vice president is travelling to Indianapolis on July 24 for a previously scheduled event and will be unable to preside over Prime Minister Netanyahu's planned address to a joint session of Congress, an aide to Vice President Harris told PTI. We anticipate the vice president will convey her view that it is time for the war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination. And they will discuss efforts to reach ...

Biden's meeting with Netanyahu on track, despite dropping out: Official

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House this week as planned, despite Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race, a person familiar with Biden's schedule said Sunday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the exact timing of the meeting has not been established because Biden is recovering from COVID-19. Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver an address to Congress on Wednesday. He is also expected to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now seeking the Democratic Party's nomination. An official in Netanyahu's office confirmed that the Israeli leader was set to travel to Washington, as scheduled, on Monday. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement. Netanyahu is leaving behind a brutal war to make the politically precarious speech at a time of great uncertainty highlighted by Biden's decision Sunday not to seek ..

Israeli PM Netanyahu makes surprise visit to troops in southern Gaza

Netanyahu's visit to Rafah was announced hours after Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site