Page 28 - Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel's Netanyahu set to return to office, eyes deal with Saudi Arabia

Israel's designated prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to seek full diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia once he takes office, claiming that doing so would also promote peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu also said he would be open to restarting behind-the-scenes peace talks with the Palestinians. The comments, made in a rare interview with an Arab news outlet, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel, appeared to be aimed at easing concerns over the far-right makeup of the government that Netanyahu is forming. He has already reached a series of coalition agreements with hard-liners who favour tougher action against Palestinian militants, increased settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and vehemently reject the idea of an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu told the channel that he will set overall policies. I will govern and I will lead, he said. The other parties are joining me. I'm not joining them. Netanyahu said he hoped to expand the Ab

Blinken vows US support for Israel despite unease over govt

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the US will not shrink from its unwavering support for Israel despite stark differences with Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu and concerns the Biden administration may have about potential members of his incoming right-wing government. Speaking to a left-leaning group that some on the right accuse of being too sympathetic to the Palestinians and Iran, Blinken said the United States will remain a stalwart friend of Israel even as it pursues goals that Netanyahu has opposed, including a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a restoration of the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The US-Israel partnership and all that it's produced for the people of our nations and the world has always been underwritten by the United States ironclad commitment to Israel's security, a commitment that has never been stronger than it is today, he said. Blinken said the Biden administration would engage with Netanyahu's governme

Former Israeli PM Netanyahu says Turkey's Erdogan agrees to reset ties

Israel and Turkey agreed to a fresh start in ties Thursday, according to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Relations between the former allies became icy under Netanyahu's term in office. He is now expected to return to power soon as head of Israel's most right-wing government ever. Relations were already on the mend under outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York in September, the first meeting between the countries' leaders in 14 years. But Erdogan's relations with Israel under Netanyahu were particularly frosty, especially over recurring wars against Gaza's militant Hamas rulers and the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid by the Israeli military, also during Netanyahu's rule. Erdogan had shown a willingness for warmer ties since Netanyahu was ousted after 12 consecutive years in power last year. Thursday's statement signalled that the ties could continue to improve under Netanyahu. Netanyahu's office said t

After 5 elections, Israel swears in new parliament, most right-wing ever

After nearly four years of political deadlock and five elections, Israel swore in the most right-wing parliament in its history on Tuesday. Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is working to cobble together a far-right and religious governing coalition in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset. The surging popularity of a right-wing alliance once on the fringes of Israeli society helped propel Netanyahu's political comeback even as he stands trial on corruption charges. The 25th Knesset was sworn into office with trumpets and choral music just hours after a Palestinian assailant went on a deadly rampage in an Israeli-controlled industrial zone in the occupied West Bank, killing three Israelis and wounding three more before being shot dead. Netanyahu's likely right-wing coalition partners have vowed to act more aggressively against Palestinian attackers to protect Israelis. Israeli President Isaac Herzog appealed for national unity in his speech after the country's five divisive

Israeli president to ask Benjamin Netanyahu to form new government

Benjamin Netanyahu is set to become Israel's prime minister for a record sixth time after President Isaac Herzog on Friday announced that he will invite the veteran Likud Party leader form the next government, a move likely to end the political impasse in the country. President Herzog said that he will assign the task to form a new government to Netanyahu, 73, following consultations with leaders of all the political parties that have been elected to Parliament. Israelis voted on November 1 for an unprecedented fifth time in four years to break the political impasse that has paralysed the Jewish nation. Herzog will officially issue the mandate to Netanyahu on Sunday. The leaders of the right-wing religious bloc, which includes the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties along with the far-right Religious Zionism party, have already said that they would be recommending Netanyahu's name for premiership. Herzog held discussions with the political parties since Wednesday

Biden underscores unwavering support for Israel during call with Netanyahu

During a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his re-election, US President Joe Biden "underscored his unwavering support for Israels security"

'Be right back', Netanyahu writes in his leaving note to successor: Reports

Derisive and dismissive of the incoming leadership, Benjamin Netanyahu in June 2021 in a handover note left for his successor in the Prime Minister's office, Naftali Bennett, wrote, "Be right back", according to media reports. Netanyahu, 73, scored an emphatic victory at polls last week making a comeback when elections were held last Tuesday, the fifth in less than four years, after Bennett's government fell under the pressure of ideological differences among the loosely grouped eight parties drawn from the Left, Centre and Right, along with an Arab party. Netanyahu continuously challenged the legitimacy of the government, charging his successor and his allies of having "stolen" the mandate, making several analysts dub him a "sore loser". Some commentators criticised Netanyahu then for his apparent lack of decorum, noting that previous transfers of power had been more courteous. In new revelations, Channel 12 news on Friday published a photo of a note that was left for Bennett on

PM Modi congratulates Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu for general election win

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu for his success in the Israeli general elections and said he looks forward to continuing their joint efforts to deepen the India-Israel strategic partnership. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid Thursday conceded defeat in the general elections and congratulated opposition leader Netanyahu, whose coalition of right-wing parties secured a comfortable majority in parliament to form the next government and end the political impasse plaguing the country. "Mazel Tov my friend @netanyahu for your electoral success. I look forward to continuing our joint efforts to deepen the India-Israel strategic partnership," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. Modi also thanked Lapid for giving priority to the India-Israel strategic partnership. "I hope to continue our fruitful exchange of ideas for the mutual benefit of our peoples," Modi said. Modi also put out tweets in Hebrew with the same message. With 99 per cent of the .

Israel PM Lapid congratulates Netanyahu on comeback in national elections

Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday congratulated former PM Benjamin Netanyahu on victory in the national election

Former Israeli PM Netanyahu appears to edge toward victory after vote

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared headed toward victory on Wednesday, with some 85 per cent of the ballots from national elections counted and showing that voters gave him and his far-right allies what looks like a majority in the country's parliament. Votes were still being counted and results were not final. But if preliminary indications were correct, Israel was potentially headed to its most right-wing government, bolstered by a strong showing from the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party, whose members use inflammatory anti-Arab and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. The initial results pointed to a continued rightward shift in the Israeli electorate, further dimming hopes for peace with the Palestinians and setting the stage for possible conflict with the Biden administration and Israel's supporters in the United States. The early results also showed that Netanyahu had overcome his detractors, who claimed he was not fit to rule while on trial for corruption and .

Israel elections: Exit polls predict win for former PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Exit polls broadcast by all the leading Israeli TV channels on Tuesday predicted an election win for former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led right-wing bloc. The exit polls were broadcast soon after polling booths closed at 10 PM local time. The exit polls saw pro-Netanyahu bloc winning 61-62 seats in the 120 member Knesset (Israeli parliament), just about making the magical figure that would see him making a comeback after losing power following March 2019 polls. Prime Minister Yair Lapid-led bloc was put at 54-55 seats, as per the exit polls. Public broadcaster Kan and Channel 12 gave the Netanyahu-led bloc 62 seats, while Channel 12 projected 61 seats for him.

Former Israel PM Netanyahu warned in probe of deadly 2021 stampede

The independent commission investigating a deadly stampede at a religious festival in northern Israel last year said Tuesday that then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials might be found partly responsible for the disaster. The announcement could harm Netanyahu who is already on trial for corruption ahead of Nov. 1 elections in which he hopes to become prime minister again. Netanyahu testified last month that he was not responsible for the absence or failure of safety measures at the site. Forty-five people died in a deadly stampede at the religious festival at Mount Meron in April 2021, which was attended by some 100,000 mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews. It was the worst civilian disaster in Israel's history, and came amid longstanding warnings about safety and overcrowding at the site. The independent commission set up to probe the disaster said that Netanyahu, who had been prime minister for the past 12 years, knew, or should have known that the site had been ...

Israel: PM Bennett loses majority after MP resigns on religious ground

Bennett's shaky government remains in power following the defection but will face severe challenges legislating on key issues

Ex-Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu tests positive for Covid-19

Israel's Opposition leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tested positive for COVID-19, his spokesperson said on Wednesday. The 72-year-old Likud leader is feeling well and following Health Ministry guidelines, the announcement read. On Monday, Netanyahu attended a Likud faction meeting at the Knesset - Israeli Parliament, meaning that everyone who came in close contact with him will need to get tested and remain in isolation until they receive a negative test result if they're not vaccinated or haven't recovered from the disease, The Times of Israel reported. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wished Netanyahu a speedy recovery. Bennett succeeded Netanyahu in June, ending his 12 years of uninterrupted rule. Netanyahu holds the record of being the longest-serving Prime Minister in Israel's history. Having served in the position earlier between 1996 and 1999, Netanyahu in 2020 surpassed the record held by one of the Jewish state's founding leaders, David ...

Government as hacker: Democracy undone

The rules that permit surveillance by the government under the IT Act do not allow hacking. Hacking remains illegal under Section 43 of the IT Act with no exceptions.

Trump slams Israel's Netanyahu for congratulating US President Biden

Former President Donald Trump lashed out with profanity at Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating President Joe Biden on his victory in last year's election, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday. Trump accused the former Israeli leader of disloyalty, saying he had helped Netanyahu in his own elections by reversing decades of US policy and supporting Israel's claims to territory seized in war. Trump is still falsely claiming the US election was stolen from him. In interviews earlier this year with the Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, Trump expressed fury at a video Netanyahu circulated online in which he congratulated Biden. Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi, Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname, in the remarks published by the Yediot Aharonot newspaper. But I also like loyalty... Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake. Netanyahu congratulated Biden more than 12 hours after the election had been called and after most ot

Israel: Former Netanyahu aide testifies in ex-PM's corruption trial

A one-time confidante to Benjamin Netanyahu began testifying against him Monday in the former Israeli prime minister's corruption trial in Jerusalem.

Benjamin Netanyahu's hopes for a comeback dim as Israel passes budget

The former Israeli PM watched from the sidelines Thursday as the government passed a national budget

Former Israeli PM Netanyahu vows to topple new coalition Israeli govt

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to topple the new eight-party diverse coalition government which brought an end to his stint as the longest-serving premier of the country

Israel: Netanyahu plots comeback even before new government sworn in

When Netanyahu addressed parliament there were no well wishes for his successor, religious Jewish nationalist Naftali Bennett, but rather a pointed warning