Page 31 - Benjamin Netanyahu

Adani takes over Haifa Port for $1.15 bn, promises to invest more in Israel

Dwells on host of key partnerships in Jewish nation, such as Elbit Systems, Israel Weapon Systems, and Israel Innovation Authority; vows to change Haifa skyline with latest deal

PM Netanyahu to attend Adani grp's Haifa port acquisition ceremony

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend a ceremony here on Tuesday to celebrate the successful entry of the Adani Group in Israel through its acquisition of the Haifa port, which is being seen as a "strategic purchase" and probably the biggest foreign investment in this country in any sector. A consortium of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) and Israel's Gadot Group won the tender in July last year to privatise the Port of Haifa in Israel for a staggering USD 1.18 billion. It completed the process of purchase on January 11 this year, following which upgradation work has been going on in full swing at the port. The Indian partner in the consortium holds 70 per cent of the stake while its local partner has 30 per cent. Gautam Adani, the Founder and Chairman of the Adani Group, will also attend the ceremony at Haifa Port Temporary Cruise Terminal in this northern coastal city of Israel on Tuesday. Prime Minister Netanyahu will also attend the ceremony here. The Isra

Netanyahu's India visit likely in 'first half of this year': Israeli envoy

PM Modi also congratulated Netanyahu for his appointment as the PM of Israel for the sixth time and wished him a very successful tenure

Israelis press on with protests against Netanyahu's new government

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, measures that opponents say imperil the country's democratic fundamentals. Israeli media, citing police, said some 100,000 people were out protesting. The protest followed another demonstration last week that also drew tens of thousands in an early challenge to Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox government the most right-wing in Israeli history. The government says a power imbalance has given judges and government legal advisers too much sway over lawmaking and governance. Netanyahu has pledged to press on with the changes despite the opposition. Protesters filled central streets in the seaside metropolis, raising Israeli flags and banners that read The Supreme Court and Israel, We Have A Problem. All generations are concerned. This is not a joke, said Lior Student, a protester. "This is a .

Thousands of Israelis rally against Netanyahu government in Tel Aviv

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the legal system and weaken the Supreme Court a step that critics say will destroy the country's democratic system of checks and balances. The protest presented an early challenge to Netanyahu and his ultranationalist national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has ordered police to take tough action if protesters block roads or display Palestinian flags. Israeli media, citing police, said the crowd at Tel Aviv's Habima Square swelled to at least 80,000 people, despite cool, rainy weather. Protesters, many covered by umbrellas, held Israeli flags and signs saying Criminal Government," The End of Democracy and other slogans. They are trying to destroy the checks and balances of the Israeli democracy. This will not work, said Asaf Steinberg, a protester from the Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya. And we will fight until the ver

US looking forward to engaging new Israeli govt, says White House

The United States is looking forward to working with the new Israeli government, the Biden administration said and asserted that it supports the normalisation of Arab-Israel relations. Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and its far-right and religious allies secured an emphatic victory in the general elections in the Jewish nation last year defeating Yair Lapid. This is Netanyahu's sixth stint as prime minister. "We really do look forward to engaging the Israeli government. I will be going to Israel, and that will be a substantial topic of conversation when I go," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in New Mexico. The Biden administration, he said, will have the opportunity to engage deeply with the new Israeli government on the threat posed by Iran. "We share the same fundamental objectives. We will work through any differences we have on tactics the same way that we have over the course of the past two years," Sullivan said. "We had Prime Minister Netanyahu fo

Thousands of Israelis protest Benjamin Netanyahu government's policies

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday evening to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government that opponents say threaten democracy and freedoms. The protesters gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv days after the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country's 74-year history was sworn in. The settler government is against me, read one placard. Another banner read, Housing, Livelihood, Hope. Some protesters carried rainbow flags. The protest was led by left-wing and Arab members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. They contend that proposed plans by the new Cabinet will hinder judicial system and widen societal gaps. The left-wing protesters slammed Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who on Wednesday unveiled the government's long-promised overhaul of the judicial system that aims to weaken the country's Supreme Court. Critics accused the government of declaring war on the legal system, saying the plan will upend Isra

New Israeli government takes steps to penalise Palestinian leadership

In some of its first acts since coming to power, Israel's new Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the move is in retaliation for Palestinians pushing the UN's highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation. The Palestinians vowed to continue their diplomatic efforts despite the Israeli new measures. The development underscores the hard-line approach to the Palestinians that Israel's new ultranationalist government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories. It comes a week after the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice intervene and render an opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. Israel's Security Cabinet described the Palestinian Authority's request

New Israeli govt takes punitive steps against Palestinian leadership

In some of its first acts since coming to power, Israel's new Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Friday. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the move is in retaliation for Palestinians pushing the U.N.'s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation. The development underscores the hard-line approach to the Palestinians that Israel's new ultranationalist government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories. It comes a week after the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice intervene and render an opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. Israel's Security Cabinet described the Palestinian Authority's request to the U.N. as a decision to wage political and legal war against the State of Israel. "The .

Over 1,000 senior Israeli air force veterans say incoming govt a danger

Over 1,000 senior Israeli air force veterans, including a former Israeli chief of staff, on Monday urged the country's top legal officials to stand tough against the incoming government. In a letter to the chief of Israel's Supreme Court and other top officials, they said the alliance of religious and ultranationalist parties threatens Israel's future. The letter was delivered days before the new government is to take office. We come from all strata of society and from across the political spectrum, the letter said. What we have in common today is the fear that the democratic state of Israel is in danger. It called the legal officials the final line of defence and implored them to do everything in your reach to stop the disaster that is affecting the country. Among the nearly 1,200 signatories were Dan Halutz, who served as military chief from 2005-2007; Avihu Ben-Nun, a former commander of the air force and Amos Yadlin, a former head of military intelligence. All three are form

PM-designate Netanyahu vows not to allow anti-LGBT laws in Israel

The new government, which is expected to be sworn in by Thursday, will be the most rightist in Israeli history and includes many members who openly oppose LGBT rights

Israeli PM-designate Netanyahu agrees to annex West Bank in coalition deal

Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to annex the occupied West Bank in a coalition deal that was made public

Israel's designated PM Netanyahu says he has successfully formed new govt

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has been able to form the next government that would "work for the good of all Israeli citizens", minutes before the midnight deadline. Netanyahu, 73, informed President Isaac Herzog late on Wednesday paving the way for the swearing-in no later than January 2, or even earlier. In November, President Herzog officially invited Netanyahu to form the new government. He has won the backing of 64 Members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, in a phone call to Herzog said that he was ready to form the next government "thanks to the enormous public support we received in the last elections" that would "work for the good of all Israeli citizens". He made the call a few minutes before the end of a ten-day extension given by the President following the 28 days initial period the Prime Minister-designate received at being tasked to form the government. The new government will

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