Page 144 - Israel

Israel quietly embeds AI systems in deadly military ops as tensions surge

Though the military won't comment on specific operations, officials say that it now uses an AI recommendation system that can crunch huge amounts of data to select targets for air strikes

Protests swell in Tel Aviv against govt's decision of judicial overhaul

Tens of thousands of protesters packed the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night, marking the 28th straight week of demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the country's judiciary. Protest leaders promised further days of disruption lie ahead. Netanyahu's government gave initial approval to a key portion of the overhaul earlier this week, breathing new life into the grassroots movement. The bill still needs to be approved in two more votes, expected by the end of the month, before it becomes law. Saturday night protests have become a mainstay of the grassroots movement but this week was larger than usual. In Tel Aviv, protesters unrolled a massive banner reading SOS." They threw paint powder into the sky, streaking it pink and orange. Handmaids women dressed in red robes as characters from the dystopian novel and TV series The Handmaid's Tale once again took to the streets. Their jarring appearance is meant to drive home the notion that, if

Israelis block highways in protest at govt's plan to overhaul judiciary

Thousands of Israeli protesters took to the streets on Tuesday, blocking major highways and thronging the country's main international airport, in countrywide demonstrations against the government's contentious plan to overhaul the country's judicial system.. The demonstrations came the morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's parliamentary coalition gave initial approval to a bill to limit the Supreme Court's oversight powers, pressing forward with a plan that has bitterly divided the nation. Netanyahu's ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies have proposed a series of bills that have provoked months of sustained protests by opponents who say the country is being pushed toward authoritarian rule. Anti-overhaul activists demonstrated nationwide throughout the day, including a mass protest Tuesday afternoon at Ben-Gurion International Airport. An estimated 10,000 people gathered outside the main hall, blowing horns and waving blue and white Israeli flags. Police kept the .

Israel erupts as Parliament adopts Bill to put curbs on judicial powers

The new bill won a first of three required votes to be written into law late on Monday to the cries of 'for shame' by opposition lawmakers

Protests grow as Israel's govt advances with its judicial overhaul

Israel's anti-government protest movement gained new momentum on Saturday night as tens of thousands of people spilled into the streets of cities across the country to oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious plan to overhaul the judicial system. The grassroots movement has staged protests for over six months since Netanyahu's government unveiled the overhaul plan. But in recent weeks, the protests had shown signs of weakening. Plans by the government to push forward with the overhaul next week in parliament, coupled with the firing of Tel Aviv's police chief, who was accused of being too sympathetic to the protesters, appeared to breathe new life into Saturday's demonstrations. Some 1,50,000 people thronged central Tel Aviv, with large rallies in Jerusalem and other major cities. Late Saturday, dozens of people attempted to block Tel Aviv's main highway, but they were quickly cleared away by police. Scuffles broke out, and police sprayed a water cannon at the ...

Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank, days after major offensive

Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, including two militants shot dead in a gunbattle, in new West Bank violence on Friday, days after Israel concluded a major two-day offensive meant to crack down on militants. The persistent violence raised questions about the effectiveness of the raid earlier this week in the Jenin refugee camp, which saw Israel launch rare airstrikes on militant targets, deploy hundreds of troops and cause widespread damage to roads, homes and businesses. Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in the operation. In the nearby city of Nablus, the West Bank's commercial capital and a flashpoint city, two militants were killed in a gunbattle with Israeli forces. Israel's Shin Bet security agency said the men were behind a shooting attack this week on a police vehicle. Later Friday, Palestinian health officials said a man was fatally shot in the chest by Israeli forces during a demonstration in Umm Safa, a town in the central West Bank. The army

Palestinian kills Israeli soldier in West Bank day after Israel's raid

A Hamas militant on Thursday opened fire near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, killing an Israeli soldier, a day after Israeli forces withdrew from the largest military operation in the West Bank in two decades. The Palestinian attacker was shot and killed by Israeli forces, the army said. The shooting came on the heels of the Israeli withdrawal from the nearby Jenin refugee camp after a two-day offensive meant to crack down on Palestinian militants. The operation destroyed the camp's narrow roads and alleyways, sent thousands of people fleeing their homes and killed 12 Palestinians. One Israeli soldier also was killed. Thursday's shooting near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim raised questions about the effectiveness of the Israeli raid, which came after nearly a year and a half of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in the area. It also could prompt calls from members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government for additional military incursions. Finan

Explainer: Israel's Attack on Jenin Refugee Camp: What You Should Know

The clash between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen resulted in the deaths of several Palestinians. Watch the video to know about the situation in Jenin.

Israel withdraws troops from West Bank, warns 2-day raid is not a one-off

The Israeli military withdrew its troops from a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, ending an intense two-day operation that killed at least 13 Palestinians, drove thousands of people from their homes and left a wide swath of damage in its wake. One Israeli soldier was also killed. The army claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on militant groups in the Jenin refugee camp in an operation that included a series of airstrikes and hundreds of ground troops. But it remained unclear whether there would be any long-lasting effect after nearly a year and a half of heavy fighting in the West Bank. Ahead of the withdrawal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry out similar operations if needed. At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off, he said during a visit to a military post on the outskirts of Jenin. We will eradicate terrorism wherever we see it and we will strike at ..

Palestinian attacker rams car into crowded Tel Aviv bus stop, 8 wounded

A Hamas militant rammed his car into a crowded Tel Aviv bus stop Tuesday and began stabbing people, wounding eight in an attack that Palestinian armed groups called revenge for an Israeli military offensive in the occupied West Bank. A bystander shot and killed the attacker. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the operation in the Jenin refugee camp, one of the most intense in the territory in nearly two decades, was winding down. But he vowed to carry out similar operations in the future. At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off, he said during a visit to a military post on the outskirts of Jenin. Late Tuesday, a security official said troops were beginning to pull out of the camp. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, said it was not clear how long the withdrawal would take due to continued fighting. Israel struck the camp, known as a bastion of ..

Israeli lawmakers give first approval to new judicial overhaul Bill

After the committee vote, the shekel weakened by 0.3 per cent against the dollar. The bill still has to pass three readings in parliament to be written into law

All you need to know about famous hostage rescue mission Operation Entebbe

Operation Entebbe was a hostage-rescue mission by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda on July 4, 1976

Israel launches biggest incursion in West Bank in 20 yrs, kills at least 8

Troops remained inside the Jenin refugee camp at midday on Monday, pushing ahead with the largest operation in the area during more than a year of fighting

Israel launches major operation in West Bank, at least seven killed

Israeli military forces carried out a massive operation in the West Bank City Jenin, killing seven people and wounding 27 militants. No Israeli soldier was hurt during the operation

3 Palestinians killed as Israel stages raids in militant occupied West Bank

The Israeli military sent a large-scale raid into a stronghold of militants in the occupied West Bank early Monday, and local health officials said at least three Palestinians were killed. Israeli forces raided what the military described as a unified command center for militants in the Jenin refugee camp, describing it as an advanced observation and reconnaissance center where militants would gather to coordinate and prepare for attacks. Israeli media said the military also conducted airstrikes, reviving a tactic it had largely halted during the past two decades, after a Palestinian uprising against Israel's open-ended occupation slowly fizzled. The Palestinian Health Ministry said three Palestinians were killed and 13 injured early Monday, three of them critically. In a separate incident, a 21-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire near the West Bank city of Ramallah, the ministry said. The Jenin camp and an adjacent town of the same name have been a flashpoint as ...

Israel to buy more F-35 fighter jets from US, expand fleet by 50%

Israel will buy 25 F-35 aircraft from the United States, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Sunday, in a deal that increases Israel's arsenal of the stealth fighter jets by 50 per cent. The F-35 is the world's most advanced fighter jet, and Israel is the only country in the Middle East to fly them. The USD 3 billion purchase, which increases the Israeli fleet of F-35 jets from 50 to 75, is set to be finalized in the coming months, the ministry said. It said the deal would be financed through American military aid to Israel and that the maker of the plane, Lockheed Martin, and the maker of its engine, Pratt & Whitney, had committed to involving Israeli companies in the production process. The new agreement will ensure the continuation of cooperation between American companies and Israeli defense industries in the production of aircraft parts, the statement read. The move to expand the Israeli arsenal comes at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. Israel, ...

Israel attacks Syria; Syrian air defence missile explodes over north Israel

Israel carried out airstrikes on areas near the central Syrian city of Homs early Sunday causing material damage but no casualties, the Syrian military said in a statement. Syrian state media quoted an unnamed military official as saying the air defences shot down some of the missiles fired by Israeli warplanes flying over neighbouring Lebanon. Israeli authorities did not comment on the airstrike on Homs but said one of the Syrian air defence missiles exploded over northern Israel without causing any damage. Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee later said that Israel's military retaliated for the firing of the air defense missile that exploded over the country's north by attacking Syrian air defence batteries from where the missile was fired. The warplanes also attacked other targets in the area, Adraee tweeted without elaborating. Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment next door, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of ...

Israel ok's plans for 5,000 settlement homes, defying White House calls

Israel's far-right government on Monday approved plans to build over 5,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Israeli media said, a move that threatened to worsen increasingly strained relations with the United States. The decision defied growing US criticism of Israel's settlement policies. It also raised tensions with the Palestinians at a time of rising violence in the occupied territory. Multiple Israeli media outlets said the Defense Ministry planning committee that oversees settlement construction approved some 5,700 new settlement homes. The units are at various stages of planning, and it was not immediately clear when construction would begin. COGAT, the defence body in charge of the planning committee, did not respond to requests for comment. The international community, along with the Palestinians, considers settlement construction illegal or illegitimate and an obstacle to peace. Over 700,000 Israelis now live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem .

Netanyahu briefly freezes Golan wind turbine project that set off clashes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a brief freeze in construction on a wind turbine project in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that set off a rare clash between Druze residents and police. Netanyahu said late Saturday he agreed to a pause on the project during this week's Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which is meant to allow time for talks to defuse the crisis. The project is expected to resume next week. A statement from Netanyahu's office said he made the decision based on advice from security officials. The Druze oppose the plan, which would install more than two dozen 200-metre tall turbines throughout their land. The landowners said the turbines will harm their agricultural output and that the energy company behind the project didn't consult with them in good faith, a claim the company denies. Last week, thousands of residents demonstrated against the project, storming a police station, throwing stones and fireworks, setting tires on fire, vandalising pol

Zambia reaches deal with China, other nations to rework $6.3 bn in loans

Zambia and its government creditors, including China, have reached a deal to restructure USD 6.3 billion in loans, the French government announced Thursday on the sidelines of a global finance summit in Paris. The agreement covers loans from countries including France, the UK, South Africa, Israel and India as well as China Zambia's biggest creditor at USD 4.1 billion of the total. The deal, announced by officials who spoke anonymously in accordance with the French government's customary practices, may provide a roadmap for how lenient China may be with other nations in debt distress. The International Monetary Fund approved the deal, meaning it's going to allow Zambia to receive more financing from the institution, they said. A discussion between French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema to praise the conclusion of year-long negotiations is to take place during a dinner of heads of state and government at the Elysee ..