JERUSALEM (AP) — The veteran Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman took the political gamble of his life when he spurned his mentor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and forced an unprecedented repeat election. As results began rolling in from Tuesday’s vote, it appeared to have paid off. With neither Netanyahu’s Likud nor former military chief Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is headed toward an unprecedented repeat election on Tuesday with no guarantee that the do-over vote will produce a more decisive result than the inconclusive one last April. The Israeli electorate is deeply divided along religious, ethnic and ideological lines and the fragmented parliamentary system makes coalition building a tricky business. In April, Prime Minister Benjamin … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that continued rocket fire from Gaza is making another war against Palestinian militants in the coastal strip inevitable, his latest headline-grabbing announcement just days before he seeks re-election. Netanyahu said advanced plans were in place to strike Gaza and that he would decide the optimal timing of the offensive, given … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Avigdor Lieberman entered Israeli politics as a loyal protégé of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Now, the maverick politician could be the one to topple his former mentor. Lieberman, a burly, tough-talking immigrant from the former Soviet Union, forced Israel’s unprecedented second election of the year and is poised to be the kingmaker again. Polls suggest Netanyahu won’t … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kicked off the unofficial start of his new election campaign Sunday with a move straight out of his old playbook: attacking the media and pandering to his nationalist base. After a sleepy summer, the longtime leader launched a blistering assault on an Israeli TV channel, accusing it of tarnishing him, slandering the … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The leader of the main Arab faction in parliament has shaken up Israel’s election campaign by offering to sit in a moderate coalition government — a development that would end decades of Arab political marginalization and could potentially bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ayman Odeh’s offer to back Netanyahu’s chief opponent, Blue and White chairman Benny … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The long shadow war between Israel and Iran has burst into the open in recent days, with Israel allegedly striking Iran-linked targets as far away as Iraq and crash-landing two drones in Hezbollah-dominated southern Beirut. These incidents, along with an air raid in Syria that Israel says thwarted an imminent Iranian drone attack, have raised tensions at … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military on Monday to cut fuel transfers to Gaza in half, in response to rocket attacks from the coastal strip, raising tensions along Israel’s southern border in addition to those stemming from a renewed threat from the north amid reported Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — As Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, he is solidifying his place as the country’s greatest political survivor and the most dominant force in Israeli politics in his generation. He has persevered through scandals, crises and conflicts, winning election after election even as the country grows more bitterly polarized. His supporters credit him with keeping Israel … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In a musty basement hall of an unassuming building nestled among modern high-rises in the heart of Tel Aviv, a few hundred spectators are kindly requested to turn off their cellphones. What makes the typical scene surreal is that they are asked to do so in Yiddish — the playful, lyrical language of Diaspora European … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, accepted Israel’s prestigious Genesis Prize at a lavish ceremony on Thursday, where he pledged $20 million to establish a foundation dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and the Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel. In his keynote address, Kraft told the audience of Israeli and international dignitaries that he was “humbled … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — This year’s official international ambassador to Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride Parade says he has no interest in being a gay icon. TV star Neil Patrick Harris arrived in Israel Wednesday along with his husband, the chef and actor David Burtka, to headline Tel Aviv’s annual celebration of its famous gay-friendly scene. But Harris, who has … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The trigger for Israel’s unprecedented repeat election touches upon one of the major fault lines in Israeli society — the role of the growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in modern life. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s prospective government collapsed last week over the issue of military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, a source of longtime resentment among the secular … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — After narrowly failing to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April elections, the long-time Israeli leader’s opponents now have a rare chance for a “do-over” in a snap vote in September. The 69-year-old Netanyahu’s apparent victory against long odds seemed to seal his aura of invincibility in the eyes of many Israelis, with some resigning themselves to … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is in uncharted political territory after the newly elected parliament dissolved itself early on Thursday and set another election date, within six months of the previous one. Just 50 days after he seemed to have scored an impressive victory, cruising to re-election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conceded that he had failed to build a coalition government … Read More