Israel

03 October 2023; MEMO: Former Mexican diplomat Andres Roemer, who has been accused of sexual abuse and rape, has been arrested in Israel ahead of his possible extradition, authorities said yesterday, Reuters reported.

Roemer, a former consul general to San Francisco, became embroiled in one of Mexico’s most prominent #MeToo cases after a woman publicly accused him of sexual abuse, prompting others to present similar allegations.

JERUSALEM, Sept 29 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israel’s Supreme Court heard yesterday, arguments challenging a controversial law, that makes it harder to remove an incumbent prime minister.

An eleven-judge panel of the court’s 15 judges, convened for the discussion, which was chaired by Chief Justice, Esther Hayut.

They discussed appeals against a law known as the “incapacitation law,” that was passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition in March.

JERUSALEM, Sept 28 (NNN-MA’AN) – At least 33 children were injured last night, when a school bus overturned at a crossroad west of Jerusalem, Israeli authorities said.

At least 33 passengers aged 8-12 were evacuated to hospitals, two of whom sustained serious injuries, one was in a moderate condition and 30 sustained light injuries, Zaki Heller, a spokesman for Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service, said in a statement.

The condition of the driver was not immediately clear.

27 September 2023; MEMO: Israeli media revealed that a young man had broken into a security room in front of the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to steal a bag of security equipment. The man was later arrested and charged with theft.

28 September 2023; MEMO: The Israeli opposition has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire his National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, local media reported yesterday, after five members of an Arab family were shot dead in their home.

A sixth person, 50-year-old Ataf Abu Kalib, was also shot dead in broad daylight in Haifa yesterday.

JERUSALEM, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli authorities said on Wednesday that they have arrested five members of an Iran-backed cell who attempted to assassinate Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said in a press release that the five suspects, including three Palestinians and two Arab-Israeli citizens, are in custody.

The five suspects acted "under directions and instructions" of an Iranian agent who lived in Jordan, according to the Shin Bet.

JERUSALEM, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel's tourism minister traveled to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the first public visit by an Israeli minister to the kingdom, said Israel's Ministry of Tourism in a statement.

Haim Katz "is the first Israeli minister to head an official delegation in Saudi Arabia," the statement reads. The visit also came amid talks between the two countries to normalize relations.

Katz will attend a conference sponsored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the kingdom during his two-day trip, it added.

JERUSALEM, Sept 24 (NNN-WAFA) – The Israeli military, yesterday, struck a military post belonging to the Hamas organisation, which rules the Gaza Strip, according to a statement released by the Israeli army.

The strike, carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle, came, in response to a demonstration held by residents of the territory, adjacent to the border with Israel.

20 September 2023; MEMO: Israel Police reported this morning that a tank had been stolen from an army training base located in the Elikim interchange and was later found in a scrap yard in northern Israel.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the incident, initially reported to authorities by the Defence Ministry, is under joint investigation by both law enforcement agencies and the Israeli Ministry of Defence.

21 September 2023; MEMO: A fundraising effort with the goal of securing the release of the settler who killed the Palestinian Dawabsheh family in an arson attack in 2015 from prison has raised over NIS 1.2 million, reported The Times of Israel.

The effort to overturn his conviction, titled “Amiram also deserves justice,” made headlines this week when Limor Son Har-Melech, a far-right Otzma Yehudit MK, spoke at a fundraising gathering for the cause, referring to him as a “holy righteous man”.