Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court said Monday that a full panel of 15 justices would hear petitions in September against a contentious law that was passed last week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and which has spurred mass protests.

The law was one of a series of proposed changes to Israel’s judiciary put forward by Netanyahu’s government earlier this year that seek to curb the power of the Supreme Court. The judicial overhaul plan has been met with months of sustained mass protest against the legislation and drawn criticism from the White House.

27 July 2023; MEMO: Israel's UN ambassador said, on Thursday, that Palestinians "have no right to return" to their homes, Anadolu Agency reports.

"Let me be clear, there is no right of return. You all know this," Gilad Erdan told a UN Security Council meeting.

"The demand of millions of descendants of refugees returning to obliterate the Jewish people's right to self-determination and this will never happen."

28 July 2023; MEMO: In response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial judicial overhaul, the Director-General of Israel's Education Ministry, Asaf Zalal, has resigned from his position. In a statement, Zalal cited the deep divide within society, which prevents him from fulfilling his responsibilities as required.

28 July 2023; MEMO: Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of dismantling the army and the Mossad and "splitting the nation into two".

In an interview with Kan radio, Pardo said Netanyahu's government includes "horrible racist parties" including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit.

28 July 2023; MEMO: Israel warned, on Friday, that the burning of the Torah in Sweden could harm relations between the two countries, Anadolu Agency reports.

Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, spoke with his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billstrom, and explained to him that Israel takes seriously the use of threats to burn holy books in Sweden, according to a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

30 July 2023; MEMO: Israelis marched Saturday in Tel Aviv for the 30th consecutive week, marking the first time since the initial passage of judicial overhaul legislation by the Netanyahu government, reports Anadolu Agency.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis participated in demonstrations at dozens of points across the country, including Tel Aviv, West Jerusalem, Haifa, Birussebi, Herzliya and Rehovot.

31 July 2023; MEMO: Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir changed the law on Sunday to end the possibility of early release from overcrowded prisons for Palestinians held under so-called "administrative detention", local media reported.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli military fire killed a 14-year-old Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Thursday, as an extremist Israeli Cabinet minister visited a sensitive Jerusalem mosque that has been a frequent flashpoint for violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

26 July 2023; MEMO: Over 1,000 Israeli physicians plan to leave Israel and work abroad after the passing of the reasonableness law, the Israeli Medical Association said yesterday.

"The vast majority of physicians know they will not be able to fulfill their oath to patients under a regime that does not accept the role of reason," AP reported Hagai Levine, chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health, saying.

26 July 2023; MEMO: Far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir yesterday warned the Supreme Court against repealing the "reasonableness law," Hebrew media reported.

"If the Supreme Court repealed the law, it would be a coup attempt," he said, stressing that "the Supreme Court is not above everything." Adding that he hoped the Supreme Court "does not commit this mistake."