Israel

20 June 2023; MEMO: Israel's opposition is dragging the country into chaos, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned yesterday.

"Last week, we witnessed the ferment of the opposition," Smotrich was quoted by Maariv as saying during his far-right party's meeting.

Smotrich accused the latter of lacking "responsibility and restraint" and "dragging us toward chaos."

20 June 2023; MEMO: Unilateral judicial reform in Israel will end in failure, former army Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz, said yesterday, warning of an escalation of protests and anger on the streets, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.

18 June 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his government will move ahead with its plans for a judicial overhaul this week, according to local media, reports Anadolu Agency.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said his government will convene later this week to start "practical steps" towards implementing the judicial reform plans.

18 June 2023; MEMO: US chipmaker Intel Corp INTC.O will spend $25 billion on a new factory in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, calling it the largest-ever international investment in the country, reports Reuters.

The factory in Kiryat Gat is due to open in 2027, to operate through 2035 at least and to employ thousands of people, Israel's Finance Ministry said. Under the deal Intel will pay a 7.5% tax rate, up from the current 5%, the ministry added.

19 June 2023; MEMO: Israel's High Court of Justice issued an interim injunction on Sunday against the proposed law which would expand the power of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over the police, local media have reported. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli government has 90 days to explain why the law is necessary and should not be cancelled.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli helicopter gunships struck targets Monday in the occupied West Bank as a gunbattle raged in the city of Jenin between Israeli troops and militants, killing three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, officials said.

The violence marked a rare use of Israeli airpower in the territory. During the clashes, Palestinian militants detonated a roadside bomb next to an Israeli military vehicle. At least 29 Palestinians were wounded, six seriously, and Israeli media said a number of Israeli soldiers were hurt.

JERUSALEM, June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) will spend $25 billion on a new factory in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, calling it the largest-ever international investment in the country.

The factory in Kiryat Gat is due to open in 2027, to operate through 2035 at least and to employ thousands of people, Israel's Finance Ministry said. Under the deal Intel will pay a 7.5% tax rate, up from the current 5%, the ministry added.

JERUSALEM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that his government will resume the advancement of the contested plan to overhaul the judiciary system as early as this week.

Speaking at the opening of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said his government will take "practical steps" to reform the justice system in a "responsible and measured manner."

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his government intends to move ahead on contentious plans to change the country’s judicial system after talks aimed at finding a compromise solution appeared to be crumbling.

The government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises ever earlier this year. Negotiations between the government and opposition parties somewhat alleviated the crisis with attempts to find a middle ground over proposed changes to the country’s justice system.

LOD, Israel (AP) — A relentless wave of violent crime within Israel’s Palestinian minority is turning cities and towns into bloody battlefields, exasperating a community feeling increasingly forsaken by Israeli authorities.

Anger over the mounting insecurity is directed at Israel’s government and its ultranationalist minister in charge of police, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Critics say that with his history of anti-Arab rhetoric, he cannot be trusted to combat the rising scourge.