JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel confirmed its first case of new coronavirus Friday, in a citizen who flew home from Japan earlier this week after being quarantined on the stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess. “One of the passengers who returned home from the cruise ship in Japan tested positive in a checkup by the health ministry’s central laboratory,” a ministry statement said. A total of 15 Israelis were among the passengers quarantined on board the […]
Tag: Israel
Israel says Netanyahu discusses ‘normalization’ with Sudan’s leader
by Guillaume Lavallee with Michael O’Hagan in Entebbe Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Sudan’s leader Monday to discuss normalizing ties, his office said, a potentially landmark step that caught Khartoum by surprise and was denounced by the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s office said he met Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the ruling sovereign council in fast-changing Sudan, in the Ugandan city of Entebbe. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which […]
Israeli PM Netanyahu defiant after corruption indictment
by Joe Dyke and Steve Weizman Agence France Presse JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday became the country’s first prime minister to be indicted in office, on corruption charges, but defiantly condemned the “coup” against him and vowed to hold onto power. The shock announcement compounded the political chaos gripping Israel, which has been without a government for months and faces the prospect of its third election in a year. After months […]
Israeli PM Netanyahu defiant after corruption indictment
by Joe Dyke and Steve Weizman JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday became the country’s first prime minister to be indicted in office, on corruption charges, but defiantly condemned the “coup” against him and vowed to hold onto power. The shock announcement compounded the political chaos gripping Israel, which has been without a government for months and faces the prospect of its third election in a year. After months of suspense, Israel’s […]
Netanyahu cannot form Israel govt, allowing opponent to try
by Mike Smith and Delphine Matthieussent JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Israel’s president Monday he could not form a new government following deadlocked September elections, making way for his opponent Benny Gantz to try. The decision was an important defeat for Netanyahu as he seeks to continue his tenure as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, but it does not mean the end of those efforts since he still has various cards to […]
Israeli minister seeks ‘non-aggression’ pacts with Gulf Arab nations
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Sunday he was seeking “non-aggression” agreements with Gulf Arab nations that do not formally recognize the country as a prelude to possible future peace deals. Details of the proposal were not made public, but it was the latest sign of Israel’s push to improve ties with Gulf Arab nations with whom it has no formal diplomatic relations. Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory has long […]
Gantz calls for broad unity government after Israeli election
TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Benny Gantz, the main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country’s general election, called for a broad unity government early Wednesday as exit surveys showed a tight race. “We will act to form a broad unity government that will express the will of the people,” Gantz told supporters at a post-election rally in Tel Aviv. He however cautioned that he was waiting for final results. “We will […]
Netanyahu: Israel’s longest-serving premier fights for his future
by Guillaume Lavallee JERUSALEM (AFP) — Benjamin Netanyahu has become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister with his right-wing leadership and by repeatedly besting rivals with deft political moves, but he will have to pull another rabbit out of the hat in Tuesday’s elections. The 69-year-old is fighting his second election in five months with a potential corruption indictment looming. After April polls, Netanyahu suffered one of the biggest defeats of his political career when he […]
Israel, Hezbollah exchange fire after week of tensions
by Jalaa Marey with Mike Smith in Jerusalem KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel (AFP) — Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire along the Lebanese border after a week of rising tensions, sparking fears of an escalation and prompting concern from world powers. Israel said it responded with around 100 artillery shells Sunday after Hezbollah fired two or three anti-tank missiles at a battalion headquarters and military ambulance, hitting both. Israeli officials refuted claims by the Iranian-backed movement that […]
Israel deports Filipina worker, Israeli-born son
JERUSALEM (AFP) — by Clothilde Mraffko and Alexandra Vardi Israel has deported a Filipina migrant worker and her Israeli-born teenage son who has never set foot in the Philippines, after 11th hour legal appeals failed, a rights group and authorities said Tuesday. She is among some 600 workers from the Southeast Asian nation who activists say could face deportation over a loss of residency status. They include those who breached the conditions of their residency […]
Israel battles wildfires after record heatwave
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel sent teams of firefighters and planes Thursday to contain a blaze near Jerusalem as record temperatures fuelled wildfires across the country. Some 100 fires have been reported in Israel in recent days and “at least three or four areas had to be evacuated,” a public security ministry spokeswoman told AFP. The Israel Meteorological Service reported record high temperatures Wednesday, saying Sodom, near the Dead Sea, had experienced a high of […]
Netanyahu fails to get postponement of corruption court hearing: reports
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel’s attorney general on Thursday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone a court hearing over corruption allegations against him, media reports said. The prosecutor’s office said Netanyahu had requested “that the hearing be delayed due to the dissolution of the Knesset and the elections due on September 17” to a date after the polls, the Ynet news site said. After considering the matter, the prosecutor’s office said “nothing justified […]
