Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to be angling to dissolve his newly formed “unity government” and plunge Israel into new elections – the fourth in just under 18 months. The prime minister and his centrist coalition partner, Benny Gantz, are locked in an increasingly acrimonious dispute over the budget which some Read more…
China may be about to throw the beleaguered Iranian regime a crucial economic lifeline with the two countries close to signing a 25-year “strategic accord” that would see the Islamic republic receive a $400bn boost. Details of the accord were leaked earlier this month to the New York Times. It Read more…
Labour Friends of Israel today met with Keir Starmer for the first time since his election as leader of the Labour party. LFI chair Steve McCabe said he was “delighted to chair a meeting between LFI and Labour leader Keir Starmer”, adding that “since his election, we have already seen the Read more…
Benjamin Netanyahu is facing mounting public pressure as Israel is rocked by the country’s largest demonstrations since the 2011 social justice protests. Thousands of people took part in demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem at the weekend, protesting against both the prime minister and his government’s bungled handling of a Read more…
LFI chair Steve McCabe has joined more than 200 fellow politicians in calling for the European Union to drop its “false distinction” between Hezbollah’s military and political wings. The letter was organised by the recently formed group Transatlantic Friends of Israel which brings together European and American politicians. David Schwammenthal of Read more…
The number of Israelis and Palestinians who have died from the coronavirus continues to rise as a second wave hits the Jewish state and the West Bank. In Israeli, 430 people have died, while 58 have died in the West Bank. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry said the number of Read more…
Israel’s security forces announced this week they had foiled a West Bank terror plot backed by Iran and Hezbollah. Shin Bet said it had uncovered a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine cell which planned to carry out attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. “The investigation revealed intelligence regarding the Read more…
An influential Israeli think tank has published the results of a “war game” simulating the dangers of Benjamin Netanyahu attempting to annex parts of the West Bank. The report from the Institute for National Security Studies identifies a series of resulting “explosive events”, rising violence affecting Israelis and Palestinians, and huge Read more…
Israel’s health minister warned today that the country may have to return to a full lockdown if the current rise in coronavirus cases in the country continues. Yuli Edelstein was speaking as the Health Ministry said that 1,578 coronavirus infections were diagnosed in the previous 24 hours. Although the rate is Read more…
Several thousand Israelis protested outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem last night calling for Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation. The demonstration was part of a series of anti-corruption “black flag” protests directed against Netanyahu, who has been labelled the “crime minister”. There were 50 arrests as police battled a smaller number Read more…
Hezbollah has placed at least 28 missile launch sites in civilian areas of Beirut, a report by Israel’s ALMA Research and Education Centre has found. The sites in the Lebanese capital, which have not previously been documented, are next to hospitals, schools and restaurants in areas controlled by the terror Read more…
Iran has blamed Israel for an explosion last week which badly damaged a building producing centrifuges at the secret Natanz nuclear site. The blast may have delayed Iranian efforts to produce enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon by months or even years, analysts suggest. On Sunday, the New Read more…