Latest news with #DemocratsParty
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli military detains 6 settlers after attack on forces in occupied West Bank
The Israeli military detained six settlers in the occupied West Bank overnight after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say the suspects attacked security forces. The IDF says they spotted Israeli civilians driving toward a closed military zone near the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik, where days earlier settlers set fire to homes and vehicles in an attack Palestinian officials say killed three people. When Israeli forces approached the group, the IDF says the soldiers were physically assaulted and verbally abused. In addition, the suspects vandalized and damaged the security forces' vehicles and attempted to ram the forces. Six suspects were apprehended and transferred to police, the IDF said. 'The IDF and Israel Police condemn any act of violence against security forces and will act firmly against any attempt to harm security personnel carrying out their duty to protect Israeli citizens,' the IDF said in a statement. Israeli politicians condemned the settler attacks against Israeli security forces. Head of the opposition Yair Lapid said in a statement on social media, 'The extremists who attack IDF soldiers who are guarding the security of the State of Israel during these difficult days are dangerous criminals who are aiding our enemies.' Yair Golan, the head of the left-wing Democrats party, who had called earlier settler attacks in the area a 'violent Jewish pogrom,' said the violence from 'the Kahanist, nationalist, and fantastic Israel is deliberately working to dismantle the Jewish and democratic Israel.' Golan referenced Meir Kahane, an extremist rabbi whose political party was banned outright in Israel under anti-terror laws. 'This is not a marginal occurrence. This is a dangerous current that has taken deep roots. Even around the government table,' Golan said, a reference to the far-right ministers that prop up the coalition government, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom were sanctioned earlier this month by the UK, Canada, and other Western allies. Smotrich has called for formal annexation of West Bank settlements, while Ben-Gvir's party consists of followers of Kahane's banned political party. In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz called on law enforcement authorities to act immediately to locate all those who resorted to violence and bring them to justice 'as is done everywhere.' On Friday, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority presidency, said the settler attacks are part of a plan by Israel's 'extremist right-wing government' to drag the West Bank into a larger confrontation, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. Abu Rudeineh held Israel fully responsible for 'the consequences of this bloody aggression,' WAFA said. Israel has been ramping up military operations in the West Bank alongside the offensive in Gaza and attacks on Iran and its proxies, displacing thousands of Palestinians and razing entire communities as it targets what it says are militants operating in the territory. Earlier this week, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank, Palestinian health authorities said. The Israeli military said that 'terrorists hurled explosive devices at IDF forces.' In late-May, Israel approved a massive expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank in a move decried as de facto annexation of large swaths of the territory. Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental organization that tracks settlements, said it was the largest expansion of settlements since the signing of the Oslo Accords more than 30 years ago. Israel plans to establish 22 new settlements, including deep within the West Bank and in areas from which the country had previously withdrawn. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as in East Jerusalem and the occupied Golan Heights, are considered illegal under international law.
CNN
28-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Israeli military detains 6 settlers after attack on forces in occupied West Bank
The Israeli military detained six settlers in the occupied West Bank overnight after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say the suspects attacked security forces. The IDF says they spotted Israeli civilians driving toward a closed military zone near the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik, where days earlier settlers set fire to homes and vehicles in an attack Palestinian officials say killed three people. When Israeli forces approached the group, the IDF says the soldiers were physically assaulted and verbally abused. In addition, the suspects vandalized and damaged the security forces' vehicles and attempted to ram the forces. Six suspects were apprehended and transferred to police, the IDF said. 'The IDF and Israel Police condemn any act of violence against security forces and will act firmly against any attempt to harm security personnel carrying out their duty to protect Israeli citizens,' the IDF said in a statement. Israeli politicians condemned the settler attacks against Israeli security forces. Head of the opposition Yair Lapid said in a statement on social media, 'The extremists who attack IDF soldiers who are guarding the security of the State of Israel during these difficult days are dangerous criminals who are aiding our enemies.' Yair Golan, the head of the left-wing Democrats party, who had called earlier settler attacks in the area a 'violent Jewish pogrom,' said the violence from 'the Kahanist, nationalist, and fantastic Israel is deliberately working to dismantle the Jewish and democratic Israel.' Golan referenced Meir Kahane, an extremist rabbi whose political party was banned outright in Israel under anti-terror laws. 'This is not a marginal occurrence. This is a dangerous current that has taken deep roots. Even around the government table,' Golan said, a reference to the far-right ministers that prop up the coalition government, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom were sanctioned earlier this month by the UK, Canada, and other Western allies. Smotrich has called for formal annexation of West Bank settlements, while Ben-Gvir's party consists of followers of Kahane's banned political party. In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz called on law enforcement authorities to act immediately to locate all those who resorted to violence and bring them to justice 'as is done everywhere.' On Friday, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority presidency, said the settler attacks are part of a plan by Israel's 'extremist right-wing government' to drag the West Bank into a larger confrontation, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. Abu Rudeineh held Israel fully responsible for 'the consequences of this bloody aggression,' WAFA said. Israel has been ramping up military operations in the West Bank alongside the offensive in Gaza and attacks on Iran and its proxies, displacing thousands of Palestinians and razing entire communities as it targets what it says are militants operating in the territory. Earlier this week, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank, Palestinian health authorities said. The Israeli military said that 'terrorists hurled explosive devices at IDF forces.' In late-May, Israel approved a massive expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank in a move decried as de facto annexation of large swaths of the territory. Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental organization that tracks settlements, said it was the largest expansion of settlements since the signing of the Oslo Accords more than 30 years ago. Israel plans to establish 22 new settlements, including deep within the West Bank and in areas from which the country had previously withdrawn. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as in East Jerusalem and the occupied Golan Heights, are considered illegal under international law.
Free Malaysia Today
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Israeli left-wing chief says govt ‘doesn't represent' the people
Yair Golan said that the vast majority of Israelis want an immediate end to the Gaza war. (Reuters pic) JERUSALEM : Israeli left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan called today for an immediate end to the Gaza war and said that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government no longer represented most Israelis. 'Today the government of Israel doesn't represent the vast majority of Israelis,' said Golan, chairman of the Democrats party and a former deputy army chief, days before a planned parliament vote which the opposition hopes would trigger a general election. He told journalists in a briefing that after more than 20 months of fighting, triggered by Hamas's Oct 7, 2023 attack, Israel 'should end the war as soon as possible'. Golan's party, a conglomeration of left-wing factions, has only four seats in Israel's 120-member legislature, making it one of its smallest political groups. But in a country where coalition building is essential to achieving a political majority, even relatively small parties can wield considerable power. Golan, a former deputy minister in a short-lived administration that replaced Netanyahu in 2021-2022, said that the current government – one of the most right-wing in Israel's history – was a threat to democracy. The opposition leader said he represents those 'who want to save Israeli democracy… from a corrupted future' and from the 'messianic-like and nationalistic and extremist vision of a very small faction in the Israeli society'. 'The vast majority wants to keep Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and at the same time a free, egalitarian and democratic state,' Golan said. He said that the vast majority of Israelis wanted to see an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the return of all hostages held by Palestinian rebels in a single exchange deal, and the establishment of a national commission of inquiry into Hamas's unprecedented 2023 attack, arguing that the Netanyahu government was opposed to these objectives. 'I believe that we can reach a hostages deal in a matter of days,' Golan said. 'I believe that by ending the war and freeing the hostages, we will be able to build an alternative to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip.' Criticising the government's Gaza war policies, the former army general has recently drawn condemnation in Israel for saying that 'a sane country… does not kill babies for a hobby'. Golan today also said that most Israelis support legislation that would require ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, who are currently largely exempt from military service, to enlist. The issue has sparked tension between Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties in his government, with lawmakers threatening to topple the prime minister if no agreement is reached this week. Some opposition parties are seeking to place a bill to dissolve parliament on Wednesday's plenary agenda, hoping to capitalise on the ultra-Orthodox revolt. 'The vast majority wants new elections as soon as possible,' Golan said.
LBCI
09-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel's left-wing leader says war must end, government 'doesn't represent' the people
Israeli left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan called on Monday for an immediate end to the Gaza war and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government no longer represented most Israelis. "Today the government of Israel doesn't represent the vast majority of Israelis," said Golan, chairman of the Democrats party and a former deputy army chief, days before a planned parliament vote which the opposition hopes would trigger a general election. He told journalists in a briefing that after more than 20 months of fighting, Israel "should end the war as soon as possible." Golan's party, a conglomeration of left-wing factions, has only four seats in Israel's 120-member legislature, making it one of its smallest political groups. But in a country where coalition building is essential to achieving a political majority, even relatively small parties can wield considerable power. Golan, a former deputy minister in a short-lived administration that replaced Netanyahu in 2021-2022, said that the current government -- one of the most right-wing in Israel's history -- was a threat to democracy. The opposition leader said he represents those "who want to save Israeli democracy... from a corrupted future" and the "messianic-like and nationalistic and extremist vision of a very small faction in the Israeli society." "The vast majority wants to keep Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and at the same time a free, egalitarian, and democratic state," Golan said. He said that the vast majority of Israelis wanted to see an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the return of all hostages held by Palestinian militants in a single exchange deal, and the establishment of a national commission of inquiry into Hamas' unprecedented 2023 attack, arguing that the Netanyahu government was opposed to these objectives. "I believe that we can reach a hostage deal in a matter of days," Golan said. "I believe that by ending the war and freeing the hostages, we will be able to build an alternative to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip." Criticizing the government's Gaza war policies, the former army general has recently drawn condemnation in Israel for saying that "a sane country... does not kill babies for a hobby." Golan on Monday also said that most Israelis support legislation that would require ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, who are currently largely exempt from military service, to enlist. The issue has sparked tension between Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties in his government, with lawmakers threatening to topple the prime minister if no agreement is reached this week. Some opposition parties are seeking to place a bill to dissolve parliament on Wednesday's plenary agenda, hoping to capitalize on the ultra-Orthodox revolt. "The vast majority wants new elections as soon as possible," Golan said. AFP
Arab News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli left-wing leader calls for immediate end to Gaza war
JERUSALEM: Israeli left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan called on Monday for an immediate end to the Gaza war and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government no longer represented most Israelis. 'Today the government of Israel does not represent the vast majority of Israelis,' said Golan, chairman of the Democrats party and a former deputy army chief, days before a planned parliament vote which the opposition hopes would trigger a general election. He told journalists in a briefing that after more than 20 months of fighting, Israel 'should end the war as soon as possible.' Golan's party, a conglomeration of left-wing factions, has only four seats in Israel's 120-member legislature, making it one of its smallest political groups. But in a country where coalition building is essential to achieving a political majority, even relatively small parties can wield considerable power. Yair Golan's party, a conglomeration of left-wing factions, has only four seats in Israel's 120-member legislature, making it one of its smallest political groups. Golan, a former deputy minister in a short-lived administration that replaced Netanyahu in 2021-2022, said that the current government — one of the most right-wing in Israel's history — was a threat to democracy. The opposition leader said he represents those 'who want to save Israeli democracy ... from a corrupted future' and the 'messianic-like and nationalistic and extremist vision of a very small faction in the Israeli society.' 'The vast majority wants to keep Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and at the same time a free, egalitarian and democratic state,' Golan said. He said that the vast majority of Israelis wanted to see an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the return of all hostages held by Palestinian militants in a single exchange deal, and the establishment of a national commission of inquiry into Hamas's unprecedented 2023 attack, arguing that the Netanyahu government was opposed to these objectives. 'I believe that we can reach a hostage deal in a matter of days,' Golan said. 'I believe that by ending the war and freeing the hostages, we will be able to build an alternative to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip.' Criticizing the government's Gaza war policies, the former army general has recently drawn condemnation in Israel for saying that 'a sane country ... does not kill babies for a hobby.' Golan on Monday also said that most Israelis support legislation that would require ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, who are currently largely exempt from military service, to enlist. The issue has sparked tension between Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties in his government, with lawmakers threatening to topple the prime minister if no agreement is reached this week. Some opposition parties are seeking to place a bill to dissolve parliament on Wednesday's plenary agenda, hoping to capitalize on the ultra-Orthodox revolt. 'The vast majority wants new elections as soon as possible,' Golan said.
