Latest news with #ReligiousZionism
Vancouver Sun
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Netanyahu lands in DC for meeting with Trump at White House
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his delegation landed at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington on Monday morning, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Following his arrival, the Israeli leader was scheduled to meet with U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Macro Rubio for a 'preparatory meeting' ahead of a closed dinner with Trump, expected to take place around 6 p.m. Washington time, according to the schedule. The United States is pressuring Qatar to 'deliver' on efforts to finalize a deal for the release of hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization, according to Israel Hayom. A source familiar with the matter told the outlet that from the White House's perspective, with Israel having responded positively to the latest ceasefire proposal, it is now Qatar's responsibility to ensure Hamas agrees as well. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Israeli negotiating team in Doha updated Netanyahu's entourage that the atmosphere of the talks regarding the hostages is positive. A member of the prime minister's delegation rejected reports that the negotiations had stalled and said there was a good chance of reaching an agreement during Netanyahu's visit. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told JNS on Monday that the prime minister 'wants a deal' to free the hostages. 'It's in the open, he doesn't accept my position,' said Ben-Gvir, speaking with JNS at a Knesset meeting of his Otzma Yehudit Party. 'I think that's a big mistake. We have a disagreement on this subject. 'We agreed about [the targeted killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah, we agreed about Iran, we agreed on many things. On this subject, he does not agree with me,' he added. Last week, Trump said that 'we're close to a deal on Gaza,' adding: 'I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the coming week. We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out.' Looking ahead to his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said the two leaders would discuss a range of issues, starting with what he called the 'great success' of Israel's recent military operation against Iran. 'We had an incredible success, like nobody's had in many, many years. That was a precision war strike,' Trump said, referring to the American bombing of the Fordow nuclear site. 'The word 'obliteration' can now be used because the Atomic Energy Commission said you can't even get into the place. It was demolished. It was really demolished. It was a great, brilliant strike, and [we'll discuss] how to go forward,' the president asserted. Religious Zionism Knesset member Simcha Rothman told JNS on Monday that there exists an opportunity, following the victory over Iran, 'to create a new reality in the Middle East—and I believe there are no people more suited to do it than President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. 'I see many people talking about friction between them ever since the day Trump was elected,' Rothman continued. 'It's more wishful thinking on their part than reality. I don't think we've ever seen an American president and an Israeli prime minister this coordinated, and I'm sure it will stay that way.' Yesh Atid lawmaker Naor Shiri told JNS on Monday that the bilateral talks should 'focus on the hostages, the end of the fighting in Gaza, the day after and the continuation of the campaign against Iran.
France 24
26-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Netanyahu seeks to postpone trial summons after Trump backing
Trump's move in support of Netanyahu over the case drew criticism from some Israeli politicians, including a member of the Israeli leader's own coalition and the leader of the opposition. It came days after Trump and Netanyahu declared victory over Iran in a 12-day conflict that saw Israel bombard the Islamic republic and US planes also drop powerful missiles on its nuclear installations. In a filing to the tribunal, Netanyahu's lawyer Amit Hadad said the premier's testimony should be delayed in light of "regional and global developments". "The court is respectfully requested to order the cancellation of the hearings in which the prime minister was scheduled to testify in the coming two weeks," the filing said. It said Netanyahu was "compelled to devote all his time and energy to managing national, diplomatic and security issues of the utmost importance" following the conflict with Iran and during ongoing fighting in Gaza where Israeli hostages are held. Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a "witch hunt". In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Netanyahu trial "should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero", after the end of the war with Iran. Netanyahu on Thursday thanked Trump for his "heartfelt support for me and your incredible support for Israel and the Jewish people". "I look forward to continue working with you to defeat our common enemies, liberate our hostages and quickly expand the circle of peace," Netanyahu wrote on X, sharing a copy of Trump's Truth Social post. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in an interview with news website Ynet: "We are thankful to President Trump, but... the president should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country." Corruption charges Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in the trial, which has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020. In a first case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage in two Israeli media outlets. One of Netanyahu's coalition allies, Simcha Rothman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, also called for Trump to stay out of the court case. "It is not the role of the president of the United States to interfere in legal proceedings in the State of Israel," said Rothman, who chairs the Israeli parliament's judicial affairs committee. Rothman, a vocal critic of what he argues is judicial overreach, however said that "the management of Netanyahu's cases is transforming the image of the State of Israel from a regional and global power into a banana republic." National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of another far-right party in Netanyahu's coalition, backed Trump's call, branding the trial politically motivated. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it was "distorted, unreasonable, contrary to the basic sense of justice" to continue Netanyahu's trial while Israel is at war, also backing Trump's call to drop the charges. During his current term since late 2022, Netanyahu's government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts. Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the proceedings, most recently citing the ongoing war in Gaza since April 2023, later in Lebanon and earlier this month in Iran.
Int'l Business Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Netanyahu Seeks To Postpone Trial Summons After Trump Backing
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked a court on Thursday to postpone his testimony in his long-running corruption trial, after US President Donald Trump called for the case to be cancelled altogether. Trump's move in support of Netanyahu over the case drew criticism from some Israeli politicians, including a member of the Israeli leader's own coalition and the leader of the opposition. It came days after Trump and Netanyahu declared victory over Iran in a 12-day conflict that saw Israel bombard the Islamic republic and US planes also drop powerful missiles on its nuclear installations. In a filing to the tribunal, Netanyahu's lawyer Amit Hadad said the premier's testimony should be delayed in light of "regional and global developments". "The court is respectfully requested to order the cancellation of the hearings in which the prime minister was scheduled to testify in the coming two weeks," the filing said. It said Netanyahu was "compelled to devote all his time and energy to managing national, diplomatic and security issues of the utmost importance" following the conflict with Iran and during ongoing fighting in Gaza where Israeli hostages are held. Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a "witch hunt". In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Netanyahu trial "should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero", after the end of the war with Iran. Netanyahu on Thursday thanked Trump for his "heartfelt support for me and your incredible support for Israel and the Jewish people". "I look forward to continue working with you to defeat our common enemies, liberate our hostages and quickly expand the circle of peace," Netanyahu wrote on X, sharing a copy of Trump's Truth Social post. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in an interview with news website Ynet: "We are thankful to President Trump, but... the president should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country." Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in the trial, which has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020. In a first case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage in two Israeli media outlets. One of Netanyahu's coalition allies, Simcha Rothman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, also called for Trump to stay out of the court case. "It is not the role of the president of the United States to interfere in legal proceedings in the State of Israel," said Rothman, who chairs the Israeli parliament's judicial affairs committee. Rothman, a vocal critic of what he argues is judicial overreach, however said that "the management of Netanyahu's cases is transforming the image of the State of Israel from a regional and global power into a banana republic." National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of another far-right party in Netanyahu's coalition, backed Trump's call, branding the trial politically motivated. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it was "distorted, unreasonable, contrary to the basic sense of justice" to continue Netanyahu's trial while Israel is at war, also backing Trump's call to drop the charges. During his current term since late 2022, Netanyahu's government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts. Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the proceedings, most recently citing the ongoing war in Gaza since April 2023, later in Lebanon and earlier this month in Iran.
The Sun
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Israel opposition chief asks Trump not to ‘interfere' in Netanyahu trial
JERUSALEM: Israel's opposition leader on Thursday criticised US President Donald Trump for saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial should be cancelled, warning him against interfering in internal affairs. Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a 'witch hunt', echoing the Israeli premier's dismissal of the corruption charges which he has flatly rejected. In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Netanyahu trial 'should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero', after the end of a 12-day war with Iran. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in an interview with news website Ynet: 'We are thankful to President Trump, but... the president should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country.' Lapid, of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, backed a statement by one of Netanyahu's coalition allies, Simcha Rothman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, who called for Trump to stay out of the court case. 'It is not the role of the president of the United States to interfere in legal proceedings in the State of Israel,' said Rothman, who chairs the Israeli parliament's judicial affairs committee. Rothman, a vocal critic of what he argues is judicial overreach, however said that 'the management of Netanyahu's cases is transforming the image of the State of Israel from a regional and global power into a banana republic.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of another far-right party in Netnayhua's coalition, branded the trial as politically motivated. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it was 'distorted, unreasonable, contrary to the basic sense of justice' to continue Netanyahu's trial at war, backing Trump's call to drop the charges against the Israeli leader. Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister. During his current term since late 2022, his government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts. In the trial that has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020, Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. In a first case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. Two other cases allege that Netanyahu attempted to negotiate more favourable coverage in two Israeli media outlets. Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the proceedings, most recently citing the ongoing war in Gaza since April 2023, later in Lebanon and earlier this month in Iran.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who are Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli ministers facing sanctions?
The two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers facing sanctions from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway are critical to the political survival of Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2022 Netanyahu formed the most rightwing government in Israel's history, brokering a coalition with Bezalel Smotrich, whose Religious Zionism party has 14 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose Jewish Power party has six seats. They account for just 20 of his coalition's 67 seats in parliament but carry outsize influence because if they quit – which both repeatedly threaten to do – the government will fall. Netanyahu is currently on trial for corruption and fending off calls for an official inquiry into the 7 October 2023 attacks, and keen to avoid early elections. Here are short details of both men's lives and careers before entering government. Smotrich is a messianic settler who was born in the occupied Golan Heights in 1980, now lives in the occupied West Bank and has repeatedly called for Israeli settlers to return to Gaza. He believes Jews have a divine right to all land that made up biblical Israel. A commitment to expanding the area controlled by Jewish Israelis – both in de facto terms and through legal annexation – runs through his personal and political life. In 2005, he was arrested by the Shin Bet security services and questioned for weeks about his role in protests over Israel's plans to withdraw from Gaza, allegedly on suspicion of planning to block roads and damage infrastructure to try to block the withdrawal. He was released without charges being brought, set up an influential rightwing NGO focused on control of occupied land and won his first parliamentary seat in 2015. Smotrich is a self-declared 'fascist homophobe' who backed segregated maternity wards separating Jewish and Arab mothers and called for government reprisal attacks on Palestinians. He once organised an anti-gay 'Beast Parade' protest against Gay Pride. Ben-Gvir embraced extremism so young that Israel's domestic security forces barred him from serving in the country's army as a teenager. Born in 1976 to a family of Iraqi heritage in a small town outside Jerusalem, he became a far-right activist while still at school, and continued while studying law. By his early 30s he had been convicted of incitement to racism and support for a terrorist organisation. Those convictions did not stop him from becoming a lawyer, and he specialised in representing Jewish Israelis charged with terrorism-related offences. For years his living room was decorated with a portrait of the mass murderer Baruch Goldstein, who gunned down 29 Palestinians in a Hebron mosque in 1994. Goldstein, like Ben-Gvir, was an admirer of the extremist rabbi Meir Kahane. Having spent most of his life as a figure on Israel's political fringe, Ben-Gvir was given the security portfolio when he joined Netanyahu's government. He now controls the police forces that once arrested him, and the jails where he was once held.
