Latest news with #NationalSecurityMinistry
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘There is no more money': Kisch warns start of school year may be delayed due to funding issues
Kisch underscored that the budget issues were because the Finance Ministry and National Security Ministry had not finalized funding for the school security. Education MinisterYoav Kisch (Likud) on Wednesday warned that the start of the upcoming school year may be delayed due to unresolved funding issues. While speaking at the Knesset's Education Committee meeting, Kisch underscored that the budget issues were because the Finance Ministry and National Security Ministry had not finalized funding for school security. 'Without providing security for educational institutions, we will not begin the school year,' Kisch said at the committee meeting. 'I call on the Finance Ministry to wake up. After October 7, how will parents leave their children without security?' Education Committee chairperson Yosef Taieb (Shas) said in the meeting. Zohar Ullman Yechizkel from the National Security Ministry told those at the committee that 'the money is gone.' 'There is no more money,' Yechizkel stressed, adding that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was working to resolve the problem. 'Close up and go home' Kisch also stressed that delaying the start of the school year would have significant financial consequences, which he claimed would cost more than providing funding for security measures at schools. 'If I were the Education Ministry, I would not open the school year in this situation,' Taieb said. 'Close up and go home,' he added. Kisch also mentioned the salary agreement called Ofek Hadash (New Horizons), which began in the public school system in 2008. Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) schools were expected to enter the salary agreement, which was intended to enable salary raises for thousands of teachers in the two major haredi elementary school systems. However, the agreements had not been reached with the Finance Ministry and Justice Ministry due to a number of key issues. Kisch told those at the committee meeting that expanding Ofek Hadash to include the haredi community 'was not happening.' He said the reason for this was due to the attorney-general's interference, which he said 'raised a lot of difficulties, many of which stem from an oppositional worldview toward the government.' 'The attempt to sabotage the haredi community is a serious mistake in my opinion. There was an opportunity here to advance the entire education system in the haredi community, and it is being prevented from us,' Kisch stated. On Tuesday, a Finance Committee meeting took place to discuss reallocating millions of shekels of the state budget. Among the funds being approved for reallocation were millions of shekels in finances going toward haredi education. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel Police investigates left-wing journalist for expressing joy at death of five IDF soldiers
"The world is a better place this morning, without five young men who participated in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity," haredi left-wing journalist, Israel Frey, wrote on X/Twitter. A journalist is being investigated by Israel Police for expressing joy over the death of the five IDF soldiers in Beit Hanun, police confirmed on Tuesday. "Following the disgraceful post this morning on X/Twitter, the combined incitement team of the National Security Ministry and Israel Police's Intelligence Division formulated a recommendation to expedite the process," into opening an investigation of the terrorist for inciting terrorism, the police confirmed. The prosecution decided to open the case, but police have not stated that the journalist has been arrested or detained at the time of writing. This came after haredi left-wing journalist, Israel Frey, wrote, "The world is a better place this morning, without five young men who participated in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity," during a post on X on Tuesday morning. "Only in Israel can you both 'oppose' the war and 'be shocked' by what we are doing in Gaza, and also, in the same breath, send heartfelt condolences to those who actually carried out the atrocities. It's very simple: your leniency toward the criminals is indifference toward the crime. And the condolences are the legitimization and fuel for the continuation of the atrocities. Choose a side," Frey added in a second post.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Comptroller annual report: 67% of public complaints about Israel-Hamas War justified
The annual report is an important indicator of where public dissatisfaction lies, and can indicate to the government specific improvement points. There were 21,592 complaints about public authorities in 2024, and just under half (46%) were justified or had already been rectified, the office of Matanyahu Engleman, State Comptroller and Ombudsman, announced on Tuesday. The annual report is an important indicator of where public dissatisfaction lies, and can indicate to the government specific improvement points. On October 12, 2023, just five days after Hamas's massacre, the State Comptroller's Office opened a hotline to gather complaints and requests, and clarify people's rights for them. Its representatives visited 90 evacuee sites throughout the country. From October 7, 2023, to December 31, 2024, the ombudsman received 3,872 complaints related specifically to the war – 2,269 of them from 2024 alone. Over half (67.1%) were found to be justified. By far, complaints regarding theNational Security Ministry outweigh the rest, at 1,577 complaints and at a 500% increase from 2023 – mostly concerning the hundreds of thousands of requests for personal weapons licenses, which caused delays in the process, leading to complaints – 85% of which were justified. 'A 500% rise in complaints on the matter of requests for personal weapons licenses demands a thorough examination of the management of this office. By the end of 2024 – over a year after theIsrael-Hamas War began, there had been thousands of justified criticisms of government offices. It is on the national security minister and the other relevant ministers to prioritize public service and make the necessary changes,' Engleman said. Up next was the National Insurance Institute (NII) at 370 complaints, mostly regarding war-related compensations, and the Israel Tax Authority (ITA) at 338 complaints, regarding compensation grants. The Tourism Ministry received 171 complaints, dealing with alternative housing locations for evacuees and those whose homes were damaged in the war, while 139 complaints were regarding the Ashkelon municipality, concerning grants and treatment of evacuees. These issues characterize the issues of the war itself. From the start of the war until 2024, 999 complaints were levied by evacuees regarding the emergency situation, making up 26% of such complaints. One example was a Nova music festival victim who continued receiving electric bills to his address, even after his murder, including demands for interest. His parents complained to the ombudsman and got the bills canceled, a saga they said caused them much disgust and frustration. Another was in Nahariya, where a children's kindergarten didn't have a shelter nearby. A complaint to the ombudsman got it set up. Overall, around NIS 10 million were granted to citizens who made requests through the Ombudsman's office. The annual report details that 33% of the complaints were about public service, 9% about education, 7% consumerism, 5% licensing, and 4% health and taxes. Nearly all the complaints took 59 days to be dealt with, even though they were not complicated enough to warrant such a long waiting time. The complaints against the Labor Ministry were found to be 72% justified, and of those against the Israel Postal Company, 60% were justified. Complaints to the Transport Ministry, in contrast, dropped by 15%. By gender, men submitted more complaints (59.1%) than women (40.1%).
Arab News
01-04-2025
- Arab News
West Bank teenager dies in Israel jail
JERUSALEM: A teenager from the West Bank who was held in an Israeli prison for six months without being charged died after collapsing in unclear circumstances, becoming the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention, officials said. Walid Ahmad, 17, was a healthy high schooler before his arrest in September for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, his family said. Rights groups have documented widespread abuse in Israeli detention facilities holding thousands of Palestinians who were rounded up after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Khalid Ahmad, Walid's father, said his son was a lively teen who enjoyed playing soccer before he was taken from his home in the occupied West Bank during a predawn arrest raid. Prison authorities deny any systematic abuse and say they investigate accusations of wrongdoing by prison staff. But the Israeli ministry overseeing prisons acknowledges conditions inside detention facilities have been reduced to the minimum level allowed under Israeli law. Israel's prison service did not respond to questions about the cause of death. It said only that a 17-year-old from the West Bank had died in Megiddo Prison. This facility has previously been accused of abusing Palestinian inmates, 'with his medical condition being kept confidential.' It said it investigates all deaths in detention. Khalid Ahmad, Walid's father, said his son was a lively teen who enjoyed playing soccer before he was taken from his home in the occupied West Bank during a predawn arrest raid. Six months later, after several brief court appearances during which no trial date was set, Walid collapsed on March 23 in a prison yard and struck his head, dying soon after, Palestinians officials said, citing eyewitness accounts from other prisoners. The family believes Walid contracted amebic dysentery from the poor conditions in the prison, an infection that causes diarrhea, vomiting, and dizziness — and can be fatal if left untreated. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority says he is the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention — and the 63rd Palestinian from the West Bank or Gaza since the start of the war. Palestinian prisoner rights groups say that is about one-fifth of the roughly 300 Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The Palestinian Authority says Israel is holding the bodies of 72 Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli jails, including 61 who died since the beginning of the war. Conditions in Israeli prisons have worsened since the start of the war, former detainees told The Associated Press. They described beatings, severe overcrowding, insufficient medical care, scabies outbreaks and poor sanitary conditions. Israel's National Security Ministry, which oversees the prison service and is run by ultranationalist Cabinet Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has boasted of reducing the conditions of Palestinian detainees 'to the minimum required by law.' It says the policy is aimed at deterring attacks. Israel has rounded up thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, saying it suspects them of militancy. Many have been held for months without charge or trial in what is known as administrative detention, which Israel justifies as a necessary security measure. Others are arrested on suspicion of aggression toward soldiers but have their trials continuously delayed as the military and Israel's security services gather evidence. Walid sat through at least four court appearances over videoconference, his father said. Each session lasted about three minutes, and another hearing was scheduled for April 21, Walid's father said. In a February session, four months after Walid was detained, his father noticed that his son appeared to be in poor health. 'His body was weakened due to malnutrition in the prisons in general,' the elder Ahmad said. He said Walid told him he had gotten scabies — a contagious skin rash caused by mites that causes intense itching — but had been cured. 'Don't worry about me,' his father remembers him saying. Khalid Ahmad later visited his son's friend, a former soccer teammate who had been held with Walid in the same prison. The friend told him Walid had lost weight but that he was OK. Four days later, the family heard that a 17-year-old had died in prison. An hour and half later, they got the news that it was Walid. 'We felt the same way as all the parents of the prisoners and all the families and mothers of the prisoners,' said Khalid Ahmad. 'We can only say, 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to him we shall return.'' Walid's lawyer, Firas Al-Jabrini, said Israeli authorities denied his requests to visit his client in prison. But he says three prisoners held alongside Walid told him that he was suffering from dysentery, saying it was widespread among young Palestinians held at the facility. They said Walid suffered from severe diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness, the lawyer said. He said they suspected the disease was spreading because of dirty water, as well as cheese and yogurt that prison guards brought in the morning and that sat out all day while detainees were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Megiddo, in northern Israel, 'is the harshest prison for minors,' Al-Jabrini said. He said he was told that rooms designed for six prisoners often held 16, with some sleeping on the floor. Many complained of scabies and eczema. Thaer Shriteh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority's detainee commission, said Walid collapsed and hit his head on a metal rod, losing consciousness. 'The prison administration did not respond to the prisoners' requests for urgent care to save his life,' he said, citing witnesses who spoke to the commission. The lawyer and the Palestinian official both said an autopsy is needed to determine the cause of death. Israel has agreed to perform one, but a date has not been set. 'The danger in this matter is that the Israeli occupation authorities have not yet taken any action to stop this disease and have not provided any treatment in general to save the prisoners in Megiddo prison,' Shriteh said.
CBC
01-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Palestinian from West Bank first detainee under 18 to die in Israeli prison: officials
A teenager from the West Bank who was held in an Israeli prison for six months without being charged died after collapsing in unclear circumstances, becoming the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention, officials said. Walid Ahmad, 17, was a healthy high schooler before his arrest in September for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, his family said. Rights groups have documented widespread abuse in Israeli detention facilities holding thousands of Palestinians who were rounded up after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Prison authorities deny any systematic abuse and say they investigate accusations of wrongdoing by prison staff. But the Israeli ministry overseeing prisons acknowledges conditions inside detention facilities have been reduced to the minimum level allowed under Israeli law. Israel's prison service did not respond to questions about the cause of death. It said only that a 17-year-old from the West Bank had died in Megiddo Prison, a facility that's previously been accused of abusing Palestinian inmates, "with his medical condition being kept confidential." It said it investigates all deaths in detention. Khalid Ahmad, Walid's father, said his son was a lively teen who enjoyed playing soccer before he was taken from his home in the occupied West Bank during a predawn arrest raid. Six months later, after several brief court appearances, during which no trial date was set, Walid collapsed on March 23 in a prison yard and struck his head, dying soon after, Palestinians officials said, citing eyewitness accounts from other prisoners. The family believes Walid contracted amoebic dysentery from the poor conditions in the prison, an infection that causes diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness — and can be fatal if left untreated. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority says Walid is the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention — and the 63rd Palestinian from the West Bank or Gaza since the start of the war. Palestinian prisoner rights groups say that is about one-fifth of the roughly 300 Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The Palestinian Authority says Israel is holding the bodies of 72 Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli jails, including 61 who died since the beginning of the war. Conditions in Israeli prisons have worsened since the start of the war, former detainees told The Associated Press. They described beatings, severe overcrowding, insufficient medical care, scabies outbreaks and poor sanitary conditions. Israel's National Security Ministry, which oversees the prison service and is run by ultra-nationalist cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has boasted of reducing the conditions of Palestinian detainees "to the minimum required by law." It says the policy is aimed at deterring attacks. 'Don't worry about me,' father remembers him saying Israel has rounded up thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, saying it suspects them of militancy. Many have been held for months without charge or trial in what is known as administrative detention, which Israel justifies as a necessary security measure. Others are arrested on suspicion of aggression toward soldiers but have their trials continuously delayed, as the military and Israel's security services gather evidence. Walid sat through at least four court appearances over video conference, his father said. Each session lasted about three minutes, and another hearing was scheduled for April 21, Walid's father said. WATCH | Doctor who spent 6 months in Israeli prisons released without charge: Gaza doctor released after being detained in Israeli custody for more than six months 6 months ago Duration 1:33 Dr. Khaled Al Serr was released by Israeli forces on Sept. 29 after spending more than six months in Israeli prisons. The 32-year-old surgeon, who works at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in Gaza, said he was interrogated, humiliated and beaten only to be suddenly released last week without any charges. In a February session, four months after Walid was detained, his father noticed his son appeared to be in poor health. "His body was weakened due to malnutrition in the prisons in general," Ahmad said. He said Walid told him he had gotten scabies — a contagious skin rash caused by mites that causes intense itching — but had been cured. "Don't worry about me," his father remembers him saying. Four days after Khalid Ahmad visited his son's friend, a former soccer teammate who had been held with Walid in the same prison, the family received the news of Walid's death. "We felt the same way as all the parents of the prisoners and all the families and mothers of the prisoners," said Khalid Ahmad. "We can only say, 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to him we shall return.'" 'Harshest prison for minors' Walid's lawyer, Firas al-Jabrini, said Israeli authorities denied his requests to visit his client in prison. But he says three prisoners held alongside Walid told him he was suffering from dysentery, saying it was widespread among young Palestinians held at the facility. He said they suspected the disease was spreading because of dirty water, as well as cheese and yogurt that prison guards brought in the morning and that sat out all day while detainees were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Megiddo, in northern Israel, "is the harshest prison for minors," al-Jabrini said. He said he was told that rooms designed for six prisoners often held 16, with some sleeping on the floor. Many complained of scabies and eczema. Thaer Shriteh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority's detainee commission, said Walid collapsed and hit his head on a metal rod, losing consciousness. "The prison administration did not respond to the prisoners' requests for urgent care to save his life," he said, citing witnesses who spoke to the commission. The lawyer and the Palestinian official both said an autopsy is needed to determine the cause of death. Israel has agreed to perform one but a date has not been set.
