Latest news with #Segal
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu coalition threatened by conscription standoff with religious parties
Israel is facing a deepening political crisis that could soon bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, as one of its key ultra-Orthodox partners threatens to leave the government and back an opposition-led motion to dissolve parliament next week. In a dramatic escalation on Thursday, the Council of Torah Scholars today instructed the Agudat Yisrael party to submit its own bill to dissolve the Knesset. Recent Israeli opinion polls indicate that Netanyahu's coalition would likely lose power if elections were held today. The crisis centers on long-standing tensions over military conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men. While most Israelis are required to serve – three years for men, two for women – Haredi men have long been granted exemptions, a policy increasingly seen as untenable amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Trump Admin Stands By Israel, Rejects Un Resolution Backed By Uk And France Haaretz political correspondent Amir Tibon said, "The real crisis shaking Netanyahu's coalition isn't just religion versus state – it's the war in Gaza, and who will be forced to fight it. Discrimination against those who serve in the military is one of the few issues that unites a vast majority of Israelis – and they want it to end." According to IDF estimates, there are approximately 60,000 ultra-Orthodox men of conscription age. Read On The Fox News App "The crisis stems from the October 7 massacre," said Amit Segal, political correspondent for Israel's Channel 12. "Before the war, many Israelis already resented Haredi draft exemptions. Now, with the IDF short on soldiers, that anger has reached a boiling point." Segal said Netanyahu's coalition is currently eyeing Oct. 21, 2025, as a possible election date, but warned that if the ultra-Orthodox parties leave, early elections could become inevitable. "It's unlikely the ultra-Orthodox parties will topple the government – they're in their ideal coalition," he stated. "But if they do leave, elections in October are likely." In March, Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the draft exemptions were unconstitutional and ordered the government to resolve the issue. But Netanyahu's coalition – which relies heavily on the 18 seats held by the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism – remains split. The Haredi parties are demanding new legislation that would enshrine the exemptions in law. Without it, they threaten to quit. Israeli Ambassador Lashes Out At Un Official, Condemns Uk, France, Canada Statement On Aid If those parties walk, Netanyahu's coalition could collapse, Segal explained, "The prime minister has seven weeks until the Knesset enters a months-long recess and will fight to survive until then. But with a bill to dissolve the Knesset set to be presented next week, there's no guarantee he'll reach July 27 as prime minister." The bill, introduced by opposition party Yesh Atid, led by former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, is set for a vote on June 11. It needs 61 votes to pass – a number that could be reached if even a few coalition members defect. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has announced a political comeback with a new party, tentatively called "Bennett 2026." Israeli media polls suggest Bennett would win 24 to 28 seats if elections were held today, overtaking Netanyahu's Likud, which is projected to receive only 19 to 22 article source: Netanyahu coalition threatened by conscription standoff with religious parties
Deccan Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
Writing down life's bitter truths
The publisher's summary of Segal's 1976 novella, Lucinella, might suggest it's a straightforward send-up of literary egos and writing residencies, but to read it is to be constantly wrong-footed.
Vancouver Sun
29-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
U.S. uncertainty changes stakes for B.C. startups at Web Summit Vancouver
The international tech conference Web Summit that landed in Vancouver this week is the kind of big-pond event that British Columbia's startup companies usually have to travel to in search of the financing and talent they need to advance. 'I think it just opens doors and provides opportunity for connection that wouldn't exist elsewhere,' said Carlyn Loncaric, founder of VodaSafe. Her company, which makes a portable, hand-held sonar device called AquaSafe, is one of more than 300 B.C.-based startups represented at Web Summit Vancouver, the North American edition of the globally known series of conferences that has drawn an audience of more than 15,000 attendees. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. 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 Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Speaking at the B.C. Pavilion Wednesday, Loncaric said the experience has been 'very overwhelming.' She said VodaSafe has raised $3.5 million for the startup and has sold more than 1,000 AquaSafe units in 50 countries around the world, but is looking to raise another $1.5 million in financing, which makes Web Summit an attractive place for them. 'It brings people from all different countries around the world,' she added. 'You don't usually get that at any other conference.' Web Summit also has a reputation for giving a bigger presence to startups that might look like small fish at other, larger conferences, said company founder David Segal. Startups are usually 'off to the side' of other major conferences, 'but they've done an amazing job weaving us little guys in among the big guys,' said Segal, who invented an earbud-based neural device that can be used to control any device. 'You're at a critical mass of incredibly intelligent people, some of which are high net worth, some of which are executives and companies you want to partner with,' Segal said. And they are small examples of what Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim was hoping Web Summit would bring to the city as one of the champions, along with B.C. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey, for wrestling the event away from Toronto. Sim said Vancouver spent $250,000 of the more than $6 million from all levels of government that went into securing Web Summit for the city, and in his mind the event has 'already hit all of our targets.' VodaSafe and Naqi Logix were among the first of three waves of startups gaining exposure over three days at the B.C. Pavilion at Web Summit, which has some higher stakes due to the uncertainty posed by the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump. That has put a higher priority on events such as Web Summit to help B.C. diversify its economy away from the U.S. and Trump's threats of tariffs. '(Web Summit) is even more important because we have so many international investors coming in, so many international media coming in,' said Peter Cowan, CEO of the Crown agency Innovate B.C. 'This gives us an opportunity to put B.C. companies on world stage, and they don't even have to leave their backyard.' Cowan said one of Innovate B.C.'s mandates is to offer support to B.C.-based tech firms so they can 'scale and be able to export technology and create jobs.' 'I think where Web Summit comes in as an important piece is it really centres us all around one event that we can get companies prepped and ready,' Cowan said. 'I think there's 1,000 startups coming.' Innovate B.C. was a partner, along with DigiBC, Life Sciences B.C., Quantum Algorithms Institute and AInBC, in putting together the B.C. Pavilion, which was the biggest among 50 trade delegations from around the world, including South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine and Nigeria. Web Summit co-founder Paddy Cosgrave said the event, while smaller than the previous editions of Collision in Toronto, attracted a record number 1,108 startups from 64 countries to exhibit at a first-year startup. They are all vying for the attention of the 159 potential partner firms, including some of the biggest tech companies such as Microsoft, IBM and Fujitsu, and 681 investors, the giants Thiel Capital, Kholsa Ventures and Initialized Capital among them. 'To put it very bluntly, I think we're quite fortunate that the event is in Vancouver,' Cosgrave said Wednesday. Web Summit's main event in Lisbon garners attendance of more than 70,000 delegates from around the world and their initial stop in Vancouver for its North American event has drawn attendance from more than 100 countries. Cosgrave noted that top U.S. convention destinations, such as Las Vegas, by contrast, have seen international attendance drop by double-digit percentages due to concerns over tighter U.S. border policies. 'Honestly, just incredibly fortunate that we are north of that border currently. I think we would have experienced huge pressures were we in the United States,' Cosgrave said. depenner@
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ADL urges Americans to fight hate after deadly shooting in DC
As authorities investigate the deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is urging Americans to confront hatred. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement that he felt the shooting was "inevitable" in a "climate of relentless antisemitism" in the U.S. This aligns with the ADL's findings in its annual audit, which showed that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2024. "I can't help but think this persistent level of demonization and harassment of Israelis and Jews, along with this rhetoric that celebrates terrorism and violence against Israelis and, you know, made for an environment that enabled this to happen," ADL Senior Vice President of Counter-Extremism and Intelligence, Oren Segal told Fox News Digital. Fatal Shooting Of Israeli Embassy Workers In Dc Sparks Outrage From Trump, Israeli President The ADL recorded 151 antisemitic incidents in Washington, D.C., in 2024, a drop from the 171 incidents reported in 2023. However, both 2023 and 2024 represent large spikes compared to 2022, when just 37 incidents were recorded. Segal told Fox News Digital that the ADL has observed anti-Israel language becoming "more militant" and moving away from criticisms of the Israeli government and its policies, which he said are not antisemitic. He also added that after Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre "people were more willing to tolerate the types of activities targeting the Jewish community that, you know, would seem anathema to anybody else." Read On The Fox News App Antisemitic Incidents Break Record For 4Th Straight Year, Adl Finds "This was not just against the Jewish community of D.C., but an assault on all Jewish Americans and indeed all Americans," Greenblatt said in a statement about the shooting. "We know that words have consequences. When antisemitic rhetoric is normalized, tolerated, or even amplified in our public discourse, it creates an environment where violence against Jews becomes more likely." Elias Rodriguez, 30, who is suspected of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy workers — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim — reportedly yelled "Free, Free Palestine" as he was being taken into custody. Several Jewish commentators online have said that the shooting is emblematic of what "globalize the intifada" — a slogan used in anti-Israel protests — means. "The concern that many in the Jewish community have when they hear phrases like 'globalize the intifada' is that it reminds them of the intifadas that occurred, right, which were violent," Segal told Fox News Digital. "They featured suicide bombings, a lot of death and destruction. So, when you call for the globalization of an intifada, many people hear that as calling for the globalization for violence against Jews." He added that the fatal shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C., was a "pretty clear" case of antisemitism. Witness Recounts Chilling Moment Dc Jewish Museum Shooter Confessed 'I Did This For Gaza' Segal also said that since Oct. 7, the ADL has seen an increase in the marginalization of the Jewish community, including "these efforts to normalize that any Jewish person or anybody who supports Israel is a legitimate target." He recalled that just as after Oct. 7, there were those who justified the massacre, there are those who are trying to excuse the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim. "I think what we need to remember is that when we have been calling out the most extreme rhetoric at protests and events around the country, we haven't focused on criticism of Israel. We have focused on the type of language and activity that we believe, that we have seen leads to violence," Segal told Fox News Digital. "And so, I hope that when people try to contextualize what happened in D.C., they look back at what we have been trying to say, what we have been warning about because I think if you understand how words lead to action, more people hopefully will be part of that solution in pushing back against these narratives."Original article source: ADL urges Americans to fight hate after deadly shooting in DC
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Central New York Jewish community responds to Washington Museum shooting
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The recent shooting outside of a Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, May 21, has deeply disturbed many, including the local Jewish community here in Central New York. For Mark Segal, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of CNY, the murders were disturbing but not a shock. 'It's not about being Jewish,' said Segal, 'if you are associated with any Jewish organization in any way, you are at risk, and this is what we saw last night.' Since the incident, Segal has been actively working, starting by evaluating the safety risk for his fellow Jews here in Central New York and ensuring there are proper precautions in place. 'We've been on high alert since October 7, the 23, and we've been on somewhat high alert even before that,' said Segal. Here locally, this organization has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars just on security for safety, stating they've hired armed guards and off-duty police officers. According to the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) 2024 report, a record of 9,354 antisemitic incidents were documented in 2024, marking it the highest number since the league began in 1979. These incidents have included harassment, vandalism, and assault. Harassment makes up the majority of these cases. While these numbers may be national, the reaction here in Central New York is deeply personal. Local mom and activist Sam Garrlick says the rise in anti-Semitic incidents isn't something they just read about — It's something that the Jewish community lives with daily. 'What's been going on in this country since October 7 has been a continuous increase of antisemitism, hate,' said Garrlick, reminding that 'Unfortunately, we've seen an increase in antisemitism here locally as well.' The local mom expresses the importance of education and open communication despite the hate they've received. Garrlick highlighted the power of teaching children about love, diversity, and respect. 'We have my son, my Jewish son, sitting next to a Muslim child where the two of them can be having open and constructive and respectful conversations about our differences,' said Garrlick. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
