Latest news with #YeshAtid
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘600 days that we fight for our lives': Israel marks a milestone of pain and prayer
Hostage families and Knesset members joined Christian supporters of Israel worldwide to mark 600 days since the October 7, 2023 attacks and pray for the 58 hostages still held captive. Six hundred days since his son, Itay Chen, was abducted by Hamas forces, Ruby Chen's message to the crowd at the Knesset auditorium was personal, not political. 'I'm standing here as a father,' Chen said. For more stories from The Media Line go to He explained that his family had chosen not to hold a shiva—the traditional Jewish week of mourning—despite being told by Israeli intelligence that Itay was killed on the day he was abducted from his tank on the Gaza border. 'Not because we don't believe in the Jewish faith—on the contrary. It's because we still have hope that he could come back,' Chen said. Until he and his wife know with absolute certainty that their son is dead, they refuse to give up hope. Chen made these comments as part of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, an annual interfaith gathering founded in 2017 to foster global prayer and diplomatic solidarity with Israel. Addressing the crowd, he emphasized that the goals of dismantling Hamas and returning all the hostages 'don't always coexist.' 'It is unfortunate that after 600 days, I am still standing here, wishing to see my son back, as well as 57 other hostages,' he said. The event was marked by the weight of war, grief, and a resolute hope for the return of the hostages—shared by worshipers from dozens of countries. Albert Veksler, director of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, highlighted the importance of holding the gathering inside the Israeli Knesset. 'We are not just praying generically for peace,' he said. 'We are praying for names. For the return of captives. For justice to prevail.' Addressing hostage families and parliamentarians, Veksler described the moment as 'prophetic'—a call for faith-based solidarity to become a voice for the voiceless. The session was sponsored by MK Matan Kahana, who opened by reflecting on his own experience in the security cabinet before the war. 'We sanctify life. They sanctify death and murder,' he said of Hamas. 'We didn't believe them. And now we understand—they really mean what they are saying.' MK Moshe Turpaz of the centrist Yesh Atid party, who returned to active military duty on the morning of October 7, 2023, addressed the crowd with solemn urgency: 'Six hundred days since this war began. Six hundred days that our brothers and sisters are still in Gaza. Six hundred days that we fight for our lives.' Fellow party member MK Tatiana Mazarsky spoke of the deep ache shared by Israeli families as the hostages' captivity drags on. 'No joy can be complete while our brothers remain in captivity … held underground, without food and water, 600 days already,' she said. 'Every single day counts. Every hour could save a life.' MK Simon Davidson, also of Yesh Atid, expressed deep appreciation for the global supporters present. 'We need your support. We need your prayers. And we need you speaking on behalf of Israel, on behalf of our soldiers, on behalf of the right—and not the evil—in the world,' he said. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, acting in his capacity as head of Israel's legislature, formally welcomed the international delegation and emphasized the moral clarity of their stance. 'When the nations of the world stand with Jerusalem, they are standing with truth, with justice, and with the values that sustain free societies,' he said. Also present were MK Ohad Tal of the Religious Zionism party and MK Amit Halevi of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, both of whom used their remarks to underscore the historic nature of the Jewish return to sovereignty. Tal referred to the 'miracle of Jewish revival' while Halevi called Jerusalem 'the eternal capital of a people who never left it in their prayers or their tears.' One of the final speakers was Eduard Heger, former prime minister of Slovakia, who used the platform to deliver a public act of repentance. 'Please forgive us,' he said. 'In 1941, Slovakia issued a Jewish Codex that stripped our Jewish citizens of their rights. Eighty years later, as Prime Minister, I led an official apology.' Turning to the room of lawmakers and believers from dozens of nations, he called on his fellow attendees to interrogate their own countries' histories. 'If there is a sin against Israel, follow the path of reconciliation,' he urged. Among the many Christians attending was Dale Ditto, a financial adviser and attorney from Kentucky, who has participated in the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast since its founding in 2017. He told The Media Line that people often ask whether he is afraid to travel to Israel. 'But when I come to Jerusalem, I feel peace,' he said. 'We worship the same God,' Ditto said of Jews and Christians. 'We want his will to be done on earth. I think my being here will have an effect around the world.' Former MK Rabbi Yehudah Glick described the gathering as 'very significant.' 'To know that we have so much friendship and so many supporters of Israel is something that gives us strength,' he told The Media Line. Glick, who chairs the Shalom Jerusalem Foundation and also leads the Amitsim organization for young widows and orphans, called the global Christian movement toward Israel 'the second greatest miracle of our era' after the establishment of the state of Israel. 'These people are not just coming here. They're going back home and becoming ambassadors—political ambassadors, spiritual ambassadors, educational ambassadors,' he said. He added that God should be praised daily for the friendship between Christians and Jews. 'It's a miracle that must not be taken for granted,' he said.
Arab News
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli opposition leader fears political violence over Shin Bet affair
TEL AVIV: Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said he feared an outbreak of political violence connected to what he called a campaign of hate against the country's internal security chief, whom the government has moved to sack. 'The red line has been crossed. If we don't stop this, there will be a political murder here, maybe more than one. Jews will kill jews,' Lapid said at a press conference in Tel Aviv, adding that 'the most serious threats are directed at the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar.' Bar's dismissal as head of the internal security agency has been challenged in court by the opposition, which decried it as a sign of anti-democratic drift on the part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. Bar has suggested his ouster was linked to investigations into Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack 'and other serious matters,' while Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has warned of 'a personal conflict of interest on the part of the prime minister due to the criminal investigations involving his associates.' The supreme court froze the government's initial attempt to sack Bar, and earlier this month it gave the cabinet and the attorney general's office until the end of the just concluded Passover holiday to work out a compromise. Bar could resign soon, according to media reports, which would bring the matter to a close. Lapid, leader of the center-right Yesh Atid party, argued that Bar should resign over his agency's failure to prevent the October 7 attack, and acknowledged the government had the legal authority to dismiss him, provided it was done through due process and 'approved by the court.' But he also held Netanyahu responsible for a campaign of threats levelled at Bar. Lapid presented screenshots of social media posts containing death threats against the security chief, telling Netanyahu: 'Stop this.' 'Instead of supporting incitement (to hatred), support the Shin Bet, the security forces, the systems that keep this country alive,' he added. In 1995, the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist after a campaign of violent rhetoric against him sent shockwaves through Israel. Some accused then-opposition leader Netanyahu of not doing enough to discourage incitement to violence at the time.
Nahar Net
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Israel parliament expands political control over judicial appointments
by Naharnet Newsdesk 27 March 2025, 17:46 Israel's parliament on Thursday passed a law expanding the power of politicians over judge appointments in defiance of a years-long protest movement against the judicial reforms pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The approval came with Netanyahu's government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, locked in a standoff with the supreme court after the premier began proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and announced the sacking of Ronen Bar, head of the internal security agency. Critics said the new law was a "catastrophe" and a "nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy," while the opposition swiftly filed a petition with the supreme court challenging the law. The legislation was approved by a vote of 67 in favor and one against, with the opposition boycotting the early-morning vote. Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has 120 members. The overall judicial reform package sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel's history in 2023 before being overtaken by the war in Gaza. According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to "restore balance" between the legislative and judicial branches. In his closing remarks ahead of the vote, Levin slammed the supreme court, saying it had "effectively nullified the Knesset". "It has taken for itself the authority to cancel laws and even Basic Laws. This is something unheard of in any democracy in the world," said Levin, the key architect of the judicial changes. Israel lacks a written constitution, but it has a number of Basic Laws which set out things such as human rights and the powers of the parliament. "But our supreme court didn't stop at trampling the Knesset; it placed itself above the government. It can annul any government action, compel the government to perform any action, cancel any government appointment. "The days of appeasement and silencing are over, never to return," Levin said. - 'Catastrophe' - Currently, judges -- including supreme court justices -- are selected by a nine-member committee comprising judges, lawmakers, and bar association representatives, under the justice minister's supervision. Under the new law, which would take effect at the start of the next legislative term, the committee would still have nine members: three supreme court judges, the justice minister and another minister, one coalition lawmaker, one opposition lawmaker, and two public representatives -— one appointed by the majority and the other by the opposition. Yair Lapid, leader of the center-right Yesh Atid party, announced on X that he had filed an appeal with the supreme court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties, just minutes after the parliamentary vote. "Instead of focusing all efforts on their (Israeli hostages in Gaza) return and healing the divisions within the people, this government is returning to the exact legislation that divided the public before October 7," Lapid said in his post. "The amendment passed by the Knesset is another nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy," said Eliad Shraga, head of Israeli NGO the Movement for Quality Government in Israel and one of the petitioners against the law. "This is a calculated attempt to take control of the judicial system and turn it into a tool in the hands of politicians," he said in a statement. Claude Klein, a public law expert at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, said enactment of the law would be a "catastrophe". "They want to take real power. Netanyahu thinks that the supreme court is keeping him from running the country his way," he told AFP. Klein said that over the decades, the top court had expanded its scope of action, in particular by ruling that any legal precedent or law can be reviewed or annulled, a concept to which Levin was "extremely hostile". - New protests - The government's judicial reforms package, first unveiled in early 2023, triggered massive weekly street protests that polarized Israeli society. Netanyahu's detractors warn the multi-pronged package could pave the way for authoritarian rule and be used by the prime minister to quash any possible convictions against him in his ongoing corruption trial, an accusation the premier denies. Rallies have again erupted in key cities and on Wednesday thousands protested against the bill before it was approved in parliament. Netanyahu slammed the opposition in parliament on Wednesday. "Perhaps you could stop putting spanners in the works of the government in the middle of a war. Perhaps you could stop fueling the sedition, hatred and anarchy in the streets," he said.
Khaleej Times
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Israel parliament expands political control over judicial appointments
Israel's parliament on Thursday passed a law expanding the power of politicians over judge appointments in defiance of a years-long protest movement against the judicial reforms pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The approval came with Netanyahu's government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, locked in a standoff with the supreme court after the premier began proceedings to dismiss Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and announced the sacking of Ronen Bar, head of the internal security agency. Critics said the new law was a "catastrophe" and a "nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy," while the opposition swiftly filed a petition with the supreme court challenging the law. The legislation was approved by a vote of 67 in favour and one against, with the opposition boycotting the early-morning vote. Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has 120 members. The overall judicial reform package sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel's history in 2023 before being overtaken by the war in Gaza. According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to "restore balance" between the legislative and judicial branches. In his closing remarks ahead of the vote, Levin slammed the supreme court, saying it had "effectively nullified the Knesset". "It has taken for itself the authority to cancel laws and even Basic Laws. This is something unheard of in any democracy in the world," said Levin, the key architect of the judicial changes. Israel lacks a written constitution, but it has a number of Basic Laws which set out things such as human rights and the powers of the parliament. "But our supreme court didn't stop at trampling the Knesset; it placed itself above the government. It can annul any government action, compel the government to perform any action, cancel any government appointment. "The days of appeasement and silencing are over, never to return," Levin said. 'Catastrophe' Currently, judges — including supreme court justices — are selected by a nine-member committee comprising judges, lawmakers, and bar association representatives, under the justice minister's supervision. Under the new law, which would take effect at the start of the next legislative term, the committee would still have nine members: three supreme court judges, the justice minister and another minister, one coalition lawmaker, one opposition lawmaker, and two public representatives — one appointed by the majority and the other by the opposition. Yair Lapid, leader of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, announced on X that he had filed an appeal with the supreme court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties, just minutes after the parliamentary vote. "Instead of focusing all efforts on their (Israeli hostages in Gaza) return and healing the divisions within the people, this government is returning to the exact legislation that divided the public before October 7," Lapid said in his post. "The amendment passed by the Knesset is another nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy," said Eliad Shraga, head of Israeli NGO the Movement for Quality Government in Israel and one of the petitioners against the law. "This is a calculated attempt to take control of the judicial system and turn it into a tool in the hands of politicians," he said in a statement. Claude Klein, a public law expert at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, said enactment of the law would be a "catastrophe". "They want to take real power. Netanyahu thinks that the supreme court is keeping him from running the country his way," he told AFP. Klein said that over the decades, the top court had expanded its scope of action, in particular by ruling that any legal precedent or law can be reviewed or annuled, a concept to which Levin was "extremely hostile". New protests The government's judicial reforms package, first unveiled in early 2023, triggered massive weekly street protests that polarised Israeli society. Netanyahu's detractors warn the multi-pronged package could pave the way for authoritarian rule and be used by the prime minister to quash any possible convictions against him in his ongoing corruption trial, an accusation the premier denies. Rallies have again erupted in key cities and on Wednesday thousands protested against the bill before it was approved in parliament. Netanyahu slammed the opposition in parliament on Wednesday. "Perhaps you could stop putting spanners in the works of the government in the middle of a war. Perhaps you could stop fuelling the sedition, hatred and anarchy in the streets," he said.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel parliament passes judicial reform law, opposition challenges
Israel's parliament Thursday passed a law expanding elected officials' power to appoint judges, defying a years-long movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious judicial reforms that saw massive street protests. The approval comes as Netanyahu's government, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history, is locked in a standoff with the supreme court after beginning proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Ronen Bar, head of the internal security agency. The opposition, which swiftly filed a petition with the supreme court challenging the vote, views these judicial reforms as signs of Netanyahu's authoritarian shift toward an illiberal democracy. The legislation was approved by a vote of 67 in favour and one against, with the opposition boycotting the early-morning vote. Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has 120 lawmakers. The overall judicial reform package had sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel's history in 2023 before being overtaken by the war in Gaza. The war began following the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. Yair Lapid, leader of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, announced on social media platform X that he had filed an appeal with the supreme court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties, just minutes after the parliamentary vote. According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to "restore balance" between the legislative and judicial branches. In his closing remarks ahead of the vote, Levin slammed the supreme court for what he described had "effectively nullified the Knesset". "It has taken for itself the authority to cancel laws and even Basic Laws. This is something unheard of in any democracy in the world," said Levin, the key architect of the judicial reforms. "But our supreme court didn't stop at trampling the Knesset; it placed itself above the government. It can annul any government action, compel the government to perform any action, cancel any government appointment." - 'Hypocrisy' - Levin said with the new bill the country was "opening a new page". "It is hypocrisy and one-sided to say that the Knesset is forbidden to act while the court is allowed to act in the middle of a war," Levin said. "The days of appeasement and silencing are over, never to return. I am proud to stand here and demand justice, and I am even prouder to deliver justice." Currently, judges -- including supreme court justices -- are selected by a nine-member committee comprising judges, lawmakers, and bar association representatives, under the justice minister's supervision. Under the new law, which would take effect at the start of the next legislative term, the committee would still have nine members: three supreme court judges, the justice minister and another minister, one coalition lawmaker, one opposition lawmaker, and two public representatives -— one appointed by the majority and the other by the opposition. The government's judicial reforms package, first unveiled in early 2023, had triggered massive street protests that effectively divided Israeli society. Netanyahu's detractors warn the multi-pronged package could pave the way for authoritarian rule and be used by Netanyahu to quash possible convictions against him in his ongoing corruption trial, an accusation the premier denies. Protesters had rallied weekly against the government reforms since they were unveiled. Rallies have once again erupted in key cities, and on Wednesday thousands protested against the bill before it was approved in parliament. Netanyahu had slammed the opposition on Wednesday during a speech in parliament. "You recycle the same worn-out and ridiculous slogans about 'the end of democracy'. Well, once and for all: Democracy is not in danger, it is the power of the bureaucrats that is in danger. "Perhaps you could stop putting spanners in the works of the government in the middle of a war. Perhaps you could stop fuelling the sedition, hatred and anarchy in the streets." ha-jd/acc/dv
