Israel’s Prime Minister,Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that he is working with US President Donald Trump to implement a plan to resettle Gaza’s population. After meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem, Netanyahu stated that both countries have a shared strategy for the Palestinian territory.
This discussion follows Trump’s proposal to have the US take over Gaza and relocate the two million Palestinians to neighboring countries. The UN has warned that forcing civilians to move from occupied territories is illegal under international law and could be considered ethnic cleansing.
The US Secretary of State mentioned that Trump’s plan might have surprised people, but he believed it was bold to offer a new approach instead of old ideas. Netanyahu confirmed that he and Rubio discussed ways to make Trump’s vision happen and that the US and Israel agreed on the Gaza issue.
He also warned that there would be severe consequences if Hamas did not release all Israeli hostages.
“Hamas can not continue as a military or government force,” Rubio added. “And as long as it stands as a force that can govern or administer or a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible.”
The Israeli military started a campaign to destroy Hamas after a cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, where about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. The fighting has caused severe damage in Gaza, with over 48,200 deaths in the 16-month war, according to Gaza’s health ministry run by Hamas.
Most people in Gaza have been displaced many times, and nearly 70% of buildings are damaged or destroyed. The systems for healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene have collapsed, and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter.
Palestinian and Arab leaders have rejected Trump’s plan to take over Gaza, stating that Palestinian land is “not for sale.” The US top diplomat did not meet with any Palestinian leaders to discuss Gaza’s future, unlike previous US peace efforts in the region.
At a joint news conference on Sunday, Rubio and Netanyahu discussed shared goals, such as removing Hamas’s control in Gaza, preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and monitoring developments in Syria after Assad.
Benjamin Netanyahu said he will keep trying to send troops into Rafah, even though his friends in the West are pressuring him not to.
The leader of Israel told Joe Biden that he strongly intends to attack the southern Gaza city where he thinks Hamas soldiers are hiding.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to make a deal to stop the fighting and free people who are being held in Gaza when he goes to the Middle East soon.
At the same time, Mr. Netanyahu’s intelligence chief, David Barnea, went to meetings in Doha to try to make peace. Qatari officials feel hopeful, but they warn that any attack on the ground could make peace talks harder.
A report supported by the United Nations says that a severe lack of food is about to happen in northern Gaza. Nearly half of the people there are in danger of going hungry.
If we don’t act quickly, there will be a shortage of food until May, according to a group that keeps an eye on hunger around the world.
The UN’s human rights office said that Israel’s limits on aid entering Gaza could be a war crime, but Israel disagreed.
The UN says Israel might be doing bad things while sending aid to a certain area.
Jeremy Laurence, who works for the UN, said that Israel’s restrictions on aid and how they are fighting in Gaza could be considered a war crime because it might be using starvation as a weapon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges a “very heavy price” in the Gaza war as the military reports 14 additional soldiers killed, bringing the ground assault’s total to 153.
Saturday marked one of the deadliest days, prompting Netanyahu to assert his forces had “no choice” but to continue the fight.
In Gaza, the health ministry, under Hamas control, reports 166 more deaths in the past day, bringing the total casualties to over 20,000 since October 7, with the majority being women and children, and 54,000 injuries.
Remarking on the latest Israeli troop deaths, Mr Netanyahu said: “This is a difficult morning, after a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza.”
But he said his forces would continue with “full force until the end”, reiterating his goals of eliminating Hamas and ensuring the safe return of hostages held in Gaza.
“Let it be clear: this will be a long war,” the Israeli prime minister added.
The Israeli operation began after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
Israel insists that it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties, and blames Hamas for embedding itself in densely-populated areas.
US President Joe Biden – a key ally of Mr Netanyahu – emphasised the “critical need” to protect civilian lives during a call with the Israeli prime minister on Saturday, the White House said.
Mr Biden told reporters that he had not asked for a ceasefire in the call. Both men believe such a move would benefit Hamas.
On Friday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution demanding large-scale aid deliveries to Gaza – but this, too, stopped short of calling for a ceasefire between the two warring sides.
Talks held in Egypt earlier this week designed to secure a fresh truce between Israel and Hamas have so far failed to deliver results.
A Palestinian official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told the BBC that Egypt presented a new three-stage plan that would begin with a two-week humanitarian truce – which could be extended – during which Hamas would release 40 hostages and Israel would release 120 Palestinian prisoners.
This stage would be followed by the formation of an independent body to deal with humanitarian relief and reconstruction, as well as a comprehensive ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners.
Image caption,Many Palestinians have been forced to flee northern Gaza to the territory’s south
The Israeli military has kept up its bombing campaign in Gaza – ordering civilians to flee. The UN said the latest evacuation order affected 150,000 people in the middle of the territory.
On Saturday, Israel said 700 Palestinian militants had been arrested during its ground offensive to date.
It also said one of its fighter jets had killed Hassah Atrash, a man it accused of smuggling weapons into Gaza to arm Hamas. There has been no confirmation from Hamas.
The Israeli military has said it has almost full operational control of the north of the Gaza Strip, and is stepping up operations elsewhere.
A spokesman has said troops are entering new Hamas strongholds in southern areas.
Briefing his cabinet on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu denied suggestions the US president had persuaded him against further expanding his military operation.
The Wall Street Journal had reported that Mr Netanyahu had been talked out of attacking Hamas’s ally in Lebanon, the Hezbollah group.
A government spokesperson told the BBC “the situation in the north… is intolerable” and that Israel was “trying to deter Hezbollah from dragging us into a war”.
“We will continue making the necessary preparations to repel this threat from the northern border,” he added.
In his statement, Mr Netanyahu said: “Our brave soldiers did not die for nothing. We will keep fighting until we win.
Gadi Eisenkot, age 63, is a retired military leader who was in charge of Israel’s military from 2015 to 2019.
A politician from the National Unity party, he is also a member of Mr Netanyahu’s temporary government formed after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, causing the death of about 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
Israel has attacked Gaza by dropping bombs from planes and sending soldiers in on the ground. Hamas people in Gaza say they have killed over 17,000 people, mostly regular people, and a lot more are still trapped under collapsed buildings.
Mr Eisenkot found out about his son’s injuries while he was visiting the Israel Defense Forces’ Southern Command, according to local media.
Several Israeli government officials and lawmakers also expressed their sadness and sympathy for the Eisenkot family.
Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposing party, put up a picture of Gal and Gadi Eisenkot wearing military clothes and hugging each other.
This picture This hug is nice. A dad and his son. Both wearing the same clothes. Both soldiers in this country,” Mr Lapid wrote. Mr Lapid wrote that both soldiers in this country. “They both answer the call and come when they are needed, doing whatever is necessary. ” One hug can decide the future of a whole country.
The IDF also said that another soldier, Sgt Maj Jonathan David Deitch, aged 34, was killed in southern Gaza on Thursday.
We have pictures from the funeral of IDF soldier Gal Eizenkot, who was the son of Israeli war cabinet minister and former IDF Chief of the General Staff Gadi Eizenkot.
A 25-year-old died in the Gaza Strip yesterday.
At the funeral in Herzliya, Israel, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was there with other people who were sad.
Benny Gantz, the leader of the National Unity Party, also went to the funeral and spoke about the person who had passed away.
Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu talked to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he visited Tel Aviv today, and then gave a statement.
He talked about the dangerous attack in Jerusalem today, which Hamas said its members did. Netanyahu said that Hamas is trying to kill us everywhere.
I told him: We promised to get rid of Hamas. We will not be stopped no matter what.
Netanyahu told Blinken that Israel will keep fighting until it meets three goals: freeing all hostages, getting rid of Hamas, and making sure Gaza doesn’t pose a threat again.
Today, Antony Blinken, who is the US Secretary of State, met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.
Blinken is coming to the area for the third time since the Israel-Hamas war started on 7 October.
“We have seen good news this week as hostages have come home and been reunited with their families,” Blinken said during the meeting.
This has also allowed more help to reach innocent people in Gaza who really need it. So this way of doing things is getting us the outcomes we want. “It’s important, and we want it to keep going. ”
Blinken is talking with the leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and will also meet with the leader of the Palestinians, Mahmud Abbas, in Ramallah.
The US has criticized Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, for saying that his rights in the occupied West Bank are more significant than the rights of Palestinians.
The state department said it strongly disapproved of the hurtful words and any racist talk.
His comments on Israeli television caused a lot of negative feedback on the internet.
Mr Ben Gvir said that the news coverage was not true and criticized the radical left for misrepresenting his words.
On the platform called X (previously known as Twitter), Mr. Ben Gvir criticized Bella Hadid for sharing a video of his remarks. He called her an “Israel hater” and accused her of making him appear racist and negative.
Ms Hadid shared the video on Instagram, and she has 60 million people who follow her there. She wrote a comment with the video saying that no life should be considered more important than another, no matter where or when.
MrBen Gvir is the leader of the ultra nationalist party called “Jewish Power,” and they support racist and anti-Arab policies. He has been found guilty in the past for encouraging racism and backing terrorism.
In December, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made him a high-ranking official. He was given a position in the security cabinet and put in charge of the police within Israel and its border police force operating in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
On Wednesday, there was a lot of violence where Palestinian gunmen killed three Israelis in different attacks. One attack happened near the city of Hebron in the West Bank, where Mr. Ben Gvir lives in a Jewish settlement.
This caused more limitations on the movement of many Palestinians as Israeli forces looked for the armed individuals.
Ben Gvir believes that my right, my wife’s right, and my children’s right to freely travel on the roads of Judea and Samaria are more important than the Arab’s right to move around. He used a biblical term for the West Bank to refer to the area.
He then spoke to Mohammad Magadli, a journalist from Israel who is Arab, in the studio. He said, “I’m sorry Mohammad, but what I just said is the real situation and it’s the truth. ” My life is more important than their ability to move.
A video of people’s comments became very popular on the internet and caused a negative response, including from Palestinians and Israeli politicians who disagree with the government.
The leaders of the Palestinian Authority strongly criticized the racist and terrible comments made by Israel’s minister Itamar Ben Gvir. They believe that these remarks confirm Israel’s unfair system of favoring Jewish people and promote fear among Palestinians.
It requested that Mr. Ben Gvir and other Israeli officials be punished and responsible for their actions.
Karine Elharrar, a member of the Yesh Atid party who disagrees with the government, called the minister a true representative of a very racist and extremist government that we have never had before.
MrBen Gvir has a background in Kahanism, which is a very racist movement that supports removing Palestinians from their homes forcefully.
An American spokesperson from the US state department said they strongly disagree with Israeli minister Ben Gvir’s hurtful comments about how Palestinian people can move around in the West Bank.
“We strongly denounce all racist speech. It is especially harmful when powerful people spread such messages, and it goes against the goal of promoting respect for the rights of every person. ”
On Friday, the EU criticized Mr. Ben Gvir’s comments and expressed disapproval. They emphasized that democracy and human rights are very important in the partnership between the EU and Israel, especially when it comes to the people living under occupation in Palestinian territory.
Palestinians in the West Bank currently face strict limitations on their ability to move around freely. They are unable to travel to Jerusalem or their family’s lands in Israel unless they have special permits. The Israeli government says they do this to make sure everyone stays safe.
Political parties that speak for Arab Israelis, who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, along with Israeli groups against the occupation, criticized Mr. However, they acknowledged that he was just expressing well-established facts in the West Bank.
In response to the statement from the US state department, Ahmed Tibi, an Arab Israeli MP, said that Ben Gvir, who was described as an important minister in Israel, supports the broad and overall Israeli policy that has been in place since 1967. Why are you crying about the description of a racist apartheid reality instead of acknowledging the actual reality.
B’tselem, an organization in Israel, helps Palestinians living under the control of the Israeli military. They said, “This is what we see happening every day for fifty years now. ” The rights of the Jews are seen as more important than the rights of the Arabs, and this is similar to how apartheid works.
MrBen Gvir blamed the “Israeli radical left” for misquoting him and accused them of selectively choosing his comments. This statement was posted online in English, possibly as a response to the global reaction to his remarks.
He explained that fake news spreads by twisting words. He mentioned that in a TV show, he expressed the belief that the safety of Jewish people is more important than the ease of travel for Arabs in Judea and Samaria. That’s why it’s important to have checkpoints on roads where Jewish people are often targeted by terrorists and jihadists who shoot at them.
“He said that this is exactly how the Left continues to provoke and encourage negativity towards the Israeli government worldwide. ”
After the attack on Monday, Israeli forces started putting up checkpoints at the entrances and exits of Hebron. They were talking to Palestinians and looking for the people who killed Batsheva Nigri. She was a 40-year-old nursery teacher and a mother of three who lived in a nearby settlement.
On that day, an Israeli soldier shot a Palestinian man in the head and he was badly hurt. It happened in a village close to Nablus. A video showed him without a weapon, running towards someone who was hurt. Then, he got hit by one shot.
Last week, a 15-year-old boy from Palestine was shot in the head by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem and he is now in serious condition. The police claimed that he tried to throw a homemade explosive at them while they were conducting a search.
On the same day, a video showed that Israeli soldiers shot and injured a Palestinian man. The man was not carrying any weapons and is reported to have mental health issues. The incident took place during a protest near the separation barrier in Qalqilya, Israel.
The Supreme Court‘s ability to overturn government decisions was taken away by a statute that was passed by the Israeli parliament on Monday. This was the first step in a planned judicial overhaul that has polarised Israeli society and attracted vehement criticism from the White House.
The Knesset voted 64-0 to pass the contentious bill. The entire governing coalition supported the legislation, while all of the opposition politicians left the chamber during the vote.
Angry protesters gathered in sizable groups outside and tried to barricade the building’s entrance. Barbed wire and water cannons were used to stop them, and at least 19 people were taken into custody, according to Israel Police.
Thousands of military reservists – including more than 1,100 Air Force officers – said even before the bill passed that they would refuse to volunteer for duty if it did.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he would file a petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday to block the law and has urged the military reservists not to refuse to serve until the court delivers its ruling.
The so-called reasonableness law takes away the Supreme Court’s power to block government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. Its passing could trigger a constitutional crisis – if the court declares the law itself is unreasonable.
The Movement for Quality Government, an Israeli NGO, filed a petition with the Supreme Court immediately after the vote took place, asking the court to declare the law illegal on the grounds that it changes the basic structure of Israeli democracy, and requesting that it block its implementation until the court has ruled on it.
In pictures: Israelis protest as lawmakers plan judicial overhaul
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who left hospital on Monday morning after having been fitted with a pacemaker, pushed the bill through despite Israel’s most important ally, the United States, issuing increasingly forceful warnings not to do so.
He later said the passage of the law was a necessary “democratic move” and he was “fulfilling the will of the voter” during an address to the nation. He also urged reservists to not refuse to serve. “The call for refusal harms the security of all citizens of the country,” he said.
In a highly unusual step, the US President Joe Biden weighed in on the policy and warned that rushing the changes through without a broad consensus amounts to an erosion of democratic institutions and could undermine US-Israel relations.
“Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this – the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” Biden said in a statement provided to CNN on Sunday.
Biden raised concerns directly with Netanyahu during a phone call last week and then called New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to the Oval Office to make clear his stance on the judicial overhaul.
Speaking after the Knesset passed the bill on Monday, the White House said it was “unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority.”
The Israeli stock market dropped after the vote, its main index, the TA-35, trading more than 2% lower. The Israeli Shekel was also weaker against the dollar, dropping just under 1%.
The fierce debate over the planned judicial overhaul has turned into a battle over the soul of the Israeli state. It has pitted a coalition of right-wing and religious groups against the secular, liberal parts of Israeli society and sparked the longest and largest protests in the country’s 75-year history.
The fight is happening against the backdrop of some of the worst violence in many years. The number of Palestinians, militants and civilians, killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces is at its highest in nearly two decades. The same is true of Israelis and foreigners – most of them civilians – killed in Palestinian attacks.
Israel, which has no written constitution and no upper chamber of the parliament, has had a relatively powerful Supreme Court, which supporters of the changes argue is problematic. At the same time, the Supreme Court is the only check on the power of the Knesset and the government, since the executive and legislative branches are always controlled by the same governing coalition.
Netanyahu and his allies call the measures “reforms” and say they are required to rebalance powers between the courts, lawmakers and the government. Other parts of the planned overhaul which are yet to be voted on by the Knesset would give Netanyahu’s coalition more control over the appointment of judges, and would remove independent legal advisers from government ministries.
Opponents of the plan call it a “coup” and say it threatens to turn Israel into a dictatorship by removing the most significant checks on government actions.
Netanyahu was forced to pause the legislative process earlier this year, but resumed it earlier this month. He has argued that the Supreme Court has become an insular, elitist group that does not represent the Israeli people.
But critics say Netanyahu is pushing the overhaul forward in part to protect himself from his own corruption trial, where he faces charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing.
Another bill, already voted through in March, makes it more difficult for a sitting prime minister to be declared unfit for office, restricting the reasons to physical or mental incapacity and requiring either the prime minister themselves, or two-thirds of the cabinet, to vote for such a declaration.
Despite his victory on Monday, Netanyahu is likely to face more pressure over the reforms.
The mass protests that have engulfed Israel since the reforms were first announced in January and are unlikely to stop now. After hearing the law has passed, protesters outside the Knesset began marching around, chanting “We will not give up. We will not give up until it’s better here.”
The Israel Bar Association is already preparing a legal challenge to the bill, the lawyers’ group said Sunday. The Bar is also warning it will shut down “as an act of protest against the anti-democratic legislative process,” the statement said. That means the Bar Association would not provide professional services to its members, not that lawyers would go on strike.
The Israel Medical Association said it would go on strike on Tuesday in response to the law passing, its chairman Zion Hagi announced Monday.” The strike will not affect Jerusalem in light of the protests taking place there, the IMA said, and activities such as dialysis and cancer treatments will continue during the strike.
The law “will have serious consequences for the health system, patients and doctors,” the IMA added.
Israel’s umbrella labor union, the Histadrut, warned moments after the government passed the reasonableness bill that if the government continued to legislate unilaterally, there would be serious consequences.
The law still needs to be rubber stamped by Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, a formality under Israel’s political system.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was reportedly hospitalised on Saturday due to suspected dehydration as sweltering heat gripped the nation.
According to a statement from his office, Netanyahu’s initial tests “came out normal” and he seems to be in “good condition.”
He was admitted to the Ramat Gan, a Tel Aviv suburb, Sheba Medical Centre on Saturday.
Netanyahu reportedly complained of “mild dizziness” prior to his hospitalisation, according to the statement given to CNN.
“On the recommendation of the doctors, the prime minister continues to undergo additional routine tests.” His office later said Netanyahu would stay at the hospital overnight for observation.
The Prime Minister released a video statement later Saturday suggesting he was dehydrated and advising people to drink more water.
“Yesterday, I spent time with my wife in the Sea of Galilee, in the sun, without a hat, without water. Not a good idea,” Netanyahu said, “So first of all I want to thank all of you for your concern and also to the excellent teams here at Sheba who examined me.
“Thank God, I feel very well, but I have only one request from you: we are going through a heat wave in the country, so I ask you, be less in the sun and drink more water and let us all have a good week.”
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said he was expected to be discharged Sunday.
“This morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu continued to undergo tests at the Sheba Medical Center. The tests are normal, his condition is very good and he is expected to be released later today,” the statement read.
Temperatures in Israel have been reaching the mid-30s Celsius (low 90s Fahrenheit) for several days and are expected to continue at that level for the next week, the Israel Meteorological Service said.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid wished Netanyahu “a complete recovery and good health” in a tweet.
Israel currently does not have an acting prime minister, meaning that if Netanyahu is incapacitated, the cabinet would have to meet to elect an acting prime minister.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin is deputy prime minister, but under Israel’s Basic Laws, acting prime minister is a separate role, meaning Levin would not automatically take over if Netanyahu is incapacitated.
There is no indication at the moment that Netanyahu is incapacitated.
A cabinet meeting set for Sunday has been postponed to Monday, the leader’s office said.
Netanyahu, 73, is the leader of Israel’s center-right Likud Party and has been the dominant figure in Israeli politics for nearly three decades.
In June 2021, he lost office for the first time in 12 years after rival Naftali Bennett won a parliamentary vote to form a government.
Eighteen months later, he was once again sworn in as prime minister in a dramatic return, cobbling together a coalition.
During Yom Kippur in October 2022, Netanyahu took ill while visiting a synagogue.
He was admitted to hospital where he stayed overnight before being released.
In the 27th week of protests against the government’s proposed judicial makeover, sizable throngs of demonstrators have turned out across Israel.
One of the largest rallies to date, according to organisers, involved 180,000 people in central Tel Aviv alone. They estimate that 365,000 people have turned up in towns around the nation.
The demonstrations take place soon before the Knesset, the national legislature, holds its first reading on Monday of a plan to reduce judicial oversight of the executive and parliamentary branches.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has renewed its efforts to pass judicial overhaul, this time in stages, after six months of fierce opposition from center, left and even right-wing citizens, military reservists, and political parties.
This second effort is galvanizing protesters across the country, with a spokesman for the national protest movement promising an “all nighter.”
At the end of June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one the most controversial aspects of his government’s proposed judicial reform, a provision allowing the Knesset to overturn Supreme Court rulings, has been dropped.
Israel has no check on the power of the Knesset other than the Supreme Court.
As the protests reached their peak this Saturday, social media videos and Israeli press reported Israeli police using water cannons to clear demonstrators from blocking one of Tel Aviv’s main highways.
Mr Netanyahu has promised to pursue peace and safeguard civil rights.
Addressing a special session of the Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem before taking office, he stated that his administration would “restore governance, peace and personal security to the citizens of Israel”.
“I hear the opposition’s constant laments about ‘the end of the state’, ‘the end of democracy’, members of the opposition, losing the elections is not the end of democracy – this is the essence of democracy.”
Mor, a woman from Jerusalem, told the BBC: “I’m here because my country’s falling apart from its democratic values. I’m getting hurt as a woman and my friends are getting hurt as women, LGBTQ [people], Arabs.”
Image caption, Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Knesset ahead of the swearing-in ceremony
This is a record sixth term as prime minister for Mr Netanyahu, who was ousted by his opponents 18 months ago, but his coalition partners are pledging to lead the country in a new direction.
They have promised to give parliament powers to overrule the Supreme Court, made anti-LGBTQ statements, and called for businesses to be allowed to refuse services to people based on religious grounds.
The first guiding principle of the new government, published on Wednesday, declares that “the Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the land of Israel”. It says that includes the occupied West Bank and promises to “advance and develop” settlements there.
About 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
There are also some 100 outposts – small settlements built without the Israeli government’s authorisation – across the West Bank.
In a coalition deal with the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party he signed last week, Mr Netanyahu agreed to retroactively legalise the outposts. He also promised to annex the West Bank while “choosing the timing and weighing all of the State of Israel’s national and international interests”. Such a step would be opposed by Israel’s Western and Arab allies.
Image caption, Far-right politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir (L) Bezalel Smotrich (R) will hold key positions in the new government
Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich, a West Bank settler, will be finance minister and also oversee the Civil Administration, which approves settlement building in the West Bank and controls important aspects of Palestinians’ lives.
Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, another settler and ultranationalist politician who has previously been convicted of racism and supporting a terrorist organisation, will be national security minister, responsible for the police.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned on Thursday that the plans to develop West Bank settlements “constitute a dangerous escalation and will have repercussions for the region”.
Mr Netanyahu’s coalition partners reject the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict – the internationally backed formula for peace which envisages an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank alongside Israel, with Jerusalem as their shared capital.
There have also been expressions of concern both inside and outside Israel about the very rigid views on the application of Jewish law and LGBTQ rights held by incoming ministers in the new government.
Avi Maoz, head of the anti-LGBTQ Noam party, will serve as a deputy minister in the prime minister’s office. He has called for Jerusalem’s Gay Pride event to be banned, disapproves of equal opportunities for women in the military, and wants to limit immigration to Israel to Jews according to a strict interpretation of Jewish law.
Activists, doctors and business leaders have meanwhile warned that discrimination against LGBTQ individuals could potentially be legalised if the anti-discrimination law is changed to allow private businesses to refuse to provide a service if doing so would violate the provider’s religious beliefs.
Although the coalition deal between Likud and the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party calls for such an amendment, Mr Netanyahu has said he will block it and that his government will not allow any harm to the LGBTQ community. He has also chosen an openly gay member of Likud, Amir Ohana, to be parliamentary speaker.
Critics have also expressed concern at the new government’s declared intention to alter the checks and balances of power, giving a parliamentary majority the ability to override Supreme Court rulings.
Mr Netanyahu’s coalition partners have also proposed legal reforms that could end his ongoing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing.
Image caption, Daniel Johnas said he was concerned about future of life in Israel for himself, his husband and children
At Thursday’s protest outside the Knesset, a woman from Tel Aviv, who did not want to give her name, said: “I refuse to accept what I feel is the possibility of the beginning of a fascist regime and I want to protect the rights of every citizen living in this country.”
“The problem is that the prime minister is so anxious to stay in power that he will give anything to anyone,” she added.
Daniel Johnas, an activist in the religious LGBTQ community, told the BBC that he was worried for the first time to go on the street with the rainbow flag. He also said he was concerned about future of life in Israel for himself, his husband and children.
In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Mr Smotrich defended his party and its coalition partners.
“They say I am a right-wing extremist and that our bloc will usher in a ‘halachic state’ in which Jewish law governs,” he wrote. “In reality, we seek to strengthen every citizen’s freedoms and the country’s democratic institutions, bringing Israel more closely in line with the liberal American model.”
The Israeli presidenthas stated that he will officially hand over the formation of a new government to Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
On Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he has plans to give former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the mandate to form a new Israeli government.
Herzog made the announcement on Friday, following consultations with representatives from all parties represented in Israel’s 25th parliament (Knesset). According to a statement issued by the president’s office, 64 members of Israel’s 120-seat parliament recommended that Netanyahu form the new coalition.
Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition won the election last week. If he is able to form a government with his coalition partners, it could bring an end to an unprecedented Israeli political crisis that has resulted in five elections since 2019.
The four previous elections had been mostly referendums on Netanyahu’s ability to serve while facing charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.
Israel’s longest-serving premier, he will have 28 days from Sunday to form what is expected to be the most right-wing Israeli government in history.
He is likely to ally with far-right controversial figures and religious parties to achieve a stable parliamentary majority. His coalition partner, the Religious Zionism alliance, won 14 seats.
That is despite the far-right nature of the party’s leadership – one figure, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for Palestinians “disloyal” to Israel to be expelled and is a former member of the banned Kach party, which is considered a “terrorist” organisation in Israel.
On Wednesday, Herzog was caught saying “the whole world is worried” about the far-right positions of newly elected lawmaker Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist set to become a minister in Netanyahu’s new cabinet.
The president was holding a consultation with other parties about the election when his comment about Ben-Gvir was caught by a microphone he apparently thought was off.
“You have a partner who the entire world around us is worried about. I have also said this to him,” Herzog was heard saying at the end of a meeting on Wednesday.
“You are going to have a problem with the Temple Mount. That is a critical issue,” Herzog said, referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which Israelis, including settler groups, have repeatedly entered over the last few years under protection by Israeli forces in violation of long-agreed norms over access.
Meeting Ben-Gvir on Thursday, Herzog repeated his concerns, according to Israeli media.
“I said that your party has a certain image that raises concerns in many places, regarding the treatment of Arabs in our state and region,” Herzog told Ben-Gvir. “World leaders are asking me.”
“I am asked in the Muslim world about the Temple Mount.This subject is sensitive,” he added.
If Netanyahu requires an extension, he is entitled to an additional 14 days to form the government. If he fails, another party leader will be chosen for the task.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the verge of a dramatic comeback after preliminary results showed he was on track to win a parliamentary majority with the help of the far right.
With 84% of general election votes counted, Mr Netanyahu’s bloc is on track to win 65 of 120 seats.
“We are close to a big victory,” he told jubilant supporters in Jerusalem.
However, he will be dependent on the support of the ultra-nationalist Religious Zionism party.
Its leaders, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have gained notoriety for using anti-Arab rhetoric and advocating the deportation of “disloyal” Arab politicians or civilians.
Mr Ben-Gvir was a follower of the late, explicitly racist, ultra-nationalist Meir Kahane, whose organisation was banned in Israel and designated as a terrorist group by the United States. Mr Ben-Gvir himself has been convicted of incitement to racism and supporting a terrorist organisation.
Last month, Mr Ben-Gvir hit the headlines when he was filmed pulling out a gun after being targeted with a stone thrown by Palestinians while visiting a predominantly Arab area of occupied East Jerusalem, and calling for police to shoot the culprits.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Ben Gvir promised to “work for all of Israel, even those who hate me”.
Mr Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sara, appeared at his Likud party’s election night venue at 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday to thunderous applause.
“We have won a huge vote of confidence from the people of Israel,” he told his cheering supporters.
Hours earlier, when exit polls predicted that Mr Netanyahu’s bloc would win 61 or 62 seats, the room had been a scene of celebration as people jumped up and down, waved flags, and chanted his nickname, Bibi. One man repeatedly blew a shofar, or ram’s horn, a ritual instrument used by some Jewish people at times of special significance.
At his party’s camp in Tel Aviv however, current Prime Minister Yair Lapid told his supporters that “nothing” was yet decided and his center-left Yesh Atid party would wait for the final results.
Mr Netanyahu, 73, is one of Israel’s most controversial political figures, loathed by many on the centre and left but adored by Likud’s grassroots supporters.
He is a firm supporter of Israel’s settlement-building in the West Bank, occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. Settlements there are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
He opposes the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Stripas a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict – a formula supported by most of the international community, including the Biden administration in the US.
Mr Netanyahu is also currently on trial for alleged bribery, fraud, and breach of trust – charges he fiercely denies. His possible partners in a Likud-led coalition government have said they would reform the law, in a move that would bring a halt to his trial.
According to the partial results, Likud stands to be the biggest party, with 31 seats, commanding a majority with the support of nationalist and religious parties.
Yesh Atid, which led the coalition which brought down Mr Netanyahu in elections last year, is projected to win 24 seats.
Religious Zionism appears to have won 14 seats, which would make it the third-largest party.
“It will be better now,” said Religious Zionism supporter, Julian, at the party’s venue in Jerusalem.
“When [Religious Zionism politician Itamar Ben-Gvir] will be a minister of public security, it will be even better – he’ll bring back security to the people of Israel. That’s very important.”
However, political scientist Gayil Talshir, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, warned that if the exit polls “reflect the real results, Israel is on its way to becoming Orban’s Hungary”, recently branded an “electoral autocracy” by the EU.
If Mr Netanyahu can secure a majority, it will stave off the prospect of a sixth election in just four years after analysts predicted deadlock.
It would mark a remarkable turnaround for Mr Netanyahu, whose political future was widely written off after Mr Lapid formed an unlikely alliance of ideologically diverse parties to take power in June 2021, with the uniting aim of making it impossible for Mr Netanyahu to form a government.
At the time, Mr Netanyahu vowed to bring it down as quickly as possible and one year later the coalition government concluded it could not survive and collapsed after resignations meant it no longer had a majority.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on course for victory in the country’s general election, exit polls say.
The projections give his right-wing bloc a slim majority of seats over his centre-left opponents led by current Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
Such a result would mark a dramatic comeback for Mr Netanyahu, toppled last year after 12 straight years in power.
“We are close to a big victory,” he told jubilant supporters in Jerusalem.
The election was widely seen as a vote for or against Mr Netanyahu’s return.
The exit polls suggest Mr Netanyahu’s bloc will command 61 or 62 seats in the 120-seat knesset (parliament). Initial results are expected in the coming hours.
Mr Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sara, appeared at his Likud party’s election night venue at 03:00 (01:00 GMT) to thunderous applause.
“We have won a huge vote of confidence from the people of Israel,” he told his cheering supporters.
Since the exit polls were announced hours earlier when voting ended, the room had been a scene of celebration as people jumped up and down, waved flags and chanted Netanyahu’s nickname, Bibi. One man repeatedly blew a shofar, or ram’s horn, a ritual instrument used by some Jewish people at times of special significance.
At his party’s camp in Tel Aviv however, Prime Minister Lapid told his supporters that “nothing” was yet decided and his centre-left Yesh Atid party would wait for the final results.
Mr Netanyahu is forecast to replace Yair Lapid, who toppled him just over a year ago
Mr Netanyahu, 73, is one of Israel’s most controversial political figures, loathed by many on the centre and left but adored by Likud’s grassroots supporters.
He is a firm supporter of Israel’s settlement-building in the West Bank, occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. Settlements there are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
He opposes the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict – a formula supported by most of the international community, including the Biden administration in the US.
Mr Netanyahu is also currently on trial for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust – charges he fiercely denies. His possible partners in a Likud-led coalition government have said they would reform the law, in a move which would bring a halt to his trial.
According to the exit polls, Likud stands to be the biggest party, with 30-31 seats, commanding a majority with the support of nationalist and religious parties.
Yesh Atid, which led the coalition which brought down Mr Netanyahu in elections last year, is forecast to win 22-24 seats.
Likud’s ultra-nationalist ally Religious Zionism appears to have won 14 seats, which would make it the third largest party. Its leaders have gained notoriety for using anti-Arab rhetoric and advocating the deportation of “disloyal” politicians or civilians.
“It will be better now,” said Religious Zionism supporter, Julian, at the party’s venue in Jerusalem.
“When [Religious Zionism politician Itamar Ben-Gvir] will be minister of public security, it will be even better – he’ll bring back security to the people of Israel. That’s very important.”
However, political scientist Gayil Talshir, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, warned that if the exit polls “reflect the real results, Israel is on its way to become Orban’s Hungary”, recently branded an “electoral autocracy” by the EU.
If the polls are confirmed, it will stave off the prospect of a sixth election in just four years after analysts predicted deadlock.
It would mark a remarkable turnaround for Mr Netanyahu, whose political future was widely written off after Mr Lapid formed an unlikely alliance of ideologically diverse parties to take power in June 2021, with the uniting aim of making it impossible for Mr Netanyahu to form a government.
At the time, Mr Netanyahu vowed to bring it down as quickly as possible and one year later the coalition government concluded it could not survive and collapsed after resignations meant it no longer had a majority.
