The First Key witness Started to Testify at Netanyahu’s Corruption Trial. There are 4 defendants in the trial: Netanyahu, Arnon Moses, the publisher of Yediot Ahronot, the second most distributed newspaper in Israel, Shaul and Iris Elovitch, who were the majority shareholders in the popular news website Walla and the telecommunications company Bezeq. The first witness was the CEO of the Walla news website and he described how he and other senior journalists were under intense pressure, coming directly from Netanyahu’s advisors, who were, as he testified, instructed by Netanyahu himself or his wife and his older son, to provide positive coverage of the PM and his wife. In his opening statement the chief prosecutor said that Netanyahu abused his political power to gain personal benefits. Netanyahu is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The testimony is high on the public agenda and makes breaking news daily.
The President Gave Netanyahu the Mandate to Try and Form a Governing Coalition. According to the Israeli political system, Netanyahu has 28 days (starting Tuesday April 6, with an option to get an extension of 14 more days), during which he can try and form a majority coalition of at least 61 from the 120 members of Knesset (Israeli parliament). Unfortunately neither he nor his rivals have the needed majority. The key problem is the need to join together extreme right-wing parties and Arab parties to form a majority. The right-wing members want to exclude the Arab citizens from any decision making forum, and announced loud and clear that they will not, under any circumstances, join a government that relies on the support of any Arab party. The sentiment among the right wing representatives and supporters is so overwhelming that on Wednesday one of the leaders of the National-Zionist party, Betzalel Smotritch, tweeted that if Arab citizens will not accept the principle that Eretz Israel (The land of Israel) belongs to the Jewish people, then they will no longer be citizens, and he specifically targeted one of the Arab MKs (member of Knesset) Ahmad Tibi.
The newly elected Knesset members were sworn into office on Tuesday. This is the 24th Knesset and it has 120 members. Until a new government is established the old government serves as an interim cabinet, and Netanyahu serves as an interim PM. Until there is a new governing coalition, the new Knesset cannot really start working and most of the parliamentary committees are still frozen. There were some protests during the swearing in ceremony: some of the Arab members decided not to be sworn in and instead expressed their wish to fight against the occupation. Another protest came from President Rivlin, who refused to participate in the traditional photo-op with the heads of all 13 parties and the Chief Justice. Rivlin wanted to express his indignation with Netanyahu who insists on remaining in office despite the corruption allegations, his resulting indictments and the ongoing trial. And another protest was happening outside the Knesset, where hundreds of people, mainly women and members of the LGBTQ community, gathered to express their resentment and their rage against one of the parties, Noam. The Noam party’s ideology is very conservative and basically their vision is that women’s role is in the kitchen and as mothers, and that LGBTQ is against nature and should be eliminated. The Noam party has one seat in the new Knesset as a result of the joint list established with other far right wing parties.
Demonstrations in front of the Knesset during the swearing in of the 24th Knesset. Photo credits: Ben Cohen
Israeli Attack on Iranian Ship in the Red Sea: according to US, Iranian and Israeli sources, Israel is responsible for the attack on MV Saviz, the Iranian cargo ship anchored off Yemen, and suspected to be a base for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Analysts commented that the attack itself, as well as its timing, is designed to send a message regarding Israel’s position, as Iran and world powers met in Vienna for the first talks regarding the U.S. potentially rejoining the JCPOA Iran deal. This marks yet another point of division between President Biden and the Israeli government, as Israel also voiced its criticism of the Biden administration’s decision to renew US funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), reversing former president Trump’s decision to defund the agency.
Holocaust Memorial Day: after a year of the pandemic, the day was once again marked by a formal ceremony at Yad Va Shem, Israel’s official holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem, and in schools and communities around the country. All restaurants, coffee shops, theatres and recreational halls are closed on the eve of the day by law, as Israelis attend encounters with holocaust survivors who share their stories or watch documentary films on all major media outlets. Thursday morning at 10am, as on every Holocaust Memorial Day, there is a siren heard for 2 minutes all over the country, that stops all activities, including any traffic on the roads, and people exit their cars while standing still on the roads and at other places for those 2 minutes. PM Netanyahu, who spoke at the official opening ceremony in Yad Va Shem, and delivered a highly political speech in which he praised his achievements, commented on the Iran deal and the vaccines he brought to Israel. According to a recent survey conducted among holocaust survivors in Israel, half of them depend on food parcels, and nearly a third cannot afford to purchase spectacles or hearing aids. 900 holocaust survivors died of COVID-19 in the past year, and there are only 170,000 who are still alive.
For further reading:
The Political situation: Here, here, here, and here
The Trial: Here, here, and here
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