As the Russia-Ukraine War Escalates, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Condemns Russia For “Grave Violation of World Order”: The Israeli public is closely following the Russia-Ukraine war, as is the rest of the world, with growing concern. Israel maintained a low profile during the period leading up to the war and refrained from expressing support for or criticism towards the rival countries. Yet earlier this week Foreign Minister Ya’ir Lapid held a situation assessment, and later issued a public statement, condemning Russia for the invasion. Hours after Lapid’s statement, PM Bennett, in a first public statement on the issue, refrained from making a direct attack on Moscow, and said that “our hearts go out to the people of the Ukraine”. FM Lapid also said that Israel is prepared to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian civilians. Senior government officials say that the FM statement was made after “careful consideration” of the situation, and without advanced notice to either Moscow or Kyiv. These sources also said that they do not expect Russia to respond in any meaningful way to Israel’s statement.
According to Foreign Sources, Israel Launched Two Air Strikes Against Syrian Targets Earlier this Week: Reportedly three Syrian soldiers were killed in the attacks on sites near Damascus. Israel rarely admits to such attacks and prefers to leave attribution vague. Officials in Israel have declared time and again that Israel will not tolerate any kind of Iranian presence near its’ borders. Israel is able to operate in Syria due to an understanding with Russia and Putin, who have military and diplomatic control of Syria. That was the main reason that Israeli officials barely condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine as compared to the rest of the Western International Community.
The Existence of the Governing Coalition is In Doubt, and Not For the First Time: The fragile coalition, which is based on 61 votes out of 120, depends on every members vote. Time and again there are members of the coalition, or a party (one out of eight parties) who present an ultimatum. This time it was Blue-White (Kahol-Lavan) who decided to withhold their votes in the Knesset until the coalition passes all their suggested bills. The main controversial bill was presented by the head of Blue-White party, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, to raise the pensions of military veterans. Labor party members said they will vote against the bill, since it is very costly for the state budget and it deepens the gaps between army veterans and others. Meanwhile, all members of Blue-White decided to suspend all voting thereby enabling the opposition to pass some of their bills.
A Committee at the General Attorney’s Office Concluded that NSO Pegasus Spyware Was Not Used Against Civilians, Human Rights Activists, Political Activists, Journalists and General Directors of the Public Service: The committee started its investigation based on a series of allegations that were published in a daily newspaper, claiming that the police were illegally using very intrusive Pegasus spyware without previously obtaining a court order as required by law. Despite that conclusion, many scholars, journalists and political figures are still calling for a thorough investigation over the use of this intrusive spyware and are calling on legislators to draft a bill that will properly regulate these abilities based on limits for personal privacy. The law that enables the police to tap people’s phones is very old and needs to be reviewed. The committee submitted the report to the panel of judges for Netanyahu’s corruption case and the trial is supposed to continue soon.
It is important to say in this context that the United States placed NSO on a black list, due to the use of its’ spyware against human rights activists, political activists and journalists in many countries. NSO then announced that its’ spyware doesn’t tap Israeli phone numbers, which was found to be a false statement.
After an Escalation in Violence in Jerusalems Sheikh Jarrah Neigborhood, Eviction of Palestinian Family from Its Home Postponed Until Further Notice: Another twist in the long legal battle over ownership rights of a home in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood that saw yet another cycle of tensions and clashes. The Jerusalem Circuit Court ruled earlier this week to freeze the imminent eviction notice of the Salem family from its home in Sheikh Jarrah, where they have lived since 1951. The eviction was scheduled to take effect during the month of March, shortly before the holy month of Ramadan. The police were concerned that the eviction could spark another cycle of violence that may expand beyond the neighborhood. The court accepted the Salem family’s lawyers claim that the statute of limitation should apply for the court ruling against the family dating back to 1988. The Jewish owner of the property, a far-right activist and member of the Jerusalem city council, is likely to appeal the court decision.
The police were criticized by the public for use of excessive force against both Jewish demonstrators who came to support the Salem family and against Palestinian residents who hosted them. Photos and footage of policemen brutally detaining a young Palestinian man with Down’s Syndrome went viral on social media.
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