PM to be, Netanyahu, Made another Advance Towards Assembling His Coalition: In a fast tracked process of legislation, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) approved four laws that were preconditions to forming the new government. All those laws are disputed, and received many critical comments, not only from left-wing legislators, but also from a majority of jurists. The first law will allow someone who was convicted and was sentenced to probation, to become a minister which the current law forbids. The second law will give enormous power to the new minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, over the chief of police. It will enable him to intervene in what is being investigated and what is not, and de facto make the police a political based agency. The third law will give broad authority to another leader of Religious Zionism, Bezalel Smotrich and practically will subordinate the army agencies that are responsible for the civil life in the West Bank (OPT - occupied Palestinian Territories) to Smotrich. This is a de facto act of annexation. The fourth law is related to the ability of Knesset members to split from their original party. Passing this legislation will enable Netanyahu to finalize signing agreements with all party members of the new coalition.
16-Year-Old Palestinian Girl Killed in Jenin by IDF Sniper: Jana Zakarneh was shot dead on the rooftop of her home in Jenin during an IDF raid. Her father told the media that she went to the roof to look for her cat, when she heard gunshots. Border Police first criticized the media for holding its troops accountable for the shooting. However, an IDF spokesman later said in a statement that the girl was killed by IDF fire in error, since she was standing near an armed man. The IDF statement also suggested that she was taking photos of the armed forces. US State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked about the incident by a Palestinian reporter who regularly asks him to condemn Israeli actions at press briefings.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said, in response to the question from a Palestinian reporter: “We do express our profound condolences to the family of Jana Zakarna, the young teenage girl who was killed… We understand the IDF is undertaking an investigation into what happened. We hope to see accountability in this case.”
PM Lapid said that the girl’s killing was regretful and offered condolences to Jana’s family. He also emphasized that the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting is still ongoing and that he fully supports IDF soldiers who are performing their duty of arresting those suspected of terror activities.
Jana’s death occurred on the same day in which The Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba de Potgieter, began her visit to the occupied territories. During her four-day visit de Potgieter will meet with the families of Palestinian child victims in the West Bank and Gaza and will submit a report to the UN Secretary General.
An Israeli diplomatic source told the Israeli media that Israel intends to present de Potgieter with evidence supporting its claim that most of the Palestinian children killed by Israeli troops were involved with terror groups and their “cynical use” of minors.
Iconic Guitarist and Songwriter Yitzhak Klepter Dies at 72: Klepter, also known by his nickname “Churchill”, died after a long battle with emphysema. He was one of Israel’s leading and most prolific musicians. Klepter began his career in the early 70’s. He played with many lead singers and later was a member of the legendary “Kaveret” (beehive), before launching his solo career in the 1980’s. Klepter composed hundreds of tracks, many of them became part of the DNA of Israeli Rock music. Thousands accompanied him on his last journey, as his coffin was placed at the Habima Square in Tel Aviv. The ceremony was attended by several leading political figures, including minister of Defense Gantz, minister of Transportation Michaeli (labor) and the Mayor of Tel Aviv Huldai. Leading musicians and singers, Klpeter’s friends and colleagues performed several of his songs and delivered moving eulogies.
Israeli Scientists Developed a Process Through Which Hens Do Not Create Male Embryos: A DNA developed modification, that is a result of Israeli research work, can prevent the slaughter of thousands of hen chicks. The males do not have any value to the chicken industry, since they cannot lay eggs. Therefore they are slaughtered when they hatch from the egg. This development is a world scientific breakthrough. This will have an enormous impact on the egg and chicken industries all over the world by sparing the suffering of male chicks who are slaughtered soon after hatching.
Both Israelis and Palestinians Support Morocco in the World Cup Soccer Games: Many Israelis supported Morocco in the semi-final soccer games at the Qatar Wold Cup and so did many Palestinians. The largest Jewish minority in Israel is the Jews of Moroccan descent. Two years ago Israel signed an agreement with Morocco that opened diplomatic relations between the two countries. Palestinians supported Morocco as the first Arab country to make it so far in the World Cup as the semi-final. Last week Israeli police had to intervene in celebrations to deal with what the policed defined as riots, and others claimed to be soccer fan celebrations.
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