The Times of Israel liveblogged Monday’s events as they unfolded.

Likud sources say Netanyahu unlikely to fire Ben Gvir for voting against state budget

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a plenum session on the state budget in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a plenum session on the state budget in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

Likud sources tell Hebrew media that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unlikely to fire far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, even though he took an almost unprecedented step and voted against the state budget.

Government regulations say that a minister who votes against his own government’s budget can be viewed as having resigned.  The budget must be passed by the end of March 2025 or the government will automatically fall, triggering early elections.

Ben Gvir’s fellow Otzma Yehudit party members also voted against the first reading of the budget, which nevertheless passed  59-57.

They did not resign, and the Likud sources say that Netanyahu, who fears he could lose power, “will not be in a hurry to fire them.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, whose father Tommy Lapid was fired as a minister by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for voting against the budget in 2004, says Netanyahu will not act because “he is a coward.”

“My father knew he would be fired, because a government minister is forbidden from voting against the budget, unless the prime minister is weak and a coward, then it’s okay,” Lapid writes.

Budget bill narrowly passes 1st reading, after Ben Gvir and party vote against

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a plenum session on the state budget in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a plenum session on the state budget in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

The Knesset narrowly approves the 2025 Budget Bill in its first reading 59-57, after members of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, vote against it.

The passage of the first reading of the Budget Bill bill comes on the heels of the passage of the state budget framework bill, which passed 58-53, also in the face of Otzma Yehudit opposition, with Ben Gvir abstaining.

Following the vote, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich slams Ben Gvir, accusing him of being “allied with the Arab MKs and the opposition” and of “endangering the right-wing government in the middle of a war.”

“Ben Gvir and his friends, who seem to have completely lost their way, voted against transferring a critical budget for victory, reconstruction, and reservists, thereby jeopardizing a historic opportunity for the future of settlement in Judea and Samaria and the State of Israel with the incoming Trump administration,” Smotrich tweets.

“We will continue to work for the people of Israel and for victory in the war, with or without Ben Gvir.”

According to the bill, total government expenditures for 2025 will total NIS 755.9 billion ($210 billion), with a regular budget of NIS 547.36 billion ($152 billion) and a capital account budget of NIS 208.53 billion ($58 billion).

Israeli delegation in Doha for hostage talks

WASHINGTON — A working-level Israeli delegation arrived in Doha earlier today to advance negotiations for a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel, confirming reporting in the Axios news site.

The Israeli delegation includes representatives from the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad, the source says.

Far-right allies Ben Gvir and Smotrich turn on each other over firing AG, passing budget

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a vote on the state budget in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a vote on the state budget in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir launches a scathing attack on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing him of preventing the revival of the government’s judicial overhaul and the ouster of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

“Smotrich’s game is revealed tonight,” Ben Gvir states, calling Smotrich “a man who talks right-wing in public, but in practice saves the attorney general from dismissal, stops judicial reform, and saves the Palestinian Authority from economic collapse.”

“We were elected to govern. There is no point in passing a state budget without firing the attorney general,” he says.

After a planned meeting of coalition chiefs on the topic of firing the attorney general was cancelled, Ben Gvir threatened to begin voting against the coalition, citing its refusal to submit a resolution on Baharav-Miara’s termination. His party subsequently voted against the budget in the Knesset plenum.

Ben Gvir is reportedly circulating a joint statement announcing that a no-confidence vote against the attorney general will be voted on by the cabinet at its weekly meeting next Sunday, drawing opposition from Smotrich, who earlier stated that the government’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s judiciary ought to remain on hold until after the war.

Speaking with the press at the Knesset following Ben Gvir’s statement, Smotrich says that the coalition had managed to pass the state budget framework bill and would soon pass the budget and Arrangements Bills “even without Ben Gvir and his colleagues who, unfortunately for political reasons” are voting against “a good budget that addresses all the needs of the war on the front and in the rear until victory.”

“It is a shame that there are those who are willing to undermine a good right-wing coalition” that has the chance to “make history” with the Trump administration on issues ranging from Iran to the settlement of the West Bank, he says. “It is a shame to undermine the coalition because of nonsense.”

Following Smotrich’s statement, Ben Gvir responds by saying that if his former ally “joins the coalition leaders’ agreement” and announces the end of his opposition to bringing a decision to fire the attorney general on Sunday, “the crisis will be able to end and Otzma Yehudit MKs will vote in favor of the budget.”

“Bezalel, dismissing the attorney general is governance, not foolishness,” he subsequently tweets.

Netanyahu meets Trump’s designated hostage envoy

US President Donald Trump listens as Adam Boehler, CEO of US International Development Finance Corporation, speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 14, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon/File)
US President Donald Trump listens as Adam Boehler, CEO of US International Development Finance Corporation, speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 14, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon/File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US President-elect Donald Trump’s designated special envoy for hostage affairs in Jerusalem, Netanyahu’s office says.

The statement says Adam Boehler is on a private visit to Israel, and gives no details on the the content of their talks,

Currently CEO of the healthcare investment firm Rubicon Founders, Boehler was involved in the negotiations of the Abraham Accords and helped lead US talks with the Taliban during Trump’s previous administration, during which he served as CEO of the US International Development Finance Corp, a new federal agency created during that term.

Police now say 3 dead, not 5, in shooting at private, Christian school in Wisconsin

A juvenile student killed two people at a Wisconsin school before police found the suspect dead at the scene of the latest shooting, to devastate a US campus, authorities say.

At least six other people were wounded, according to police, who said children were among the dead and wounded in the shooting, which took place in the state capital of Madison.

Earlier, police said five people were killed in the shooting, but later said that information was incorrect.

Budget framework passes first reading in Knesset even as Ben Gvir’s party withhold support

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addresses the Knesset ahead of a vote on the state budget, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addresses the Knesset ahead of a vote on the state budget, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

The Knesset passes the first reading of the 2025 state budget’s framework bill 58-53, even with the far-right Otzma Yehudit party withholding its support.

Among other things, the state budget framework bill proposes to raise the deficit ceiling to 4.3 percent and stipulates that permitted government expenditures will be raised by an additional NIS 64 billion ($17,835,000,000).

Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir declines to vote, while several members of his party vote against the bill, after previously announcing that the party no longer considers itself bound by coalition discipline, due to the coalition’s failure to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Despite threats to block the budget over the issue of Haredi enlistment, neither Shas nor United Torah appeared to oppose the bill. The budget must be passed by the end of March 2025 or the government will automatically fall, triggering early elections.

In all, the budget includes a roughly NIS 40 billion package of tax hikes and spending cuts to try to rein in a budget deficit now running at 8.5% of GDP.

Overall spending was set at NIS 744 billion ($199.23 billion), of which 161 billion will go towards debt servicing.

“This is a good budget…[which] gives the security forces everything they need to continue the war and maintain Israel’s supremacy in the Middle East,” says Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, boasting that it will provide benefits for IDF reservists and “contains the foundations for accelerated economic growth,” including “everything related to high-tech, real estate and employment of Haredim.”

US says hostage talks have been ‘productive’ in recent days, but gaps remain

A protest march organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, calling for the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorist in Gaza, seen marching through Central Park in New York City on December 15, 2024. (Israel Hadari/Flash90)
A protest march organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, calling for the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorist in Gaza, seen marching through Central Park in New York City on December 15, 2024. (Israel Hadari/Flash90)

WASHINGTON — US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says hostage talks have been “productive” in recent days and that the mediators are working on closing remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas.

However, he stresses during a press briefing that the sides have been this close to a deal before, only for the talks to blow up.

Miller says a very small number of differences between Israel and Hamas and the gaps are bridgeable.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during meetings last week that they should use whatever influence they have over Hamas to secure a deal, Miller says, adding that Fidan later reported back to the secretary that they have done so and that Qatar and Egypt are also leaning on the terror group to agree to a deal.

Arab mediators have told The Times of Israel that the main obstacle remains whether the ceasefire being negotiated will be permanent or temporary, with Israel insisting that it be allowed to return to fighting after the first phase of the deal, while Hamas wants the IDF to permanently withdraw.

Miller says the US is pushing as hard as it can to secure a deal, but that it will be incumbent on Hamas and Israel to bring the agreement across the finish line.

Police say death toll rises to 5 in Wisconsin school shooting, including attacker

Five people are dead and others injured after a shooting at a private Christian school in Wisconsin, including a child who carried out the attack, authorities say.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes was speaking to reporters when the death toll rose from three to five people. He offers no details on the victims, but says others were wounded in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

Barnes says police officers who responded did not fire their weapons.

Police have blocked off roads around the school.

Blinken meets family of US-Turkish activist killed by IDF in West Bank

A photo is placed among flowers in memory of the death of the 26-year old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi at vigil on Alki Beach, killed in the West Bank, September 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
A photo is placed among flowers in memory of the death of the 26-year old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi at vigil on Alki Beach, killed in the West Bank, September 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met earlier today with the family of Aysenur Eygi, a Turkish-American activist shot dead by the IDF in the West Bank earlier this year, the State Department says.

Blinken expressed condolences to the family and reiterated his belief that the incident should never have happened, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says during a press briefing.

Blinken also informed the family that Israel has told the US in recent days that the IDF is finalizing its investigation into Eygi’s killing, and that the State Department will keep the family in the loop on the matter.

Asked whether he would back the Eygi family’s call for an independent investigation into her killing, Miller says that is a matter for the Justice Department to decide.

Eygi’s husband Hamad Ali told reporters after the meeting with Blinken that the secretary was “attentive,” but “repeated a lot of the same things we’ve been hearing for the past 20 years, particularly since Rachel Corrie’s killing.”

Corrie, a 23-year-old American International Solidarity Movement activist, was killed in Gaza while attempting to block an Israeli army bulldozer that was engaged in a home demolition operation. An Israeli court absolved the driver.

Israel’s initial findings on the killing of Eygi do not exonerate Israeli security forces, Miller said in September, warning that Washington would consider other measures if it is not satisfied with the results of a full Israeli probe.

Israel acknowledged that its troops shot the 26-year-old on September 6, while she took part in a protest near Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, but said it was an unintentional act during a demonstration that turned violent.

Eygi was a human rights activist and volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement, which calls for resisting Israeli rule over Palestinians using non-violent methods.

US police say multiple people injured at a Wisconsin school shooting

Multiple injuries have been reported in a shooting at a Christian school in Wisconsin, police say.

The shooting occurred at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, the state capital, police say.

“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” Madison police say in a statement. “More information will be released as it is available. We currently need people to avoid the area.”

Police have blocked off roads around the school.

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have responded to the scene to assist local law enforcement.

“We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says in a statement.

Abundant Life Christian School is nondenominational and has about 390 students, from kindergarten through high school, according to its website.

IDF says elite division redeploying from Lebanon back to Gaza

Troops of the IDF's 98th Division operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on December 15, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Troops of the IDF's 98th Division operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on December 15, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

After three months of fighting in southern Lebanon, the IDF’s 98th Division is being redeployed to the Gaza Strip, the military says.

The elite formation of paratrooper and commando units completed its operations in Lebanon on Wednesday last week, and is now readying for future missions in Gaza.

IDF says ribbons in the sky caused by spy plane on patrol, not political statement

An airplane contrail in the shape of a ribbon seen over the West Bank on December 16, 2024. (Times of Israel)
An airplane contrail in the shape of a ribbon seen over the West Bank on December 16, 2024. (Times of Israel)

The military says that contrails seen over Israel’s skies this morning in the shape of a ribbon were caused by an Israeli Air Force spy plane during a routine patrol.

The spy plane was operating to track a drone launched from Yemen at Israel this morning, which was successfully intercepted by the Israeli Navy over the Mediterranean Sea.

The IDF says that the flight path of the spy plane and the weather conditions caused the contrails.

“Due to the high flight altitude in varying condensation conditions and strong westerly winds, the unique contrails were created,” the military says.

“This was a routine flight path,” the army says, denying that it was intentional to cause the shape of a ribbon in the sky.

Some had presumed that the contrails were a nod to the yellow ribbons worn as a symbol of support for the hostages held in Gaza.

US strikes kill 12 Islamic State group members in Syria

American soldiers patrol near a prison that was attacked on January 20 by the Islamic State militants in Hassakeh, Syria, February 8, 2022. (AP/ Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
American soldiers patrol near a prison that was attacked on January 20 by the Islamic State militants in Hassakeh, Syria, February 8, 2022. (AP/ Baderkhan Ahmad, File)

American forces carried out air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria on Monday, killing a dozen of its fighters, the US military says.

“The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade and defeat ISIS,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) says on social media, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

The aim is to prevent “the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek opportunities to reconstitute in central Syria,” CENTCOM says.

“These recent strikes are in former regime and Russian-controlled areas, ensuring pressure is maintained on ISIS,” it adds.

Washington is seeking to prevent the jihadist group from taking advantage of the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, which was overthrown by an Islamist-led rebel alliance that took the capital Damascus on December 8.

EU says diplomats blocked from entering Hebron

The EU says German and French diplomats were blocked from entering the West Bank city of Hebron.

The EU says the two diplomats were on their way to the city to present an award to prominent Palestinian rights activist Issa Amro, when they were stopped at a checkpoint.

“Such actions obstruct diplomatic efforts & violate established protocols,” the EU’s mission to the Palestinian Authority posts on X.

Trump says rebel victory in Syria an ‘unfriendly takeover’ by Turkey

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, December 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, December 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President-elect Donald Trump characterizes the rebel ouster of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad by Ankara-backed rebels as an “unfriendly takeover” by US ally Turkey, as he addressed the conflict at a news conference.

“I think Turkey is very smart… Turkey did an unfriendly takeover, without a lot of lives being lost. I can say that Assad was a butcher, what he did to children,” Trump tells reporters at his residence in Florida.

Trump says he’s working to secure release of the hostages, ‘all hell is going to break out’ if they’re not back by inauguration

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President-elect Donald Trump says he is working to secure the release of the hostages in Gaza.

“There is a light shining over the world. We are trying to help very strongly in getting the hostages back, as you know — Israel, the Middle East,” Trump says at a press conference.

If the hostages aren’t home by his January 20 inauguration day “all hell is going to break out,” he adds, reiterating a warning he issued earlier this month.

Trump confirms that he held a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend. He says it was a good conversation but doesn’t go into specifics.

Trump describes it as a “recap call” ahead of his taking office on Jan. 20.

“We had a very good talk. And we discussed what is going to happen, and I’ll be very available on January 20 and we’ll see,” Trump says.

EU says extremism, Russia and Iran have no place in Syria’s future

EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks to the press as she arrives to chair a European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council meeting at the Europa building in Brussels on December 16, 2024. (NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)
EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks to the press as she arrives to chair a European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council meeting at the Europa building in Brussels on December 16, 2024. (NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)

Extremism, Russia and Iran should not have a place in Syria’s future, EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas tells reporters after meeting with European foreign ministers.

“Many foreign ministers emphasized that it should be a condition for the new leadership to eliminate Russian influence (in Syria),” Kallas said.

Four Syrian officials told Reuters on Saturday that while Russia is pulling back its military from the front lines in northern Syria and from posts in the Alawite Mountains, Moscow is not leaving its two main bases in the country after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

Ben Gvir threatens to vote against government over unwillingness to fire AG

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrives at the the Tel Aviv District Court ahead of the testimony of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the trial against him, December 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrives at the the Tel Aviv District Court ahead of the testimony of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the trial against him, December 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party announces that it no longer considers itself bound by coalition discipline and will begin voting independently, including on the budget law in the plenum this evening.

In a statement, the ultranationalist party criticizes its coalition partners for their refusal to submit a resolution on firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for discussion at next week’s cabinet meeting.

It also slams the government for “negotiating an irresponsible deal” on the Gaza hostages and chipping away at the budget of Ben Gvir’s ministry and affiliated agencies.

Smotrich says judicial overhaul should wait until after war, calls for compromise between Levin and Supreme Court chief

Head of the Religious Zionism party Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Head of the Religious Zionism party Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls on Justice Minister Yariv Levin and interim Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to broker a compromise for choosing the High Court of Justice’s next chief justice, arguing that the Levin’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s judiciary ought to remain on hold until after the war.

Amit has been acting in a “bullying” manner to “impose his position” on the citizens of Israel and the majority of elected officials, Smotrich tells reporters ahead of his Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

But while the “government believes in the need to lead a fundamental reform of the judicial system, we have decided, because of the war, to put these issues aside, because in times of war we all need to shoulder the burden together,” he says.

Smotrich calls on Amit and Levin “not to give up, to continue and take advantage of every moment to reach an understanding and compromise that will, God forbid, prevent conflict and further a rift in the public.”

“After the war, the time will come when we can advance the reform according to the mandate we received from the public, but the right thing to do now is to reach an agreed compromise and prevent the rift and the scenes we saw before October 7th,” Smotrich insists.

Levin has refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee and have it confirm Justice Isaac Amit as Supreme Court president. Levin, who views Amit as too liberal, has attempted to hold off on the appointment for a year in hopes of installing committee members more in line with the government’s agenda.

In August, Levin proposed delaying Amit’s ascension to the post, with Justice Yosef Elron serving as the court’s top judge for a year. Amit rejected the compromise.

Germany’s Scholz loses confidence vote, setting up an election in February

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a plenary session at the German parliament Bundestag where he faces a vote of confidence, Berlin, Germany, December 16, 2024. (AP Photo/ Markus Schreiber)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a plenary session at the German parliament Bundestag where he faces a vote of confidence, Berlin, Germany, December 16, 2024. (AP Photo/ Markus Schreiber)

Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses a confidence vote in the German parliament, putting the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy on course to hold an early election in late February.

Scholz wins the support of 207 lawmakers in the 733-seat lower house, or Bundestag, while 394 vote against him and 116 abstain. That left him far short of the majority of 367 needed to win.

Scholz leads a minority government after his unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party coalition collapsed on Nov. 6 when he fired his finance minister in a dispute over how to revitalize Germany’s stagnant economy. Leaders of several major parties then agreed that a parliamentary election should be held on Feb. 23, seven months earlier than originally planned.

The confidence vote was needed because post-World War II Germany’s constitution doesn’t allow the Bundestag to dissolve itself. Now President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has to decide whether to dissolve parliament and call an election.

He has 21 days to make that decision — and, because of the planned timing of the election, is expected to do so after Christmas. Once parliament is dissolved, the election must be held within 60 days.

Sa’ar pushes to split role of AG, instead of having her fired

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar gives a press conference on November 28, 2024, in Prague, Czech Republic. (Michal Cizek / AFP)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar gives a press conference on November 28, 2024, in Prague, Czech Republic. (Michal Cizek / AFP)

Asked if he supports coalition efforts to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tells reporters during his New Hope party’s weekly faction meeting that he doesn’t know that such a process has begun but that he believes “it’s better to go for a process of splitting the powers of this position than a process of splitting the people.”

Having a chief government legal adviser and a chief prosecutor embodied in the same person creates problems of concentration of power and comes with “a built-in conflict of interest,” he says.

“It is better to split than to dismiss. I always prefer to repair rather than break,” he asserts.

Regarding “legal reforms,” he says he is in favor but they have to be carefully considered and carried out “wisely and responsibly.”

Following the meeting, Sa’ar announces in a statement that New Hope lawmaker Mishel Buskila had submitted a new bill to split the role of the attorney general, based on an outline formulated by Sa’ar when he previously served as justice minister.

“The proposal seeks to resolve the problem of concentration of power and the inherent conflict of interest whereby the person who advises the government and its ministers is also the one authorized to investigate them and bring them to criminal trial,” the statement reads.

The proposed bill would strip the attorney general of her authority over the investigation and prosecution of elected officials, which would be transferred to a committee composed of former High Court justices, a former attorney general and an attorney appointed by the public defender’s office.

FM Sa’ar defends decision to close Dublin embassy, says Irish PM Harris is an antisemite

Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris speaks after meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris speaks after meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar explains his decision to close Israel’s embassy in Ireland, saying that Dublin “encouraged” antisemitism under an antisemitic prime minister.

“There is a difference between criticism,” says Sa’ar in a meeting of his New Hope faction, “and antisemitism based on the delegitimization and dehumanization of Israel and double standards towards Israel as opposed to other countries. This is how Ireland allowed itself to behave towards Israel.”

Sa’ar points out that Ireland is one of the only European countries that has not adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. “Ireland did not bother to promote measures to fight anti-Semitism within the country, on the contrary,” he argues, “they only encouraged it.

The Foreign Minister accuses Ireland of supporting “the politicized proceedings being conducted at the ICC against Israel and its leaders,” and acting to change the definition of genocide to target Israel at the International Court of Justice. He says that Ireland ״worked systematically to damage our relations with the European Union and incentivize it to take up anti-Israel positions and actions.״

Sa’ar points out that Ireland’s “antisemitic Prime Minister Simon Harris” accused Israel in an interview of starving children and killing civilians. “Is Israel starving children? When Jewish children died of starvation in the Holocaust, Ireland was at best neutral in the war against Nazi Germany.”

“Israel will not be a punching bag for every antisemite in the world to beat on,” Sa’ar declares. “Israel will not continue business as usual when that happens.”

Sa’ar says that in addition to opening an embassy in Moldova, Israel will look to open new embassies in the Balkans, Africa and beyond in countries that have requested such a move.

Hostage’s mother kicked out of Knesset after threatening to take law into own hands if her son comes back dead

Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, is ejected from a Knesset Committee meeting in Jerusalem, on December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, is ejected from a Knesset Committee meeting in Jerusalem, on December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, is kicked out of the Knesset after warning Minister Zev Elkin that if her son came back dead from Gaza, she would take the law into her own hands.

Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset Committee for Strengthening and Developing the Negev and Galilee, Zangauker got into a heated argument with Elkin, from the New Hope party, accusing the government of lying to the public and not doing all it can to reach a deal to bring home the hostages.

“If my son comes back in a body bag or as body parts, I won’t bring you to trial, I will take the law into my own hands,” she warns.

“My child is alive, and there are only a few like him. Tell the public the truth. There are bodies of of those who were murdered in captivity or kidnapped on October 7 and are no longer among the living, and you will never be able to locate their bodies, so stop using the cynical phrase ‘We will bring everyone back.’ Stop lying, tell the truth – or are you more interested in your your [ministerial] seat?” she says.

She is then ejected by the Knesset guards.

Her outburst comes a week after Hamas released a coerced propaganda video showing the first signs of life from Matan Zangauker, in which he calls on the Israeli public to continue protests in support of a deal with Hamas.

He was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of October 7, 2023, and has been held captive in Gaza ever since.

Coalition heads cancel meeting on firing AG amid reported lack of support for move

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attends the funeral of former Judge Elisheva Barak-Ussoskin at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv, December 11, 2024.(Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attends the funeral of former Judge Elisheva Barak-Ussoskin at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv, December 11, 2024.(Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

A planned meeting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior coalition allies on the topic of firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has been canceled at the last minute, Hebrew media reports.

According to the pro-government Channel 14, the cancellation is the result of several ministers backing out and a lack of agreement within the coalition on the issue.

The meeting had been set to serve as a follow-up to a previous gathering on Sunday, during which both Baharav-Miara’s ouster and the revival of the government’s contentious judicial overhaul were discussed.

According to Hebrew media reports, despite significant support among coalition leaders, final decisions on the issues were postponed due to the ultra-Orthodox parties’ demand that the coalition first pass legislation aimed at enshrining in law their constituents’ exemption from military service.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were reported to have questioned the wisdom of reviving the overhaul, notably including a far-reaching bill to change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee, because they believe it would ultimately be overturned by the High Court.

Addressing the Knesset earlier this month, Levin appeared to indicate that there was insufficient support within the cabinet to fire Baharav-Miara and called on ministers who have not yet joined the effort to “come out to the public and tell the truth.”

Medics say five hurt running for bomb shelters during Houthi missile attack

Israelis take cover inside a bomb shelter as siren alerts are sounded in Tel Aviv, December 16, 2024. (Avshalom Sassonif/Flash90)
Israelis take cover inside a bomb shelter as siren alerts are sounded in Tel Aviv, December 16, 2024. (Avshalom Sassonif/Flash90)

The Magen David Adom rescue service says its medics treated five people who were lightly injured while running for cover when sirens went off during a missile attack from Yemen.

Sirens sounded across a wide swath of central Israel and the injuries took place in Tel Aviv, Petah Tikvah, Kfar Saba, Holon and at the Em Hamoshavot junction.

The injured were taken to hospital for treatment, MDA says.

The IDF says it shot down the missile before it entered Israeli air space.

Hebrew media reports say shrapnel from the interceptor fell in the northern West Bank and did not cause any injuries.

Lapid says opposition rep will call vote for new Supreme Court chief if Levin refuses

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks to the press at the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 16, 2024 (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks to the press at the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 16, 2024 (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)

If Justice Minister Yariv Levin does not hold a vote on the next High Court president by January 16, then MK Karine Elharrar will “will do it in his place,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid declares during his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

Last week the High Court of Justice ordered Levin to hold a vote in the Judicial Selection Committee for a new president of the Supreme Court by January 16, a move the justice minister has resisted making for over a year since such a vote with the committee’s current makeup would hand the role to Justice Isaac Amit, a liberal judge viewed as adversarial by Levin and others in the hard-right government.

If Levin does not follow the court’s order, the committee will be empowered to hold a vote without him.

The committee is composed of nine members: the Supreme Court president; two other Supreme Court justices selected by the justices of the Supreme Court; the justice minister, who chairs the committee, and another cabinet minister; two members of the Knesset chosen by the Knesset in a secret vote (usually, but not always, one MK from the coalition and one from the opposition); and two members of the Israel Bar Association chosen by the association’s national council.

Elharrar represents the opposition on the committee.

“The majority in the committee wants to elect a president of the Supreme Court, and does not need Yariv to put it to a vote. If he refuses, it has no legal validity and no practical validity and Karine will put it to a vote,” he declares.

Following the court’s ruling, Levin indicated plans to revive the government’s frozen judicial overhaul program, posting a lengthy attack on court to Facebook over the weekend in which he accused it of usurping the Knesset’s legislative role and the government’s executive powers.

The last time the government tried to pass this agenda it led to 1,800 deaths, Lapid says, blaming October 7 and the subsequent war on Levin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Now, with many of the hostages still held in Gaza and soldiers dying every day, “Levin is dragging us back into yet another attempt to destroy Israeli democracy,” he says. “If we don’t stop Yariv Levin, we need to start asking ourselves today: How many will be killed this time? How many will be injured this time? How many fronts will open this time? How many [international] arrest warrants will be issued for IDF soldiers because of one insane person?”

If Levin manages to push through his overhaul, “Israel will not be a democracy. If Israel is not a democracy, it will not exist,” he continues. “This is not a debate about the judiciary and the legislative branch, it is an existential threat to the State of Israel because of Yariv Levin’s madness, and because of Netanyahu’s criminal problems.”

Gantz slams ‘reckless’ government attempts to restart judicial overhaul, fire AG

National Unity chair Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
National Unity chair Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The government’s efforts to revive its judicial overhaul program and fire the attorney general are reckless behavior that endangers the security of the state, former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz declares, calling on Justice Minister Yariv Levin to back down.

Addressing reporters ahead of his National Unity party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Gantz says that Levin “has not yet learned anything” from the events of October 7 and “we will all regret it if we do not learn the lesson.”

“Mr. Prime Minister, coalition leaders, do not take us back to October 6. We paid such a heavy price for it,” he declares.

Turning to Sunday’s meeting of coalition party leaders on the topics of firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and reviving the government’s judicial overhaul agenda, Gantz says that while they were meeting “to discuss the coup,” he was contacted by the head of a local authority in the north who complained that it was “more difficult for him to deal with the bureaucracy of government ministries than with Hezbollah fire.”

The government needs to sit down to deal with that, “instead of holding discussions on how to dismantle the state,” he continues.

Gantz notes that on Sunday evening, Israeli Navy Vice Admiral (res.) Eliezer Marom announced his resignation from the role of overseer of the rehabilitation of the northern communities harmed amid fighting against Hezbollah, and “you are busy firing the attorney general?” he asks.

He asserts that when a state commission of inquiry is finally established it will discover that Hamas chose October 7 to attack because it saw that the overhaul had frayed Israeli society and weakened its government.

“Repeating the same mistake is absolute recklessness. Coalition members, do not weaken Israel,” he urges.

On the issue of a hostage deal, Gantz says that Israel must secure the release of all of the captives in Hamas hands at once rather than through a phased deal.

Liberman says government pushing country toward civil war

Yisrael Beytenu party chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Yisrael Beytenu party chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is leading Israel “into a civil war,” hawkish opposition politician Avigdor Liberman alleges during his Yisrael Beytenu party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

“It is impossible to attack the Houthis in Yemen, to attack Iran, and at the same time to attack the Supreme Court and the attorney general,” Liberman tells reporters. lamenting that despite ongoing fighting in Gaza and the unstable situation in Syria and the West Bank the government is still advancing efforts to exempt the ultra-Orthodox from military service.

The leaders of Netanyahu’s coalition are currently pushing to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and revive the government’s frozen judicial overhaul program.

“This government has consciously decided to lead us into a civil war. Such a situation, in terms of the disintegration of Israeli society and internal tension, has never existed before,” he continues.

He also demands an end to anti-government protesters’ calls for insubordination.

“It is imperative to keep the IDF away from all political and ideological debates,” he says.

Liberman’s statement comes after ex-state attorney Moshe Lador encouraged Israeli Air Force pilots on Saturday to stop volunteering for reserve duty if the government revives its highly contentious judicial overhaul. Shortly thereafter, former chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said that even Haredi men who are not studying in yeshiva should not serve in the Israel Defense Forces.

Underground, Netanyahu trial unbothered by Yemen missile

The hearing in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial continued even as sirens went off across Tel Aviv due to a ballistic missile attack from Yemen.

The trial is taking place in an underground courtroom that is a protected space, a special concession meant to account for security issues as Netanyahu takes the stand.

Ballistic missile from Yemen shot down before reaching Israel, IDF says

A ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military says.

The IDF says the missile was shot down before crossing the country’s borders.

Sirens sounded across central Israel over fears of falling shrapnel following the interception, the military adds.

Earlier this morning, a drone launched from Yemen was shot down by an Israeli Navy missile boat over the Mediterranean Sea.

Sirens triggered by ballistic missile shot from Yemen — IDF

The Israel Defense Forces says sirens activated in the Tel Aviv area and central Israel were triggered by the suspected launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen.

The IDF is looking into the details.

Earlier Monday, a drone launched from Yemen was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea, the IDF said.

Rocket sirens sound in Tel Aviv area

Rocket sirens are sounding across the Tel Aviv area and central Israel.

The sirens are the first in central Israel in weeks.

Breaking silence, Assad denies abandoning Syria amid flight from rebels

Then-president Bashar al-Assad, center, waves to his supporters at a polling station during presidential elections in the town of Douma, near the Syrian capital of Damascus, May 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
Then-president Bashar al-Assad, center, waves to his supporters at a polling station during presidential elections in the town of Douma, near the Syrian capital of Damascus, May 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad says he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack.

The comments, posted on a Telegram channel maintained by the Syrian presidency, are the first ostensible public remarks from Assad since he was overthrown by insurgent groups.

Assad says in the statement that he left Damascus on the morning of December 8, hours after insurgents stormed the capital. He says he left in coordination with Russian allies to the Hmeimim air base in the coastal province of Latakia, where he wanted to keep fighting.

Assad says that after the Russian base came under attack by drones that night, the Russians decided to move him to Moscow.

“I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier,” Assad says.

“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party,” Assad adds in an English version of his statement. “The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”

Reports of Assad’s flight from Damascus began to emerge before dawn on December 8 as rebels rolled into the capital largely unopposed. It was not until the next day that Moscow confirmed his arrival in Russia. Before then, various rumors over his fate had swirled, including claims of a fatal plane crash.

In the post, Assad boasts of remaining in Syria throughout the decade-long civil war and adds that he never “abandoned the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon.”

“When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose,” the statement adds.

Secondary blasts echo through Tartus area as Syrians clean up from alleged Israeli strikes

Residents of Syria’s coastal Tartus region say alleged Israeli airstrikes overnight, called the heaviest in the area in over a decade, went on until almost 6 a.m., shaking the ground and causing widespread damage.

“It was like an earthquake. All the windows in my house were blown out,” says 28-year-old Ibrahim Ahmed, an employee in a legal office.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources inside the country, 18 raids “targeted strategic locations on the Syrian coast,” including missile stockpiles and air defense assets.

In the village of Bmalkah in the hills above Tartus, roads are filled with shattered glass and shreds of roller doors and smoke can still be seen rising from nearby hillsides.

Clean-up crews trying to clear debris off roads have been sweeping up missile and shell parts, even as the valley echoes with fresh blasts from stockpiled munitions catching fire.

“The village did not sleep last night. The kids were crying,” says one middle-aged man in a blue sweatshirt who refused to give his name.

At a nearby military complex, smoke billows from arched concrete bunkers cut into the hillside, and secondary explosions launch shrapnel that then falls among the trees.

Broken parts of mortars, rockets and missile launch tubes litter the hillsides.

Putin accuses West of pushing Kremlin to ‘red lines’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is accusing the West of pushing Russia to its “red lines” and forcing Moscow into a response.

Putin tells a meeting of defense officials that Russia is watching the US development and potential deployment of short and medium-range missiles with concern.

He says Russia will lift all of its own voluntary restrictions on missile deployment if the US goes through with deploying the weapons.

He adds that Russia is holding its nuclear weapons for deterrence.

Germany prods Israel to abandon Golan Heights plan

Germany is urging Israel to abandon its plans to double the population living in the Golan Heights, adding to growing global condemnation of Israeli attempts to bolster its hold on the strategic plateau captured from Syria in 1967 and effectively annexed in a move recognized by the US but few others.

“It is perfectly clear under international law that this area controlled by Israel belongs to Syria and that Israel is therefore an occupying power,” foreign ministry spokesman Christian Wagner says.

Wagner adds that Berlin wants Israel “to abandon this plan.”

He also criticizes Israel’s stationing of troops in a buffer zone following Syria’s fall to an Islamist insurgent force and strikes carried out by the IDF targeting strategic military sites and weapons left behind by the regime, including chemical weapons.

“It is absolutely crucial now, in this phase of political upheaval in Syria, that all actors in the region take into account the territorial integrity of Syria and do not call it into question,” Wagner says.

Israel has an interest to ensure that the Assad regime’s weapons “do not fall into the wrong hands,” he admits, but adds that Germany is “now calling on all actors in the region to exercise restraint.”

“Syria has been a plaything of foreign powers for far too long,” he says.

Defense minister tells MKs hostage deal ‘closer than ever’ — reports

Defense Minister Israel Katz tours a Navy base in Haifa with senior IDF officers, December 10, 2024. (Shlomi Amsalem/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Israel Katz tours a Navy base in Haifa with senior IDF officers, December 10, 2024. (Shlomi Amsalem/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz has reportedly told Knesset lawmakers that Israel is closer to a deal than ever to a deal freeing hostages in Gaza, bolstering media reports of heavy optimism on the chances for an agreement soon.

Katz’s comments to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were made behind closed doors but leaks of his remarks are reported widely in the Hebrew press.

“Israel is closer than ever to another hostage deal,” Katz is quoted saying, adding that the less said about it the better.

Nonetheless, Katz predicts that the deal on the table will be backed by most of the coalition and should not face internal obstacles, Walla reports.

He seemingly indicates that the deal will not include an open-ended halt to hostilities, a measure sought by Hamas but opposed by many in Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition.

“There’s flexibility on the other side. They understand we’re not going to end the war,” he is quoted saying.

Netanyahu testimony canceled for tomorrow due to ‘special circumstances’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the courtroom at the District court in Tel Aviv, before the start of testimony, December 16, 2024. (Yossi Zeliger/POOL)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the courtroom at the District court in Tel Aviv, before the start of testimony, December 16, 2024. (Yossi Zeliger/POOL)

A hearing in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled, Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman says on behalf of the bench, after hearing closed-door arguments from the premier’s defense team on the matter.

Friedman-Feldman cites “special circumstances” as the reason for delaying the session, in which Netanyahu had been slated to continue taking the stand.

Netanyahu and his defense team had asked the judges to postpone the hearing after the premier briefly left the courtroom to deal with a message apparently unrelated to the trial. The prime minister and his defense attorney Amit Hadad said they could only divulge behind closed doors why Tuesday’s hearing needed to be delayed.

Rabbi leading hardline Jerusalem Faction dies at 79

Illustrative: Ultra-Orthodox men protest against the military draft on Route 4 outside Bnei Brak, July 16, 2024 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Illustrative: Ultra-Orthodox men protest against the military draft on Route 4 outside Bnei Brak, July 16, 2024 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

Rabbi Asher Deutsch, a leader of the radical ultra-Orthodox group Jerusalem Faction, which has led protests against attempts to draft religious men into army service, has died, Hebrew-language media reports.

The Jerusalem Faction, an extremist ultra-Orthodox group with some 60,000 members, is considered among the most conservative of Haredi factions. It regularly demonstrates raucously against enlistment of yeshiva students.

Deutsch, who had been unwell for some time, was widely considered the leader of the Jerusalem Faction, though he reportedly opposed hardline tactics adopted by sect’s more extreme wing headed by Rabbi Zvi Friedman, including violent clashes with police and vows to choose death over serving in the army.

The Bnei Brak native, who also headed the Ponevezh Yeshiva, had spent the last year holding meetings with figures from across the political spectrum in a bid to find a way to legislate the exemptions from the military draft that have been enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox community, the Kikar Hashabbat website reports.

Fate of Russian bases in Syria still up in air, Kremlin admits

This file photo taken on December 16, 2015 shows Two Russian Sukhoi Su-25 bombers at the Russian Hmeimim military base in Latakia province, in the northwest of Syria. (AFP Photo/Paul Gypteau)
This file photo taken on December 16, 2015 shows Two Russian Sukhoi Su-25 bombers at the Russian Hmeimim military base in Latakia province, in the northwest of Syria. (AFP Photo/Paul Gypteau)

Russia says it is still undecided about what to do with its military bases in Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin’s activities in Africa and the Middle East.

“There are no final decisions on this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters. “We are in contact with representatives of the forces that now control the situation in the country,” he adds.

Russia said Sunday it had evacuated some of its diplomatic staff from the country.

Netanyahu asks court to cancel hearing tomorrow, mum on why

Judges hearing the three corruption cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have gone into recess for 30 minutes to hold a secret discussion on canceling tomorrow’s scheduled hearing, at which the premier is slated to continue testifying.

Netanyahu’s defense attorney Amit Hadad requested that the Jerusalem District Court hold a closed-doors hearing on the request to nix the Tuesday court session. He does not say what the request is based on.

Prosecution ruffled by stream of notes to Netanyahu during testimony

Attorneys prosecuting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are demanding that the court establish a mechanism for passing notes to the premier, after a staffer brings in a message demanding his attention.

Prosecutors also want to track how many messages are being sent to the premier. The first two days of testimony saw a handful of notes brought in for Netanyahu’s attention.

Notes to Netanyahu, seemingly pertaining to matters unrelated to the graft cases he is on trial for, have become daily interruptions as the premier testifies, underlining the unique challenges posed by putting a head of government on trial.

The judges permit a 10-minute break for Netanyahu to deal with the note.

Upon returning, Netanyahu insists that the notes are purely related to his functioning as prime minister, and says that receiving such notes are the minimum that can be expected when serving as premier and giving testimony at the same time.

Netanyahu and his attorney Amit Hadad say that they are willing to show the notes to the judges, but Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman says there is no need.

Ankara, Doha, Riyadh bash Israeli plans to develop Golan

An old car in 'Trump Heights' in the Golan Heights, November 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
An old car in 'Trump Heights' in the Golan Heights, November 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are joining condemnation of Israeli plans announced Sunday to boost the Israeli population in the Golan Heights, a territory captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and effectively annexed by Israel in a move not recognized by much of the international community.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement says the decision marks a “new stage in Israel’s goal of expanding its borders through occupation,” adding that Ankara is concerned that the move would harm efforts to establish peace and stability in Syria.

“The international community must show the necessary reaction to Israel and ensure that the illegal activities of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s government come to an end,” the statement reads.

Qatar also condemns the decision, calling it “a new episode in a series of Israeli aggressions on Syrian territories and a blatant violation of international law.”

In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issues a “strong condemnation and denunciation” of the decision, accusing Israel of “continued sabotaging of Syria’s prospects for restoring its security and stability.”

Gaza death toll tops 45,000, Hamas health officials say

The death toll among Gazans during  more than 14 months of war between Israel and the Hamas terror group has topped 45,000, health authorities in the Hamas-controlled enclave claim.

Health authorities now say 45,028 people have been killed and 106,962 have been wounded since the start of the war in October 2023, which began with the shock Hamas onslaught in southern Israel in which terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

The Gaza health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it alleges that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence, accusing Hamas of hiding among civilians in order to drive up the death toll and fuel international criticism of Israel. It says it enacts measures to protect civilians in combat zones in line with international law.

Gazans said overnight that 10 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City’s eastern Shejaiyah neighborhood.

Deri says Shas will back sacking of attorney general if brought for vote

Shas chair Aryeh Deri speaks during a campaign event ahead of the municipal elections in Jerusalem, February 19, 2024 (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
Shas chair Aryeh Deri speaks during a campaign event ahead of the municipal elections in Jerusalem, February 19, 2024 (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri says his party will vote in favor of terminating Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara should Justice Minister Yariv Levin bring a motion to fire her to the cabinet.

Speaking with party mouthpiece HaDerech, Deri says that Baharav-Miara “harms democracy” and “doesn’t let you work on anything.”

Deri, a convicted felon who did jail time for taking bribes while serving as interior minister three decades ago, was blocked by Baharav-Miara last year when he tried to take cabinet post despite having vowed as part of a plea deal stemming from a newer fraud case to bow out of politics.

Coalition lawmakers gunning for Baharav-Miara have been trying to drum up support for the government to sack her, seeing the attorney general as a major obstacle to its wider efforts to overhaul the judiciary.

Following a meeting of coalition party leaders on Sunday evening, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomed what he described as “broad agreement on my demand to dismiss the attorney general.”

Despite this, no action was taken and the two ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, indicated that they would not support any moves related to the government’s judicial overhaul without first seeing progress on legislation that would exempt their constituents from military service.

A follow-up meeting on the issue is scheduled for this evening.

Addressing the Knesset earlier this month, Levin appeared to indicate that there was insufficient support within the cabinet to fire Baharav-Miara and called on ministers who have not yet joined the effort to “come out to the public and tell the truth.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday evening warned that while he supports moves that would remove prosecutorial powers from the attorney general’s toolkit, “at this time, great responsibility is required to avoid exacerbating tensions in Israeli society.”

Air force says ‘ribbons’ in sky created by normal flight activity

After investigating, the Israeli Air Force has so far found that ribbons drawn with contrails in the skies over Israel earlier this morning were caused by IAF aircraft “routine operational activity,” the military says.

The IDF is still investigating if the ribbons were possibly a stunt carried out as part of a rogue initiative.

There have been no claims of responsibility for the sky drawings, and the widespread assumption that the ribbons were meant as a gesture to hostages in Gaza has not been confirmed.

At trial, Netanyahu says Walla election coverage favored Bennett, not him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv on December 16, 2024. (Stoyan Nenov / POOL / AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv on December 16, 2024. (Stoyan Nenov / POOL / AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts in his testimony in court that coverage of the 2013 election by the Walla news website was hostile toward him and favored his right-wing rival, Naftali Bennett.

Netanyahu argues that this undermines the allegations that he received favorable coverage from Walla in return for regulatory decisions that were beneficial to Walla owner Shaul Elovitch’s business interests in the Bezeq telecommunications company.

Netanyahu’s defense attorney Amit Hadad cites several Walla articles that portrayed Bennett as hostile to then-ascendant center-left parties led by Tzipi Livni and Shelley Yachimovich, despite Zeev Rubinstein, a friend of Sara Netanyahu’s, having asked the Walla CEO to portray Bennett as well-aligned with the center-left.

In court, Hadad plays footage of a fawning interview Walla conducted with Bennett, during which the right-wing politician was lobbed softballs about his dedication to the country.

“This contradicts what Rubinstein was requesting,” says Netanyahu of one of the articles.

“[While] Rubinstein decided that it was good to show Bennett as adjacent to Livni, this article was showing Bennett as being on the responsible right wing,” he says.

Adds Netanyahu, “This proves what I said: Walla was serving Bennet’s campaign; it was a disciplined effort by Walla for Bennett’s campaign.”

Netanyahu is testifying in the Tel Aviv District Court for the third day.

Senior Hamas source says ceasefire deal ‘closer than ever’ – report

An unnamed Hamas leader is quoted by the Saudi Asharq News outlet saying that a ceasefire and hostage release deal is unprecedently close at hand.

“We are closer than ever to reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal if [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu does not obstruct the agreement,” the terror group representative says, adding that Washington must now put pressure on the Israeli premier.

The source adds that Hamas has submitted a proposal showing “great flexibility,” which stipulates a “gradual end to the war and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces according to an agreed-upon timetable, and guarantees from international mediators.”

Mediators have been intensifying contacts and talks to bridge the gaps and reach an agreement quickly, the Hamas leader says.

The final objectives of the terror group remain a permanent halt to hostilities, a complete IDF withdrawal, the return of displaced Gazans to their homes, and a fair deal for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the terror group official adds.

Earlier Monday, the Lebanese al-Akhbar reported similar sentiments about Hamas’s eagerness for an agreement, while saying Netanyahu was also ready to ink a deal.

A source familiar with the negotiations tells Asharq News that Hamas has been informed that US President-elect Donald Trump wants a ceasefire and hostage release deal as soon as possible, before Trump’s inauguration and perhaps before the end of the year, and that “Hamas and the resistance [i.e., other Palestinian terror factions] are ready, but the problem lies with the occupation [i.e., Israel].”

Edelstein warns coalition bosses against trying to bypass his committee on Haredi draft

Responding to reports that the heads of the coalition’s constituent parties are working on a compromise regarding the military enlistment of previously exempted ultra-Orthodox men, Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein warns against any attempt to bypass the powerful Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee he heads.

A bill dealing with the issue of Haredi enlistment has been stuck in Edelstein’s committee for months. Edelstein says he won’t allow it to advance unless lawmakers reach a wide consensus on the issue, and his comments reflect worries that the coalition may now be attempting to pass the legislation with an end run around his committee.

Addressing a meeting of the committee attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Edelstein notes that there has been “all kinds of talk about agreements behind the committee’s back.”

Even if the coalition leaders manage to agree on a compromise, any legislation will need the committee’s approval.

“There is no such thing [as going] behind the committee’s back. The law will reach the committee and be discussed, including changes and adjustments,” he insists.

US advises citizens in Syria to leave

The US embassy in Damascus is advising Americans to leave Syria, saying the security situation there continues to be volatile and unpredictable with armed conflict and “terrorism throughout the country.”

The embassy, which has been closed since 2012, posts a statement on X, warning US citizens who are unable to leave the country to prepare “contingency plans for emergency situations.” It doesn’t give further details.

The statement also says the US government is unable to provide any routine or emergency consular services to US citizens and those who need “emergency assistance to depart should contact the U.S. Embassy in the country they plan to enter.”

Sleeper cells of the Islamic State group have claimed responsibility for deadly attacks over the past months in different parts of Syria. Despite their defeat in March 2019, the extremists still pose a threat in the war-torn country.

Netanyahu retakes stand in graft case, denies meddling in ‘marginal’ Walla news site

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, arrives to testify at the Tel Aviv District Court for his long-running corruption trial, December 10, 2024.  (Menahem Kahana/Pool Photo via AP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, arrives to testify at the Tel Aviv District Court for his long-running corruption trial, December 10, 2024. (Menahem Kahana/Pool Photo via AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins the third day of his testimony in his criminal trial in the Tel Aviv District Court, and his defense attorney picks up where he left off last week, asking Netanyahu about his involvement, or lack thereof, in efforts to influence the Walla news website’s political coverage, which is central to Case 4000.

The case, the most serious against Netanyahu, revolves around allegations that he accepted bribes in the form of positive new coverage from Walla owner Shaul Elovitch, and in return advanced regulatory decisions which benefited Elovitch to the tune of NIS 1.8 billion.

Netanyahu insists that all the requests made by his wife’s friend Zeev Rubinstein to Walla CEO Ilan Yeshua to change the site’s coverage for the benefit of Netanyahu either came via Rubinstein’s own initiative or after consulting with his wife Sara, which Netanyahu assesses could have been out of a desire by Rubinstein to please Sara.

The prime minister also insists that he had no reason to convey such messages through Rubinstein, saying he could have either called Elovitch directly or reached out to Walla through his spokesperson’s staff.

“The last thing I have time to deal with during an election campaign is Rubinstein regarding a marginal website which was anyway hostile [toward me],” says the prime minister.

Netanyahu also claims he wasn’t aware of his wife Sara’s dealings with Rubinstein.

“It wasn’t with my knowledge. I don’t remember having any conversations with him about media coverage,” says the prime minister.

Netanyahu sounds like he has a slight cold and asks for a cup of tea, while his defense attorney requests that the temperature in the courtroom be raised.

Netanyahu is set to testify until 4 p.m., and is scheduled to return to the stand on Tuesday and Wednesday as well.

Air force said checking if its jets were used for sky ribbon stunt

An airplane contrail in the shape of a ribbon seen over the West Bank on December 16, 2024. (Times of Israel)
An airplane contrail in the shape of a ribbon seen over the West Bank on December 16, 2024. (Times of Israel)

Military investigators are reportedly probing the possibility that ribbons drawn with contrails in the skies over Israel earlier this morning were created by air force planes as part of a rogue initiative.

According to Army Radio, air force officials suspect that their planes were used for the stunt, with the ribbons generally appearing in areas where military aircraft were flying.

However, commanders never signed off on any such project, the station reports.

There have been no claims of responsibility for the sky drawings, and the widely disseminated assumption that the ribbons were meant as a gesture to hostages in Gaza has not been confirmed.

Also under investigation is the possibility that the ribbons were created by normal flight activity, combining with atmospheric conditions to create something that looks like a symbol for the hostages.

EU to test diplomatic waters with Syria’s new insurgent leadership

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says she has instructed the bloc’s top diplomat for Syria to go to Damascus and make contact with the country’s new government.

Speaking to reporters on arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Kallas says the diplomat will go to the Syrian capital today.

The downfall of Syrian dictator Bashar-al-Assad has left the country in the hands of a coalition of insurgent groups led by Hayyat Tahrir al-Shams, a jihadist outfit once affiliated with al-Qaeda.

On Saturday, Kallas’s US counterpart Antony Blinken said Washington was making contact with HTS, as the group is known.

Jammed Ayalon highway reopens after grenade scare

Police announce that the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv has reopened to traffic.

The roadway was shut earlier this morning after police found a grenade on the road.

No other details about the scare are immediately available.

Report claims both Israel, Hamas ready for hostage-ceasefire deal

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a camp housing displaced persons in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on December 15, 2024. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a camp housing displaced persons in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on December 15, 2024. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Mediators cited by Lebanese outlet al-Akhbar report that there are unprecedented levels of readiness for a hostage deal in Gaza from both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas.

The report by the pro-Hezbollah newspaper is the latest indication that the sides may be moving closer toward a deal aimed at freeing hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023, or earlier and stopping over a year of fighting. An Israeli report Sunday quoted an Israeli official saying an agreement could be inked by December 25.

According to Egyptian security sources speaking to the outlet, inconclusive talks over the past several days were aimed at expanding the deal on the table to include more hostages and a longer cessation of hostilities.

Jerusalem and Cairo also remain at loggerheads over the future management of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the paper reports.

US-Israeli ex-FBI informant set to plead guilty to inventing Biden Burisma claims

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, center, leaves the courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, center, leaves the courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

A dual US-Israeli national who was once an FBI informant is set to plead guilty later today to lying about a phony bribery scheme involving US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

Alexander Smirnov is expected to make the plea in Los Angeles to a felony charge in connection with the bogus story, along with a tax evasion charge stemming from a separate indictment accusing him of concealing millions of dollars of income, according to court papers.

Smirnov has been behind bars since his arrest in February on charges that he told his FBI handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid President Biden and Hunter Biden $5 million each around 2015.

Prosecutors and the defense have agreed to recommend a sentence of between four and six years in prison, according to the plea agreement.

Smirnov holds both Israeli and US citizenship and lived in Israel for more than a decade, later moving to Los Angeles and finally Las Vegas in 2022, prosecutors have said.

While his identity wasn’t publicly known before the indictment, Smirnov’s claims about the Bidens played a major part in the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, and helped spark a House impeachment inquiry into Biden.

Before Smirnov’s arrest, Republicans had demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the unverified allegations, though they acknowledged they couldn’t confirm if they were true.

Grenade found on road shuts Tel Aviv’s Ayalon highway

Rush hour traffic on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv has been brought to a standstill by authorities after a grenade was found on the road, police say.

“A short time ago, traffic police found a grenade on the side of Route 20,” a terse police statement reads.

Sappers have been dispatched to the scene, and traffic on the highway’s southbound lanes is being blocked, according to police.

The grenade is found near the area of the Rokach Interchange on the northern end of Tel Aviv, the Ynet news site reports.

Hebrew media report heavy traffic in the area. The incident comes at one of the busiest times of day on a highway that is a central artery through the country’s economic heart, compounding congestion woes that are already a daily grind for commuters.

Israel’s Cellebrite probing Serbian use of phone hacking tool after Amnesty report

Israeli surveillance company Cellebrite DI Ltd says it is investigating allegations that its software was used by Serbian officials to hack into the phones of dozens of journalists and activists in order to install spyware on their devices.

In a report, Amnesty International alleges that Serbian spyware took covert screenshots of mobile devices, copied contacts and uploaded them to a government-controlled server.

“In multiple cases, activists and a journalist reported signs of suspicious activity on their mobile phones directly following interviews with Serbian police and security authorities,” Amnesty said.

Cellebrite products are widely used by law enforcement, including the FBI, to unlock smartphones and scour them for evidence. Cellebrite Chief Marketing Officer David Gee says the firm is investigating the Amnesty allegations.

“Should those accusations be accurate, that could potentially be in violation of our end user license agreement,” Gee tells Reuters. If that is the case, Gee says, Cellebrite could suspend the use of its technology by Serbian authorities.

Putting surveillance software on devices “is absolutely not what we do,” Gee says.

He adds that Cellebrite has begun contacting Serbian officials but declined to provide further details.

Army says it downed drone fired from Yemen

The Israel Defense Forces says a drone launched from Yemen was successfully shot down over the Mediterranean Sea “a short while ago.”

According to the IDF, the UAV was intercepted by a Navy missile boat before it reached Israeli territory. No sirens were activated.

Tartus strikes said picked up by quake monitor

A tremor recorded off the coast of Syria late last night is being attributed in Hebrew language media to heavy Israeli strikes allegedly carried out in in the coastal Tartus region.

A 3.1 magnitude temblor is reported by the Geographic Survey of Israel’s seismology department at 11:49 p.m. last night, with its epicenter about 28 kilometers (17 miles) off the coast of the city of Banias.

The earthquake’s depth is measured at 32 kilometers (20 miles), and there is no confirmation that the reading was in fact caused by explosions.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israeli planes launched intense strikes in Syria’s coastal region late Sunday targeting air defense units, “surface-to-surface missile depots” and other sites.

Planes draw ribbons over Israel’s skies in nod to hostages

An airplane contrail in the shape of a ribbon seen over southern Jerusalem on December 16, 2024. (Times of Israel)
An airplane contrail in the shape of a ribbon seen over southern Jerusalem on December 16, 2024. (Times of Israel)

Contrails in the shapes of ribbons are being created in the skies over much of the country, in what reports say is a gesture for the hostages remaining captive in Gaza.

Videos and pictures posted online show the ribbons in the skies over the Tel Aviv area, Jerusalem, and various areas around southern and northern Israel.

It’s not immediately clear who is behind the effort or how many airplanes are used.

UAE claims Israeli plan to double Golan population ‘threatens further escalation’

The United Arab Emirates condemns Israel’s plan to double its population in the Golan Heights, claiming the effort “threatens further escalation and tensions in the region.”

“This decision is a deliberate effort to expand the occupation and is in violation and contravention of international law,” the UAE foreign ministry says.

Poll: Most Israelis oppose resumption of overhaul, think hostage deal is most urgent

Amid renewed efforts by the coalition to resume its judicial overhaul legislation, a Channel 13 poll says over half of the public, 51.3%, oppose the initiative, while 34.7% support it.

According to the survey results, 49.3% believe the overhaul bills endanger Israeli democracy, while 36.6% believe they don’t.

Asked what is the most urgent issue the government should be tackling, 65.6% of respondents say advancing a hostage deal, 13.1% say rebuilding war-battered southern and northern communities, 10.4% say advancing the overhaul, and 7.7% say promoting a law to mandate recruitment to the military for all Israelis.

The survey shows that few Israelis support recent controversial remarks urging refusal to serve in the military or refusal to keep showing up to reserve duty.

A whopping 74.4% oppose former chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s claim that all ultra-Orthodox men, including those who don’t study in yeshiva, must not serve in the IDF. Just 17.7% support the assertion.

And 68.8% object to former state attorney Moshe Lador’s remark urging reservist pilots to stop showing up for duty if the overhaul is advanced, while only 17.4% agree with it.

The poll was conducted by the Midgam Panel Project in the Jewish community and by Statnet in the Arab community. Channel 13 doesn’t say how many respondents took part, and doesn’t detail the margin of error.

Russia says it evacuated some Russian, Belarusian, North Korean diplomats out of Syria

A special Russian air force flight from the Khmeimim air base in Syria has evacuated some of the Russian diplomatic personnel in Damascus as well as Belarusian and North Korean diplomats, the Russian foreign ministry says.

“The work of the Russian Embassy in Damascus continues,” the crisis situation department of the Russian foreign ministry says on its Telegram messaging channel.

Russia’s RIA state news agency reports, citing the Belarusian foreign ministry, that all Belarusian diplomats have been evacuated from Syria.

Israel said to heavily strike military targets on Syrian coast

Reports say Israeli strikes have targeted military sites in Syria’s coastal Tartus region, with a Syria war monitor calling them “the heaviest strikes” in the area in more than a decade.

“Israeli warplanes launched strikes” targeting a series of sites, including air defense units and “surface-to-surface missile depots,” says the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in what it says were “the heaviest strikes in Syria’s coastal region since the start of strikes in 2012.”

Footage posted to social media shows a huge explosion.

SOHR, run by a single person, has regularly been accused by Syrian war analysts of false reporting and inflating casualty numbers as well as inventing them wholesale.

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