AG reportedly says potential order for Netanyahu’s recusal ‘not on the table’

US ‘unequivocally condemns’ Ma’ale Adumim attack, laments recent uptick in W. Bank violence

Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a suspected terror attack in the West settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The US State Department issues a statement “unequivocally condemn[ing]” the Ma’ale Adumim terror attack, adding that it is “deeply concerned by the rising levels of violence in the West Bank in recent months and condemn all acts of violence.”

IDF chief slams Likud MK’s claim that officer prioritizes Palestinians over Israelis

FILE: Likud MK Avichay Buaron speaks at a press conference near the Knesset in Jerusalem, calling for the coalition's planned judicial overhaul to be passed, June 12, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

IDF chief Herzi Halevi comes out against a lawmaker from the ruling Likud party for accusing the military’s top officer in the West Bank of putting Palestinians before Israelis.

In an interview earlier today with the Kan public broadcaster, MK Avichai Boaron charged that for the head of Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, “allowing movement rights for Palestinians is more important than hermetically protecting Israelis.”

Responding to Boaron, the military puts out a statement saying Halevi “forcefully condemns” his remark and expresses support for Fox, calling him an “ethical and excellent” commander.

“Under his command, IDF commanders and soldiers work night and day to ensure the security of residents of the Judea and Samaria area,” the statement says, using the West Bank’s biblical names.

“Any comment that casts doubt on the judgment of the general and his commitment to the security of Israeli citizens is deserving of all condemnation and has no merit,” it adds.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of Likud, also expresses support for Fox, who he says “dedicates his life to defending Israel.”

“I strongly denounce the baseless attacks on him by irresponsible political figures,” Gallant tweets, without naming Boaron. “Any attack on IDF officers by a public officer undermines Israel’s security.”

Gallant said to tell MKs ‘air force built on American planes and Israeli pilots’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Knesset, July 30, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

At a meeting yesterday of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant pushed back against some lawmakers’ criticism of Israeli Air Force pilots and the Biden administration for their opposition to the government’s judicial overhaul, Channel 12 news reports.

“The air force is built on two components: American planes and Israeli pilots. If you have an alternative for one of them, let me know,” Gallant is quoted as saying.

He also warned that military readiness could decline due to reservists who have stopped showing up for volunteer duty to protest the judicial shakeup, according to the network.

“[When] an athlete stops training, he can still run after a week, but not after a month,” he was said to add.

In 2nd attack of day, Palestinian attempts stabbing in southern West Bank, is shot

Illustrative. Israeli soldiers stand near the scene of a suspected car-ramming attack at the entrance to the village of Husan, in the West Bank, on June 23, 2018. (Flash90)

A Palestinian who allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing attack at a bus station at the Eshtamoa Junction, close to the southern West Bank settlement of Shim’a, has been shot, according to the military and first responders

“The terrorist was neutralized,” the Israel Defense Forces says in a brief statement.

The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service says there are no injuries, aside from the suspect.

The service says medics are waiting for sappers to check the suspect’s body before giving him medical attention.

The incident came hours after a Palestinian terrorist carried out a shooting attack in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement near Jerusalem that left six Israelis hurt, before being shot dead by a Border Police officer.

In unverified ‘will,’ Ma’ale Adumim attacker claims no affiliations with Palestinian factions

In an unverified recording circulating on Palestinian social media and attributed to Mohannad Muhammad Suleiman al-Mazra’a, the perpetrator of today’s terror attack in Ma’ale Adumim, the speaker claims to not be affiliated with any faction.

Al-Mazra’a, from the nearby West Bank town of al-Azariya, allegedly recorded his “will” as a 95-second voice note before committing the shooting attack, in which six Israelis were wounded.

In the audio file, whose origin could not be independently verified, the man quotes several Quranic verses and hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), saying that if he dies “in the name of Allah” and the Israelis take his body, “it won’t matter.” He demanded that when he is buried, no funeral be held for him and no name be engraved on his tombstone.

The Gaza-ruling terror group Hamas issued a press statement shortly after the terror attack, congratulating al-Mazra’a and calling the shooting “heroic and daring. ”

In a separate statement, Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas official, claims that the shooting was in response to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s latest visit to Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av last Thursday.

“The protectors of Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa always have their finger on the trigger, and will not miss an opportunity to pounce on the enemy,” Mardawi says.

Barber shot in Ma’ale Adumim says he was about to cut cop’s hair when attack began

Moshe Turgeman, a barber shot in a terror attack in Ma'ale Adumim, speaks with reporters from his hospital bed, August 1, 2023. (Screenshot/Twitter, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

A barber wounded in today’s attack in Ma’ale Adumim recounts being shot after he and a Border Police officer went looking for the terrorist.

Speaking to reporters from his hospital bed, Moshe Turgeman says he was cutting a customer’s hair when the officer — one of his regulars — came in.

“He just sat down. We heard gunfire and saw people running outside,” he recalls.

Turgeman says the two then went searching for the assailant, who was later identified as a resident of a nearby Palestinian town who worked at a local community center in the West Bank settlement.

The barber says he believes the two passed by the gunman without realizing it was him, noting the fluorescent vest he was wearing.

Turgeman says people then yelled from nearby buildings that the man in the vest was the attacker, leading them to double back after him.

“He shot me, he succeeded in hitting me in the hand,” Turgeman says, “and [shot] another guy near me in the leg.”

“The heroic Border Police officer just took him out in a few seconds. We got out miraculously,” he adds.

AG said to argue there are no grounds for ordering Netanyahu’s recusal

Left: Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara at her welcome ceremony in Jerusalem on February 8, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90). Right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, on January 11, 2023. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara does not believe there are grounds to order Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recusal from office, the Kan public broadcaster reports a week after she came out against a law aimed at shielding the premier from such a move.

According to a separate report by Channel 12 news, which is also unsourced, Baharav-Miara recently said there haven’t been deliberations on Netanyahu’s potential recusal and that the matter “is not on the table.”

The High Court of Justice is due to hear a petition against the legislation passed in March, with Baharav-Miara calling for it to be struck down and linking the law to motions seeking Netanyahu’s recusal for allegedly violating a conflict of interest deal barring him from dealing with his government’s judicial reforms while on trial for graft.

After shooting attack, Ma’ale Adumim says entry barred to Palestinian workers

View of neighborhoods in the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, near Jerusalem, on June 28, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The deputy mayor of Ma’ale Adumim says the West Bank settlement city will bar the entry of Palestinian workers until further notice, following the terror attack today.

“At the moment there is no entry of workers into the city until further notice. All construction sites in the city were immediately evacuated,” Guy Yifrah says in a statement.

According to the Shin Bet security agency, the terrorist had a permit to work in West Bank settlements, but not in Israel proper.

The terrorist had worked as a cleaner at a local community center in Ma’ale Adumim.

UAE vows to let activists ‘assemble peacefully’ at upcoming UN climate talks

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates says it will allow environmental activists to “assemble peacefully” at this year’s UN climate talks, despite a prohibition on unauthorized protests in the Gulf state.

The oil-rich UAE, set to host COP28 from November to December in the business hub of Dubai, requires official permission for protests but effectively bans demonstrations it deems disruptive.

At the upcoming UN climate talks “there will be space available for climate activists to assemble peacefully and make their voices heard,” it says.

The announcement is made today in a joint statement with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) released and published by the UAE’s official WAM news agency.

The statement is released after COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber and UNFCCC chief Simon Stiell signed a bilateral agreement in Abu Dhabi that provides the legal basis for organizing and hosting the climate talks.

“We are firmly committed to ensuring that UN values are upheld at COPs,” the statement quotes Stiell as saying.

Today’s announcement is welcomed by campaign group Climate Action Network International which commends “the COP28 Presidency for their dedicated efforts towards fostering an inclusive climate summit.”

But it warns that it will “resist any attempts to curtail (civil society) participation,” according to Harjeet Singh, its head of global political strategy.

“Our unwavering conviction is clear: there can be no climate justice without human rights,” Singh tells AFP.

A ‘bullet flew by my face’: Burger shop worker says customer was shot in attack

Police inspect the site of a shooting attack in the West Bank settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A worker at a burger restaurant in Ma’ale Adumim describes the moment of the terror shooting attack.

“The terrorist was standing outside [the restaurant] and fired two or three shots, hitting one of my customers,” Ravid, who works at Burgers Bar, tells the Kan public broadcaster.

“Another bullet flew by my face and hit the wall,” he says.

Ma’ale Adumim terrorist identified as Palestinian from nearby town

Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a suspected terror attack in the West settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Palestinian Authority health ministry says it has been notified of the death of the terrorist who carried out the attack in Ma’ale Adumim.

The ministry names the man as 20-year-old Mohannad Muhammad Suleiman al-Mazra’a, from the nearby West Bank town of al-Azariya.

⭕ صورة | الشاب مهند محمد سليمان المزارعة (20 عاماً) الذي ارتقى برصاص الاحتلال بعد تنفيذ عملية في مستوطنة "معاليه أدوميم". pic.twitter.com/6siPSJIp30

— إذاعة الأقصى – عاجل (@Alaqsavoice_Brk) August 1, 2023

Number of wounded in Ma’ale Adumim attack raised to 5

Israeli security forces and rescue personnel at the scene of a suspected terror attack in the West settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Magen David Adom ambulance service raises the toll of wounded in the terror shooting attack in Ma’ale Adumim to five.

The victims are taken to hospitals in Jerusalem.

According to MDA, a man in his 40s is seriously hurt. Four other victims, including a 14-year-old boy, and three men aged 28, 29, and 37, are listed in moderate condition.

The terrorist has been identified by law enforcement as a Palestinian in his 20s. The defense establishment is still verifying his identity.

Jury deliberates death penalty or life in prison for Pittsburgh synagogue shooter

A makeshift memorial stands outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in the aftermath of a deadly shooting in Pittsburgh, October 29, 2018. (Matt Rourke/AP)

PITTSBURGH — A jury is deliberating whether the man who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue should receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Robert Bowers perpetrated the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history when he stormed the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 and opened fire, killing members of three congregations who had gathered for Sabbath worship and study.

The same jury that convicted Bowers in June on 63 criminal counts begins deliberating his sentence today.

In closing arguments yesterday, prosecutors said the 50-year-old truck driver was clearly motivated by religious hatred, reminding jurors that Bowers had spread antisemitic content online before the attack and has since expressed pride in the killings. They urged jurors to impose a death sentence.

Bowers’ lawyers asked jurors to spare his life, asserting that he acted out of a delusional belief that Jewish people were helping to bring about a genocide of white people. They said he has severe mental illness and endured a difficult childhood.

Bowers, who was armed with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons, also shot and wounded seven, including five responding police officers.

US District Judge Robert Colville thanks the jurors for their service before sending them out to deliberate around 9 a.m. this morning local time.

Touring scene, police chief says officer who killed terrorist ‘prevented broader attack’

Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai at the scene of a suspected terror attack in the West settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Along with Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks with officers and rescue personnel while touring the scene of the terror shooting in Ma’ale Adumim.

According to Shabtai, the 20-year-old assailant “opened fire in all directions,” wounding several Israelis before being killed by a Border Police officer after a chase and exchange of fire.

“He prevented a broader terror attack,” Shabtai says of the policeman while speaking with reporters.

Video shows Shabtai speaking with the policeman before his remarks to the press.

Police say terrorist in Ma’ale Adumim was shot dead by border cop

Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a suspected terror attack in the West settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says one of the victims of the shooting attack in Ma’ale Adumim, a man in his 40s, is listed in serious condition.

MDA says that three men, aged 28, 29, and 37 are listed in moderate condition.

All four are being taken to hospitals in Jerusalem for treatment.

Police say that a Border Police officer heard gunfire and shouting near the settlement’s shopping mall, and rushed to the scene to search for the terrorist.

“The terrorist started shooting at the officer,” police say, adding that he engaged and killed the gunman.

Netanyahu, Gallant updated on Ma’ale Adumim attack; police chief heads to scene

At the time of a terror attack in Maale Adumim, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tour the headquarters of IDF Central Command, which is responsible for military activities in the West Bank.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office says the two are receiving updates on the shooting.

Police say Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and head of the Border Police, Deputy Commissioner Brik Yitzhak, are heading to the scene.

Rescue service reports 2 more people hurt in suspected shooting attack

Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a terror attack in the West settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The director general of the Magen David Adom ambulance service, Eli Bin, tells the Kan public broadcaster that the toll of wounded in the suspected shooting attack in Ma’ale Adumim has risen to four.

He says they are listed in light and moderate conditions. Earlier, MDA said two men in their 30s were moderately hurt by gunfire.

It is unclear if the additional two victims were also hurt by gunfire.

2 Israelis moderately wounded in suspected terror shooting in Ma’ale Adumim

Police and medical personnel at the scene of a terror attack in the West settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Two Israelis have been shot and moderately wounded in a suspected terror attack in the West Bank settlement city of Ma’ale Adumim, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it is treating two men in their 30s at the scene, close to a shopping mall.

The alleged assailant has been shot, footage from the scene shows.

Police confirm reports on the shooting but offer no further details. The military doesn’t immediately comment on the suspected attack.

US said discreetly observing treatment of Palestinian-Americans at Israeli border crossings

Passengers in the arrival hall of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on July 11, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Observers on behalf of the US government are currently visiting to monitor treatment of Palestinian-Americans at border crossings, according to Reuters, after travel restrictions on them were eased as part of Israeli efforts to join the US Visa Waiver Program.

Citing four unidentified officials, the report says the observers have toured immigration offices and Ben Gurion Airport , and were scheduled to visit a West Bank crossing today as part of their discreet trip.

Doctors report sharp rise in number of Israeli teens seeking plastic surgery this summer

An illustrative photo of doctors performing plastic surgery. (Israel Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery)

The Israel Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reports that teenagers’ requests for procedures are up 37% this summer over usual levels, with adolescents mostly seeking ear tucks, rhinoplasty and gynecomastia surgery (reduction of breast tissue in males).

There have also been requests from teenage girls for breast augmentation, with only a few such procedures taking place in exceptional cases. The general guidelines in Israel state that girls must be at least 18 to undergo breast augmentation or reduction surgery. It is recommended that they wait until age 21, at which time breast tissue has completely stopped growing.

Dr. Meir Cohen, chair of the Israel Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, says social media influences youth’s decisions in seeking plastic surgery year-round, but the number of procedures being performed has risen dramatically during the summer vacation.

“Before plastic surgery on youth — under general or local anesthesia — we ascertain together with the parents that the child deeply understands the meaning of the change that the operation can bring about. We make sure the child is prepared physically and mentally for the recuperation period, and that they are seriously motivated and not acting out of impulse based on something they saw on Instagram,” Cohen says.

The Israel Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons’ recommendations regarding surgeries relate to the age at which specific parts of the body stop developing, with rhinoplasty only for individuals 17 and older. Boys should wait until age 16 for gynecomastia surgery, but ear tucks can be done on children as young as 6.

The society reminds parents that they must legally sign off on any plastic surgery procedure for a minor. Parents should also make sure that the surgeon they choose for their children has a specialized degree in plastic surgery and is credentialed by the Health Ministry.

Israeli plastic surgeons also warn Israelis about the dangers of seeking plastic surgery abroad. Every year, around 80 people are treated by plastic surgeons in Israeli hospital emergency rooms for infections and severe complications resulting from aesthetic surgeries and procedures done in other countries.

Defense Ministry: Man who set himself ablaze has mental illness not linked to his IDF service

The Defense Ministry is seen along with other buildings in Tel Aviv, August 2016. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The Defense Ministry says a 33-year-old man who set himself on fire in Netanya earlier today was not recognized as a wounded veteran.

In a statement, the ministry says the man served in the military between 2008 and 2011. At some point after his service, he submitted an application to be recognized as a wounded vet.

“His request to be recognized as a disabled IDF veteran was thoroughly examined and rejected after he was diagnosed as suffering from a mental illness, which was not PTSD and was not related to his military service,” the ministry says.

The ministry says that “the doctors who examined him and treated him during the past year and a half did not diagnose PTSD.”

“The Defense Ministry was in continuous contact with his family throughout the application, and wishes for his safety and health,” it adds.

Parks authority ‘examining’ minister’s plan for sex-segregated swimming at nature springs

A Byzantine-era pool discovered at the site of Ein Hanya, near Jerusalem, and revealed to the public on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. (Assaf Peretz/Israel Antiquities Authority)

A government ministry’s announcement of sex-segregated bathing at two nature reserves this month is setting off a power tussle between the ministry and the agency meant to implement the controversial plan.

The segregated swimming, which is meant to accommodate the religious requirements of Jewish devout visitors, is a monthlong pilot program that will happen twice a week at the Einot Tzukim oasis in the Judean Desert and at the Ein Hanya spring near Jerusalem, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman says in a statement Tuesday.

But in response to a query on the subject, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, which operates under the minister, says it has stipulations that will determine whether it will implement the plan. INPA has not announced on its website or other media the altered opening hours and will not commit to observing them.

The Authority is “examining the possibility” of implementing the sex-segregated swimming plan, a spokesperson tells The Times of Israel. “We’re making preparations and intend to implement the plan, but it’s still being examined by legal experts and we’re waiting for their position,” the INPA’s spokeswoman, Shlomit Shavit, tells the Times of Israel. INPA “is not able to implement” unless the legal experts sign off on it, she adds.

Many devoutly religious Orthodox Jews refrain from mixed swimming, deeming it immodest. Some visitors object to the introduction of segregation in public areas, which they perceive as an unreasonable infringement on their civil rights and religious coercion.

According to the plan, the reserve around Einot Tzukim is to open for segregated bathing 1.5 hours earlier than the usual opening time of 8 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays in August. At Ein Hanya, opening hours will be extended for segregated bathing from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and Wednesdays throughout August, according to a statement from Silman.

In 2020, the parks authority on its own initiative announced segregated bathing times at Einot Tzukim on two dates in September, at the expense of unsegregated bathing at some of the oasis’s pools. But amid protest, the INPA postponed the plan pending legal examination and ultimately scrapped it altogether.

University heads, researchers warn overhaul poses risk to Israeli ‘scientific resilience’

Illustrative photo of cancer research at a lab at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. (Keren Freeman/Flash90)

The heads of public research universities and members of the National Council for Civilian Research and Development warn of negative consequences “for the future of scientific research” in Israel due to the government’s judicial overhaul.

In a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Science Minister Ofir Akunis, they cite “growing signs that testify to destructive developments that could harm the scientific resilience of Israel.”

The university leaders and council members report a “significant drop” in the number of Israeli scientists overseas willing to return for work and express fears that leading figures in science and tech could leave Israel, while warning of a reluctance by foreign scientists to attend conferences in the country and “explicit threats” to scrap research cooperation agreements, among other concerns.

“Many in the scientific community have feelings of concern and danger for their futures. Because of this, many of them are losing confidence and prefer to abandon ship,” they add.

Man in Netanya seriously hurt after apparently self-immolating

This photo shows first responders in the coastal city of Netanya on August 1, 2023, where a man was seriously hurt after setting himself on fire. (Courtesy)

A man in the coastal city of Netanya is in serious condition after apparently setting himself on fire, first responders say.

Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan says the 30-year-old arrived with severe burns on his entire body and is being treated at the hospital’s trauma center.

Iran declares 2-day holiday due to soaring temperatures

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has announced a nationwide two-day holiday because of increasing temperatures, state media reports today.

Government spokesperson Ali Bahadori Jahromi says the decision to close governmental offices, banks and schools tomorrow and Thursday comes after the health ministry warned about a possible increase in cases of heat exhaustion because of high temperatures in the country, the official IRNA news agency reports.

In recent days, cities and towns in Iran saw temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The capital, Tehran, is experiencing 38 C (100.4 F) today.

The metrological office predicts Tehran will see temperatures of 39 C (102.2 F) over the next three days.

Ahvaz, the capital of an oil-rich province in the country’s southwest, is experiencing 50 C (122 F) today.

In 2022, Iran registered its hottest temperature at 53 C (127.4 F) in Ahvaz.

Earth’s hottest day in modern history was likely July 4, when the average global temperature reached reached 17.18 degrees Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit). It was mainly blamed on climate change and an emerging El Nino pattern.

The highest registered air temperature on Earth is 56.7 C (134 F), recorded July 10, 1913, in Death Valley in the United States.

Investment in Israeli tech sector plummeted in first half of 2023 — report

File: Workers from the tech sector protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, on March 9, 2023 (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Investment in Israeli technology startups plummeted in the first half of 2023, an Israeli tech industry monitor says today, citing the government’s divisive judicial overhaul plan as a main driver of the downturn.

Start-Up Nation Central, a nonprofit organization that tracks and engages with Israel’s technology industry, says that it has seen a 29% decrease in private funding in Israeli tech in the first half of 2023 compared to the second half of 2022, and a steep drop in investor participation. Initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions also hit a five-year low, it says.

The organization says that uncertainty in Israel because of the judicial overhaul “is already being felt with indicators such as decreased fundraising and fewer emerging Israeli startups.”

Yaniv Lotan, a vice president at Start-Up Nation Central, says the correlation between the judicial overhaul and investor hesitancy is clear. He says that while technology investment has stabilized in the US and globally over the past year, over the same period “here in the Israeli high-tech market, we are experiencing a continued downward trend.”

Israel’s high-tech sector is a major engine of the country’s economy, making up half of the country’s exports. It employs tens of thousands and its startup companies have drawn billions of dollars in investment in recent decades.

“In the end, markets don’t like uncertainty,” Lotan says.

The report is released a week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition passed a law that weakens the Supreme Court’s oversight of government decisions, a key part of the government’s proposed judicial overhaul.

Since the plan was announced in January, Israel has been gripped by weekly mass protests, including from the tech industry itself, which warned that the overhaul would take a toll on its work. The plan has also drawn consternation from the White House and American Jewish organizations.