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

North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile to the east — South Korean news agency

A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on June 26, 2024. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP)
A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on June 26, 2024. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP)

North Korea has launched an unidentified ballistic missile towards the east, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports, citing the military Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.

The launch comes several days after North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a multiple warhead missile, but the South said that Wednesday’s launch ended in a mid-air explosion.

Five arrested, one injured at Jerusalem protest against Haredi draft; police still dispersing crowds

Police clash with demonstrators during a protest against the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students to the IDF, in Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
Police clash with demonstrators during a protest against the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students to the IDF, in Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Police arrest five Haredi protesters at a demonstration in Jerusalem against drafting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students to the Israel Defense Forces; two for attacking officers and three for throwing stones or other objects.

The detainees are held for questioning, according to a police statement.

There are also reports that one person was injured as violent clashes broke out between police and protesters.

Several protesters blocked the light rail on Jerusalem’s central Jaffa Street, according to the Ynet news site.

Police, including mounted officers, are still working to disperse the protest.

Murdered hostage’s daughter-in-law threatens: ‘If they don’t return, we’ll be waiting for Netanyahu with a noose’

Ayala Metzger, whose father-in-law Yoram Metzger is held captive by Hamas in Gaza, speaks to protesters at an anti-government rally outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on May 20, 2024. (Charlie Summers/ Times of Israel)
Ayala Metzger, whose father-in-law Yoram Metzger is held captive by Hamas in Gaza, speaks to protesters at an anti-government rally outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on May 20, 2024. (Charlie Summers/ Times of Israel)

A video circulates showing Ayala Metzger, whose elderly father-in-law Yoram Metzger was kidnapped on October 7 and murdered in Hamas captivity in Gaza, telling a crowed that “if [the hostages] don’t return, we’ll be waiting [for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara] with a noose.”

“The Netanyahu couple, if you’re home, I won’t rest, Einav [Zangauker, mother of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker] will not rest, and Matan needs to come home, and [all of the hostages] need to come home,” Metzger screams into a microphone to cheers and horns blaring.

The video is broadcast by the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14.

The video was apparently filmed at a Thursday demonstration outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home in Caesarea, which called for new elections and a deal to release hostages held by the terror group Hamas in Gaza.

Some 3,000 protesters attended the rally, according to organizers, where police reportedly found a smoke grenade attached to a wire in the area outside Netanyahu’s home designated for the demonstration.

It is believed that 116 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Seven hostages have been rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 19 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.

The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 42 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.

One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.

French elections are ‘step toward’ mass Jewish immigration to Israel, aliyah pro says

Illustrative. People take part in a gathering organized by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel, at the Trocadero esplanade with the Eiffel Tower in the background in Paris, on April 7, 2024. (Thomas Samson/AFP)
Illustrative. People take part in a gathering organized by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel, at the Trocadero esplanade with the Eiffel Tower in the background in Paris, on April 7, 2024. (Thomas Samson/AFP)

The dramatic results of the first round of the parliamentary elections in France constitute “another step toward” a massive wave of immigration by local Jews to Israel, a prominent professional facilitating this movement says.

Ariel Kandel, CEO of the Quelita association for the absorption and encouragement of Jewish immigration, or aliyah, from France speaks with The Times of Israel following news that the far-right National Rally party obtained the largest share of the vote (34 percent), followed by the far-left-backed New Popular Front (28%).

The centrist Renaissance party of President Emmanuel Macron, who called the snap elections this month in a failed bid to curb the far-right’s electoral growth by uniting its rivals behind Renaissance, comes in third with only 20%.

National Rally, under its president Jordan Bardella and its top lawmaker Marine Le Pen, seeks to limit public expressions of religious worship, including by Jews, as part of the party’s anti-Muslim agenda. It also wants to end pension payments to citizens living abroad.

“This is major consideration for about 50,000 French Jews who are currently contemplating leaving,” Kandel says.

Some critics of National Rally believe it panders to antisemites, though others dispute this.

If the far-left under Jean-Luc Melenchon reaches power, “then we’re talking about an even bigger push factor,” adds Kandel, citing the position of many French Jews that Melenchon is an antisemite.

The second round of the parliamentary elections is Sunday. It is a runoff between the two top candidates of the first round. Second-round voters in many constituencies will need to choose between a far-left candidate and a far-right one. The runoff results determine the makeup of French parliament. It does not affect the presidency, but may limit the president’s ability to pass legislation and budgetary decisions.

French far-right leader Bardella says he’s ready to be ‘cohabitation’ PM in case of absolute majority

French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) political party president and lead MEP Jordan Bardella gives a speech during the results evening of the first round of the parliamentary elections in Paris on June 30, 2024. (Julien De Rosa/ AFP)
French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) political party president and lead MEP Jordan Bardella gives a speech during the results evening of the first round of the parliamentary elections in Paris on June 30, 2024. (Julien De Rosa/ AFP)

PARIS, France – French far-right leader Jordan Bardella says that he is ready to be prime minister if his National Rally (RN) party, which looks set to have won the first round of France’s parliamentary elections, finishes with an absolute majority after next week’s second round.

“I will be a “cohabitation” prime minister, respectful of the constitution and of the office of president of the Republic, but uncompromising about the policies we will implement,” Bardella says.

If another political force other than French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance gets a majority, Macron will be forced to appoint a prime minister belonging to that new majority.

In such a situation — called “cohabitation” in France — the government would implement policies that diverge from the president’s plan.

France’s modern Republic has experienced three cohabitations, the last one under conservative French president Jacques Chirac, with Socialist French prime minister Lionel Jospin, from 1997 to 2002.

The prime minister is accountable to the parliament, leads the government, and introduces bills.

Police use water cannons with ‘skunk’ to disperse protesters after violence erupts at Jerusalem anti-draft rally

Ultra-Orthodox protesters burn trash during a demonstration against conscription to the IDF, Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/ Ohad Zwigenberg)
Ultra-Orthodox protesters burn trash during a demonstration against conscription to the IDF, Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/ Ohad Zwigenberg)

Violent clashes break out between police and Haredi protesters in Jerusalem, during a demonstration against a landmark High Court ruling last week that ordered the government to begin calling up ultra-Orthodox men for military service.

Tens of thousands of men rallied this evening in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim to protest the order. After nightfall, the crowd makes its way toward central Jerusalem and turns violent.

Water cannons filled with skunk-scented water and police mounted on horses are used to disperse the crowd. But as yet, the demonstration is not under control.

Police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest against Haredi conscription to the IDF, in Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Many ultra-Orthodox Jews believe that military service is incompatible with their way of life and fear that those who do enlist will be secularized.

Earlier today, thousands of Haredim crowded a square and joined in mass prayers. Many held signs criticizing the government, with one saying, “Not even one male” should be drafted.

Le Pen wants ‘absolute majority’ for far-right so National Rally chief Bardella can become French premier

Former president of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) parliamentary group Marine Le Pen gives a speech during the results evening of the first round of the parliamentary elections in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, on June 30, 2024. (Francois Lo Presti/AFP)
Former president of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) parliamentary group Marine Le Pen gives a speech during the results evening of the first round of the parliamentary elections in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, on June 30, 2024. (Francois Lo Presti/AFP)

France’s longtime far-right leader Marine Le Pen calls on voters to give her National Rally (RN) an absolute majority in the second round of parliamentary elections, so party chief Jordan Bardella can become premier.

“Nothing is won and the second round is decisive,” Le Pen tells supporters after the RN came out on top in the first round of snap polls. “We need an absolute majority so that in eight days, Jordan Bardella is named prime minister by (French President) Emmanuel Macron.”

According to polling estimates, France’s far right won the first round of pivotal legislative elections today with the centrist forces of French President Emmanuel Macron coming in only third, behind the left, after the highest turnout in over four decades.

IDF: 18 soldiers injured — one seriously — in Hezbollah explosive-laden drone attack in northern Golan Heights

Eighteen Israeli soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, in a Hezbollah explosive-laden drone attack in the northern Golan Heights earlier today, the military announces.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted an Israeli military site in response to IDF strikes against the terror group earlier in the day.

The soldiers were taken to a hospital for treatment. One was seriously hurt and the other 17 were listed in good condition.

The IDF also says it struck a series of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the last few hours, including operation posts in Markaba, and a rocket launcher in Ayta ash-Shab, which had been used in an attack earlier today.

Exit polls: Far-right National Rally wins 1st round of French election, Macron alliance 3rd

French far-right National Rally party president and lead MEP Jordan Bardella gives a speech during the party's election evening as the results of the first round of the parliamentary elections are announced in Paris on June 30, 2024. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
French far-right National Rally party president and lead MEP Jordan Bardella gives a speech during the party's election evening as the results of the first round of the parliamentary elections are announced in Paris on June 30, 2024. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

The far-right National Rally (RN) has won the first round of legislative elections with President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance lagging in third place, behind the left, according to projections by polling groups.

The projections give the RN 34.5 percent of the vote — a strong but not decisive lead in the two-round election process — compared to 28.5-29.1% for the left-wing New Popular Front alliance, and 20.5-21.5% for Macron’s centrist camp.

The two-round vote could put the far-right in power in France for the first time since the Nazi occupation in World War II and give 28-year-old RN party chief Jordan Bardella, a protege of its longtime leader Marine Le Pen, the chance to form a government.

But with another torrid week of campaigning to come before the decisive final voting next Sunday, the election’s ultimate outcome remained uncertain.

“Faced with National Rally, the time has come for a broad, clearly democratic and republican alliance for the second round,” Macron said in a statement. He also said that the high turnout in the first round spoke of “the importance of this vote for all our compatriots and the desire to clarify the political situation.”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with supporters after voting in the first round of parliamentary elections outside a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France, on June 30, 2024. (Ludovic Marin/ AFP)

The results are projections of the national result based on sampling at key ballot boxes deemed representative of overall voting trends. Breakdowns of individual constituencies are not yet available.

In each constituency, only the two top candidates of the first round, alongside anyone else who won support from more than 12.5% of registered voters, continue to the runoff, which is scheduled for July 7. The preliminary result suggests that Macron’s party will be off the ballot in key constituencies where the choice be between National Rally and the New Popular Front, which is a merger created unexpectedly for the elections between the center-left Socialist party and the far-left France Unbowed party, or LFI.

The elections follow a political upheaval in France that began with the June 9 elections for the European Parliament, in which National Rally gained the highest share of the vote (27%) in France. An attempt by Macron to unite anti-National Rally voters behind his party, the snap elections he declared appears to have backfired in many constituencies.

Many French Jews regard France Unbowed as antisemitic. Many others loath also National Rally, whose founder and honorary president, Jean-Marie Le Pen, is a notorious antisemite with convictions for hate speech and Holocaust denial.

The turnout of at least 65.5% is the highest on record since the 1991 parliamentary elections, according to Le Monde.

Cabinet votes to advance building new Jerusalem combined office/residence for premier

View of the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem on December 15, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90/ File)
View of the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem on December 15, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90/ File)

The cabinet has voted in favor of speeding up the timetable to build a new combined office and residence for the prime minister inside the government compound in Jerusalem, instead of completing renovations on the existing official Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, according to Hebrew media reports.

The official residence is currently located in a residential neighborhood of central Jerusalem and is not adjacent to the Prime Minister’s Office, which is in the government quarter near the city’s Western entrance.

The new project, known colloquially as the “Israeli White House,” is expected to cost hundreds of millions of shekels, and would take some seven years to be completed, according to Haaretz.

Plans for a single compound that will house the Israeli prime minister’s dwelling and offices have intermittently been considered for long years, but have been frozen, time and again, for various reasons.

In April, the State Comptroller’s Office released a report slamming a decade of inefficiency and delays in renovating the official Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, which has led to tens of millions of shekels being spent on securing private homes for successive prime ministers.

Haaretz adds that a steering committee will be appointed to oversee planning on the project, which will be submitted for cabinet approval in the next year and a half.

Haredi protesters attack car of UTJ minister Goldknopf as he drives home in Jerusalem

Haredim protesting the conscription of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students to the military attack the car of United Torah Judaism party leader Yitzhak Goldknopf, as he drives home in Jerusalem.

According to Hebrew media reports, demonstrators throw stones at the minister’s car, beat the vehicle, and hurl insults as he passes by.

A few minutes later, police intervene and evacuate him safely from the area, where thousands have gathered to protest.

Israel has seen an intensifying public and legal debate over blanket ultra-Orthodox exemptions from the military draft, with the High Court of Justice last week handing down a landmark ruling that ordered the military to begin conscripting ultra-Orthodox men and halt funding to yeshivas that do not comply.

Ahead of move to new phase of war, Netanyahu holds situational assessment with top aides, IDF commanders

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a situational assessment with top aides and military commanders in Southern Command headquarters, June 30, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a situational assessment with top aides and military commanders in Southern Command headquarters, June 30, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

With the Rafah operation expected to wind down in the coming weeks — and the war to move to new, less intensive phase — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins a situational assessment with top aides and military commanders in Southern Command headquarters.

They also discuss “continuing military pressure” on Hamas, according to Netanyahu’s office.

Netanyahu is joined in Beersheba by National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Senior officers in attendance include IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the heads of the 162nd, 99th, and 98th divisions — all currently fighting in Gaza — and the commander of the Gaza Division.

The heads of the General Staff Operations and Intelligence directorates, the Ground Forces, and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories also participate.

TV report: US effort to revive hostage talks focuses on one word in Israel’s proposal

Channel 12 news reports that the US effort to revive Israel-Hamas hostage-ceasefire efforts is now focused on a single word in Clause 8 of the Israeli proposal that was unveiled a month ago by US President Joe Biden, and that Hamas, according to the US, has rejected.

According to partial leaks of the Israeli proposal, Clause 8 reads: “No later than day 16 [of phase one], the commencement of indirect negotiations between the two sides to agree on the conditions for implementing stage two of this agreement, including those relating to the keys for the exchange of hostages and prisoners (soldiers and remaining men), and this should be concluded and agreed upon before the end of week five of this [first] stage.”

The TV news report says Hamas objects to the word “including,” since that suggests that all the deal’s arrangements could be subject to negotiation at this stage of the deal, and therefore Hamas wants language that specifies that “only” the so-called keys for the exchange of hostages and security prisoners would be under negotiation.

Both Israeli and Hamas officials have downplayed the prospects of revived talks this weekend.

Government marks NIS 36 million for ultra-Orthodox education system run by Shas — report

The government approves NIS 36 million ($9.5 million) for the ultra-Orthodox education system run by political party Shas, Calcalist reports.

The funding still must be reviewed and approved by the Knesset Finance Committee before being transferred.

The funding — NIS 19 million ($5 million) for summer programming and NIS 17 million ($4.5 million) for Shas’s Maayan school network – was introduced to today’s deliberations “unexpectedly and did not appear on the agenda,” Calcalist reports.

The funds were originally agreed upon as part of the coalition agreement with Shas, but were “stuck,” because transferring the monies was conditioned on the Shas school network meeting certain criteria.

The move comes at a time of heightened tensions in the governing coalition around ultra-Orthodox issues. Shas has recently threatened to bolt the coalition if the so-called “Municipal Rabbis Bill,” which critics say is an attempt to provide jobs for party apparatchiks, does not pass into law.

Report: Netanyahu won’t attend 4th of July event at US ambassador’s Jerusalem home

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers remarks at an event in honor of the 247th US Independence Day at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, July 3, 2023. (US Embassy in Jerusalem/ File)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers remarks at an event in honor of the 247th US Independence Day at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, July 3, 2023. (US Embassy in Jerusalem/ File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly not planning to attend the 4th of July event at the US ambassador’s residence in Jerusalem, given tension between him and the Biden administration.

According to the Kan broadcaster, the prime minister has cited the ongoing war in Gaza as the reason that he will not join the annual event.

Tensions between Netanyahu’s office and the Biden administration, already shaky since war in Gaza erupted with Hamas’s October 7 massacre, flared last week when the prime minister issued a video statement slamming the “inconceivable” “bottlenecks” that the US had placed in transferring shipments of weapons and ammunition.

The video shocked the Biden administration, which has insisted that it had no idea what Netanyahu was talking about. There was one shipment of high-payload bombs that was held up last month due to US fears that it would be used in the then-crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, but all other transfers are continuing at a regular pace, the US has insisted.

There have also been strains over other issues, including efforts to reach a hostage release and ceasefire deal on which US President Joe Biden’s entire regional plan hinges.

Lazar Berman contributed to this report.

IDF confirms killing Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander in West Bank airstrike

The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike in the Nur Shams camp in the Tulkarem area of the West Bank earlier today, killing a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander.

According to the IDF and Shin Bet, Saeed Jaber was responsible for several shooting and explosive device attacks against troops and civilians.

Jaber was identified by Islamic Jihad as “one of the founders and most prominent leaders” of its local wing in Tulkarem. IDF sources say he was the second in command.

The home that was targeted in the strike was being used by several Islamic Jihad operatives, who the IDF says were responsible for shooting attacks on the West Bank security barrier, including against the town of Bat Hefer.

The military says the terror operatives are also linked to the killing of Amnon Muchtar, in a terror attack in Qalqilya last weekend.

The home was being used by the operatives to plan terror attacks, build explosive devices, and provide cover for wanted Palestinians, the IDF adds.

‘We will not enlist in the enemy army’: Thousands of Haredim protest ultra-Orthodox draft

Thousands of Haredim attend a rally against the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox men to the IDF, in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Thousands of Haredim attend a rally against the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox men to the IDF, in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Thousands of Haredim are protesting in Jerusalem’s Shabbat Square, against the conscription of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into the Israel Defense Forces.

According to the Walla new site, some of the demonstrators belong to the extremist Jerusalem Faction, which numbers some 60,000 members and regularly demonstrates against the enlistment of yeshiva students.

Protesters carry signs reading, “We will not enlist in the enemy army,” and “We will die and not enlist.”

Many ultra-Orthodox Jews believe that military service is incompatible with their way of life and fear that those who do enlist will be secularized.

The protest, one of many in recent months, comes in response to the High Court of Justice’s landmark ruling last week that ordered the military to begin conscripting ultra-Orthodox men and halt funding to yeshivas that do not comply.

The High Court’s decision means that after decades of political and societal controversy and strife over the issue, there is now a legal obligation for young Haredi men to join their Jewish Israeli comrades and serve in the military.

Gallant: IDF’s Rafah campaign ‘cutting off Hamas’s air’ by blocking crossing, destroying tunnels

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with IDF troops in southern Gaza's Rafah, June 30, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/ Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with IDF troops in southern Gaza's Rafah, June 30, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/ Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during a visit to southern Gaza’s Rafah, claims that Hamas is unable to recover from Israeli operations.

“The fighting here in Rafah signifies a very important thing, we are actually shutting off Hamas’s air — Rafah crossing, the tunnels. The result is that they have no way of arming themselves, they have no way to equip themselves, they have no way to bring in reinforcements, they have no way to take care of their casualties, and we see this very well,” he says to troops.

“Their fighting spirit is broken and time actually works against them, not for them,” Gallant says.

“Contrary to the stories of some people who are in the tunnels shouting and broadcasting to those who are in the hotels in Qatar… in practice, Hamas… is being worn down. We are destroying the tunnels, we are destroying the weapons, and reaching places it never dreamed we would reach, at great depths below the ground,” he says.

Gallant says the IDF will “continue and push until we reach a situation where we choke [Hamas’s] breathing tube, and do not allow it to rebuild its strength. This is the goal of this operation.”

Going against AG, ministers back bill dramatically changing how judicial ombudsman chosen

Ignoring legal objections by the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approves a bill dramatically changing how the State Ombudsman for Judges is chosen.

The ombudsman provides oversight and investigates complaints against judges and has until now been chosen by the Judicial Appointments Committee — a body which includes representatives of the High Court, Knesset and Bar Association — following a joint nomination by the justice minister and the president of the High Court.

The new legislation, proposed by Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman, one of the architect’s of the government’s proposed judicial overall, would be appointed by the president following a vote in the Knesset, with representatives of the judicial system cut out of both the nomination and selection process. Instead, a group of 10 lawmakers or the justice minister would be empowered to nominate candidates.

For a long time, Justice Minister Yariv Levin refused to convene the Judicial Appointments Committee, due to his stated desire to change the composition of the panel to give the government control over appointments before filling empty positions on the court benches.

Earlier today, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara voiced objections to the measure, stating that “such a fundamental change of the selection procedure for an important and sensitive position and the criteria for its selection, should be done from a general and in-depth perspective,” and “not from a narrow view of momentary interests, by way of a concrete dispute regarding the upcoming appointment.”

Last month, outgoing State Ombudsman for Judges Uri Shoham was sharply critical of the failure to appoint a replacement for him in a thinly veiled attack on Levin.

Levin has refused to appoint a retired Supreme Court justice to replace Shoham, with Levin ally Rothman describing such an appointment as a “conflict of interest.”

In a parting letter to his office, Shoham, a former Supreme Court justice himself, wrote that this will be the first time in over two decades since the department was established that there will be no serving state ombudsman for judges.

“I see there to be a severe injury to the rule of law and public trust in the judicial system by the fact that a new ombudsman for public complaints for judges has not been appointed,” he wrote.

El Al plane that made emergency landing in Antalya takes off for Rhodes after Turkish airport denies refuel

Passengers wait on the tarmac in Antalya, Turkey, after their El Al flight was forced to make an emergency landing and delayed from continuing the journey to Israel, June 30, 2024. (Screenshot: Channel 12, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Passengers wait on the tarmac in Antalya, Turkey, after their El Al flight was forced to make an emergency landing and delayed from continuing the journey to Israel, June 30, 2024. (Screenshot: Channel 12, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

An El Al plane that was forced to make an emergency landing in Antalya, Turkey, has taken off without refueling, after staff at the Turkish airport refused to provide service, Channel 12 reports.

According to the report, El Al requested to refuel in order to continue the journey to Tel Aviv, but, after extended delays, decided to take off and fly to nearby Rhodes in Greece to refuel.

The pilot had to keep the plane running for air conditioning, as the passengers were forbidden from disembarking, Channel 12 explains.

The plane, which left Warsaw, Poland earlier today and made an emergency landing as a passenger needed urgent medical care, is expected back in Israel late tonight. The sick passenger was evacuated to a nearby hospital, according to Channel 12.

Labor and Meretz merge into a united ‘liberal-democratic Zionist party’: The Democrats

Left-wing parties Labor and Meretz announce that they are merging under a new name — “The Democrats.”

In a joint statement the new left-wing party says that the merger is “not a ‘technical bloc,’ but rather a historical process that produces, finally, one large and united party, a liberal-democratic Zionist party that will be a political home for a large part of the Israeli population.”

Both parties have consistently failed to cross the election threshold in recent opinion polls and are therefore in danger of not making it into the next Knesset at all.

Meretz failed to enter the parliament in the last election and is seeking a return path.

President tries to quell civil unrest: ‘Verbal abuse and accusations of treason can lead to murder’

A banner depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is held up at an anti-government rally calling for the return of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, Tel Aviv, June 8 2024. (Jack Guez/ AFP)
A banner depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is held up at an anti-government rally calling for the return of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, Tel Aviv, June 8 2024. (Jack Guez/ AFP)

President Isaac Herzog attempts to calm civil unrest and incitement, warning, “Our bitter and cruel enemies celebrate when they hear and see such violence and blind hatred within us.”

He decries violent statements “against families of hostages and bereaved families, against the chief and commanders of the IDF and the security agencies, against women and members of the media, against the judiciary and judges, against ministers and Knesset members and against the incumbent prime minister,” which, he says, have become “commonplace.”

“Verbal abuse is violence in every way and accusations of treason can lead to murder,” he says, in an apparent reference to sentiments heard at anti-government protests around the country regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s involvement in the so-called “submarine affair.”

Last week, a state commission of inquiry into a series of murky deals worth some $2 billion that have been under scrutiny for possible corruption and bribery found that Netanyahu made decisions that endangered national security and harmed Israel’s foreign relations.

“Haven’t we learned anything from our history?!” the president says, referring to incitement that led to the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

Thomas Friedman: There’ll be ‘complete and utter balagan’ if Democrats try to replace Biden without his support

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman leads a Task Force session during 2019 New York Times Dealbook on November 06, 2019 in New York City.   (Mike Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times/AFP)
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman leads a Task Force session during 2019 New York Times Dealbook on November 06, 2019 in New York City. (Mike Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times/AFP)

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, a close associate of US President Joe Biden, says in an Israeli television interview that there will be a “complete and utter balagan without precedent” if the Democratic party tries to replace the incumbent without his and his family’s support for the process.

Instead, he says that the president “must lead the process of replacing Biden.”

“He will listen to his family and his wife and not to me or party people or whoever,” he tells Channel 12, “but I hope that as a family and a collective they do the one thing that Donald J. Trump and Bibi Netanyahu have refused to do — put their country ahead of their party and their personal interests.”

Friedman also says that Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris could together call for a mini primary.

Concerns that, at age 81, Biden is not up for the task of leading the country for another four years have risen after his unsteady showing in his debate with former US president Donald Trump last week.

“Donald Trump must not be elected again as president of the United States,” Friedman asserts.

When asked why he has supported the president until now, given his close relationship, Friedman says, “I knew Biden was old and I knew that he would slow down, but I also saw a man who was capable of serving as the president of the United States. That was not the man I saw in the debate.”

In an op-ed titled “President Biden Is My Friend. He Must Bow Out of the Race,” Friedman wrote that Thursday’s presidential debate “made me weep. I cannot remember a more heartbreaking moment in American presidential campaign politics in my lifetime.”

Friedman, who has close ties with Biden’s office, has often publicly conveyed messages from the president that the latter chose not to deliver officially.

IDF demolishes Hamas tunnel in Rafah next to UNRWA school; rocket launching site also destroyed

This IDF infographic published June 30, 2024, shows a Hamas tunnel network in southern Gaza's Rafah, adjacent to a UNRWA school. (Israel Defense Forces)
This IDF infographic published June 30, 2024, shows a Hamas tunnel network in southern Gaza's Rafah, adjacent to a UNRWA school. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it has demolished a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah that passed adjacent to a United Nations school.

Several tunnel shafts leading to the underground passages were located by troops operating under the Negev Brigade.

The shafts were later investigated by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, who also demolished the tunnels, the military says.

The IDF says the tunnel and its branches were some 500 meters in length, with one of the entrances being adjacent to an UNRWA school.

Separately, troops located a Hamas site in the area with at least nine rocket launchers, the military says. The rocket launching site was also demolished.

A Hamas rocket launching site discovered by troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah, in a handout image published June 30, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Controversial bill curbing administrative detention, seen to favor far-right extremists, passes ministerial committee

Ignoring objections by the Shin Bet security service, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation gives its backing to a bill to severely curb authorities’ power to hold Israeli citizens in administrative detention while reserving the right to use it against Palestinian Arabs.

Administrative detention is a controversial tool whereby Palestinian terror suspects and, more rarely, Jewish terror suspects, are detained without charge or trial. The tool is typically used when authorities have intelligence tying a suspect to a crime but do not have enough evidence for charges to stand up in a court of law.

The proposed legislation would forbid the use of administrative detention or administrative restraining orders against Israeli citizens, unless they are members of a certain list of terror groups, which would be decided on and approved by the committee.

The bill is seen as an attempt to prevent the administrative detention practice in the case of right-wing extremists accused of plotting attacks on Palestinians.

“The current bill seeks to strengthen the protection of human rights in Israel by establishing a stricter procedure for issuing administrative arrest warrants against the country’s citizens,” a spokesman for hard-right Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, who proposed the measure, says in a statement.

Defending his proposal, Rothman asserts that it is a “basic and democratic demand” and bemoans the fact that there are those “who are trying to portray it as if it is a proposal dealing with Jews or Arabs when in fact the proposal does not differentiate between Jewish and Arab citizens of the State of Israel and states that the use of this tool will be limited when it comes to citizens of the State of Israel regardless of religion, race or gender.”

“The first obligation of a state is to the lives and freedom of its citizens, therefore, the use of the tool of administrative detention against the citizens of the state must be done in the most limited way possible,” he insists.

The measure, which is set to be debated in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, which Rothman chairs, is also welcomed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

During the Ministerial Committee for Legislation’s deliberations, Ben Gvir argued that the bill was “not a proposal about the residents of [the West Bank] nor about the residents of East Jerusalem,” a spokesman for the minister states.

According to Ben Gvir, a third of those placed in administrative detention are members of the so-called Hilltop Youth and rightwing activists and “it is not acceptable to me for boys to be placed in administrative detention because of graffiti and markers.”

Anti-Arab violence in the West Bank has surged in recent years, prompting pushback from rightwing lawmakers who have decried what they have termed a “comprehensive and false campaign” against Israeli settlers.

With summer officially here, Israel records hottest June ever, over 3° Celsius above average

Israelis enjoy the beach in Bat Yam, June 29, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
Israelis enjoy the beach in Bat Yam, June 29, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

The month of June ends over 3 degrees Celsius (5.4° Farenheit) warmer than the multi-year average, according to the Israel Meteorological Service.

According to the IMS update, the first half of the month saw several heavy heat waves, during which a new record of a sweltering 48.1° Celcius was set for the month of June.

The second half of the month was more stable, though the temperatures remained higher than average, the IMS adds.

“Of all the summer months (June – September) in the last 75 years there were only six months that were hotter than [June 2024] or similar to it,” the statement adds, noting that all were in the last 15 years.

Last year, an OEC report found that Israelis will likely be living with maximum average daytime temperatures of more than 35° Celsius (95° Fahrenheit) for around 80 days in the year, compared with just 35 such days yearly between 1995 and 2014.

Arab League revokes Hezbollah’s designation as terror group

The Arab League no longer considers Hezbollah as a terror group, reverting a decision it adopted in March 2016.

Hossam Zaki, the Assistant Secretary-General of the pan-Arab organization, tells the Egyptian news channel Al-Qahera News during a visit to Beirut that “in earlier Arab League decisions, Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organization. This terminology was reflected in our resolutions, and led to the severing of our communication with them [Hezbollah].”

“Member states of the Arab League have now agreed that this approach no longer applies,” Zaki says, noting that the change opens the possibility of a communication channel with the Shiite group.

Zaki also claims that the League does not maintain lists of terrorist organizations and has no need to attribute such designations.

It appears that its 2016 decision was made ad-hoc against the Lebanese group, as it came a few days after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) took the same step. The Arab League is not known to consider any other group as terrorist.

Hezbollah launches several drones at northern Israel, at least one strikes Merom Golan area – IDF

Several drones were launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah at northern Israel an hour ago, setting off sirens in the Galilee Panhandle and northern Golan Heights, the military says.

The IDF says at least one explosive-laden drone struck the Merom Golan area. It does not immediately provide details on possible casualties in the attack.

Separately, one missile was launched from Lebanon at the Beit Hillel area. The IDF says the projectile hit an open area, causing no injuries or damage.

Sirens sounding again on northern border with Lebanon

Sirens are sounding again in northern Israel, warning of incoming rocket fire in the border town of Metula.

The sirens come amid ongoing cross-border attacks from the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon since October 8, which have been escalating in recent weeks.

Israel has warned it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border following Hamas’s October 7 massacre, and has warned that should a diplomatic solution not be reached, it will turn to military action to push Hezbollah northward.

Turkish authorities refusing to allow El Al plane that made emergency landing in Antalya to refuel – TV report

El Al airplanes on the tarmac at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport, October 4, 2022. (Moshe Shai/ Flash90/ File)
El Al airplanes on the tarmac at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport, October 4, 2022. (Moshe Shai/ Flash90/ File)

An El Al plane that took off from Warsaw, Poland, has made an emergency landing in Antalya, Turkey, after a passenger fell ill and needed urgent medical treatment, Channel 12 reports.

According to the report, Turkish authorities delayed the plane from taking off to continue its flight to Israel by refusing to refuel it, though it appears there has been some progress and that the plane will be able to depart shortly.

Passengers were told that they were expected to spend several hours on the ground in Turkey, without permission to leave the plane, Channel 12 reports.

All direct flights between Israel and Turkey have been canceled since the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

Turkey has been one of the most virulent critics of Israel since the start of the war. In May, Ankara announced it would stop all exports and imports to and from Israel over its war against Hamas.

At Glastonbury festival, Dua Lipa gets ‘Glasto for Palestine’ flag in camera shot, Coldplay ‘sends love’ to Israel

The Glastonbury music festival has taken on the vibe of a demonstration this year, with dozens of Palestinian flags and banners calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza war hung across the sprawling site in southwest England and performers getting political.

British-Albanian pop sensation Dua Lipa, who has been accused in the past of being antisemitic for her support of Palestinians, walks into the audience during her performance, apparently to get a ‘Glasto for Palestine’ flag in the camera shot.

Dua Lipa, who played at the event in 2017, is headlining for the first time.

However, posts on social media point out that there are also LGBTQ rainbow flags with Stars of David in the crowd, along with flags in memory of the Supernova music festival, where Hamas-led terrorists murdered some 360 people and kidnapped 40 to Gaza on October 7.

The Daily Mail reports that Welsh singer Charlotte Church also jumps on the political bandwagon during her performance, singing “free Palestine” with the audience during an improvised number, while wearing a keffiyeh scarf.

During Coldplay’s show yesterday, lead singer Chris Martin asks the audience to “send love out into the world,” suggesting, “you can send it to your grandma, you can send it to Israel, you can send it to Palestine, you can send it to Myanmar, you can send it to Ukraine, you can send it to peaceful Russians.”

Coldplay’s appearance this year made the band the first act to headline Glastonbury five times.

In a surprise cameo appearance, Blur frontman Damon Albarn also brings up the war in Gaza, asking the audience to roaring applause, “Are you pro-Palestine? Do you feel that’s an unfair war?”

He then encourages festival-goers to vote in the upcoming UK elections, before moving on to the looming US presidential elections over the pond, quipping, “Maybe it’s time stopped putting octogenarians in control of the whole world.”

Also at the festival over the weekend, rock band Idles leads the crowd in chanting “fuck the king,” according to The Daily Mail.

This year’s three main headliners Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA are joined by country star Shania Twain, Nigerian rapper Burna Boy and 1980s star Cyndi Lauper.

Alongside around 3,000 performances set to take place across some 80 stages, the festival also features night-long parties, art installations and lively parades.

IDF: Paratrooper seriously wounded yesterday in battles in Gaza City’s Shejaiya

A soldier with the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion was seriously wounded yesterday during fighting in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, the military says.

The operation in Shejaiya, launched on Thursday, came after the IDF said it identified Hamas operatives regrouping in the area, as well as new intelligence on the terror group’s infrastructure.

Rocket sirens sounding in northern towns near Lebanon border

Sirens are sounding in northern towns near the border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The alerts are blaring in communities including HaGoshrim, Beit Hillel and Ma’ayan Baruch, amid ongoing hostilities with the Hezbollah terror group.

Saudi Arabia urges citizens to leave Lebanon immediately

Saudi Arabia joins the growing list of countries that have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, in light of escalating tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Saudi embassy in Beirut says that it is closely monitoring developments in southern Lebanon, and urges its citizens to avoid traveling to the country, and for those already present, to leave the Lebanese territory immediately.

Last week, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and Kuwait issued similar warnings.

IDF says special forces carrying out raid in northern West Bank; several wanted Palestinians detained

Illustrative: IDF troops operate in the West Bank's Far'a camp, on June 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Illustrative: IDF troops operate in the West Bank's Far'a camp, on June 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF special forces are carrying out a raid on the West Bank’s Far’a camp, in the northern West Bank.

Military sources say the troops detained several wanted Palestinians, and are exchanging fire with gunmen.

PA says one person killed, 5 injured in apparent Israeli drone strike in Tulkarem

One person is killed, and another five are wounded, including two seriously, in the IDF drone strike in the West Bank’s Nur Shams camp in Tulkarem, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry.

The slain Palestinian is identified by media reports as Saeed Jaber, a member of an armed group in the Tulkarem area.

Jaber is reportedly a relative of Muhammad Jaber, known as Abu Shuja’a, the commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s local wing in Tulkarem.

Hamas official calls on West Bank Palestinians to attack Israelis, slams PA for cooperating with Israel

Senior Hamas member Hussam Badran speaks during a funeral in the Burj al-Shamali camp for Palestinian refugees near the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on December 12, 2021. (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
Senior Hamas member Hussam Badran speaks during a funeral in the Burj al-Shamali camp for Palestinian refugees near the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on December 12, 2021. (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)

A top Hamas official implicitly calls on West Bank Palestinians, including members of the Palestinian Authority security forces, to carry out attacks against Israelis.

“We are working to expand the resistance in the West Bank. I ask every person in the West Bank who carries a weapon, officially or unofficially, to fulfill his responsibility, because every person with a weapon in the West Bank can make a difference and have a qualitative impact,” says Hussam Badran, a former leader of Hamas’s military wing in the northern West Bank who orchestrated several terror attacks against Israelis during the Second Intifada, and lives today in Qatar.

“A Palestinian today does not need an order or decision by any party to act, and must take the initiative on his own,” he adds in an interview with the Qudsuna satellite TV channel.

Badran says that “resistance is a legitimate right” of Hamas, even though he admits that the terror group has lower military capabilities than Israel. He further claims that Hamas’s demands are those of the whole Palestinian people, and that the terror group has shown “great flexibility and positivity” in talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel.

The terror group’s positions in negotiations are formulated after consultation with the movement’s leadership in Gaza, Badran says, in a probable reference to the terror group’s leader Yahya Sinwar, and adds that Hamas has “categorically refused at all stages of the negotiations to discuss the day after the war” in the Gaza Strip.

“We will not allow anyone to dictate to it the arrangement of the Palestinian house,” he continues, adding that the terror group aims for the formation of a national consensus government in preparation for elections throughout the Palestinian territories.

Reconciliation talks between the two main Palestinian factions were due to be held in China in mid-June, but were delayed and no new date was set. Hamas and Fatah officials traded the blame for the postponement.

In the interview, Badran accuses PA President Mahmoud Abbas of obstructing the plan for a unity government, and insists that the Islamist group cannot be sidelined or forced to make concessions.

He takes a swipe at the beleaguered PA, saying that “the government in Ramallah is unable to perform its duties in the West Bank, let alone can it play any role in Gaza,” and accuses the PA of having “contributed to weakening the resistance in the West Bank” because of its security coordination with Israel.

Government derided for expensive name change to Agriculture Ministry

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on January 8, 2023. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on January 8, 2023. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

In a last-minute decision, the government approves changing the name of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

The decision drew criticism from some quarters, with New Hope MK Ze’ev Elkin complaining that residents of the north are receiving far less than they need to rehabilitate their evacuated communities while the government “has money” for what he presented as a cosmetic change.

“And congratulations to the new Security (Food) Minister, MK Avi Dichter, who joins the distinguished club of Defense Minister Gallant and National Security Minister Ben Gvir,” he tweets.

A spokesman for Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter pushes back against critics, insisting in a statement that the name change is only a part of a larger strategic shift in which the ministry “will lead [Israel’s] food security plan for the next 25 years.”

The move is also condemned by the Movement for Quality Government, a prominent watchdog group, which estimates a cost of between NIS 1.5-2 million ($400,000 – $530,000) to “update official documents, websites, business cards, and a wide variety of advertising and administrative materials.”

“While the country is facing significant economic and security challenges, the government chooses to invest millions of shekels in a useless cosmetic change,” the group says in a statement.

“This is a scandalous waste of public funds, which could have be used for more essential purposes. We call on the government to withdraw from this decision and direct the resources to address the real problems of the citizens of Israel.”

Palestinians report drone strike on home of an Islamic Jihad leader in West Bank’s Tulkarem

Palestinian media report an Israeli drone strike on a building in the Nur Shams camp near the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

According to the reports, the home belonged to the uncle of the commander of a local Palestinian Islamic Jihad wing.

Casualties are reported in the strike. The IDF has not yet commented.

Russian media says Kanye West visiting Moscow

Kanye West, known as Ye, watches the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles, March 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Kanye West, known as Ye, watches the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles, March 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

US rapper Kanye West was in Moscow, Russian media report quoting a well-known Russian producer.

Western artists have mostly not performed in Russia during its Ukraine offensive, which led to massive US and European sanctions on Moscow, as well as travel restrictions to the country.

Kanye West, who has stirred controversy with his political statements in the United States, a string of antisemitic scandals and was recently accused of praising Adolf Hitler, has expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past.

“Kanye West is already in Moscow! This is great news, he is staying in the heart of the capital,” the state TASS news agency quotes producer Yana Rudkovskaya as saying on social media.

Her announcement followed rumors last month that West will perform a concert in Moscow.

But Luzhniki Stadium, where he was rumored to perform, told state media it does not have information on possible concerts by the famous rapper.

Far-right allies Smotrich and Ben Gvir spar over failure to curb Arab crime

Far-right leaders Itamar Ben Gvir (2-R) and Bezalel Smotrich at the Knesset on December 29, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Far-right leaders Itamar Ben Gvir (2-R) and Bezalel Smotrich at the Knesset on December 29, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to refrain from personal attacks after claims that he has failed to curb Arab violence.

Addressing a conference co-sponsored by the national-religious Makor Rishon newspaper, Smotrich claimed that Iran is attempting to destabilize Israel by pouring in “hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons” into the Arab sector and “we are far from doing what is necessary to neutralize this risk ahead of time.”

“In this matter, the police and the one who is trusted with this have completely failed,” he asserted, arguing that the issue “is not solved by weapons for the security squads” overseen by the government, he says pointing to Ben Gvir’s signature policy move.

Civilian security squads are comprised of volunteers and typically provide enhanced security to small towns and communities in Israel’s periphery and the West Bank settlements, where the police have a lighter presence. Israel established hundreds of additional civilian security squads in the weeks following October 7.

“When all of our children are united at the front, we must be united and not be dragged into personal attacks,” Ben Gvir responds in a statement. “The left are rubbing their hands together in glee because of the finance minister’s words.”

“Despite the attacks from the left and, unfortunately, also from our partners, we will continue with the project of the security squads” and the distribution of weapons to civilians, he says.

Crime in the Arab sector has skyrocketed in recent years, with more Arabs murdered in 2023 than in any previous year, according to a report by the Abraham Initiatives, a coexistence organization that tracks crime statistics.

Last September, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman decried as inadequate the government’s response to surging criminal violence in Arab Israeli towns, calling the increase in criminal activity in Arab communities “a resounding failure of Israeli governments.”

Two suspected Islamic extremists detained after attack outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade

Armed Serbian police officers are stationed close to Israel's embassy in Belgrade, June 29, 2024. (Oliver Bunic/AFP)
Armed Serbian police officers are stationed close to Israel's embassy in Belgrade, June 29, 2024. (Oliver Bunic/AFP)

Two men were ordered held in custody after a Serbian police officer killed a man who shot him with a crossbow outside the Israeli embassy in the Serbian capital Belgrade in a “targeted terrorist act,” a minister says.

The assailant, whom the police identified as being a “convert” to Islam, shot the officer while he was on duty in front of the Israeli embassy early Saturday.

The policeman opened fire in self-defense and the attacker later died.

The assailant, from Mladenovac, near Belgrade, lived in Novi Pazar, a historical and political center of Serbia’s Bosniak Muslim minority, police said.

Early indications connected the attack with people suspected of being linked to the ultra-conservative Wahhabist branch of Islam that dominates in Saudi Arabia, the authorities said.

They added a number of people known to the security services were suspected of being linked to the attack.

“Searches were conducted at several locations in Serbia, dozens of people were questioned,” Interior Minister Ivica Dacic tells the state-run RTS broadcaster on Sunday.

The prosecutors will establish whether they were linked with the “targeted terrorist attack,” he adds

“What is indisputable about all those people is that they belong to the Wahhabi extremist movement.”

Netanyahu reaffirms support for hostage-truce deal laid out by Biden, says Hamas only obstacle

Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of hostages by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, June 29, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of hostages by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, June 29, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

At the start of the weekly government meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stresses again that Israel backs the hostage release deal that US President Joe Biden presented on May 31.

“Today everyone knows a simple truth,” says Netanyahu, “Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of our hostages.”

Last night, the Prime Minister’s Office released a statement saying Israel is committed to the May 31 terms after a report emerged that the US is changing some of the terms in an attempt to reach a deal.

He argues that “a combination of political and military pressure — above all, military pressure” will bring all 120 hostages in Gaza back.

He continues to pledge that Israel will achieve all its war aims: “To anyone who doubts the achievement of these goals, I repeat: there is no substitute for victory. Our warriors did not fall in vain. We will not end the war until we achieve all our goals.”

Netanyahu will be at the Southern Command headquarters today to conduct a situation assessment of the war in Gaza.

Hamas says Palestinian death toll in Gaza at 37,877

Palestinians displaced by Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip walk through a street market in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians displaced by Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip walk through a street market in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

At least 37,877 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry says.

The figures cannot be independently verified and include at least 15,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

The IDF says 318 troops have been killed during the ground offensive against Hamas and amid operations along the Gaza border. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission. A civilian Defense Ministry contractor has also been killed in the Strip.

Government approves appointment of Danny Danon for second stint as UN ambassador

File: Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon addresses the United Nations Security Council, at UN headquarters, on January 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
File: Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon addresses the United Nations Security Council, at UN headquarters, on January 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The government unanimously approves Likud MK Danny Danon’s appointment as Israel’s next ambassador to the United Nations, replacing Gilad Erdan.

This will be Danon’s second stint at Turtle Bay; he served as Israel’s envoy to the UN from 2015 to 2020.

Even after the end of his first stint in the UN, Danon has continued to be critical of the body and especially its leader, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — an approach he is likely to continue when he returns to New York.

“I am proud and honored to return and serve the State of Israel during this critical period,” Danon says in a statement. “As Israel faces numerous fronts, it is imperative for each of us to contribute our best efforts and expertise. This has been my approach in the past, and it will continue to be my approach moving forward.

“In the face of the resurgence of diplomatic terrorism, I am committed to presenting the truth with confidence for the sake of the people of Israel and our shared future,” he adds.

Danon is slated to begin the role in August, when Erdan returns to Israel.

At the time of the initial announcement of his appointment earlier this month, Hebrew media speculation suggested that Benjamin Netanyahu was happy to send Danon back to New York, as he is considered one of the more adversarial voices against the prime minister within Likud and could join party stalwarts such as MKs Yuli Edelstein and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in attempting to challenge Netanyahu for the party leadership.

In an interview with The Times of Israel in March, Danon — who challenged Netanyahu for the Likud chairmanship in 2007 and 2014 — said the country and the party’s focus should be on the war.

“I think today we should care less about the polls and more about what’s happening in Gaza. If Netanyahu will lead the nation to full victory, I think that’s what we expect him to do and that’s the only way for Israel to recover,” he said at the time.

Smotrich defends outpost legalization, says Palestinian state an existential threat to Israel

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the Religious Zionism Party, at a conference of the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon, in Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the Religious Zionism Party, at a conference of the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon, in Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defends the government’s decision to legalize several West Bank outposts and impose a series of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority, saying that he is acting to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, which would pose “an immediate, existential danger to the State of Israel.”

Speaking at a conference co-sponsored by the national-religious Makor Rishon newspaper, the hard-right minister states that Iran seeks to use a nuclear umbrella as cover for more conventional military attacks on Israel using proxies firing tens of thousands of missiles.

“The Iranian regime has an orderly plan for the conventional destruction of the State of Israel,” he says, asserting that a Palestinian state in the West Bank would “multiply Gaza twenty times and place it in an area that topographically and geographically dominates the entire State of Israel.”

“And unfortunately and absurdly, even today, after October 7 and after the Iranian plan is known, there are those who strive for this collective suicide with all their might,” he says, complaining about left-wing and media criticism of the cabinet’s decision to take steps against Ramallah.

“The Arabs of the West Bank can, God forbid, turn Kfar Saba into Kfar Aza, Ra’anana into Be’eri, Netanya into Nahal Oz and Tel Aviv into Sderot within hours,” he continues, slamming politicians like Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot who he claims are pushing for the return of the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip.

He also congratulates Republican candidate Donald Trump for coming out against a Palestinian state during last week’s US presidential debate.

Israelis must “free ourselves from the messianic thinking that characterized the left and the Israeli security establishment over the last decades since Oslo,” he insists, calling “toppling the regime in Iran” a “primary goal” and accusing Tehran of seeking to use Arab Israelis to threaten the country from within.

IDF says at least 40 Hamas terrorists killed, several tunnels destroyed in Shejaiya operation

IDF troops operate in Shejaiya in the Gaza Strip in a picture released on June 30, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF troops operate in Shejaiya in the Gaza Strip in a picture released on June 30, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

At least 40 Hamas operatives have been killed by Israeli troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood amid a new pinpoint raid there, according to fresh IDF assessments.

The number refers to those the IDF was able to identify following battles. More terror operatives were likely killed in strikes against buildings and tunnels, the army has assessed.

The operation in Shejaiya, launched on Thursday, came after the IDF said it identified Hamas operatives regrouping in the area, as well as new intelligence on the terror group’s infrastructure.

The raid is being carried out by the 98th Division with two brigades: the 7th Armored Brigade and Paratroopers Brigade.

The IDF first operated in Shejaiya during the initial months of the ground offensive against Hamas, announcing that it had dismantled the terror group’s local battalion there in December. It last returned to the Gaza City neighborhood in April, as the military shifted its operations in the Strip to intelligence-based targeted raids.

According to military assessments, surviving Hamas operatives in northern Gaza have been able to regroup in Shejaiya, as well as recruit new members to the terror group.

In the latest operation in Shejaiya, the IDF says it has been able to reach previously undiscovered tunnel networks and Hamas sites, using new intelligence obtained during other operations in Gaza. Many tunnels were demolished in the initial offensive in the neighborhood, but not all were discovered at the time.

Weapons found during an IDF operation in Shejaiya in the Gaza Strip in a picture released on June 30, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

The latest operation began on Thursday with a raid against a school complex in Shejaiya that had been turned into a “combat complex” by Hamas operatives, according to the military. The IDF said troops reached the complex within 40 minutes and found a long-range rocket launcher in the area. The site was in an area the army had not reached in previous operations in Shejaiya.

The raid against the school has provided the IDF with valuable intelligence on Hamas activities, military officials say.

Troops are also encountering relatively fierce resistance in Shejaiya, with dozens of attacks, including RPG fire, explosive devices, and sniper attacks, as well as some close-quarters combat.

Two soldiers were killed and another two were seriously wounded in separate incidents in Shejaiya over the weekend.

The army expects the operation in Shejaiya to not take longer than a few weeks, similar to other pinpoint raids in the northern Gaza Strip that have been carried out in recent months.

Senior Religious Zionism official shares video of extremist rabbi Kahane

Uri Bank, a senior official with the Religious Zionism party, shares a video of the late rabbi Meir Kahane, the founder of the now-banned Kach party, which advocated for the expulsion of Palestinians and Arab Israelis.

In the clip posted to Facebook by Bank, the manager of the nationalist party’s Knesset faction, Kahane can be heard briefly objecting to an unseen questioner who asserts that he is oppressing the Palestinians the same way as the Nazis treated the Jews during World War II.

Kahane’s Kach party was banned in 1985 under a law that disqualifies those found to be inciting racism from running for office. It was also listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department, a designation only lifted in 2022.

Asked if he is endorsing Kahane or his ideology or if his post represents the position of his party, Bank tells The Times of Israel, “No and no.”

IDF says rocket sirens in north triggered by mistaken launch of interceptor

Rocket sirens that sounded in the Upper Galilee a short while ago were triggered by an interceptor missile launched at a “suspicious aerial target,” the IDF says.

According to the military, the target was later determined to have been a “false identification.”

Sirens had sounded due to fears of falling shrapnel from the interceptor.

IDF says it hit several targets in south Lebanon where Hezbollah operatives were gathering

Hezbollah operatives spotted at sites used by the terror group in southern Lebanon were struck this morning, the military says.

In one incident, the IDF says a Hezbollah member was seen entering a building in the town of Houla, where other operatives were gathered. A short while later a fighter jet struck the building.

In a separate attack, a Hezbollah operative was spotted at a building used by the terror group in Kafr Kila, and a short while later it was also struck, the military says.

Education minister pushes to fire Herzliya teacher who called mother of slain hostage a ‘disgusting Bibi-supporter’

Torchlighters at a prerecorded state ceremony on the eve of Israel's 76th Independence Day, May 13, 2024. At center is Iris Haim, whose son Yotam, taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, was killed in error by IDF forces on December 15, along with Alon Shamriz and Samar Talalka, after they had escaped their captors. (GPO screenshot)
Torchlighters at a prerecorded state ceremony on the eve of Israel's 76th Independence Day, May 13, 2024. At center is Iris Haim, whose son Yotam, taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, was killed in error by IDF forces on December 15, along with Alon Shamriz and Samar Talalka, after they had escaped their captors. (GPO screenshot)

Yotam Gutman, a teacher from Herzliya, will face a disciplinary hearing for his remarks on X about Iris Haim, the outspoken mother of Yotam Haim, one of three Israeli hostages in Gaza who were accidently killed by the IDF on December 15, Education Minister Yoav Kisch announces.

Kisch says he was “shocked” by Gutman’s “ridiculous words” and notes that Iris Haim promotes “strength and unity,” something that “teachers and educators should pass on to the younger generation.”

“Everyone is entitled to their opinions…but a teacher has the duty and responsibility” to distinguish between personal opinions and educational responsibilities, Kisch continues, and notes that he has asked the Herzliya municipality to call a hearing on Gutman to make a “professional examination” about his continuing employment as an educator.

Gutman wrote last night on X: “Can we say already that she is intolerable? A disgusting Bibi-supporter who has been in the limelight ever since her son was shot… why do we have to put up with her in the [TV] studios?”

After a mini-media firestorm, Gutman, who is very active on X, apologizes this morning, writing: “I apologize for yesterday’s tweet. It was wrong to hurt her dignity and I ask for her forgiveness.”

Austria’s far right announces new alliance with Orban, populist Czech party

Chairman of the right-wing Freedom Party Austria (FPOe), Herbert Kickl, and top candidate for the European election Harald Vilimsky stand on stage during an election party in Vienna on June 9, 2024. (Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP)
Chairman of the right-wing Freedom Party Austria (FPOe), Herbert Kickl, and top candidate for the European election Harald Vilimsky stand on stage during an election party in Vienna on June 9, 2024. (Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP)

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz, and the populist Czech ANO party led by Andrej Babis are forming a new political alliance and inviting others to join, FPO chief Herbert Kickl says.

In a statement to the media attended by the three leaders, Kickl says he believes many other European parties will join in the coming days. To form a new political group in the European Parliament, however, parties from a quarter of the 27 member states are needed, according to the parliament’s website.

Druze, Circassians to launch a week of protests alleging discrimination

Members of the Druze community protest outside the home of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on July 8, 2023. (Amos Gil)
Members of the Druze community protest outside the home of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on July 8, 2023. (Amos Gil)

Members of the Druze and Circassian communities announce that they will launch a week of protests against what they called government discrimination against their towns and villages.

The events will culminate in a large protest in Jerusalem on July 8.

“We have been patient enough and now is the time to launch a struggle,” community leaders said in a statement, according to the Walla news site.

Last month Interior Minister Moshe Arbel asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help advance the passage of a five-year plan to support local authorities of Druze and Circassian communities.

A previous five-year plan for the two minority communities expired in 2023, and the government has not approved a new one since despite many requests.

Arbel noted the contribution of both communities, whose members serve in the IDF, and the toll they are suffering in the north, where many of them live, amid the ongoing daily clashes with Hezbollah

 

IDF carries out dozens of drone strikes in Shejaiya

IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip in a picture released on June 30, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip in a picture released on June 30, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Dozens of Hamas sites in Gaza City’s Shejaiya were struck by drones over the past day, amid operations by the IDF’s 98th Division in the area, the military says.

The IDF says troops under the division located weapons, raided Hamas combat complexes — some of which were booby-trapped — and killed several gunmen.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza’s Rafah, the IDF says troops under the 162nd Division killed several more terror operatives, as well as demolished tunnel shafts.

Also in Rafah, a mortar launcher hidden in a tunnel shaft was struck, the military says.

IDF operations also continue in the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip.

Israel extends waiver for cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian banks

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel’s banking system and Palestinian banks in the West Bank, the minister’s spokesperson says.

The extension is for four months.

The decision on the waiver was reportedly made in a cabinet meeting on Thursday in a quid-pro-quo move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts.

The waiver extends indemnity to Israeli banks that cooperate with Palestinian ones once Israel’s sanctions against the PA were passed.

Northern hospitals on high alert for possible war

Masad Barhoum, director-general of the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya (courtesy of the Galilee Medical Center)
Masad Barhoum, director-general of the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya (courtesy of the Galilee Medical Center)

Directors of two northern hospitals say they are on heightened alert for a breakout of war in the north.

Galilee Medical Center director Prof. Masad Barhoum, and Ziv Hospital director Prof. Salman Zarka say their hospitals have accumulated enough supplies to operate as “separate islands” for several days, according to Hebrew media reports.

Zarka has asked employees to prepare to arrive quickly at the hospital, bringing essential personal items for an extended stay.

“The level of readiness required from us has been high for almost nine months, but now it seems we will need to elevate it further,” Barhoum says.

The moves come as tensions rise between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.

Polls open in France in high-stakes legislative election

People queue in front of polling stations inside the Anse Vata sports hall to vote in the first round of France's crunch legislative elections in Noumea, in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, on June 30, 2024. (Photo by Delphine MAYEUR / AFP)
People queue in front of polling stations inside the Anse Vata sports hall to vote in the first round of France's crunch legislative elections in Noumea, in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, on June 30, 2024. (Photo by Delphine MAYEUR / AFP)

Voters across France begin casting ballots in the first round of an early legislative election that could see far-right forces taking over the government — or no majority emerging at all.

Polling stations opened in mainland France at 8 a.m. Sunday (0600 GMT). The first polling projections are expected at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), when the final polling stations close, and early official results later Sunday night.

The outcome of the two-round election could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine and how France’s nuclear arsenal and global military force are managed.

Police launch internal probe against cops who told protester ‘I’ll rape your mother,’ clashed with MK

Police clash with demonstrators protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government and for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, June 29, 2024. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
Police clash with demonstrators protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government and for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, June 29, 2024. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)

The Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) says it has opened probes into a police officer who was recorded telling a demonstrator that he would rape his mother and other officers who clashed with an MK.

In Jerusalem, at the weekly protest at Paris Square, outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence last night, the officer was filmed cursing and threatening a protester he detained, telling him “I’ll rape your mother” and calling him a “son of a bitch.”

DIPI also says it is investigating officers filmed in a confrontation with Labor MK Naama Lazimi. Lazimi was shoved and grabbed by police officers, despite the parliamentary immunity granted to her as a Knesset member.

She told media outlets that “police officers assaulted” her and pulled her hair while she was trying to help another protester.

Jets hit Hezbollah positions in overnight strikes

Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon overnight, the IDF says.

The targets included a building used by the terror group and other infrastructure in Taybeh and Rab al-Thalathine, according to the military.

It publishes footage of the strikes.

Report: Some 115,000 Gazans have crossed into Egypt since start of war

Illustrative: Displaced Palestinians at a makeshift tent camp in Rafah, Gaza on the border with Egypt  May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Illustrative: Displaced Palestinians at a makeshift tent camp in Rafah, Gaza on the border with Egypt May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An estimated 115,000 Gazans have crossed into Egypt since October 7, despite Cairo’s repeated proclamations that it would not accept Palestinian refugees, the Washington Post reports.

The report, citing the Palestinian Authority embassy in Egypt, says that while some arrived as wounded evacuated from the fighting, many others came as “tourists.”

The report says the arrival of the tourists was facilitated by an Egyptian company called Hala Consulting and Tourism, which it described as a company linked to “state security services that charges a hefty ‘coordination’ fee to help Palestinians escape.”

The report says many of the tourists are living in limbo, having no status after their 45-day tourist visas expired.

UK agency reports possible Houthi attack off Yemen’s coast

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday that it had received a report of an incident 13 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Al Mukha.

There are no immediate details of the incident.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has been launching drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes since November, saying that it acts in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza.

In dozens of attacks, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers.

Babies, kids among 19 hurt in apartment fire in Kochav Yaakov; woman in critical condition

Nineteen people have been hurt, including a woman in her 40s who is in critical condition, following a blaze in an apartment in the West Bank settlement of Kochav Yaakov in the Binyamin region, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

An 8-year-old boy and a man in his 40s are said to be in moderate condition, while eight babies, toddlers and children are said to be among 16 people who are lightly hurt in the fire.

Many of the victims have burns and have inhaled smoke, with a Magen David Adom medic saying parents were seen saving all their children from the blaze in the two-story, single apartment building.

Medics have taken those hurt to hospitals in Jerusalem.

Palestinian mob attacks, torches car of Israeli driver who mistakenly entered Qalandiya

An Israeli citizen earlier tonight mistakenly entered the Palestinian West Bank town of Qalandiya, between Jerusalem and Ramallah, with locals attacking him.

Videos circulating on social media show a Palestinian mob chasing the car and throwing stones at it.

The driver tried to escape but eventually collided with a concrete divider near a military checkpoint and was injured. He was rescued and taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek hospital with light injuries.

Later videos show his car was torched by the Palestinian attackers.

IDF says rocket sirens in towns near Gaza were due to ‘false identification’

The military says incoming rocket alerts that sounded tonight in several Gaza-adjacent communities were due to a “false identification.”

Alarms had sounded in the evacuated towns of Holit and Sufa.

Labor chief: Cops’ assault on MK ‘resembles totalitarian regimes’; police: Lawmaker behaved ‘provocatively’

Labor MK Naama Lazimi after she was shoved and grabbed by police officers during an anti-government rally in Tel Aviv, near the offices of the Histadrut labor union, June 29, 2024. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Labor MK Naama Lazimi after she was shoved and grabbed by police officers during an anti-government rally in Tel Aviv, near the offices of the Histadrut labor union, June 29, 2024. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Labor party leader Yair Golan chastises police over what Labor MK Naama Lazimi says was an assault on her by officers during an anti-government protest near the Histadrut labor union building in Tel Aviv.

Social media videos from tonight show officers appearing to try to remove Lazimi from the protest. She has told media outlets that “policemen assaulted” her and pulled her hair while she was “trying to help another protester.”

“The police violence directed tonight against MK Naama Lazimi, who was protecting hostage families with her own body, and against protesters in Jerusalem crosses a red line, is frightening and resembles totalitarian regimes,” Golan says on X, alleging “politicization” of the force by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

“The job of the police is to protect citizens and not to be a private militia of a convicted criminal that beats up citizens and opposition members,” he adds.

Police respond to Lazimi in a statement, asserting that she was trying to prevent cops from confiscating the phone of a protester arrested for lighting a fire on the road.

“Contrary to her claims about allegedly being hurt by police officers, and in order to prevent misleading of the public and defamation of cops, we clarify that in practice, the Knesset member is using her [parliamentary] immunity to disturb officers trying to do their job,” the force says.

“We regret that a public official is behaving provocatively.”

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