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Raoul Wootliff
Raoul Wootliff
Raoul Wootliff covers politics, corruption and crime for The Times of Israel.
Police investigators arrive at the entrance to the Prime Minister Residence in Jerusalem on August 17, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
August 17, 2018, 11:42 am
Police question Netanyahu in 11th interrogation over graft probes
Investigators at PM's official residence for final questioning over Bezeq corruption allegations, before expected recommendation of bribery charges
By Raoul Wootliff
Labor party MK Eitan Broshi, of the Zionist Union faction, attends the Knesset Plenary Hall session on July 18, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
July 29, 2018, 10:10 pm
Zionist Union MK suspended amid fresh sexual harassment allegation
Former female colleague of Eitan Broshi says he trapped her in elevator, touched her inappropriately 15 years ago
By Raoul Wootliff and TOI staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Sheikh Muwaffak Tarīf (2nd-Right), the spiritual leader of Israel's Druze community, in the village of Julis in northern Israel, on April 25, 2013 (Moshe Milner/GPO/Flash90)
July 25, 2018, 10:39 pm
Amid Druze outcry, Netanyahu calls meeting to examine nation-state law
While agreeing to meet next week with members of the minority group, prime minister says he won't consider changing legislation
By Raoul Wootliff
Education Minister Naftali Bennett leads a Jewish Home faction meeting at the Knesset on February 19, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
July 25, 2018, 4:47 pm
Bennett: Government must ‘heal wound’ caused to Druze by nation-state law
Jewish Home head says legislation 'necessary and just' but must be 'fixed' to limit damage done to Israel-supporting, army-serving minority group
By Raoul Wootliff
Communications Minister Ayoub Kara speaks at a press conference about the Communications Ministry's move to shut down the Jerusalem office of Al Jazeera on August 6, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 23, 2018, 7:12 am
Druze minister gets death threats over Jewish state law, amid community protest
Shin Bet considers increasing security detail of Likud minister after he receives online and physical harassment over his vote in favor of controversial legislation
By Raoul Wootliff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a Knesset plenum session on March 12, 2018.(Miriam Alster/Flash90)
July 22, 2018, 10:16 pm
Opposition summons Netanyahu to Knesset over surrogacy law
Yesh Atid gathers the 40 signatures necessary to require PM to address special session on 'the blatant discrimination of the LGBT community'
By Raoul Wootliff and TOI staff
Illustrative image of 'offline' computer screens. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
July 20, 2018, 11:47 am
How Israel nearly destroyed freedom of speech online, without even knowing it
An effort to end Palestinian incitement on social media morphed into a bill that would have granted the state the most extensive internet censorship powers in the Western world
By Raoul Wootliff
A general view of the Knesset in Jerusalem, file (Orel Cohen/FLASH90)
July 19, 2018, 2:58 am
Israel passes Jewish state law, enshrining ‘national home of the Jewish people’
After hours of furious debate, Knesset narrowly approve quasi-constitutional Basic Law, which critics say discriminates against Arabs and other minority communities
By Raoul Wootliff
Illustrative: The Knesset, Israel's parliament building in Jerusalem. (Orel Cohen/Flash90)
July 18, 2018, 2:45 pm
Final text of Jewish nation-state law, approved by the Knesset early on July 19
The 'Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People,' passed by 62-55, with two abstentions
By Raoul Wootliff
A picture taken on October 17, 2016 shows an employee walking behind a glass wall with machine coding symbols at the headquarters of Internet security giant Kaspersky in Moscow. (AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)
July 18, 2018, 1:33 pm
Unwitting Israeli MKs almost pass law allowing sweeping internet censorship
Bill that would have given state power to block content on any website stymied by Netanyahu hours before final vote, after Times of Israel queries MKs about its drastic provisions
By Raoul Wootliff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toasts the upcoming Jewish New Year at the PM's office in Jerusalem on September 7, 2015. (Haim Zach / GPO)
July 17, 2018, 7:07 pm
Granting tax break, Knesset boosts PM’s annual income by up to NIS 200,000
Legislation exempts Netanyahu from paying taxes on prime ministerial benefits; final version of law omits a previous proposal to award rebate retroactively
By Raoul Wootliff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a Likud faction meeting the Knesset, July 16, 2018. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
July 16, 2018, 7:41 pm
PM praises controversial Jewish nation-state bill, says it will pass this week
Netanyahu calls proposal 'a law of the highest importance'; coalition chair plans final votes for Wednesday, despite ongoing disagreements
By Raoul Wootliff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, with Education Minister Naftali Bennett in the Knesset, June 17, 2015. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
July 15, 2018, 4:54 pm
Controversial ‘segregation’ clause dropped from Jewish nation-state bill
Sanctioning of Jewish-only communities struck out in favor of more generic clause that urges 'the development of Jewish settlement' as 'a national value'
By Raoul Wootliff
This file photo taken on November 21, 2016, shows Facebook logos pictured on the screens of a smartphone (R), and a laptop computer, in central London. (AFP)
July 15, 2018, 3:50 pm
Law clamping down on Facebook ‘incitement’ okayed for final vote
Critics say legislation, meant to protect national security, can be used to limit freedom of expression 'against almost anything you can imagine'
By Raoul Wootliff
Thousands join a protest march against the proposed nation-state bill, in Tel Aviv on July 14, 2018. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
July 15, 2018, 8:45 am
Thousands protest nation-state bill sanctioning segregated housing
Alliance of opposition parties, progressive Jewish groups, LGBT activists and left-wing NGOs calls on government to drop controversial proposal
By Raoul Wootliff
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