KOENIG

The Knesset voted 31-18 on March 21 to repeal articles of the 2005 Gaza Disengagement Law, which banned Israelis from entering and living in four communities in northern Samaria. Hours later, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State was denouncing the vote during the department’s daily press briefing.

“The United States is extremely troubled that the Israeli Knesset has passed legislation rescinding important parts of the 2005 Disengagement Law, including the prohibition on establishing settlements in the northern West Bank,” Vedant Patel told reporters.

The amendments are “inconsistent with Israel’s recent commitments to de-escalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions,” he added. “Just two days ago, Israel reaffirmed its commitment to stop discussion of any new settlements for four months and to stop authorization of any outposts for six months.”

Wind gusts have remained incredibly strong in California throughout Tuesday, including multiple reports of gusts topping 100 mph. The highest wind gust reports came from the Central Coast and Los Angeles areas of the state, including a 118 mph gust recorded at Hopper Canyon, just outside of San Bernardino.

The Knesset voted in the early hours of Tuesday morning to roll back legislation that ordered the evacuation of four northern West Bank settlements concurrent with Israel’s pullout from the Gaza Strip in 2005, passing the repeal in second and third (final) Knesset readings 31-18.

The law, which won some support from opposition members including National Unity’s Gideon Sa’ar and Ze’ev Elkin, repeals the clauses of the Disengagement Law that banned Israelis from the area where the settlements of Homesh, Ganim, Kadim and Sa-Nur once stood, paving the way for settlers to return.

The four communities were the only West Bank settlements to be cleared during what is termed the Disengagement from Gaza close to 18 years ago. The new law applies to those areas only.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen landed in London on Tuesday for a visit aimed at pressing Jerusalem’s position on the Iranian threat and bolstering bilateral economic ties.

“I have just landed in the U.K. on an important visit. I will meet with my counterpart, British Foreign Secretary [James] Cleverly, and discuss with him ways to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” Cohen wrote on Twitter.

“I’m also leading a delegation of fintech companies, with the aim of strengthening economic ties between the countries. Together with the foreign secretary, I will sign an agreement strengthening the bilateral relationship with one of Israel’s greatest allies,” he added.

Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, suggested on Monday that the Kremlin could fire a hypersonic missile at the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the organization issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

"I’m afraid, gentlemen, everyone is answerable to God and missiles," Medvedev, a staunch Putin loyalist who was also Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, wrote in a message on Telegram, according to Russian state media outlet Tass. 

"It’s quite possible to imagine how a hypersonic Oniks fired from a Russian warship in the North Sea strikes the court building in the Hague. It can’t be shot down, I’m afraid."

Medvedev also warned the judges to "watch the skies closely," calling the court "a pathetic international organization."

Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off his three-day state visit to Russia Monday by shaking hands and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with both leaders calling the other "dear friend." 

The meeting in Moscow marked Xi’s first international trip this year and comes just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, citing his alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children. 

At the beginning of the sit-down, Putin congratulated Xi on his recent re-election and hailed China’s proposed 12-point peace plan for ending the bloody war in Ukraine. 

"We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect," Putin said, according to The Associated Press. "Our cooperation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity."

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that Beijing's proposal on how to solve the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralize consequences, but acknowledged that the solutions are not easy.

"The document serves as a constructive factor in neutralizing the consequences of the crisis and promoting a political settlement. Complex problems do not have simple solutions."

Xi has been seeking to present China as a global peacemaker and project it as a responsible great power. China has publicly remained neutral in the Ukraine conflict while criticizing Western sanctions against Russia and reaffirming its close ties with Moscow.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called on his country to be ready to launch a nuclear attack to deter war as he accused the U.S. and South Korea of carrying out military drills with American nuclear assets, according to state media. 

Kim's remarks, carried on state media KCNA, came after the Hermit Kingdom launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday. The missile flew across the country and landed in the sea off its east coast, according to South Korean and Japanese assessments – which reported that the missile traveled a distance of about 500 miles. 

Kim, who oversaw the test, said the exercises improved the military's actual war capability and highlighted the need to ensure its readiness posture for any "immediate and overwhelming nuclear counterattack" through such drills.

US President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and "underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship," according to the White House readout of the call.

It was the first conversation between the leaders about the proposed judicial reform. President Biden said that "democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support," the White House statement reads.

In the call, President Biden "offered support for efforts underway to forge a compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with those core principles," the White House said.

Israeli and Palestinian officials were scheduled to meet in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, amid escalating tensions in the region in the run-up to Ramadan.

Jordan, Egypt and the United States were also to participate in the security summit, which comes nearly a month after a similar summit took place in the Jordanian Red Sea port city of Aqaba.

According to Hebrew media reports, among the participants at the meeting will be Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) director Ronen Bar, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, among others.

Is it possible that the Israeli government this year could pass legislation making it illegal for people to share the Gospel message in the very land where Jesus was born, raised, preached, died, buried and rose from the dead?

Unfortunately, yes.

As Palm Sunday and Easter approach – the two most sacred days on the calendar for those who follow Jesus as both God and Messiah – two members of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) introduced a bill last week that would ban any and all efforts to tell people about Jesus.

The bill would send violators to prison.

Former President Donald Trump said leaks indicate he will be arrested on Tuesday next week after reports said the Manhattan District Attorney's office is preparing to issue an indictment for alleged hush money payments Trump made as a presidential candidate in 2016. 

On Saturday morning, Trump posted about the possible indictment on Truth Social, indicating that he will be "ARRESTED ON TUESDAY." 

"NOW ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE, WHICH HAS ALLOWED NEW RECORDS TO BE SET IN VIOLENT CRIME & WHOSE LEADER IS FUNDED BY GEORGE SOROS, INDICATE THAT, WITH NO CRIME BEING ABLE TO BE PROVEN, & BASED ON AN OLD & FULLY DEBUNKED (BY NUMEROUS OTHER PROSECUTORS!) FAIRYTALE, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!," Trump wrote.

A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday, the Islamic Jihad said in a statement to Palestinian media.

"During the meeting, they discussed the situation in the area and the challenges in the face of the Palestinian rebellion," said the statement. "The two emphasized the continuation of consultation and coordination between them in a way that strengthens the rebellion against the Zionist enemy."

The statement added that the two organizations "expressed their appreciation for the bravery of the Palestinian people and the brave fighters who clash bravely" with the IDF "especially in Jerusalem and the West Bank."

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser holds a meeting in Abu Dhabi with his Iranian counterpart, whose visit to the UAE comes days after a surprise rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh.

Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a brother of the UAE’s president, received Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the official WAM news agency says.

The two officials discussed “bilateral relations and opportunities to advance them in a way that serves the mutual interests of the two countries,” WAM says, without elaborating.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to fly to London at the end of next week to discuss Iran, for what will be his fourth trip to Europe since taking office almost three months ago.

He is expected to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, for what will be their first face-to-face conversation, during which he is likely to press the United Kingdom.

It follows trips he took to France, Italy and Germany in hopes of securing their support to prevent Iran, which has now reportedly enriched uranium up to 84%, from becoming a nuclear threshold state given that weapons-grade uranium enrichment is 90%.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told AFP that major reforms require consensus, as Israel is rocked by protests over a bid by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remake the nation’s judiciary.

In an interview late Thursday, Blinken said that while the United States would not take sides on details of proposals in the “very vibrant democracy of Israel,” finding “consensus is the best way forward.”

“One thing that we know from our own experience as democracies is that when you’re looking to make big changes — major reforms — in your laws, your institutions, consensus is maybe the most important thing,” he said in the interview in Niger.

Poland on Thursday pledged it would send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the first NATO member to do so, in a significant move in Kyiv’s battle to resist Russia’s onslaught.

President Andrzej Duda said the planes – from about a dozen that it had inherited from the former German Democratic Republic – would be handed over in the coming days after being serviced.

“When it comes to the MiG-29 aircraft, which are still operating in the defense of Polish airspace, a decision has been taken at the highest levels, we can say confidently that we are sending MiGs to Ukraine,” Duda said.

According to the Walla news site, which cited three Israeli and Ukrainian officials, Jerusalem approved export licenses for two Israeli companies to sell electronic warfare systems with a range of some 40 kilometers (25 miles) that could be used to defend against drone attacks.

Russia has sent thousands of Iranian-made suicide drones to attack targets across Ukraine, particularly power stations and other crucial infrastructure.

Fresh off a legislative congress where he cemented his vision for governing China, Xi Jinping turned to how he would create a better world order. It would be based on mutual respect, tolerance and equality — and China would be its natural leader, he told heads of political parties for an array of countries, including Russia and South Africa, Nicaragua and East Timor.

“The world does not need another Cold War,” he said, announcing his new concept — the “global civilization initiative,” a set of lofty guiding principles for a “new type of international relations” that China is building.

Xi’s comments were a clear rebuke of the United States — and a reflection of the harder tack he is taking as he ramps up China’s diplomatic efforts with an expected visit to Russia.

The Pentagon on Thursday released video of what it said was a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone before the warplane clipped the drone’s propeller in international airspace, leading to its crash in the Black Sea and raising tensions between Moscow and Washington over the war in Ukraine.

Poland, meanwhile, said it’s giving Ukraine a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the first NATO member to fulfill Kyiv’s increasingly urgent requests for warplanes.

The U.S. military’s declassified 42-second color footage shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 Reaper drone and releasing fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. Dumping the fuel appeared to be aimed at blinding the drone’s optical instruments to drive it from the area.

Less than a month after the historic announcement by the Sultanate of Oman that it was opening its air space to Israeli aircrafts, i24NEWS has learned that Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen held a rare phone call with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi.

Sources told i24NEWS the two discussed matters relating to the opening of the skies and also addressed the heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of ... Ramadan

Back in November 2022, i24NEWS reported that a senior Israeli official met with Albusaidi to advance ties and boost regional cooperation. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the MEDRC forum in Oman, which was attended by Israel’s Foreign Ministry deputy director-general and head of the Middle East & peace process division.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a judicial compromise proposal presented on Wednesday night by President Isaac Herzog during an address to the nation earlier in the evening.

“I think that any attempt to reach an agreement and dialogue is certainly appropriate, and therefore coalition representatives have spoken with the president time and time again, while the opposition has not even been prepared for a single discussion,” said Netanyahu.

“The issues presented by the president were not agreed upon by the coalition and key clauses in his outline only perpetuate the current situation and do not bring the necessary balance between the branches,” stated the premier. “This is the unfortunate truth.

Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in the German capital for a two-day state visit, where he will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday for the first time since Netanyahu retook the premiership following November’s national election.

Scholz assumed office in December 2021, succeeding Angela Merkel.

The talks in Berlin are expected to focus on countering Iran, with Netanyahu asking Scholz to urge the E.U. to apply more sanctions on the regime in Tehran. Netanyahu is also expected to voice Israel’s opposition to a renewed nuclear deal.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry reportedly blocked the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell from visiting the country due to his recent critical comments about Israel. 

Borrell, who has recently expressed interest in visiting Israel and the West Bank, on Tuesday voiced concerns over the Israeli government's planned judicial reform. Last week, he also published an article in which he compared Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank to Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis.

The move comes after Borrell on Tuesday addressed the European Parliament during a special session on “the deterioration of democracy in Israel” amid the ongoing protests against the judicial overhaul. He underlined that the EU would not interfere in internal Israeli politics, but “is fully empowered to discuss these dynamics and to understand what happens there with respect to our perception of values and interests in the region."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has held several situational assessments over the past 36 hours with regard to unspecified “security incidents.”

Gallant’s office released an unusually cryptic statement on Tuesday evening, revealing that the meetings were attended by top-ranking officials, including Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) head Ronen Bar.

According to the statement, the officials presented Gallant with preliminary findings related to the incidents, and that the defense minister had instructed them to “continue efforts to ensure the daily routine of Israeli citizens.”

(March 14, 2023 / JNS) Leading Israeli and American experts on Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons capability are calling for immediate sanctions on the clerical regime and opposition to a renewed concessionary atomic accord with the Islamic Republic.

The recent diplomatic rapprochement between Tehran and Saudi Arabia may prove a shot in the arm to efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the formal name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Jerusalem views the accord as a threat to Israel’s existence because it would at best—if Tehran honors its terms—impose temporary restrictions on the regime’s ability to build nuclear bombs.

An estimated 93% of buildings in northeast Israel marked as the most at risk will collapse in the event of a strong earthquake, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman says in a new report, a month after a powerful tremor killed over 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

The 1,208 buildings earmarked in 2018 for urgent upgrading are close to the Great Rift Valley — an area prone to earthquakes — in cities and towns such as Tiberias, Safed, Beit She’an, Kiryat Shmona and Hatzor Haglilit. Despite repeated warnings, the vast majority of them haven’t been strengthened.

The ombudsman also says that out of 54 earmarked schools, only 38 — 70% — have been upgraded.

First Iran restored diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, now the Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko is in Tehran.

On Monday, the two countries signed cooperation agreements in various fields. Both are targeted by EU and U.S. sanctions, and are strategic allies of Russia.

The Belarusian leader came to Tehran to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations and to strengthen the partnership.