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Military Issues Demolition Order for East Jerusalem Home of Neve Yaakov Terrorist, The Times of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday it would demolish the home of a Palestinian terrorist who murdered seven people in Jerusalem last month. As a matter of policy, Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.
‘We Have To Leave Our Comfort Zone’: Cautious but Determined, Israeli Expats Protest Netanyahu’s Government, JTA
Israeli expatriates have been coming together in cities worldwide in solidarity with the tens of thousands who have gathered every Saturday night in Tel Aviv and elsewhere to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government. Rallies have taken place in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, Miami, Vancouver, Sydney, Berlin, Paris and London, drawing crowds ranging in size from 50 to 200. This weekend, the protests in North America took place on Sunday to accommodate demonstrators who observe Shabbat.
Constitution Committee Chairman Postpones Vote on Law to Weaken Judicial Oversight to Next Week, Haaretz
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee held a session on Wednesday morning to debate changes to the Basic Law on the Judiciary, as part of the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government’s dramatic plan to neuter the judiciary’s ability to check Israel’s parliament.
Herzog Comes Out in Support of Public Broadcasting Amid Shutdown Plans, The Jerusalem Post
In response to threats by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud) to either close or substantially reduce the budget for public broadcasting, President Isaac Herzog has released a video endorsement of the network on his Twitter account.
The Third Intifada?, Foreign Affairs
Daniel Byman writes, “[D]angerous developments on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides are now converging, and the outlook for 2023 seems grim. On January 27, terrorists attacked a synagogue in Jerusalem, killing seven people—one of the deadliest attacks on Israelis in years. It followed an Israeli raid in a refugee camp in Jenin that killed nine Palestinians, an unusually high body count. This latest violence builds on deadly foundations. Last year was the deadliest year in Israel and the West Bank since the second intifada…To prevent a third intifada, Israelis, Palestinians, and their partners need to think small—working every day to prevent all possible sparks from occurring and, if they do, acting quickly to prevent all the dry tinder from catching fire.”
Israel’s Government Needs To Heed US Warnings, The Jerusalem Post
J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir argues, “Due to its aggressive statements and the revolution it is promoting, the Netanyahu government has lost what credit it had with the US administration. The US will no longer let policies slide that it overlooked under previous governments. Israel no longer needs to approve construction in the strategically sensitive E1 area of the West Bank to earn a stinging US rebuke. The bar will be much lower as the government accelerates like a driverless train toward a head-on collision with the Biden White House.”