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U.S. Jewish Leaders Decry Supreme Court’s Nixing of Abortion Rights as ‘Moral Failure’, Haaretz
U.S. Jewish groups on Friday sharply denounced the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion and legalized it nationwide, deeming it a “moral failure” that puts lives at risk.
Military Intelligence Backs Revived Iran Deal, Breaking With IDF Chief, Mossad, The Times of Israel
Senior defense officials are at odds over Israel’s stance on talks aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, according to an unsourced report Sunday in Hebrew-language media. According to the Ynet news site, several Israeli generals, including the chief of Military Intelligence, have begun to support a return to the 2015 accord between Iran and world powers, against Israel’s official policy. The report was published as world powers prepare to reconvene talks in Vienna to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action after months of deadlock.
Israel To Let More Palestinians Work in Manufacturing To Fill Labour Shortage, Reuters
Israel’s cabinet approved issuing 3,500 additional permits for Palestinian workers in Israel’s manufacturing and services sectors, increasing the number to 12,000 to help relieve a shortage of skilled staff, the Economy Ministry said on Sunday. Workers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War, require permits to cross checkpoints and enter Israel where wages are higher.
Israeli Army Blocks Main Entrance to West Bank Palestinian Village for Two Weeks, Haaretz
The Israel Defense Forces blocked the main entrance to the West Bank village of Aaboud, northwest of Ramallah, for two weeks. Despite testimony and a probe by Haaretz, the army spokesperson denies the entrance was blocked for so long. On Wednesday night, about eight hours after a Haaretz submitted a query on the matter, soldiers unlocked the iron gate to the village.
U.S. Held Secret Meeting With Israeli, Arab Military Chiefs to Counter Iran Air Threat, The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. convened a secret meeting of top military officials from Israel and Arab countries in March to explore how they could coordinate against Iran’s growing missile and drone capabilities, according to officials from the U.S. and the region. The previously undisclosed talks, which were held at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, marked the first time that such a range of ranking Israeli and Arab officers have met under U.S. military auspices to discuss how to defend against a common threat.
Ex-Bennett Ally Repeatedly Stalls Vote to Dissolve Israeli Parliament, Haaretz
Israel’s parliament has yet to dissolve, despite the government’s efforts to vote on the move on Monday, after the committee chaired by a mutineer from Bennett’s own party delayed the vote three times.
Israel Abortion Reforms Approved Amid Roe v. Wade Crisis, The Jerusalem Post
Israel’s Labor, Welfare and Health Committee approved abortion reforms in a preliminary reading amid the Roe v. Wade scandal that has shaken the US over the past few weeks. The amendment will allow women to apply to get an abortion online and would allow them to receive a pharmacological abortion in more accessible places.
How the Bennett-Lapid Government Ruled Over the West Bank, Haaretz
Hagar Shezaf writes, “The presence of left-wing parties in the coalition did little to hinder the ‘change government’ from continuing construction in the West Bank and destroying Palestinian residences.”
Israel’s Separation Barrier, 20 Years On, AP
Oded Balilty notes through a photo series, “Twenty years after Israel decided to build its controversial separation barrier, the network of walls, fences and closed military roads remains in place, even as any partition of the land appears more remote than ever.”