The Times of Israel Archives - Lokmarg

Thousands Of Israelis March Ahead Of Final Votes On Judicial Bill

By LokMarg 23rd July 2023

Thousands rallied against the controversial judicial reform bill that faces a final vote early next week, protesters set up a ‘tent city’ near Knesset after the multi-day march, Times of Israel reported.

Some of the protesters blocked the traffic on Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway, as part of demonstrations against the judicial overhaul.
Police arrest four of the demonstrators on suspicion of disturbing public order.

The demonstrations on Saturday came days after Netanyahu’s government gave preliminary approval to a crucial bill that is a part of the overhaul, reported Times of Israel.

The bill, which passed in its first reading, would restrict the use of the “reasonability” clause, which allows the courts to overturn executive orders, according to Al Jazeera.

Moreover, this reform would also allow the government a greater say in the appointment of judges.

Before the bill becomes law, it still needs to pass two additional votes, which are anticipated by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, few protesters were seen rallying outside the Histadrut’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, as chief Arnon Bar-David holds “emergency” deliberations amid calls for the labour federation to declare a strike, as per Times of Israel.

Last week, on July 15, Protesters in Tel Aviv unfurled a sizable banner that read “SOS” and threw paint into the air, streaking it pink and orange, reported Al Jazeera.

The protests in Tel Aviv were joined by protesters from all across the country on Saturday.

Protesters waved lit torches outside of Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem, and they also staged demonstrations in the coastal cities of Herzliya and Netanya. The protests, however, came at a time when the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in hospital.

He was admitted earlier on Saturday for dehydration. The 73-year-old went to the doctor after experiencing a dizzy spell and spending the day before in the sun without drinking any water.

He later released a video from the Tel Aviv hospital saying he felt good. (ANI)

Israel: Tel Aviv Attacker Shot Dead By Officers

By LokMarg 8th April 2023

Tel Aviv Police on Friday night shot dead the terrorist who carried out a car-ramming and shooting attack that resulted in the death of one person while injuring six others, reported The Times of Israel (ToI).

According to police, an officer at a nearby gas station heard a commotion after the terrorist rammed into people at Charles Clore Park on the Tel Aviv waterfront.
“The policeman approached the car together with the Tel Aviv municipality inspectors, and identified that the driver was trying to reach for the weapon he had in his possession,” said police, reported ToI.

“The policeman and the inspectors neutralized the driver and killed him,” police added.

Tel Aviv police chief Amichai Eshed says the suspected attacker in a Tel Aviv ramming drove onto a bicycle lane in a “clear” manner and hit a number of people in the pedestrian area.

A car rammed into a group of people near a popular seaside park before flipping over, police said.

Police are looking into the attacker’s motives and background, and are searching the area for evidence, Eshed says in a statement to the media.

Eshed said that the area has been closed off, reported ToI.

Eshed warns against misinformation circulating online. Multiple reports say the suspected attacker was from the Israeli town of Kfar Qasem. Channel 12 reports the suspect worked in Tel Aviv, reported ToI.

The Magen David Adom emergency service says all of the victims of today’s terror attack in Tel Aviv are tourists.

Medics have declared the death of a man around the age of 30. Earlier reports said the fatality was an Italian visitor, reported ToI.

The attack came against the backdrop of heightened tensions after Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian terrorist targets in both Lebanon and Gaza, as well as a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank that killed two Israelis. That followed days of violence and unrest in Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, the compound of the Al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City.

Moreover, in a shooting in the northern West Bank on Friday killed two Israeli-British sisters and seriously injured their mother, adding to an already tense atmosphere in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories during a holiday week marred by violence, reported The Washington Post.

The sisters, 21 and 16, lived in Efrat, a settlement just south of Jerusalem, according to a statement from Oded Revivi, the mayor of Efrat. Their mother, who is in her 40s, was injured in the attack, Revivi said in a voice message. They were driving in a car in the Jordan Valley, while the rest of the family drove ahead in a separate car.

The family, which has lived in Efrat for two decades, was on its way to a holiday gathering in the north when the attack occurred, Revivi said.

Police have not yet released the names of the victims. The UK Foreign Office confirmed Friday the sisters held British citizenship, in addition to Israeli, reported The Washington Post.

“We are saddened to hear about the deaths of two British-Israeli citizens and the serious injuries sustained by a third individual,” a spokesperson for the office said in a statement. “The UK calls for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to catch the attackers – saying it’s “just a matter of time… until we settle the score”.

“Our forces are operating in the field in hot pursuit of the terrorists. It is only a matter of time, and not much time, that we will hold them accountable,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russia called for multilateral talks to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reported TASS.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference after talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday said that Moscow is in favor of resuming multilateral negotiations to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would involve the Quartet on the Middle East and the Arab League.

“We have long been advocating to resume the multilateral process for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement, as there is a universally recognized collective mediator, which is the Quartet comprising Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations,” he said.

“It is in this very framework, with the mandatory involvement of the Arab League, that we can, in practice and with hope for some kind of result, search for agreements that should be based on the principles of the two-state solution, as they are formulated in documents,” added Lavrov.

Lavrov pointed out that the Quartet has not been convened for some time and its meetings are being blocked by the United States, reported TASS. (ANI)

4 Rockets Fired From Gaza After Netanyahu Wins Israel Election

By LokMarg 4th November 2022

Shortly after Benjamin Netanyahu won Israel’s election, four rockets were fired and one of which was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.

Initially, the Israeli Defence Forces said that they were not clear about the Iron Dome system but later on confirmed their statement, The Times of Israel reported.
After 9 pm, the incoming rocket sirens alarmed the towns of Kissufim, Ein HaShlosha, and Nirim, near the Gaza border, as one rocket was launched from the Strip.

Till now, there are no reports of casualties after the rocket attack, reported The Times of Israel.

About an hour later, three more rockets were launched from Gaza at southern Israel, but fell short in the Strip, the military said.

Earlier, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was killed during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to The Times of Israel.

In a joint statement, the IDF and Border Police said Farouk Salameh, who was identified as a “commander” in the terror group, was involved in killing a veteran police commando earlier this year and had been planning further attacks.

This comes after Netanyahu and his allies have won enough seats to form a majority government in Israel’s parliament. The result will not just secure Netanyahu’s comeback, but underscore the country’s rightward shift, reported NBC News.

“We have received a huge vote of confidence and we are on the verge of a very big victory,” Netanyahu had told his supporters during an early morning speech at a victory rally in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Israel’s caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid also congratulated former PM Netanyahu.

Lapid told Netanyahu, he’s instructed all departments of the Prime Minister’s Office to prepare for an orderly power transfer.

“The State of Israel is above any political consideration. I wish Netanyahu luck for the sake of the people of Israel and the State of Israel,” Yair Lapid said, according to Times of Israel.

Israelis headed to the ballots in the unprecedented fifth election since 2019, as the country’s political system has been immobilized for almost four years. The parliament has 120 seats.

Over 6.7 million eligible voters cast their votes in 12,495 ballots, according to figures issued by the Central Elections Committee. Some 18,000 police officers were deployed throughout the country to prevent fraud attempts, manage traffic and keep security.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, sought to return to power with his right-wing Likud party and a far-right and Jewish ultra-Orthodox coalition.

Netanyahu had served as prime minister for 12 consecutive years before being ousted in June 2021 by a cross-partisan coalition led by current PM Yair Lapid. (ANI)