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3 weeks ago | 
jns.org | Andrew Bernard |Akiva Van Koningsveld
(March 31, 2025 / JNS)Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new pick to lead Israel’s internal security service on Monday, saying that Israeli Vice Adm. (ret.) Eli Sharvit’s past comments about U.S. President Donald Trump were disqualifying. “While it is undeniably true that America has no better friend than Israel, the appointment of Eli Sharvit to be the new leader of the Shin Bet is beyond problematic,” Graham stated.
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1 month ago | 
clevelandjewishnews.com | Amelie Botbol |Akiva Van Koningsveld
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee is set to convene on April 8 to choose a lawmaker to serve on the public panel that will advise on the dismissal of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara. The election of Knesset and government delegates to the committee for appointing and dismissing the attorney general marks the next step toward a final Cabinet vote on Baharav-Miara’s removal.
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1 month ago | 
clevelandjewishnews.com | Amelie Botbol |Akiva Van Koningsveld
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi told JNS on Sunday that left-wing leaders Yair Lapid and Yair Golan are competing “to see who will be the greater anarchist” by calling for an anti-government revolt. “The greater the political distress, the deeper their moral decline,” said Karhi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, in an apparent reference to Lapid’s recent decline in the polls.
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1 month ago | 
clevelandjewishnews.com | Amelie Botbol |Akiva Van Koningsveld
Legislation about to be submitted to the Knesset by Religious Zionism Party lawmaker Ohad Tal seeks to curtail the Israeli government’s ability to free jailed terrorists as part of hostage negotiations with terrorist groups. The legislation, which received approval from Knesset legal advisers on Monday and is scheduled to be discussed by government ministers in May, seeks to prevent Israel from paying excessive prices to redeem captives.
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1 month ago | 
clevelandjewishnews.com | Akiva Van Koningsveld |Amelie Botbol
Likud Party lawmaker Tally Gotliv accused anti-government protesters on Wednesday of “cynically exploiting the pain of the families of the hostages” in order to bring down the country’s right-wing coalition. “It’s a shame and disgrace, and they should be ashamed of doing this while strengthening Hamas,” she told JNS at the Knesset.
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1 month ago | 
clevelandjewishnews.com | Amelie Botbol |Akiva Van Koningsveld
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism Party) said on Monday that should the war in Gaza resume, Israel’s approach would be “very aggressive.”During a faction meeting of his Religious Zionism Party at the Knesset, Smotrich told JNS that this would involve not only targeting Hamas militarily, but also wresting administrative control from it.
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1 month ago | 
crescentcityjewishnews.com | Alan Smason |Akiva Van Koningsveld
By ALAN SMASON, Exclusive to the CCJNHot on the heels of observing Purim with her congregational members earlier today, Congregation Gates of Prayer cantorial soloist Jordan Lawrence is preparing for a different king of opening night tonight away from her synagogue, but with their blessings.
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1 month ago | 
tjvnews.com | Sholom Schreirber |Akiva Van Koningsveld |Amelie Botbol
By: Akiva Van Koningsveld & Amelie BotbolIsrael has agreed to release five Lebanese detained during operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem confirmed on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier on Tuesday, “IDF representatives, and representatives from the U.S., France and Lebanon, met in Naqoura, Lebanon,” the PMO said.
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1 month ago | 
clevelandjewishnews.com | Amelie Botbol |Akiva Van Koningsveld
Israel sees “eye to eye” with the Trump administration on the Iranian threat, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday. “I only say that we are committed to Iran not being a nuclear power,” Smotrich said in response to a question from JNS at a meeting of his Religious Zionism Party’s Knesset faction. “The American president will decide how to do this,” he added, declining to expand further on the Iranian issue.
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2 months ago | 
thejc.com | Jacob Jaffa |Akiva Van Koningsveld |Jane Prinsley |Imogen Garfinkel
Robert F Kennedy Jr, President Trump’s pick to be the next US Health Secretary, hit back at claims about previous his comments on the Covid pandemic during a torrid Senate confirmation hearing. The former Democrat turned Trump ally was quizzed by Sen Michael Bennet of Colorado over allegations that he made antisemitic remarks about the disease when he was a presidential candidate.
