Things might improve a bit once Netanyahu gets ousted. He's under pressure from all directions now, the opposition party has been calling for re-elections for over a month now, while the fights inside the war cabinet continue.
He can't please any body and his lies to all sides are getting exposed daily now
Netanyahu tells hostages' families Israel has an "initiative" to win release of those abducted
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told families of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza that Israel has an “initiative” to secure the release of those abducted – but there is “no real proposal” from Hamas that would advance their freedom.
According to the Prime Minister’s office, Netanyahu told representatives of the families of the hostages: "Contrary to what they say, There is no real proposal from Hamas - this is not true. I say this as clearly as I can because there are so many untrue things that must be tormenting you.” He added: “In contrast, there is an initiative of ours, and I will not elaborate."
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that in exchange for the release of the hostages Hamas had demanded an end of the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and “the release of all the murderers and rapists” – Netanyahu’s words for Palestinian prisoners Hamas wants to be freed. “If we agree to this - our soldiers fell in vain. If we agree to this - we will not be able to guarantee the security of our citizens,” the prime minister said.
Even CNN isn't just printing his words as truth anymore. Certainly the hostage families aren't trusting him any longer either, still camped outside his house. Many Soldiers get wounded in Gaza and on average close to 2 IDF soldiers get killed per day. People are starting to realize there is no end game here.
Knesset to convene on no-confidence motion for Netanyahu
Israel’s parliament will convene soon to discuss a motion of no-confidence against Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. The motion was submitted by the Labour party in reaction to the government’s failure to bring back captives held in Gaza, N12 reports. A party statement said dozens of Israelis have been held for 108 days and their lives are in imminent danger.
“Under this government they were abandoned and kidnapped. It is this government that is not making the necessary decisions to save them and bring them all home now. “We expect all factions of the opposition to support the motion of no-confidence and to demand the government answers the questions that do not allow any citizen in the state of Israel to sleep in peace.”
Latest Israeli election poll spells more bad news for Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political prospects in Israel continue to look dim, with a new poll suggesting that his party would come in a very distant second if elections were held today, and the coalition he leads now would not win enough seats to stay in power.
Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet from the opposition after the October 7 attacks, would be the biggest winner, the poll for CNN affiliate Channel 13 suggests. His National Unity party would win 37 seats, the poll projects. Netanyahu’s Likud party would win 16 with him at the helm, and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party would come in third with 14, projections suggest.
A slim majority (53%) said Netanyahu’s personal interests were the main consideration driving his conduct of the war. A third (33%) said the national interest was his main consideration, with the remaining respondents saying they did not know or not answering the question. Israelis last went to the polls on November 1, 2022. The next elections are scheduled for October 27, 2026, but many Israelis expect a national election to be called this year.
Reservist protest video circulating online: Israeli military
The Israeli military issued a short statement saying it is investigating an incident captured on video that has been circulating in recent hours showing reservists protesting while on active duty. It says the actions seen in the video are not in line with military orders.
Now’s the time to return captives from Gaza: Israeli general
Israeli Major-General Noam Tibon told Israeli public radio now is the time to make a deal with Hamas and bring back Israeli captives held by the armed group.
“Otherwise, they will all come back in coffins or not at all,” he added. “We will have sent for generations to come a message to the citizens of Israel that they live in an insecure state. And a message to mothers who send their children to the army, that if your child falls into captivity he will probably not return, and this is not overlooked. So it must be concluded. A deal now.”
Protesters demanding hostages' release disrupt Israeli parliament
Families of hostages disrupted a meeting of the finance committee in the Israeli parliament on Monday, demanding more be done to secure their release. "You will not sit here while they die there," read one of the placards as more than a dozen people forced their way into the committee’s meeting. Video of the scene showed security officers trying to remove the protesters. "It can't go on like this. You’d better know. It can't go on like this. You will not sit here while our children die there," one of the protesters shouted."
Israeli police reported that dozens of protesters had blocked the entrance to the Knesset, “violating public order.” After they refused to leave, a police officer announced a dispersal order. Those disrupting public order were moved back to the protest area in order to allow the protest to continue lawfully, according to a police statement.
Netanyahu under fire for opposition to creation of Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a two-state solution has sparked criticism from officials in Brussels and Washington, as divisions deepen between Israel and its allies and within its own government.
Netanyahu has made clear his opposition to a Palestinian state, but last week set alarm bells ringing when he said Israel “must control security of all the land which is west of the Jordan River.” Ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Monday, European Union foreign ministers criticized Netanyahu’s comments, with Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, calling them “unacceptable.”
No state of Palestine, no normalisation with Israel: Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia says it won’t normalise relations with Israel or contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction without a realistic plan for a Palestinian state. In an interview on CNN, host Fareed Zakaria asked: “Are you saying unequivocally that if there is not a credible and irreversible path to a Palestinian state, there will not be normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel?”
“That’s the only way we’re going to get a benefit, so yes,” Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud replied. When asked if Saudi Arabia would finance reconstruction in Gaza, he gave a similar answer. “As long as we’re able to find a pathway to a solution, a resolution, a pathway that means that we’re not going to be here again in a year or two, then we can talk about anything. But if we are just resetting to the status quo before October 7 – in a way that sets us up for another round of this, as we have seen in the past – we’re not interested in that conversation.”
Israel’s opposition to a two-state solution is "unacceptable," says EU’s top diplomat
The Israeli government’s opposition to a two-state solution is “unacceptable” and Israel cannot expect countries to drop the issue, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said Monday. “It’s unacceptable [for Israel] to say I don’t want this solution,” Josep Borrell told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU and Middle East foreign ministers in Brussels, adding, “the whole international community is behind" a two-state solution.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected calls from the international community for a two-state solution, but Borrell questioned what alternatives remain. “Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill off them?” Borrell asked. He said a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state is the ultimate goal of the 27 members of the EU."
Borrell said that Hamas is part of the problem but that the way Israel has been trying to destroy the militant group was “certainly” wrong and was seeding hate “for generations.” Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz and his Palestinian Authority counterpart are attending the meeting in Brussels.
Yet far more pressure from outside is needed as well as aid, as there is no time to waste
Overcrowding, inadequate water and poor sanitation are fueling Hepatitis A cases in Gaza, UN agency says
Hepatitis A infections have increased in Gaza due to overcrowding, lack of clean water and poor sanitation, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said citing the Gaza Ministry of Health, run by Hamas.
UNRWA cited the health ministry saying suspected cases have increased 16 times in January more than the entire month of November last year. Thousands of displaced people are sharing toilets and shower areas, UNRWA said on Facebook.
The WHO chief last week said that 24 Hepatitis A cases in Gaza were confirmed through test kits and warned of “inhumane living conditions” contributing to the spread of the disease. “The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too,” the WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus said on X on Thursday.
As of last week, no deaths were reported in Gaza from Hepatitis A, as per the WHO, but several thousand people with jaundice were recorded “presumably also due to Hepatitis A,” Ghebreyusus said. Some background: According to the CDC, symptoms of hepatitis A can include yellow skin or eyes, not wanting to eat, an upset stomach, vomiting, stomach pain, fever, dark urine or light colored stools, diarrhea, joint pain and feeling tired. Adults are more likely than children to have symptoms if they are infected.
Meanwhile Netanyahu is only trying to escalate the war with Hezbollah to stay in power
Israel carries out air raids, launches artillery fire in southern Lebanon
Israeli warplanes launched a series of raids in the vicinity of the towns of Taybeh, Marwahin, Shihin, and Tair Harfa in southern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera Arabic’s team on the ground. Artillery fired incendiary shells at the towns of Kafr Kila and Al-Adisa.
Missiles were fired towards an Israeli military site in the Upper Galilee.
Last edited by SvennoJ - on 22 January 2024
