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Israeli parliament presses ahead with anti-Palestinian bills before recess
The Knesset was busy late on Monday moving forward with bills before a recess for the Jewish holiday of Passover begins on Wednesday.
Among the bills were several that clearly targeted Palestinian citizens of Israel. One bill, which passed its first reading, would disqualify any candidate running in local elections if they deny Israel – which has a roughly 20 percent Palestinian population and occupies the land of millions of other Palestinians – is a Jewish and democratic state, or support whatever the authorities deem to be “terrorism” or armed struggle.
A separate bill that bans anyone with a degree from a Palestinian institution from teaching also passed its first reading.
Parliamentarians passed a law that would remove national insurance benefits from anyone deemed to be a “security criminal”, following on from a law passed in November that takes away benefits for children convicted of security offences or stone-throwing. Palestinians are disproportionately treated as “security criminals”, even as Jewish settlers attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank largely escape punishment.
And on the topic of the West Bank, another bill that had its first reading approved would see the geographical term for the occupied Palestinian territory referred to as “Judea and Samaria” in all parliamentary legislation.
Israel PM drops security chief nominee after criticism from Trump ally
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had reversed a decision to appoint a former navy commander as security agency chief following criticism, including from a key US senator.
Netanyahu had announced on Monday his pick of Eli Sharvit to lead the Shin Bet internal security agency, pushing back against a Supreme Court decision to freeze his government’s move to dismiss incumbent director Ronen Bar.
But after it was revealed that Sharvit had penned an opinion piece criticising the US president’s policies on climate change, staunch Trump ally US Senator Lindsey Graham criticised his nomination in a post on X.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Tuesday that “the prime minister thanked Vice Admiral Sharvit for his willingness to be called to duty but informed him that, after further consideration, he intends to examine other candidates”.
Former Defence Minister Benny Gantz criticised the about-turn, saying that Netanyahu again had shown that “for him, political pressure outweighs the good of the state and its security”.
Israel eliminates tariffs on US goods: Prime minister’s office
The announcement comes after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had said earlier on Tuesday that Israel had launched a process to eliminate the remaining tariffs on US imports immediately.
US President Donald Trump is expected to implement blanket reciprocal tariffs on nations across the globe on Wednesday. For more on the tariffs and developments in the US, you can follow our live page here.
Israel is the 51st state, not Canada.
