Some Likud lawmakers are calling for party primaries to shake up Benjamin Netanyahu’s party slate ahead of the March elections, following the defection of several Likud members to Gideon Sa’ar’s new party, New Hope.
MKs Nir Barkat, Eli Cohen and Shlomo Karhi, express support for the move in interviews with Army Radio. Karhi says the internal vote is needed to “restore the trust of its voters,” while Cohen says a final decision will be made next week.
Sa’ar quit Likud earlier this month to form New Hope and challenge Netanyahu from the right in the upcoming vote. He was joined by Likud MKs Michal Shir and Sharren Haskel.
1,509 shares
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweets a chart from Our World In Data showing Israel to be the current world leader in administering COVID-19 vaccines to its population, surpassing the UK.
“Tremendous success!” he tweets, alongside the chart showing Israel at the top of the list (0.83 per 100 people). Israel began its drive on Sunday, while Britain started on December 8.
The data for the UK and the US, however, was last updated on Monday, while Israel’s appears to be up-to-date.
הצלחה אדירה! ישראל במקום הראשון בעולם לחסן את אזרחיה נגד הקורונה ???????? pic.twitter.com/9Qx28qq7qA I m proud to work at The Times of Israel
I’ll tell you the truth: Life here in Israel isn’t always easy. But it s full of beauty and meaning.
0 shares
The Goldberg Committee, which vets senior government appointments, will convene tomorrow to discuss the nominations of the new police commissioner and head of the Prisons Service.
Border Police chief Yaakov (Kobi) Shabtai has been nominated to serve as the next Israel Police commissioner, a position that has been vacant for two years. Katy Perry was tapped to serve as the next chief of the IPS. She will be the second woman to lead the organization if approved.
Kobi Shabtai, commander of the Border Police, on September 28, 2017 (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
I m proud to work at The Times of Israel
I’ll tell you the truth: Life here in Israel isn’t always easy. But it s full of beauty and meaning.
0 shares
German prosecutors say police in Berlin arrested two men suspected of involvement in a series of far-right attacks.
Authorities are investigating fire-bombings and dozens of other attacks between 2013 and 2019 that were directed at anti-fascist groups and politicians in Berlin’s southern district of Neukoelln.
“At last! The neo-Nazis Sebastian T. and Tilo P. have been arrested as suspects in the right-wing firebombing series in Neukoelln,” Left party lawmaker Martina Renner says on Twitter.
Victims and their supporters had long accused police and prosecutors of failing to properly investigate the case. Earlier this year, the investigation was transferred to a different prosecutors’ office amid concerns over bias.
0 shares
Police are accusing four settler youths whose car overturned during a police chase of manslaughter, the Kan public broadcaster reports. The crash during the pursuit led to the death of one of the passengers, Ahuvia Sandak.
The four were lightly injured in the crash when fleeing from police after allegedly throwing rocks at Palestinians in the central West Bank, police said.
The vehicle belonging to so-called hilltop youth flipped over near the Michmash Junction, killing 16-year-old Sandak and injuring the others.
The four have been interrogated on suspicion of manslaughter, Kan says.
But according to Honenu, a legal aid group that often represents far-right settlers, the police car “hit [the settlers’] vehicle with force from behind, and the force of the impact caused their car to run off the road.”