Author: David Leibermann

(JTA) — Yair Cherki, the religion reporter for Israel’s Channel 12, became a household name because of his sidecurls, his cheery demeanor and his rapid-fire delivery as he has guided his viewers into the lives and homes of Israel’s haredi Orthodox community. On Tuesday, he delivered a different sort of message — a wrenching coming-out […]

(JTA) — Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, voted overwhelmingly to strip citizenship from people who are convicted of terrorism and receive a stipend from the Palestinian Authority. The bill passed 94-10 on Wednesday, with opposition coming from some Arab lawmakers. The lopsided vote in favor of the measure stands in stark contrast to other more controversial […]

(JTA) — Two far-right ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government lashed out after troops had a violent confrontation with Israeli settlers. The troops were removing settler protesters from West Bank land where settlers had years ago planted trees. Palestinians in the region claim ownership of the land and the Israeli army’s Civil Administration […]

If it feels like there’s an overload of news out of Israel — a sea of flags at a Jerusalem protest, police sirens outside of a synagogue — that’s because there is. Israel has been consumed by two escalating crises that both appear to be crescendoing at the same time. And even though they feel […]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Biden administration joined with five European countries to express its “deep concern” about Israel’s decision on Sunday to recognize nine West Bank settlement outposts. Israel’s cabinet legalized the outposts, which were previously considered illegal under Israeli law, in response to a series of terrorist attacks that killed 10 civilians. Tuesday’s statement […]

(JTA) — A video of a prominent Palestinian activist getting thrown to the ground and kicked in Hebron went viral on Twitter on Monday, prompting the Israel Defense Forces to acknowledge the error and jail the soldier. The video was posted by Lawrence Wright, a New Yorker staff writer on a tour of the West […]

(JTA) — An Israeli parliamentary committee voted to advance parts of the government’s proposed judicial reform on Monday, as tens of thousands of Israelis protested in Jerusalem and opposition lawmakers attempted to disrupt the vote. But following an address on Sunday by Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, begging for negotiations over the reforms, the coalition said […]

(JTA) – Less than a hour after a terror attack in eastern Jerusalem on Friday killed three people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a succinct message: Destroy the Palestinian attacker’s home. “Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided to take immediate action to seal and demolish the home of the terrorist,” said the statement from Netanyahu’s […]

(JTA)  — An Israeli border police officer has died after a Palestinian teen stabbed him on a bus outside the Shuafat refugee camp in eastern Jerusalem on Monday. The 13-year-old was shot and arrested following the attack, which took place at a checkpoint outside Shuafat. Earlier, police arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian after he allegedly stabbed […]

(JTA) — President Joe Biden has weighed in against the Israeli government’s proposed judicial reforms, saying that an independent judiciary is part of “the genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy.” Biden made the comments in a 46-word statement Saturday to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, a longtime chronicler of the U.S.-Israel relationship. “This […]