JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a hearing into corruption allegations against him Wednesday while at the same time plotting how to remain premier following an election stalemate, with unity government talks at a dead end.
The hearing came as deadlocked results from a September 17 general election threatened Netanyahu's bid to continue his reign as Israel's longest-serving prime minister.
To do so, he will have to navigate the twin challenges of a potential corruption indictment against him in the weeks ahead and election results that give neither him nor his challenger Benny Gantz a clear path to a majority coalition.
Both collided Wednesday, when Israel's attorney general convened the first of four days of pre-indictment hearings for Netanyahu after having said he intends to charge him with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Only Netanyahu's lawyers and not the premier himself attended the closed-door hearing, which gives him a final chance to convince Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit he should not be indicted.
The hearing covers three separate cases in which Netanyahu is accused of acting on behalf of wealthy supporters and businessmen in exchange for gifts or favourable news coverage.
Netanyahu, who denies all the allegations, asked that the hearing be broadcast live because he has "nothing to hide".
Mandelblit dismissed the request in no uncertain terms, saying the hearing was intended to convince the legal authorities, not the public.
Following the hearing, the attorney general's deliberations on whether to issue the indictments are expected to continue for weeks.
His lawyers expressed confidence as they entered the hearing.
"The prime minister is not above the law, but neither is he below it," said Netanyahu lawyer Ram Caspi.
While the hearing was under way, Netanyahu met with right-wing allies as he considered whether to inform President Reuven Rivlin he is unable to form a government after being tasked with doing so a week ago.
Negotiators for Netanyahu's Likud had intended to meet with Gantz's centrist Blue and White on Wednesday as part of so far unsuccessful efforts to hammer out a unity government.
Netanyahu had also sought to meet Gantz later the same day.
But Blue and White announced late Tuesday there was no reason for either meeting since "pre-conditions" it sought for further talks were not met.
Both sides held out hope for a change of heart by their opponents, but Netanyahu had already labelled Wednesday's talks a "last effort".
Following Netanyahu's meeting with the right-wing and religious parties backing him in parliament, Likud said no decision had been taken on whether to return to the president without a result.
The party added, however, that Netanyahu planned to meet ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday morning.
Lieberman's nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, which won eight seats, could end up playing a kingmaker role in efforts to form a government.
Lieberman has declined to endorse either Netanyahu or Gantz for now.
Should Netanyahu follow through with the negotiating tactic and tell Rivlin he cannot form a government, the president must decide whether to ask Gantz to try.
Alternatively, Rivlin could call on parliament to agree on a candidate for prime minister with a vote of at least 61 of 120 members in the house.
Netanyahu and Gantz have traded blame over their failure so far to reach a deal.
They are divided on a range of issues, but one major point stands out: who would be prime minister first in a unity government.
Gantz argues that since his party finished as the largest, with one seat more than Likud, he should be prime minister first under any rotation arrangement.
He also says Blue and White cannot be part of a government with a prime minister facing indictment.
Netanyahu says though Likud has fewer seats, more of the smaller parties in parliament back him.
He wants to negotiate based on a compromise Rivlin proposed, which could see him remain prime minister for now but step aside if indicted while retaining the title.
Gantz would step in as acting prime minister in the interim.
Both are engaged in a game of "chicken" and the result could be yet another election -- a third in the space of a year after April polls also ended inconclusively, said Gideon Rahat of the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank.
In that case, much will depend on who the public blames for causing a third vote, he said.
"In the game of chicken, sometimes the result is that both drivers are killed," said Rahat.
Though weakened, Netanyahu may still emerge victorious, at least temporarily, said Rahat.
"Yes, he can," said Rahat, when asked if Netanyahu could in the end remain prime minister despite the multiple challenges.
But "he lost some of his magic".
Israel begins Netanyahu’s pre-indictment corruption hearing
Israel begins Netanyahu’s pre-indictment corruption hearing
- The Israeli PM lawyers are arguing for the charges to be dropped
- Netanyahu denied the charges and called them a media-orchestrated witch hunt
Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine extremist security minister’s role
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized for interfering in police matters
JERUSALEM, Nov 14 : Israel’s Attorney General told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reevaluate the tenure of his far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing his apparent interference in police matters, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Thursday.
The news channel published a copy of a letter written by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in which she described instances of “illegitimate interventions” in which Ben-Gvir, who is tasked with setting general policy, gave operational instructions that threaten the police’s apolitical status.
“The concern is that the government’s silence will be interpreted as support for the minister’s behavior,” the letter said.
Officials at the Justice Ministry could not be reached for comment and there was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
Ben-Gvir, who heads a small ultra-nationalist party in Netanyahu’s coalition, wrote on social media after the letter was published: “The attempted coup by (the Attorney General) has begun. The only dismissal that needs to happen is that of the Attorney General.”
Israeli forces demolish Palestinian Al-Bustan community center in Jerusalem
- Al-Bustan Association functioned as a primary community center in which Silwan’s youth and families ran cultural and social activities
LONDON: Israeli forces demolished the office of the Palestinian Al-Bustan Association in occupied East Jerusalem’s neighborhood of Silwan, whose residents are under threat of Israeli eviction orders.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Culture condemned on Thursday the demolition of Al-Bustan by Israeli bulldozers and a military police force.
The ministry said that “(Israeli) occupation’s arrogant practices against cultural and community institutions in Palestine, and specifically in Jerusalem, are targeting the Palestinian identity, in an attempt to obliterate it.”
Founded in 2004, the Al-Bustan Association functioned as a primary community center in which Silwan’s youth and families ran cultural and social activities alongside hosting meetings for diplomatic delegations and Western journalists who came to learn about controversial Israeli policies in the area.
Al-Bustan said in a statement that it served 1,500 people in Silwan, most of them children, who enrolled in educational, cultural and artistic workshops. In addition to the Al-Bustan office, Israeli forces also demolished a home in the neighborhood belonging to the Al-Qadi family.
Located less than a mile from Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem’s southern ancient wall, Silwan has a population of 65,000 Palestinians, some of them under threat of Israeli eviction orders.
In past years, Israeli authorities have been carrying out archaeological digging under Palestinian homes in Silwan, resulting in damage to these buildings, in search of the three-millennial “City of David.”
Israeli strike kills 12 after hitting civil defense center in Lebanon’s Baalbek, governor tells Reuters
- Eight others, including five women, were also killed and 27 wounded in another Israeli attack
CAIRO: An Israeli strike killed 12 people after it hit a civil defense center in Lebanon’s city of Baalbek on Thursday, the regional governor told Reuters adding that rescue operations were ongoing.
Eight others, including five women, were also killed and 27 wounded in another Israeli attack on the Lebanese city, health ministry reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Lebanese civil defense official Samir Chakia said: “The Civil Defense Center in Baalbek has been targeted, five Civil Defense rescuers were killed.”
Bachir Khodr the regional governor said more than 20 rescuers had been at the facility at the time of the strike.
‘A symbol of resilience’ — workers in Iraq complete reconstruction of famous Mosul minaret
- Workers complete reconstruction of 12th-century minaret of Al-Nuri Mosque
- Tower and mosque were blown by Daesh extremists in 2017
High above the narrow streets and low-rise buildings of Mosul’s old city, beaming workers hoist an Iraqi flag into the sky atop one of the nation’s most famous symbols of resilience.
Perched precariously on scaffolding in high-vis jackets and hard hats, the workers celebrate a milestone in Iraq’s recovery from the traumatic destruction and bloodshed that once engulfed the city.
On Wednesday, the workers placed the last brick that marked the completed reconstruction of the 12th-century minaret of Al-Nuri Mosque. The landmark was destroyed by Daesh in June 2017 shortly before Iraqi forces drove the extremist group from the city.
Known as Al-Hadba, or “the hunchback,” the 45-meter-tall minaret, which famously leant to one side, dominated the Mosul skyline for centuries. The tower has been painstakingly rebuilt as part of a UNESCO project, matching the traditional stone and brick masonry and incorporating the famous lean.
“Today UNESCO celebrates a landmark achievement,” the UN cultural agency’s Iraq office said. “The completion of the shaft of the Al-Hadba Minaret marks a new milestone in the revival of the city, with and for the people of Mosul.
“UNESCO is grateful for the incredible teamwork that made this vision a reality. Together, we’ve created a powerful symbol of resilience, a true testament to international cooperation. Thank you to everyone involved in this journey.”
The restoration of the mosque is part of UNESCO’s Revive the Spirit of Mosul project, which includes the rebuilding of two churches and other historic sites. The UAE donated $50 million to the project and UNESCO said that the overall Al-Nuri Mosque complex restoration will be finished by the end of the year.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay celebrated the completion of the minaret by posting “We did it!” on social media site X.
She thanked donors, national and local authorities in Iraq and the experts and professionals, “many of whom are Moslawis,” who worked to rebuild the minaret.
“Can’t wait to return to Mosul to celebrate the full completion of our work,” she said.
The Al-Nuri mosque was built in the second half of the 12th century by the Seljuk ruler Nur Al-Din.
After Daesh seized control of large parts of Iraq in 2014, the group’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of its so-called caliphate from inside the mosque.
Three years later, the extremists detonated explosives to destroy the mosque and minaret as Iraqi forces battled to expel them from the city. Thousands of civilians were killed in the fighting and much of Mosul was left in ruins.
US hands Lebanon draft truce proposal -two political sources
- The US has sought to broker a ceasefire that would end hostilities between its ally Israel and Hezbollah
BEIRUT: The US ambassador to Lebanon submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon’s speaker of parliament Nabih Berri on Thursday to halt fighting between armed group Hezbollah and Israel, two political sources told Reuters, without revealing details.
The US has sought to broker a ceasefire that would end hostilities between its ally Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, but efforts have yet to yield a result. Israel launched a stepped-up air and ground campaign in late September after cross-border clashes in parallel with the Gaza war.
