Latest Israel government News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, wearing a face mask in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, stands with his lawyers inside the court room as his corruption trial opens at the Jerusalem District Court, Sunday, May 24, 2020. He is the country’s first sitting prime minister ever to go on trial, facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. (Ronen Zvulun/ Pool Photo via AP)

Israeli PM: Palestinians in Jordan Valley won't be citizens

May. 28, 2020 11:12 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Palestinians living in the Jordan Valley will remain in what he described as an “enclave” after Israel annexes the territory and will not be granted Israeli citizenship. Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with...

POOL - In this Sunday, May 24, 2020 photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanied by members of his Likud Party in masks delivers a statement before entering the district court in Jerusalem. Netanyahu's fulminating tirade against Israel's legal system on the steps of a Jerusalem courthouse managed to even overshadow the opening of his historic corruption trial. Surrounded by loyal deputies, and with hundreds of impassioned supporters cheering him outside and echoing his charges, Netanyahu's onslaught capped a years-long campaign that has bitterly divided the country and raised fears of irreparably tearing apart the delicate fabric of Israeli society. (AP Photo/Yonatan Sindel/Pool Photo via AP)

A stunning tirade highlights Israeli divide over Netanyahu

May. 27, 2020 1:35 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — He named names of police investigators and prosecutors. He accused them of using “Soviet style” extortion to turn witnesses against him. He even claimed that elderly Holocaust survivors were on his side, sympathizing with his plight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long...

In this photo released by Lebanon's official government photographer Dalati Nohra, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab reviews the honor guard of the United Nations peacekeepers, upon his arrival at their headquarters in the southern coastal border town of Naqoura, Lebanon, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The visit comes against the backdrop of a war of words between Israel and Lebanese officials, including the powerful Hezbollah group, over the mandate of the U.N. troops, known as UNIFIL, deployed in southern Lebanon since an Israel invasion in 1978. (Dalati Nohra via AP)

Lebanese PM visits UN peacekeepers amid dispute over mandate

May. 27, 2020 11:46 AM EDT

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's prime minister visited United Nations peacekeepers in the country's south near the border with Israel on Wednesday, describing the presence of the force in the volatile area as a necessity. The visit by Prime Minister Hassan Diab comes amid the backdrop of a war of words between...

FILE - This Feb. 27, 2018 file photo, Australian Malka Leifer, right, is brought to a courtroom in Jerusalem. An Israeli court ruled Tuesday, May 26, 2020, that Leifer who is wanted on pedophilia charges in Australia, is fit to stand trial for extradition. The ruling capped a years-long legal battle in the case of Leifer, a former educator who is accused of sexually abusing former students. She has been fighting extradition from Israel for six years and the legal wrangle to bring her before an Australian court has caused a diplomatic strain between the two allies. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean, File)

Israeli president calls Australian PM after teacher's ruling

May. 27, 2020 5:30 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said he spoke Wednesday with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, following an Israeli court ruling that a former teacher accused of sexually abusing her students in Australia was fit to stand trial and be extradited. Rivlin noted that the matter was...

FILE - In this March 23, 2020 file photo, German Economy Minister, Peter Altmaier, left, tries to shake hands with German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, right, prior to a press conference in Berlin, Germany. From the U.S. president to the British prime minister's top aide and far beyond, leading officials around the world are refusing to wear masks or breaking confinement rules meant to protect their populations from the coronavirus and slow the pandemic. While some are punished when they're caught, or publicly repent, others shrug off the violations as if the rules don't apply to them. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, pool, File)

Hypocrisy gone viral? Officials set bad COVID-19 examples

May. 27, 2020 5:03 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — Few countries seem immune to the perception leaders are bending the rules of their own governments during the coronavirus pandemic. From U.S. President Donald Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, global decision-makers have frequently set bad examples, whether it’s...

In this Sunday, April 5, 2020, Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan, center, ignoring social distancing rules and not wearing mask, speaks with journalists during the arrival of Lebanese passengers who were stuck in Saudi Arabia and other countries because of the coronavirus outbreak, outside Rafik Hariri Airport, in Beirut. From the U.S. president to the British prime minister's top aide and far beyond, leading officials around the world are refusing to wear masks or breaking confinement rules meant to protect their populations from the coronavirus and slow the pandemic. While some are punished when they're caught, or publicly repent, others shrug off the violations as if the rules don't apply to them. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Hypocrisy gone viral? Officials set bad COVID-19 examples

May. 27, 2020 5:03 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — “Do as I say, but not as I do” was the message many British saw in the behavior of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's key aide, who traveled hundreds of miles with coronavirus symptoms during the country's lockdown. While Dominic Cummings has faced calls for his firing but support...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, wearing a face mask in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, stands with his lawyers inside the court room as his corruption trial opens at the Jerusalem District Court, Sunday, May 24, 2020. He is the country’s first sitting prime minister ever to go on trial, facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. (Ronen Zvulun/ Pool Photo via AP)

Israeli leader vows to push ahead with annexing West Bank

May. 25, 2020 2:50 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in the coming months, vowing to move ahead with the explosive plan despite a growing chorus of condemnations by key allies. The Palestinians, with wide international backing, seek the...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a face mask in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, looks at his lawyer inside the court room as his corruption trial opens at the Jerusalem District Court, Sunday, May 24, 2020. He is the country’s first sitting prime minister ever to go on trial, facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. (Ronen Zvulun/ Pool Photo via AP)

Israel's Netanyahu attacks justice system as trial begins

May. 24, 2020 2:00 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — To the sounds of his impassioned supporters chanting outside, a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strode into a Jerusalem courtroom Sunday to face corruption charges in a long-awaited trial that has overshadowed three inconclusive elections and deeply divided the country....

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing blue mask, enters court for start of corruption trial.

May. 24, 2020 8:12 AM EDT
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing blue mask, enters court for start of corruption trial.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at courthouse for start of corruption trial

May. 24, 2020 8:03 AM EDT
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at courthouse for start of corruption trial.
LOADING MORE STORIES