Netanyahu cites Holocaust lesson in dealing with Iran
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing the lessons of the Nazi Holocaust and the danger a nuclear-armed Iran, said on Tuesday that Israel must not shy from acting alone to thwart any threat to its existence.
Addressing parliament ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, Netanyahu praised a European Union decision on Monday to place sanctions on Iranian oil exports.
Israeli government accused of curbing court independence
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative government came under attack on Tuesday for promoting legislation that critics said would weaken the independence of Israel’s judiciary.
Parliament on Monday passed a government-backed amendment that paves the way for a judge perceived by right-wing lawmakers as an ally to be appointed chief of the Supreme Court.
Holocaust garb on ultra-Orthodox protesters causes outrage in Israel
(Ultra-Orthodox men, wearing uniforms like those worn by Jews during the holocaust, take part in a protest against what they called oppression of Ultra-Orthodox Jews, in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood December 31, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish demonstrators caused outrage on Sunday by dressing children as Holocaust victims to protest against what they see as persecution of devout Jews seeking gender separation in Israel. A boy wearing a cloth cap and the sidecurls of an Orthodox Jew was the centrepiece of the Jerusalem protest late on Saturday.
Holocaust garb causes outrage in Israel faith row
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Ultra-Orthodox Jewish demonstrators caused outrage on Sunday by dressing children as Holocaust victims to protest against what they see as persecution of devout Jews seeking gender separation in Israel.
A boy wearing a cloth cap and the sidecurls of an Orthodox Jew was the centerpiece of the Jerusalem protest late on Saturday.
Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics clash in Church of the Nativity
(Members of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox clergy scuffle during a clean-up of the Church of the Nativity, the site revered as the birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 28, 2011. REUTERS/Ammar Awad )
A Christmas cleaning of the Church of the Nativity turned into scuffles on Wednesday between rival Christian clerics zealously guarding denominational turf at the holy site. Brooms and fists flew inside the church marking the birthplace of Jesus as some 100 priests and monks of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic churches brawled.
Peres urges Israelis to mobilise to thwart ultra-Orthodox Jewish zealots
(An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man (L) argues with a secular man during a protest against the government's pledge to curb Jewish zealotry in Israel, in the town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem December 26, 2011.REUTERS/Oren Nahshon)
President Shimon Peres urged Israelis on Tuesday to rally against ultra-Orthodox Jewish zealots trying to impose their strict religious code on a troubled town near Jerusalem. “We are fighting for the soul of the nation and the essence of the state,” Peres said in broadcast remarks at an event at his official residence.
Peres urges Israelis to mobilize to thwart zealots
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – President Shimon Peres urged Israelis on Tuesday to rally against ultra-Orthodox Jewish zealots trying to impose their strict religious code on a troubled town near Jerusalem.
“We are fighting for the soul of the nation and the essence of the state,” Peres said in broadcast remarks at an event at his official residence.
Israeli lawmakers weigh recognizing Armenian genocide
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli lawmakers debated on Monday recognizing the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide but were warned by the Foreign Ministry about further damage to frayed relations with Turkey.
The issue has stirred deep emotions in Israel, where some legislators have said the Jewish people, who suffered six million dead in the Nazi Holocaust, have a moral obligation to identify with the Armenian tragedy, even at the risk of a Turkish backlash.
Israel reopens Jerusalem holy compound footbridge
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel reopened on Wednesday a wooden footbridge it had deemed unsafe at Jerusalem’s holiest and most volatile religious site, treading cautiously over deep political and religious divides.
The structure, leading from Judaism’s Western Wall to the sacred plaza where al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock stand, was closed Monday while Israel weighed plans that have stoked Arab anger to tear it down and build a sturdier bridge.
Netanyahu history lesson seen as message about Iran
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Cautioned by Washington about the risks of a military strike on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday about making “the right decision at the right moment,” even when allies object.
In a speech at an annual memorial for Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, Netanyahu did not mention Iran and its nuclear programme once.
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