Yamina chief Naftali Bennett speaks during a press conference at the Knesset on May 5, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Senior officials in the bloc of Knesset parties opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were quoted Tuesday evening as saying a government had been nearly formed after the Yesh Atid party reached understandings with other opposition factions, though it is waiting for Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett.
Bennett has refused to commit to either the pro- or anti-Netanyahu blocs, keeping his options open. He has vowed to do “everything” to prevent the country from going to its fifth election in two and a half years.
May 26, 2021
The Palestinian citizens of Israel have long lived in a tinderbox. The large non-Jewish national minority of 21% of the population of Israel proper has been constantly fighting for and failing to win equality in the self-proclaimed Jewish state.
Various factors make peaceful coexistence within Israel so fragile. The overriding Palestinian-Israeli national struggle in the West Bank and Gaza, the unique situation of Jerusalem and its holy sites, especially beleaguered Al-Aqsa Mosque, lack of budgets for Arab towns and the increase in criminality and deadly violence in Arab communities arguably due in large part to police apathy have all contributed to this situation, which deteriorated further when the Israeli Knesset passed the Jewish nationality law further legitimizing discrimination based on religion and national origin.
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Israeli police seen on the streets of the central Israeli city of Lod, where synagogues and cars were torched as well as shops damaged, as Arab residents rioted in the city on May 12, 2021. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
The Israel Police said Monday that over 1,550 people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the violent clashes between Jews and Arabs earlier this month.
The sweeping operation, involving thousands of police and Border Police officers, arrested 85 suspects on Monday, among them 38 who are suspected of participating in rioting in East Jerusalem.
So far 150 indictments have been filed, police said in a statement.
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Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai and Public Security Minister Amir Ohana arrived at the scene, along with several police officers.
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Ohana, Shabtai and other senior police officials at the sceneCredit: Emil Salman They acted quickly and resolutely, while striving to disarm him, Ohana said, referring to the police officer and border police soldier who shot the assailant. A police statement quoted the border police officer as saying: I identified a terrorist who was stabbing a civilian a number of times in the back. I ran after him, closed the distance [between us] and fired a number of bullets until the terrorist was neutralized.