Politics and Knesset
Police have recommended charging Likud Knesset member David Bitan with bribery; if indicted, he will be forced to resign.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein meets with representatives of the Blue and White Party to discuss forming a temporary House Committee to decide on the prime minister’s immunity request.
According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, the country started 2020 with 9,136,000 citizens, of which 6,772,000 are Jews and 1,916,000 million Arabs.
Leviathan field goes online, paving the way for multibillion-dollar gas-export deals with Egypt, Jordan • “For first time since its establishment, Israel is now an energy powerhouse,” says Delek Drilling CEO.
Three-judge panel rules that a decision on the question of whether an indicted Knesset member can form a government will be handed down at a future date.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s smash win in the primaries is giving the party a shot in the arm ahead of the battle leading up to March 2.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the media after his crushing victory over Likud rival Gideon Sa’ar.
“This is a huge victory! Thank you, Likud members, for your trust, support and love,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the results were announced.
The voting will run between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. at 106 voting stations nationwide, with the final results coming on Friday.
After failing to form governments in successive elections and with criminal indictments looming, many in the Likud are questioning whether Israel’s embattled premier still has the political capital necessary to deliver a new Likud-led government.
According to a Christmas report by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel’s Christian population now stands at 177,000, and Christian high-school students lead the country in matriculation grades.
With European funding earmarked for the purpose, Israeli NGOs such as B’Tselem have ceaselessly attacked Israel’s Supreme Court with the aim of rendering the Jewish state vulnerable to prosecution in the International Criminal Court.
