Politics and Knesset
If passed into law, it would give the Knesset the power to reverse Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority of 61 votes. At the heart of the matter is the question of checks and balances.
Protesters and residents of Khan al-Ahmar in the Judean Desert try to block construction equipment from paving an access road to facilitate the demolition; rocks were thrown at officers.
Applause erupted through the crowd as U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman welcomed celebrants by noting, “For the first time in its history, the United States of America is proud and grateful to receive happy birthday wishes from its embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel.”
The bill, which passed 87-15, aims at ending Palestinian Authority practices dubbed “pay to slay,” which provide salaries to Palestinian and Israeli Arabs terrorists who attack Jews.
Stuart Force, the father of U.S. Army Capt. Taylor Force, who was murdered by a terrorist in Tel Aviv in 2016, will arrive in Israel for a Knesset vote over legislation that would offset salaries paid by the Palestinian Authority to terrorists from tax monies collected by Israel.
An in-depth analysis of more than 100 petitions filed in Israel’s Supreme Court against illegal construction in Judea and Samaria revealed preferential treatment given to leftist groups.
Challenges include the widening gap between Israel and segments of the global Jewish community, such as non-Orthodox and progressives, as well as concern of maintaining bipartisan support for Israel.
Under the new legislation, an Israeli premier would not have to pay taxes for payments, services or gifts given to him or her while serving, except for salary. The law would also exempt them from paying taxes on state-issued cars and on utility bills at his or her personal home.
Companies violating the law would be penalized with a 450,000 shekel ($124,600) fine.
“I tell you what, I get more calls of thank you from evangelicals, and I see it in the audiences and everything else, than I do from Jewish people,” said the U.S. president. “And the Jewish people appreciate it, but the evangelicals appreciate it more than the Jews.”
In February 2017, the Supreme Court ordered the Tapuach West buildings torn down after accepting the prosecution’s argument that the land belonged to Palestinians living in the nearby town of Yasuf.
The bill mandates that the government deduct the amount that the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists from the NIS 8.5 billion (nearly $2.4 billion) per year of taxes that Israel collects for it, which will be then invested into a fund to pay damages to victims of terror.
