Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant issued a joint response to criticism of military chiefs over protests by reservists against the government's judicial reforms. EPA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant issued a joint response to criticism of military chiefs over protests by reservists against the government's judicial reforms. EPA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant issued a joint response to criticism of military chiefs over protests by reservists against the government's judicial reforms. EPA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant issued a joint response to criticism of military chiefs over protests by reservists against the government's judicia

Netanyahu defends Israeli military chiefs after attacks by cabinet members


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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for the military after members of his far-right government and his son criticised senior officers over protests by reservists.

Thousands of military reservists have vowed not to turn up for duty in protest against the government's plan to overhaul the judiciary. The relatively small army relies on reservists to maintain its operational readiness in a historically hostile region.

A statement issued by Mr Netanyahu's office on Tuesday said the Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant "reject any attack on senior security establishment officials and fully back the commanders and soldiers" of the Israeli military.

Growing opposition within the Israeli military to government plans to curb the Supreme Court's powers poses one of the most serious threats to the legislation, which has spurred months of street protests and criticism from former Israeli officials, business leaders and the US, Israel's main ally.

Mr Netanyahu's allies have pushed back against the criticism. On Tuesday, David Amsalem, a minister in Netanyahu's government and a member of his right-wing Likud party, attacked chief of staff Herzi Halevi and air force chief Tomer Bar on Tuesday over the reservist protests.

Gen Halevi and other army officials have warned that turmoil in the military could affect Israel’s preparedness.

Mr Amsalem blamed Gen Halevi and Maj Gen Bar for what he called a "mutiny" in the armed forces and asked that they be punished for undermining Israel's security.

“In any normal army, you treat rebels like rebels should be treated,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.

"In 15, 20, 30 years, this'll be studied in history books, which will note who the chief of staff was and who the air force chief was."

Mr Netanyahu's son Yair called Gen Halevi “the most failing and destructive chief of staff in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel." The social post he shared was originally written by a far-right activist on X, formerly known as Twitter, and was later deleted.

Mr Gallant responded with a post on X in which he said: "If you cannot contain yourselves, then attack me, the defence minister, I am in charge of the chief of staff and air force commander."

He published photos of himself with Maj Gen Bar at the Ramon airbase and a video in which he told pilots that they had his full backing.

Mr Netanyahu and his allies say the judicial reforms limit the authority of judges and give elected officials more powers over decision-making. Critics say the move would endanger Israel’s democratic ideals and upend the country’s system of checks and balances by concentrating too much power in the hands of politicians.

The deepening social divisions over the plan have plunged Israel into its gravest domestic crisis.

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Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.

“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says. 

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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

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Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

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Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona

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Match info:

Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')

Morocco 0

Updated: August 16, 2023, 5:43 AM