Israel’s internal battle over government plans for controversial judicial reform was thrown into confusion on Tuesday morning amid reports that a compromise deal had been struck between the government and opposition.
Politicians from both sides on Monday evening quickly rejected a report by Israeli outlet Channel 12 that a deal had been reached, which would mark a major success for President Isaac Herzog, who has conducted months of compromise talks.
The flurry of denials is the latest sign that Israel’s political crisis over the reforms shows no signs of abating.
Plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, to drastically limit the power of the judiciary have sparked the country's largest protest movement, bringing out tens of thousands of demonstrators to Israel’s streets on a weekly basis.
On Monday, Mr Herzog said he would continue talks between government and opposition parties to avoid a “constitutional crisis”. He had previously warned that the political divisions could lead to “civil war” in Israel.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, one of the staunchest advocates of the reforms, said on Israeli radio that he maintains the full support of Mr Netanyahu, despite rumours of a compromise.
“There is no change from the prime minister regarding the reform, contrary to all the reports,” he said.
Soon after Mr Levin’s interview, Mr Herzog called on both sides to come together.
“We are just before Rosh Hashanah, before the High Holidays, and for nine months we have been in a deep crisis … I call on the leaders to show responsibility” he said.
In July, the government succeeded in passing a first part of the reform package, which takes away the power of courts to strike down government legislation on the basis that lawmakers have proposed something that is not “reasonable”.
At the time, opposition leader Yair Lapid described the move as a “complete breaking of the rules of the game”.
Despite passing some of the reforms, tensions have emerged in recent months within the government, as backers of the full package warn that any attempt to moderate the proposals would lead to them toppling the government.
Some in Mr Netanyahu’s coalition are thought to be pursuing a watered-down programme as Israel reels from the effects of its huge divisions.
In June, he told The Wall Street Journal that he would drop an “override clause”, one of the most controversial aspects of the reform package that would allow parliament to overrule court decisions by a simple majority.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
SUZUME
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
World%20Food%20Day%20
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Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Company%20profile
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SRI LANKA SQUAD
Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana
Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera
Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Company%20Profile
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1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
