Israeli media have reported accusations exchanged and calls from incumbent officials for the arrest of opposition leaders, indicating that political divisions, tensions, and fighting appear to be escalating between the cabinet of new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition.
Zvika Fogel, a Knesset member, called on Tuesday for Benny Gantz, the former Israeli minister of military affairs, and Yair Lapid, the former prime minister, to be arrested on “charges of treason,” according to the Mafzak Live website.
Gantz and Lapid had criticized the policies of the new cabinet, claiming that Netanyahu would be to blame for an internal war breaking out.
According to a source in the Israeli media, thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv in the occupied territories on Saturday to protest Netanyahu’s extremist cabinet, which led to escalating tensions among political rivals within the Israeli regime.
In the meantime, another Knesset member, Almog Cohen, stated in an interview with Israeli channel 13 that Lapid and Gantz would be arrested “if Lapid and Gantz do not stop dividing, inciting, and calling for bloodshed on the streets.”
Gantz directly addressed Netanyahu in response to the statement, stating, “Israel needs broad consensus, not continued division, incitement, and rifts.”
Lapid said, “We will not allow them to step on us,” when it was his turn.
Gantz urged Israeli settlers to take to the streets last week to protest a set of contentious changes that the Netanyahu administration proposed to the Israeli judicial system.
Protesters took to the streets on Saturday to denounce the so-called reforms as a way for Netanyahu to avoid the consequences of his ongoing corruption scandal.
A large banner with the words “crime minister” was held up by some protesters in reference to Benjamin Netanyahu, who was indicted in 2019 for receiving bribes, fraud, and breach of trust.
Others held up banners with slogans like “Together against fascism and apartheid” on them.
Momentous events in Israel
The Arab Movement for Renewal’s Ahmed al-Tibi stated, “What Israel is going through are pivotal events” in this regard.
Tibi stated to the channel al-Mayadeen that Netanyahu aims to “weaken the judicial system and annul the lawsuit filed against him in court” and that the “demonstrations against the Netanyahu regime show the world the extent of the fascism of the Israeli government.”
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Yariv Levin, the new “justice” minister for the regime, made an announcement earlier this week about a reform plan that includes a “derogation clause” that lets the Knesset override the Supreme Court’s decisions.
In addition, Tibi referred to “Israel’s concern about the change in the international community’s view of the judicial system” and said, “if it approves the judicial amendments, the Israeli supreme court which has become filled with extremist right-wing judges will become more extreme towards the Palestinians.”
A report claiming that the new far-right Israeli cabinet will intensify occupation, racism, and discrimination against Palestinians was released last week by a human rights advocacy group.
The rights group stated in the report that the agreements made by the parties in the new Israeli cabinet to enable their coalition to promote the expansion of the regime’s illegal settlements throughout Galilee and Negev, as well as the West Bank, which was occupied in 1967.
The ministry of internal security is headed by far-right Israeli official Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has since the inauguration of the new cabinet caused an international uproar by storming the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, which is Islam’s third-holiest site. The report also stated that the cabinet will “transfer the supervisory authority over planning and construction laws to the ministry of internal security, which will likely dramatically increase demolition orders against thousands of [Palestinian] houses..”
sources: presstv, almayadeen.net
