Thousands of Israelis rally against Netanyahu

Yahoo – AFP, August 1, 2020

A bandana-clad protester blows a shofar, an ancient musical horn, as he
 walks alongside others during a demonstration against Israel's Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday (AFP Photo/MENAHEM KAHANA)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Thousands protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu across Israel on Saturday night, demanding he resign over alleged corruption and a resurgence of coronavirus cases.

The protests took place at scores of intersections and bridges, where people held banners accusing Netanyahu of "failure" and calling for his resignation, as well as outside his private residence in the northern town Caesarea.

The main event took place outside the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem, where organisers said thousands demanded Netanyahu step down.

In Tel Aviv, hundreds protested against rising unemployment and the government's alleged failure to support self-employed people who have lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic, media reports said.

Wearing face masks to forestall coronavirus transmission, protestors carried signs accusing Netanyahu, whose graft trial is ongoing at the Jerusalem district court, of corruption and failing to resolve the coronavirus crisis and the related economic malaise.

Israel won praise for its initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the government has come under criticism amid a resurgence in cases after restrictions were lifted starting in late April. Netanyahu has himself acknowledged that the economy was re-opened too quickly.

The country of some nine million people has so far recorded over 72,000 confirmed cases, including 523 deaths.

The protests have been going on for weeks, with Netanyahu on Saturday night accusing private television channels 12 and 13 of "delivering propaganda for the anarchist Leftwing demonstrations" by providing extensive coverage of the rallies.

"They are desperately trying to brainwash the public, in order to bring down a strong prime minister from the Right," his Likud party wrote in a post re-tweeted by Netanyahu on Twitter.

Netanyahu further accused the media of "ignoring the violent nature of the protests and the calls in them to murder the prime minister and his family".

Israel's parliament moves towards ban on gay 'conversion therapy'

France24 – AFP, 22 July 2020

Israel's health ministry has already branded conversion therapy as
hazardous to those subjected to it JACK GUEZ AFP/File

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's parliament took a step towards criminalising gay "conversion therapy" on Wednesday, giving preliminary approval to a bill banning the practice widely regarded as a human rights violation.

The bill, introduced by the head of the left-wing Meretz party, opposition lawmaker Nitzan Horowitz, was approved by Israel's parliament, the Knesset, in a vote of 42 to 36.

The bill must pass through two more Knesset readings before becoming law and could be ultimately blocked by members of the centre-right governing coalition, possibly on grounds that it originated from the opposition.

Horowitz described the vote as an "historic moment".

His proposal targets psychologists who administer conversion therapy, withdrawing their licenses for a period of at least five years.

Following Wednesday's vote, ultra-Orthodox leader Yaakov Litzman, who is housing minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, condemned as "rotten" coalition partners who supported the bill.

Earlier this month, the United Nations independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, called for a global conversion therapy ban.

In his report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Madrigal-Borloz offered evidence that conversion therapy involved beatings, rape, electrocution, forced medication, confinement, forced nudity, verbal humiliation and other acts of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.

Israel's health ministry has already branded conversion therapy as hazardous to those subjected to it.

Or Keshet of the Israeli rights group AGUDA said the practice persists in Israel, "mainly in religious circles," where homosexuality remains taboo.

"It is estimated that several thousand people have undergone conversion therapy in Israel," Keshet told AFP.

Last year, far-right lawmaker Rafi Peretz, who was education minister at the time, voiced support for conversion therapy, triggering an outcry.

Netanyahu called Peretz's comments "unacceptable".

In March 2018, the European parliament passed a resolution condemning conversion therapy and urging member states to ban it.

In March this year, the Canadian government announced a bill to outlaw the practice.

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China court hears first gay 'conversion therapy' case

Gay Pride & Gay Rights in China: a Dutch Perspective (Liveblog)

Gay conversion therapy should have no place in NHS, says health minister

‘Pray away the gay’ therapies quickly losing ground in the United States

‘Gay cure’ no longer reimbursed: Dutch health minister

(Photo: Alexandria)

"The Akashic Circle" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  - (Text version)

“… Gender Switching

Old souls, let me tell you something. If you are old enough, and many of you are, you have been everything. Do you hear me? All of you. You have been both genders. All of you have been what I will call between genders, and that means that all of you have had gender switches. Do you know what happens when it's time for you to switch a gender? We have discussed it before. You'll have dozens of lifetimes as the same gender. You're used to it. It's comfortable. You cannot conceive of being anything else, yet now it's time to change. It takes approximately three lifetimes for you to get used to it, and in those three lifetimes, you will have what I call "gender confusion."

It isn't confusion at all. It's absolutely normal, yet society often will see it as abnormal. I'm sitting here telling you you've all been through it. All of you. That's what old souls do. It's part of the system. …”

Israel blasts UN list of settlement-linked firms

Yahoo – AFP, February 12, 2020

Israeli settlements such as Modiin Illit violate international law and the international
community has long seen them as an obstacle to peace (AFP Photo/ABBAS MOMANI)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel on Wednesday rejected as "shameful" the UN's publication of a list of 112 companies that do business in its settlements, while the Palestinians cheered its long-delayed release as a "victory for international law".

The list published by the United Nations' human rights office includes a range of large international firms including Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Motorola Solutions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at retaliation.

"Whoever boycotts us will be boycotted," a statement from his office quoted him as saying.

"We strongly reject this contemptible effort."

Foreign Minister Israel Katz labelled the move "a shameful surrender to pressure from countries and organisations who want to harm Israel."

He noted that multiple countries had expressed concern about the list, produced by the office of UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on a mandate from a 2016 Human Rights Council resolution.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocates a wide-ranging embargo of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians, welcomed the list.

"The publication of this database is a very significant first concrete step by any UN entity towards holding to account Israeli and international corporations that enable and profit from Israel's illegal settlements, which constitute a war crime," it said in a statement.

But it said the database was incomplete and called for all companies with a role in Israel's "apartheid regime" and "grave violations of Palestinian rights under international law" to be included.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki applauded the publication as a "victory for international law and diplomatic efforts."

Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat called the long-delayed report a "crucial first step to restore hope in multilateralism and international law."

"This announcement enhances and consolidates the credibility of the Human Rights Council and international organisations in the face of the fierce attack and the intense pressure that the Trump administration places on these institutions," Erekat added.

US President Donald Trump, a close ally of Israel's rightwing government, reportedly pressed the UN to shelve the report.

About 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which are considered illegal under international law.

The Yesha Council which represents settlers said the list showed the UN had "once again proven to be a biased, non-neutral body that acts against the State of Israel".

Israeli officials have voiced concern that the UN list would be used to justify a large-scale boycott of the country's private sector.

They have also more broadly questioned the legitimacy of the Human Rights Council.

Israel is the only country subject to a dedicated agenda item at the Council, meaning the Jewish state's conduct is automatically discussed at each session.

The United States, which no longer considers settlements illegal, has withdrawn from the council, in part over its treatment of Israel.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu indicted for bribery and fraud

The Guardian, Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem, 21 Nov 2019

Attorney general announces charges as crisis deepens for longest-serving leader

Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said he would not resign
if indicted. Photograph: Oded Balilty/AP

Israel’s attorney general has indicted Benjamin Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust, in a damning blow to the prime minister as he fights for his political survival.

Avichai Mandelblit charged the 70-year-old leader on Thursday in all three major corruption cases for which he was investigated. It was the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has been charged with a crime.

In the 63-page indictment, Netanyahu was accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of pounds in luxury gifts from billionaire friends and for trading valuable favours with Israeli media and telecoms moguls for positive news coverage.

“A day in which the attorney general decides to serve an indictment against a seated prime minister for serious crimes of corrupt governance is a heavy and sad day, for the Israeli public and for me personally,” Mandelblit told reporters.

With no clear route to continue his premiership, Netanyahu’s fate has been thrown into limbo as he faces multiple explosive court cases that could drag on for years, all while under intense political pressure.

The dramatic move, the culmination of three years of inquiries, arrives at a desperately fraught time for Israel’s longest-serving leader. Netanyahu is scrambling to remain in power after failing to secure a clear win in two elections this year.

The prime minister has previously denied all the allegations, saying they are part of a politically orchestrated “witch-hunt” to oust him from office.

Responding to the indictment, a pale-faced Netanyahu said in a televised speech that the “false” and “politically motivated” charges amounted to an “attempted coup” against him. “The public has lost trust in the legal system,” he said.

Mandelblit, however, had earlier swatted aside those claims. “This is not a matter of right or left. This is not a matter of politics,” he said.

Netanyahu has previously stated he would not resign if indicted, and is not legally required to do so unless convicted.

The criminal case is also potentially tied to him remaining the head of the government, as some of his parliamentary allies have suggested they would back laws to grant him immunity if he can hold his seat.

Still, the seriousness of the corruption charges could significantly damage his attempts to stay in public office. Earlier this year, Israeli police recommended indictments in the three cases. Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.

The first case, known as case 1,000, involves allegations of receiving gifts such as cigars, champagne and jewellery, from billionaires, including the Hollywood businessman Arnon Milchan and Australian casino operator James Packer, allegedly in exchange for favours.

The indictment estimated the value of the gifts at about £150,000. In return, Netanyahu helped Milchan, an Israeli who produced the film Pretty Woman, to extend his US visa, according to the charges. It was not clear what Packer received for his presents, if anything.

In case 2,000, Netanyahu is accused of colluding with the country’s top-selling newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, to hurt its competition in exchange for favourable coverage.

In the third and most serious case, case 4,000, Netanyahu is accused of offering incentives worth close to £200m to the Israeli telecoms provider Bezeq in exchange for positive stories on an online news website it owns. Charges raised against Netanyahu in case 4,000 were the only ones to involve the more damning indictment of bribery.

As well as Netanyahu, two powerful media figures in Israel tied up in the investigations, Shaul Elovich, the former owner of Bezeq, and his wife, Iris, as well as, Arnon Mozes, the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, were also indicted for bribery. Both Elovich and Mozes deny any wrongdoing.

In a separate case not involving Netanyahu, his wife, Sara, was convicted in June of illegally misusing thousands of pounds of public funds for lavish meals, despite having an in-house cook provided by the state.

The 60-year-old child psychologist has been a controversial partner throughout Netanyahu’s political career, and has also been accused by employees of mistreatment.

Shortly after Thursday’s charges were announced, Netanyahu’s political foes rushed to call for him to step down.

Itzik Shmuli, a member of the Labor party, said the charges were the “most serious indictment against an elected official in the history of the state”. The main opposition Blue and White party posted a 11-year-old video of Netanyahu in which he called for then-prime minister Ehud Olmert to resign as he battled corruption allegations.

“A prime minister neck deep in investigations does not have a moral and public mandate to make fateful decisions for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in the video. Olmert stepped down before he was indicted and later served 16 months in jail.

Despite personal turmoil and a political crisis that has paralysed the country for months, the prime minister has managed to hold on. He was given a boost on Wednesday, after his political challenger, Benny Gantz, who leads Blue and White, failed to form a coalition.

Results from a general election in April provided no party with a clear majority, and a repeat national ballot in September gave a similar result. Netanyahu has twice failed to forge a coalition with allies and was fearful Gantz would end his historic run at the top.

After both men came up short, Israel’s president asked lawmakers on Thursday to name a new candidate, although it seems unlikely any politician will be able to cobble together a majority from such a divided parliament. If that does not happen by 11 December, an unprecedented third election will be called.

“These are harsh, dark days in the annals of the state of Israel,” President Reuven Rivlin said earlier on Thursday, adding that the country found itself in a “miserable political situation”.

Since he returned to power in 2009, Netanyahu has managed to keep his party loyal, although cracks have begun to show.

A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute, carried out last month, found that 65% of Israelis thought Netanyahu should resign as head of the Likud party if indicted.

Israel PM's wife convicted of misusing public funds

Yahoo – AFP, Stephen WEIZMAN, June 16, 2019

Sara Netanyahu has been ordered to pay a fine and compensation under a plea
deal over misusing public funds (AFP Photo/DEBBIE HILL)

Jerusalem (AFP) - An Israeli court Sunday convicted the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fraudulently using state funds for meals, under a plea bargain which dropped more severe charges.

While the ruling cut short a high-profile trial, the Netanyahu family's legal woes are far from over: the veteran premier himself faces possible indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the coming months.

In a deal approved by judge Avital Chen at Jerusalem magistrates' court, Sara Netanyahu was found guilty of using the errors of government accounting staff to bypass spending restrictions.

She was fined 10,000 shekels ($2,800) and ordered to reimburse the state a further 45,000 shekels.

Although her husband is a millionaire she asked for payment to be deferred and the judge allowed her to pay in monthly instalments beginning in September.

"The deal reached between the sides is worthy and appropriately reflects the deeds and their severity on the criminal level," Chen said in his ruling.

The 60-year-old, a high-profile presence at her husband's side throughout his long tenure in office, was initially charged in June 2018 with fraud and breach of trust for paying $100,000 (85,000 euros) for meals from well-known Jerusalem businesses.

She had done so while falsely declaring there was no cook available at the premier's official residence.

The amended indictment, approved Sunday, dropped the graft charges, replacing them with "obtaining a benefit by deliberately exploiting the mistake of another person".

"Despite the fact that cooks were employed at the residence the accused instructed staff at the residence, as a matter of normal practice, to order prepared meals from restaurants for herself, her family and visitors."

The tiny courtroom at the Jerusalem magistrates' court was packed with journalists.

"As in every plea bargain, each side makes concessions, sometimes hard concessions," prosecutor Erez Padan said.

"It is right and proper for the public interest to bring this case to an end."

Israelis have organised repeated protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 

who also faces potential indictment in graft cases (AFP Photo/GALI TIBBON)

'Made of steel'

Netanyahu's attorney Yossi Cohen told the court his client had already been heavily punished by the media.

"Four years of ugly leaks and denigrations" constituted "inhuman punishment", he said.

"No other person could have withstood this, this lady is made of steel," Cohen added.

Husband Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the case "surrealist" in a video posted online.

"I am telling you, if this wasn't a matter concerning my wife, there would never have been an investigation," the prime minister said.

Sara Netanyahu has a reputation for finding legal loopholes to receive state funding for her household's relatively high expenses.

"On a number of occasions she instructed that restaurant chefs be brought in to cook for guests at the residence, all in deliberate exploitation of the bookkeepers' mistakes," the amended charge sheet said.

The caterers included an Italian restaurant, a Middle Eastern grill joint and a Sushi house.

The prosecution attorneys put a positive face on what was generally considered a good outcome for Sara Netanyahu Sunday.

"The significance of this ruling is that a person with access to public funds, as senior as they may be, cannot use them as their own," Padan's co-counsel Jenny Avni told reporters outside the courtroom.

"Taking significant amounts of public funds over several years, in violation of the rules and procedures, is a criminal offence carrying with it a conviction and a real financial penalty."

Sara Netanyahu is also being sued by a former cleaner who claims the premier's wife mistreated her.

In 2016 a court awarded some $47,000 in damages to a former housekeeper who accused her of repeated workplace abuse in a similar case.

Separately, Benjamin Netanyahu is facing possible indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the months ahead.

Two people wearing t-shirts with the message "crime minister" were barred from entering the court for his wife's hearing on Sunday.

He is reportedly seeking legislation that would result in him being granted immunity.

Netanyahu was unable to form a coalition following an April general election, and Israel is now gearing up for September polls.

Israel PM's wife reaches plea deal in delivery meals case: reports

Yahoo – AFP, May 29, 2019

Sara Netanyahu has been a high-profile presence at her husband's side
throughout his long tenure as Israeli premier (AFP Photo/Thomas COEX)

Jerusalem (AFP) - The wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a plea bargain with prosecutors over accusations she used state funds to fraudulently pay for hundreds of meals, media reports said Wednesday.

Sara Netanyahu had been charged with fraud and breach of trust in June 2018 for allegedly misusing state funds to pay for catered meals costing $100,000 (85,000 euros) by falsely declaring there were no cooks available at the prime minister's official residence.

According to Israeli media reports, she agreed to reimburse the state 45,000 shekels ($12,440, 11,160 euros) and pay another 10,000 shekels ($2,770, 2,480 euros) as a fine as part of the plea deal.

She will also admit the relatively light charge of exploiting the mistake of another person, according to the reports.

The agreement would have to be approved by the court.

Spokespeople for the court administration, justice department and Netanyahu family refused to comment on the reports.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2013, Sara Netanyahu, her family and guests "fraudulently (received) from the state hundreds of prepared meals" ordered from a variety of well-known Jerusalem businesses.

Netanyahu, 60 and a high-profile presence at her husband's side throughout his long tenure in office, denied any wrongdoing throughout the trial.

She has also faced accusations of mistreating staff, and in 2016 a court awarded some $47,000 in damages to a former housekeeper who accused the couple of repeated workplace abuse.

Separately, Benjamin Netanyahu is facing possible indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the months ahead and is reportedly seeking legislation that would result in him being granted immunity.

He has been unable to form a governing coalition following April elections and has until a Wednesday night deadline to do so.

The deadlocked coalition negotiations may result in snap elections only months after the previous vote.

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Netanya huflies into turbulence over $127,000 bed on plane

Israeli drugmaker Teva to pay Oklahoma $85 mn in opioid suit

Yahoo – AFP, May 27, 2019

Israeli drugmaker Teva agreed to pay the US state Oklahoma $85 million to settle a 

lawsuit accusing it of complicity in the opioid epidemic, which has killed thousands 

(AFP Photo/JACK GUEZ)

Washington (AFP) - Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva agreed on Sunday to pay the US state of Oklahoma $85 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of fueling the state's opioid epidemic, Oklahoma's attorney general said.

The announcement comes after Purdue Pharma, maker of the opioid painkiller OxyContin -- a key driver of the crisis responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States -- reached a $270 million settlement with the state in March.

Attorney General Mike Hunter said in a statement the Teva settlement shows Oklahoma's "resolve to hold the defendants in this case accountable for the ongoing opioid overdose and addiction epidemic that continues to claim thousands of lives each year."

The money will be used by the midwestern state to fight the opioid crisis, Hunter said, with an announcement of how exactly it will be spent made in the future.

Meanwhile, another pharmaceutical titan, Johnson & Johnson, is set to go on trial in Oklahoma on Tuesday, with the company facing similar accusations that it aggressively promoted opioid painkillers despite knowing the risks of addiction.

Overdoses from prescription painkillers and heroin -- a last-resort illicit drug for opioid addicts -- exploded over the last 20 years, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Almost 400,000 people have died from an overdose involving prescription or illicit opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Pop icon Prince and rocker Tom Petty were among the high-profile victims of the epidemic.

Israel defence minister quits after ceasefire, government in turmoil

Yahoo – AFP, Jonah Mandel, November 14, 2018

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman plunges the Israeli government into turmoil
by announcing he is resigning over a ceasefire deal with Palestinian militants in
Gaza that he describes as "capitulating to terror" (AFP Photo/Menahem KAHANA)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his resignation on Wednesday and called for early elections after a sharp disagreement over a Gaza ceasefire deal, throwing the government into turmoil.

Lieberman also said his party was quitting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, leaving the premier with only a one-seat majority in parliament.

Elections are not due until November 2019, but Lieberman's resignation increases the likelihood of an earlier vote.

"What happened yesterday -- the truce combined with the process with Hamas -- is capitulating to terror," Lieberman told journalists in explaining his reasons for resigning.

"What we're doing now as a state is buying short-term quiet, with the price being severe long-term damage to national security."

He added later: "We should agree on a date for elections as early as possible."

Netanyahu has defended Tuesday's ceasefire deal that ended the worst escalation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza since a 2014 war.

An official from Netanyahu's Likud party hit back at speculation that early elections would be called and said the prime minister would take charge of Lieberman's portfolio at least temporarily.

"There's no obligation to go to an election in this time of security sensitivity," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Palestinian demonstrators burn pictures of Israel's outgoing defence minister 

Avigdor Lieberman in Gaza on November 14, 2018 (AFP Photo/MAHMUD HAMS)

A Likud spokesman said later in the day that Netanyahu had begun consultations with heads of parties in his coalition to stabilise it.

The party of far-right Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a Netanyahu rival, was threatening to withdraw from the coalition if he was not given the defence portfolio.

'Begged for ceasefire'

Lieberman, a security hardliner, heads the right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party, which holds five seats in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.

Before taking over as defence minister, he said he would give Hamas leader Ismail Haniya 48 hours to hand over two detained Israeli civilians and the bodies of soldiers killed in the 2014 war "or you're dead".

He later backed off and said he was committed to "responsible, reasonable policy".

The ceasefire held on Wednesday, but Netanyahu was seeking to combat criticism of the decision.

Palestinians inspect a crater on November 14, 2018 caused by an Israeli airstrike 

in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip (AFP Photo/SAID KHATIB)

Beyond Lieberman's resignation, several hundred Israelis living near the border with Gaza protested on Tuesday night to call for further action against its Islamist rulers Hamas.

Netanyahu defended his strategy and said: "Our enemies begged for a ceasefire.

"In times of emergency, when making decisions crucial to security, the public can't always be privy to the considerations that must be hidden from the enemy," he said at a ceremony on Wednesday.

Hamas portrayed the ceasefire as a victory and thousands of residents of the blockaded enclave took to the streets late Tuesday to celebrate.

On Wednesday, Gazan demonstrators burned pictures of Lieberman and sweets were handed out in the streets, while Hamas called his resignation a "victory."

The Egyptian-brokered truce was announced by Gaza militant groups, including Hamas, on Tuesday.

A diplomatic source familiar with the agreement said it involved returning to arrangements put in place following the 2014 war, but warned: "The situation remains very precarious and can blow up again.

Palestinians clear rubble on November 14, 2018 in a building damaged by an

Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip (AFP Photo/MAHMUD HAMS)

"What we have seen in the past 48 hours was very dangerous and no efforts should be spared to avoid similar flare-ups."

Blown covert operation

The violence saw seven Gazans killed in 24 hours as Israeli strikes targeted militants and flattened buildings, sending fireballs and plumes of smoke into the sky.

Sirens wailed in southern Israel as militants unleashed barrages of rocket and mortar fire, sending residents rushing to shelters.

Around 460 rockets and mortar rounds were fired at Israel, the most ever in such a brief time period, the army said.

An anti-tank missile hit a bus near the Gaza border that Hamas says was being used by Israel's army. An Israeli soldier was severely wounded.

In all, some 27 Israelis were wounded, three of them severely.

Seven Gazans were killed in 24 hours as Israeli strikes targeted militants and 

flattened buildings, and the territory's Islamist rulers Hamas hailed the ceaefire 

as a victory (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams)

A Palestinian labourer from the occupied West Bank was killed when a rocket hit a building in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

The violence had begun on Sunday with a botched Israeli special forces operation inside the Gaza Strip that turned deadly and prompted Hamas to vow revenge.

The clash that resulted from the blown operation killed seven Palestinian militants, including a local Hamas military commander, as well as an Israeli army officer.

This week's escalation came despite Netanyahu's decision to allow Qatar to transfer millions of dollars in aid to Gaza for salaries as well as fuel to ease a chronic electricity shortage.

The agreements had led to calmer protests along the border after months of deadly unrest.

But those cash transfers also drew criticism from Netanyahu's own government, and Lieberman slammed them in announcing his resignation.

Related Articles:

"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS"– Sep  29, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… What have we told you about the bridge? Actually, not much except that in crossing the bridge, the old energy ones were not going to like it. Old energy does not want you to escape! Old energy doesn't want you to cross the bridge because it can't cross. Did you know that? It can't cross. The old paradigms of Human nature that you've known all of these millenniums have to stay on the old side of the bridge. It cannot cross, for the bridge rejects all that is not in love, compassion and light. Those things that are dark, including Human nature of the past, will not be able to go. But the ones I speak to right now are already on the bridge. That was your design, old soul, and those are the words that are ringing in your ears to this day and the ones given at the wind of birth, that this might happen in your lifetime. So what's going to happen next?

Swords

Let us talk about the swords: When you hear the word sword, the first thing that occurs to you is battle. The Bridge of Swords is a battle and we told you that as well. Swords are metaphoric and they mean many things, so let us describe the things we mean them to say to you.

Number one: They are indeed a weapon in a battle. There is a battle coming. "Kryon, does that mean there's going to be a war?" Potentially, yes. Right now we will tell you that the Middle East cooks itself. You've noticed, haven't you? What do you know about the Middle East, dear one? Let's start examining things for a moment. What energy did you grow up in? What was the energy of the Middle East? In the '40s, what was the energy? With the establishment of the state of Israel, you built a wall of hate, both sides. The wall was so thick that the children of both sides were taught to hate one another as soon as they were able to understand the language. They were told who their enemies were. Now, where were you then?

Some of you weren't here yet. By the time you arrived, in your youth, were you aware of the Middle East? Not particularly. "What's the hatred about?" you might ask. What if I told you it's about a family feud? Two sons of a Jewish master are involved. One founded the Arabs and one remained a Jew. They don't want to hear this, but they are all Jews. (Don't tell them this.)

If you look at the lineage, it's pretty obvious and yet it's a complete and total set-up for either solution or war. The set-up would have this world ending in a conflagration that would have been brought about by this hatred. That's in the prophecy of Nostradamus and your scripture, but it is no longer the prophecy of the planet. Yet the hatred still exists. The hatred is as great today as it was then, but where was all the terrorism 40 years ago? It was isolated.

Those in Israel and Palestine and surrounding areas took the brunt of it, but now it's seemingly everywhere - and you're worried. Why would this be? The answer is that the old energy was happy to have this hatred contained, for it would keep it going and never involve outsiders. Outsiders tend to bring unwanted light to the party. Suddenly, the whole earth is involved and can see the entire scenario before them. The old guard wants war, just like all the eons before them. The ones on the bridge are holding the light and showing the earth how to cross. Even many younger ones in Israel and Palestine and Iran are holding light! It's all around the old guard and they are furious, for they are losing the "battle of hatred." …”

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."