ISAAC HERZOG

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under even more pressure from strikes and demonstrations after he fired his defense minister for opposing the controversial legislation.

Israel’s ceremonial president Isaac Herzog called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop his push for judicial reforms amid protests throughout the country.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday called for an immediate halt to the government's controversial judicial reforms, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked his defence minister for similar demands.Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial post, made the call following spontaneous demonstrations in Tel Aviv overnight in response to the minister's dismissal."For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of the necessary responsibility, I call on you to halt the legislative process immediately," Herzog said in a statement.The plan to hand more control to politicians and diminish the role of the Supreme Court has ignited months of protests and been questioned by Israel's top allies including the United States, which expressed concern Sunday.Netanyahu's hard-right government argues the changes are needed to rebalance powers between lawmakers and the judiciary.Yoav Galant, the former defence minister and staunch ally of Netanyahu, earlier broke ranks and called for a halt to the reforms -- with lawmakers scheduled to vote this week on a central part of the proposals, which would change the way judges are appointed."The growing social rift has made its way into the (army) and security agencies," said Galant, a member of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party. "It is a clear, immediate and tangible threat to Israel's security. "I am committed to Likud values... and placing the State of Israel above all... but major changes on the national level must be made through deliberations and dialogue," he added, calling for a halt to the protests.- 'Deep worry' - On Sunday, moments after Netanyahu sacked Galant, demonstrators seized a central highway cutting through the coastal city of Tel Aviv, blocking traffic and burning tyres.Some threw metal barricades at mounted offices while police deployed water cannon.The large crowd waved national flags, blew airhorns and chanted in Hebrew: "Israel is not a dictatorship" and "No to a fascist government!""Last night we witnessed very difficult scenes," Herzog said."The entire nation is rapt with deep worry," he added, in an appeal to the government. "Our security, economy, society — all are under threat."After months of rallies against the reform, including a weekend demonstration that brought out an estimated 200,000 people in Tel Aviv, protesters in the city said it felt like "a sort of climax".In Jerusalem, demonstrators gathered Sunday outside the prime minister's residence, while other rallies took place in the northern city of Haifa and Beer Sheva in the south.Protesters have announced a "national paralysis week", including protests outside ministers' homes and parliament.The United States said it was "deeply concerned" and called on Israeli leaders to reach a compromise.The White House noted that President Joe Biden recently told Netanyahu that "democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship".Galant, a former general, was named to his post in December as part of Netanyahu's coalition with extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox allies.Two other Likud lawmakers have voiced support for Galant, raising questions over whether the government could count on a majority if it pushes ahead with a vote.Adding to the political uncertainty, Israel's consul general in New York, Asaf Zamir, tendered his resignation Sunday over Netanyahu's "dangerous decision".Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that while the prime minister had sacked Galant, "he cannot fire reality and cannot fire the people of Israel who are standing up to the insanity of the coalition"."The Prime Minister of Israel is a danger to the security of the State of Israel," Lapid added.- 'Illegal' intervention -A parliamentary committee has amended the draft law to make it more acceptable to opponents, but the opposition has ruled out backing any part of the reform package until all legislative steps are halted.Netanyahu, in a televised address last week, vowed to "responsibly advance" the reforms and "end the rift" they have caused.In response, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Friday accused Netanyahu of "illegal" public intervention on the process of adopting the judicial reforms.Netanyahu is on trial over charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, which he denies.His broadcast gave rise to contempt of court accusations filed with the Supreme Court by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, an anti-corruption campaign group.The group's complaint alleges Netanyahu violated a court ruling that an accused prime minister does not have the right to act in a matter that could constitute a conflict of interest.alv/lb/rsc/fz

Israel’s ceremonial president has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately halt a contentious overhaul of the judiciary

Workers in Israel from a range of sectors launched a nationwide strike, threatening to paralyze the economy as they joined a surging protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary.

The Israeli and Polish foreign ministers have met in a step that they are hailing as a breakthrough in restoring a relationship that's been badly damaged for years due to disagreements over how to remember Polish behavior during the Holocaust.

Israelis took to the streets in protests, now in their 11th week, against plans by Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line government to overhaul the country’s legal system

Israelis took to the streets in protests, now in their 11th week, against plans by Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line government to overhaul the country’s legal system.

Israel’s former prime minister is urging world leaders to shun Israel’s current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he presses ahead with a plan to overhaul Israel’s justice system.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has swiftly rejected a compromise proposal aimed at resolving a standoff over the future of the country’s legal system.

Israeli authorities say the motorist killed by a suspected Palestinian gunman in the occupied West Bank held citizenship in both the United States and Israel.

More than 80,000 people demonstrated against Netanyahu's government in Jerusalem. Opposition leaders warned that the judicial debate will tear Israeli society apart.

Thousands of Israelis are expected to go on strike Monday and protest outside parliament in what they say is a final push to stop Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from overhauling the country’s judicial system.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog says antisemitism is on the rise in the Western world and he is urging the European Union to ensure that Jews can live safely on the continent where the Holocaust took place

Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming hard-line government put West Bank settlement expansion at the top of its list of priorities on Wednesday, a day before it's set to be sworn into office. Netanyahu's Likud party released the new government's policy guidelines, the first of which is that it will “advance and develop settlement in all parts of the land of Israel — in the Galilee, Negev, Golan Heights, and Judea and Samaria” — the Biblical names for the West Bank. The commitment could put the new government on a collision course with its closest allies, including the United States, which opposes settlement construction on occupied territories.

Israel has sworn in its most religious and right-wing parliament after nearly four years of political deadlock and five elections

Israel has sworn in its most religious and right-wing parliament after nearly four years of political deadlock and five elections.

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who campaigned on a "full right" coalition, was awarded a mandate Sunday to begin assembling a new government.

Israel’s president has officially tapped former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government.

Israel’s president has asked former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government, presenting the longtime leader currently standing trial on corruption charges with the chance to end an era of political instability and elections in Israel with his partners on the far right

Israel’s president has asked former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government, presenting the longtime leader currently standing trial on corruption charges with the chance to end an era of political instability and elections in Israel with his partners on the far right.

A far-right Israeli lawmaker, whose surging popularity helped propel former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back to power in last week’s general election, has delivered a glowing tribute at a memorial event for an extremist rabbi assassinated in 1990.

Russia conducted annual nuclear exercises Wednesday as Vladimir Putin repeated an unfounded claim that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty bomb” of radioactive material.

President Joe Biden has held Oval Office talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, with the Israeli leader warning of a mounting Iranian “challenge."

President Isaac Herzog began a two-day visit to Washington Tuesday, meeting with Biden and House Speaker Pelosi, among other U.S. officials.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has been invited to address a joint meeting of Congress as Israel prepares to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding.

Israel has announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Turkey

Condolences have poured in from around the world after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose rule saw Britain through decades of change.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has addressed Germany’s parliament about atrocities committed during the Third Reich.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stood side-by-side and declared they would not allow Iran to become a nuclear power.

President Joe Biden’s dash through Israel and the occupied West Bank this week is expected to cut across some of the region’s most iconic places.

President Joe Biden has opened a Mideast visit by offering anxious Israeli leaders strong reassurances of his determination to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has thanked Turkey for its cooperation in foiling attacks against Israelis and warned Israel would not “sit idly by’ in the face of threats from Iran to its citizens.

A Pakistani-American woman who came under fire in the Islamic nation for leading a delegation to Israel has defended the trip

A Pakistani-American woman who came under fire in the Islamic nation for leading a delegation to Israel defended the trip Monday, saying she traveled to Jerusalem with a small group of Muslims and non-Muslims to promote interfaith harmony. Anila Ali, a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen living in Washington, responded to growing criticism from Pakistanis, some of whom questioned who was actually behind the visit. Pakistan is among the countries that have no diplomatic relations with Israel because of the lingering issue of Palestinian statehood and Pakistan says no delegation from Pakistan visited Israel.

Roman Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea is ending in a way unimaginable when he was on the field in February celebrating the team's FIFA Club World Cup triumph.

An array of presidents and prime ministers were descending on the United Arab Emirates from around the world to pay their respects to the federation’s late ruler and greet his successor, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Israel has come to a halt to honor the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Israel’s defense minister has met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman and they discussed maintaining calm in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in April

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has tried to reassure a wary Israel and its Gulf Arab allies ahead of a possible renewal of global powers’ international nuclear deal with Iran.

Najat Ikhich, head of the YTTO rights group which has been working for more than ten years to combat underage marriage, visits the Berber-speaking village of Tamadghouste in southern Morocco to raise awareness about the social issue and promote greater autonomy for the women living in the "marginalised" areas.

Turkey and Israel have agreed to rebuild their relationship despite their differences.

Israel’s president says any bid to improve strained ties between his country and Turkey won’t come at the expense of its “strategic relationship” with neighboring Cyprus.

The United Arab Emirates says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels as the Israeli president is visiting the country.

Israel’s figurehead president is traveling to the United Arab Emirates in the first official visit by the country’s head of state, the latest sign of deepening ties between the two nations

Israel’s figurehead president has met the powerful crown prince of Abu Dhabi on the first official visit to the United Arab Emirates by the country’s head of state.

Israel’s figurehead president met the powerful crown prince of Abu Dhabi on Sunday on the first official visit to the United Arab Emirates by the country’s head of state, the latest sign of deepening ties between the two nations as tensions rise in the region. The UAE and Israel normalized relations in the fall of 2020, part of a series of U.S.-brokered diplomatic deals between Israel and Arab states that had long avoided formal relations with Israel over its decades-old conflict with the Palestinians.

Israel’s president has visited one of the most contentious spots in the occupied West Bank to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Israel’s president on Sunday visited one of the most contentious spots in the occupied West Bank to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, sparking scuffles between Israeli security forces and protesters. President Isaac Herzog said he was visiting the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron to celebrate the ancient city’s Jewish past and promote interfaith relations.

For years, Zebulon Simentov branded himself as the “last Jew of Afghanistan,” the sole remnant of a centuries-old community.

Sweden’s foreign minister is visiting Israel in an effort to mend ties after years in which the two countries have been at odds over the conflict with the Palestinians.

Participants at a Holocaust remembrance conference in Sweden have blamed social media for contributing to a global rise in antisemitism.

The presidents of Ukraine, Israel and Germany have inaugurated a memorial for the victims of the Babi Yar massacre in Ukraine eight decades after one of the most infamous Nazi mass slaughters of the Holocaust.

Israeli health authorities began administering coronavirus booster shots Friday to people over 60 who’ve already received both does of a vaccine, in a bid to combat a recent spike in cases.

Relations between the new Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have shifted substantially in recent weeks, with Israeli officials going so far as to call it “a renaissance."Why it matters: During Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year tenure as prime minister, relations deteriorated to the point where there was almost no contact other than security coordination. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeState of play: In the last month,

Israel’s newly inaugurated president spoke Monday with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a sign of a possible thaw after years of frosty relations between the two former allies. President Isaac Herzog’s office said in a statement that the two leaders emphasized “that Israel-Turkey relations are of great significance for security and stability in the eastern Mediterranean” and that cooperation had great potential for both countries. Israel and Turkey were once close regional partners, but relations between the two countries soured in the the past decade.

Israel's parliament has hopped on latest trend in digital artwork and presented the country's new president with a digital copy of his father's signed oath of office from 38 years earlier. The Knesset presented Isaac Herzog with the NFT ahead of his inauguration as Israel's 11th president on Wednesday. Non-fungible tokens — or NFTs — use a version of the encryption technology employed to secure cryptocurrencies to create one-of-a-kind digital objects.

Isaac Herzog, scion of a prominent Zionist family, took the oath of office on Wednesday and became Israel's new president. With one hand on a Bible before the Knesset — Israel's parliament — Herzog, 60, assumed the largely ceremonial position that is designed to forge national unity and serve as the country's moral compass. Herzog, whose father, Chaim, served as Israel's president in the 1980s, succeeded Reuven Rivlin as Israel's 11th president and is to hold office for a single seven-year term.

President Joe Biden sought to assure Israel that he would not tolerate a nuclear Iran as he met with outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the White House.

The Israeli Knesset has voted to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years is power. Israel's longest-serving prime minister will be succeeded by Naftali Bennett, a former aide turned political rival.

President Biden offered his "warm congratulations" to Israel's incoming President Isaac Herzog Wednesday night, as Benjamin Netanyahu's political rivals push for the prime minister's ouster. What he's saying: Biden noted in a statement that Herzog, with whom he has a personal relationship, has throughout his career "demonstrated his unwavering commitment to strengthening Israel's security, advancing dialogue, and building bridges across the global Jewish community."Stay on top of the latest mark

Netanyahu's unrivaled ability to cling to power, through conflict, corruption charges and countless elections, appears to have come to an end.

Isaac Herzog was elected on Wednesay as the 11th president of Israel, winning more than two-thirds of the votes in Israel's parliament, the Knesset.Why it matters: The president of Israel gives would-be prime ministers the mandate to form a new government, highly important during the ongoing political crisis in Israel, and can also offer pardons — which could become relevant with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on trial for corruption.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insigh

Isaac Herzog, a veteran politician and the scion of a prominent Israeli family, has been elected president.

The Israeli parliament Wednesday is set to choose the country's next president, a largely figurehead position that is meant to serve as the nation's moral compass and promote unity. The election will be conducted at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and the 120 lawmakers will cast their votes anonymously. Two candidates are running — Isaac Herzog, a veteran politician and scion of a prominent Israeli family, and Miriam Peretz, an educator who is seen as a down-to-earth outsider.

The incident trained a spotlight on the ongoing struggles of Israel's Arab citizens, a large minority that makes up about 20% of the population. But what happened after that, he said, was a series of mistakes by security guards unlike anything he had seen before. He also said he understands that Israeli security guards have a job to do. But he said there is an extreme minority of security guards who behave like Rambos, especially when dealing with Arabs. The incident began after the security guard requested from Khaldi to show his ID, according to security rules and regulations, Rosenfeld said.

Israel Election Dan Raviv, CBS News Correspondent and author of the book “Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars,” discusses Benjamin Netanyahu winning a fourth term as Prime Minister in a tight race against his main rival, Isaac Herzog.