Herzog says retains independence on pardon request for Netanyahu
(JNS) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Jan. 20 that he will make decisions regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial “independently, according to the rules, the law, and my conscious.”
He spoke during a talk at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, in response to a question about U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to pardon the Israeli premier delivered to Herzog in November.
“Under our laws and guidelines, any such request has to go through a certain procedure,” Herzog reiterated.
“And right now the request has to go through the procedure of collecting various opinions by the relevant agencies in the Ministry of Justice. I cannot violate that because of course I have to operate according to the rules,” he continued.
The Israeli president said that while he respects Trump “tremendously,” the Jewish state has its own legal system through which he must operate.
He also said that he has called “time and again” over the last few years to resolve the court case “amicably, because it has a very negative impact on our system. And I think that solutions should be found. The rest I will leave to the procedure.”
In the letter from Trump to Herzog, the American leader wrote that while he respects the independence and requirements of the Israeli judicial system, he believes the case against Netanyahu is a “political, unjustified prosecution.”
Israel on the campaign trail
(JTA) — Israel looms over political contests across New York City. But in the race to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler, whose district covers heavily Jewish neighborhoods on the Upper West and Upper East Sides, top candidates agree on some questions about the Middle East.
Politico saw responses from Nadler’s Jewish protégé Micah Lasher, John F. Kennedy’s “100% half Jewish” grandson Jack Schlossberg and Assemblymember Alex Bores to a questionnaire from the Working Families Party about Israel. They are all seeking the WFP’s endorsement. All three candidates said they did not support a House resolution that would recognize Israel’s campaign in Gaza as a genocide. All of them also withheld support from a bill that aims to bar the United States from sending bombs to Israel, with Bores and Lasher saying “no” while Schlossberg said “unsure.”
The candidates diverged on a bill that would cut off U.S. funding connected to the Israeli military occupation in the West Bank. Schlossberg backed the bill, Lasher was “unsure” and Bores said “no.”
Cameron Kasky, a Jewish progressive who centered criticism of Israel in his bid for Nadler’s seat, dropped out last week to focus on activism for human rights in the West Bank.
IDF hits Hezbollah arms routes, top smuggler
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces struck four border crossings on the Syria-Lebanon frontier used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons and killed a senior arms dealer for the Iranian terrorist proxy near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on Jan. 21, Israel’s military said.
The attacks on the border crossings took place in the mostly Shi’ite Hermel area along the Syria-Lebanon border.
Earlier on Jan. 21 in the Sidon area, the IDF killed Muhammad Awasha, describing him as a key Hezbollah weapons dealer and smuggler.
Awasha managed weapons transfers to Hezbollah through a shell company that ordered prohibited goods from countries including Iraq, Syria and Gulf states, and oversaw many smugglers moving arms from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon, the army said.
Also on Jan. 21, the IDF said that it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure across several areas of Southern Lebanon, targeting weapons storage facilities and an underground arms depot embedded in the middle of civilian neighborhoods and used to turn residents into human shields.
“Hezbollah’s activities at these sites, intended to reestablish its capabilities, constitute a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon, and pose a threat to the State of Israel,” the IDF said, adding that it “will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”
Israel to honor Trump’s antisemitism chief Leo Terrell
(JTA) — The Israeli government will honor U.S. Department of Justice Senior Counsel Leo Terrell, who heads the department’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, with its annual Award of Honor for the Fight Against Antisemitism, officials said on Jan. 20.
A separate award in memory of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk will be presented to his pastor, Rob McCoy, recognizing Kirk’s staunch support for Israel and opposition to Jew-hatred.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli will present the awards on Jan. 26 at a gala at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center, launching the Second International Conference on Combating Antisemitism.
The two-day gathering, titled “Generation of Truth,” will take place ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, bringing together political leaders and representatives from more than 20 countries. Discussions will focus on violent Islamist, progressive and far-right antisemitism.
“Senior Counsel Terrell’s leadership and moral clarity have produced tangible, on-the-ground impact and earned him broad recognition among Jewish communities, elected officials and public figures in the United States and around the world,” said Chikli.
Jared Kushner presents plan for ‘New Gaza’ at Davos as Trump launches Board of Peace with Israel absent
(JTA) — Jared Kushner presented a phased vision for the future of Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, saying that there was “no plan B” when it comes to reconstructing the territory battered during the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
The 20-point vision he presented in Davos reflects elements of that ceasefire deal, which has been only partially implemented. It calls for starting at the enclave’s southern border by reopening the Rafah crossing and moving steadily northward until the entire Palestinian territory has been rebuilt, to include a seaport, airport and tourism infrastructure. The end result, according to a slide he presented, would be “peace & prosperity.”
Kushner said the most important step is to disarm Hamas, which still controls a portion of Gaza. Emphasized that reconstruction will take place only in portions of Gaza where Hamas is demilitarized, he said some Hamas members who agree to lay down their arms will be given amnesty and could become part of a new security apparatus in Gaza.
Kushner suggested that he understood that his vision, which would take many years and at least $25 billion to implement, could encounter obstacles. But the White House had decided to “plan for catastrophic success,” he said.
