Israel heads to polls for pivotal election defined by security and democracy

 

 Israel heads to polls for pivotal election defined by security and democracy

Israelis are heading to the polls for what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country's history.

Polling published on Friday suggests incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu is in a near neck-and-neck race with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to become prime minister. But neither of their political blocs are projected to win the 61 seats needed to form a majority government - meaning weeks or months of political wrangling may lie ahead.

The campaign has been shaped by the issue of security - with the opposition bloc hammering Netanyahu for the unprecedented security failure that led to the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken back to Gaza as hostages.

They have pushed for an independent commission of inquiry into the attacks - something Netanyahu has long resisted, insisting it would be biased against him. Despite the opposition's attack lines, Netanyahu has once again framed himself as "Mr Security" - pointing to what he says are strategic victories in Israel's wars across the Middle East and his close relationship with US President Donald Trump.

Israel's proportional representation system means governments have always been coalitions - and the race to power can, and has, produced unexpected alliances. But this election looks especially tight - and lines in the sand have already been drawn.

Eisenkot, who leads the newly formed Yashar Party, is the main figure in the so-called "change bloc", a collection of parties who have ideological differences but share the goal of ousting Netanyahu.

Other leaders in the bloc include former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman - both right-wingers who take hardline positions on security - and Yair Golan, a left-leaning former general.

For Netanyahu, a titan of Israeli politics who first served as prime minister in 1996, a return to power will hinge on another alliance with the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties that make up his current governing coalition - the most right-wing in Israel's history.

There are two Arab party blocs in the running too, as about one-fifth of Israel's population is Arab - many of whom describe themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel. In theory, they could prove kingmakers. But all but one of the leading Jewish parties have ruled out working with them.

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Israel heads to polls for pivotal election defined by security and democracy

Israel and the US are both going to the polls - the consequences will be global

In the next week, two sets of elections will be held on two continents, the outcomes of which could have profound consequences for the world.

By a fluke of electoral timetabling, millions of voters around 6,000 miles apart will unite in exercising their democratic rights within days of each other.Voters in Israel go to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new parliament; a week later, voters in the United States will elect a new Congress.A former speaker of that Congress, 

Tip O'Neill, may have once said that "all politics is local". But the consequences of these elections will undoubtedly be global.For these elections are not just proximate, they are intertwined.

The future governance of Israel will have a lasting impact on the Middle East and wars raging across the region.And any change in the electoral map of America could shape not just those wars but also the future of the global economy.

Between the two there is a physical connection: the lobby group Republicans Overseas Israel estimates about half a million Israelis with American passports can vote in both polls.

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crlykey9jywqo

Jordan carries out deadly strike in Syria in retaliation for church attack 

Jordan has struck what its military says were "terrorist organisations" in Syria in retaliation for an attack on a Christian funeral last week that killed nine people.

Syrian health officials told state media five people, including women, children and an elderly man, were killed in the strike on a village in the southern Daraa province. Jordan said its fighter jets had killed and wounded "several terrorists", without giving further details.

Jordan said it had co-ordinated with the Syrian government. Syria said it had not been notified of Monday's attack. It comes after a nine people were killed and 34 injured in a shooting at a funeral in a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday.In response to the strike, Syria said it had closed a border crossing with Jordan.

"The decision includes the complete suspension of passenger and commercial traffic in both directions, to ensure the safety of travellers and workers at the crossing," Syrian authorities said in a statement carried by state media.

It added that it had "opened direct channels of communication" with Jordanian officials and had launched "comprehensive investigations to establish the full circumstances of the targeting". Nassib is the only passenger and commercial border crossing between Jordan and Syria. Earlier on Monday, senior government security officials said Jordanian security forces had arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law over the church attack.

FULL ARTICLE AT https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8ezg6dy6xlo

Truce begins in Ukraine city where residents ate weeds to survive 

A truce has begun in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, a week after it was announced by US First Lady Melania Trump.

Ukrainian officials and Russia's defence ministry both say the limited ceasefire is being respected. The ceasefire is meant to allow aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians, which has been planned for Friday.

Oleshky is trapped between the Dnipro River, which forms the front line in the Kherson region and separates it from Ukrainian positions, and Russian forces.

Residents still in the city are desperately short of food, with many resorting to cooking garden weeds to survive. Some told the BBC this week they are suffering extreme hunger and want to leave.

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ck20wjnv3w0jo