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As protests rage across Israel, Diaspora minister accuses Biden of colluding with Israeli opposition and ‘inflaming’ unrest
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Israel’s minister of Diaspora affairs accused the Biden administration of working in cahoots with the Israeli parliamentary opposition to inflame the antigovernment protests now sweeping the country.
The accusation, made Tuesday morning in an interview on Kol BaRama, a haredi Orthodox radio station, came as crowds of protesters mounted demonstrations and shows of civil disobedience across Israel on what they are terming a “Day of Disruption.” Protesters have blocked major highways, burned tires and clashed with police, some of whom have been mounted on horses or used water cannons on the crowds. Dozens of protesters have been arrested. Further protests are due to take place at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere.
The protests have been spurred by a vote early Tuesday morning in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, that advanced a bill to limit the power of the Supreme Court. The measure is one piece of a proposed judicial overhaul, introduced by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that aims to sap much of the court’s power and independence.
According to Israeli news reports on the interview, Chikli was responding to comments Biden made recently criticizing extremism in Netanyahu’s government and urging moderation in the judicial overhaul. He accused the president of collaboration with Netanyahu’s political opponents, including centrist lawmaker Yair Lapid, though he did not appear to provide any evidence to back up that claim.
“President Biden’s statements are scheduled with Lapid and Ehud Barak,” Chikli said, referring to the former Israeli prime minister who has become an outspoken voice against the judicial reform. “Biden’s circle coordinates with them every time they want to inflame the protests in Israel.”
Chikli’s comments amount to an allegation that Biden has crossed red lines in international affairs. While Biden has indicated displeasure with the judicial reforms, it is taboo for foreign governments to meddle directly in another country’s domestic politics. Chikli is also suggesting that Biden is trying to stoke unrest in Israel.
The allegation is far from the first provocative statement or action by Chikli since he became Diaspora minister near the beginning of the year. While in New York for a pro-Israel parade last month, Chikli made a face at protesters that included what looked to many to be an obscene gesture (which he said he did not mean to make). While defending the incident on Israeli television soon afterward, Chikli called the liberal Israel lobby J Street a “hostile” organization.
In February, he responded to criticism of the overhaul by U.S. Ambassador Tom Nides by telling the diplomat to “mind your own business.” And in May, he praised Twitter owner Elon Musk after Musk posted statements deemed by many, including another Israeli official, to be antisemitic. He came to his position having previously made statements deriding Reform Jews and LGBTQ people.
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The post As protests rage across Israel, Diaspora minister accuses Biden of colluding with Israeli opposition and ‘inflaming’ unrest appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.