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US ambassador: Biden will host Netanyahu after Passover, but no date set yet
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Less than a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paused his push to enact a far-reaching judicial overhaul, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said President Joe Biden would likely host Netanyahu in Washington after the Passover holiday, according to Israel’s Army Radio.
In a tweet Tuesday morning, Army Radio quoted Ambassador Tom Nides as saying that an invitation would reach Netanyahu “relatively soon, I assume after Passover.”
“There’s no question as to whether he’ll come and meet Biden,” Nides said, according to Army Radio. “They’ve been friends for 40 years.”
A report in Reuters, however, quoted an anonymous source as saying that no invitation had yet been extended. Nides later told The New York Times that no date had yet been set for the meeting.
The White House did not return multiple requests for comment.
Biden has criticized Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul which, if passed, would sap the Israeli Supreme Court of much of its power and influence. His administration has also criticized the speed of the legislative push. The turmoil in Israel over the judicial reforms rattled U.S.-Israel relations and is seen as responsible for the unusual delay in the U.S. president inviting a new Israeli prime minister for a summit. Netanyahu, who led Israel from 1996-1999 and then from 2009-2021, returned to office in December at the head of a coalition that includes far-right parties.
On Monday night, in the face of massive protests and internal dissent in his coalition, Netanyahu backed down from his insistence on passing the first major piece of the judicial overhaul before Passover, which starts next week. He said he would negotiate with the opposition about the reforms, and expected to return to the legislative process as soon as May.
The two major reforms, which are now paused, would give the governing coalition the final say in the selection of some judges, and would essentially eliminate the Supreme Court’s ability to review Knesset laws. The courts are seen as a bulwark protecting vulnerable populations, including women, the non-Orthodox, Arabs and the LGBTQ community.
The Biden administration had made its unhappiness with the reforms known in ways that are unusually public in the history of U.S.-Israel relations, withy Biden himself commenting on the issue. Just an hour prior to Netanyahu’s concession, John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council, spent 30 minutes on the phone with reporters saying the matter was an urgent one for Netanyahu to address.
Kirby said the Biden administration was concerned especially by Netanyahu’s recent firing of his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who had joined calls for a pause on the legislation.
“We remain deeply concerned by recent developments, which further underscored our view [of] the urgent need for compromise,” Kirby said on the call.
Kirby was peppered with reporters by questions about whether Netanyahu government officials would be welcome at a Summit for Democracy the Biden administration is convening this week. He was noncommittal. The summit is being held live and virtually.
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The post US ambassador: Biden will host Netanyahu after Passover, but no date set yet appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Egypt Accuses Israel of Daily Ceasefire Violations
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a joint press conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Cairo, Egypt March 1, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
i24 News – At the Doha Forum, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for the expedited deployment of an international stabilization force (ISF) in the Gaza Strip.
He argued that without such a presence on the ground, Israel is able to “violate the ceasefire every day,” while placing similar responsibility on Hamas.
Abdelatty urged that the ISF be positioned along the “Yellow Line,” the boundary established after Israel’s October 10 withdrawal that divides Gaza between Israeli-held territory and areas controlled by Hamas.
According to him, this proposal is gaining support among countries that might contribute troops, especially since many reluctant to deploy deep inside western Gaza’s “red zone.”
He emphasized that Egypt envisions a peacekeeping mission, not a peace-enforcement operation. Abdelatty suggested disarmament of Hamas could only be realistic if it occurred voluntarily, which he described as unlikely under current conditions.
During the forum, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack stirred controversy by asserting that “Israel can claim it’s a democracy but in this region, what’s worked the best, whether you like it or you don’t like it, is a benevolent monarchy.”
Critics interpreted the remark as a challenge to democratic governance models in the Middle East and a tacit endorsement of authoritarian-style rule. Finally, Abdelatty also addressed the status of the Rafah crossing, closed since May 2024. He accused Israel of imposing unacceptable terms by allowing only one–way passage, enabling Palestinians to exit but not return. Egypt, he said, rejects any plan that reduces Rafah to “a gateway for displacement or expulsion.” Only medical evacuations should be permitted, and those evacuated must be allowed to return once treated.
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Report: Iran Abandoned Assad Two Days Before the Fall of His Regime
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad attends the Arab League summit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. Photo: Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – A Syrian military officer who had coordinated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told AFP on Sunday that “Tehran abandoned Bashar al-Assad two days before the collapse of his regime.”
“We knew the situation was serious, but not at this level,” the officer said.
According to the report, following the fall of Aleppo to rebel forces, Iran halted its military involvement in Syria and evacuated approximately 4,000 fighters from the area.
The remarks follow an announcement by the United Nations on Friday stating that more than 1.2 million Syrian citizens have returned to the country over the past year, following the end of Assad’s rule.
Bashar al-Assad served as Syria’s president from 2000 until December 8, 2024, when he reportedly departed Damascus shortly before opposition forces entered and seized control of the capital. He later sought refuge in Russia. Assad has been widely accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the civil war that began in 2011, during which large numbers of civilians were killed or injured, including through the Syrian army’s use of chemical weapons.
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South Africa Revokes Visa-Free Access for Palestinians After Controversial Gaza Flight
Anti-Israel protesters march through the streets of the township of Lenasia in Johannesburg, South Africa, Oct. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee
i24 News – South Africa has canceled its long-standing visa exemption for Palestinian passport holders following an investigation into a charter flight that brought 153 Gazans into Johannesburg without valid documentation.
Authorities say the operation was likely exploited by actors connected to Israeli “voluntary migration” initiatives.
Interior Minister Leon Schreiber told reporters that national security agencies determined there had been “deliberate and ongoing abuse” of the 90-day visa waiver.
The passengers, who arrived via Kenya, were neither tourists nor holders of tickets purchased independently. Investigators said the trip had been arranged by intermediaries who appeared ready to “abandon” the travelers upon arrival.
Authorities are also examining a similar case from October. Schreiber emphasized that revoking the exemption is “the most effective way to prevent the repetition of such flights” while ensuring that legitimate Palestinian travelers can visit South Africa safely. He added, “South Africa will not be complicit in any scheme aimed at exploiting or displacing Palestinians from Gaza.”
The decision follows widespread controversy over the charter flight, which reportedly held passengers onboard for 12 hours in difficult conditions before they were allowed entry. Some officials have pointed fingers at Israel for its role in the operation.
South African media reports identified the organization Al-Majd, linked to Israeli-Estonian national Tomer Yanar Lind, as the orchestrator of the transfer. The passengers were said to have traveled from Rafah to Israel’s Ramon Airport before flying via Kenya on a charter operated by the Romanian airline Flyyo. Many reportedly paid around $2,000 for the journey.
Little is publicly known about Al-Majd. Its website, registered only in February, contains information considered unreliable, and the organization’s claims of providing humanitarian assistance in East Jerusalem have not been independently verified.