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Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, during an interview in Tel Aviv, Israel on 5 December, 2024 [Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Internal disputes inside Israel are continuing to grow between the far-right government and the judicial system, highlighting the depth of the country’s political and institutional crisis. The latest tensions follow a sharp attack by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich against Supreme Court President Judge Isaac Amit.
In an official response issued yesterday, Amit described Smotrich’s remarks as “vulgar statements that crossed a red line”. He stressed that the comments would not affect his work or the performance of the judiciary.
Amit explained, in a message sent to members of the judicial system, that he had received dozens of messages since Monday afternoon from judges and court presidents. They said they felt personally insulted and warned that the remarks had damaged the standing of the judiciary.
He added that the attack was not aimed at him personally alone, but at the judicial institution as a whole.
The Supreme Court president said he thanked the judges for their solidarity and told them that, despite the seriousness of the remarks and their crossing of red lines, “they will not deter me from my path”.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Vote Labour for Genocide.
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People gather for a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Stockholm the capital of Sweden on December 31, 2025. [Atila Altuntaş – Anadolu Agency]
Hundreds of people in Sweden canceled New Year’s celebrations and rallied late Wednesday in the capital Stockholm in solidarity with the people of Gaza, Anadolu reports.
Despite freezing temperatures, protesters assembled at Segels Torg Square following a call by numerous civil society organizations, choosing to mourn children and civilians killed by Israel instead of celebrating the New Year.
Carrying banners reading “Children are being killed in Gaza,” “Schools and hospitals are being bombed,” “Comply with an immediate ceasefire,” and “End food shortages,” the crowd demanded an end to what they described as Israel’s genocide in Gaza and called on Sweden to halt arms sales to Israel.
In a statement made on behalf of the organizers, the protesters said: “In the new year, we reject the mass deaths, sieges in Palestine, and the silence toward these events. We refuse to begin a new year by turning a blind eye to injustice.”
The statement also emphasized that Israel was not adhering to peace commitments with Palestine.
“As the world enters the new year, genocide continues in Palestine. Despite the ceasefire, Palestinians are being killed, the siege continues, and people are freezing to death while left without shelter in tents,” it said.
Waving Palestinian flags and carrying torches, demonstrators later marched toward the Swedish Parliament.
Palestinians have accused Israel of repeatedly violating a ceasefire agreement, which halted a two-year Israeli war that has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.
Since the Oct. 10 ceasefire deal that halted the two-year Israeli war, at least 414 people have been killed and over 1,100 others injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Vote Labour for Genocide.
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Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (L) arrives to attend the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on July 9, 2023 [GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]
The Israeli government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Thursday evening asked Israel’s Supreme Court to issue a conditional order requiring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explain why he has not dismissed Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
In her request, Baharav-Miara said that “Minister Ben Gvir is abusing his position to improperly influence the activities of the Israeli police in some of the most sensitive areas of law enforcement and investigations, thereby violating basic democratic principles”.
Shortly afterwards, Minister Ben Gvir responded to the Attorney General’s letter by saying: “You are not taken into account!”
In her letter, the Attorney General’s claimed that “Minister Ben Gvir is working systematically to undermine the independence of the police in every possible way, using his broad authority and exerting unlawful influence – direct and indirect – over the use of force and operational decisions in specific incidents, including in highly sensitive matters”.
She added that she had reached an agreement with the minister, but that he had breached it, saying: “The minister is acting unlawfully and in violation of the explicit court rulings issued in his case.”
Baharav-Miara concluded: “At this stage, there is no choice but to conclude that the public cannot be protected from systematic conduct that harms the independence of the police. As stated, this threatens its nature as a non-political state body, with serious consequences for the protection of human rights and the rule of law. This situation results in a real violation of basic democratic values.”
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Vote Labour for Genocide.
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Israeli soldiers are deployed at Erez border with heavy weapons and military vehicles in Erez, Israel on February 29, 2024. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) on Friday said it filed a criminal complaint in the Czech Republic against an Israeli soldier accused of committing war crimes and acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports.
In a statement, the HRF said it submitted the complaint before the the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Prague against Hagay Monsonego, a member of the Israeli army.
It said the complaint was submitted following confirmation that Monsonego is currently present in Prague, “a fact that activates the Czech Republic’s obligations under international and domestic law.”
“This filing, submitted to the High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Prague, marks HRF’s third criminal complaint in the Czech Republic related to crimes committed in Gaza,” said the statement.
“With this third filing, HRF is no longer testing legal theory. It is testing state practice.” The complaint accused Monsonego of “genocide, war crimes, and persecution of civilians committed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.”
The latest filing follows HRF’s investigative report on Monsonego that documented his service in Gaza as a member of the Mesayaat Shaked Company, 424th “Shaked” Battalion, Givati Brigade, and placed him within the operational context of some of the most serious crimes committed during the assault on Gaza.
The group said the complaint was filed by Jan Taubel, HRF’s legal counsel in the Czech Republic, translating HRF’s evidence into concrete allegations under Czech criminal law.
According to HRF’s investigation, Monsonego was deployed in the besieged enclave between December 2023 and November 2025, including during the siege and destruction of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex.
The complaint links Monsonego and his unit to operations connected to an attack on a protected medical facility, the siege of civilians, patients, and medical staff, mass detention and mistreatment of Palestinian civilians, and practices involving blindfolding, restraint, and humiliation during arrest and transfer operations.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, which is named in honor of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, aims to address and challenge what it describes as Israeli impunity concerning war crimes and human rights violations in Palestine.
Israel killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023 and destroyed the enclave. A ceasefire took effect in October 2025 but Israeli violations have continued.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the Gaza Strip.
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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Vote Labour for Genocide.
Kneecap’s Liam Og O hAnnaidh, aka Mo Chara, speaks to supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court, London, September 26, 2025
IRISH rappers Kneecap have said that they will “not be silent” ahead of a further legal challenge over a British court’s decision to throw out the terrorism case against Liam Og O hAnnaidh.
Mr O hAnnaidh, aka Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig in November 2024, until a technical error in the way he was charged led to the chief magistrate ruling he could not try the case.
The rap trio said in a post on social media on Thursday morning that the British government has issued them with a notice that it intends to appeal against the court’s decision.
Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service said it would be appealing against the decision because “we believe there is an important point of law which needs to be clarified.”
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Kneecap’s Liam Og O hAnnaidh, aka Mo Chara, speaks to supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court, London, September 26, 2025