A week after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party proposed a bill to assert Zionistic values in government policy, there has been no agreement on the final wording and the proposal has not yet been approved. 

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Israel Hayom has obtained a copy of the bill with several amendments added following negotiations with the ultra-Orthodox factions, who rejected the original wording. 

According to the new version, not only will IDF soldiers be prioritized in government decisions, but so will Torah learning. 

Government sources say that the bill is delayed due to the head of the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox Shas party Aryeh Deri, who initially opposed the inclusion of IDF soldiers in the bill, fearing it would harm the Haredi sector. 

Otzma Yehudit, in turn, refused to compromise on the inclusion of IDF soldiers in the bill, saying it was one of the most significant aspects and the very purpose of the proposal. 

Shas officials said they sought a balanced wording that would not cause a crisis within the public. Deri's office said in a statement that he was not delaying the bill. 

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Prominent Religious Zionist Rabbi Yaakov Ariel suggested this week that according to Jewish law, it is prohibited to form a coalition that depends on a minority in Israel.

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In an essay written for a book that deals with matters of religion and state from the perspective of Jewish law, Ariel said that minorities, such as Arabs, must not be appointed to certain positions that impact the entire nation's overall Jewish character.

Although he did not state so explicitly, he seemed to be referring to the Bennett-Lapid governments that included, for the first time in Israeli history, the Islamist Ra'am party in the coalition. Ariel also said that non-Jews cannot hold high-ranking positions in the Israeli government in some cases, saying that as a state for the Jewish people, Israel cannot ignore its core mission. "The public character of the state must remain Israeli," he said, which is expressed, among others, by the closure of commerce on the Shabbat, kosher food in public institutions, and the Law of Return.

Ariel did not, however, completely veto the participation of non-Jews in decision-making, saying that as tax-paying citizens, they deserved a say in the distribution of budgets. Representatives of the minorities can participate in politics, but only in areas that are common to all citizens, he said. A coalition, however, cannot be formed if it depends on a minority. The politicians representing Israel should only be Israelis [Jews], especially such crucial roles as prime minister, president, Knesset speaker, defense minister, IDF chief of staff, and foreign minister.

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One year after the violent assault on the US Capitol, Americans remain deeply concerned about the health of their democracy, and about a third say violence against the government can sometimes be justified, according to two polls published Sunday.

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The Jan. 6 attack on the seat of Congress, led by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, was "a harbinger of increasing political violence," and American democracy "is threatened," according to two-thirds of those surveyed for a CBS News poll.

Meantime, Americans' "pride" in their democracy dropped sharply, from 90% in 2002 to 54% now, a Washington Post/University of Maryland survey found.

With the Jan. 6 anniversary nearing, the polls offer specific causes for concern: CBS found that 28% of respondents believe force can be used to defend the result of an election, while 34% told The Washington Post that violent action against the government can sometimes be justified – the largest percentage in decades.

The results underscore the seemingly almost irreconcilable views dividing American society, which US President Joe Biden – who took office 14 days after the Capitol rioting – promised to overcome.

Two-thirds of Trump supporters continue to believe that Biden is not the legitimately elected president, the polls showed.

Some 60% of respondents say Trump bears a heavy responsibility for the invasion of the Capitol, which was perpetrated just as lawmakers were set to certify Biden's victory.

i24NEWS contributed to this report

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As war itensifies in Ethiopia, a government proposal in Israel seeks the immediate approval of the aliyah of several thousands from the east African country, even though they are not eligible under the Law of Return, Israel Hayom has learned.

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The bill is slated to be presented at the Knesset on Sunday with projected costs of 570 million shekels ($180 million), a budget much bigger than those for immigrants from other countries.

The proposal – if passed – will see the immigration of less than 3,000 people currently awaiting aliyah in camps in the capital Addis Ababa and Gondar. Among the candidates are individuals whose parents, children, or siblings are in Israel, as well as orphans.

If more than 3,000 are found to be eligible, the government will have to approve their aliyah based on budget considerations. Although the proposal calls for the immediate start of the project, delays might occur due to the new Omicron strain recently detected in Israel.

"This is one of the most complex and painful national issues for the Ethiopian community in Israel, which makes it difficult for families to integrate in Israel," the bill states. "Many government decisions led to the entry of only some of those waiting, leaving many behind. Such decision making created a separation between families, between parents and children, between siblings, between grandparents and grandchildren."

In addition, the proposal calls for the creation of a team that will examine the aliyah eligibility of the rest of those waiting in Addis Ababa, Gondar, and other areas of Ethiopia.

Nevertheless, the bill has already received strong opposition.

"It is impossible to allocate such sums to immigrants who are not even eligible [under the Law of Return], and not provide funds to poor immigrants from other countries, like Ukraine and France," one source said. "There are thousands of Jews from low socio-economic backgrounds who refrain from coming to Israel due to a lack of housing support, whereas" this bill calls for much bigger financial grants for potential immigrants from Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, Florida's Jewish Federation of Broward County has donated $32,800 to help provide medical care, food, and clean water to Jews in Ethiopia awaiting aliyah.

The funds will help support the efforts of the organization Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry, which is dedicated to supporting Jews remaining in Ethiopia until they are rescued and brought to Israel.

In the past 40 years, Jewish federations have helped more than 92,000 Ethiopian Jews immigrate to Israel.

"Helping Ethiopians and Jews worldwide come home to Israel is one of clearest demonstrations of our love and commitment to the State of Israel, which is central to our core mission," Alan Cohn, chair of the Jewish Federation of Broward County's board of directors, said. "We will not forsake our brothers and sisters at this desperate time."

JNS.org contributed to this report. 

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Right-wing Knesset members expressed outrage Tuesday after the government allocated 12 million shekels ($3.8 million) to tackle Israel's stray cat problem.

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"There is not enough funds for soldiers, for families in need, but there is one for cats," a bewildered Noam MK Avi Maoz said. "Shame on the government, Israelis deserve better, they deserve a different government."

The new funding was announced at the request of Yesh Atid. On top of that, the party managed to secure funding totaling NIS 41 million ($13 million) to fund early childhood programs, youth athletic projects, and the government's Child Online Protection Bureau as well.

The funds were approved as part of the coalition agreements that made the current government possible and are subject to approval by the Knesset as part of the overall state budget.

Altogether the Finance Committee has allocated NIS 736 million ($230 million) in coalition funds for education, anti-drug programs, culture, special needs, tourism, Torah-study and more.

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Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has arrived in Kabul for talks with other Afghan leaders to discuss creating a new 'inclusive' government, an unnamed Taliban official told local news outlets Saturday, almost a week after the militants took over the capital.

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The former foes are locked in difficult talks for a coalition government as pressure mounts on all parties to avert a renewed civil war.

The Taliban and the inner circle of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani worked together – through an intricate web of connections and relationships on the ground – to avert a bigger war at the gates of Kabul last week.

Taliban leaders, former figures in the Ghani government, and former Northern Alliance commanders dispersed between Pakistan and Afghanistan have made progress in talks on forming a transitional government in Kabul. One source in contact with key Northern Alliance figures visiting the Pakistani capital of Islamabad even painted an optimistic picture of the backchannel talks that extended from Panjshir to Kabul, Islamabad, Doha, and Washington.

This comes with two parallel developments. Taliban commanders have resisted calls from hardline elements to declare a unilateral government by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. At the same time, Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, met representatives of the Taliban in Panjshir, the seat of legendary former anti-Soviet warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Massoud and most of the former Northern Alliance commanders and members of the previous government in Kabul have also refrained so far from declaring unilateral steps such as a government in exile, despite a flurry of contacts seeking legal opinion on such a move.

The talks are underway, largely far from the glare of the international media, which remains focused on the disturbing images from around the Kabul airport, and the heart-wrenching stories of journalists, women activists, and Afghans who worked with international forces – all of whom question the Taliban's narrative of moderation.

While in talks with the Taliban, Massoud has simultaneously called for the West to support his forces in Panjshir, an area in northern Afghanistan the Taliban has spared so far and is now the focus of anti-Taliban activities.

The Northern Alliance resisted the Taliban for much of the 1990s from Panjshir but failed to defeat the Taliban until the United States and NATO extended support after Sept. 11, 2001. The Alliance merged into successive Afghan governments after November 2001, and its commanders have been in power until Ghani fled the country last week.

Should the talks for a power-sharing deal collapse, there are serious doubts whether anti-Taliban forces in Panjshir or other former Northern Alliance commanders can hold back the Taliban. The same, however, is also true for the Taliban, which although powerful enough to control large swathes of Afghanistan may be unable to completely stamp out resistance.

Both the Northern Alliance and Taliban are mujahideen, representatives of an extremist version of Islam that has plagued Afghanistan for the past four decades and was instrumental in scuttling Western attempts at modernizing Afghan society. Many Afghan critics see both as two sides of the same coin. The Western-backed former Northern Alliance commanders were unsuccessful in translating unprecedented international support into enduring change in Afghanistan, mainly because they shared many of the regressive policies of the Taliban, especially in terms of women's rights, education, and government.

Before Sept. 11, the Northern Alliance was backed by Iran, India, and Russia, while the Taliban received backing from Pakistan, Persian Gulf states, and the US. The deck has been rearranged multiple times in the twenty years since 2001. Currently, the situation is murky at best. Most of Afghanistan's neighbors have little appetite for a reenactment of the proxy war of the 1990s.

A lot is at stake in the clandestine trilateral talks underway between former Northern Alliance commanders, Massoud's faction in Panjshir, and the Taliban. A group of Alliance commanders has been in the Pakistani capital since Aug. 15, and announced plans to extend its stay, raising hopes for a power-sharing agreement.

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Following a special session of the coronavirus cabinet on Thursday, ministers announced the return of various mitigation measures in order to combat the highly contagious Delta variant in Israel.

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The decision, which requires the government's approval and will take effect on July 29, will reinstate the so-called "Green Pass," which will be given only to those who had been fully vaccinated or recovered from the virus. Holders of this pass will be allowed to enter businesses and various venues, while others might be subject to various restrictions.

Under this system, events with more than 100 participants will be limited to holders of the pass or those who can prove they have been recently tested negative for the virus.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett presented the strategy for dealing with the recent outbreak of infections, which includes new policies concerning vaccines, mask-wearing and protecting the at-risk population.

"The (Green Pass) will apply to cultural and sporting events, gyms, restaurants and dining halls, conferences, tourist attractions, and houses of worship," Bennett's office said in a statement.

The cabinet also approved that starting Aug. 8, unvaccinated Israelis would have to pay to be tested for coronavirus.

It also added four more countries onto the government's no-fly list, including Turkey, Cyprus, Britain and Georgia, although this will only come into effect after the Exceptions Committee signs off on the final list. Israelis are already banned from traveling to Russia, Mexico, South Africa, India, Argentina, Brazil, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Spain and Kyrgyzstan due to a high infection rate in those countries.

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Lebanon's political and economic crisis continues after head of the country's Future Movement Party, Saad al-Hariri, announced Thursday that he was abandoning his efforts to form a new government.

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Hariri made the announcement after a brief meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, to whom he presented a possible new cabinet.

Hariri said Aoun had demanded fundamental changes to Hariri's proposed cabinet, underscoring the political squabbling that has blocked the formation of a cabinet even as Lebanon sinks deeper into crisis.

"It is clear we will not be able to agree with his Excellency the President," Hariri said after meeting Aoun for barely 20 minutes. "That is why I excuse myself from government formation and God help the country."

Hariri, a former prime minister and Lebanon's leading Sunni Muslim politician, was designated in October to assemble a government following the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab's cabinet in the wake of the Beirut port explosion.

The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the ramifications of the step would be serious.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hariri's decision was "disappointing" and urged Lebanese leaders to put aside their differences and form a government.

The World Bank has described Lebanon's depression as one of the sharpest in modern history. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value in two years; poverty has spread and there have been crippling fuel shortages, prompting growing fears of social unrest.

Hariri's decision marks the culmination of months of conflict over cabinet posts between him and Aoun, the Maronite Christian head of state who is allied with Hezbollah.

Hariri and Aoun blamed each other.

"You can't ask me to do everything I can and there is another who doesn't want to sacrifice anything," Hariri said to local television station Al Jadeed in an interview hours after his decision, saying that Aoun had insisted on a blocking minority in any cabinet and that was a main stumbling bloc.

In a statement, the presidency said Hariri had refused to discuss any changes and proposed to Aoun that he take an extra day to accept the proposed line-up. "What is the use of one extra day if the door of discussion is closed?" Aoun told him.

The presidency said Aoun would call for consultations with MPs to designate a new prime minister as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the economic freefall is Lebanon's worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.

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Mohanad Hage Ali, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, said the security situation was approaching a breaking point. "This is a country with a history of violence, and I see this crisis on auto-pilot without anyone in charge," he said.

Western governments have been piling pressure on Lebanese politicians to form a government that can set about reforming the corrupt state, threatening sanctions and saying financial support will not flow before reforms begin.

But barring a dramatic shift in the political landscape, politicians and analysts say it now seems very difficult for a government to be formed before parliamentary elections next year.

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Three days after its inauguration, the new government on Wednesday approved the composition of its diplomatic-security cabinet. The government also approved the establishment of a ministerial committee on foreign service appointments.

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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will preside over the new diplomatic-security cabinet. Its other members include: Prime Minister-designate and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid; Defense Minister Benny Gantz; Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman; Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar; Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked; Transportation and Road Safety Minister Merav Michaeli; Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev; Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz; Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton; Housing and Construction Minister Zeev Elkin; Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana.

The ministerial committee on foreign service appointments, meanwhile, will be tasked with vetting candidates for ambassadorial and general consul posts from within the foreign ministry and diplomatic corps, before they are approved by the government.

The committee's new members include Prime Minister-designate and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid; Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar; Culture and Sports Minister Yechiel Troper; Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana.

Earlier Wednesday, Bennett and Lapid convened their first work meeting together at the Prime Minister's Office.

Also Wednesday, 11 new members of Knesset were sworn in and entered the Knesset within the framework of the controversial Norwegian law – which allows any MK who is appointed to a cabinet post to step down temporarily from the Knesset, thereby permitting the next candidate on the party's slate to enter parliament in their stead. Two more MKs from the Meretz party (Michal Rozin and Gaby Lasky) will be sworn in at a later date after the resignation of the ministers from their party is ratified.

Yamina MK Shirley Pinto became the first deaf member of Knesset after she was sworn into office Wednesday morning using sign language. She replaced Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana under the Norwegian law.

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The Knesset will vote on Sunday, June 13, on whether or not to approve a new government, Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin (Likud) announced Tuesday morning.

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If the coalition headed by Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid wins the vote, the coalition government will be sworn in on the same day.

A separate vote will also be held to determine Levin's replacement.

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