Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and then-Vice President Biden talk prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2016. President Biden spoke Sunday, with Netanyahu to "express concern" over his government's planned judicial overhaul that has sparked widespread protests across Israel and to encourage compromise.

A non-invite, a mind-your-own-business response — Biden and Netanyahu tensions rise

5:09pm March 29, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

The Israeli prime minister is pushing back on U.S. warnings against his coalition taking steps that critics say will undermine judicial independence and democracy.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert attends a demonstration against the Israeli government's controversial judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on March 1.

World News

Israel's former leader says Netanyahu should either reform his coalition or resign

1:19pm March 28, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the government's choice to delay a vote on a controversial judicial overhaul amounts to a temporary compromise. He tells NPR what he'd like to see next.

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Benjamin Netanyahu pauses his plan to weaken Israel's court system

7:53am March 28, 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed his plan to implement changes that would weaken the judiciary after opposition to the plan caused widespread, disruptive protests.

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National

Morning news brief

6:06am March 28, 2023

Three students and three adults were killed in a school shooting in Nashville, Tenn. Israel delays plans for a judicial overhaul. A U.S. Senate panel examines what went wrong at Silicon Valley Bank.

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Egypt, the Middle East's biggest country, is facing a deepening economic crisis

5:11am March 28, 2023

Egypt's economic crisis compels people to make hard spending choices, and challenges the government to accept more foreign aid to support a rapidly growing population.

Netanyahu delays plans amid unprecedented protests across Israel

5:09pm March 27, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

Facing protests that had shut down much of his country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's delaying a vote in parliament that could give his coalition more power over choosing judges.

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Netanyahu may have cooled down unrest in Israel, but it isn't gone

5:09pm March 27, 2023

NPR's Adrian Florido talks with Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro about demonstrations in Israel around Netanyahu's controversial plan to reform the judiciary.

Protesters wave Israeli flags outside parliament in Jerusalem on Monday, part of a massive show of anger over the hard-right government's push to overhaul the justice system.

World News

Here's why Netanyahu's court overhaul, now on hold, brought Israel to the brink

2:31pm March 27, 2023

The right-wing government's push to get more control of the judiciary system thrust Israel into a crisis. The pushback led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay his plan for at least a month.

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As Israel's judicial overhaul legislation faces a final vote, protesters don't let up

7:26am March 27, 2023

Mass protests are taking place in Israel over the firing of defense minister Yoav Gallant, after he spoke out against plans to weaken the country's judicial system.

National

Morning news brief

6:39am March 27, 2023

There are mass protests in Israel after the defense minister is sacked, Mississippi cleans up after a deadly tornado and jury selection is to begin Monday in the trial of a Grammy-winning musician.

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