Netanyahu's hard-line new government takes office in Israel - BBC

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By Yolande Knell & David Gritten

BBC News, Jerusalem & London

The most religious and hard-line government in Israel's history has been sworn in.

Benjamin Netanyahu returns as prime minister, after his Likud party formed a coalition with ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies.

There is domestic and international concern it will inflame the conflict with the Palestinians, damage the judiciary and restrict minority rights.

Mr Netanyahu has promised to pursue peace and safeguard civil rights.

Addressing a special session of the Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem, he stated that his administration would "restore governance, peace and personal security to the citizens of Israel".

"I hear the opposition's constant laments about 'the end of the state', 'the end of democracy', members of the opposition, losing the elections is not the end of democracy - this is the essence of democracy."

• Palestinian fears heightened as Israeli far right heads to power
• Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's comeback leader

Mr Netanyahu was heckled by his opponents, some of whom chanted "weak".

They suggest he has been forced to sign deals with hard-line parties because more liberal ones refuse to sit in government with him while he is on trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing.

Several hundred protesters meanwhile gathered outside, waving Israeli flags, rainbow flags bearing the Star of David, and signs reading "shame", "danger" and "down with racism".

Mor, a woman from Jerusalem, told the BBC: "I'm here because my country's falling apart from its democratic values."

This is a record sixth term as prime minister for Mr Netanyahu, who was ousted by his opponents 18 months ago, but his coalition partners are pledging to lead the country in a new direction.

The first guiding principle of the new government, published on Wednesday, declares that "the Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the land of Israel". It says that includes the occupied West Bank and promises to "advance and develop" settlements there.

About 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

There are also some 100 outposts - small settlements built without the Israeli government's authorisation - across the West Bank.

In a coalition deal with the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party he signed last week, Mr Netanyahu agreed to retroactively legalise the outposts. He also promised to annex the West Bank while "choosing the timing and weighing all of the State of Israel's national and international interests". Such a step would be opposed by Israel's Western and Arab allies.

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Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich, a West Bank settler, will be finance minister and also oversee the Civil Administration, which approves settlement building in the West Bank and controls important aspects of Palestinians' lives.

Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, another settler and ultranationalist politician who has previously been convicted of racism and supporting a terrorist organisation, will be national security minister, responsible for the police.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the plans to develop West Bank settlements would have "repercussions for the region".

Mr Netanyahu's coalition partners reject the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict - the internationally backed formula for peace which envisages an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank alongside Israel, with Jerusalem as their shared capital.

There have also been expressions of concern both inside and outside Israel about some ministers' very rigid views on the application of Jewish law and LGBTQ rights.

Avi Maoz, head of the anti-LGBTQ Noam party, will serve as a deputy minister in the prime minister's office. He has called for Jerusalem's Gay Pride event to be banned, disapproves of equal opportunities for women in the military, and wants to limit immigration to Israel to Jews according to a strict interpretation of Jewish law.

Activists, doctors and business leaders have meanwhile warned that discrimination against LGBTQ individuals could potentially be legalised if the anti-discrimination law is changed to allow businesses to refuse services to people on religious grounds.

Although the coalition deal between Likud and the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party calls for such an amendment, Mr Netanyahu has said his administration will not allow any harm to the LGBTQ community. He has also chosen an openly gay member of Likud, Amir Ohana, to be parliamentary Speaker.

Critics have expressed concern at the coalition's intention to pass legislation that would give a parliamentary majority the ability to override Supreme Court rulings.

Mr Netanyahu's coalition partners have also proposed legal reforms that could end his corruption trial.

At Thursday's protest, a woman from Tel Aviv, who did not want to give her name, said: "I refuse to accept what I feel is the possibility of the beginning of a fascist regime and I want to protect the rights of every citizen living in this country."

Daniel Johnas, an activist in the religious LGBTQ community, said he was worried for the first time to go on the street with the rainbow flag. He was also concerned about the future of life in Israel for himself, his husband and children.

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December 29, 2022 at 10:20PM
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Netanyahu's hard-line new government takes office in Israel - BBC

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An Education In Hard Work And Optimism For Recent Graduate Achievement - Forbes

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Reports of robust job openings in the U.S. labor market have been misleading for recent Gen-Z college graduates looking to start their employment journeys. After a drastic downturn in job availability during the pandemic, the new round of Gen-Z hopefuls is now facing job openings in sectors looking to fill positions less to their liking.

According to a Time Magazine report of June 2022 findings, employment improved for graduates as the economy reopened, but the gap widened again. Even as the overall unemployment for the general population dipped to 3.5% in the spring, the graduate unemployment percentage rose to 4.1%.

Although many employers have positions that need filling, according to Business Insider, many jobs in companies are different from what recent graduates find appealing. Some traditional workplaces do not represent environments that align with what matters to them [recent graduates] in work-life balance or sustainable goals.

Either way, a disconnect between what employers think they are offering and what the younger generation wants results in fewer recent graduates taking positions in more traditional job settings. As a result, this lack of conventional employment pursuit has energized recent graduates to explore the gig economy and entrepreneurial efforts with financial and general freedom as their north star.

Lured in by the recent swell of the entrepreneur wave, many graduates today are leaving school with a determination to make it on their own instead of looking to corporate answers for employment.

Keyan Chang has had a similar story, where his pursuit of a bigger paycheck and more financial freedom post-college led him to entrepreneurship. Chang's story, from being a graduate to becoming a highly successful real estate investor, has been punctuated with what he calls delusional optimism.

Chang's journey started as a graduate of electrical engineering who realized how much he needed financial freedom after his parents divorced. His journey led him from engineering to sales and eventually to real estate, where he is now part owner of a Mortgage Brokerage company, Motto Mortgage.

This reporter sat down with Chang to hear his story of hard work, pivots, and a self-proclaimed delusional optimism that has brought him success and might inspire others who wish to follow similar paths.

Rod Berger: How would you describe the Keyan Chang story? Basically, what would be your pitch if you were to enter a room and give a synopsis?

Keyan Chang: I am a real estate and sales expert. I have a job in sales and a business in real estate, and I’m part owner of a Mortgage Brokerage company, Motto Mortgage. I was not born with a silver spoon. When I graduated from college, my parents had just divorced, and I had $3000 to my name, so making money became essential to me early on. It was that need that really drove me from job to job and eventually to real estate.

Berger: Expanding on the financial pressures on your life, how did that affect your choice of study and subsequent entry into the job market that eventually led you to real estate?

Chang: Well, I studied electrical engineering because someone told my 18-year-old self the career had the greatest money prospects. So, after school, I worked with companies like Next Door, Lyft, and Monster Energy. Then I transitioned into an engineering internship at a company called Worldwide technology, which resembled Cisco. I quickly realized the salespeople seemed much happier than the engineers and made more money, which further piqued my interest in sales.

I eventually transitioned to Crowdstrike, a full-fledged sales company, and that was how my journey in sales started. I finally made enough money to buy my first real estate property, and the journey has been great.

Berger: What was it like transitioning from sales to real estate? Was there a eureka moment that made you feel you needed to invest in real estate?

Chang: Well, not really. What happened was that I had wanted to buy a Tesla for the longest time. When I started making a fair amount of money, I considered the car purchase but kept seeing these videos online warning me that buying a car would ruin me financially. These videos were advising me to buy property so that I could earn monthly rental income.

Around the same time, I had a friend attending Brigham Young University (BYU). He told me about the school's accommodation rule where unmarried students were required to live in BYU-approved accommodations, which essentially meant housing within one mile of the school.

The rule made it somewhat difficult for the students, so I went online and found a five-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath condo within the area. My friend and I decided to go in together and bought the property. My friend moved into the house and rented the rooms out to his friends. After a year, we bought the house next door. That was how I initially got into real estate. I just saw an opportunity and jumped on it.

Berger: You’ve mentioned this concept of delusional optimism. Can you explain how this mantra drives you?

Chang: I know the term sounds a bit absurd. It means having and pursuing a big vision without figuring out the dedicated next steps to get there. It's following a dream and knowing that you will figure it out as you go along. It's like faith, where you see the picture so clearly that you are willing to stake everything on it and chase it, even if you don't know how to get there.

Berger: Has this form of optimism helped you from your days as a graduate? How would you say it has shaped your overall life story?

Chang: It has served me quite well. When I started working full-time in sales, I had this crazy belief that I could make it in sales. My belief was so strong that while my colleagues made 30 to 70 cold calls daily, I made 100 to 200.

Delusional optimism means that you are so adamant about the vision that it shows in how crazily you pursue it. That is what makes it delusional, in a sense. Optimism is one thing, but if you follow it like crazy, it tends to come to pass. I have never seen anyone who sacrificed everything to pursue a goal that didn't make it. I still work the sales job and have grown to senior accounts officer in the company, but that crazy pursuit has also led me to build a substantial real estate portfolio.

Berger: How has your mindset and pursuit specifically helped you overcome obstacles in your real estate business?

Chang: I entered the real estate market the same way I enter anything, with a crazy belief. I remember people warning me against buying that second property near BYU because the pandemic was in full bloom, and property markets were already being affected. But it didn't make any sense not to buy it. I could put a 10% down payment and pay around $1000 a month - it just made sense.

However, soon after buying that property, I ran out of money. All my money was tied to the two properties, and I didn't have enough liquidity to do another deal. I quickly learned that those types of properties were unique, and it was rare to buy a 5-room condo for $250,000.

I was effectively out of the market, but I had a massive vision for my success in real estate. After brainstorming, the next step became apparent. I began leveraging my success with the two properties to upsell my consultancy service. I called on partners to put up money with me to purchase property and make rental income.

Soon enough, I had more partners, and we bought two duplexes and one fourplex in Ohio. My partners were excited about making 15% to 20% in cash on their investments. As the news spread, my co-workers became interested and invested in my business. We bought more fourplexes, and more co-workers began putting up 100% of the money while I just chose the properties and shared profits.

The journey has led me to own and manage Airbnb and apartment complexes. We now own and operate about 68 real estate units with our partners. These units generate monthly revenue of about $87,000, which results in 30-37K profit after expenses and maintenance. The point is that with delusional optimism, the next steps will eventually become evident if we keep pushing.

Berger: What do you think hinders young people from developing this mindset? Can this form of optimism and drive be advanced in some fashion?

Chang: The first key is desire and a strong need to succeed. When I started working in sales, many of my colleagues were financially better off than me, so they might not have needed it as badly. I had no option but to succeed. It’s most likely why I could make hundreds of cold calls a day.

Also, young people need to become comfortable with rejection because it’s the only way to sustain tempo when pursuing goals. I got rejected so much on cold calls that I got desensitized to rejection.

Failure teaches you so much. The cold calls and those rejections made me a better negotiator. I could tell whether someone was interested or not, even by how they breathed on the phone or paused before answering. I still do most of my real estate deals remotely, so you can imagine how much these skills have served me. I have failed forward every single time.

---

Many of today’s graduates are entering the changing job market with a mindset shaped by entrepreneurial success stories that have come before them. They are propelled by dreams of having their own businesses or organizations that speak to various interests and work-life balance goals.

Keyan Chang’s story highlights that it takes more than delusional optimism to make the journey a reality. Tenacity, grit, perseverance, and handling rejection are key factors shaping any successful entrepreneurial journey.

To achieve financial and personal independence, a combination of learning pathways intersect from education and internship to work experience and professional partnerships. Inevitably, as Chang demonstrated, it often takes many licks off the proverbial lollipop of job pursuits and experiences to eventually find the answer.

Dreams matter but hard work and the ability to overcome failure are often hallmarks of success for anyone looking to sustain it for the long haul.

Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

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An Education In Hard Work And Optimism For Recent Graduate Achievement - Forbes

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Grisham on Melania Trump's hard 'no' in addressing violence on Jan. 6 - CNN

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Grisham on Melania Trump's hard 'no' in addressing violence on Jan. 6

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham details her final days with Melania Trump, including the former first lady's views about the 2020 election and her behavior during the January 6 insurrection of the US Capitol.

01:56 - Source: CNN

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Grisham on Melania Trump's hard 'no' in addressing violence on Jan. 6 - CNN

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Israel’s Hard-Line Government Takes Office, Testing Bonds With Allies - The New York Times

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition will likely test ties with the United States and Europe, amid fears that it will undermine the country’s democracy and stability.

Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister of Israel for a sixth time.Amir Levy/Getty Images

JERUSALEM — Israel’s new government was sworn in on Thursday, returning Benjamin Netanyahu to power at the head of a right-wing and religiously conservative administration that represents a significant challenge for the country on the world stage.

Mr. Netanyahu’s governing coalition will likely test Israel’s ties with the United States and Europe, amid fears that his coalition partners will undermine the country’s liberal democracy and its stability. Mr. Netanyahu dismissed those concerns in a speech in Parliament before a vote of confidence and the swearing-in of his ministers.

“There is a broad consensus among us about most of the challenges we face, though certainly not about all of them,” he said. “I hear the constant lamentations of the opposition about ‘the country being over’ and ‘the end of democracy.’ Members of the opposition, losing in elections is not the end of democracy — it is the essence of democracy.”

The makeup of Mr. Netanyahu’s government and the policies it has pledged to pursue have raised concerns about increased tensions with Palestinians, the undermining of the country’s judicial independence and the rolling back of protections for the L.G.B.T.Q. community and other sectors of society.

Mr. Netanyahu’s return as prime minister for a sixth time comes at a critical moment for Israel as it faces fundamental challenges: Iran’s drive to acquire nuclear weapons; growing international criticism of its handling of the occupied West Bank; and a global tide of antisemitism.

The coalition has been clear in its manifesto — hammered out in agreements with various parties as ministries were handed out — about what it intends to do.

It has declared the Jewish people’s “exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel” and pledged to bolster Jewish settlement in the West Bank — explicitly abandoning the internationally recognized formula for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Peace talks have been on hiatus for years.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its manifesto have raised concerns about increased tensions with Palestinians and protections for L.G.B.T.Q. people.Abir Sultan/EPA, via Shutterstock

The new government is also pressing for an overhaul of the judiciary that Mr. Netanyahu — currently on trial on corruption charges — and his supporters insist will restore the proper balance between the branches of government. Critics say the move would curb the power of the independent judiciary, damaging Israel’s democratic system and leaving minorities more vulnerable.

Mr. Netanyahu’s past coalitions have been balanced by more moderate parties, but this time, he had to rely more heavily on far-right parties to form a government. That could complicate Israel’s relations with perhaps its most important ally, the United States, and with American Jews, who have been among Israel’s strongest supporters abroad.

President Biden on Thursday said in a statement that he looked forward to working with a prime minister “who has been my friend for decades, to jointly address the many challenges and opportunities facing Israel and the Middle East region, including threats from Iran.”

But Mr. Biden also hinted at possible sources of tension with the new government, like L.G.B.T.Q. rights and conflicts with Palestinians. He said “the United States will continue to support the two state solution and to oppose policies that endanger its viability.”

Thomas R. Nides, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said the administration would respond to the Israeli government’s actions rather than coalition deals that may not materialize.

“We’ve been told over and over by Prime Minister Netanyahu that he has his hands on the wheel and wants to be the prime minister of everyone,” he said in an interview. “He’s a very talented and very experienced prime minister. We want to work closely with him on mutual values we share, and at this point not get distracted by everyone else. So the focus is on the prime minister and the prime minister’s office.”

Another concern for many Jews in the United States who identify with more liberal streams of Judaism is the new government’s policies on religion, which give more weight to strict Orthodox demands. Particularly distressing to many Jews outside Israel, the coalition has promised to restrict the Law of Return, which currently grants refuge and automatic citizenship to foreign Jews, their spouses and descendants who have at least one Jewish grandparent, even though they may not qualify as Jewish according to strict religious law.

“We are profoundly concerned about the intentions of this government and we are taking their promises and agenda very seriously,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denomination in the United States.

The coalition partners, he said, also want to narrow who is counted as a legitimate Jew in the Jewish homeland. The “Who is a Jew” debate has surfaced before, but this time, Rabbi Jacobs said, Israelis whose extreme views excluded them from the establishment in the past hold key positions in the government.

An ultra-Orthodox man voting in Bnei Brak, Israel, last month. The government’s platform reflects numerous Orthodox demands that liberal Jews in the United States have objected to.Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

“Israel doesn’t get to decide alone,” he said of Jewish identity. “In some ways, these policies are meant to push us away. But the result is that we are going to lean in harder because of the importance of the state of Israel in all our lives.”

Hundreds of American rabbis have signed an open letter protesting the government proposals.

The policies of the new government could also have repercussions with Arab states, even as Israel has in recent years forged diplomatic ties with countries like the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

King Abdullah II of Jordan said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that he was “prepared to get into a conflict” if Israel tries — as some coalition members hope — to change the status of a Jerusalem holy site revered by Muslims and Jews, over which Jordan has custodianship. Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994.

Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party has emphasized the parts of the government’s policies aimed at deepening and expanding Israel’s peace and normalization deals with Arab countries, and he has spoken of Saudi Arabia as his next goal.

But other clauses of the coalition’s platform talk of promoting Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank and further entrenching Jewish settlement in the heart of the land Palestinians have envisaged as their state.

Bezalel Smotrich, the ultranationalist new finance minister who ultimately wants to annex the West Bank, will also serve as a minister within the defense ministry responsible for agencies dealing with the construction of Jewish settlements and civilian life in the occupied territories. That is likely to increase tensions with Israel’s allies abroad who place a premium on keeping the two-state option alive.

Bezalel Smotrich, right, the new ultranationalist finance minister with Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, in Parliament on Thursday. Pool photo by Amir Cohen

The Biden administration “is going to do everything possible to minimize friction and focus on areas of agreement,” said Daniel B. Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and now a fellow at the Atlantic Council. “But friction will be impossible to completely avoid over issues related to the Palestinians, the future of two states and possibly the holy sites and the status of the Arab citizens of Israel.”

European allies have so far taken a wait-and-see stance similar to the Biden administration’s. Christofer Burger, the spokesman of the German Foreign Office in Berlin, said Wednesday that bilateral relations with Israel “remain unchanged.”

But he noted the Israeli plan to retroactively authorize West Bank settlements built without government permission, saying, “We expect the new Israeli government to refrain from such unilateral moves that would undermine the basis of a negotiated two-state solution.”

Some Israeli diplomats have taken a stand against the new government. Israel’s ambassador to France, Yael German, resigned on Thursday, stating in a letter that she could “no longer continue to represent policies so radically different from all that I believe in.”

And more than a hundred retired Israeli ambassadors and senior Foreign Ministry officials took the extraordinary step of signing a letter to Mr. Netanyahu this week expressing their “profound concern” at the potential harm to Israel’s strategic relations.

“The letter was not politically motivated but was written out of pragmatic concern for how you prevent weakening Israel’s standing in the international arena,” said Jeremy Issacharoff, a signatory and former ambassador to Germany.

For many Palestinians, the hard-line government is merely exposing what they have said all along about Israel’s true intentions.

“Its annexationist agenda of Jewish supremacy is now very blunt and clear,” Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, said by phone. “The two-state solution was never a Palestinian demand,” he said, “but an international requirement that we have accepted. Now, publicly, this government does not endorse the idea of partition. That’s the heart of it.”

Israel’s new national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was convicted in the past of inciting racism and support for a terrorist group, has been given expanded powers over the police and additional forces to fight crime in Arab communities.

The coalition has also vowed to amend the current anti-discrimination law, which applies to businesses and service providers, allowing them to refuse to provide a service contrary to their religious beliefs in a way that critics say could lead to discrimination against the L.G.B.T.Q. community or others.

Mr. Netanyahu seemed to address that fear through Amir Ohana, a Likud member who on Thursday became the first openly gay speaker of the Parliament, and thanked his life partner and their two children from the podium during the inauguration ceremony. Mr. Netanyahu made a point of being photographed sitting next to Mr. Ohana and his family at a toast afterward.

Yet an ultraconservative, anti-gay minister has been given wide powers over some programs taught in public schools and the ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition have secured copious funding for adults who choose full-time Torah study over work.

“This is unlike anything we have seen before,” Mr. Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador, said. “The majority of the coalition and many of its dominant members with a lot of leverage over the prime minister subscribe to a worldview that defines issues of national and Jewish identity, religion and state and democracy unlike any previous Israeli right-wing government.”

Jim Tankersley contributed reporting from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Israel’s Hard-Line Government Takes Office, Testing Bonds With Allies - The New York Times

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7 hurt as Grand Canyon tour helicopter makes hard landing - ABC News

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This image provided by Boulder City communications manager Lisa LaPlante shows a Grand Canyon tour helicopter after a Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, crash described as a "hard landing" at Boulder City, Nev., Municipal Airport. Officials say the pilot and six passengers were taken to Las Vegas-area hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. (Lisa LaPlante/Boulder City via AP)

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Israel’s New Hard-Line Government Raises Hackles Ahead of Inauguration - The New York Times

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The country’s president warned the far-right incoming minister of national security that he was raising alarms at home and abroad over racism, discrimination and undermining democracy.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s incoming prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, concluded coalition agreements on Wednesday to form the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country’s history, a day ahead of an expected vote in Parliament to install the new leaders.

The coalition pledged to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that will deepen the conflict with the Palestinians. And its members agreed to prioritize potentially far-reaching changes that would curb the power and influence of the independent judiciary, one of a number of measures that critics warn risk damaging Israel’s democratic system and paving the way for racism and discrimination against minorities.

Even before the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, a broad public backlash against the government prompted an unusual intervention by Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, who reflected the alarm in some constituencies at home and abroad over the most contentious clauses in the coalition agreements.

Mr. Herzog summoned Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of Jewish Power, an ultranationalist party, and the incoming minister of national security, for a meeting and conveyed “voices from large sections of the nation and the Jewish world concerned about the incoming government,” the president’s office said. He urged Mr. Ben-Gvir “to calm the stormy winds.”

The president is a largely ceremonial figurehead who has no legal authority to influence the new government, but his voice carries moral weight and is supposed to unify Israelis.

Mr. Ben-Gvir told Mr. Herzog that he and the new government “will pursue a broad national policy for the sake of all parts of Israeli society,” according to the statement from the president’s office.

The meeting came the same morning that the coalition agreements reached between the partners of the incoming government were presented to Parliament on Wednesday, a final step required a day before the vote in Parliament to approve the new coalition.

The government’s guidelines began with a declaration of the Jewish people’s “exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel” and pledged to bolster Jewish settlement in all areas, including the occupied West Bank — a statement that reflected this government’s abandonment of the internationally recognized formula for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

“We have achieved the goal,” Mr. Netanyahu told his Likud party lawmakers on Wednesday as the intense coalition negotiations came to an end nearly two months after the Nov. 1 election.

“A huge public in Israel — more than two million Israelis — voted for the national camp led by us,” he said. “We will establish a stable government that will last its full term and serve all the citizens of Israel.”

Israel’s incoming prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of the Likud party, campaigning in the city of Sderot in October. Mr. Netanyahu is set to return to office 18 months after he was ousted.Amit Elkayam for The New York Times

But the agreements were already causing strains with the Jewish diaspora, and particularly with the largely non-Orthodox community in North America, and are raising concerns regarding Israel’s international standing.

More than a hundred retired Israeli ambassadors and senior Foreign Ministry officials signed a letter to Mr. Netanyahu on Wednesday expressing their “profound concern” at the potential harm to Israel’s strategic relations, first and foremost with the United States, arising from the apparent policies of the incoming government.

In an interview with CNN, King Abdullah II of Jordan said he was “prepared to get into a conflict” if Israel crossed red lines and tried to change the status of a Jerusalem holy site revered by Muslims and Jews, and over which Jordan has custodianship. Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994, but relations between King Abdullah and Mr. Netanyahu have long been tense.

Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister, is set to return to office 18 months after he was ousted. On trial for corruption, he has grown ever more dependent on his hard-line allies because the more liberal parties refuse to sit in a government led by a premier under criminal indictment.

One of the most controversial elements of the new government’s plans is the prioritization of changes to the judiciary, including legislation that will allow Parliament to override Supreme Court rulings. This would limit the influence of the independent judiciary, which has played an important role in preserving minority rights in a country that lacks a formal constitution, and would give more unchecked power to the political majority.

But coalition agreements are not binding, and many of their clauses remain on paper, never materializing. The clauses about the judiciary are vague and provide little detail about what will be changed, how or by when. The proposal to allow Parliament to override Supreme Court rulings, for example, does not specify whether a simple Parliamentary majority of 61 of the 120 lawmakers will be enough to strike down a Supreme Court decision or if a special majority will be required.

Mr. Ben-Gvir was convicted in the past on charges of inciting racism and of support for a terrorist group and ran in the election on a bullish ticket of fighting organized crime and increasing governance, particularly in areas heavily populated by members of Israel’s Arab minority.

This week, Parliament passed legislation expanding ministerial powers over the police in a way that critics say will allow Mr. Ben-Gvir to politicize the force’s operations. The coalition agreement states that he will have the authority to change open-fire regulations, potentially allowing the police a freer hand that could fuel tensions with Arab citizens of Israel.

Mr. Ben-Gvir and his allies have insisted that the coalition agreements include promises to amend the current anti-discrimination law, which applies to businesses and service providers, to allow them to refuse to provide a service that is contrary to their religious beliefs and to hold gender-segregated events.

Israelis demonstrating against the new government of Mr. Netanyahu this month in Jerusalem.Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency, via Getty Images

Far-right lawmakers suggested this week that meant that doctors could refuse to provide treatments that go against their religious conscience — for example, providing fertility treatment to a person in a same-sex relationship — or that hoteliers could turn away certain customers.

Their statements set off a public uproar and forced Mr. Netanyahu to issue clarifications saying that no discrimination will be tolerated against the L.G.B.T.Q. community or any other sections of Israeli society, even though his conservative Likud party is a signatory to the coalition agreements.

Israeli banks, insurance companies, medical professionals, legal experts and business leaders have denounced the proposed amendments and stated that they will not cooperate with any discriminatory conduct in their fields.

Gabby Sobelman contributed reporting from Rehovot, Israel.

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Israel’s New Hard-Line Government Raises Hackles Ahead of Inauguration - The New York Times

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7 hurt as Grand Canyon tour helicopter makes hard landing - ABC News

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This image provided by Boulder City communications manager Lisa LaPlante shows a Grand Canyon tour helicopter after a Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, crash described as a "hard landing" at Boulder City, Nev., Municipal Airport. Officials say the pilot and six passengers were taken to Las Vegas-area hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. (Lisa LaPlante/Boulder City via AP)

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7 hurt as Grand Canyon tour helicopter makes hard landing - ABC News

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Hard-Line Positions by Russia and Ukraine Dim Hope for Peace Talks - The New York Times

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Both Moscow and Kyiv say they are ready to talk, but their terms for sitting down at a negotiating table suggest otherwise.

As the battle for Ukraine turns into a bloody, mile-by-mile fight in numbing cold, Ukrainian and Russian officials have insisted that they are willing to discuss making peace.

But with a drumbeat of statements in recent days making clear that each side’s demands are flatly unacceptable to the other, there appears to be little hope for serious negotiations in the near future.

Ukraine this week proposed a “peace” summit by the end of February, but said Russia could participate only if it first faces a war-crimes tribunal. That drew a frosty response from the Kremlin, with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov saying that Kyiv must accept all of Russia’s demands, including that it give up four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed.

“Otherwise,” he said, “the Russian Army will deal with this issue.”

Russia does not fully control any of those regions, and has even lost territory there in recent months as Ukrainian forces fight to reclaim all the land seized by Moscow. But on Wednesday, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said it was impossible to accept a peace plan that did not recognize those four Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.

“Any plan that does not take into account these circumstances cannot claim to be a peace plan,” Mr. Peskov said, according to the state-run Tass news agency.

The hard-line positions suggest that both sides believe they have more to gain on the battlefield, analysts say.

“This suggests there is not necessarily a push for a negotiated peace or even some sort of negotiations, but still a push for whatever endgame is being sought militarily,” said Marnie Howlett, a lecturer in Russian and Eastern European politics at the University of Oxford.

Ukraine holds the momentum, having retaken much of the land that Russia captured early in the war. But Moscow’s forces still occupy large chunks of the east and south, and Russia is readying more troops and launching aerial attacks on infrastructure, deepening Ukrainians’ misery even as Russian soldiers struggle on the ground.

Smoke billowing after Russian attacks in the outskirts of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Russian and Ukrainian forces have fought for the city for months.Libkos/Associated Press

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said that Russia had launched a barrage of strikes at the southern city of Kherson, including one that damaged a maternity ward, as officials continued to urge on residents to evacuate. Images shared by one Ukrainian official after the strike showed blown-out windows, a hole in the roof and piles of rubble in one of the rooms.

Kherson has been battered by shelling since Ukraine retook the city last month, with Russian forces using new positions on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River to launch near daily barrages at the city.

The war has now passed its 300th day. There have been no peace talks between Ukraine and Russia since the early weeks of the conflict, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, and both sides have signaled a determination to keep fighting.

Visiting Washington last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that weapons and aid from the United States and allies would help Ukraine sustain its resistance well into 2023, emphasizing that “we have to defeat the Kremlin on the battlefield.”

And President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, in a brief televised interview over the weekend, said that he was prepared to negotiate over “acceptable outcomes,” but insisted that “99.9 percent of our citizens” are “ready to sacrifice everything for the interests of the Motherland.”

Western officials have dismissed Mr. Putin’s periodic offers to negotiate as empty gestures. In calling for talks without hinting that he is prepared to abandon his onslaught — and repeating a propaganda line that Russia is fighting a defensive war for its own survival — Mr. Putin is trying to send the message that Russia will eventually win, and that the sooner Ukraine capitulates, the fewer people will die.

“They are both in it for the long haul,” said Karin von Hippel​, director general of the Royal United Services Institute, a military research institute in London. “Putin still feels he can win this. He still has more men and more money, although you wonder what his tipping point will be.”

Ukrainian soldiers firing in the area of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Monday. The front lines have moved little around the city, despite waves of Russian attacks. Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

While Russia’s losses are believed to be enormous — more than 100,000 killed and injured, American officials have said — Mr. Putin has signaled recently that he is prepared to accept many more. He told senior military officials in a televised meeting last week that of the 300,000 reserves called up this fall, half were still at training bases and represented a “strategic reserve” for future fighting.

On Wednesday, Russia’s prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, said that his country’s economy had contracted by 2 percent over the past 11 months. That is a smaller decline than many experts had predicted at the start of the war, and suggests that Moscow has so far managed to weather the effects of Western sanctions.

This month, Mr. Putin emphasized that there were “no limits” to Russia’s military spending.

But as the evidence of Russian military atrocities has multiplied — and with Ukraine’s continued battlefield success — Kyiv’s negotiating position has hardened.

In late March, weeks after the invasion and with Russian troops still threatening to seize the capital, Ukrainian negotiators at a meeting in Istanbul proposed adopting neutral status — in effect abandoning a bid to join NATO, which Russia has long opposed — in exchange for security guarantees from other nations.

They also suggested separate talks on the status of Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized by Russia in 2014, and of Donbas, the eastern area claimed by Moscow.

Those terms are now off the table.

“The emotional background in Ukraine has changed very, very much,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Mr. Zelensky, told the BBC in August. “We have seen too many war crimes.”

A woman walking past housing damaged by Russian shelling in Kupiansk, in northeastern Ukraine, on Wednesday.Evgeniy Maloletka/Associated Press

Last month, addressing a summit of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Mr. Zelensky presented a 10-point “formula for peace” that called for Russia’s full withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and Donbas.

It also demanded an international tribunal to try Russian war crimes; Moscow’s release of all political prisoners and those forcibly deported during the war; compensation from Russia for war damages; and steps by the international community to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and to provide for its food and energy security.

Demanding maximum concessions is a time-honored negotiating tactic, but analysts say that Ukraine is eager to demonstrate — particularly to European allies that are enduring higher energy costs this winter because of a Russian oil embargo — that it sees a path out of the conflict.

“The Ukrainian proposal offers a glimpse at Ukraine’s vision of how the war with Russia could one day end,” said Stella Ghervas, a professor of Russian history at Newcastle University in Britain. In the wars of modern European history, she said, winners on the battlefield have often been the ones to push hardest for peace.

“In the Napoleonic wars, World War I and World War II, the successful military leaders and peacemakers were often the same individuals,” she said. “Those who sought peace were the same who had successfully fought the war. The serious initiatives for peacemaking during the great wars in Europe have come always from the strongest party on the battlefield.”

Still, Ukraine’s peace proposals have received a generally cautious response. When Mr. Zelensky mentioned his plan at a joint news conference with President Biden last week, Mr. Biden did not comment on the proposal, saying only that the United States and Ukraine “share the exact same vision” for peace.

New graves at a cemetery in the southern city of Kherson on Wednesday. Russian troops retreated from the city in November, but still hold a swath of territory in the south.Dimitar Dilkoff/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

On Wednesday, the French defense minister, Sébastien Lecornu, visited the Ukrainian capital for the first time since the war began, following a pledge by President Emmanuel Macron to send more weapons to Ukraine. Mr. Lecornu laid a wreath at a monument to Ukrainians who have died in the war.

Many in Ukraine and in Eastern Europe have been critical of France’s response to the war, drawing a link between its relatively limited military support and Mr. Macron’s approach to Russia. While unequivocally backing the Ukrainian cause, Mr. Macron has said “we must not humiliate Russia” and called security guarantees for Russia an “essential” part of peace talks.

Mr. Zelensky said this week that he had sought India’s help on the peace plan in a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government holds the Group of 20 rotating chair and has been mentioned as a possible mediator in talks. Mr. Modi “conveyed India’s support for any peace efforts,” but did not mention the Ukrainian plan.

Another potential interlocutor is Turkey, which this summer brokered a deal involving Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations to allow for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. That agreement, along with occasional exchanges of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia, has offered hope that the two sides could one day discuss a cease-fire.

But analysts say that Russia must demonstrate that it will negotiate in good faith and act on the terms of any peace agreement in order to earn some level of trust by Ukraine, which it has invaded twice in less than a decade.

“Ukraine will always be a neighbor of Russia,” said Ms. Howlett, the Oxford lecturer. “Any peace settlement has to come with the acknowledgment and understanding that Russia isn’t going anywhere.”

Anton Troianovski, Constant Méheut and Ivan Nechepurenko contributed reporting.

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December 29, 2022 at 03:53AM
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Hard-Line Positions by Russia and Ukraine Dim Hope for Peace Talks - The New York Times

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Bailey Zimmerman performs ‘Rock and a Hard Place’ on ‘GMA’ - Yahoo! Voices

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Bailey Zimmerman performs ‘Rock and a Hard Place’ on ‘GMA’ - Yahoo! Voices

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Tearful Kim Kardashian Says Co-Parenting With Kanye West Is “Really F--king Hard” - Yahoo Entertainment

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Kim Kardashian is opening up about the complexities of co-parenting with ex Kanye West.

Nearly one month after the former couple finalized their divorce, the SKIMS founder—who shares kids North, 9, Saint, 7, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 3, with the Yeezy designer—is giving her thoughts on their dynamic when it comes to their four children.

"I definitely protected him and I still will in the eyes of my kids, for my kids," she said during the Dec. 26 episode of Angie Martinez's IRL podcast. "So, in my home, my kids don't know anything that goes on in the outside world."

Adding that she will continue to protect her kids "for as long as I can," Kim broke down in tears, noting, "It's hard. S—t like co-parenting, it's really f—king hard."

During their sit-down, the Kardashians star also reflected on the impact of her own relationship with her late father, Robert Kardashian, Sr.

"I had the best dad," she continued. "And I had the best memories and the greatest experience and that's all I want for my kids. As long as they can have that, that's what I want for them."

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Finalize Divorce Nearly 2 Years After Breakup

"So, if they don't know things that are being said, or what's happening in the world, why would I ever bring that energy to them?" Kim added. "That's real heavy, heavy grown-up s—t. And they're not ready to deal with it, and when they are, we'll have those conversations."

Kim's latest interview comes nearly three weeks after a source also shared insight into their co-parenting relationship, noting that Kim is making sure Kanye remains involved in their kids' lives.

"All the kids are very bonded to Kanye and adore him despite what's going on," the insider told E! News in early December. "Kim is doing a great job of not letting that change their relationship."

As the source noted, "He will always be a part of their lives and she will help facilitate that. She absolutely wants to include him in important events in the kids' lives and makes every effort."

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Tearful Kim Kardashian Says Co-Parenting With Kanye West Is “Really F--king Hard” - Yahoo Entertainment

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