The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday’s events as they unfold.
Moscow accuses Washington of ‘destroying’ arms control pacts
The Kremlin accuses Washington of “destroying” weapons control agreements after the US said Russia was not complying with their last remaining arms pact, the New START treaty.
Tensions between the countries were already at breaking point before Russia sent troops to Ukraine last February, but have plummeted further since.
The US State Department faulted Russia for suspending inspections and canceling talks but did not accuse Moscow of expanding nuclear warheads beyond agreed limits.
“We believe that the continuation of this treaty is very important,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters.
“On the other hand, we see that the United States has actually destroyed the legal framework in the field of arms control and security,” he adds.
Former deputy IDF chief Eyal Zamir takes up post as Defense Ministry director
Eyal Zamir, a former deputy chief of the military, takes up his post as the director general of the Defense Ministry.
Zamir, 57, replaces the current director general, Amir Eshel, who quit with the change of government.
Zamir was considered twice to lead the Israel Defense Forces, in 2018 and 2022. Ultimately, however, the front-running candidates were selected instead.
Speaking at a ceremony marking his appointment, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant laid out the challenges Zamir faces.
“The defense establishment works, and will continue to work, to confront threats both near and far, chief among them from Iran,” he said, adding that challenges must be met with “boundary-breaking creativity.”
Gallant also highlighted the military’s role in nation-building, working with youth, the disabled and bereaved families.
Thanking Gallant for the appointment, Zamir vowed that “all those who threaten us will be met with an iron wall — a robust and secure defense establishment.”
Zamir most recently served as IDF deputy chief of staff. In 2018, he was the commander of the Southern Command, overseeing violent clashes along the Gaza border during protests organized by the Hamas terror group.
Between 2012 and 2015, Zamir was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary.
Government attorneys threaten strike over planned judicial overhaul
A committee representing attorneys who work for the state threaten to go on strike to protest the government’s planned overhaul of the judicial system, the Walla news site reports.
The committee declares a labor dispute today, the first step ahead of a strike, saying that the planned reforms will “significantly impact the work of the attorneys and is expected to cause severe harm to the organization.”
The planned overhaul has drawn intense criticism, even from longtime proponents of judicial reform, and has sparked weekly mass protests and public petitions by various officials, professionals, private companies and other bodies.
The legislative changes advanced by Justice Minister Yariv Levin would severely restrict the High Court’s capacity to strike down laws and government decisions, with an “override clause” enabling the Knesset to re-legislate struck-down laws with a bare majority of 61; give the government complete control over the selection of judges; prevent the court from using a test of “reasonableness” to judge legislation and government decisions; and allow ministers to appoint their own legal advisers, instead of getting counsel from advisers operating under the aegis of the Justice Ministry.
