The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they unfold.
Former JPMorgan chair, Bank of Israel chief slams government’s judicial plans
Jacob Frenkel, a former chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and the former chief of the Bank of Israel slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s far-reaching plans for overhauling the judicial system.
“I’m very surprised” by what Netanyahu is doing, he tells Channel 12 news.
“When JPMorgan makes a recommendation — take it very seriously,” Frenkel says, referring to a company internal memo released Friday, which warned of the growing risk of investing in Israel.
JPMorgan manages over $3.5 trillion worldwide.
Many have compared Israel’s situation to Poland, and Frenkel says this underlines that “the situation could deteriorate.”
In the case of Poland, “its credit rating dropped; citizens were harmed; prices went up; its capacity to borrow money on the international markets was reduced,” he says. “Countries that have weakened their judicial oversight are the countries where the citizens have suffered.”
“The prime minister I worked with was careful, cautious, did not take chances… It’s very dangerous to say I’m ignoring the professional reports of the relevant bodies, because I think differently,” Frenkel warns.
“I want to avert the fire… We’re issuing warnings… This prime minister has led Israel to astounding achievements. So there is a great deal to lose. The emergency is not here yet, but there is a danger of losing everything that has been achieved,” he says. If it happens, “it will happen much faster than you’d think.”
For the public, “this is not the time for panic. This is the time to demand that the [warning] opinions be heeded. This is not how you carry out a reform,” Frenkel says.
“Netanyahu and I carried out a reform of Israel’s foreign currency market. It was done gradually, with fieldwork, transparency, and a process. Not deep, fast, now. What is this?” he adds.
Former chief of police: Government judicial plan ‘has nothing Jewish in it’
Roni Alsheikh, the former Israel Police commissioner speaks at the weekly anti-government rally in Tel Aviv, protesting against Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s proposals to shake up the judiciary by severely curbing the High Court of Justice’s judicial review powers and cementing political control over the appointment of judges.
“The proposal amounts to a coup d’etat, no less than that,” Alsheikh says. “As an observant [Jew], I must admit that there is also nothing Jewish in what is being proposed.”
“Restraining power is a basic and deep Jewish value that must not be abandoned,” he says.
“I feel ashamed as a believing and observant Jew due to the behavior of the politicians. I hear repeated claims that the religious community has become the ‘shield of public corruption,'” Alsheikh adds.
Biden: US will ‘take care’ of suspected China spy balloon
WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden promises “to take care” of a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States, an incident that further strained ties with Beijing.
Asked by reporters to comment on relations with China and the balloon incident, Biden told reporters Saturday, “We’re gonna take care of it.”
He did not elaborate.
The controversy erupted Thursday, when American officials said they were tracking a large Chinese “surveillance balloon” in US skies, but decided not to shoot it down over concerns of hurting people or property on the ground.
All clear given in Kochav Yaakov and Tel Zion after suspected infiltration alarm
All clear is given in the settlements of Kochav Yaakov and Tel Zion after a suspected infiltration alarm sounded.
According to local officials, the alert was activated after a car crash occurred at one of the entrances to Tel Zion.
The army swept the area for possible suspects that may have entered the settlements following the crash.
The military’s Home Front Command says the incident is not terror related.
“This is not a security incident. Residents can leave their homes and move around the area without restriction,” it says.
Police suspect man who allegedly broke into Gedera home and raped woman was not trying to commit burglary
Police suspect a Bedouin Israeli man, 22, who was detained for allegedly breaking into a home in the city of Gedera early Friday morning and raping a woman in her 30s, was not planning a burglary.
Hebrew-language media cite an initial police investigation as saying the man broke into the home to rape the woman, and did not have other intentions.
The suspect was arrested earlier this morning in the West Bank.
האונס האכזרי בגדרה: תיעוד המעצרים
צילום: דוברות המשטרה pic.twitter.com/NUxCMhWTmQ— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 4, 2023
Stones hurled at buses in south, one lightly hurt
Police say suspects hurled stones at two buses on the Route 31 highway in southern Israel, near the Bedouin village of Mulada.
One person is lightly hurt in one of the attacks.
“Police officers are investigating the incident and conducting searches,” a law enforcement spokesperson says.
Suspected infiltration alert sounds in settlements of Kochav Yaakov, Tel Zion
A suspected infiltration alert is sounding in the West Bank settlements of Kochav Yaakov and Tel Zion, north of Jerusalem.
The military’s Home Front Command orders residents to remain in their homes and lock doors and windows until further notice, as the army conducts scans of the area.
Opposition leader Lapid arrives at Tel Aviv protest: ‘We refuse to live in an undemocratic country’
Opposition leader Yair Lapid arrives at the anti-government in Tel Aviv.
Lapid says the protesters have come “to save the country.”
“We will fight here in the streets, we will fight in the Knesset, we will fight in the courts, we will save our country, because we refuse to live in an undemocratic country,” Lapid says.
הערב הגענו לחיפה כדי להציל את המדינה שלנו. ???????? pic.twitter.com/e9fTrN6CEW
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) February 4, 2023
Thousands gather in Tel Aviv for weekly anti-government protest
Thousands of protesters are gathering in Tel Aviv for two anti-government protests in the coastal city, one on Kaplan Street and the other at Habima Square.
The demonstrations mark the fifth week that opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government will take to the streets, protesting Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s proposals to shake up the judiciary by severely curbing the High Court of Justice’s judicial review powers and cementing political control over the appointment of judges.
