Eisenkot and Netanyahu pitch their vision to form a government in Israel
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is meeting with political party leaders today to determine who has the best chance of forming the country’s next government. In last week’s election, PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies won 53 seats, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc secured 48 – both short of the 61 needed for a majority. Today, party leaders, including Netanyahu and Eisenkot, will make their cases to Herzog. Even though Netanyahu’s bloc won more seats, Herzog isn’t required to give him the first shot at forming a government. Instead, he can choose whoever he thinks is most likely to pull together a majority. That could be Eisenkot. The two Arab parties – which won a record 19 seats – have reportedly endorsed Eisenkot, potentially giving him enough support to cross the 61-seat threshold. But Eisenkot may have to make policy concessions with the Arab parties, which could anger other allied, more conservative parties.
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist sentenced to prison… again
Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to 10 additional years in prison for “colluding with foreign forces.” The trial was conducted under a strict local national security law imposed by the Chinese government in 2020. Wong, who was due to be released from prison in January after being convicted in a previous national security case, is the only activist to have been sentenced twice under the legislation. The judge blamed Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law, who fled to Britain, for US sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials, a move both activists had called for. Critics of the harsh sentencing say it is meant to stifle dissent and reduce his influence – by the time he is released, Wong, who began his activism in his teens, will be 40. The US consulate in Hong Kong condemned the sentence and called for Wong’s immediate release.
Brazil creates new ministry to tackle gang violence
Brazilian lawmakers have approved a constitutional amendment that vastly expands the federal government’s role in public safety, toughens criminal sentencing, and diverts a chunk of oil revenues directly to crimefighting. As part of the package — the first major push by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva since his shock re-election victory last month — Brazil will also create a new Federal Ministry of Security to oversee and coordinate the actions of state police forces. The move is popular in a country where street crime and gang violence are top concerns. Lula’s presidential opponent — right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro — voted for the measure remotely from Florida, where he fled after losing the election. The change will be watched closely by the Trump administration, which earlier this year designated two of Brazil’s powerful gangs as terrorist organizations, in a move that raised fears of US intervention.
