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Friedman: Netanyahu is no longer at the wheel
Friedman: Bibi isn't driving the bus anymore | GZERO World

Friedman: Netanyahu is no longer at the wheel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu has said that the only way the war in Gaza will end is with the complete destruction of Hamas, the pro-Palestinian terrorist group that controls Gaza and was behind the October 7 attack.

But Pulitzer prize-winning author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman argues that much of the horror that's played out in Gaza over the past six months goes back to a devil's bargain that Bibi has maintained with Hamas over the past fifteen years. "Netanyahu always understood that ... having a strong Hamas in Gaza is the best way to ensure a weak Palestinian Authority in the West Bank." In a wide-ranging interview for this week's episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with Friedman to try to chart out an imaginable (and palatable) ending to the Middle East's bloodiest war in years. "[Netanyahu] is now hostage to a far-right in his coalition that has told him that anything that smacks of a Palestinian state or even progress toward a Palestinian state...is a no-go. We'll throw you out of power.'"

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Yuval Noah Harari: Netanyahu's 'Deep State' fears enabled Oct 7 attack
Yuval Noah Harari: Netanyahu's 'Deep State' fears enabled Oct 7 attack | Ian Bremmer | GZERO World

Yuval Noah Harari: Netanyahu's 'Deep State' fears enabled Oct 7 attack

Author and historian Yuval Noah Harari believes that the Israeli government's policies under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allowed for Hamas’ Oct 7 attack to be as deadly as it was. He points specifically to Netanyahu's efforts to undermine the judiciary and other democratic institutions.

“He was trying to systematically destroy the institutions of Israeli democracy,” Harari tells Ian Bremmer in a live interview at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. He links these domestic political maneuvers to the failure to heed warnings from military and intelligence services about external threats leading up to October 7, arguing that this negligence was influenced by conspiracy theories about a so-called “deep state.”

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China replaces foreign minister Qin Gang
China replaces foreign minister | World In :60 | GZERO Media

China replaces foreign minister Qin Gang

Is democracy dead in Israel? Will a fugitive decide Spain's next prime minister? What does Qin Gang's removal say about China? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

Is democracy dead in Israel?

No, not at all. It's very much alive. It's precisely the fact there has been such an extraordinary outcry among so many Israeli citizens and completely peaceful, mind you, over so many months because they're not happy with the efforts to reform, and by reform, I mean, undermine Israel's independent judiciary. The first piece of that that has passed in the last 24 hours is by itself certainly not a death knell for democracy, though it probably would allow Netanyahu to appoint cabinet members that could allow him to no longer face jeopardy from these corruption cases that have been against him. If they persist with the next couple of pieces of legislation that would allow the Knesset, the legislature, to overturn with a simple majority, a judicial decision, that would be a much more significant threat to democracy. We'll see how that plays out over the fall, but certainly this is going to impact the economy, society, and the rest.

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Israeli demonstrators take part in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Netanyahu faces national unrest after judicial reform vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu addressed a nation in uproar on Monday after lawmakers passed a bill limiting the power of the Supreme Court. The decision, which Netanyahu said was the will of the voters, is being met with mass protests, legal challenges, and potential military and labor strikes from Israelis who fear it will erode democratic norms.

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Demonstrators are sprayed with water from a water cannon during a demonstration against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul in Jerusalem.

REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Israel’s divisive judicial reforms becoming law

On Monday, Israel’s Knesset (parliament) passed the first bill of PM Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform bill.

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People block a highway to Jerusalem on a day of disturbance to protest against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government's judicial overhaul.

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

A crucial vote on the judiciary in Israel

On Tuesday, Israelis opposed to the government's judicial overhaul blocked highways leading to the country's main cities as part of a national day of disturbance the day after the Knesset (parliament) passed the first part of a legislative package designed to dilute the power of the judiciary.

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Israeli protesters holding banners with the words in Hebrew "resist" and "the main thing is not to be afraid at all" in a demonstration against the government's judicial overhaul in Tel Aviv.

REUTERS/Oren Alon

Hard Numbers: Israeli judicial protest, Chinese deflation, Dutch government collapse, deadly Sudan airstrike, Russia-Turkey beef over Azov

150,000: Some 150,000 people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to oppose PM Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plans, the biggest turnout since Bibi called a time-out on his controversial reforms back in March. The months-long protest movement — which had been faltering in recent weeks — got a second wind after Bibi sacked Tel Aviv's police chief for being too lenient with the demonstrators. Israeli lawmakers will conduct the first reading of the reforms this week.

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Ehud Barak interview: Israeli democracy on the chopping block
Israeli democracy on the chopping block | GZERO World

Ehud Barak interview: Israeli democracy on the chopping block

Israel's delicate balance between democracy and political power is under threat, as the government's proposed judiciary overhaul poses a significant risk to the checks and balances of its political system.

On GZERO World, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak warns that the judicial overhaul, backed by coalition members, would undermine the independence of the courts and leave the executive branch unchecked. Barak describes current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet as legal but "illegitimate," with a "black flag waving over it." It's no surprise, he says, that it has been sparking protests nationwide.

Note: This interview was first featured in the GZERO World episode "How Bibi could end Israel's democracy (or get ousted)," published on May 8, 2023.

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