The Financial Times reports Israel’s parliament has given preliminary approval to a law change that would allow people who have been convicted of crimes but spared jail time to become ministers. The vote in the Knesset on Tuesday night is part of a broader legislative blitz designed to make good on a series of promises made by prime-minister-in waiting Benjamin Netanyahu to his religious and far-right coalition partners, and enable the formation of a new government by a December 21 deadline.

The Guardian reports that on Sunday night, like almost every other night in Jenin, the fighting started. The Israeli army said it entered the occupied West Bank city to arrest three suspected Palestinian terrorists and militants responded by throwing firebombs and opening fire. According to two members of her family, 16-year-old Jana Zakaran ventured up to the roof of her home when gunfire erupted nearby to bring her cat inside to safety. When Zakaran’s father went to look for her, he found her dead in a pool of blood, the cat by her side.

The Guardian and the Telegraph report that Uilever has settled its lawsuit with Ben & Jerry’s, bringing to an end an 18-month dispute over ice cream sales in occupied Palestinian territories. In a brief statement posted online, the consumer goods giant said it was “pleased to announce that the litigation with Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board has been resolved”. It declined to offer any details about the resolution. Ben & Jerry’s declined to comment.

The Daily Mail reports that activists from Palestine Action who ’caused £500,000 damage to a factory supplying weapons to the Israeli army’ have been remanded in custody to appear in court in January after damaging the Teledyne Labtech building in Presteigne, Mid Wales.

Reuters reports that Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu urged key ally the United States to reaffirm its commitment to Saudi Arabia and pledged to pursue formal Israeli ties with Riyadh for a “quantum leap” in peace. “The traditional US alliance with Saudi Arabia and other countries, has to be reaffirmed. There should not be periodic swings, or even wild swings in this relationship, because I think that the alliance…is the anchor of stability in our region,” Netanyahu said.

Reuters also reports that an Italian judge on Thursday accepted a plea bargain by an Israeli man accused of kidnapping his grandson who was orphaned after a cable car disaster in northern Italy in May last year, closing the drawn-out case.

Reuters also reports that Israel it plans to regulate social media companies such as TikTok, YouTube, Meta’s Facebook, and Twitter, following in the steps of the European Union in tackling illegal and offensive online content. Outgoing Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel said he would place responsibility on social media companies to deal with offensive and illegal content, while creating more transparency toward users and establishing a regulator to supervise companies.

All the Israeli media cover the remarks of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara who addressed a legal conference at Haifa University yesterday. She referred to the incoming governments efforts to pass laws before it is formed as a “legislative blitz,” adding, “The big picture is important. The bills at issue in their entirety, certainly if passed hastily and without overall and long-term thinking, are liable to upset the system of checks and balances between the branches of government.”  She continued, “I do not dispute the importance of critical thinking on the structure of the existing system of government. Changes are sometimes mandated by reality. However, the idea that it is right or possible to profoundly alter the fabric of the system of government in one fell swoop is mistaken, I believe. Substantive changes to the government require profound thought and wise consideration.”

She further said, “There is no disagreement that the elected echelon must govern. That is a fundamental democratic principle. Effective governance is vital for the country’s prosperity and to realise the will of the voters. Not only do we not deny that, we will also help the government to do this. That is our role. However, without judicial review and independent legal advisors, we will be left with solely the principle of majority rule. That and nothing more. A democracy in name, not in substance. Those who wish to insert changes into the Israeli system of checks and balances must clarify how they will restrain the power of the majority against hurting minorities. The politicisation of the law enforcement system will badly undermine the most fundamental principles of the rule of law: equality, an absence of arbitrariness and bias. If there is even a sense that the law enforcement system has been politicised, it will be a mortal blow to its ability to function and badly undermine public confidence in it. In a democratic country, it is misplaced to change the relationship between the political leadership and the law enforcement system with snap legislation.”

Maariv quotes President Yitzhak Herzog at the same conference saying, “A country without a justice system is unthinkable. The rule of law is an important part of the State of Israel’s structure and we must guard it vigilantly, we must vigilantly guard the status and independence of the justice system and the judicial branch. Let it be clear, guarding the justice system does not mean that rethinking the division of power and authorities of the different branches is not permissible and sometimes necessary.”

In related news, all the Israeli media cover the votes last night in the Knesset. Two bills passed their first reading; the bill to allow Aryeh Deri to be appointed a minister and secondly to allow finance minister-designate Bezalel Smotrich to serve in another ministerial capacity in the Defence Ministry with responsibility for civilian affairs in the West Bank. Sixty-three MKs voted in favour while 52 voted against. Kan Radio noted that outgoing Justice Minister Gideon Saar spoke for approximately four hours to hold up the vote as long as possible. A majority of at least 61 MKs is required because this is a case of amending a basic law.

Haaretz reports that Israel has been providing intelligence assistance to Ukraine via NATO. According to the paper, “This would be Israel’s latest show of flexibility toward Kyiv… The catalyst is the military aid that Iran is now providing Moscow, including the training of Russian forces in Russia….Over several years, the Mossad, Military Intelligence, the IAF and the navy have built up a database on Iran’s drones. If Brussels gains access to this data, Ukraine and NATO countries will benefit, as will other states such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia. Israel transferred a detailed file, adapted so as not to divulge sources and methods of operation, on Iran’s drones, especially the Shahed-136, a so-called kamikaze drone. The file was passed on by Haim Regev, Israel’s ambassador to the EU and NATO, during a meeting with the alliance’s deputy secretary general, Mircea Geoana.”

Kan Radio reveals that Israel is taking action in the international community to promote sanctions on Iranian airlines that have been involved in supplying weapons from Iran to Russia in order to help Moscow fight the war in Ukraine. Some of the same airlines have also been involved in shipping weapons to Syria and from there to Hezbollah.

Israel Hayom notes an Irish UN peacekeeper was killed and several others wounded after unidentified attackers opened fire on a convoy in southern Lebanon. The Irish Defence Forces said in a statement that a pair of armoured vehicles carrying eight Irish UNIFIL peacekeeping troops were fired at as they drove north, toward Beirut, Tuesday night from the town of Al-Aqbiya. UNIFIL confirmed that one peacekeeper was killed and three were wounded.

Haaretz covers comments made by Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu in an interview to the Saudi Arabian channel  Al Arabiya. In the interview Netanyahu encouraged the US to reaffirm its commitment to Saudi Arabia and pledged to pursue diplomatic ties with Riyadh for a “quantum leap” in peace.  Netanyahu said, “”The traditional (US) alliance with Saudi Arabia and other countries, has to be reaffirmed. There should not be periodic swings, or even wild swings in this relationship, because I think that the alliance … is the anchor of stability in our region.” Netanyahu also related to the controversial legislation currently being debated in the Knesset to fulfil the promises made in his coalition agreements, Netanyahu said he “didn’t hand over great powers in Judea-Samaria, the West Bank, not at all. In fact, all the decisions will be made by me and the defence minister and that’s actually in the coalition agreement. So there’s a lot of misinformation about that.”  Following the interview Kan Radio reported that Netanyahu’s office issued clarifications that Netanyahu had meant only security-related decisions and not those concerning the Civil Administration, an agency that will be subordinate to finance minister-designate Smotrich, who will also be appointed minister in the Defence Ministry.  Outgoing Prime Minister Lapid tweeted in response, “Netanyahu in English—only I call the shots; Netanyahu in Hebrew—sorry Smotrich, I didn’t mean that.”

Maariv reports on the Embassy of Bahrain in Israel hosting a festive gala to mark the country’s national day. The event took place at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv last night in the presence of government officials and diplomats, members of Knesset and ministers. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Highness Khalid Yusuf Al-Jalhama, said: “These new and warm relations have allowed us to unite with each other – the people of Bahrain with our Muslim brothers and sisters and with our Jewish cousins here in Israel, and the people of Israel to unite with your brothers and your Jewish sisters and your Muslim cousins, as well as to unite with all the other religions that make up our two countries.” Outgoing Minister Issawi Frej said: “On behalf of the Government of Israel and the people of Israel, I am happy to send warm greetings to the Kingdom of Bahrain on the occasion of the National Day. The relationship with Bahrain is at the centre of the Israeli consensus and is of great importance to the State of Israel.  The Abraham Agreement and the warm peace between us is here to stay and expand. The peace agenda crosses government and political lines and we want every citizen in Bahrain and Israel to enjoy the fruits of peace. We must not forget our neighbours, the Palestinians. Those who share the same piece of land with us. The better their lives will be, the better our lives will be!’

Israel Hayom covers preparations in Bethlehem, where 100,000 Christian tourists are expected to visit during the week of Christmas. According to the report, “Business is bouncing back in Bethlehem after two years in the doldrums during the coronavirus pandemic, lifting spirits in the traditional birthplace of Jesus ahead of the Christmas holiday. Streets are bustling with tour groups. Hotels are fully booked, and months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry.