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Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a "mistake" for Donald Trump to meet with rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and far-right activist Nick Fuentes, both of whom have made antisemitic remarks.

Why it matters: The remarks from Netanyahu, who is highly popular among Republicans, echo criticism from senior Republicans in Congress and several of Trump's former advisers.

What he's saying: "I condemned Kanye West's antisemitic statements. President Trump's decision to dine with this person I think is wrong and misplaced. He shouldn't do that. I think he made a mistake. I hope it's not repeated," Netanyahu said in an interview with American journalist Bari Weiss.

Netanyahu added that Trump "has been a tremendous supporter of Israel … and the Jewish people," and stressed he's "unabashedly appreciative" of what Trump did for Israel.

Netanyahu mentioned Trump's decisions to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, move the American embassy to Jerusalem, recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights and withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. 

When asked to describe Trump with one adjective, Netanyahu chose "irreverent."

Between the lines: Throughout the interview, Netanyahu tried to reassure the Biden administration and the Jewish community in the U.S. about the incoming Israeli government, which is expected to include extremist parties.

Netanyahu stressed that he will be the one deciding on government policy and will not allow steps that could inflame the security situation between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Netanyahu stressed that he will not allow the rights of the LGBTQ community or Israel's Arab minority to be harmed.

He also said the new Israeli government will maintain Israel's democracy, and the country “is not going to be governed by Talmudic law."

Worth noting: Several former Trump advisers — including former ambassador to Israel David Friedman, former Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and former envoy for fighting antisemitism Elan Carr, all of whom are Jewish — criticized Trump for meeting with West and Fuentes was wrong. 

In a statement after the meeting, Trump said: "Kanye West very much wanted to visit Mar-a-Lago. Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about."

Inside Trump's dinner with Ye and Fuentes 

Trump blasts Netanyahu for disloyalty: "F**k him"

Trump calls McConnell "loser" after he condemns Fuentes dinner

Netanyahu says it was a "mistake" for Trump to dine with Kanye

"I think he made a mistake. I hope it's not repeated."

Trump and Netanyahu at the White House in 2020. Photo: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Benjamin Netanyahu

Donald Trump

Israel

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The government of Thailand notified the Israeli government that it received a commitment from Iran not to conduct attacks against Israeli targets on Thai soil, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry cable and two Israeli officials briefed on the matter.

Why it matters: Thailand is a major tourism destination for Israelis, and Israeli officials have accused Iranian operatives several times in the past decade of attempting to conduct attacks on Israelis in the country. 

Last June, Thai media outlets reported that Thailand's security forces were on high alert due to concerns about possible Iranian agents in the country, and the arrest of an Iranian agent in nearby Indonesia.

Behind the scenes: On Nov. 15, the political director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Aliza Bin-Noun, met with a senior Thai Foreign Ministry official in Bangkok, according to a copy of the diplomatic cable seen by Axios. 

The official briefed Bin-Noun on a trip he took to Tehran in August, in which the main issue discussed was security.

According to the Israeli cable, the senior Thai diplomat said he had asked the Iranians to reiterate a commitment, first made one year earlier but not publicly known until now, not to target Israelis in Thailand, and the Iranians stressed that they would adhere to that commitment.

Two Israeli officials confirmed the account but spoke on condition anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the meeting. 

Thailand's Ambassador to Israel Pannabha Chandraramya told Axios this account was inaccurate but would not specify which aspects. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “We don’t comment in the media on the contents of diplomatic conversations."

The big picture: Over the last year, Israel's Mossad intelligence agency has claimed to have thwarted numerous plots against Israeli officials, businessmen and tourists in countries including Turkey, Georgia and Cyprus.

Israel is particularly concerned about potential attacks on its citizens overseas because the Iranian government has threatened to avenge the assassinations of several Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists, for which it blames Israel.

Iran has repeatedly denied targeting Israelis in third countries, dismissing reports of an alleged plot against Israeli tourists in Istanbul this summer, for example, as "baseless."

Flashback: Three Iranians were imprisoned for an attempted bomb attack in Thailand in 2012, a day after Israeli diplomats were targeted in India and Georgia. 

They were released in 2020 as part of what the Thai government called a prisoner transfer that included the release of Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was arrested in Iran in 2018.

Scoop: Iran committed to Thailand that it won't target Israeli tourists, cable says

Thailand is a major tourist destination for Israelis.

An El Al Israel Airlines plane at Bangkok airport. Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty

Iran

Israel in recent weeks has provided a dossier with intelligence about Iranian arms transfers to Russia to its embassies in dozens of Western countries and senior NATO officials, according to Israeli officials and Israeli Foreign Ministry cables.

Why it matters: The new diplomatic and intelligence effort, which started at the end of October, represents a change in Israeli behavior around Iran's role in the war in Ukraine, which until last month didn’t include active lobbying on the issue to avoid tensions with Russia.

Israeli officials said they hope to use the current focus on Iranian assistance to the Russian war effort as a means for increasing international pressure on Tehran. 

Iran has repeatedly denied supplying Russia with weapons since the war began, despite growing Western intelligence and evidence to the contrary.

Behind the scenes: Israeli officials said that on Oct. 20, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a secret cable to a few dozen Israeli embassies in key countries asking them to start raising the issue of Iranian drone transfers to Russia and the possible transfer of ballistic missiles.

Shortly after, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a dossier to the same embassies that included intelligence on Iran’s arms transfers to Russia, Israeli Foreign Ministry cables show.

Israeli diplomats delivered démarches on the issue in numerous countries and passed on the dossier, the officials and cables said.

The Israeli ambassador to NATO gave the dossier to NATO's deputy secretary-general, and a senior Israeli diplomat traveled to Brussels for a series of briefings on the issue in the EU headquarters and in the European Parliament, according to the cables and Israeli officials.

Last week, the Israeli ambassador to Moscow raised the issue with the Russian deputy foreign minister and presented Israel’s concerns, the Israeli officials say.

What they're saying: Israel’s national security adviser Eyal Hulata at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on Sunday said that in recent weeks Iranian-made drone attacks killed civilians in Ukraine.

What to watch: Israeli officials say they want to organize an international conference in Israel about the proliferation of Iranian-made drones. They've started raising the idea with allies.

Scoop: Israel lobbies allies with intel on Iranian arms transfers to Russia

It's a change in Israeli behavior around Iran's role in the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (R) in Tehran ahead of on July 19, 2022. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on July 19. Photo: Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images 

Russia

Israel's Security Cabinet reached a decision earlier this month that significantly tightens government oversight on foreign investments, two senior Israeli officials say.

Why it matters: While the decision doesn't explicitly mention China, Israeli officials say the new policy is a response to two years of pressure by the Biden administration to limit China's role in sectors like energy, infrastructure, telecommunications and transportation. 

The Foreign Investment Review Committee will review all investments that amount to more than 20% of the value of companies in a broad range of sectors and more than 5% in cases of particular relevance to national security. All foreign investments in government tenders will also be reviewed. 

The Cabinet left it up to government regulators to determine which companies fall into each category, in consultation with the committee.

According to the decision, the status of the Foreign Ministry on the committee will be upgraded from observer to a full member, giving greater importance to foreign policy considerations.

This is a significant change of policy for the review committee, which was formed three years ago after pressure from the Trump administration. Until now, the review process was mostly voluntary and it intervened only in rare cases. 

Yes, but: The rule won't apply to foreign investments in private Israeli tech companies, the two Israeli officials say.

The Israeli government has expressed concerns that such reviews could harm the Israeli tech sector, which is the main engine of the Israeli economy.

Flashback: The Biden administration has put a lot of pressure on the Israeli government to limit Chinese involvement in the Israeli economy.

U.S. officials have expressed security and economic concerns about Chinese investments in Israeli infrastructure but also in its tech sector and involvement in research at Israeli universities.

The other side: Two weeks ago, Chinese special envoy for the Middle East Zhai Jun visited Jerusalem and told Israeli Foreign Ministry officials that China hopes "external elements" won't interfere with the relations between the countries, Israeli officials said.

According to a summary of the meeting, the Chinese envoy stressed that China hopes it can enjoy "open, equal and non-discriminatory" treatment in Israel. 

Scoop: Israel to increase reviews of foreign investments after U.S. pressure

It's a significant change of policy for the Israeli Foreign Investment Review Committee.

Illustration of a magnifying glass inspecting a briefcase that looks like the Chinese flag.

An Israeli teen was killed and at least 15 others, including two U.S. citizens, were wounded in two explosions in Jerusalem on Wednesday in what Israeli officials are calling a terrorist attack.

The big picture: These are the first bomb attacks against Israeli citizens in years.  

The explosions in Jerusalem come as the security situation in the occupied West Bank continues to deteriorate.  

The escalation in violence has also taken place against the backdrop of the political crisis in Israel, increased Israeli raids in the West Bank and the weakening of the Palestinian Authority. 

A 16-year-old Palestinian was killed overnight in Nablus amid a firefight between Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers who were escorting Orthodox Jewish worshippers to a shrine in the Palestinian city. 

Driving the news: Israeli police officials said in a briefing with reporters that the two explosive devices were similar. Both were built in a professional way and were detonated remotely using a mobile phone, the officials added.

Israeli police and the Shin Bet intelligence agencies believe the two explosions were part of the same terror plot and were orchestrated by an organized group that prepared for a long time, Israeli officials said. No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Israeli police had information about threats of bombing attacks in Jerusalem in recent weeks but the threats weren't specific, the officials said.

State of play: There has been a significant increase in the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli military raids into West Bank cities and a growing number of stabbing and shooting attacks by Palestinians against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The Biden administration has expressed concerns that the Palestinian Authority could collapse and that the situation in the West Bank could turn into a third intifada.

In the West Bank city of Jenin, the body of an Israeli Druze man was kidnapped from the hospital by a group of gunmen affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, Israeli officials say. A family member of an Israeli who was at the hospital when the kidnapping took place claimed the gunman took the body while the man was still connected to life support.

The Palestinian gunmen demanded that Israel return the bodies of Palestinians who were killed during attacks and those Israel is holding.

Overnight, the Palestinian Authority's security forces tried to retrieve the body from the gunmen but failed in doing so, Palestinian and Israeli sources say.

UN officials said they are still negotiating with the Palestinian Authority to retrieve the body.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout. 

Explosions in Jerusalem kill 1 and injure at least 15

Israel officials called it a terrorist attack.

Israeli security forces gather at the scene of an explosion at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Israeli security forces gather at the scene of an explosion at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

Jerusalem

The Biden administration notified congress on Tuesday that it has appointed Hady Amr as a new special representative for Palestinian affairs, a senior State Department official said. 

Why it matters: The move is an upgrade in U.S.-Palestinian relations. It is the first time the U.S. has created a Washington-based position at the State Department that is solely responsible for Palestinian Affairs.  

It's also a promotion for Amr, who served in the last two years as deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs.

Driving the news: The senior State Department official said Amr will work under the authority of the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

The U.S. diplomats at the Jerusalem-based Office of Palestinian Affairs will work closely with the special representative. 

“The Washington-based Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs will engage closely with the Palestinians and their leadership and, together with Ambassador [Thomas] Nides and his team, continue to engage with Israel on Palestinian-related issues," the State Department official said.

Behind the scenes: Two U.S. and Palestinian officials said this move was several months in the making. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had reservations about it at first, but in recent weeks made it clear that the Palestinian Authority agreed with the decision and will work with Amr, according to the Palestinian source. 

The State Department notified the outgoing Israeli government about the move and also updated incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers in advance, the U.S. official said. 

Between the lines: The creation of the new post is also meant to upgrade the U.S.-Palestinian relationship and diplomatic representation as much as possible given the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, which served as the U.S. diplomatic mission to the Palestinians, has yet to reopen, according to a U.S. official.

“As the President reiterated in Israel and the West Bank, we remain committed to re-opening our Consulate General in Jerusalem and to the vision of a two-state solution," the State Department official said.

Former U.S. special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian peace Martin Indyk told Axios the move sends a signal to the Palestinians of their importance at a time when the Jerusalem Consulate remains closed and there's no Palestinian Liberation Office office in Washington. The Trump administration closed the Washington PLO office in 2018. 

“Because Hady is known and trusted by the Secretary of State and other senior officials, he will have access and influence at the highest level," Indyk said.

The big picture: Indyk stressed that the move is an upgrade at a time of serious deterioration in the situation in the West Bank. 

He added that Amr 's challenge will be bolstering the Palestinian Authority and encouraging it to undertake serious reforms “without which the West Bank will become increasingly unmanageable."

Scoop: U.S. creates special representative post focused solely on Palestinian affairs

The move is an upgrade in U.S.-Palestinian relations.

Hady Amr meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) meets Hady Amr (L) in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on May 17, 2021. Photo: Handout/Palestinian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Palestine

Iran could soon “toy” with enriching uranium to the level of 90%, which can be used to build a nuclear weapon, the head of the Israeli military intelligence General Aharon Haliva said Monday. 

Why it matters: Such a move by Iran will be unprecedented, but Haliva said Tehran would still need a "few years or many, many months" to build a nuclear device.

Driving the news: The International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors last week passed a censure resolution against Iran for its lack of cooperation with UN investigations over its undeclared nuclear activity. 

The U.S. and its European allies — France, Germany and the U.K. — pushed for the resolution. 

Iran condemned the measure and the head of Iran’s atomic energy organization threatened to take retaliatory nuclear steps but didn’t give any details.

What they are saying: “We are getting closer to the point where Iran will toy with enriching uranium to 90%, even if it will only be symbolic and in very small quantities at the beginning," Haliva said at a conference in the institute for national security studies in Tel Aviv. 

It is the first time a senior Israeli intelligence official said publicly that Iran could soon enrich to 90%.

He stressed that as in previous cases when Iran starts enriching uranium to 60%, it will test the international community’s response. 

But Haliva added that “at this point in time, the Iranian supreme leader thinks that nuclear breakout will do more harm than good. But this could change quickly."

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Al Jazeera in mid-July that in a "few days we were able to enrich uranium up to 60% and we can easily produce 90% enriched uranium. ... Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb but there has been no decision by Iran to build one," per AP. 

What to watch: Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, the chief of staff of the Israeli military, is visiting Washington this week for meetings with his counterpart Gen. Mark Milley and with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

“The visit of the IDF chief of staff to the U.S. is no less than critical. We need to talk with decision-makers in Washington about the overall Iranian threat and to emphasize the nuclear issue," Haliva said.

Haliva stressed that there is a need to start discussing a military strike against Iran or a new nuclear deal with totally different parameters.

Go deeper: Israel has the capability to strike Iran, Gantz says

Israeli intel chief: Iran could soon "toy" with enriching uranium at 90% level

But Aharon Haliva  said Tehran would still need a "few years or many, many months" to build a nuclear device.

The flag of Iran in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters. Photo: Michael Gruber/Getty Images

Biden administration officials say they hope Ron Dermer, the former Israeli ambassador to Washington and incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close confidant, will be appointed to a senior post in the new Israeli government.

Why it matters: The Obama administration had a difficult history with Dermer, but Biden officials believe they can "talk to" him and say "he understands the [U.S.-Israeli] relationship," especially amid concerns that radical right-wing politicians and those from Jewish supremacist parties will get senior jobs in the new Israeli government. 

What they're saying: “We had our differences with Dermer, but we would be happy to work with him in the next government," a senior Biden administration said. 

"We know him well" and he understands "the political and diplomatic sensitivities about the issues that are on the table right now," the official added. 

Behind the scenes: Secretary of State Tony Blinken, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides know Dermer from their work during the Obama administration.

In the weeks leading to the Israeli elections and even more so since the elections, Nides and Dermer have been in constant contact, according to U.S. sources. 

Flashback: Dermer was appointed as ambassador in 2013 at the beginning of former President Obama's second term.

He had a very tense and difficult relationship with the White House during that time. 

Then-national security adviser Susan Rice and other White House officials saw Dermer as a Republican political operative who was interfering in domestic U.S. politics. Referring to the late billionaire casino owner and Republican megadonor, Sheldon Adelson, Rice once joked that she hadn't met with Dermer because he was "too busy traveling to Sheldon Adelson’s events in Las Vegas." 

Things grew even tenser after Dermer orchestrated, together with then-Speaker John Boehner, Netanyahu's March 2015 speech to Congress behind the White House's back.

The speech, which focused on urging members of Congress to oppose the nuclear deal the Obama administration negotiated with Iran, created deep anger towards Israel among some Democratic politicians. 

State of play: Netanyahu asked Dermer to be his national security adviser, but he refused and asked to be appointed as the foreign minister, Likud sources. 

It is unclear if Netanyahu can give Dermer the foreign minister post due to the incoming prime minister's political need to give ministerial jobs to senior members of the Likud party.

One option is that Dermer will be appointed as a minister in the prime minister’s office who will be in charge of the relations with the U.S. and the efforts to get normalization agreements with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

Dermer didn’t respond to Axios' request for comment. 

U.S. officials hope Netanyahu ally Dermer gets senior post in Israeli government

The Obama administration had a difficult history with Dermer during its time in the White House.

Ron Dermer on Nov. 6, 2021. Photo: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The White House and the State Department told the Israeli government they were not behind the FBI decision to open an investigation into the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, three Israeli and U.S. officials told me. 

Why it matters: The FBI decision is unprecedented and it has led to a bilateral crisis between the Biden administration and the Israeli government.

Flashback: Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera correspondent, was wearing a bulletproof vest marked "press" when she was killed in May while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

The Palestinian Authority and her family accused the Israeli military of intentionally targeting her.

The Biden administration said in early July that Abu Akleh was likely killed by unintentional Israeli fire, but a ballistics test of the bullet fragment removed from her body was "inconclusive."

The IDF concluded in September she was most likely killed in "unintentional fire" from an Israeli soldier. The findings were a shift from the IDF's initial position that it was not possible to know who shot Abu Akleh.]

The administration has faced pressure from dozens of congressional Democrats and Abu Akleh's family to do more to ensure accountability. More than 20 Democratic senators signed a letter calling for an independent FBI investigation.

Behind the scenes: According to Israeli and U.S. officials, the FBI decision to open an investigation was made before the Nov. 1 elections in Israel, but the Justice Department officially notified the Israeli government three days after the elections. 

Once notified, senior Israeli officials asked U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides for more information, according to the officials. Nides said he didn't know about the investigation and that he would check on it. 

Israeli officials told me Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata, ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog, and Alon Ushpiz, the director general of the Foreign Ministry, called their counterparts in the Biden administration and demanded an explanation.

"We spoke to every Biden administration official we work with and made it clear how furious we were," a senior Israeli official told me.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz held a difficult call with a very senior U.S. official earlier this month and made it clear that Israel would not cooperate in any way with the FBI investigation, the Israeli officials said. 

Israeli officials said they urged the Biden administration to "fix the situation" before the investigation leaked to the press, warning that once news of the probe became public, the situation would turn into a bilateral crisis.

The other side: According to U.S. and Israeli officials, the White House and the State Department made it clear to the Israeli government that they weren't part of the DOJ's decision-making process regarding the investigation.

They also made it clear that the opening of the investigation was an independent decision by the U.S. Justice Department and wasn’t motivated by a political decision, per the officials.

What they're saying: Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday that Israel conveyed its "strong protest to the United States."

"Our soldiers will not be investigated by the FBI or by any other foreign country or entity, however friendly it may be. We will not abandon our soldiers to foreign investigations," Lapid said.

The White House, the State Department and Justice Department declined to comment.

What to watch: The crisis around the FBI investigation will have to be resolved by the incoming Israeli government, which is expected to have a much more hardline policy on the occupied West Bank.

Israeli officials say they don’t think the investigation will have any practical ramifications and that it will stay as a symbolic move by the FBI.

Officials: White House told Israel it wasn't behind FBI's Abu Akleh probe decision

The FBI angered Israel when it opened an investigation into the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

A Palestinian student from An-Najah University holds a picture of Shireen Abu Akleh during a protest in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Nov. 6. 

A Palestinian from An-Najah University holds a picture of Shireen Abu Akleh during a protest in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Nov. 6. Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed during ongoing coalition talks to commit to passing a law that would allow the government to bypass Supreme Court rulings, according to the incoming coalition.

Why it matters: Such a law could significantly erode the court's independence and its ability to block laws or government decisions it deems unconstitutional or in violation of human rights. 

During the election campaign, members of Netanyahu’s Likud party and the leaders of other parties in his right-wing bloc said their first move after winning the election would be to pass a law allowing a majority of 61 lawmakers to bypass Supreme Court rulings. 

Now, ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right members of Netanyahu's bloc are insisting that a promise to pass the law be included in the coalition agreement that is currently being drafted.

Netanyahu didn't initially want to include the law in the agreement but has now agreed to mention it without going into details, the sources say. The main missing detail is how many votes would be enough to bypass the court — 61 or a higher threshold that would require opposition votes.

If only a majority is needed, such a law could dramatically undermine the relevance of the court and remove one of the biggest checks on the power of the ruling government, which already controls both the executive and legislative branches.

The Supreme Court would also have significantly less ability to intervene when it feels the rights of minorities or human rights more generally are being violated.

U.S. officials say the Biden administration has been watching the public discourse about the proposed law and studying the issue and the impact it could have on Israel’s democratic institutions.

The White House and the State Department declined to comment.

Breaking it down: The major factions in Netanyahu's bloc all have reasons to support such a law.

For radical right-wing parties, the law could allow the government to bypass court rulings blocking the confiscation of land owned by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank or other rulings regarding the human rights of Palestinians and the Arab minority in Israel.

Ultra-Orthodox parties could seek to bypass rulings on military service for ultra-Orthodox Israelis or their autonomous ultra-Orthodox education system.

For Netanyahu, such a law could potentially give him more leeway to pass laws and make decisions concerning his own corruption trial. Netanyahu opposed attempts to weaken the Israeli judiciary in the past, but he has been attacking the police, prosecution and the courts since he came under criminal investigation.

Between the lines: Some supporters of the law claim the Supreme Court has become too powerful relative to the elected government, though the court has only struck down 22 laws since Israel was founded.

Inside Netanyahu bloc's push to curb power of Israel's Supreme Court

The right-wing bloc wants to pass a law  that would allow the government to bypass Supreme Court rulings.

Photo: Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images

While visiting Israel last week, CIA director Bill Burns told Prime Minister Naftali Bennett the U.S. was concerned about Chinese investments in Israel, particularly in the tech sector, and involvement in major infrastructure projects, Israeli officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: That's the highest level at which the Biden administration has raised an issue that previously became a rare point of contention between the Trump and Netanyahu governments.

The Trump administration had warned that further Chinese involvement in big infrastructure projects, like the new port in Haifa, could damage the U.S.-Israel security relationship. 

But the Netanyahu government had made a priority of deepening ties with China and dragged its feet on the issue, despite pledging to change course.

Bennett told Burns that Israel understands the U.S. concerns and shares some of them. 

As an example, he mentioned recent press reports about a wide-ranging Chinese cyberattack against Israeli tech companies two years ago, Israeli officials said.

What they're saying: "In recent months, we started a dialogue with the Biden administration on China. The U.S. asked about specific projects like the Chinese involvement in the Tel Aviv metro. We told the Americans we welcome U.S. infrastructure companies to work on big projects in Israel but they don’t apply to the tenders," a senior Israeli official told me.

Scoop: CIA director raised China concerns with Israeli prime minister

It's the highest level at which the Biden administration has raised the issue.

Israel

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Scoop: CIA director raised China concerns with Israeli prime minister

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