JERUSALEM: The head of Israel’s domestic intelligence service, Ronen Bar, has announced his resignation and will step down on June 15, Israeli media reported late on Monday, six weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to oust the security chief.
The Shin Bet, which handles counter-terrorism investigations, has been at the center of a growing political battle pitting Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government against an array of critics ranging from members of the security establishment to families of hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu said on March 16 that he had long ago lost confidence in Bar and that trust in the head of the domestic security service, whose roles include counter-terrorism and security for government officials, was especially crucial at a time of war.
The Supreme Court later temporarily froze the government’s bid to sack Bar, who claimed that Netanyahu wanted to fire him after he refused to fulfill requests that included spying on Israeli protesters and disrupting the leader’s corruption trial.
Netanyahu, in response to the accusations, accused Bar of lying.
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Israel’s Shin Bet chief announces resignation, to step down June 15, Israeli media reports
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Israel’s Shin Bet chief announces resignation, to step down June 15, Israeli media reports
- Shin Bet has been at the center of a growing political battle pitting Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government against an array of critics
In first Christmas sermon, Pope Leo decries conditions for Palestinians in Gaza
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.
“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he asked.
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
But the new pope has also lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of intense bombardment and military operations, but humanitarian agencies say there is still too little aid getting into Gaza, where nearly the entire population is homeless.
In Thursday’s service with thousands in St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo also lamented conditions for the homeless across the globe and the destruction caused by the wars roiling the world.
“Fragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” said the pope.
“Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths,” he said.
Later on Thursday the pope will deliver a twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing, which usually addresses global conflicts.
Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.
“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he asked.
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
But the new pope has also lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of intense bombardment and military operations, but humanitarian agencies say there is still too little aid getting into Gaza, where nearly the entire population is homeless.
In Thursday’s service with thousands in St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo also lamented conditions for the homeless across the globe and the destruction caused by the wars roiling the world.
“Fragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” said the pope.
“Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths,” he said.
Later on Thursday the pope will deliver a twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing, which usually addresses global conflicts.
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