Category World News

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s residence in Tel Aviv has been surrounded by enraged crowds of Israelis protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a full pardon from corruption charges.

The protest on Sunday night occurred shortly after Netanyahu, 76, unsuccessfully sought pardon from the president during his long-running corruption trial.

At the protest outside Herzog’s private residence, opposition lawmakers, including Naama Lazimi, demanded that he reject the request and joined dozens of activists who were protesting the phrase “Pardon = Banana Republic.”

While others stood behind a large pile of bananas and a sign with the word “pardon” on it, one protester donned the role of Netanyahu in an orange prison-style jumpsuit.

Shikma Bressler, a well-known anti-government activist, demanded that his trial be completely canceled without taking any responsibility or reimbursing himself for how he destroyed this nation.

She continued, “Israelis are aware of what is at stake, and the future of our nation is invincible.”

The longest-serving prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases.

In one instance, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting from billionaires in exchange for political favors in exchange for more than $ 260, 000 worth of luxury goods, including cigars, jewelry, and champagne. In two other cases, he is accused of trying to negotiate more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets.

Netanyahu refutes the allegations, and his attorneys wrote to the president’s office in a 111-page letter that the prime minister still believed the legal proceedings would lead to a total acquittal.

Netanyahu stated in a brief video statement that he wanted to “see the process through,” but that “the national interest and political reality impose otherwise.”

He continued, “The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, causing fierce divisions, and aggravateing rifts.”

Herzog’s office confirmed that it had heard from Netanyahu.

This is a unique request that has significant implications. The president will take the request seriously and sincerely after receiving all relevant opinions,” it said.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) is looking into Netanyahu besides the domestic allegations. The ICC issued arrest warrants for former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the genocidal war in Gaza in November 2024.

Nearly 171,000 people have been injured in Israel’s war against Palestinians, including nearly 70 000 of whom are mostly women and children.

Netanyahu’s request for pardon comes just one week after Donald Trump retorted against Herzog during a speech to Israel’s parliament last month.

Trump also wrote to Herzog earlier this month, praising the corruption case as a “political, unjustified prosecution.”

In Israel, pardons typically only come after a defendant’s legal case is overturned and proven guilty. The request of Netanyahu sparked a backlash right away.

Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition, claimed that Netanyahu should not be pardoned without first renouncing his crimes, expressing regret, and abruptly stepping down from politics.

Former deputy commander of the military, Yair Golan, a member of the opposition, demanded resignation from the prime minister and pleaded with the president not to grant a pardon.

Golan said that “only the guilty seek pardon.”

A pardon of a prime minister accused of serious fraud and breach of trust, according to the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, would send a clear message that no one is above the law.

‘Liability’

Ami Dror, a protester, claimed the president’s job was to “protect Israeli democracy,” and that if law and order are destroyed, Israeli democracy might end.

In addition to the statements made by Coalition allies, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu’s request for a pardon was supported.

A corrupt judicial system, according to Smotrich, has been prosecuting Netanyahu for years, and Israel Katz, the defense minister, said a pardon would end the “deep rift that has accompanied Israeli society for almost a decade.

Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst for Al Jazeera who was based in Doha, described Netanyahu as a “liability for Israel.”

“Israel has honed its status as the Middle East’s unique democracy for decades. Yes, there are procedural democratic institutions in Israel, and even that has slowly and steadily slowed down under Netanyahu.

Bishara criticized Netanyahu’s “crusade” against Israel’s judiciary, including the Supreme Court, prior to the war’s end, noting that the actions had sparked widespread anti-government protests in Israel.

He therefore has a problem with liberal democracy, institutions, and legality. He led Israel into a genocidal war, which is the subject of international court of justice proceedings, according to Bishara, who has since been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

The man is a criminal, he says. He is a fugitive from abroad, and as a result, Israel’s economy won’t recover as a result. As long as he is prime minister, the analyst said, “Israel’s society will not heal, and the war will not end.”

According to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), sales of weapons and military services by the 100 largest global arms-producing companies reached a record $ 679 billion in 2024.

In a report released on Monday, the organization reported that the organizations’ revenues from the sales of military goods and services to customers both domestically and abroad increased by 5.9% in response to the conflict in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as global and regional geopolitical tensions and ever-higher military spending.

Companies with headquarters in Europe and the United States contributed the most to the global rise, but there were annual increases in all other countries, with the exception of Asia and Oceania, where issues with the Chinese arms industry slowed the overall total.

The top 100 arms companies in the US saw a combined increase of 3.8 percent in 2024, with 30 of the 39 US companies in the top 100 increasing their revenues, with General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin leading the pack.

However, SIPRI reported that major projects like the F-35 fighter jet, the Columbia and Virginia-class submarines, and the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are still plagued by widespread delays and budget overruns.

After its arms revenues more than doubled between 2023 and 2023, SpaceX’s shares of the top global military manufacturers were first added to the list.

26 arms companies with headquarters in Europe, excluding Russia, made up the top 100, and 23 of them saw increases in sales of weapons and equipment. Their overall arms revenues increased by 13 percent to $ 151 billion.

Czech company Czechoslovak Group, which increased revenues by 193 percent to $3.6 billion through the production of Ukrainian artillery shells, saw the highest percentage increase in arms revenues of any top 100 company in 2024.

The country’s JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry increased its arms revenues by 41%, or $ 3 billion, as Ukraine fights an ongoing Russian offensive in its eastern regions.

According to the SIPRI report, European arms companies have been investing in new production capacity to compete with Russia, but it was cautioned that sourcing materials could pose a “growing challenge” as China also tightens export controls.

Rostec and United Shipbuilding Corporation, the only two Russian arms companies in the top three, both increased their combined arms revenues by 23 percent to $ 31.2% despite being subject to sanctions from the West for the Ukraine war.

After a 1.2 percent decline from 2023, Asian and Oceania-based weapons manufacturers still had $ 130 billion in revenues last year.

The eight Chinese arms companies in the ranking each had a combined 10% decline in their respective arms revenues, most notably NORINCO, China’s top land system producer, whose arms revenues dropped by 31 percent.

According to Nan Tian, Director of the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme, “a number of corruption allegations in Chinese arms procurement led to major arms contracts being delayed or cancelled in 2024.” This raises questions about China’s military modernization efforts and when new capabilities will be developed.

In response to the persistent hostility between Taiwan and North Korea, sales of Japanese and South Korean arms increased thanks to strong customer demand from domestic as well as international customers.

Four South Korean producers saw a 31 percent increase in revenue, while five Japanese companies in the ranking increased their combined arms revenues by 40 percent to $ 13.3 billion. Hanwha Group, South Korea’s largest arms producer, saw a 42 percent increase in 2024, with more than half of it coming from arms exports.

The genocide in Gaza is profited by Israel.

Nine of the top 100 arms companies had their headquarters in the Middle East for the first time, according to SIPRI. In 2024, the nine businesses generated a combined $31 billion in revenue, showing a 14% regional increase.

The United Arab Emirates’ regional figure is excluded from Emirati-based EDGE Group because there is no information on revenue data for 2023, as the country continues to face international accusations that it helped to fund the devastating war in Sudan. The accusations are refuted by the UAE.

In light of the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, which has killed nearly 70 000 Palestinians and destroyed the majority of the besieged enclave, the three Israeli arms companies in the ranking increased their combined arms revenues by 16 percent to $ 16.2 billion.

Elbit Systems made $6.28 billion in profits, followed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which made $4.7 billion, and Israel Aerospace Industries, which made $5.19 billion.

Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles and counter-drone systems are now in demand, according to SIPRI. After Iran launched extensive retaliatory strikes against Israel in April and October of that year, which used ballistic missiles and drones, Rafael’s stock increased in response to the company’s air defense systems.

Another record-setting number of Turkish businesses were in the top 100. Their combined arms revenues reached $ 10.1 billion, which is an 11 percent increase.

In 2024, Baykar, which exports advanced drones most recently to Ukraine, saw a 95 percent of its $1.9 billion in arms revenue come from exports to other nations.