On Monday, Israel’s Supreme Court struck down a key to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial overhaul, a move that threatens to reopen fissures in Israeli society that preceded the country’s ongoing war against Hamas.
Those divisions were largely been put aside while the country focuses on the war, which was triggered by a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas. Monday’s court decision could reignite those tensions, which sparked months of mass protests against the government and had rattled the cohesion of the powerful military.
There is no immediate reaction from Netanyahu.
In an 8-7 majority resolution on Monday, the court narrowly voted to strike down a law passed in July that prevents judges from striking down rulings they deem “unreasonable. “
Opponents had argued that Netanyahu’s efforts to weed out reasonableness opened the door to corruption and the irrelevant appointment of unqualified cronies to vital positions.
The law was the first in the planned overhaul of the justice system.
The overhaul was put on hold after Hamas militants carried out their Oct. 7 attack, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 others.
Israel has declared war and is carrying out an offensive that Palestinian health officials say has killed an estimated 22,000 more people in Gaza.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy revered his people’s resilience in times of bloodshed in a long, lyrical New Year’s address, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin underscored his country’s unity in a short, stern message that made a passing reference to the war.
The speeches — the classic Dec. 31 messages in Russia and Ukraine — come as the two countries mark the end of the year with a buildup of airstrikes on each other’s territories. But neither aspect can point to any major achievements on the front lines in 2023.
“The major result of the year, its main achievement: Ukraine has become stronger,” Zelenskiy said in a televised address interspersed with footage of cities under attack and meetings with leaders of Ukraine’s Western allies.
Mentioning the “war” 14 times in his 20-minute message, Zelenskiy also promised, as he did a year ago, that a relaxed Ukraine would prevail.
“No matter how many rockets the enemy launches, no matter how many shellings and attacks – vile, merciless, massive – the enemy carries out in an attempt to break Ukrainians, intimidate, knock Ukraine down, drive it underground, we will still rise,” he said, dressed in his trademark khaki outfit.
The comments by Putin, who faces elections in March, stand in stark contrast to Zelenskiy’s and also to his own speech last year, when he described the war as an almost existential struggle.
This year, he referred to Russian infantrymen as “our heroes,” but mentioned Ukraine through calls or referred to the “army’s special operation,” his term for the war that sparked his invasion in February 2022.
“We have shown more than once that we can solve the most difficult disorders and that we will never back down, because no force can divide us,” Putin said in a four-minute speech, dressed in a red suit and tie. backdrop to the Kremlin walls.
“We are one country, one family. “
The war, the deadliest confrontation in Europe since World War II, is nearing its second anniversary and there is no end in sight. Thousands of people have died, millions of Ukrainians have been displaced, and countless cities have been reduced to rubble. .
Neither Putin nor Zelenskiy referred to the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line where Kyiv’s counteroffensive has met little luck and where Moscow has continued its recent but slow maximum offensive along the eastern flank, aimed at seizing more Ukrainian territory.
And while Zelenskiy has spoken of around 6,000 air strike alerts in Ukraine over the past year, Putin has made no mention of strikes, not even one that Russia says Ukraine has carried out in recent days in Belgorod, killing at least 24 civilians.
Both spoke of the strength of their countries and their people, with Putin saying the future common effort will make Russia and its people stronger and Zelenskiy saying the war had already showed the strength of Ukrainians.
“And just like last Dec. 31, today we say, ‘We don’t know for sure what the new year will bring us,'” Zelenskiy said. “But this year we can add, ‘No matter what he brings, we’re going to be stronger. ‘”
Tens of thousands of people marched in Istanbul on Monday to protest Israel’s “murderous” war in Gaza and the killing of Turkish infantrymen by illegal Kurdish militants in Iraq.
The rally, called through a base that counts President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son Bilal Erdogan among its members, began after crowds held morning prayers at Istanbul’s iconic mosques, including the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Demonstrators waving Turkish and Palestinian flags gathered on the Galata bridge over the Bosphorus, chanting, “Murderous Israel, get out of Palestine” and “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater).
Tens of thousands of people took part in the “Mercy for our martyrs and curse on Israel” rally, the official Anadolu news agency reported.
Erdogan has criticized Israel for the scale of death and destruction caused by its reaction to Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border attack on Oct. 7.
He accused Israel of “state terrorism” and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “no different” from Adolf Hitler.
The war in Gaza, which has lasted for up to three months, erupted with Hamas’ bloody attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed some 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The fighters also took 250 other people hostage that day, most of whom remain in Gaza, according to Israeli officials.
In response, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, launching a punitive offensive in the Gaza Strip that has reduced huge spaces to wasteland and killed at least 21,822 people, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry. Of the territory.
The Israeli military says 172 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza as the war shows no signs of stopping.
The Turkish military said 12 infantrymen were killed in late December in two separate attacks carried out by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
Türkiye carries out ground and air operations in northern Iraq against the positions of the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.
A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Monday, killing at least one person, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground.
The quake, with an initial magnitude of 7. 6, triggered waves of about 1 meter along the western coast of Japan and neighboring South Korea, and the government said larger waves could follow.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued tsunami warnings for Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama prefectures. First, a primary tsunami warning, the first since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan, was issued for Ishikawa, but it was later reduced. .
Russia and North Korea issued tsunami warnings in some areas.
Houses have been destroyed, fires have caused damage and infantrymen have been sent in with rescue operations, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, adding that the government is still assessing the damage.
An elderly man was pronounced dead after a construction collapse in the town of Shika in Ishikawa, NTV TV reported citing local police.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he had asked search and rescue groups to do everything imaginable to save lives, even though access to earthquake-hit areas is difficult due to roads. blocked.
Even more powerful earthquakes could strike in the coming days, where seismic activity has been burning for more than three years, said Toshihiro Shimoyama, director of the JMA.
In comments to reporters shortly after the quake, Kishida also warned citizens to prepare for other disasters.
“I urge other people in spaces where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible,” Kishida said.
“Tsunami! Evacuate!” A bright yellow warning appeared on television screens, warning citizens in certain areas of the coast to immediately evacuate their homes.
Images broadcast through local media showed a building collapsing in a column of dust in the city of Suzu and a huge crack in a road in Wajima where panicked parents hugged their children.
There are reports that at least 30 buildings have collapsed in Wajima, a city of about 30,000 people known for its lacquerware, and a main fire has devastated several buildings.
The quake also jolted buildings in the capital Tokyo, some 500 km from Wajima on the opposite coast.
More than 36,000 homes were without power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, where temperatures are expected to drop to near-freezing levels overnight, according to app provider Hokuriku Electric Power. Telecom operators have also reported telephone outages and in some spaces.
Forty train lines and two high-speed rail services to the quake-hit area halted operations, while six expressways were closed and one of Ishikawa’s airports was forced to shut due to a crack in the runway, transport authorities said.
Japan’s ANA has returned planes to Toyama and Ishikawa airports, while Japan Airlines has canceled most of its flights to the Niigata and Ishikawa regions.
nuclear power station
The quake comes at a sensitive time for Japan’s nuclear industry, which has faced fierce opposition from some locals since a 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima. Nearly 20,000 people were killed and whole towns devastated in the disaster.
Last week, Japan lifted a ban on operating the global nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which has been out of commission since the 2011 tsunami.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority said no irregularities have been shown at nuclear plants along the Sea of Japan, nor at five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui prefecture.
The Shika plant at Hokuriku in Ishikawa, the nuclear plant closest to the quake’s epicenter, had already shut down its two reactors before the quake for regular inspections and found no effects from the quake, the company said.
Monday’s earthquake occurred on the January 1 holiday, when millions of Japanese historically stop by temples to celebrate the new year.
In Kanazawa, a tourist destination in Ishikawa, photographs showed the remains of a damaged stone gate strewn in front of a shrine as devotees looked on worriedly.
Ayako Daikai, a Kanazawa resident, said she was evacuated to a nearby school shortly after the quake with her husband and two children. Classrooms, stairwells, hallways and the gymnasium were full of evacuees, he said.
“We still don’t know when to go home,” he told Reuters by telephone.
The surprise was also felt by tourists who flocked to Japan’s mountainous region of Nagano for the start of the snow sports season.
Johnny Wu, a 50-year-old Taiwanese snowboarder, was waiting for a round trip to his hotel in the city of Hakuba when the quake struck, rattling windows and rattling snow from rooftops and power lines.
“Everyone panicked at that point. I’m doing a little bit more because I’m from Taiwan, so I’ve been through a lot. But. . . (I’m) worried that (the earthquake) will get worse. ” he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulations with US President Joe Biden on the 45th anniversary of the status quo of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Xi, in his message, said both countries have “weathered the storms and moved forward in general”, which has enhanced the well-being of their peoples and contributed to world peace, stability and prosperity, according to the ministry statement.
Xi called the status quo of China-U. S. relations”an important event” in the history of bilateral and foreign relations.
U. S. -China relations are frosty, however, Biden administration officials traveled to Beijing and met with their counterparts to rebuild communications and accept them in the months leading up to the high-stakes Xi-Biden summit in San Francisco in November. as an opportunity to defuse tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Xi said the summit showed direction between the two countries as a component of a vision for the future.
“I stand ready to work with President Biden to continue to lead and manage China-U. S. for the interests of China, the United States and the two peoples, and to advance the cause of peace and progress in the world,” Xi said.
The US is due its presidential election in November, in which former president and outspoken critic of China Donald Trump is campaigning against Biden to come back for a second term.
New Year’s wishes
Xi exchanged New Year messages with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and both announced that 2024 would be a “year of friendship” for the two countries, launching a series of activities in that regard, China’s Foreign Ministry said separately. .
Xi said China is willing to work with North Korea to deepen strategic mutual trust, exchanges and cooperation, promote closer bilateral ties and make new contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the region.
On New Year’s Eve, the Chinese leader also exchanged greetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the status quo of diplomatic relations between China and Russia.
Russia’s economic dependence on China has increased as the country becomes isolated, hit by sanctions imposed by Western countries since their invasion of Ukraine, a war that will enter its third year in February.
Xi said China and Russia are “continuously consolidating” and expanding ties “characterized by permanent good-neighborly friendship” as well as comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually favorable cooperation that would serve the interests of the two countries.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong, who defeated Republic of China forces led by Chiang Kai-shek in a bloody civil war.
Mao declared the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, while Chiang’s government went into exile in Taiwan in December of that year. No peace treaty was ever signed to end the war, and the Republic of China remains Taiwan’s official appellation.
Xi said in his New Year’s speech on Sunday that China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable, striking a more potent tone than the previous year, less than two weeks before the democratically ruled island chooses a new leader.
Russia introduced a record 90 Shahed-type drones over Ukraine at the start of the new year, Ukraine’s air force said on Monday, while Russia also reported Ukrainian strikes.
A 15-year-old boy was killed and seven other people were injured when debris fell from one of 87 downed drones that hit a residential building in the city of Odesa, the head of the region’s military administration, Oleh Kiper, said. It sparked a series of small fires, which added to the city’s harbor.
In the western city of Lviv, Russian strikes have seriously damaged a museum dedicated to Roman Shukhevych, a questionable Ukrainian nationalist and army commander who fought for Ukrainian independence in World War II. University buildings in the city of Dubliany were also destroyed, but there were no casualties. Reported.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on social media that the strike is “symbolic and cynical,” adding: “This is a war for our history. “
Meanwhile, four more people were killed and thirteen others injured as a result of Ukrainian shelling of Russian-occupied areas in Donetsk, according to the region’s Russian-installed leader, Denis Pushilin. Russian state media said a journalist was among the dead, with no additional details yet to be provided.
One person was also killed and another wounded in shelling on the Russian border town of Shebekino, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The airstrikes add to a series of intense aerial bombardments that began Friday, when Russia unleashed an 18-hour attack that an air force official described as the largest airlock of the war.
At least 49 other people were killed in the shelling, and rescuers in Kyiv reported Monday that they had recovered at least eight more bodies from under the rubble.
Shelling blamed on Ukraine in the middle of the Russian border town of Belgorod killed 21 people, in addition to three children, local officials said.
The chief of operations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has made contradictory statements about Tehran’s ties to regional factions.
Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani said resistance teams across the Middle East had their own independent arrangements, saying the Iraqi resistance would release operations opposed to the United States if it continued its activities in Iraq.
Qaani said at a commemoration of Hossein Pourjafari, a close associate of Qassem Soleimani, that “resistance” teams across the Middle East have independent and individual structures.
“Palestinian resistance began its work with its preparation and the plan it had set,” Qaani said.
Last week, the IRGC recanted, through its spokesperson, that the operation to flood Al Aqsa in the Gaza Strip was an act of retaliation for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force.
Hamas temporarily rejected the spokesperson’s statements, highlighting that all his moves were “a reaction to the presence of the profession and its continued aggression against our other towns and holy places. “
Subsequently, the Revolutionary Guards media issued a report indicating a partial revision of the spokesperson’s statement, stating that the Al Aqsa floods were an “exclusively Palestinian operation. “
The update is attributed to a “misunderstanding” of the spokesperson’s previous statements.
– Mousavi’s project in Syria
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the killing of Reza Mousavi would diminish Iran’s goals of ensuring maximum regional security.
IRGC-affiliated news firm Tasnim reported that Amirabdollahian said he had been in contact with Mousavi during his visits to Syria.
Amirabdollahian pointed out that the assassination of Mousavi was evidence of Israel’s failure during the past eighty days at the hands of the resistance in Gaza.
Earlier, IRGC commander Hussein Salami vowed to “eliminate” Israel in retaliation for Mousavi’s assassination, saying, “Palestinian fighters will erase the geographical and political call of this evil regime,” Reuters reported on Thursday.
Last Monday, the IRGC adviser was killed in an Israeli air strike in Syria in the Sayyida Zeinab area near Damascus, which heightened fears of additional regional escalation amid the war in the Gaza Strip.
Mousavi was reported to have helped monitor the delivery of missiles and other weapons to Iranian-backed militias in the region since fighting began in the Gaza Strip, according to a New York Times report.
Since the killing of Qassem Soleimani in a US raid in Baghdad in 2020, Iranian officials issued statements threatening “response and revenge,” but Tehran appears to be adhering to the rules of engagement.
Observers see the Iranian government’s execution of four “saboteurs” linked to Israel’s Mossad intelligence service as part of the reaction to the killing of the supply chief.
Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency reported that “four members of a sabotage linked to the Zionist regime. . . were executed this morning as a result of legal proceedings,” accusing them of “far-reaching” actions. guided through Mossad officers, targeted to Iran’s security.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Sunday that he had made transparent a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian that Iran shared a duty to prevent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
US Navy helicopters sank 3 of 4 small boats used by the Houthis to attack a merchant ship in the southern Red Sea on Sunday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in X.
Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely, responding to emergency calls from Maersk Hangzhou, returned fire on the Houthi ships in self-defense and sank three of the ships with no survivors.
The fourth ship fled.