The official Palestinian news agency "Wafa" reported that on Tuesday dozens of "settlers" who came from the Maghreb Gate under Israeli police security "invaded" the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In reality, it was a group of roughly two dozen Orthodox Jews who peacefully and according to videos, quietly toured the compound.
Amid the nationwide protests taking place in Israel against the legislation to end major significance to the “Reasonableness Clause”, Israeli Supreme Court Justices were recorded bickering about the meaning of the legislation. In the ruling handed down Monday in the petition of Prime Minister Netanyahu who demanded to order the opening of an investigation into the leaking of investigative materials in the cases against him, this rare harsh exchange between judges took place.
In the days when Israel is in turmoil over the vote on the cancellation of the “Reasonableness Clause”, some right-wing activists continue to push other agendas. As part of the settlement leaders' in Judea and Samaria’s desire to initiate a move to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley, the members of the "Sovereignty" movement formulated an actual plan that brings legal, security, and settlement solutions to the contested region.
There was an unusual turn of events amidst the growing number of 'letters-of-refusal' to show up for Israel Defense Forces reserves in protest of the Judicial Reform push by the governing coalition. The turn came in the form of a letter penned by reservists for what is arguably, the most elite unit in the Israeli Army, Sayeret Matkal. The group's letter was a reversal of the trend of these letters and openly came out against the calls to refuse military service as a means of protest. A key element of the letter said: "If, God forbid, a manpower shortage arises in the Unit, we are prepared to contribute as many additional reserve days as are necessary—in training, selection, operational and supporting activity."
A survey by the Israel Democracy Institute that examined key positions of the public regarding the protests against the judicial reform shows that less than a quarter of the participants reported that they participated in the protest compared to 77% who reported that they did not participate.