The Israeli High Court of Justice on Thursday decided to postpone making a decision regarding the fate of 21 Eritrean migrants currently stuck between border fences on the Israel-Egypt border. Noting the state's claim that IDF soldiers were supplying the migrants with food, water and medical attention, when necessary, the court put off making a decision until Sunday.
Russia on Thursday warned Israel and other nations not to attack Iran over its nuclear program, saying the use of force would be disastrous for the Middle East and have consequences far beyond the region, the Interfax news agency reported.
According to a compromise agreement obtained by Haaretz on Thursday, the State of Israel will compensate the family of a Palestinian who was left to die by Israeli police officers by the side of the road four years ago.
The Tel Aviv municipality has begun impounding bicycles deemed to disrupt pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Under new rules drafted in response to residents' complaints about the confiscations, municipal inspectors will first have to attach a warning notice, and can only seize the bike 24 hours later. But the municipal opposition still objects, arguing that the city should instead erect additional bicycle racks.
In the wake of the recent increase in fuel prices in Israel, the cost of living in the Palestinian Authority has risen, sending thousands of Palestinians into the street to protest. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is footing the political bill, writes Haaretz analyst Avi Issacharoff, and may be forced to step down.
Meanwhile, early Thursday, dozens of Palestinian taxi drivers snarled traffic in several West Bank cities to protest rising fuel prices and the government's refusal to allow them to raise fares.
The Israel Defense Forces remains the public body most trusted by the Israeli public, winning the confidence of 85.2 percent of those polled by the Israel Democracy Institute in its annual public opinion survey, published on Wednesday. Next came the president, who is trusted by 78.6 percent of the people, and the Supreme Court, at 73.4 percent. At the bottom of the list are the political parties, which are trusted by only 34.1 percent of the public.
In the wake of recent anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, as well as controversy surrounding a court order deeming ritual circumcision illegal, a prominent German Jewish leader published a scathing article, asking whether or not Germany "still wants" its Jewish population.
