The White House issued a statement on July 24 saying it was disappointed that Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, voted that day to approve a highly controversial bill—backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his governing coalition—that reduces the power of its Supreme Court to challenge parliamentary decisions. The bill is part of a broader package…

JERUSALEM—Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to reshape the country’s justice system despite massive protests that have exposed unprecedented fissures in Israeli society. The vote came after a stormy session in which opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” and then stormed out of the chamber. The vote reflected…

Israel’s parliament on July 24 approved a law that limits the Israeli Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions. The law includes a provision that prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “extremely unreasonable.” The law taking effect would mean the Supreme Court would not be able to review decisions, such…

ISLAMABAD—Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan killed at least 31 people and left dozens missing over the past three days, while in neighboring Pakistan 13 people died due to heavy rains and landslides. Shafiullah Rahimi, the ruling Taliban’s appointed spokesman for Afghanistan’s State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management, said Sunday that at least 31…

JERUSALEM—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was recovering in a hospital on Sunday after an emergency heart procedure, as tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of his government’s judicial overhaul plan held rival rallies ahead of a key vote. Mr. Netanyahu’s sudden hospitalization for the implant of a pacemaker added another dizzying twist to an…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared on Sunday that he will undergo an emergency procedure to receive a pacemaker. A pacemaker sends electrical pulses to the heart to increase or maintain a person’s heartbeat within the normal range, to allow the heart to pump blood at a normal rate inside the body. The medical device…

“This is the new technology of speech in America: You can dial people all the way up to ‘everybody sees it,’ and you can dial someone else down to ‘it’s almost impossible to see them.’ And that is extremely dangerous, and it’s especially dangerous if it’s done in secret and nobody knows exactly how it…

“This is the new technology of speech in America: You can dial people all the way up to ‘everybody sees it,’ and you can dial someone else down to ‘it’s almost impossible to see them.’ And that is extremely dangerous, and it’s especially dangerous if it’s done in secret and nobody knows exactly how it…

HAIFA, Israel—A rally was held in front of the Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv on July 20 to call for an end to the 24-year persecution of Falun Gong in China. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that teaches the values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance along with five slow-moving meditative…

“This is the new technology of speech in America: You can dial people all the way up to ‘everybody sees it,’ and you can dial someone else down to ‘it’s almost impossible to see them.’ And that is extremely dangerous, and it’s especially dangerous if it’s done in secret and nobody knows exactly how it…