Middle East

As Israelis protest authoritarianism, Palestinians say their fight remains ignored

5:52pm April 02, 2023

Scott Detrow talks to Sami Abu Shehadeh, a Palestinian former member of Israeli's Parliament, about how Palestinians are viewing the massive protests against the government's planned judicial reforms.

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Politics & Government

Biden expresses concern for Israel judicial overhaul plan

5:52pm April 02, 2023

NPR correspondents in Jerusalem and at the White House take stock after President Biden spoke out against controversial judicial reform proposals in Israel.

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World News

Six months after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, Iranians are still protesting

10:07am April 02, 2023

by Peter Kenyon

Iranian protesters talk about the state of their movement now as they continue to demand sweeping changes in the country's strict laws governing their lives.

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Israeli police close a path leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after shots were fired on Saturday in the Old City of Jerusalem.

World News

Israeli police shoot and kill a man at Jerusalem's holiest site

6:05pm April 01, 2023

by The Associated Press

The slain man was 26-year-old Mohammed Alasibi from Hura, a Bedouin Arab village in southern Israel. The shooting raises fears of further violence during heightened tensions at the holy site.

World News

Israel's lack of a constitution makes an independent judiciary crucial for democracy

9:45am April 01, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to former Knesset member Michal Cotler Wunsh, about the state of Israeli democracy in the wake of an attempted judicial overhaul, resulting in massive protests there.

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How do Palestinians feel about a proposal to weaken Israel's courts?

5:08am March 30, 2023

NPR's Michel Martin talks to human rights attorney Sawsan Zaher about how Palestinian and Arab Israelis are reacting to the conservative government's proposed judicial overhaul.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and then-Vice President Biden talk prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2016. President Biden spoke Sunday, with Netanyahu to "express concern" over his government's planned judicial overhaul that has sparked widespread protests across Israel and to encourage compromise.

A non-invite, a mind-your-own-business response — Biden and Netanyahu tensions rise

5:09pm March 29, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

The Israeli prime minister is pushing back on U.S. warnings against his coalition taking steps that critics say will undermine judicial independence and democracy.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert attends a demonstration against the Israeli government's controversial judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on March 1.

World News

Israel's former leader says Netanyahu should either reform his coalition or resign

1:19pm March 28, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the government's choice to delay a vote on a controversial judicial overhaul amounts to a temporary compromise. He tells NPR what he'd like to see next.

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Benjamin Netanyahu pauses his plan to weaken Israel's court system

7:53am March 28, 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed his plan to implement changes that would weaken the judiciary after opposition to the plan caused widespread, disruptive protests.

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National

Morning news brief

6:06am March 28, 2023

Three students and three adults were killed in a school shooting in Nashville, Tenn. Israel delays plans for a judicial overhaul. A U.S. Senate panel examines what went wrong at Silicon Valley Bank.

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