Israeli PM’s Ultranationalist Ally Quits as Deputy Minister

Avi Maoz head of the far right religious party, Noam, attends a session at the plenum at the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem December 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Avi Maoz head of the far right religious party, Noam, attends a session at the plenum at the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem December 28, 2022. (Reuters)
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Israeli PM’s Ultranationalist Ally Quits as Deputy Minister

Avi Maoz head of the far right religious party, Noam, attends a session at the plenum at the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem December 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Avi Maoz head of the far right religious party, Noam, attends a session at the plenum at the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem December 28, 2022. (Reuters)

An ultranationalist ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tendered his resignation as a deputy minister in the new government.

Avi Maoz's departure was the first crack in Netanyahu's ruling coalition, which assumed office in late December after securing a parliamentary majority in the November elections.

Maoz, the head of a small ultranationalist faction known for disparaging remarks about non-Orthodox Jews, said he would step down as a deputy minister, but would continue to vote with the coalition in parliament. Netanyahu's ruling coalition holds 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

The Noam faction leader wrote in a letter to Netanyahu on Monday that he “found that there is no serious intention to uphold the coalition agreement” concerning an office to bolster Jewish identity among Israelis.

Maoz is a Jewish fundamentalist and West Bank settler who is an outspoken opponent to women serving in the military. He has voiced opposition to Arabs teaching Jewish students in Israeli schools. He has denied the legitimacy of non-Orthodox Judaism, including the Reform and Conservative movements, which are marginal in Israel but dominant in the US and have long provided the country with financial and diplomatic support.

Maoz’s Noam faction ran in the last elections on a joint ticket with Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, which won 14 seats in the Knesset, making it the third-largest faction.

Netanyahu and his allies are advancing a series of bills that aim to weaken the Supreme Court and give politicians greater power over judicial appointments. Opponents to the judicial overhaul say the proposed changes threaten Israel’s democratic institutions and will concentrate power in the hands of the government. They've assembled weekly for mass protests.

“I will continue, God willing, as a member of the coalition” and support the “very important” judicial overhaul, Maoz wrote.



Azerbaijan Says Armenia Fired on It, Yerevan Denies the Claim

A view through a car window shows a damaged entrance sign of Stepanakert city, known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan, following a military operation conducted by Azeri armed forces and a further mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, October 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A view through a car window shows a damaged entrance sign of Stepanakert city, known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan, following a military operation conducted by Azeri armed forces and a further mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, October 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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Azerbaijan Says Armenia Fired on It, Yerevan Denies the Claim

A view through a car window shows a damaged entrance sign of Stepanakert city, known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan, following a military operation conducted by Azeri armed forces and a further mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, October 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A view through a car window shows a damaged entrance sign of Stepanakert city, known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan, following a military operation conducted by Azeri armed forces and a further mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, October 2, 2023. (Reuters)

Azerbaijan on Sunday accused Armenian forces of shooting at Azerbaijani positions from the southern Syunik province of Armenia, a claim Yerevan dismissed as untrue.

Azerbaijan's defense ministry said in a statement that Armenian forces had opened fire with small arms on Sunday morning from the Goris area. It gave no further details.

Armenia's defense ministry said the statement from Azerbaijan was untrue.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the situation in the area.

Baku and Yerevan said on Thursday that they had agreed the text of a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict between the South Caucasus countries, a sudden breakthrough in a fitful and often bitter peace process.