Israel’s Parliament to Vote on Ratifying Supreme Court Bill Next Week 

Demonstrators sit in water cannon spray fired by Israeli riot police during a protest against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on July 18, 2023. (AFP)
Demonstrators sit in water cannon spray fired by Israeli riot police during a protest against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on July 18, 2023. (AFP)
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Israel’s Parliament to Vote on Ratifying Supreme Court Bill Next Week 

Demonstrators sit in water cannon spray fired by Israeli riot police during a protest against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on July 18, 2023. (AFP)
Demonstrators sit in water cannon spray fired by Israeli riot police during a protest against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on July 18, 2023. (AFP)

Israel's parliament will hold final votes next week on a highly-disputed bill that would limit the Supreme Court's power, according to a Knesset statement on Wednesday.

The proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition has sparked mass-protests nationwide and concern among foreign allies for Israel's democratic health.

Netanyahu has sought sweeping changes to the judiciary since returning to power late last year atop a religious-nationalist government. Since the uproar, many of them have been delayed.

The bill scheduled for discussion and ratification on Sunday and Monday would curb the Supreme Court's ability to void government and minister decisions or appointments by stripping the judges of the power to deem such decisions "unreasonable."

Proponents of the change say the Supreme Court has become too interventionist and that the change will facilitate effective governance.

Opponents say it will weaken the Supreme Court, which in a country that has no constitution and a one-chamber parliament that is dominated by the government - has a critical role in protecting civil rights and liberties.

Washington has urged Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges he denies, to seek consensus on judicial reforms.



Iran Says 2025 ‘Important Year’ for Nuclear Issue

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks as he meets with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks as he meets with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Iran Says 2025 ‘Important Year’ for Nuclear Issue

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks as he meets with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks as he meets with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2024. (Reuters)

Iran, bracing for a possible re-imposition of incoming US president Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" policy, said on Saturday that 2025 would be an important year for its nuclear issue.

Trump in 2018 reneged on a deal struck by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015 in which Iran agreed to curb uranium enrichment, which can yield material for nuclear weapons, in return for the relaxation of US and UN economic sanctions.

"2025 will be an important year regarding Iran's nuclear issue," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters in Beijing, adding in remarks aired by Iran's state TV that he had discussed the issue in talks with his Chinese counterpart.

He did not mention Trump by name, however, or spell out how the year might be significant.

Iranian leaders' main concern may be that Trump could empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran's nuclear sites, while further tightening US sanctions on its crucial oil industry.

The Iranian rial on Saturday hit a new all-time low against the US dollar amid uncertainty about Trump's arrival in the White House on Jan. 20.

The rial plunged to 820,500 to the dollar on the unofficial market, compared to 808,500 rials on Friday, according to Bonbast.com, which reports exchange rates. The bazar360.com website also said the dollar was being sold for about 820,500 rials.

Also facing an inflation rate officially put at about 35%, Iranians seeking to shelter their savings have been buying dollars, other hard currencies, gold or cryptocurrencies, and the rial has dropped about 18% in all since Trump was elected in November.