💧News of the Crisis💧June 30, 2025
In a striking display of political maneuvering, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again found a way to avoid cross-examination in his ongoing trial. Monday’s scheduled testimony was bypassed with backing from high-profile figures including former U.S. President Donald Trump and the heads of Aman and Mossad. The intelligence officials claimed Netanyahu was preoccupied with critical matters of defense and national security—an argument aimed at convincing the judiciary to grant him leeway to continue governing without interruption.
Yet instead of being in court, Netanyahu was seen at the police academy in Beit Shemesh, engaging in a public relations visit alongside National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The visit, prominently featured on Otzma Yehudit’s Instagram account, showed Netanyahu shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, and even jokingly thanking the Chief of Police with, “Thank you for feeding me.” Critics argue the event was a calculated attempt to influence public sentiment and reshape the optics surrounding both his trial and his leadership.
Adding to the frustration among legal observers and political opponents is the fact that Netanyahu has faced no consequences for violating his sworn claim for no conflict of interest. Ahead of the 2021 elections, when challenged on how he would juggle his legal battles with leading the country, he boasted: “What I do in one hour, my opponents don’t accomplish in a decade or a lifetime… I’m definitely doing this with one hand tied behind my back.”
Now, a coordinated narrative appears to be emerging from those closest to him—one that seeks to distance Netanyahu from any accountability for the failures surrounding October 7. A key voice in this effort is longtime confidant Natan Eshel, who despite being sidelined from official roles following sexual misconduct allegations, remains deeply influential. In a recent interview with The Times of Israel, Eshel declared, “The failure and disaster of October 7 won’t come up at all in the next elections… The disaster will have no effect whatsoever on the election results. None.” He continued, “Everyone knows that the army and Shin Bet screwed up. Netanyahu may bear ministerial responsibility for what happened, but he’s not to blame.”
In a related event, key prosecution witness in Netanyahu’s Case 1000, Hadas Klein,, sent another letter today to the Attorney General and the State Attorney regarding the investigation of the Prime Minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, concerning the allegations of a strategic smear campaign against Klein, supported by a 2023 Channel 12 report alleging Sara Netanyahu orchestrated efforts to discredit witnesses including Klein, a claim that aligns with police investigations into witness tampering.
Klein notes in the letter that recently, the level of threats against her from the Prime Minister's circle has increased, and she has even filed a complaint against Likud spokesperson Guy Levy, who replied to one of her anti-Netanyahu tweets, saying: “One day history will be taught, and when your name is mentioned, there will be someone to spin the grogger”.
"The violent and criminal discourse against me continues without fear of the law or enforcement authorities, and as a result, the risk to my safety is growing," Klein emphasizes in her letter. We wish to remind that Klein, former personal assistant to movie producer Arnon Milchan, is pivotal to Case 1000, which includes allegations that Benjamin Netanyahu accepted $195,000 in gifts (cigars, champagne, jewelry) from Milchan.
A quiet demonstration has taken root in Gaza, led by those most familiar with loss. In recent days, small gatherings of Palestinian civilians—many of them bereaved parents—have begun holding photos of Israeli children killed in the October 7 attacks. Among them is Ramez, a father who lost his three children and several cousins in recent months. Despite his personal tragedy, he has emerged as the central figure in this rare initiative calling for the recognition of shared suffering across the Israeli-Palestinian divide.
The initiative, organized under the banner of the Gazan Youth Committee’s “Live Together, Die Together” campaign, is an emotional counterpoint to the ongoing conflict. Speaking at one of the vigils, Ramez said: “We mourn with every Jewish, Christian, or Muslim family that has lost a child in this war. Our pain does not blind us to the suffering of others — we are against the killing of children, whether they are Palestinian or Israeli.”
The vigils come in response to a similar initiative launched in recent months by the Israeli grassroots movement Standing Together. In Israel, protesters have displayed images of Palestinian children killed in the war, calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian relief.
Ramez, who played a key role in organizing the Gaza-based campaign, sent a message to Israeli demonstrators: “We see you, and we stand with you in the call to stop the killing.”
Despite enduring the daily realities of displacement, hunger, and loss, the activists maintain that the pursuit of peace is essential. “Even when the world turns its back on us,” read a statement from the group, “we do not give up the responsibility to speak in the name of peace. We don’t want anyone to be the next victim — we want all of us to be the next hope.”