Yair Lapid

Lapid said he wanted the creation of a "national reconstruction government", which could be led by Netanyahu's Likud party, but that it was important for Netanyahu to go, the BBC reported.

Israel's parliament on Monday approved the first major law in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious plan to overhaul the country's justice system, triggering a new burst of mass protests and drawing accusations that he was pushing the country toward authoritarian rule.

Holding an Israeli flag, key anti-reform protest organizer Shikma Bressler led tens of thousands of demonstrators outside the Knesset, chanting: "We will not give up!", The Times of Israel reported.
Bressler was arrested at protests last week and later released.

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, measures that opponents say imperil the country's democratic foundation.

Israeli media, citing police, said some 100,000 people were out protesting.

Israel's prime minister said Tuesday that the country has reached an "historic agreement" with neighboring Lebanon over their shared maritime border after months of U.S.-brokered negotiations.

Premier Yair Lapid called the deal an "historic achievement that will strengthen Israel's security, inject billions into Israel's economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border."

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, as relations between the two countries thaw.

Lapid's office said he would travel to New York on Monday night, ahead of an address to the General Assembly on Thursday.

A source said the meeting with Erdogan would take place on Tuesday.

Türkiye and Israel announced on Aug. 17 to exchange ambassadors in a bid to fully normalize the relationship after a long period of tension.

U.S. President Joe Biden will hold bilateral talks on July 14 with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, where the two allies are expected to declare a "united stand" on common foe Iran.

Biden touched down in Tel Aviv on Wednesday for the first Middle East tour of his presidency, which will see him meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders before flying onwards to Saudi Arabia.

Israel's parliament voted Thursday to dissolve itself, triggering the country's fifth election in just over three years and thrusting veteran politician Yair Lapid into the role of interim prime minister as he tries to persuade a deeply polarized nation to embrace his centrist vision.

Israel's National Security Council on June 28 lowered its travel warning for Istanbul from the highest level, after the government said Iranian assassination plots targeting Israelis in the city had been thwarted.