Israel's National Security Minister Accuses Police Chief of Inciting Violence

In this episode

The stories Maya and Daniel cover, in order. Each one opens the full story.

1. Israel's National Security Minister Accuses Police Chief of Inciting Violence
2. Israel Warns Supermarkets of Cyber Threat After European Refrigeration Attacks
3. Petah Tikva Murder: Husband Kills Wife, Then Himself; Daughters Unharmed
4. Lieberman to Recommend Eisenkot, Boycotts Netanyahu Government
5. Eilat Man, 18, Indicted for Sex Crimes Against Minors
6. Israel Overhauls Bus Routes and Schedules Nationwide

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Transcript

Maya

Israel's National Security Minister says the country's police chief is looking for bloodshed.

Daniel

And now he's asking the Supreme Court to let him step in.

Maya

This is Good Morning, Israel from baba News. It's Tuesday, November third. I'm Maya.

Daniel

And I'm Daniel.

Maya

So, who's fighting whom?

Daniel

On one side, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the minister responsible for the police. On the other, Police Inspector General Dani Levy, Israel's top police officer.

Maya

The minister and his own police chief.

Daniel

Exactly. Ben Gvir accuses Levy of ordering excessive force against Haredi protesters. Haredi meaning ultra-Orthodox. And he says Levy is seeking bloodshed.

Maya

That's about as strong as it gets.

Daniel

It is. And it comes after recent clashes between police and Haredi protesters over military draft evasion.

Maya

Give our listeners abroad the short version of that fight.

Daniel

Whether ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students should be drafted into the I D F like other Israelis. It's one of the oldest and most divisive arguments in Israeli politics, and it keeps bringing people into the streets.

Maya

So where does the court come in?

Daniel

Ben Gvir filed an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court. He wants restrictions lifted on his ability to intervene in how protests are managed.

Maya

Meaning right now his hands are tied.

Daniel

Right, there are limits on how far he can reach into those decisions, and he wants them gone.

Maya

And the police didn't stay quiet.

Daniel

No. They put out a rare statement warning against leaks aimed at undermining Levy. And they insisted the law is applied equally, to everyone.

Maya

A police force publicly defending its chief against its own minister.

Daniel

That's what makes it unusual. Underneath the insults, the real question is who runs protest policing. The elected minister, or the professional command.

Maya

And it's happening with Israel between governments.

Daniel

Which raises the stakes. The Haredi parties matter in any coalition, so how their protesters are treated is political, not just operational. The next move belongs to the Supreme Court.

Maya

Speaking of coalitions. Yesterday we said one big unknown was Yisrael Beytenu, the secular right-wing party. Now we know.

Daniel

Party chairman Avigdor Lieberman will recommend Gadi Eisenkot, the former I D F Chief of Staff, to form the next government.

Maya

And Netanyahu?

Daniel

Lieberman says he won't join a coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. So that door's shut.

Maya

Anything else on his list?

Daniel

Two things. He won't support a minority government. And he'd back Yair Lapid, the former Prime Minister, for Knesset Speaker.

Maya

Wait, no minority government. Doesn't that cut against Eisenkot too?

Daniel

It's a real constraint. Last week's numbers put Eisenkot's bloc short of sixty-one. Ruling out a minority option takes one of his possible routes off the table.

Maya

So Lieberman helps Eisenkot and boxes him in, at the same time.

Daniel

That's Lieberman. He likes to stay the most interesting man in the room.

Maya

And the markets clearly don't love the suspense.

Daniel

They really don't. Israel's stock market has seen significant losses and more volatility since last Tuesday's election, as investor hopes for change ran into unclear results.

Maya

Who's taking the hit?

Daniel

Key indices fell sharply, especially domestically focused companies. The shekel also weakened against the dollar.

Maya

Anyone trying to calm things?

Daniel

The C E O of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange called for a broad government that puts economic stability first. And Fitch Ratings affirmed Israel's A credit rating, with a negative outlook.

Maya

Rating unchanged, worry noted.

Daniel

Pretty much. Fitch tied that negative outlook to the political uncertainty it expects ahead.

Maya

Now a security warning that starts in a freezer aisle.

Daniel

Right. Israel's National Cyber Directorate, the agency that defends the country's digital infrastructure, has alerted supermarket chains to a threat.

Maya

Coming from where?

Daniel

Europe. Hackers there took remote control of refrigeration systems. Food spoiled, and there were fires.

Maya

Fires, from a fridge.

Daniel

From a hacked fridge. Retailers in seven European countries were hit, and possibly French and U S military sites too.

Maya

So what's Israel telling its companies?

Daniel

Secure remote access and update their systems. The goal is to stop anyone disrupting the supply of essential goods.

Maya

Unglamorous, but that's usually where the weak spots are.

Daniel

Exactly. Attackers go after whatever nobody's watching.

Maya

Now a tragedy in Petah Tikva, a city just east of Tel Aviv.

Daniel

A forty-three-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her apartment on Monday. Police say her husband killed her, and then took his own life.

Maya

And the children?

Daniel

The couple had four daughters, all minors. Their twelve-year-old discovered her mother's body and alerted relatives, who called police.

Maya

Twelve years old.

Daniel

The girls are now with relatives and social services. Police say there were no previous complaints of domestic violence, and the motive is still under investigation.

Maya

An update on the case from Eilat, the resort city at Israel's southern tip. Yesterday we told you an indictment was coming.

Daniel

It's now been filed. An eighteen-year-old from Eilat is charged with rape, attempted rape and indecent acts against thirteen minors, some as young as seven.

Maya

What's new in the details?

Daniel

Prosecutors say the offenses took place over twenty twenty-five and twenty twenty-six. He allegedly exploited social gatherings and online contact to reach the children.

Maya

And it all began with one complaint.

Daniel

Just one. Then the investigation widened sharply, leading to his arrest and confession.

Maya

Which is why that first family coming forward mattered so much.

Daniel

It did.

Maya

Back to Michigan, and that Senate race we told you about yesterday. It's gotten messier.

Daniel

It has. New detail: Democrat Haley Stevens, who lost her primary, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers after she was disinvited from a unity event by the man who beat her, Abdul El-Sayed.

Maya

So much for unity.

Daniel

Right. El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement. But Senate Democrats are worried, and their leader, Chuck Schumer, called Stevens a disgraceful traitor.

Maya

Why the panic?

Daniel

The race is seen as crucial for control of the Senate. And Stevens could sway Jewish voters, and African American Christian voters, who are uneasy about El-Sayed's stance on Israel and his faith.

Maya

Quick round now. Buses.

Daniel

A major bus reform starts in the coming days, changing routes and schedules across Israel. The National Public Transport Authority will pay six bus companies about twenty-eight billion shekels over four years.

Maya

To do what, exactly?

Daniel

More service on busy lines, less on quiet ones. Companies will also be paid in a way that better reflects how many passengers they actually carry.

Maya

So if your bus suddenly vanishes, someone ran the numbers.

Daniel

How much it affects any one person depends on where and when they travel.

Maya

And in New York, an ugly scene in Brooklyn.

Daniel

Swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti were spray-painted on four buses serving Jewish students in Williamsburg. The New York City Police Department is investigating it as a hate crime. No suspects yet.

Maya

Reaction?

Daniel

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Attorney General Letitia James both condemned it and vowed to fight anti-Semitism. It comes amid a reported rise in anti-Semitic incidents, and Jewish families leaving the city.

Maya

What should we watch?

Daniel

Tomorrow, Wednesday. President Isaac Herzog begins his consultations with every Knesset faction, live on television. Lieberman's recommendation of Eisenkot is now on the record, so watch which way the remaining parties lean.

Maya

Follow Good Morning, Israel so tomorrow's episode is waiting for you.

Daniel

See you tomorrow morning.