Four people were killed in a shootout in the northern Israeli Arab town of Abu Snan, including a mayoral candidate, sending shockwaves through the communities and prompting further criticism of the spiraling crime wave in the Arab sector.

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The four were declared dead at the scene after Magen David Adom paramedics found them in a field. One of the victims was Ghazi Sa'ad, who was running for mayor in the upcoming municipal elections in Abu Snan.

The other three fatalities were later identified as his relatives Zahir al-Din Sa'ab and Amir Sa'ab as well as Salman Halbi from the nearby Yarka Israeli Druze village.

Video: The bodies were found by paramedics in a field / Credit: Magen David Adom emergency medical services

The shooting came just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again called to involve the Shin Bet security agency in cracking down on violent crimes in the Arab sector, following the killing of Abed Rahman Kashua, the municipal director of the Arab town of Tira, a day earlier.

President Isaac Herzog also commented on the quadruple murder, saying, "Every citizen of the Arab society in Israel lives today in terrible fear, heavy grief, and terrible anxieties. Each of the murdered is a complete world to his family and loved ones.

"This is an emergency that requires determined measures by the state to eradicate crime and violence and prevent the loss of life. My condolences to the grieving families from the last few days – from Tira to Abu Snan," he said.

Officials have long sounded the alarm over the unprecedented crime wave in the Arab sector, with police warning that the violence could overflow to the rest of Israeli society.

Monday's shooting brings the number of deaths linked to criminal violence in Israel's Arab community in 2023 to 156 – over twice as many as in the same period last year.

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President Isaac Herzog visited a military post on the Lebanon border on Wednesday, delivering a stern message to Hezbollah amid increased provocations by the Iran-backed terror group.

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"Let no one among our enemies be mistaken – especially Hezbollah across the border. The IDF is very strong, organized and ready for any scenario," Herzog posted to the X social-media platform, formerly known as Twitter.

Video: At Lebanese border, Herzog warns Hezbollah not to test IDF. Credit: GPO

"The State of Israel will continue to maintain its sovereignty and the peace of its citizens. To our neighbors, citizens of Lebanon, I say: We see your country collapsing and we extend our hands for peace. You do not deserve that Iran and Hezbollah will destroy your country."

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi also toured Israel's northern border on Wednesday.

As part of his visit, Halevi examined the security barrier being built along the border with Lebanon, which the IDF said has "progressed by dozens of kilometers in recent months." A security assessment was also held with the participation of regional commanders.

A senior French diplomat met with Hezbollah representatives on Tuesday amid escalating tensions at the Israel-Lebanon border.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, former French foreign minister and President Emmanuel Macron's envoy for Lebanese affairs, conveyed an indirect message from Israel that it is not interested in an escalation, according to Maariv.

Paris pledged to intervene following a visit to the French capital on July 20 by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in which he asked France to help stop Hezbollah "provocations" at the Lebanese border.

"Excellent meeting with the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. We discussed the fight against the Iranian nuclear program, the expansion of the Abraham Accords, and I asked her to use France's influence in Lebanon to stop Hezbollah's provocations that endanger regional stability," Cohen said after the meeting.

Also on Tuesday, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan filed a complaint against Lebanon with the Security Council, demanding that the Lebanese government and the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission take immediate action to prevent Hezbollah military entrenchment at the border.

"The results could be devastating and cause a disaster," he warned.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group has carried out a series of hostile acts at the border with Israel in recent months, including setting up a manned outpost in April a few meters on the Israeli side of the Blue Line but beyond the Israeli security fence. The position, across from an IDF post, was reportedly manned by three to eight armed terrorists.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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"No way in hell," Rep. Ilhan Omar told The Messenger when asked whether she would attend President Isaac Herzog's July 19 address to Congress.

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Omar, part of the so-called "Squad" and a frequent anti-Israel critic, claimed that she didn't even know that the Israeli president was scheduled to come to the Capitol.

Video: Herzog on Israel-US ties (Credit: GPO)

"There is no way in hell I am attending the joint session address from a president whose country has banned me and denied Rashida Tlaib the ability to see her grandma," Omar tweeted.

Tlaib was permitted to visit her grandmother but opted not to do so.

In part of a Twitter thread, she appeared to be aware that Israel's president was different than its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

"While executive power in Israel is vested in the prime minister and his cabinet, the president as head of state has traditionally served as a 'faithful policy ambassador' for the government in charge," she wrote, sharing a Haaretz opinion article.

"I respect the fact that unlike others in her party, she doesn't even pretend it's about Bibi. She just hates Israel! Openly!" tweeted Seth Mandel, executive editor of the Washington Examiner.

"It's like when AOC pulled out of an event honoring Yitzhak Rabin when she found out he was Israeli." he said about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "Isaac Herzog ran against Bibi as head of the Labor party, and nearly beat him too. Now he's trying to get Likud to water down judicial reform. If you claim to simply hate Bibi and want a more liberal Israel, Herzog is your hero. If you just hate Israel, you boycott him too."

If Omar really opposed Netanyahu, then she would attend the talk and clap along, but her problem is with Jews, not with the prime minster, Mandel added.

"So Omar is boycotting Herzog's address to Congress because of the Netanyahu judicial package that Herzog has worked tirelessly to try to prevent?" tweeted Robert David Johnson, a history professor at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center at City University of New York.

Bryan Leib, executive director of CASEPAC, tweeted that Omar is a leader of the boycott Israel movement in America. "Stop calling for the boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel, and I'm willing to bet you will be allowed to visit like thousands of other Muslims do every single week," he wrote.

 Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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President Isaac Herzog met Tuesday with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku, further strengthening Israel's partnership with the secular Shi'ite Muslim country that borders Iran.

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The visit comes amid growing strategic and defense ties between the two nations, epitomized by the inauguration of the Azerbaijan embassy in Israel this spring as well as concomitant violence directed at both countries by Iran.

"It is no secret that your country is a Muslim country with a predominantly Shi'ite majority and yet the level of love and affection that exists between our two nations is simply an example of how we can change the world and move forward," the Israeli leader told Aliyev.

Herzog called his visit "a dream come true" for himself and the people of Israel.

"Your visit demonstrates the close partnership [in the] relations of our countries and I am sure your visit will strengthen our bilateral ties," Aliyev said in remarks in English. "The opening of our embassy this year will elevate relations and create more opportunities for closer interactions."

He cited the centuries of good relations between Azerbaijan and the Jewish people that predate both the modern State of Israel and the former Soviet Republic.

"As an independent country, we are 31 years old, but we have centuries of history of interaction, friendship and mutual support," Aliyev said.

"We have such a broad agenda, I could speak for hours," the Azerbaijani president concluded his welcoming remarks. Minutes later, Herzog invited him to visit Israel.

The security ties between the nations and Azerbaijan's location next door to the Islamic Republic were front and center in the talks between the two leaders.

"We need to remember that beyond trade and historic ties, including with the Jewish community, that Azerbaijan is Iran's neighbor," Herzog said before departing Israel for the 24-hour visit. "Iran is a destabilizing influence in the region that is working continuously to act against Israel and against the developing alliance of peace and security in the region, and I will certainly discuss this."

Herzog and his wife, Michal, were greeted upon arrival at the airport in Baku by Azerbaijan's deputy prime minister, deputy foreign minister, and the ambassadors of both countries.

They were joined by 30 Jewish children from the Or Avner Chabad school in Baku.

Herzog laid a wreath at the graveside of Azerbaijan's late president Heydar Aliyev, who presided over the inauguration of ties three decades ago, as well as at the national memorial for the fallen in Azerbaijan's wars.

Herzog is also scheduled to participate in a ceremony with the Jewish community celebrating the 75th anniversary of Israel's independence before returning home on Wednesday.

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He is the second Israeli president to visit Azerbaijan after Shimon Peres's trip nearly a decade and a half ago. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Baku last month.

Israel has had an embassy in Baku since 1993, a year after relations were established between the two nations. Indeed, Israel was one of the first countries in the world to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

For Israel, ties with oil-rich Azerbaijan are of great importance, both as a conduit for reconnaissance and because it supplies an estimated 40% of the Jewish state's oil needs and is a leading purchaser of Israeli military hardware.

  Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned away a challenger who sought to reverse his authoritarian-leaning changes, securing five more years to oversee the country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia that plays a key role in NATO.

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Erdogan prevailed by winning more than 52% of the vote in Sunday's presidential runoff, which came two weeks after he fell short of scoring an outright victory in the first round. A majority of Turkish voters in the second round chose him over challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, showing their support for a man who they see as a strong, proven leader.

Voters were divided between loyalty to Erdogan, who has ruled for two decades, and hopes for the opposition candidate, who promised to return to democratic norms, adopt more conventional economic policies and improve ties with the West.

Congratulations to President @RTErdogan of Türkiye on his election victory. I am convinced that we will continue to work together to strengthen and expand the good ties between Türkiye and Israel.

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) May 28, 2023

With his immediate political future secure, Erdogan must now confront skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis and rebuild in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people.

In two speeches — one in Istanbul and one in Ankara — Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency again. "We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 21 years," he told supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul.

He said the divisions of the election are over, but he continued to rail against his opponent.

"The only winner today is Turkey," Erdogan said outside the presidential palace in Ankara, promising to work hard for Turkey's second century, which he called the "Turkish century." The country marks its centennial this year.

Supreme challenges lie ahead, starting with the economy that has taken a beating from what critics view as Erdogan's unorthodox policies. He also must tend to massive rebuilding efforts in 11 provinces hit by the Feb. 6 earthquake that leveled entire cities.

Kilicdaroglu said the election was "the most unjust ever," with all state resources mobilized for Erdogan. "We will continue to be at the forefront of this struggle until real democracy comes to our country," he said in Ankara. He thanked the more than 25 million people who voted for him and asked them to "remain upright."

The people have shown their will "to change an authoritarian government despite all the pressures," Kilicdaroglu said.

Supporters of Erdogan, a divisive populist and masterful orator, took to the streets to celebrate, waving Turkish or ruling party flags, honking car horns and chanting his name. Celebratory gunfire was heard in several Istanbul neighborhoods.

His next term is certain to include more delicate maneuvering with fellow NATO members over the future of the alliance and the war in Ukraine.

Leaders across the world sent their congratulations, highlighting Turkey and Erdogan's enlarged role in global politics.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog said on Twitter, Congratulations to President Erdogan of Türkiye on his election victory. I am convinced that we will continue to work together to strengthen and expand the good ties between Türkiye and Israel.

Western politicians said they are ready to continue working with Erdogan despite years of sometimes tense relations. Most imminently, Turkey holds the cards for Sweden's hopes to join NATO. The bid aims to strengthen the military alliance against Russia and is central to the continuity of a deal to allow Ukrainian grain shipments and avert a global food crisis.

"No one can look down on our nation," Erdogan said in Istanbul.

Steven A. Cook, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations, said Turkey was likely to "move the goal post" on Sweden's membership in NATO as it seeks demands from the United States.

He also said Erdogan, who has spoken about introducing a new constitution, was likely to make an even greater push to lock in changes adopted by his conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

In his victory remarks, Erdogan said rebuilding the quake-struck cities would be his priority. He also said a million Syrian refugees would go back to Turkish-controlled "safe zones" in Syria as part of a resettlement project being run with Qatar.

Erdogan has retained the backing of conservative voters who remain devoted to him for lifting Islam's profile in Turkey, which was founded on secular principles, and raising the country's influence in international politics.

Erdogan's rival was a soft-mannered former civil servant who has led the pro-secular Republican People's Party, or CHP, since 2010. The opposition took months to unite behind Kilicdaroglu. He and his party have not won any elections in which Erdogan ran.

In a frantic outreach effort to nationalist voters in the runoff, Kilicdaroglu vowed to send back refugees and ruled out peace negotiations with Kurdish militants if he was elected.

Erdogan and pro-government media portrayed Kilicdaroglu, who received the backing of the country's pro-Kurdish party, as colluding with "terrorists" and supporting what they described as "deviant" LGBTQ rights.

In his victory speech, Erdogan repeated those themes, saying LGBTQ people cannot "infiltrate" his ruling party or its nationalist allies.

In Ankara, Erdogan voter Hacer Yalcin said Turkey's future was bright.

"Of course Erdogan is the winner ... Who else? He has made everything for us," Yalcin said. "God blesses us!"

Erdogan, a 69-year-old Muslim, is set to remain in power until 2028.

He transformed the presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office through a narrowly won 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey's parliamentary system of governance. He was the first directly elected president in 2014 and won the 2018 election that ushered in the executive presidency.

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The first half of Erdogan's tenure included reforms allowing the country to begin talks to join the European Union, as well as economic growth that lifted many out of poverty.

But he later moved to suppress freedoms and the media and concentrated more power in his own hands, especially after a failed coup attempt that Turkey says was orchestrated by the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric denies involvement.

In the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir, 37-year-old metalworker Ahmet Koyun said: "It is sad on behalf of our people that a government with such corruption, such stains, has come into power again. Mr. Kemal would have been great for our country, at least for a change of scene."

But he said everyone must accept the results.

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As negotiations continue over the highly contested judicial reform, the Coalition offered this week to postpone making changes to the judicial selection committee by a year, Israel Hayom has learned.

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Senior Coalition members involved in the talks – led by President Isaac Herzog – said that in exchange, the Opposition were asked to consent to other components of the legislation, such as the one pertaining to the attorney general and reasonableness.

Some of the bills are expected to pass already in the current summer session, and the rest in the next, winter session.

It is unclear whether the proposal will be accepted as the Opposition has asked the Coalition to refrain from making any changes in this regard during the current, 25th Knesset, at all.

According to Knesset rules, the Coalition will announce this week the votes to appoint the Knesset representatives to the judicial selection committee in its old format.

The elections will be held in two weeks, on June 15. The president is said to be working intensively to reach a deal by then.

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After the passing of the state budget, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be required to return to an issue that has been on hold for two months – the judicial reform and negotiations over the controversial legislation led by President Isaac Herzog.

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After a long series of talks between the parties, the situation is starting to become clearer.

The Opposition is ready to compromise on one component of the reform, the law pertaining to the attorney general, which will allow MKs to receive private representation in petitions rather than being represented by the attorney general.

In exchange, the committee for the selection of judges will convene in its current format, without any changes, and the Coalition will pledge not to make any changes to it during the current government. In addition, they will also pledge not to promote any legal-administrative measures without consensus.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Chair of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Simcha Rotman, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and other Coalition members are pushing to pass at least some of the bills during the current summer session, even if doing so would constitute a unilateral move.

Netanyahu will need to decide whether to comply with the demand of his Coalition partners or the Opposition. If he decides on the former, he will draw the ire of the Opposition, who might go back on any promises of a compromise and call for the reform to be stopped completely. If the chooses the latter, he will be risking the safety of his Coalition as members threatened to leave unless the judicial reform is promoted further.

Political officials understand that reaching a decision and a breakthrough in the talks in the near future is vital.

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Netanyahu on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to reaching a compromise on the legislation.

"We will of course continue with our efforts to arrive at a broad consensus agreement, to the extent possible, on the issue of judicial reform," he said in a video message published to social media. "I believe with goodwill and real will it's possible to come to agreements that will serve all citizens of Israel."

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Protesters against the judicial reform made good on their promise to step up efforts and demonstrated in several dozen locations across Israel on Thursday, causing disruptions, including in Tel Aviv, where the Ayalon Highway, the main artery traversing thee Tel Aviv metropolis, was blocked.

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With the Knesset back in session and the controversial legislation back on the agenda, organizers vowed to increase demonstration activities unless the bill is stopped entirely.

The legislation was put on hold by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the Knesset recess in early March to give way for negotiations with the Opposition, which are yet to yield results.

Video: Reservists protest in Jerusalem

Dubbed the "Day of Equality," Thursday's protests revolved around the Coalition's plans to legislate blanket military service exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students.

Demonstrations were held in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak as well as outside the homes of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Reservists also held a protest in Jerusalem opposing the planned exemption.

Around 300 people also demonstrated outside the homes of President Isaac Herzog.

In the evening, protests are planned by college students as well as outside the home of Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who is spearheading the reform.

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The Knesset reconvened Sunday for its summer session against the backdrop of the judicial reform that has divided the nation. The legislation remains on hold as talks led by President Isaac Herzog to reach a compromise continue.

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In the meantime, legislative discussion will focus on passing a national budget, with considerations for the allocation of funds based on the Coalition agreements. The ultra-Orthodox Coalition parties are also seeking to legislate exemptions to the mandatory military service.

Sunday's agenda primarily focused on the issue of the cost of living as well as the rental housing market, import reforms, and proposals for civic infrastructure. The final budget proposal must be passed by May 29.

Meanwhile, judicial reform talks restarted at the President's Residence this week, with Likud Party officials saying that progress in negotiations will not be possible as long as the Yesh Atid Party led by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid continues to participate.

Yesh Atid is attempting to torpedo the talks, they said, and chances of success would improve if discussions were held only with the State Party led by Benny Gantz.

Likud officials cite the demand of Yesh Atid to include the issue of IDF recruitment of the ulra-Orthodox in the talks as one example of how the latter party is working to prevent a meeting of the minds. They also claimed there are gaps in the positions between the State Party and Yesh Atid.

Yesh Atid officials denied there was any daylight between themselves and the State Unity, saying that the parties see eye-to-eye and coordinate closely.

They said Likud is trying to spark an argument between opposition elements but that the Opposition is in full agreement on the main issue – preventing the Coalition from choosing two judges to serve on the Judicial Selection Committee.

The Coalition's position was strengthened by a mass rally that took place in favor of judicial reform on Thursday.

Supporters of reform were slow to respond to months of protests against it, which had forced the Coalition back on its heels, leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause the process and enter into negotiations with the Opposition.

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Those favoring reform worry that the result will be a watered-down version of the legislation. Among the crowd's chants at the rally were "Stop being afraid" and "We don't want compromise."

Herzog expressed optimism last week regarding the negotiations, saying they are being held amid a "positive atmosphere."

"There's goodwill and there's a positive attitude in the room, and things are discussed frankly and honestly," he said in an interview, adding that "all the hard issues [were] on the table" and the sides were attempting to reach an "amicable solution."

i24NEWS and JNS.org contributed to this report.

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Israelis will come to a somber pause on Monday evening, as a one-minute siren will sound in honor of the country's 24,213 fallen soldiers and 4,255 victims of terror, marking the beginning of the annual 24-hour period of mourning during which official and civilian ceremonies will take place nationwide.

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The first ceremony to honor the fallen will be held at 04:30 p.m. at the Beit Yad Lebanim in Jerusalem, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon, political and military officials, and grieving families in attendance.

The one-minute siren will sound at 08:00 p.m., after which a memorial ceremony will begin at the Western Wall, to be attended by President Isaac Herzog and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

Memorial Day is a solemn day in Israel, where grief is often openly expressed in public ceremonies. In a country where almost everyone knows someone who died fighting, most people are grieving for someone they knew personally.

There will be candlelight ceremonies in schools and public institutions and mournful programs about Israel's wars broadcast on public television.

On Tuesday morning, at 08:30 a.m. will begin the memorial ceremony at Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. At 11:00 a.m. the second one-minute siren will sound, followed by a state ceremony at the National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers as well as memorials across cemeteries in Israel.

Memorial Day will come to a close at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday when Israelis will allow their sadness to give way to mirth as they celebrate Israel's 75th Independence Day with patriotic parties and events happening throughout the country.

At the closing ceremony, Rabbi Leo Dee, who lost his wife Leah and daughters Maia and Rina earlier this month, will recite the Yizkor memorial prayer.

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