Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz opens his first town hall event with a call that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resign due to potential criminal charges against him, which Attorney General Avichai Mandeblit said earlier today could be filed as early as July.

“The announcement of the attorney general of such a short hearing process is no small matter,” he tells some 500 supporters in the southern city of Beersheba.

“We cannot be left with a part-time prime minister.”

In a statement from the Justice Ministry, Mandelblit announced that pre-indictment hearings in the three cases against Netanyahu will be completed no later than three months after the documents are released to prosecutors overseeing the hearings on April 10.

Charging that Netanyahu will have to spend a significant amount of his time fighting the charges in court, Gantz says, “the right thing to do would be if he resigned and showed that the State of Israel came before everything else…If you care about this country, take responsibility for its citizens and stop dealing only with yourself.”

Mandelblit announced last month he intended to indict Netanyahu pending a hearing in three separate criminal cases for fraud, bribery and breach of trust, six weeks ahead of national elections.

“On the prime minister’s agenda is bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His agenda is Netanyahu before everything else. Our agenda is Israel before everything else,” Gantz says to the cheers of the crowd.

Attacking Netnayhu’s claims of a conspiracy and witch hunt against him, Gantz addresses the prime minister: “You have brought all of this on yourself. This was not the work of the head of the police you appointed, nor the head of the state prosecution who you appointed, nor the attorney general who you appointed. None of them. It’s only you.”

— Raoul Wootliff</s>US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday that he will push the Trump administration to formally recognize the disputed region of the Golan Heights as part of Israel, according to a report by The Hill.

Graham made the announcement after a joint tour of the territory by him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Envoy to Israel David Friedman.

Last month, Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), together with Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), introduced a resolution "to ensure that Israel retains control of the Golan Heights."

​Netanyahu, who is currently facing criminal indictment in Israel on bribery charges, has used the US' support as a trump card for his re-election campaign, even using photos of President Donald Trump and American politicians in his campaign posters, The Hill reports. The trip to the disputed territories in company of Graham and Friedman was supposed to demonstrate American support to the media once again, The Jerusalem Post says.

"It's certainly been part of the state of Israel since 1967, and more recently, since 1981," the prime minister said during the visit.

On Thursday, Syria reportedly warned the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) that Damascus "will attack Israel if it does not leave the Golan Heights."

"We will not hesitate to confront Israel," Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said in the official note to UNTSO General Kristin Lund, according to World Israel News. "We are also not scared away by its [Israel's] supporters who are helping to perpetuate the occupation of the Golan."

The Golan Heights, which neighboring Syria considers a part of its own territory, were occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. It was not until 1981 that Tel Aviv passed legislation formally annexing the territories. Neither the US nor the UN has recognized the annexation.

Tel Aviv has reportedly mulled the return of the disputed territories to Damascus, in exchange for Syria's recognition of Israel, The Hill says. Syria, along with a number of Middle Eastern, North African and Pacific nations, still does not recognize Israel as a state.</s>TEL AVIV – Senator Lindsey Graham, on a visit to Israel’s north with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel must keep the Golan Heights or face a “strategic nightmare,” and vowed that he would work to get U.S. recognition of the area as part of sovereign Israel.

“I come here as an American. I come here to try to figure out what’s best for America. What’s best for America is a safe, secure and prosperous Israel,” Graham said, adding that he intends to “start an effort to recognize the Golan as part of the State of Israel, now and forever.”

“Why? Common values, common enemies. And from a military point of view, the best friend the United States can possibly ever have in a troubled region.

“I cannot tell you how much intelligence has been given to the U.S. from our friends in Israel to protect the American homeland. So if you believe, as I do, [that] the State of Israel is a strategic partner to the United States, and its survival and its prosperity and security is relevant to American national security, you would come here, to the Golan.”

Lindsey and Netanyahu were accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

“For decades, this was one of the more peaceful parts of the border that Israel has to police. Not so much now. So I’ve got a simple message: I will go back to the U.S. Senate, working with Senator [Ted] Cruz, I will start an effort to recognize the Golan as part of the State of Israel, now and forever.

“Because to give this territory up would be a strategic nightmare for the State of Israel. And who would you give it to?” Graham concluded.

Netanyahu thanked Graham for his support and said Israel has “no better friend.” He called on the rest of the world to recognize Israeli control of the Golan, starting with “our mighty friend the U.S.”

The Golan was captured by Israel from Syria during a 1967 defensive war.

Syria vowed to attack Israel unless it withdraws from the Golan Heights, World Israel News reported on Friday.</s>Lindsey Graham: Israel must keep Golan or face ‘strategic nightmare’

US Senator Lindsey Graham, visiting the Golan Heights with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, vows to “start an effort to recognize the Golan as part of the State of Israel, now and forever.”

“I come here as an American. I come here to try to figure our what’s best for America. What’s best for America is a safe, secure and prosperous Israel,” Graham says.

“Why? Common values, common enemies. And from a military point of view, the best friend the United States can possibly ever have in a troubled region. I cannot tell you how much intelligence has been given to the US from our friends in Israel to protect the American homeland. So if you believe, as I do, [that] the State of Israel is a strategic partner to the United States, and its survival and its prosperity and security is relevant to American national security, you would come here, to the Golan.”

He then backs Israeli sovereignty on the plateau.

“For decades, this was one of the more peaceful parts of the border that Israel has to police. Not so much now. So I’ve got a simple message: I will go back the US Senate, working with Senator [Ted] Cruz, I will start an effort to recognize the Golan as part of the State of Israel, now and forever. Because to give this territory up would be a strategic nightmare for the State of Israel. And who would you give it to?”</s>JERUSALEM (AP) – Sen. Lindsey Graham on Monday vowed to push for U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, in what would represent a new contentious political gift to Israel from the Trump administration.

The South Carolina Republican said he aimed to change the current U.S.-designation of the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, as disputed territory. He spoke during a tour of the frontier with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The Golan is not disputed. It is in the hands of Israel and will always remain in the hands of Israel,” Graham said from a cliff overlooking Syria, where Syrian flags could be seen fluttering in the distance on buildings damaged in the country’s civil war. “My goal is to try to explain this to the administration,” he said.

In past negotiations, Syria has demanded a withdrawal from the Golan as part of any peace deal. With Syria ravaged by a nearly eight-year-old civil war, peace talks with Israel seem unlikely anytime soon.

Graham called the prospect of Israeli withdrawal from the Golan “a strategic nightmare” and political “suicide,” citing shared Israeli and American concern over Iranian entrenchment in neighboring Syria. Israel has admitted to carrying out scores of airstrikes in Syria against Iranian targets in recent years.

A beaming Netanyahu applauded Graham’s remarks and asserted that Israel would never give up the land.

“I think it’s very important that the international community recognize this fact, and accept it, and most especially our great friend, the United States of America,” Netanyahu said, thanking Graham for his “unbelievable support.”

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, a move not recognized by most of the international community.

Republican senators introduced a bill last month that would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the disputed territory. Graham, one of the co-sponsors, said he expected the legislation to galvanize bipartisan support.

Such a move would upend decades of U.S. policy but fall in line with the Trump administration’s pattern of lavishing Israel with symbolic gifts and political support.

The Trump administration has moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority and shut down the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington.

Last week the U.S. also shuttered its consulate, which served as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians, and handed diplomatic reigns to ambassador David Friedman, a staunch supporter of the Israeli West Bank settlement movement.

These steps have sidelined the Palestinians, who say they have lost faith in the administration’s ability to be a neutral arbiter.

The Israeli government has welcomed this string of supportive moves in anticipation of “Deal of the Century,” the administration’s peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which the Palestinians have preemptively rejected.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has said he will unveil the plan after Israeli elections on April 9.</s>DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria's Foreign Ministry is blasting U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for his comments in which he vowed to push for U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights calling them "arrogant" and stressing that Israeli occupation will eventually end.

The ministry's statement on Tuesday said that according to the United Nations, the Golan Heights are considered Syrian occupied lands.

The South Carolina Republican said Monday he aimed to change the current U.S.-designation of the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, as disputed territory. He spoke during a tour of the frontier with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, a move not recognized by most of the international community.

The ministry said Golan residents are determined to continue the struggle until liberation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, left, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, right, visit the border between Israel and Syria at the Israeli-held Golan Heights, Monday, March 11, 2019. Graham says he will push for American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a territory it captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, right, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman visit the border between Israel and Syria at the Israeli-held Golan Heights, Monday, March 11, 2019. Graham says he will push for American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a territory it captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP)</s>Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday he would lobby the Trump administration to recognize the occupied Golan Heights as belonging to Israel.

Graham spoke during a tour of the plateau, captured from Syria during the 1967 Middle East War, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel effectively annexed the Golan in 1981, in a move not recognized internationally, when it adopted legislation that applied its laws to the area.

"There is no construct I can imagine now or any time in the future for the state of Israel to give the Golan up," Graham told reporters.

Syria's eight-year civil war has at times raged close to the Golan boundary.

Graham said he would talk to Trump about recognizing the rugged, strategically located plateau as part of Israel as it was "inconceivable that Israel could ever give it to anyone given the threats Israel faces".

Israel says the territory is a critical buffer zone to defend its territory and has itself lobbied Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.

In 2017, Trump broke with decades of U.S. policy on Jerusalem and recognized the city as Israel's capital, angering Palestinians who seek its eastern sector as capital of a state they want to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

But Trump said he was not taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem.</s>Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday he would lobby the administration of US President Donald Trump to recognize the occupied Golan Heights as belonging to the Zionist entity.

Graham spoke during a tour of the plateau, captured from Syria during the 1967 Middle East War, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Zionist entity effectively annexed the Golan in 1981, in a move not recognized internationally, when it adopted legislation that applied its laws to the area.

“There is no construct I can imagine now or any time in the future for the state of Israel to give the Golan up,” Graham told reporters.

Graham said he would talk to Trump about recognizing Golan as part of the Zionist regime as it was “inconceivable that Israel could ever give it to anyone given the threats Israel faces.”

In 2017, Trump recognized Al-Quds as the Israeli capital, angering Palestinians along with Muslim and Arab people who consider Jerusalem a holy city.</s>Syria criticized US senator' comment on Golan Heights

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's Foreign Ministry is blasting U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for his comments in which he vowed to push for U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights calling them "arrogant" and stressing that Israeli occupation will eventually end.

The ministry's statement on Tuesday said that according to the United Nations, the Golan Heights are considered Syrian occupied lands.

The South Carolina Republican said Monday he aimed to change the current U.S.-designation of the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, as disputed territory. He spoke during a tour of the frontier with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, a move not recognized by most of the international community.

The ministry said Golan residents are determined to continue the struggle until liberation.</s>The Syrian government Tuesday condemned a statement by an influential US senator that the occupied Golan Heights should remain "forever" under the control of Israel.

Lindsey Graham, a Washington ally of President Donald Trump and a strong backer of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, toured the Golan Heights with the premier on Monday.

He said the idea of the strategic plateau going to any party other than Israel was "off the table", vowing to work to have the United States recognise the Golan as part of Israel "now and forever".

Israel seized control of much of the Golan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war and later annexed it, in moves never recognised by the international community.

A Syrian foreign ministry source condemned Graham's statement, saying it reflected Washington's bias in favour of Israel, state news agency SANA said.

It demonstrated "the arrogance of the US administration and how it views regional issues with Zionist eyes and with the interests of Israel" in mind, the source said.

"The Syrian people... are more resolute and determined to continue their struggle until the occupied Golan is fully liberated."

Netanyahu has been pushing for the United States and other countries to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan.

In November, the United States voted for the first time against an annual UN resolution condemning Israel's occupation of the Golan.

Trump handed a huge victory to Israel in 2017 when he recognised Jerusalem as its capital and decided to move the US embassy to the disputed city despite Palestinian anger.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham visits the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, saying he will start an effort to recognize the Golan as part of the State of Israel.