The Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday’s events as they happen.
Investigators finish questioning second suspect detained in Qatar probe
Investigators have also finished questioning the second suspect detained as part of a probe into the alleged illicit ties between Qatar and several top aides of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Ynet news site, which like Hebrew media outlets describes the two suspects as “central figures” in the affair.
Macron says France and Saudi Arabia to co-chair conference on two-state solution
French President Emmanuel Macron says he spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and that the two leaders condemn the resumption of Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Macron says they will co-chair a conference on a two-state solution, aimed at “helping revive a political perspective for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Macron also says he welcome the crown prince’s Jeddah initiative, which enables the start of peace negotiations in Ukraine.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Suspect sent home after being grilled by police about Qatari payments to PM’s aides
A suspect detained by police Wednesday evening has been released from custody after being questioned as part of a probe into whether thousands of dollars were funneled from Qatar to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides over the past few months.
According to Hebrew media reports, the suspect has been released to his home under unspecified conditions, while a second suspect is still being questioned.
Haredi extremists attack Beit Shemesh mayor and his family, injuring one of his kids
Ultra-Orthodox extremists attack Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg and his family, overturning the mayor’s car and injuring one of his children.
In a statement, the municipality says that Greenberg, a member of the Haredi Degel Hatorah party, “was attacked by extremists while leaving a family celebration.”
“His vehicle was smashed and vandalized, but the mayor and his family were rescued from the scene. The mayor’s son required medical treatment. Mayor Greenberg trusts the Israel Police to bring the lawbreakers to justice,” his office says.
הזוי: קבוצת קיצונים יצרה הערב אנרכיה ברחובות בית שמש, כאשר במהלך מחאה סוערת הפכו את רכבו של ראש העיר. תושבים מזועזעים מתיעוד האירוע וקוראים למשטרה לפעול ביד קשה נגד המתפרעים ולעצור את המעורבים.
???? צילום: הפרגוד מקומי בית שמש pic.twitter.com/Rp1m91DPqz— ישראל כהן (@Israelcohen911) March 19, 2025
Video from the scene shows black-clad Hasidic Jews rocking the vehicle back and forth while someone screams in the background. Another clip shows the mayor, wearing a helmet, being rushed out of a building by armored police as a baying mob screaming “Nazi” chases him. He is then placed in another car and rushed from the scene.
Dramatic footage of Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg being rescued by police from an ultra-Orthodox mob screaming "Nazi" at him this evening. The mayor's car was overturned pic.twitter.com/761DW7K4KF
— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) March 19, 2025
The incident was far from the first mob attack against a mayor of Beit Shemesh.
In August 2023, in the second attack against in less than two months, dozens of extremists rioted outside a local school while then-mayor Aliza Bloch was touring the building, hurling objects, starting a fire and vandalizing her car — effectively holding her hostage for nearly two hours until she was rescued by police.
While violence has decreased significantly in recent years, extremists have long sought to forcibly impose their way of life on residents, posting modesty signs, tearing down Israeli flags and burning down a cellphone store in the moderate Haredi neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef.