Lazar Berman

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 27, 2021, at UN headquarters in New York. (John Minchillo/Pool/AFP)

September 27, 2021, 5:45 pm

At UN, Bennett hints at action on Iran: ‘Words don’t stop centrifuges spinning’

In first address to General Assembly, PM says Israel ‘pioneered’ COVID booster shots, hails his government as model for ‘debate without hate’; no mention of Palestinians

By Lazar Berman

Iraqis attend a conference of peace and reclamation organized by US think tank Center for Peace Communications in Erbil, the capital of northern Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region, on September 24, 2021. (Safin Hamed/AFP)

September 27, 2021, 9:42 am

Baghdad is not about to make peace, but Israel can back Iraqis’ right to dissent

Furious official reaction to normalization conference was predictable, as Abraham Accords have yet to attract new members after Trump-Netanyahu era

By Lazar Berman

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (C) meets with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa al-Marar, (R) and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani (L) at his hotel in New York on Sunday evening (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

September 27, 2021, 2:51 am

Bennett tells UAE, Bahrain ministers: Jordan and Egypt are ‘delighted’ with ties

Meeting with senior Gulf officials in New York ahead of his UN speech, prime minister promises stability and continuity in relations; UAE expects trade to top $1 billion this year

By Lazar Berman

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett leads a cabinet meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, on September 12, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

September 26, 2021, 6:56 pm

Bennett to urge action on Iran in UN speech, won’t focus on Palestinians — aide

PM will warn that world facing ‘critical stage in Iranian nuclear program’; adviser says Israel’s international ties ‘multi-faceted,’ mustn’t be defined by Palestinian issue

By Lazar Berman

Dr. Sahar al-Ta'i, an Iraqi advocate of normalizing ties with Israel, speaks at a peace conference in Erbil, Kurdistan, on Friday, September 24, 2021. (Screenshot)

September 26, 2021, 4:02 am

Iraqi culture official: We will push for peace with Israel until our leaders act

Dr. Sahar Karim al-Ta’i, recently in running to become a minister, says she is ready to give it all for normalization: ‘We can live under repression or we can die with courage’

By Lazar Berman

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett departs for the US on September 26, 2021 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

September 26, 2021, 1:15 am

Leaving for NY, Bennett dismisses ‘failed’ anti-Israel minority in US House

PM says 420-9 vote in favor of Iron Dome funding shows US support for Israel is solid; premier will address UN General Assembly on Monday

By Lazar Berman and TOI staff

Iraqis attend the conference of peace and reclamation organised by US think-tank Center for Peace Communications (CPC) in Arbil, the capital of northern Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region, on September 24, 2021 (Safin HAMED / AFP)

September 25, 2021, 12:23 pm

Hundreds of Iraqi notables call to join Abraham Accords, make peace with Israel

At Erbil conference, participants also urge rebuilding ties with the country’s dispossessed Jewish diaspora; normalization remains a crime under Iraqi law

By Aaron Boxerman and Lazar Berman

The cover page of an Israeli Foreign Ministry Facebook page, 'Israel in Iraqi dialect,' launched in May 2018 (screen shot: Facebook)

September 24, 2021, 10:09 pm

Over 300 prominent Iraqis publicly call for full peace with Israel

Unprecedented event in Erbil features Sunni and Shiite leaders and activists demanding that Baghdad join Abraham Accords; Lapid: Event in Iraq is a ‘source of hope and optimism’

By Lazar Berman and Aaron Boxerman

Likud MK Nir Barkat speaks at the opening of an ancient road at the City of David archaeological site in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, June 30, 2019. (Flash90)

September 24, 2021, 4:26 pm

In Washington, ex-Jerusalem mayor lobbies against consulate reopening

Likud MK Nir Barkat says reviving mission to Palestinians would be major mistake that would signal support for dividing capital

By Lazar Berman

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett delivers televised remarks at Ben Gurion Airport, on June 22, 2021. (Jack Guez/AFP)

September 23, 2021, 3:30 pm

PMO: Bennett’s UN speech will be unlike Netanyahu’s; ex-PM: He can learn from me

The premier will not use predecessor’s trademark visual aids as he seeks to project determination against Iran; will also address Jewish organizations in NY

By Lazar Berman

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 15: (Left to right) US Reps. Ayanna Pressley (Democrat-Massachusetts), Ilhan Omar (Democrat-Minnesota) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat-New York) listen as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Democrat-Michigan) pauses while speaking at a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. on July 15, 2019. (Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images/AFP)

September 23, 2021, 6:26 am

‘Squad’ intercepted Iron Dome with perfectly timed strike on US-Israel ties

The Democratic Party mainstream remains staunchly pro-Israel, but progressives use partisan gridlock to make the Jewish state a wedge issue

By Lazar Berman

Kulanu MK Michael Oren, on June 20, 2016. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

September 22, 2021, 4:23 pm

Ex-ambassador calls for rethink on US military aid amid Iron Dome controversy

After funding for Israel’s missile defense cut from US spending bill, Michael Oren says politicization of issue could become a ‘strategic vulnerability’ for Jerusalem

By Lazar Berman

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva. (Israel's Mission to UN and International Organizations in Geneva)

September 22, 2021, 3:02 pm

Abraham Accords partners issue joint UN human rights statement on women, peace

In first such initiative, Israel joins with Bahrain, UAE and Morocco for statement at meeting of international body’s Human Rights Council in Geneva

By Lazar Berman

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett addresses the 42nd annual ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles (screenshot)

September 20, 2021, 6:21 pm

Christian Feast of Tabernacles event opens with greeting from Bennett, Herzog

Massive annual celebration held online this year due to pandemic; International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem hails new government’s outreach to Christian world

By Lazar Berman

The unrecognized Bedouin villages around the Ramat Hovav industrial area in southern Israel suffer from a high level of air pollution from nearby chemical evaporation ponds and an Israel Electric Company power plant, on December 28, 2017. (Yaniv Nadav/Flash90/File)

September 19, 2021, 8:21 pm

Climate crisis, COVID-19, Arab community: Government lays out its policy goals

Coalition releases 213-page document meant to direct work of ministries, promising lower cost of living, better services, and more equality

By Lazar Berman