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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 28 december 2022
Israeli doctors reject Netanyahu allies’ anti-LGBTQ remarks

By ISAAC SCHARF and ILAN and the American Jewish
BEN ZION community.
Associated Press Netanyahu has sought to
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s portray himself as the re-
largest medical center and sponsible adult in the coali-
health care workers from tion and already issued a
hospitals around the coun- series of statements guar-
try have spoken out against anteeing to protect the
remarks by allies of Benja- rights of LGBTQ people. But
min Netanyahu calling for his partners hold great le-
a law to allow discrimina- verage because they sup-
tion against LGBTQ people port new legislation that
in hospitals and businesses. could ultimately freeze or
It was part of a broader dismiss criminal charges
blowback against remarks against Netanyahu.
made this week by Reli- The long-time leader,
gious Zionism politicians who served 12 consecu-
calling for legal discrimina- tive years before he was
tion against LGBTQ people. ousted last year, already
Netanyahu’s new govern- has agreed to put a hard-
ment the most religious line politician known for his
and hard-line in Israel’s his- anti-Arab views in charge
tory is made up of ultra- Israel’s Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrives during the swearing-in ceremony for Israeli of the national police force
Orthodox parties, an ultra- lawmakers at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. and put another hard-line
nationalist religious faction Associated Press settler leader in charge of
and his Likud party. It is to ist lawmaker, said her par- ers from around the coun- The uproar could be a West Bank settlement poli-
be sworn in on Thursday. ty seeks a change to the try on Monday saying “we sign of what lies ahead for cies.
Earlier this week, two Ne- country’s anti-discrimina- treat everyone.” Similar Netanyahu and his new A third religious lawmaker
tanyahu allies from the ul- tion law that would include statements were made by government. His partners who opposes LGBTQ rights
tranationalist Religious Zi- allowing religious health doctors and administrators are seeking widespread has been given wide-
onism party said that their care providers to refuse to at Rambam Medical Cen- changes that could alien- spread authority over the
faction seeks to change an treat LGBTQ patients “so ter in Haifa and Barzilai Hos- ate large swaths of the Is- national education system,
anti-discrimination law in a long as there are enough pital in Ashkelon. raeli public, raise the risk and Netanyahu report-
way that would permit busi- other doctors to provide Netanyahu later rebuked of conflict with the Pales- edly also has agreed to in-
nesses and doctors to deny care.” Struck for her remarks, say- tinians and put Israel on a crease unpopular subsidies
service to LGBTQ people on Sheba Medical Center re- ing there would be no cur- collision course with some to ultra-Orthodox men who
the basis of religious belief. leased a video on Insta- tailing of LGBTQ rights un- of its closest supporters, in- do not work or serve in the
Orit Struck, a Religious Zion- gram of health care work- der the new government. cluding the United States army.q

Taiwan extends compulsory military

service to 1 year

By HUIZHONG WU toward Taiwan on a near- deterrence.
Associated Press daily basis in recent years. “We will continue to as-
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Tai- In response, the island’s mil- sist Taiwan in maintaining
wan will extend its compul- itary actively tracks those a sufficient self-defense
sory military service from movements, which often capability in line with our
four months to a year start- serves as training for its own commitments under the
ing in 2024, President Tsai military personnel. Taiwan Relations Act and
Ing-wen said Tuesday, as Those born before 2005 our one-China policy,” the
the self-ruled island faces will continue to serve four White House said, adding
China’s military, diplomatic months, but under a re- it continues to oppose any New recruits practice thrusting with their bayonets at a military
and trade pressure. vamped training curricu- unilateral changes in the training center in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan on April 22,
Taiwan, which split from lum aimed at strengthening status quo by either China 2013.
the mainland in 1949 dur- the island’s reserves forces. or Taiwan. Associated Press
ing a civil war, is claimed “No one wants war,” Tsai Beijing has often used mili- the two governments tech- Central Police University.
by China. The decades-old said. “This is true of Taiwan’s tary exercises to respond to nically do not have diplo- Taiwan’s current 4-month-
threat of invasion by China government and people, moves it views as challeng- matic relations, as Wash- long military conscription
has sharpened since Beijing and the global community, ing its claims to sovereignty. ington does not formally requirement was widely
cut off communications but peace does not come In August, U.S. House recognize Taiwan as a sov- panned by the public as
with Taiwan’s government from the sky, and Taiwan is Speaker Nancy Pelosi vis- ereign state. being too short and not
after the 2016 election of at the front lines of the ex- ited Taiwan, and China The plan sets Taiwan up for providing the training that
Tsai, who is seen as pro-in- pansion of authoritarian- responded with the largest- increasing its defense ca- professional soldiers actu-
dependence. ism.” The White House wel- scale military exercises it’s pabilities but what remains ally need. The government
China’s People’s Libera- comed the announcement held in decades, because to be seen is how well the had slashed it down from a
tion Army in particular has on conscription reform, it saw Pelosi’s visit as an of- Defense Ministry will carry year to four months in 2017
stepped up its military ha- saying it underscores Tai- ficial diplomatic exchange. out the reforms, said Arthur as it was transitioning the
rassment, sending fighter wan’s commitment to self- Although the U.S. is the is- Zhin-Sheng Wang, a de- army into an all-volunteer
planes and navy vessels defense and strengthens land’s largest unofficial ally, fense expert at Taiwan’s corps.q