Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Protest leaders on Tuesday vowed to step up their mass demonstrations against the government, including staging a blockade of the Ben Gurion Airport next week.

The Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee will resume legislation connected to the government’s controversial judicial reform on Sunday, after legislation was frozen for nearly three months as negotiations were held between representatives of the entire coalition and the opposition parties Yesh Atid and National Unity at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

Dozens of far-right ultra-Orthodox Jews began to riot at the site of a local Christian worship event in Jerusalem last Thursday afternoon to protest the event. One suspect, an activist with the far-right organization Lehava, was arrested for attacking a police officer during clashes with the Israel Police.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is “very optimistic” that Israel and Saudi Arabia will normalize relations before March 2024, he said in a briefing on Sunday.

Israelis opposed to the planned judicial reform of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government turned out in force once more on Saturday, as protests entered their 25th week in a row.

Israel has flipped the equation on its head when it comes to dealing with Palestinian terrorism using drones, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address released on Thursday.

Hezbollah forces invaded Israel’s sovereign territory and established a military position over a week ago, local broadcaster Kan revealed on Wednesday. Following the unusual case, a security committee met to discuss the incident.

The Israeli military launched a counter-terrorism raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday to arrest terrorists planning deadly attacks against civilians in Israel.

Continuing its commitment to making reparations for the Holocaust, Germany is set to pay $1.4 billion in 2024 to fund welfare programs and one-time direct compensation payments to survivors, USA Today reports. 

Israel opposes any interim agreement between the US and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting Sunday.

Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems on Wednesday announced the development of what it said was the world’s first hypersonic missile interceptor, called SkySonic.

In discreet U.S.-mediated talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Riyadh has conditioned normalizing ties with Jerusalem on the establishment of a civilian nuclear program, as well as a robust defense pact with Washington and removing restrictions on American arms sales, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking Wednesday in a meeting with the Knesset Foreign Affairs Committee, said the U.S. is pushing for a “small” informal arrangement with Iran in order to prevent a military confrontation over Iran’s uranium enrichment program.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday night met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Brussels to discuss Iran and other important aspects of the US-Israel relationship.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Wednesday that they have established a strategic partnership and have signed several bilateral cooperation agreements, Reuters reports.

Israel carried out an attack on Syria overnight Wednesday, according to state-run SANA News television. At least one Syrian soldier was seriously wounded.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation that, if seen through the Senate, would establish a special envoy for the Abraham Accords – the historic deal that saw Israel normalize relations with a handful of Arab states.

The Saudi embassy in Washington reiterated that the kingdom will not normalize ties with Israel until a Palestinian state is established, amid intensified US efforts to broker a peace agreement between Jerusalem and Riyadh.

Dividing the Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) between Muslims and Jews would cause “overwhelming anger,” the results of which cannot be expected, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh warned on Monday.

Israel’s controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is set to introduce a Knesset bill that would grant him sweeping powers to control the country’s police force and to indefinitely imprison suspects who have not been charged with any crime, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.