Israel this week set a record for the highest number of openly gay members of the Knesset. Yorai Lahav-Hertzano (pictured) was sworn in on Monday as a member of the centrist Yesh-Atid-Telem alliance. He joins the Knesset following the passage of a law which allows ministers to leave their parliamentary seats Read more…
Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to begin annexing parts of the West Bank next month appear to be facing new obstacles as the prime minister battles to secure approval from his Blue and White coalition partners. The position of Benny Gantz’s centrist party appears to have become pivotal: the United States Read more…
The families of 8,000 Palestinian students feared to be stranded abroad due to the coronavirus staged a protest in Ramallah on Monday. The parents carried posters attacking the Palestinian Authority which read: “You Returned Your Children [Home], Return Our Children [To Us].” The PA pledged on Sunday evening that the Read more…
Israel recorded 300 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday morning, raising fears that the country is experiencing a second wave of the deadly pandemic. The number of cases reported by the Health Ministry was the highest daily rise in nearly two months. With a further death reported overnight, the number of Read more…
Hassan Nasrallah has vowed that Hezbollah will keep its weapons as protests against Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis have continued. In a fiery address, the terror group leader (pictured) pledged on Tuesday evening: “Our weapons will remain in our hands and we will not starve; we will kill you.” Protesters Read more…
Benjamin Netanyahu is facing mounting opposition at home and abroad to his plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Last weekend saw thousands of Israelis take to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest against the move, as polls indicated growing public opposition. There were also demonstrations last Friday Read more…
Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has grown by 50 percent in the last three months, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported this week. A former head of Israeli military intelligence warned that Iran has now substantially reduced the “break-out time” – the time in which it would be possible for the Islamic republic to Read more…
The Israeli government decided this week to freeze the further lifting of coronavirus restrictions and step up the enforcement of social distancing requirements and other regulations as cases in the country continued to grow. The Health Ministry announced today that a further 88 coronavirus cases were diagnosed overnight. The number of active Read more…
Norway is withholding more than half of the money it planned to give the Palestinian Authority for education spending this year due to concerns about incitement in the curriculum. Norway is a major donor to the PA and the announcement by foreign minister Ine Eriksen Søreide follows a cross-party vote in Read more…
Tel Aviv will not be staging its annual Pride parade this weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event, which was attended by 250,000 people last year, is the Middle East’s largest but organisers say they are hopeful that it may be able to take place later in the summer. Read more…
The Israeli government is considering shutting middle and senior schools once again as coronavirus rates have begun to rise in recent days. More than 30 Israeli schools have been closed – sending 10,000 pupils and teachers into home quarantine – after students at them were diagnosed with the virus. As Read more…
The Trump administration is believed to be seeking to slow the process of Israel annexing parts of the West Bank, according to Israeli media reports. On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu held a conference call to discuss the implementation of the administration’s peace plan – including its provisions to allow Israeli to Read more…