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ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, whose exemption from compulsory military service is dividing Israel and threatens to topple its government. He is also a major in the infantry reserves of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The long-standing military waiver for the ultra-Orthodox has sparked waves of protest in recent weeks by more secular Israelis, angry that they are shouldering the risk and drudgery of fighting the war in Gaza, now six months old. In city streets, ultra-Orthodox demonstrators have scuffled with combat veterans who sport khaki shirts and hoist national flags. In fact, around 10% of the haredim, as the ultra-Orthodox are known, come forward voluntarily for the standard three years of military service, Levi said. Some go on to be officers, like him.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, calling it a “terror channel” that spreads incitement, after parliament passed a law clearing the way for the closure

Pope Francis presided at the service, read his noon prayer and was driven around the crowd in a popemobile. However, Pope Francis, at the last minute, skipped reading his homily during the Palm Sunday Mass for tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.

By Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that “no international pressure will stop us from realizing all of the goals of the war: Eliminating Hamas, freeing all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel." That this is interpreted as a challenge to President Biden speaks volumes about the shift in U.S. policy toward Israel. The joke around Jerusalem is that while Mr.

By Sarah Marsh

By Andrew Mills and Maayan Lubell

holy month of Ramadan, significant for Muslims, usually sees heightened tensions in the region. Clashes have historically erupted during this time, particularly in Jerusalem's Old City, a site sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

By Sinan Abu Mayzer. Nidal al-Mughrabi. Bassam Masoud

Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza. That 10-day conflict has been dwarfed by the current war, which is now in its sixth month. It began on Oct.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) — The Israeli military said on Sunday it intensified operations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, destroying dozens of Hamas targets in a blitz of air and artillery strikes.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

By Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi

After the Biden administration applied sanctions on four Israeli settlers for acting violently toward Palestinians and activists in the West Bank, online fundraisers sprang to their aid

Lula da Silva's comparison of Israel's military campaign in Gaza to the Holocaust has unleashed a diplomatic firestorm, with Brazil recalling its ambassador Monday and Israel declaring Lula «persona non grata.» The row erupted the day before when Lula said the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip «isn't a war, it's a genocide,» and compared it to «when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.»

Israel will launch its long-threatened offensive against Rafah next month if Hamas has not freed the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said. «The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know — if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area,» Gantz, a retired military chief of staff, told a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem Sunday. Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is expected to begin on March 10.

Israel accused Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of trivialising the Holocaust and causing offence to the Jewish people on Sunday after he likened the Israeli war against Hamas militants in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two. «What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,» Lula told reporters during the 37th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.

Benjamin Netanyahu responded on February 17 to rising appeals from world leaders to avoid a ground operation in Rafah, remarking that doing so would mean «losing the war against Hamas,» as reported by The Times of Israel. «Those who want to prevent us from operating in Rafah are essentially telling us: 'Lose the war.' I won't let that happen,» he vowed at an evening press conference in Jerusalem. «We won't capitulate to any pressure,» he said.

Israel has sent negotiators for truce talks in Cairo as requested by US President Joe Biden but they did not go back for further talks because Hamas' demands were "delusional," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. Netanyahu also said Israel would not give in to «international dictates» regarding a statehood agreement with the Palestinians, which he said could only be reached through direct negotiations without preconditions.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday dismissed the idea of holding early elections, while thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv for an anti-government protest.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell