The Dispatch

Israel’s Knesset set to dissolve by midnight triggering snap election

JERUSALEM, June 29 (Reuters) - Israel was headed on Wednesday toward its fifth election in less than four years, plunging it deeper into political uncertainty as it grapples with rising living costs…

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UPDATED: Israeli Knesset votes to dissolve in step towards snap election

JERUSALEM, June 22 (Reuters) - Israel moved closer on Wednesday to its fifth election in less than four years after lawmakers gave an initial nod to dissolve parliament, with a comeback by…

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Lebanon, Syria, Egypt sign gas import agreement

Lebanon, Syria and Egypt on Tuesday signed an agreement to transfer 650 million cubic metres of gas per year from Egypt to Lebanon via Syria at a ceremony at the…

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Israel braces for fifth round of election in less than four years

Two members of Israel's outgoing coalition government vowed on Tuesday (June 21) to prevent a comeback by ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu, their fellow right winger, as the country braced for a fifth…

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Israel says building regional air defence alliance under U.S.

JERUSALEM, June 20 (Reuters) - Israel is building a U.S.-sponsored regional air defence alliance, the Israeli defence minister said on Monday, adding that the apparatus has already foiled attempted Iranian attacks and…

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Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinian gunmen in West Bank

RAMALLAH, West Bank, June 17 (Reuters) - Israeli troops killed three Palestinian gunmen during a fire fight in the occupied West Bank on Friday, Israel's military said. The military said…

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UPDATED: EU, Israel and Egypt sign deal to boost East Med gas exports to Europe

CAIRO/JERUSALEM, June 15 (Reuters) - Israel and Egypt will aim to boost natural gas exports to Europe under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Wednesday as the continent looks to replace…

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One year in, Israel’s “salvation government” hangs by a thread

One year after ending the record reign of Benjamin Netanyahu following months of political turmoil, Israel's fragile coalition government is teetering on the edge of collapse, raising the prospect of…

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Phone app allows Gaza women to report domestic abuse anonymously

A phone app that allows women in the Palestinian Gaza Strip to report domestic abuse anonymously is allowing growing numbers of victims to seek help while avoiding the shame and…

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Syria says damage to Damascus airport from Israeli strike ‘significant’

An Israeli airstrike that struck Damascus International Airport caused “significant” damage to infrastructure and rendered the main runway unserviceable until further notice, Syria said. The statement by the Transportation Ministry…

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Israel budget deficit almost zero, lowest in 14 years

JERUSALEM, June 9 (Reuters) - Israel's budget deficit fell to 0.04% of gross domestic product in May over the prior 12 months, its lowest level in 14 years, from 0.6% of GDP…

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Israeli PM Bennett on unannounced visit to Abu Dhabi

JERUSALEM, June 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and will meet its president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, an Israeli statement said.…

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Lebanon warns against any Israeli ‘aggression’ in disputed waters

BEIRUT, June 5 (Reuters) - Lebanon warned Israel on Sunday against any "aggressive action" in disputed waters where both states hope to develop offshore energy, after a ship arrived off the coast…

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Lebanese security chief fears political paralysis, social collapse

A senior Lebanese security official has said the risk of political paralysis has increased since an election produced a fractured parliament last month, warning of a possible "disaster" because there…

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Israel prefers diplomacy on Iran but could act alone, Bennett tells IAEA chief

JERUSALEM, June 3 (Reuters) - Israel told the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Friday that it would prefer a diplomatic resolution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme but could take independent action, reiterating a long-standing veiled threat to launch…

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Israeli troops shoot knife-wielding Palestinian woman in West Bank

HEBRON, West Bank, June 1 (Reuters) - A knife-wielding Palestinian woman threatened an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank and was shot on Wednesday, the army said, and a…

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Israel signs major trade deal with Gulf state UAE

Israel signed a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, its first big trade accord with an Arab state and a move aimed at boosting trade between…

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Israel warns against travel to Turkey citing Iran assassination

Israel on Monday warned its citizens against travel to Turkey, citing Iranian threats of revenge for the assassination last week of a Revolutionary Guards colonel. Teheran has blamed Israel for…

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Iranian ‘immunity’ is over, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett says

JERUSALEM, May 29 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday Iran would not go unpunished for instigating attacks through its proxies, speaking a week after the assassination…

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Fears of Iran-Israel escalation after assassination of Revolutionary Guard officer

The brazen daylight assassination of an Iranian military officer in Tehran a week ago has prompted calls for revenge and shined a spotlight on the ongoing shadow war being fought…

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UPDATED: Clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque before contested Israeli flag march

JERUSALEM, May 29 (Reuters) - Israeli police faced off with Palestinians holed up inside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on Sunday as hundreds of Jews visited the holy compound ahead of a…

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Benjamin Netanyahu eyes comeback as Israeli government loses majority

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's pugnacious ex-prime minister, is planning a political comeback this Wednesday after the government led by his former protégé lost its majority last week. Mr Netanyahu's Right-wing Likud…

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Photo Story: President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial

The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola lays a wreath at the Hall of remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem, Israel, on Monday. Metsola is…

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Israeli forces kill Palestinian teen militant during clash

RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 21 (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian militant in clashes in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, the Palestinian…

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Hezbollah and allies lose majority in Lebanese parliament, final results show

Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies have lost their majority in Lebanon's parliament in a general election, a Reuters tally of final results showed on Tuesday, a major blow to the heavily…

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Lebanon vote brings blow for Hezbollah allies in preliminary results

BEIRUT, May 16 (Reuters) - Iran-backed Hezbollah has been dealt a blow in Lebanon's parliamentary election with preliminary results showing losses for some of its oldest allies and the Saudi-aligned Lebanese Forces…

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Factbox: Who is running in Lebanon’s election?

Lebanon holds a parliamentary election on May 15, with candidates vying for 128 seats that are divided among 11 religious groups according to a sectarian power-sharing system. The vote takes…

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Polls open in Lebanese parliamentary election

BEIRUT, May 15 (Reuters) - Polls opened on Sunday in Lebanon's first parliamentary election since the country's economic collapse. Voting was due to begin from 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) across 15 electoral…

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Lebanon to vote in first election since financial meltdown

Vote is first since economic collapse, Beirut port blast BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese vote on Sunday in the first election since their country's economic collapse, a test of whether Iran-backed Hezbollah and…

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UPDATED: Police clash with mourners at Palestinian journalist’s funeral

JERUSALEM, May 13 (Reuters) - Israeli police clashed with Palestinian mourners packed around the coffin of killed Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh at the start of her funeral procession…

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Photo Story: Official funeral of Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh

Palestinian honour guard carry the coffin of Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh during an official funeral at the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Ramallah,…

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UPDATED: Al Jazeera reporter killed during Israeli raid in West Bank

JENIN, West Bank, May 11 (Reuters) - An Al Jazeera reporter was shot dead during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, with Palestinians and the news channel accusing…

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Photo Story: Parliamentary elections in Lebanon get underway

A European Union election observer monitors the parliamentary elections taking place outside Lebanon in an operation room to observe the voting process through screens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs…

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Israel says Putin apologised for foreign minister’s Hitler remarks

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had apologised for his foreign minister's comments claiming Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins. Putin also told Bennett in a…

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Three people killed in suspected Palestinian attack in Elad, Israel

ELAD, Israel, May 6 (Reuters) - At least three people were killed in what police suspect was a Palestinian attack in the central Israeli city of Elad on the country's…

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Israeli Prime Minister Bennett’s family receives another death threat letter and bullet in mail

The family of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has received a death threat and bullet in the mail for the second time this week, the police said. This time the letter…

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Israeli missile strike kills soldiers near Damascus

April 27 (Reuters) - Four Syrian soldiers were killed on Wednesday, Syria's defence ministry said, in an Israeli missile attack on positions near Damascus that a war monitor said had…

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Biden plans to visit Israel in the coming months – Israeli PM’s office

JERUSALEM, April 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has accepted an invitation from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to visit Israel and intends to make the trip in the coming months,…

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Lebanon maternal deaths triple, children’s health at risk amid crisis, UNICEF says

The number of women in Lebanon dying from pregnancy-related complications has nearly tripled amid a crushing three-year economic crisis that has seen doctors and midwives leave the country, the U.N.…

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Easter chants echo in ancient cistern near birthplace of Christianity

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A few steps from Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a small opening leads to an underground cistern where clerics have found the perfect place to practise…

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Palestinians clash with Israeli police at Jerusalem holy site

JERUSALEM, April 22 (Reuters) - At least 31 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police at Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Friday, Palestinian medics said, the latest outbreak…

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Israeli war planes strike Gaza after rocket attack

GAZA, April 21 (Reuters) - Israel carried out air strikes in central Gaza before dawn on Thursday after a rocket launched from the Palestinian territory landed in Israel, Hamas officials…

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America stresses importance of status quo at Jerusalem holy sites

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed recent violence in Israel and the West Bank with his Jordanian counterpart and stressed the importance of maintaining the status quo at Jerusalem holy sites,…

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WATCH: Israel fires at Hamas target in Gaza after rocket attack

Israel fired on a target in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early on Tuesday. The rocket attack was the first…

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Putin discusses Russia-Ukraine talks, Middle East with Palestinian leader Abbas

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday. They also talked about "the problems of…

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Jerusalem violence puts strain on Israel’s coalition government

JERUSALEM, April 17 (Reuters) - Clashes in Jerusalem that have stoked tensions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread into Sunday, triggering 18 arrests and putting further strain on…

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Israeli police arrest nine as Palestinians seethe over Jerusalem shrine

Israeli riot police faced off with fireworks-hurling Palestinians in the alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday as a visit by Jews to a disputed holy site stoked tensions during…

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Passover, Easter, Ramadan 2022 fall simultaneously

In a rare conjunction, three major holidays of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are occurring at the same time this year. On Friday, Christians commemorated the crucifixion of Jesus, and on…

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UPDATED: Palestinians clash with Israeli police at Jerusalem holy site, 152 injured

JERUSALEM, April 15 (Reuters) - At least 152 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli riot police inside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Friday, the latest outbreak in a recent upsurge of…

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Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s ancient altar rediscovered

JERUSALEM, April 13 (Reuters) - Pressed against a wall in a back corridor of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a stone slab bore testimony only to the graffiti etched…

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Lebanon strives to temporarily avert bread crisis

Lebanon's government has agreed to disburse $15 million to temporarily resolve growing bread shortages in the country, Economy Minister Amin Salam told Reuters, while saying that the funds would only…

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Israel and West Bank on edge after more bloodshed

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian women after one ran towards troops and the other stabbed a soldier in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank, Israeli security officials said. With violence surging after…

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Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre ‘resurrected’ for Palm Sunday mass as pilgrims return

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prayers in Arabic and Latin echoed in the rotunda of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday as Christians from around the world were once again…

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UPDATED: Israeli forces shoot Palestinian who killed two in Tel Aviv bar

JERUSALEM, April 8 (Reuters) - A Palestinian who killed two people in a Tel Aviv bar was shot to death on Friday by Israeli security forces after an hours-long manhunt…

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Second booster shields elderly from COVID but protection wanes quickly – Israeli study

April 6 (Reuters) - A fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine lowered rates of COVID-19 among the elderly but the protection against infection appeared short-lived, a large study in Israel has found. The second…

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Israel says UAE free trade deal reached

JERUSALEM, April 1 (Reuters) - Israel and the United Arab Emirates have concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement, Israel's Economy Ministry and the UAE foreign trade minister said on Friday, after formally establishing ties…

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Israeli forces on West Bank raid kill two Palestinians during clashes

RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 31 (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed at least two Palestinians on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, in clashes that erupted during a raid in the…

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