Israel on Wednesday approved the construction of 78 new homes in two settlements on West Bank land annexed to Jerusalem, likely to aggravate Palestinian anger at a time when violence has flared, including a deadly attack on a synagogue.
The United States is facing an unconventional challenge as it seeks to project credibility as a neutral peacemaker between the Israelis and Palestinians: a case before the Supreme Court involving a 12-year-old boy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday urged lawmakers to show restraint over Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, which has been at the heart of rising tension with the Palestinians in recent weeks.
Plans for new settlements in East Jerusalem pose a threat to peace and Israel's relations with the European Union, the 28-member bloc said on Friday, joining the United States in its criticism of the decision.
The Palestinians have drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an end to Israeli occupation by November 2016, which they have shared informally with Arab states and some council members, U.N. diplomats said on Wednesday.
The casualty, injury and property damage costs incurred in the Gaza Strip conflict has incited protests around Europe. Moreover, some of the rallies in France and Germany now include antisemitic chanting, with a few turning violent, Bloomberg reported.
New Hampshire-based Adam Harmon said that he moved out from the US to join the IDF in 1990, and although he has drawn some curious stares from local soldiers, he and the rest of the foreigners believed that their service to Israel was out of patriotism for the country just like they have for the US.
Eman Mohammed, who is a US green card carrying resident and a TED fellow who has been working in the city as a freelance photographer, spoke to Buzzfeed over the phone, "Do you know how hard it is to get anywhere in Gaza right now? And I have two young children with me. I tried hard to get there, but there was no way. So now I am stuck here in Gaza City. I'm so worried, mostly for my children. This isn't easy for anyone, to be stuck here."
Israel's security forces last week discovered an underground tunnel linking Gaza and Israel, which was expected to facilitate a terror attack or kidnapping attempt inside the country, the army said on Sunday
