18+ min ago (705+ words) Sunday, November 30th | 10 Kislev 5786 US and Ukrainian officials held what both sides called productive talks on Sunday about a Russia peace deal, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing optimism about progress despite challenges to ending the more than 3-year-long war. Rubio met with a Ukrainian delegation led by a new chief negotiator in Florida, his home state, for talks that he said were meant to create a pathway for Ukraine to remain sovereign and independent. "We continue to be realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic, particularly given the fact that as we've made progress, I think there is a shared vision here that this is not just about ending the war," Rubio told reporters after the talks concluded. "It is about securing Ukraine's future, a future that we hope will be more prosperous than it's ever been." The…...

49+ min ago (267+ words) Sunday, November 30th | 10 Kislev 5786 i24 News " Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday submitted a formal request for a presidential pardon to President Isaac Herzog, i24NEWS Hebrew legal commentator Avishai Grintzig revealed. What happens next? The request now enters a detailed, multi-stage review process involving the Ministry of Justice, law-enforcement bodies, and the President's Residence. Once a request is filed, it is first transferred to the Pardons Department in the Ministry of Justice. The department begins gathering extensive information, seeking input from the Prison Service, Israel Police, the State Attorney's Office, welfare and medical authorities, and the Enforcement and Collection Authority. After assembling the material, the Pardons Department submits its opinion to the Minister of Justice. The minister then issues his own recommendation. If a conflict of interest arises, the government must appoint another minister to handle the matter. The minister's recommendation is then…...

1+ hour, 17+ min ago (594+ words) Sunday, November 30th | 10 Kislev 5786 i24 news " Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a formal request for a presidential pardon to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, igniting a political firestorm across Israel's political landscape. Opposition leader and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid called on President Herzog to reject the request outright. "You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and his immediate departure from political life," Lapid said. Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party and a retired major general, condemned the move as an implicit admission of guilt. "The only acceptable arrangement is for Netanyahu to take responsibility, admit guilt, leave politics, and release the nation from this crisis. Only then can unity be restored." National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz accused Netanyahu of using the request to distract the public from the controversial draft-exemption bill....

1+ hour, 57+ min ago (338+ words) Sunday, November 30th | 10 Kislev 5786 Pope Leo said on Sunday that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between'Israel'and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state, reaffirming the Vatican's position. "We all know that at this time'Israel'still does not accept that solution, but we see it as the only solution," Leo, the first US pope, told journalists on a flight from Turkey to Lebanon during his first in-flight press conference. "We are also friends with'Israel'and we are seeking to be a mediating voice between the two parties that might help them close in on a solution with justice for everyone," added the pope, speaking in Italian. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed opposition to a Palestinian state after even its biggest ally the US indicated support for Palestinian independence. Leo spoke in a brief eight-minute press conference focused on his…...

2+ hour, 52+ min ago (347+ words) Sunday, November 30th | 10 Kislev 5786 i24 News " Cairo has launched a major initiative to train Palestinian police officers who are expected to join a future security force in Gaza once the ongoing conflict concludes. The program was first announced last summer by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. The training began with an initial cohort of more than 500 officers in March, and resumed in September with new groups. The program aims to prepare a total of 5,000 police officers, all from Gaza, with funding provided by the Palestinian Authority. "We aspire to a definitive end to the fighting and hope to serve our homeland and fellow citizens," said a 26-year-old trainee, expressing satisfaction with the program. He added that the goal is to establish a security force "autonomous, loyal only to Palestine, and free from external…...

4+ hour, 58+ min ago (674+ words) Sunday, November 30th | 10 Kislev 5786 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the plenum of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the country's president on Sunday for a pardon in his long-running corruption trial, arguing that criminal proceedings were hindering his ability to govern and a pardon would be good for Israel. Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, denies the bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges. His lawyers said in a letter to the president's office that the prime minister still believes the legal proceedings would result in a complete acquittal. "My lawyers sent a request for pardon to the president of the country today. I expect that anyone who wishes for the good of the country support this step," Netanyahu said in a brief video statement released by his political…...

1+ day, 4+ hour ago (152+ words) Saturday, November 29th | 9 Kislev 5786 i24 News " Citing the Gaza war, Dublin city council voted to rename a park honoring Israel's sixth president, the Irish-born Chaim Herzog, in further manifestation of anti-Israel sentiment in the country. While a new name is yet to be chosen, reports cite efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to change it to the "Free Palestine Park." The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland issued a statement regarding the renaming of Herzog Park. "It sends a hurtful and isolating message to a small minority community that has contributed to Ireland for centuries. We call on Dublin City Councillors to reject this motion. The removal of the Herzog name from this park would be widely understood as an attempt to erase our Irish Jewish history." Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar slammed the decision, saying that Ireland's "antisemitic and anti-Israel obsession is sickening."...

1+ day, 4+ hour ago (142+ words) Saturday, November 29th | 9 Kislev 5786 i24 News " Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani will visit Beirut on Wednesday to meet with Lebanon's leaders, Al-Jadeed reported Saturday. The visit comes "as part of an effort inseparable from the efforts by Egypt in coordination with Arab countries, foremost among them'Saudi'Arabia." The trip coincides with a sensitive period for the country, ravaged by war and deep economic crisis. Lebanon is under growing pressure from both Israel and the United States to more swiftly disarm Hezbollah and other Islamist groups across the country, with Israel increasingly inclined to stop the Shiite militia from rearming and rebuilding its infrastructure. Hezbollah was left devastated in the aftermath of a nine-day war last year, that saw Israel take out its command structure and lay waste to a significant proportion of its missile arsenal....

1+ day, 6+ hour ago (510+ words) Saturday, November 29th | 9 Kislev 5786 A drone view shows a fishing boat anchored in the Gulf of Paria, and the coast of Venezuela in the back, in Cedros, Trinidad and Tobago, November 17, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello US President Donald Trump said on Saturday the airspace above and surrounding'Venezuela'should be considered "closed in its entirety," but gave no further details as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro's government. "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING'VENEZUELA'TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY," Trump said in a Truth Social post. US officials contacted by Reuters were surprised by Trump's announcement and unaware of any ongoing US military operations to enforce a closure of'Venezuelan airspace. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and the White House did not provide any further explanation. Venezuela's communications ministry,…...

2+ day, 3+ hour ago (321+ words) Friday, November 28th | 8 Kislev 5786 The head of Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah said on Friday it retained the right to respond to'Israel's killing days ago of its top military commander and left open the possibility of a new conflict with'Israel. Naim Qassem spoke in a televised address as fears grew in Lebanon that'Israel'could escalate its bombardment of the country to compel Iran-backed Hezbollah to relinquish its arsenal across the country, which the group has repeatedly rejected. Israel's killing of Hezbollah's top military commander Haytham Ali Tabtabai in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Nov. 23 sharpened those worries. Qassem said the group would "set the timing" for any retaliation, and said threats of a broader air campaign had no impact on the group " but that renewed war was possible. "Do you expect a war later? It's possible sometime. Yes, this possibility is…...