Israel signs historic free trade deal with United Arab Emirates

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said that African countries have said "loud and clear" that Israel won’t be an observer state at the African Union. He added that Arab-Israeli normalization is “a violation of Arab League decisions and resolutions”, and said that US President Joe Biden's administration and the international community need to advocate for a two-state solution to the conflict between the Palestinian Territories and Israel.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to visit Israel on Wednesday, with the war between Russia and Ukraine expected to be a major item on the agenda. So far, Israel’s stance on the conflict is a delicate balancing act.

On his first tour of Israel as German chancellor, Olaf Scholz spoke alongside Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The trip comes as Europe's largest ground war in generations rages between Russia and Ukraine.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was the latest international leader in Moscow to sound out Russia's Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. Some see Bennett as a potential mediator between Moscow and Kyiv.

Huge crowds of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered in Bnei Brak to mourn Chaim Kaniesky, a prominent rabbi. Police were out in force to prevent a repeat of a deadly stampede at a pilgrimage site 11 months ago.

At least four people died in the city of Beersheba when a man rammed his car into one person and stabbed several others. Police said the Arab assailant was shot dead by a civilian.

The Israeli government is preparing for a wave of refugees from Jewish communities in Ukraine, as people flee war there. With 200,000 Ukrainian Jews eligible for immigration to Israel, it seems to have already begun.

This week's historic summit in Israel's Negev desert saw Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid host his counterparts from the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco. Lapid said the objective was to establish "a new regional architecture that will deter Iran. It follows the normalisation of ties back in late 2020. We take a closer look.

The prime ministers of both countries witnessed the signing of the deal in a virtual ceremony. Australia wants to curb dependence on China as its largest trading partner.

Israeli security forces shot dead a Palestinian man who killed two people and injured several others in a crowded Tel Aviv bar. The shooter was identified as a Palestinian in his 20s from Jenin.

This week began with shock and outrage across the globe at the horrific images of what the invading Russian forces left behind them in the town of Bucha. And now, the week ends with more horrific images: dozens of people, many of them women and children, killed in twin rocket attacks on a train station in Kramatorsk in the East of Ukraine.

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been running high in recent days. Israeli forces have carried out fresh raids in the West Bank after a spate of recent deadly attacks.