Israel: Thousands protest against PM Netanyahu ahead of polls

From withholding nearly $40 million in tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority, to pledges to expand West Bank settlements and the Israeli security minister's controversial visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the first months of Israel's most far-right government in history presage a bleak outlook for peaceful relations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel's government said it would would legalize nine settlements in the occupied West Bank after recent attacks by Palestinians in Jerusalem. Several Western countries said they are "deeply troubled" by such a move.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sat down with FRANCE 24’s Marc Perelman at the Munich Security Conference to talk about the war in Ukraine and US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Poland to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

One of Cambodia's last free media outlets, Voice of Democracy radio, ceased operations on Monday after Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered its closure for allegedly slandering his son in a story.

At a meeting of foreign ministers, Germany's Annalena Baerbock urged Israel to abandon a plan to start executing terrorists. Her Israeli counterpart, meanwhile, warned that Iran now poses a threat to Europe.

In an interview with FRANCE 24 from Tel Aviv, former Mossad chief Dany Yatom expressed deep concern at the prospect of Israel becoming a "dictatorship". For weeks, Israel has been rocked by a wave of protests against a bill that would curtail the independence of the country's highest court.

Israelis have been protesting a judicial overhaul planned by the country's ultranationalist government. The gap between supporters and opponents of the controversial reform is widening.

More major protests in Israel against proposed justice reforms forced visiting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold talks at or near Ben Gurion airport.

Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan confronted police outside his home in Lahore. Authorities have tried to arrest Khan, who has been entangled in a string of legal cases.

In Israel, the ongoing protest movement against judicial reform has now spread to the ranks of the army and in particular, reservists of elite units. In recent weeks, hundreds of them have published open letters to express their doubts about continuing to serve if the plans of Benjamin Netanyahu's government are adopted.

In Israel, protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned judicial reform have been going on for weeks. Cultural activists say Israel's democracy is in danger. Writer Etgar Keret explains why.

The ruling means Khan can now travel to Islamabad without being detained to face corruption charges. The former cricketer-turned-politician has been holed up in Lahore as his supporters clashed with police.