Israel to dissolve parliament and hold April elections

Designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Wednesday that he has successfully formed a new coalition, setting the stage for him to return to power as head of the most right-wing Israeli government ever.

Several Israelis have voiced their concern over the new government's proposed plans. Expanding settlements in the West Bank and weakening the Israeli judiciary were among the goals set by Netanyahu's coalition.

The UN General Assembly has backed a Palestinian request to have the ICJ probe the occupation of the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government said Israel would "respond as necessary."

Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest the most right-wing government in the country's history. Many fear a danger to democracy amid planned judicial reforms.

In November of 1995, a Jewish extremist murdered Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, marking a turning point in the country's history. For some, Rabin's assassination partially catalysed the death of a certain path towards peace with Palestinians and a sense of unity among Israelis.

The Israeli government has said it would seek to speed up the process for citizens to obtain firearms licenses in the wake of attacks in East Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged a "strong, swift and precise" response following deadly attacks in Jerusalem. The Israeli military also sent more troops into the West Bank.

The US secretary of state strongly condemned recent attacks by Palestinian gunmen in east Jerusalem, but also urged restraint from Israelis in their response.

As any diplomat will tell you, your friends' friends aren’t necessarily your friends. We knew that at the start of the war in Ukraine, when Israel made sure to keep up relations with Russia so it could keep on targeting Moscow ally Syria. Did that all change last Saturday night in Isfahan? Israeli drones reportedly targeted a defence facility in Iran's third-largest city.

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.

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.