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.

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.

Protesters smashed windows of banks in the Lebanese capital Beirut this past week as the currency hit a new low against the dollar. The Lebanese lira has lost about 97 percent of its value, and more than 80 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Millions of people are struggling to make ends meet amid the financial turmoil.

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.

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.

Israeli lawmakers have passed legislation that drastically narrows the circumstances required to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or a successor from office.

Military reservists are threatening to stop reporting for duty if Israel goes ahead with its judicial reforms. The unprecedented military protests underscore the growing opposition to the legal overhaul.