International Glance
Israeli forces blocked two senior Catholic leaders from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch, and Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, were stopped en route to the church.
The leaders had attempted to enter privately without any ceremonial procession or public gathering, but were refused access.
The church bodies said this was the first time in centuries that the heads of the Catholic Church had been prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulchre.
“This incident is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem,” they said.
Israel blocks top Catholic leaders from Palm Sunday Mass at Holy Sepulchre
Israel kills Palestinian girl and police officers in Gaza bombing
Israeli forces killed at least eight people in attacks on police stations and another location in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Air strikes targeted two police checkpoints in al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, according to local media.
Such police checkpoints had been established across Gaza to help protect displaced families.
Displaced people, including a girl, and three police officers were among those killed, the Palestinian health ministry said. An additional four people were wounded.
There were also reports of Israeli naval fire off the coast of Khan Younis, threatening fishermen and displaced people. No casualties were reported.
‘Smarter, More Advanced, More Modern’ – Inside Ukraine’s Drone War
Drones are no longer just shaping the war in Ukraine – they are defining it. What began as an improvised response to a lack of manpower has evolved into a technological arms race, shaping not only how battles are fought but where they reach.
Ukrainian forces, driven by innovation and necessity, have managed not only to hold the front line but to strike far beyond it – targeting military infrastructure, ammunition depots, drone production sites and even oil refineries deep inside Russian-held territory.
At the center of this transformation are specialized units like Typhoon, a special-purpose unmanned systems unit of Ukraine’s National Guard, established in 2024. Operating across key directions such as Kharkiv and Pokrovsk, the unit focuses exclusively on drone warfare and electronic systems, from reconnaissance and strike UAVs to electronic warfare and interception.
Built largely by volunteers and veterans of special forces units, Typhoon combines technical expertise with battlefield experience, constantly adapting to a rapidly evolving war.
‘Policing thought’: French bill to fight antisemitism accused of silencing Israel critics
A bill "aimed at combating renewed forms of antisemitism", which is due to be debated on by parliament next month, has sparked a heated controversy in France in recent weeks.
Many organisations and parts of the political left suspect the proposed legislation of exploiting the fight against antisemitism to censor and criminalise criticism of the Israeli government.
The bill was introduced in November 2024 by Caroline Yadan, an MP representing French citizens living abroad in a constituency including Israel and Palestine, who left President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance parliamentary group last summer to protest against his recognition of the State of Palestine.
Yadan, who is also vice-president of the France-Israel friendship group in the National Assembly, has also criticised the French president for calling in 2024 for a halt to arms deliveries to Israel.
Officially, the proposed law aims to address the “resurgence” of antisemitic acts in France since 7 October 2023 and the development of “an obsessive hatred toward the state of Israel”.
Former US soldiers argue Israeli policy is now guiding US interests
A group of anti-war, US military veterans have slammed what they say are Israeli interests guiding US military policy, culminating in the current US-Israeli war on Iran that is putting American lives at risk.
To the public's knowledge, 13 US military personnel have so far been killed since the war was launched on 28 February, but veterans said on Thursday that there are likely more casualties to be announced, given that the Pentagon's three military hospitals in Germany "are full".
President Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated that there may be many casualties and that it's simply the cost of going to war.
After critics blasted the president for wearing a campaign hat while receiving the first batch of caskets that were returned to the US, the White House decided that the second dignified transfer ceremony would no longer be open to the press.
While the anti-war veterans took stock of Washington's responsibility for starting the war, they pointed to deeply embedded Israeli operations that they say have become inextricable from the Pentagon's decision-making.
Ukraine Seals Defense Deal With Saudi Arabia as Zelensky Lands in Surprise Visit
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine and Saudi Arabia have reached an important agreement on defense cooperation during his surprise visit to the kingdom.
In a Telegram post, Zelensky said the document was signed ahead of his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
He added that the agreement lays the foundation for further contracts, technological cooperation, and investment, while strengthening Ukraine’s international role as a security donor.
Zelensky highlighted that Ukraine is ready to share its expertise and defense systems with Saudi Arabia and cooperate to strengthen the protection of lives.
“For the fifth year now, Ukrainians have been fighting against the same terrorist attacks with ballistic missiles and drones that the Iranian regime is currently carrying out in the Middle East and the Gulf region. And Saudi Arabia has what Ukraine is interested in. This cooperation can be mutually beneficial,” he said.
US law enforcement foils plot to assassinate Palestinian American activist
Law enforcement officers foiled a plot to assassinate New York-based Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani and arrested a 26-year old man in connection with the plan.
Kiswani wrote in post on X that late on Thursday, the FBI joint terrorism taskforce informed her that a plot against her life was “about to” take place, and that agents had conducted an operation in Hoboken, New Jersey, in connection to it.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed on Friday and a Department of Justice press release, Alexander Heifler, 26, was arrested on Thursday night on charges of unlawfully possessing and making firearms.
The complaint describes a weeks-long sting by an undercover officer who, at one point, infiltrated a group video call in which Heifler asked for assistance with “molotovs”. Heifler later met with the undercover officer on multiple occasions, at one point telling him that he had an address for the “victim”, which the complaint does not name. The officer was at Heifler’s residence when he assembled about eight molotov cocktails on Thursday.
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