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US leads criticism of Israeli minister's visit to al-Aqsa

The United Nations and the United States led a chorus of international criticism of a visit by Israel's extreme-right new national security minister to Jerusalem's super-sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Tuesday.

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Gazans risk death at sea dreaming of life in Europe

Younis al-Shaer left Gaza dreaming of a better life in Europe, only to return to the Palestinian enclave in a coffin.

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Mideast powers condemn Israel minister's visit to al-Aqsa mosque compound

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were among nations to condemn a visit Tuesday by Israel's extreme-right new national security minister to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

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Tunisia opposition says hit by politically motivated probes

The main coalition against Tunisian President Kais Saied said Tuesday his administration was using the judiciary to close down opposition to his rule, after several inquiries were opened against its members.

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Israel forces kill Palestinian child in Bethlehem

Israeli forces killed a child in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday, the Palestinian health ministry reported, as Israel said police officers fired on people throwing Molotov cocktails.

The health ministry announced "the death of the child Adam Essam Shaker Ayyad, 15, with a bullet in the chest fired by the occupation soldiers during the aggression on Bethlehem at dawn today."

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Where are the Gulf Arab tourists? Israel's hopes fall short

When Israel struck an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to open diplomatic ties in 2020, it brought an electrifying sense of achievement to a country long ostracized in the Middle East.

Officials insisted that Israel's new ties with the UAE, and soon after with Bahrain, would go beyond governments and become society-wide pacts, stoking mass tourism and friendly exchanges between people long at odds.

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Israeli ultranationalist minister visits Jerusalem holy site

An ultranationalist Israeli Cabinet minister visited Tuesday a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site for the first time since taking office in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new far-right government last week. The visit is seen by Palestinians as a provocation.

Earlier in the day, Palestinian officials said a 15-year-old boy was killed by Israeli army fire near the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem. The Israeli military said its forces had shot a person involved in violent confrontations with soldiers.

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New Israeli government vows to develop West Bank tourism

The tourism minister of Israel's new hardline government has promised to invest in developing the West Bank, calling the occupied area "our local Tuscany."

Haim Katz made the comments days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government took office, promising in its coalition guidelines to make West Bank settlement construction a top priority. His coalition includes far-right settler leaders in top posts.

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Al-Sisi urges caution for Netanyahu's new government

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has urged Israel's new hard-line government to refrain from "any measures" that could inflame regional tensions, in a phone call congratulating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his return to office.

The leaders spoke days after Netanyahu's new Cabinet was sworn in, promising in its coalition guidelines to make settlement construction in the occupied West Bank a top priority.

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Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank confrontation

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a man claimed by an armed group as a member, during a confrontation that erupted early Monday when troops entered a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said.

The two men were killed in the village of Kafr Dan near the northern city of Jenin. The Israeli military said it entered Kafr Dan late Sunday to demolish the houses of two Palestinian gunmen who killed an Israeli soldier during a firefight in September. The military said troops came under heavy fire and fired back at the shooters.

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