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Israeli President Proposes Joint Committee with Arab Countries over Al-Aqsa

Muslims take part in Eid al-Fitr prayers next to the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound atop the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP)
Muslims take part in Eid al-Fitr prayers next to the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound atop the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP)
    Tel Aviv, Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Israeli President Proposes Joint Committee with Arab Countries over Al-Aqsa

Muslims take part in Eid al-Fitr prayers next to the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound atop the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP)
Muslims take part in Eid al-Fitr prayers next to the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound atop the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog proposed establishing a joint committee between Israel and Arab states that normalized ties with Tel Aviv, to coordinate over Al-Aqsa Mosque, diplomatic sources revealed on Monday.

Herzog’s suggestion came last Sunday during a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

It was still unclear whether the Israeli President received the approval of the Israeli government, which has the authority to take such decisions.

Political sources expected that the move could spark a severe political dispute if it is not approved by the cabinet.

Herzog told his critics that all peace plans that were proposed by the previous Israeli governments spoke of a partnership between Israel, the Palestinian leadership and a number of Arab countries with an aim to manage the affairs of the holy sites in Jerusalem.

He stressed that the countries that would participate in the committee are Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

On Monday, an unprecedented calm prevailed over Al-Aqsa Mosque where Muslims performed Eid al-Fitr prayers to cap off the holy month of Ramadan. Israeli forces reduced their presence to a minimum and refrained from entering its compound.

“There were more than 200,000 worshipers,” said Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the holy site’s chief imam.

Activists distributed gifts to children, who came to the mosque with their families.

Thousands of Palestinians gathered in front of the Qibli Mosque, waving the Palestinian flag and a green banner.

Palestinians chanted, “With soul and blood, we will redeem you, Al-Aqsa,” “God is great,” and “Freedom, freedom.”

Hamas activists also hung a large banner on the porch opposite the Al-Qibli Mosque, showing a man in military uniform, carrying a rocket launcher, and inscribed on it, “The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, congratulates the Arab and Islamic nation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.”

Right-wing parties in Israel criticized Israeli police for not intervening to bar the Palestinian political protests against Israeli sovereignty.

However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement praising the government’s firm and wise actions in the face of violence, adding that Western countries have shown more understanding of Israeli policy than ever before.

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Arab World

Jordanian Army Participated in Strikes on ISIS Targets in Syria

A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]
A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]
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Jordanian Army Participated in Strikes on ISIS Targets in Syria

A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]
A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]

Jordan's army participated ​in the US strikes on ISIS ‌targets ‌in ‌Syria ⁠on ​Friday, state-owned ‌Jordan TV said on Saturday.

The US military ⁠launched large-scale ‌strikes ‍against dozens ‍of ISIS targets in Syria on ​Friday in retaliation for an ⁠attack on American personnel, US officials said.

According to Reuters, President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after the suspected ISIS attack killed US personnel last weekend in Syria.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes targeted "ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites" and that the operation was "OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE."
"This is not the beginning ‌of a war — ‌it is a declaration of vengeance," Hegseth said. "Today, we ‌hunted ⁠and ​we killed ‌our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue," he added.

Arab World

Christmas Spirit Returns to Bethlehem after Ceasefire in Gaza

People pose for a picture in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
People pose for a picture in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
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Christmas Spirit Returns to Bethlehem after Ceasefire in Gaza

People pose for a picture in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
People pose for a picture in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

At midnight on Christmas Eve, the words of the traditional hymn “The Night of Christmas” will ring out in the tiny grotto in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.

“On the night of Christmas, war is buried, On the night of Christmas, love is born,” a local choir sings each year during the midnight service. As they rehearsed ahead of this year's service, many choir members said the words echoed with deeper meaning following the ceasefire in Gaza, The AP news reported.

“It reminds us that no matter the difficulties, the darkness, there is always a light and that hope is always alive,” said Joseph Hazboun, the conductor of the lay choir made up of local Catholics.

For the past two years, as the war in Gaza dragged on, Christmas in Bethlehem has been a somber affair, without the traditional festivities and decorations and music. But this year, families are flocking again to Manger Square, signaling hope about the fragile ceasefire and providing a much-needed economic boost to Bethlehem.

On a recent visit, Manger Square was crowded and buzzing with festive lights, a Christmas market, and music shows for children.

“You can see the town come alive again,” said Zoya Thalgia, a resident of Bethlehem. “Everyone’s happy, everyone’s coming out to celebrate, no matter religion, no matter their stance, everyone is here.”

Bethlehem's economy and spirit have been strained by war Christmas and religious pilgrims have always been a prime economic engine for Bethlehem. Around 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents depend upon tourism-related businesses, according to the local government. During good times, their earnings ripple out to communities across the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967 that has long struggled with poverty.

But during the Gaza war, the unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14% to 65%, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati said earlier this month. And in previous years, as an act of protest, some churches created Nativity scenes with Jesus as an infant surrounded by rubble and barbed wire.

Despite the ceasefire that began in October, tensions remain high across much of the West Bank.

Israel’s military has said it is cracking down on militants in the territory and carrying out frequent raids. Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank this year reached their highest level since the UN humanitarian office started collecting data in 2006.

The endurance of Christianity in the Holy Land Odette Al Sliby, a Bethlehem resident, has sung in choirs since she was seven years old, but she said few things compare to being able to sing in the grotto at the midnight Mass.

“It’s very holy, the place and the atmosphere and the songs and the words,” she said. Singing those songs is a message of hope, she said, and a reminder to Christians of the significance of endurance. “As Christians in the Holy Land, there is a big message of being here,” she said.

Christians account for less than 2% of the West Bank’s roughly 3 million residents, a presence that has been shrinking.

As poverty and unemployment have soared during the war, about 4,000 people have left Bethlehem in search of work, the mayor said. It’s part of a worrying trend for Christians, who are leaving the region in droves.

Hazboun said he will pray this Christmas that the Christian population of Bethlehem and of other areas in the region important to Christianity don’t shrink any further.

The return of Christmas festivities across the West Bank, including a Christmas market in Ramallah thronged with visitors, is a much-needed break for local children, said Hazboun.

While Palestinians in the West Bank are still devastated by the images coming out of Gaza, lighting the community Christmas tree in Bethlehem's Manger Square for the first time in two years earlier this month provided a boost of much-needed holiday joy.

“We continue to pray for peace. This is the land of peace, it’s the land where the Prince of Peace was born, and we continue to pray and hope that one day we all will enjoy peace,” Hazboun said.

Arab World

Israeli Army Reportedly Ignored Oct. 6 Intel Warning of Hamas Attack

(FILES) This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas was implemented. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas was implemented. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Israeli Army Reportedly Ignored Oct. 6 Intel Warning of Hamas Attack

(FILES) This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas was implemented. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas was implemented. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

On October 6, 2023 - less than 24 hours before the Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war - Israel gathered intelligence indicating the Palestinian group was planning something for the following morning, Israeli Kan public broadcaster has revealed.

The information came through an intelligence-gathering operation, conducted via drones over the Gaza Strip, focused on the Hamas guards operating in the tunnel where Israel believed hostage Avera Mengistu was being held, the report said, according to an article published in The Times of Israel on Saturday.

Mengistu, a member of Israel’s Ethiopian minority and reportedly suffering from mental illness, entered Gaza by crossing a barbed wire fence in 2014, and was then arrested and held by Hamas. He was freed as part of a ceasefire deal in February this year.

The Times of Israel quoted Kan as saying that some piece of information obtained during that drone operation, though unclear, set off a red flag, and it was passed along to the Israeli army’s Southern Command.

The broadcaster, citing “sources,” claimed that the Command dismissed the intelligence as, in all likelihood, indicative of a Hamas training exercise, rather than an imminent attack.

The October 6 operation does not appear in the Israeli army’s records, nor has it been mentioned by probes into the events leading up to and during the subsequent terror onslaught, Kan said, adding that the reason for its omission is not clear.

Kan first reported on the intelligence operation earlier this month, but initially cited a source privy to the matter who said it had brought neither an intelligence breakthrough on Mengistu nor any indication of the imminent Hamas attack, The Times of Israel said.

It added that the Kan report comes about two weeks after Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir appointed a panel of experts to investigate the military’s failed handling of intelligence reports received since 2018, which outlined Hamas’s intent to launch a wide-scale attack against Israel, a topic not included in the army’s initial probes into the October 7, 2023, onslaught.