At least five school districts, most in the northeast of the country, have reinstated mask requirements for students amid an uptick in COVID-19 infections, and two requested that students be tested for the virus before returning to school from winter break.
The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation announced days before the new year that the Pool of Siloam, a biblical site cherished by Christians and Jews, will be open to the public for the first time in 2,000 years in the near future.
Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Prime Minister of Israel's most right-wing and religiously conservative government, pledging settlement expansion, subsidies for ultra-Orthodox allies, and judicial reform.
Archaeologists uncovered hundreds of artifacts in an ancient Jewish burial cave in Israel that is believed by some to have been the tomb of a midwife present at the scene of Jesus' birth based on the so-called Gospel of James.
The Associated Press found that governments around the world used mass surveillance technologies and data during the COVID-19 pandemic for purposes unrelated to the pandemic, including stifling dissent and harassing marginalized communities.
