Lt. Michael Behenna had been scheduled to remain on parole until 2024; questions have been raised about court's handling of his claim of self-defense

Though Israel has not issued any formal comments regarding an alleged ceasefire with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, authorities have begun to relax security restrictions and urge Israelis to start returning to normal.
No rockets have been fired since 4:30 a.m., and the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command has lifted all restrictions for Gaza border residents.
Hamas confirmed that “intensive diplomatic efforts” were brokered by the United Nations, Qatar and Egypt, and reported an agreement on Al-Aqsa TV.
Economy and Industry Minister Eli Cohen announced that workers and business owners in areas affected by the bombing are eligible for financial assistance, including compensation.

In clip, children seen moving to anthem used by Islamists, one girl calls for 'liberating' Al-Aqsa; Muslim American Society calls it 'disturbing'

Philadelphia eatery run by chef Michael Solomonov named nation's best at James Beard Awards

Washington – The White House says President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to a former first lieutenant in the U.S. Army convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump granted clemency to Michael Behenna of Oklahoma. Behenna was convicted in 2009 of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone [...]

Now that the Gaza flareup is over, Tel Aviv is pulling out all the stops for the international song contest, aiming to hit just the right note for its many visitors

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has made it official: The administration won’t be turning President Donald Trump’s tax returns over to the Democratic-controlled House.
Mnuchin told Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., in a Monday letter that the panel’s request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose” as Supreme Court precedent requires.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited wounded soldiers at a hospital in southern Israel on Monday after a weekend of hostilities, where the Israeli leader said that the “rules of the game” have changed in the Gaza Strip.
“In the last two days, we resumed the policy of eliminating senior terrorists. We killed dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, and knocked down terrorist buildings,” Netanayhu said while visiting the Israel Defense Forces Southern Command, pushing back against criticism that he has not done enough to end rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.

Washington – President Donald Trump volunteered a view on the deadly flareup in clashes between Israel and terrorist groups on the Gaza Strip border this weekend. Of the 21 Democrats running for president, only three weighed in — two, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., favoring Israel’s version of events, and one, [...]