The New York Observer

BRUSSELS -- Thanks to the insistence of Hungary, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has been removed from the latest round of European Union sanctions to punish Russia’s invasion of Ukraine , four EU diplomats told The Associated Press. The sixth package of sanctions, which includes an embargo on most Russian oil imports into the 27-nation bloc by the end of the year, was approved by ambassadors Thursday following a political deal reached earlier this week by EU leaders. The diplomats spoke on the condition of anonymity because the identity of the new individuals sanctioned has yet to be published. The sanctions will be adopted Friday by the EU Council. Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church had been initially included in individuals the bloc wanted to sanction but the proposal needed to be approved unanimously. It was removed at the insistence of Hungary, which is perceived as Moscow's closest ally within the bloc. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban threatened to...

JERUSALEM -- Israeli police arrested dozens of Palestinians but no Jews during a nationalist march through Jerusalem this week in which crowds of Jews chanted racist slogans, assaulted Palestinians and vandalized Palestinian property, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday. Israeli police had said after Sunday’s march that over 60 people were arrested, but have refused to give a breakdown, despite queries by The Associated Press. The Haaretz daily reported Thursday that it checked arrest records name by name, and found that no Jews were among those detained. It said two Jews were arrested in a separate, related incident. Tens of thousands of Israeli nationalists participated in Sunday’s parade -- an annual march that celebrates Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians consider the event a provocation. Israeli police cleared out the area for the marchers, who passed through a Palestinian neighborhood before proceeding to the Jewish Quarter of the Old Cit...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused Iran of deceiving the international community about its atomic activities as he met with the visiting head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Friday. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, paid a brief visit to Israel, which has long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons and is opposed to any return to the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers. Bennett “expressed Israel’s deep concern regarding Iran’s continued progress toward achieving nuclear weapons while deceiving the international community by using false information and lies,” his office said in a statement. He “emphasized the urgent need in mobilizing the international community to take action against Iran, using all means, in order to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons." Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but has never publicly acknowledged having such weapons. Recent Stori...