Hundreds of young Jews from 20 countries worldwide spent the countdown weekend to 2012 in Athens, Greece, only days after the celebration of Hanukah, the Jewish holiday commemorating the ancient story of the small band of Maccabees defeating the mighty Greeks.

Ruling comes days after 5 were indicted for tracking, disrupting army operations in West Bank; Jerusalem prosecution asks delay of ruling to appeal to Supreme Court.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called on Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum to refrain from overt expressions of religious preferences and beliefs on the campaign trail, stating that ''religious appeals to voters are simply unacceptable and un-American.''

The Prime Minister in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Sunday promised ''difficult days'' for Israel, and at a rally in Tunis urged Arab Spring revolutionaries to fight for an independent Palestine.

Jordan will host another meeting of Israeli and Palestinian officials, the second in a week but Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused the Palestinians of poor faith in peacemaking

Turkish PM says situation in Syria is heading toward a religious, sectarian, racial war, which may pose a threat to Turkey.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar says the Gaza-rulers are not prepared to relinquish fight against Israel under any circumstances.

Navy officers confirm security mission will amount to thousands of hours of missile boats' operational hours each year.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under growing pressure from debilitating Western economic sanctions, starts a Latin America tour Sunday aimed at shoring up ties with his few remaining allies.

The population of Israel topped 7.8 million at the end of 2011, according to figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.