In a sign of the fierce opposition that could accompany Israel’s planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a Jewish settler leader has made a public call for his followers to break the law when fighting against the evacuation.

A strong explosion shook the Hilton hotel in Egypt’s Taba resort, only yards from the Israeli border, tonight, witnesses said.

Pop diva Madonna made a midnight pilgrimage to a Jerusalem cemetery early today, holding a mystical candlelit ceremony at the grave of a Jewish sage.

Israel reopened the Gaza-Egypt border crossing today, allowing 1,500 Palestinians to head home after being stranded in Egypt for three weeks.

Psychic Uri Geller today came to the defence of his friend Michael Jackson, saying the pop singer denied under hypnosis three years ago he had sexually abused children.