Israel

Israel are set to decriminalize the use of cannabis and make the possession and consumption of marijuana legal. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, the Cabinet member in charge of law enforcement, told members of the press that he supports a change in the law that would end punishing members of the public for consuming weed. Times of Israel reports: A new policy on marijuana possession, which is illegal in Israel expect for medically prescribed cannabis, would have to be approved by the Cabinet.

Israel has approved building permits for an additional 560 homes in three settlements in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday. The announcement came just 48 hours after Donald Trump took office as the 45th American president. RT reports: Israel Radio talked to the Chairman of Jerusalem city hall’s Planning and Building committee, Meir Turgeman, who said the permits had been in the works, but delayed until Barack Obama was out of office.

In one of the first international phone conversations by the new US president since his inauguration, Israel PM Netanyahu is set to call Trump on Sunday afternoon: the civil war in Syria, the Palestinians and the nuclear agreement with Iran will be on the agenda Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting.

PM Netanyahu: This evening there will be a telephone conversation between President Trump and myself.

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 22, 2017

A Syrian opposition group have called for Israeli intervention in Syria to help overthrow President Bashar al-Assad The group comprised of certain foreign-based oppositionists have openly pleaded with Israel to directly confront Assad Press TV reports: The so-called National Salvation Front in Syria, which represents certain members of the anti-Damascus  opposition in diaspora, including some who are based in France and Belgium, also proposed a “roadmap” for closer relations with Tel Aviv, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on Monday.

Just as the Syrian proxy war showed some hopeful signs of finally dying down, the Syrian army command said on Friday that Israeli jets have bombed the Mezzeh military airport west of Damascus, accusing Tel Aviv of supporting terrorism, and warned Tel Aviv of repercussions of what it called a "flagrant" attack. Syrian state TV quoted the army as saying several rockets were fired from an area near Lake Tiberias in northern Israel just after midnight which landed in the compound of the airport, a major facility for elite Republican Guards and special forces.