The escalating tension between Israel and Iran over the latter's nuclear program has been at the center of many foreign policy debates and diplomatic talks over the past decade. Proponents of an Israeli strike say it's needed for to preserve Israel's national security while detractors say such an attack would precipitate World War III. 

Tensions between ultra-Orthodox Haredim and more secular Israelis have been growing over the past year. With strict codes in regards to clothing, observance of the Sabbath, and male-female interactions, this 1 million-strong segment of the population has become increasingly vocal about its displeasure with what it perceives as an insufficiently observant state. Specifically, the majority of this animosity has been focused on women.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta complicated U.S.-Israeli relations by calling the potential consequences of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities "a confrontation and a conflict that we would regret." The remark resulted in a formal diplomatic protest lodged by Israel's ambassador to the U.S. The Obama administration has since assured the Israelis of the existence of so-called "red lines" — in essence, the White House acknowledges that certain actions undertaken by Iran could trigger U.S. military action against it.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is set to release a report that accuses Iran of using foreign aid to get to fund its nuclear weapons capability. Israel's prime minister and president have already warned that they are taking this very seriously, even threatening military intervention. There is also talk of a preemptive strike by the Israelis to confront Iran's nuclear weapons.

The United States and Israel are withdrawing contributions to UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, after the body voted accepted Palestine as the 195th full member on Monday. The U.S. contributes 22 percent of UNESCO's budget, and Israel provides another three percent. UNESCO's full membership voted 107 to 14 to accept Palestine, with 52 abstentions.

Ariel Sharon served as Israel's prime minister from 2001 to 2006, but Sharon's long career in public service began with Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. Sharon suffered a stroke in 2006, leaving him in a coma-like state. While he is now immobilized, Ariel Sharon leaves a legacy that will no doubt affect his country for decades to come. 

Gilad Sharon, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s youngest son, joins The Takeaway this morning to talk about his new biography of his father. A controversial and polarizing figure, Ariel Sharon dedicated his life to protecting Israel, but how best to preserve his country’s borders became a lifelong question. Sharon lived a life of contradictions. As Minister of Defense in 1982, he was found to be indirectly responsible for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps in Lebanon by Lebanese Christians. As prime minister, violence between Israelis and Palestinians skyrocketed. Yet his decision to relinquish control of Gaza to the Palestinians in 2005 may yet define his legacy.

The prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel may be good news for an American man who has been detained in Egypt since June. Ilan Grapel, a 27-year-old law student from Queens, New York, who is also an Israeli citizen, was accused by Egypt of being a spy for Israel. Grapel's family have denied he has any links to espionage. Ethan Bronner, who reported on the story for The New York Times, has the latest on Grapel's expected release.

Sgt. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been imprisoned by Hamas since 2006, was released on Tuesday in Egypt as part of a prisoner trade between Israel and Hamas. In exchange for Shalit's release, Israel freed 477 Palestinian prisoners, the first group of what will be more than 1,000. "I very much hope that this deal will advance peace," Shalit told Egyptian television before he was released. The deal is seen as a major political victory for Hamas, which Israel considers to be a terrorist organization. While Shalit may be on his way home, what the prisoner swap means for the future of the Palestinian leadership and the Middle East peace process is far from clear.

Israeli Sgt. Gilad Shalit was released by Hamas today in exchange for 477 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Ethan Bronner, Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times, reports on the latest.

Sgt. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been imprisoned by Hamas since 2006, was released on Tuesday in Egypt as part of a prisoner trade between Israel and Hamas. In exchange for Shalit's release, Israel freed 477 Palestinian prisoners, the first group of what will be more than 1,000. The deal is seen as a major political victory for Hamas, which Israel considers to be a terrorist organization. "I very much hope that this deal will advance peace," Shalit told Egyptian television before he was released. Many Israelis support the swap, but Arnold Roth, who was on The Takeaway yesterday, does not. Roth lost his daughter in 2001 to a Palestinian suicide bomber. The woman who drove that bomber is one of the 477 set to be released today.

Israel released the names of the 477 Palestinian prisoners it will free on Tuesday in exchange for captured soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held by Hamas since 2006. Most of the prisoners were serving life sentences for violent crimes, including murder. About 200 of the prisoners will not be allowed to return home, and will be exiled to Qatar and Turkey. A poll by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth found nearly 79 percent of Israelis support the swap.

A deal brokered by Egypt between Israel and Hamas to free a thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of an Israeli soldier, Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit finds all sides benefiting politically. Shalit has been held captive for more than 5 years — making him a powerful symbol of national anguish for Israelis. Not all the details of the deal have been released, but a Hamas spokesmen claims that among the Palestinian prisoners to be released is Marwan Barghouti. Barghouti is a Fatah leader widely viewed as a potential successor to President Mahmoud Abbas.

Angry protests by ultra-orthodox Jews in the Israeli town Beit Shemesh are the latest episode in a history of contentious relations between Israel's secular majority and the small, but powerful ultra-orthodox minority. Groups of ultra-orthodox men have been picketing a new girls' school, harassing the girls and their mothers by allegedly throwing stones, tomatoes, and feces. The men claim they are offended by what they say is the "immodesty" of elementary school-aged girls. Kevin Connolly of the BBC filed a report from Beit Shemesh.

From London and Athens to Israel and India, and now, Wall Street, protesters all over the world are taking to the streets, and their complaints are not that different. Income inequality, unemployment, austerity measures imposed by governments thought to be inept and removed from the will of the people have fueled protests around the globe. Like the protests of the Arab Spring, which have toppled authoritarian governments in the Middle East and Northern Africa this year, these protesters utilize social media to organize, and shun traditional political institutions.

In spite of intense opposition from the United States, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to formally ask the United Nations Security Council to recognize Palestine as a full member of the U.N. today. The Palestinian bid for statehood has overshadowed nearly everything that has happened at the U.N. this week. In a speech on Wednesday, President Obama voiced his disapproval of the Palestinian plan, saying "Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N." The U.S. has vowed to veto the move.

On Wednesday, President Obama made clear his opposition to the Palestinian National Authority's bid for statehood through the United Nations Security Council. "Ultimately it is the Israelis and the Palestinians, not us, who must reach agreement on issues that divide them," Obama said. Israel has criticized the Palestinian Authority's efforts as undermining the peace process, and the United States has been leading the pressure against the PA's application. Will Obama's remarks affect other countries' approaches to the bid? And what are the Palestinian Authority's chances at statehood anyway?

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Libya on Wednesday to meet with leaders of the National Transition Council, saying that the U.S. has "an enduring commitment to support the Libyan people as they chart their country's future." French President Nicholas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron also arrived on Thursday morning. Elsewhere in the region, diplomatic ties have broken down between Israel and its closest Arab allies, Turkey and Egypt, as the Palestinian Authority makes a bid for statehood before the United Nations.

The Obama administration is scrambling to avert a vote on Palestinian statehood at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly next week. The Palestinian Authority and its allies say the vote would get the months-stalled peace process moving again toward a two-state solution. The move comes as Israel has seen a significant deterioration in diplomatic ties with Egypt and Turkey, its closest allies in the region. The U.S. hopes to avoid casting a veto in the Security Council against Palestinian statehood, as well as a more symbolic gesture in the General Assembly. David Kirkpatrick, Cairo bureau chief for The New York Times, talks about what's at stake for the U.S., Israel, and the Palestinian Authority and its allies.

Egyptian protesters surrounded Israel's embassy in Cairo on Saturday, prompting Israel to deploy military jets to rescue their diplomats there. A clash between police and demonstrators ensued. The protests were in response to Israel's military killing five Egyptian policemen on the Gaza border last month, as Israeli forces pursued militants who had killed eight Israelis.