Israel

Administration
On December 20, 2015, Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom resigned, following allegations that he had sexually harassed several women during his career. Shalom was not the first high-level politician to be forced from office in a scandal regarding allegations of misconduct, as former Israeli president Moshe Katsav, who took the position in 2000, left office in 2007 and was later sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of twice raping an aide when he was a cabinet minister in the late 1990's. The decision to step down did not affect the stability of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Lebanon
On December 20, 2015, after a miliant leader in Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike in Syria, three rockets - fired from Lebanon - struck open areas in northern Israel, causing no damage or injuries.

Turkey
Israel's once-strong ties to Turkey soured in May 2010 when Israeli commandoes killed 10 Turkish activists when storming the Mavi Marmara, a ship in a convoy seeking to break an Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Turkey demanded an apology and a lifting of the blockade; for Israel, limiting Hamas activity was key. On December 17, 2015, a deal was struck with Turkey to normalize ties following high-level bilateral talks in Switzerland.