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* Apocalypse prophecies drive Islamic State strategy, recruiting efforts Leaders of the Islamic State movement in Syria and Iraq are infatuated with apocalyptic Muslim prophecies foretelling a titanic final battle of good and evil.

* France warns Palestinians over escalating crisis with UN bid France warned the Palestinians on Tuesday against escalating a diplomatic battle with Israel after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he would resubmit to the UN Security Council a resolution calling for the creation of a Palestinian state.

* Rare look into secret testing facility Every missile or aerial vehicle manufactured in Israel - from the Iron Dome interceptor to the IAI Heron UAV - passes through the same halls at Israel Aerospace Industries' facility near the Ben Gurion Airport.

* ISIS says it has executed Iraqi govt infiltrators (GRAPHIC CONTENT) The Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has released pictures allegedly showing the execution of eight people.

* Islamic leader urges Muslims to visit Temple Mount The head of the world's largest Islamic organization on Monday paid a rare visit to Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, urging Muslims to follow suit and come to the city in a bid to strengthen Palestinian claims to the holy site.

* Germany Pegida protests: Rallies over 'Islamisation' Supporters and opponents of a group campaigning against what it sees as the "Islamisation" of Europe have held rival rallies across Germany.

* Report: Qatar to banish Hamas' Mashaal, who will relocate to Turkey Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas' political bureau, is expected to leave his base in the Qatari capital of Doha and relocate to Turkey.

* Israeli Diamond Market Continues to Shine Despite Rough Year Diamond exports from Israel rose slightly in 2014, despite a general slowdown in the global trade of precious stones, an Israeli official said Tuesday.

* Israel Marks its Second Christmas; Third Coming Up Suffer from post-Christmas blues? That's not uncommon. One cure would be to move to Jerusalem, where not one, not two, but three Christmases come around every year.

* North Korea has 6,000-strong cyber-army, says South South Korea has claimed that North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber-army dedicated to disrupting its military and government.