the UK's Prince William's upcoming visit to Israel will be a "celebration of the strength" of the current relationship between the two countries, the UK ambassador to Israel said on Sunday.

Prince William is set to arrive in Israel and the Palestinian territories this week for the first official visit of a member of the British royal family, ending the monarchy's decades-long, mostly hands-off approach to one of the world's most sensitive regions.

In an interview with the Associated Press, David Quarrey said nothing has changed in British government policy regarding Jerusalem and emphasised the trip by the Duke of Cambridge "is not a political visit."

However, Israeli media reported that some of the terminology used in the itinerary of the Royal visit, describing Jerusalem as occupied territories angered Jerusalem Affairs Minister, Zeev Elkin.

Quarrey said the description of the Prince's visit "reflected decades of terminology used by British governments," adding that "absolutely nothing has changed" as far as the UK's policy regarding Jerusalem was concerned.

The Duke of Cambridge will be meeting with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and visiting landmark Jerusalem sites at the heart of the century-old conflict.

Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not internationally recognized.

Israel considers the city, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims and the emotional epicentre of the conflict, as an inseparable part of its capital.

The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as a future capital.

The prince kicks off his Middle East four-day visit Sunday in Jordan, arriving in Jerusalem on Monday before travelling on to coastal Tel Aviv and Ramallah in the West Bank.

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Ramat Gan, central Israel - 24 June 2018

1. UK Ambassador to Israel, David Quarrey walking into room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) David Quarrey, UK Ambassador to Israel:

"It is a celebration of the strength of our contemporary relationship, between the UK and Israel. We've have never had such a strong relationship in terms of trade, investment, science and technology. We also work closely together against terrorism and other shared threats, so it's the right moment - we think - for a visit to really shine a light on that relationship and show how strong the contemporary relationship is between the two countries."

3. Close up of the ambassador's hands

4. Quarrey sitting in interview

5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Quarrey, UK Ambassador to Israel:

"The British government policy has been consistent regarding Jerusalem for years, for decades in fact, and absolutely nothing has changed regarding our policy, and the description for example of the Prince's visit reflected decades of terminology used by British governments. It is important to emphasise that the Duke is not a political figure, this is not a political visit."

6. Ambassador sitting during interview

7. SOUNDBITE (English) David Quarrey, UK Ambassador to Israel:

"We have a different view than the government of Israel does, that's clear. There are many, many things that we and the government of Israel agree on and there are many things that we work together on. There are some issues that we take a different view on and I think that's characteristic of a deep mature relationship as we have between the two countries."

8. Ambassador seated, at work

9. SOUNDBITE (English) David Quarrey, UK Ambassador to Israel:

"The Duke is very clear that he wants to come and get under the skin of the country, he wants to get a feel for Israel, he wants to get a flavour of the country, he doesn't just want to come and sit in meeting rooms and do what many visitors do. He actually wants to get out there and experience the place, including in particular meeting young people here."

10. Quarrey sitting and writing

11. SOUNDBITE (English) David Quarrey, UK Ambassador to Israel:

"I shall be watching the football match, we are going to have a two-hour pause this afternoon in our visit preparations to allow us all to be cheering on England against Panama and then we will be back to work this evening preparing for the visit, but I'm afraid there is no way, I mean the Duke is a massive football fan so I'm sure he will following it closely and there is no way the embassy won't be watching the football this afternoon."

12. Union Jack flying on top of the ambassador's residence

13. Wide of the entrance to the ambassador's residence

14. Flags of Israel and the UK in street

LEAD IN:

The woolly mammoth has been extinct for thousands of years, but now Israel is calling for the species to be recognised as being  "endangered" at this week's CITES meeting.

Why? Because the trade in legal woolly mammoth ivory is growing, which wildlife experts claim has led to elephant tusks often being passed off as from their ancient cousins, which in turn is threatening species such as the "vulnerable" African elephant.

STORY-LINE:

They roamed Earth several thousand years ago.

Now, wildlife experts in Israel are calling for the extinct woolly mammoth to be internationally recognised as an "endangered" species.

For years, conservationists have claimed the booming trade in mammoth tusk is hurting their modern-day cousins - the African elephant.

It's claimed traffickers often try to circumvent the ban by passing off illegal elephant tusk as "ice ivory" - the ivory that comes from mammoth tusks.

Elephant and mammoth tusks are almost indistinguishable to the untrained eye. The only real difference? One is legal to trade, the other isn't.

Now, Israel is proposing tougher regulations on the trade of mammoth ivory, hoping it will help put the brakes on the sale of elephant ivory, falsely labelled as coming from its ancient cousins.

They're proposing "Mammuthusprimigenius" should be listed as "endangered" under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

They're due to present their case at the 18th meeting of CITES in Geneva, which begins Saturday (17 August).

"By putting the mammoth ivory outside the system, it allows the opening for laundering of elephant ivory," says Dr. Simon Nemtzov, a wildlife ecologist.

"The convention is the best method of getting all the countries together to work to protect a species that's endangered.

"And if the way of doing it is by listing an extinct species, which may seem a little unusual, then the countries should approve this because this is going to increase the protection of an endangered species, the elephants in Africa."

Nemtov claims there's a legal basis to classifying a non-endangered species under CITES protection.

"An example of this was the lynx, where the American lynx is not endangered, but the European lynx is endangered, and both lynx were listed on the convention because it's almost impossible to tell the difference between their furs," he says.

The international trade in elephant ivory was banned in 1990. China introduced its own ivory ban in 2017.

Despite that, elephants still face a risk of poaching.

"We know that there are hundreds of tons of mammoth ivory coming out of Siberia, we know that there are people going into the tundra in Siberia searching for these giant mammoth tusks that are frozen there," says Nemtzov.

"We know that it's going on, we know that there's a certain amount of it, we don't know the amount that's actually being traded of ivory being labelled as mammoth ivory, the laundering that we're trying to prevent."

Konstantin Mamontov has been carving mammoth bones for two decades.

Using small electronic tools, he carves these delicate creations. Depending on the size, a souvenir can take anything between three weeks to six months.

He sells his hand-carved souvenirs mainly in Russia's Yakutsk, but does receive some orders from China, Europe and the US.

It's not clear how the CITES proposal, if actioned, would affect the legal trade and livelihoods of mammoth bone carvers.

Not everyone thinks the proposal is a good idea.

Valery Plotnikov, chief researcher of the Mammoth Fauna Study Department at the Academy of Sciences of Yakutia, says the mammoth trade helps protect elephants.

"I have to say that I am against this initiative (to list the Woolly Mammoth as an endangered species) because the mammoth tusk has probably completely replaced the elephant tusk on the international market and it will help to save elephants from extinction," he says.

Africa's elephant population has plummeted from more than three million in 1900, to an estimated 415,000 today.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the African elephant is listed as "vulnerable".

A recent assessment by CITES confirmed that poaching remains a threat to the survival of the species.

Israel's proposal will be considered at the 18th meeting of CITES, which is due to run 17-28 August in Geneva, Switzerland.

FILE: Yakutsk, Russia - 23 August 2018

1. Various of mammoth and skeletons on display at museum

FILE: Bangkok, Thailand - 12 January 2018

2. Various of Thai forensic police collecting data from seized ivory

3. Mid of ivory being placed on table

Ramat Gan, Israel - 9 July 2019

4. Various of Asian elephants at Safari Ramat Gan zoological center

5. Setup shot of Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, walking by

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"By putting the mammoth ivory outside the system, it allows the opening for laundering of elephant ivory. The convention is the best method of getting all the countries together to work to protect a species that's endangered. And if the way of doing it is by listing an extinct species, which may seem a little unusual, then the countries should approve this because this is going to increase the protection of an endangered species, the elephants in Africa."

7. Various of Asian elephants

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"We've checked with legal experts, and within the convention there is a prevision for what's called lookalike species, where non-endangered species could be listed under the convention and under its protection to help prevent trade illegally in an endangered species. An example of this was the lynx, where the American lynx is not endangered, but the European lynx is endangered, and both lynx were listed on the convention because it's almost impossible to tell the difference between their furs."

9. Zoom in of Asian elephants

10. Mid of Dr. Nemtzov looking at Asian elephants

11. Close of Asian elephant eating

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"If we go into the stores in China, where they're selling ivory and you actually do an analysis of the figurines, you can determine that there is a large percentage of the ivory is actually from mammoth. But to determine how much of that ends up in international trade is very difficult because it's totally unregulated. So, we don't know. We know that there are hundreds of tons of mammoth ivory coming out of Siberia, we know that there are people going into the tundra in Siberia searching for these giant mammoth tusks that are frozen there - they're not fossilized, they're only a few thousand years old and they're frozen there - and they can be worked just like regular ivory into figurines and other kinds of things. So, we know that it's going on, we know that there's a certain amount of it, we don't know the amount that's actually being traded of ivory being labelled as mammoth ivory, the laundering that we're trying to prevent."

13. Pan left of sign, showing African elephant

14. Close of sign, reading (English): "Vulnerable"

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"In some parts of Africa, there are good populations of elephants, but in many parts of Africa the poaching has reduced the population by huge numbers to the extent that the populations are actually endangered."

16. Pan right of Asian elephants

FILE: Yakutsk, Russia - 6 May 2019

17. Various of Konstantin Mamontov, Bone Carver, at work

18. Close of souvenir made from mammoth tusk

19. Various of Mamontov showing souvenirs

FILE: Yakutsk, Russia - 6 May 2019

20. Various of mammoth tusks

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Valery Plotnikov, Chief Researcher of the Mammoth Fauna Study Department of the Academy of Sciences of Yakutia:

"I have to say that I am against this initiative (to list the Woolly Mammoth as an endangered species) because the mammoth tusk has probably completely replaced the elephant tusk on the international market and it will help to save elephants from extinction."

FILE: Nairobi, Kenya - 10 August 2018

22. Various of baby African elephants being fed by keepers

23. Wide of baby African elephants and keepers walking

LEAD IN:

The woolly mammoth has been extinct for thousands of years, but now Israel is calling for the species to be recognised as being  "endangered" at this week's CITES meeting.

Why? Because the trade in legal woolly mammoth ivory is growing, which wildlife experts claim has led to elephant tusks often being passed off as from their ancient cousins, which in turn is threatening species such as the "vulnerable" African elephant.

STORY-LINE:

They roamed Earth several thousand years ago.

Now, wildlife experts in Israel are calling for the extinct woolly mammoth to be internationally recognised as an "endangered" species.

For years, conservationists have claimed the booming trade in mammoth tusk is hurting their modern-day cousins - the African elephant.

It's claimed traffickers often try to circumvent the ban by passing off illegal elephant tusk as "ice ivory" - the ivory that comes from mammoth tusks.

Elephant and mammoth tusks are almost indistinguishable to the untrained eye. The only real difference? One is legal to trade, the other isn't.

Now, Israel is proposing tougher regulations on the trade of mammoth ivory, hoping it will help put the brakes on the sale of elephant ivory, falsely labelled as coming from its ancient cousins.

They're proposing "Mammuthusprimigenius" should be listed as "endangered" under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

They're due to present their case at the 18th meeting of CITES in Geneva, which begins Saturday (17 August).

"By putting the mammoth ivory outside the system, it allows the opening for laundering of elephant ivory," says Dr. Simon Nemtzov, a wildlife ecologist.

"The convention is the best method of getting all the countries together to work to protect a species that's endangered.

"And if the way of doing it is by listing an extinct species, which may seem a little unusual, then the countries should approve this because this is going to increase the protection of an endangered species, the elephants in Africa."

Nemtov claims there's a legal basis to classifying a non-endangered species under CITES protection.

"An example of this was the lynx, where the American lynx is not endangered, but the European lynx is endangered, and both lynx were listed on the convention because it's almost impossible to tell the difference between their furs," he says.

The international trade in elephant ivory was banned in 1990. China introduced its own ivory ban in 2017.

Despite that, elephants still face a risk of poaching.

"We know that there are hundreds of tons of mammoth ivory coming out of Siberia, we know that there are people going into the tundra in Siberia searching for these giant mammoth tusks that are frozen there," says Nemtzov.

"We know that it's going on, we know that there's a certain amount of it, we don't know the amount that's actually being traded of ivory being labelled as mammoth ivory, the laundering that we're trying to prevent."

Konstantin Mamontov has been carving mammoth bones for two decades.

Using small electronic tools, he carves these delicate creations. Depending on the size, a souvenir can take anything between three weeks to six months.

He sells his hand-carved souvenirs mainly in Russia's Yakutsk, but does receive some orders from China, Europe and the US.

It's not clear how the CITES proposal, if actioned, would affect the legal trade and livelihoods of mammoth bone carvers.

Not everyone thinks the proposal is a good idea.

Valery Plotnikov, chief researcher of the Mammoth Fauna Study Department at the Academy of Sciences of Yakutia, says the mammoth trade helps protect elephants.

"I have to say that I am against this initiative (to list the Woolly Mammoth as an endangered species) because the mammoth tusk has probably completely replaced the elephant tusk on the international market and it will help to save elephants from extinction," he says.

Africa's elephant population has plummeted from more than three million in 1900, to an estimated 415,000 today.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the African elephant is listed as "vulnerable".

A recent assessment by CITES confirmed that poaching remains a threat to the survival of the species.

Israel's proposal will be considered at the 18th meeting of CITES, which is due to run 17-28 August in Geneva, Switzerland.

FILE: Yakutsk, Russia - 23 August 2018

1. Various of mammoth and skeletons on display at museum

FILE: Bangkok, Thailand - 12 January 2018

2. Various of Thai forensic police collecting data from seized ivory

3. Mid of ivory being placed on table

Ramat Gan, Israel - 9 July 2019

4. Various of Asian elephants at Safari Ramat Gan zoological center

5. Setup shot of Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, walking by

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"By putting the mammoth ivory outside the system, it allows the opening for laundering of elephant ivory. The convention is the best method of getting all the countries together to work to protect a species that's endangered. And if the way of doing it is by listing an extinct species, which may seem a little unusual, then the countries should approve this because this is going to increase the protection of an endangered species, the elephants in Africa."

7. Various of Asian elephants

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"We've checked with legal experts, and within the convention there is a prevision for what's called lookalike species, where non-endangered species could be listed under the convention and under its protection to help prevent trade illegally in an endangered species. An example of this was the lynx, where the American lynx is not endangered, but the European lynx is endangered, and both lynx were listed on the convention because it's almost impossible to tell the difference between their furs."

9. Zoom in of Asian elephants

10. Mid of Dr. Nemtzov looking at Asian elephants

11. Close of Asian elephant eating

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"If we go into the stores in China, where they're selling ivory and you actually do an analysis of the figurines, you can determine that there is a large percentage of the ivory is actually from mammoth. But to determine how much of that ends up in international trade is very difficult because it's totally unregulated. So, we don't know. We know that there are hundreds of tons of mammoth ivory coming out of Siberia, we know that there are people going into the tundra in Siberia searching for these giant mammoth tusks that are frozen there - they're not fossilized, they're only a few thousand years old and they're frozen there - and they can be worked just like regular ivory into figurines and other kinds of things. So, we know that it's going on, we know that there's a certain amount of it, we don't know the amount that's actually being traded of ivory being labelled as mammoth ivory, the laundering that we're trying to prevent."

13. Pan left of sign, showing African elephant

14. Close of sign, reading (English): "Vulnerable"

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Head of International Relations at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority:

"In some parts of Africa, there are good populations of elephants, but in many parts of Africa the poaching has reduced the population by huge numbers to the extent that the populations are actually endangered."

16. Pan right of Asian elephants

FILE: Yakutsk, Russia - 6 May 2019

17. Various of Konstantin Mamontov, Bone Carver, at work

18. Close of souvenir made from mammoth tusk

19. Various of Mamontov showing souvenirs

FILE: Yakutsk, Russia - 6 May 2019

20. Various of mammoth tusks

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Valery Plotnikov, Chief Researcher of the Mammoth Fauna Study Department of the Academy of Sciences of Yakutia:

"I have to say that I am against this initiative (to list the Woolly Mammoth as an endangered species) because the mammoth tusk has probably completely replaced the elephant tusk on the international market and it will help to save elephants from extinction."

FILE: Nairobi, Kenya - 10 August 2018

22. Various of baby African elephants being fed by keepers

23. Wide of baby African elephants and keepers walking

An Israeli nonprofit space organisation on Monday said it would launch later this week what it hopes will be the first private spacecraft to land on the moon.

Dr. Ido Antebi, CEO of SpaceIL which is working with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, told reporters in Ramat Gan that the teams working on the landing craft, dubbed Beresheet, or Genesis, are "at the last stage of readiness for the launch" to commence the months-long voyage to the moon.

The launch is due early Friday in Israel.

It had been originally slated for last December.

The small craft, roughly the size of a washing machine, will have to make several orbits before landing.

Dr Antebi said the mission aims to encourage children to learn science, technology and engineering, and to "promote the space industry" in Israel.

Ramat Gan – 18 February 2019

1. Replica of spacecraft

2. Israeli space organisation SpaceIL CEO, Dr. Ido Antebi, speaking at a conference

3. Screen showing planned journey

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Ido Antebi, Israeli space organisation SpaceIL CEO:

"The launch is scheduled for Friday morning Israel time, early morning. And this week actually we are finishing all the activities in order to be ready for the launch in space in Cape Canaveral - actually this spacecraft will be assembled on the launcher. And here in Israel the control room and the teams are at the last stage of readiness for the launch."

5. Antebi's talk and screen

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Ido Antebi, Israeli space organisation SpaceIL CEO:

"This mission has two big goals. One is the education goal. We want the Israeli kids and the Israeli youth to, we want to encourage them to learn STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and informatics - and we hope that they will have this mission we will create the effect and encourage them. Actually, we are doing it for several years with a lot of volunteers in (inaudible). The second goal is to promote the space industry here in Israel. And as we could see two weeks ago the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) signed an agreement with HBO, a German company for lunar landing services, they will work together, in cooperation. And I think we got it - one of the goals is already achieved."

7. Speakers on podium

Israel's prime minister on Tuesday vowed to annex the strategic heartland of the West Bank if he wins national elections next week, offering a vision that would likely end any remaining hopes for establishing a Palestinian state.

Benjamin Netanyahu said he would annex the Jordan Valley, an area seen as the breadbasket of any Palestinian state, shortly after forming a new government and move later to annex remaining Jewish settlements.

Such action would gobble up most of the West Bank territory sought by the Palestinians, leaving them with little more than isolated enclaves.

Netanyahu's announcement was the latest in a series of frenetic moves he has made in recent days aimed at rallying his hard-line voters ahead of the 17 September election.

His plan would hinge on a number of factors, most critically whether President Donald Trump would support him.

Nonetheless, it was the most detailed vision for the region that Netanyahu has presented during more than a decade in power.

Appearing some 90 minutes late at a hastily called news conference, Netanyahu said that it was important to act as Trump prepares to unveil his MidEast peace plan after Israeli elections.

"This is a historic opportunity, a one-time opportunity, to extend Israeli sovereignty on our settlements in Judea and Samaria, and also on other important regions for our security, for our heritage, and for our future," he said, using the biblical terms for the West Bank.

He gave no indication on whether he had discussed his plans with Trump, but said he would wait for his peace plan and coordinate all steps with the president, whose team of MidEast advisers is dominated by supporters of the settlements.

US officials said Netanyahu had told them about his proposal ahead of time and had not raised any objections because they do not think it will affect prospects for an eventual agreement.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

++STORYLINE UPDATED AT 1814GMT++

Ramat Gan - 10 September 2019

1. Wide of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arriving at news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:

"We are on the eve of elections. (US) President (Donald) Trump said that after the elections he will present his 'deal of the century' for a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. In all likelihood this plan will be presented immediately after the elections, even a few days after the elections. And that is right around the corner. This places before us a great challenge, and it also puts before us a great opportunity. This is a historic opportunity, a one-time opportunity, to extend Israeli sovereignty on our settlements in Judea and Samaria, and also on other important regions for our security, for our heritage, and for our future."

3. Cutaway of Netanyahu

4. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:

"And therefore when it's clear that the Trump plan will apparently come before us very soon, in the immediate future, I ask to receive from you a clear mandate to enact Israeli sovereignty over all the settlements. Out of respect for President Trump, and out of great trust in our friendship, I will wait to impose Israeli sovereignty over all the settlements until after the presentation of the president's diplomatic plan."

5. Audience applauding

6. Netanyahu leaving news conference

Israel's prime minister on Tuesday vowed to annex the strategic heartland of the West Bank if he wins national elections next week, offering a vision that would likely end any remaining hopes for establishing a Palestinian state.

Benjamin Netanyahu said he would annex the Jordan Valley, an area seen as the breadbasket of any Palestinian state, shortly after forming a new government and move later to annex remaining Jewish settlements.

Such action would gobble up most of the West Bank territory sought by the Palestinians, leaving them with little more than isolated enclaves.

Netanyahu's announcement was the latest in a series of frenetic moves he has made in recent days aimed at rallying his hard-line voters ahead of the 17 September election.

Ramat Gan - 10 September 2019

1. Wide of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at podium

2. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:

"Today I am announcing my intention to apply, with the formation of the next government, Israeli sovereignty on the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea." (applause)

3. Netanyahu pointing at map

4. Wide of Netanyahu at podium

A group of female Holocaust survivors in Israel have been treated to a pampering "makeover" in advance of the country's annual remembrance day.

Seventy survivors, representing Israel's 70th anniversary, were treated on Monday to manicuring, hairstyling and make-up as part of an event titled "Beauty Heroines."

Organisers said it was a gesture towards Israel's elderly survivor population who endured the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II when 6 million Jews died.

Organiser Limor Katz said the idea was to "spoil" the women as a way to "give honour and respect to all the survivors."

Haya Stern, a 91-year-old Auschwitz survivor, said she lost her entire family in the Holocaust but that her "revenge" was to have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Israel.

Israel marks Holocaust memorial day on Thursday when a siren wails across the country.

Wohl Auditorium, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan - 9 April 2018

1. Pan of room where Holocaust survivors are having hair and make-up done

2. Various of Holocaust survivors having make-up applied

3. Luba Likolski, 94, originally from Moscow and who helped to liberate Berlin with the Russian army, getting her hair done

4. Tilt up from Luba's medals to her face

5. Zoom in on Luba posing for picture with others

6. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Luba Likolski, 94, Holocaust survivor:

"Here, it's really nice. Only here in Israel can you live to my age, 94."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Limor Katz, one of the organisers of the event:

"What we are all doing here, is that we have come to give an honour and respect to all the survivors, to all the women survivors because they are the real heroes here. This day is for them, we want to spoil them, to give them make-up, we do them a "makeover" (in Hebrew), we change their clothes, we put them on the stage and we tell the whole world, we are here and we survived it and we now have a family and children and we're here to stay and they are all winners here. All the 70 survivors from all over Israel are coming here for this ceremony and we give them respect. It's all for them."

8. Various of Haya Stern, 91, Auschwitz survivor getting her make up done

9. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Haya Stern, 91, Auschwitz survivor:

"Unfortunately everyone stayed, everyone perished there in Auschwitz. I was the only one left from the whole family, unfortunately, from the whole family even cousins, no one, but what I won was to be able to establish a generation. Here is my daughter and my daughter has a son too. there are grandchildren and great-grandchildren and I won to live in a free country and I won that I have three great-grandchildren who are serving in the Israeli army. This is my revenge to those murderers, the Germans, who thought that I would be the last generation because their plan was to totally exterminate the Israeli people, the Jewish people."

10. Various of Haya Stern on podium receiving sash and flowers

11. Various of ceremony

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to his main political rivals on Thursday by branding them "leftists" who planned to make concessions to the Palestinians and novices and who will destroy the country.

Retired military chief Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party announced they were joining forces ahead of April's election, a dramatic move that shook up the nation's political system and created the first credible alternative to Netanyahu's decade-long grip on power.

Netanyahu claimed that Lapid and Gantz would conspire with small Arab parties to prevent him from forming a parliamentary majority.

Netanyahu also used the news conference to boast about several of his achievements such as his role in persuading the Trump administration to scuttle the international nuclear deal with Iran and recognise the contested city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Netanyahu is pursuing a fourth consecutive term, and opinion polls have forecast another Likud victory in the April 9 election.

But Gantz, a popular political newcomer, has emerged as a potent challenger since announcing his candidacy late last month.

Both he and Lapid hold similar views on a host of issues popular with centrist Israeli voters, ranging from the economy to the Palestinian issue.

Ramat Gan - 21 February 2019

1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaching podium at news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:

"Tonight, the decision is as clear as it ever was. A new left wing government, weak, presided by Lapid and Gantz, with a blocking majority of Arab parties or a strong right-wing government led by me. They are talking about us, they are saying (they are) a right-wing blocking majority. They are trusting the Arab parties that not only don't recognise the state of Israel, they are working on eliminating the state of Israel. It means a right-wing blocking majority is forbidden, but a blocking majority with Arab parties that are working to eliminate the state of Israel is legitimate. It's absurd."

3. Cutaway of journalists and camera operators

4. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:

"That's why tonight, I have one message. Only a big Likud (party) will stop a left-wing government, and only a big Likud will promise the continuation of the prosperity, boom and the security. So the message is, vote Likud. Thank you very much."

5. Netanyahu leaving news conference

The chief executive of Israel's Football Association said on Wednesday it is going to file an official complaint to football's world governing body, FIFA, in the wake of Argentina's abrupt cancellation of a World Cup warm-up match against Israel.

"We are seeing it as crossing a red line and we cannot accept it," said Rotem Kamer, adding that the cancellation surmounts to "football terror from the Palestinian football association and its president."

The match was cancelled after a fierce Palestinian campaign, which included images of Argentina's white and sky-blue striped jersey stained with red paint resembling blood and threats to burn posters of star Lionel Messi.

The head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, had called on Arab soccer fans to burn Messi posters and T-shirts if he participated.

He has long tried to get FIFA and the International Olympic Committee to impose sanctions against Israel.

Ramat Gan - 6 June, 2018

1. Wide of media at briefing

2. Wide of chairman of the Israeli Football Association, Ofer Eini, on podium with chief executive Rotem Kamer

3. Close of nameplate

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Rotem Kamer, Chief Executive Officer of Israeli Football Association

"We are confronting a football terror from the Palestinian football association and its president. It's not a matter of another speech in the congress or another proposal on the agenda, it's threatening the football players to come to Israel. It's asking and telling all the Arab world to burn Messi's shirts and threatening families of football players. It's much more than any legitimate act that has (been) done so far. We are seeing it as crossing a red line and we cannot accept it. We are going to send an official complaint to FIFA and the disciplinary committee to take action against the President of the Palestinian Football Association."

5. Crest of Israel's football association

6. Officials on podium

In Israel, even gorillas are getting geared up for Passover.

An Israeli zoo is giving some of its animals a kosher-for-Passover diet, swapping bread for matzo like observant Jews do.

During the holiday, bread and other items made from yeast disappear from store shelves and restaurants and observant Jews clear their homes of it.

Instead, Jews eat matzo to illustrate how the Israelites had no time to let their bread rise as they fled from bondage in Egypt.

Ramat Gan, Israel - 27 March 2018

1. Various of gorilla holding and eating matzo

2. SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew) Chen Chaimovich, guide

"During the Passover holiday, we replace the animals food, also in the open area, we move from our usual grain-based mix to a corn-based mix and also here with the animals we give them a small piece of matzo instead of bread."

3. Gorilla eating

In Israel, even gorillas are getting geared up for Passover.

An Israeli zoo is giving some of its animals a kosher-for-Passover diet, swapping bread for matzo like observant Jews do.

During the holiday, bread and other items made from yeast disappear from store shelves and restaurants and observant Jews clear their homes of it.

Instead, Jews eat matzo to illustrate how the Israelites had no time to let their bread rise as they fled from bondage in Egypt.

Ramat Gan, Israel - 27 March 2018

1. Various of gorilla holding and eating matzo

2. SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew) Chen Chaimovich, guide

"during the Passover holiday, we replace the animals food, also in the open area, we move from our usual grain-based mix to a corn-based mix and also here with the animals we give them a small piece of matzo instead of bread."

3. Gorilla eating

ISRAELI ZOO FEEDS GORILLAS MATZAH FOR PASSOVER

In Israel, even gorillas are getting geared up for Passover.

An Israeli zoo is giving some of its animals a kosher-for-Passover diet, swapping bread for matzo like observant Jews do.

During the holiday, bread and other items made from yeast disappear from store shelves and restaurants and observant Jews clear their homes of it.

Instead, Jews eat matzo to illustrate how the Israelites had no time to let their bread rise as they fled from bondage in Egypt.

Ramat Gan, Israel - 27 March 2018

1. Various of gorilla holding and eating matzo

2. SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew) Chen Chaimovich, guide:

"during the Passover holiday, we replace the animals food, also in the open area, we move from our usual grain-based mix to a corn-based mix and also here with the animals we give them a small piece of matzo instead of bread."

3. Gorilla eating

Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem were preparing for the week-long Passover holiday on Thursday.

And in Ramat-Gan's safari, near Tel Aviv, even the gorillas keep kosher for Passover.

Gorillas and other animals are usually given bread to check their vitality, but since the zookeepers and handlers cannot touch any leavened products during the week-long holiday that marks the biblical Jewish exodus from Egypt, they are also fed matzo, the unleavened cracker Jews eat to remember that in their rush to flee slavery, the ancient Israelites' bread did not have time to rise.

Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv - 6 April 2017

1. Zoom in on gorilla picking up matzo, eaten during the week-long Passover holiday

2. Various of gorillas eating matzo

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Abby Grobani, zookeeper:

"During Passover it's forbidden for us to be giving them bread or to have in our possession bread so in order to make all of the keepers and visitors at the Safari comfortable, we give them matzo. They love getting matzo during Passover, it's something different, it's something fun, it's something enriching, they don't get it the rest of the year so they're happy, we're happy because we don't give them "hametz" (leavened food products) and everybody enjoys from the matzo during Passover."

4. Visitors looking at gorillas

5. Gorilla eating matzo

6. Pan from children to gorilla eating matzo

7. Gorilla eating matzo