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Court documents filed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday argue that the severity of the crimes, along with payments those found guilty allegedly received from aPalestinian Authority fund, justify revoking citizenship and expelling the individuals convicted of violent attacks.

Roughly one in five Israeli citizens is Palestinian. When the law passed, critics said it was one instance in which Israel's legal system treats Jewish and Palestinian citizens differently. Rights groups argued that basing a deportation law on Palestinian Authority payments effectively limited its application on the basis of race and excluded Jewish Israelis — including settlersconvictedofattacksagainst Palestinians— from the threat of having their citizenship revoked.

Netanyahu has long argued the fund in questionrewards violence, including attacks on civilians. Palestinian officials, however, have defended it as a safety net for the broad cross‑section of society with family members in Israeli detention. They have dismissed Netanyahu's focus on the relatively small share of beneficiaries involved in such attacks.

Citizenship revocation law faces first test

Netanyahu in a statement this week said proceedings were launched against two men with more such cases were on their way. One of the court filings seen by The Associated Press details the request against Mohamad Hamad, who the state's request says was convicted of "offenses that constitute an act of terrorism and receiving funds in connection with terrorism."

It alleges Hamad, a 48-year‑old citizen from east Jerusalem, received payment after he was sentenced in 2002 on charges that included shootings and weapons trafficking. He went on to serve more than two decades in prison before his release.

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The 2023 law applies to citizens or permanent residents convicted of "committing an act that constitutes a breach of loyalty to the State of Israel," including terrorism.

Hassan Jabareen, the general director of Israel's Adalah legal center, called steps taken to apply it this week "a cynical propaganda move" by Netanyahu. He said revoking citizenship violated the most basic principles of the rule of law, including by acting against individuals who completed prison sentences.

"The Israeli government is attempting to strip individuals of the very foundation through which all rights are protected, their nationality," he said on Thursday.

If the court moves ahead, it would make Israel one of the few nations — includingBahrain— to revoke citizenship of people born in their country. Countries such as theUnited KingdomandFrancehave stripped dual or naturalized citizens of their citizenships over terrorism convictions, but international conventions generally bar states from taking away someone's nationality if it would leave them stateless.

The Palestinian Authority payments, Israel argues, create a sufficient link to justify revoking citizenship and deporting such citizens to the West Bank or Gaza.

The request does not say to where the citizens will be deported.

__ Melzer reported form Nahariya, Israel

Sandy Steers was the executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, an environmental-education nonprofit organization well known for their live camera and social media posts of the eagle couple. Their mission is to protect and preserve the amazing natural local surroundings through environmental education and advocacy.

Big Bear Valley is part of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 95 miles from Los Angeles.

"It is with heavy hearts and great sadness to let our Friends of Big Bear Valley eagle family know that Sandy Steers passed away on the evening of Feb. 11, 2026," the group said in a Facebook post the same day.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, the group described Steers as "kind, caring, calming and healing.

"People love her and she is missed dearly. Our team is heartbroken."

Steers died from cancer, the organization said. She'd beaten cancer 30 years ago, but was diagnosed with it again later in life.

She had served as the organization's executive director for roughly 25 years.

The Daily Press, part of the USA TODAY Network,also shared news of her passing.

Sandy Steers' legacy

"Sandy Steers truly exemplifies the spirit of the outdoors through her efforts to conserve the natural environment while helping to enhance and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation in California," Barbara Steinberg, a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of California, wrote in 2023, whilenominatingSteers for Outdoor Californian of the Year.

"Her efforts to preserve nesting sites for Big Bear Lake bald eagles and open space in the region including helping to save a rare pebble plain and a threatened paintbrush flower which is listed on the federal and the state endangered list, and only exists in Big Bear Valley."

The nomination added that Steers had established eco-tourism in the Valley, helping people understand that they can support the local economy by promoting and protecting the natural surroundings rather than destroying them for commercial gain.

The group also puts together educational programs for classrooms that teach children about wildlife and nature.

Steers began the Jackie and Shadow camera for the U.S. Forest Service. The first camera was installed in 2015, Friends of Big Bear Valley told USA TODAY. Steers had loved Jackie since the bird was a chick and wanted to know what was happening inside her nest.

"Her vision was to share it with others as a public benefit, free for all to see and connect with nature," the organization said. "She told amazing stories that helped people understand what was happening and relate to the trials, tribulations and successes felt by Jackie and Shadow in their daily lives."

What's happening with Jackie and Shadow this year?

Friends of Big Bear Valley shared on Jan. 30 in aFacebook postthat Jackie and Shadow had lost their eggs after a raven attack. The ordeal was caught on camera.

The pair might lay a 2nd clutch of eggs, the group said, since the eggs were laid early in the season.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Voice behind beloved Jackie and Shadow eagle cam dies

We are nearing the peak of the current La Niña, solidly in the moderate category as far as La Niñas go. This area of colder water is circled in red on the map below.

La Niña occurs when the ocean's surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific reach a specific cooler-than-average temperature. El Niño is the warming of the same area of the Pacific and has a different set of weather effects around the planet.

(MORE:Climate Change Threatens The Winter Olympics' Future)

Neutral conditions are the state between El Niño and La Niña, meaning the water in the Pacific is neither warmer nor cooler than average. This condition will be reached after near-average temperatures are sustained for a multi-month period, and will be indicated by the disappearance of blue colors on the map below in the circled area.

Here's what this forecast means for the next few months:

Impacts

Spring impacts:Years that have shifted from moderately (and relatively) chilly in the Pacific to average have featured some predictable temperature tweaks stateside from March to April.

• Cooler-than-average temperatures from the Northern Rockies to the interior Northeast.

• Reliably warmer than average temperatures in the Southeast and in the Southwest.

By May and June, the signal becomes much more mixed using these analogs, but that's not surprising as the jet stream, and its influence over the Lower 48, typically weakens. One of the meteorological features that ENSO has its hands in is the jet stream. Warming conditions in the Pacific (i.e. a slide toward neutral conditions) could also muddy any connections with weather in the U.S.

Summer impacts?El Niño and La Niña usually have their biggest impacts on the weather in winter, when they've been in place for several months. But if El Niño can develop fast enough, it could at least subtly affect both temperatures and rainfall in the U.S. this summer.

El Niño summers tend to be cooler in the East and Rockies and wetter in the Southeast.

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From a global perspective, the defining warmth of an El Niño will give this summer a push toward the top of the warmest years on record.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on ourPremium Pro experience.)

Quieter hurricane season ahead?In El Niño hurricane seasons, stronger shearing winds and sinking air often occur over at least the Caribbean Sea and some adjacent parts of the Atlantic Basin. This tends to limit the number and intensity of storms and hurricanes, especially if the El Niño is stronger.

El Niño isn't the only factor that can shape how a hurricane season goes. Bursts of dry air and sinking air or a lack of tropical waves are all other factors that can change how a season goes.

Forecast caveat you should know about:What lies beyond the springtime months is often highly uncertain.

That's because of what's known as aspring predictability barrier– a time of year when models struggle with accurate predictions.

Spring is a time when the ocean is more likely to be closer to average in the temperature department due to the shift out of the polarized summer and winter seasons in their respective hemispheres.

Winds across the equator are also often weaker during the spring because there's less temperature contrast in either hemisphere.

These factors make the signals that climatologists use to make forecasts more fuzzy, leading to a drop off in the accuracy of the forecasts.

Jonathan Belleshas been a digital meteorologist forweather.comfor 9 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.

The umbrella award had been presented to Buffy Summers (Gellar) in 1999's Season 3 prom episode of the original star-making"Buffy the Vampire" series,which ran from 1997 to 2003. However, the prop memento from classmates commemorating Buffy for protecting the school from evil was lost in time.

"That show ended when I was 24 years old,"Gellar, now 48, tells USA TODAY."It never occurred to me to take props. You're thinking so much about next and all those things. I've always said that's the one prop that I was always sad that I didn't take."

Sarah Michelle GellarFears being the 'Star Search' mean judge, wiping out on stage

Oscar-winning director Zhao recreated the treasured award and gave it to Gellar on the last day of shooting the pilot for the "New Sunnydale" revival series.

Zhao toldThe Wrapthat the prom episode is one of her favorite "Buffy" episodes, featuring Jonathan Levinson (Danny Strong) presenting the umbrella award to Buffy with a speech.

"Actually, Sarah told me she didn't keep the umbrella," Zhao said. "So, on the day of the wrap, we made a replica of that and then I memorized the speech."

The Emmy-nominated star of "Euphoria" and "The White Lotus," Sydney Sweeney, has made a name for herself in prestige television, on silver screens in horror flicks or romantic comedies and as a fashion darling on red carpets like the Met Gala.

Scroll through for more photos of her life and career.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends a Refinery29 event on Dec. 6, 2017, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney starred as Emaline on the Netflix series "Everything Sucks!" in 2018.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the premiere of Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" Season 2 at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 19, 2018, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney played Eden in the second season of "The Handmaid's Tale" on Hulu.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 70th Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2018, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jonathan Davino, left, and Sydney Sweeney attend an InStyle event on Oct. 23, 2018, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Harry Shum Jr. and Sydney Sweeney walk the red carpet at the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Jan. 27, 2019.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends The 2020 InStyle And Warner Bros. 77th annual Golden Globe Awards Post-Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney received an Emmy nomination in 2022 for her part in the first season of HBO's "The White Lotus."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends an InStyle event on Nov. 14, 2021, in West Hollywood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney was nominated for an Emmy in 2022 for her role as Cassie on the HBO series "Euphoria."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 94th Oscars at the The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, on March 27, 2022.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 2022 Met Gala.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Maude Apatow and Sydney Sweeney attend the "Bones and All" red carpet at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 2, 2022, in Venice, Italy.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends ELLE's 29th annual Women in Hollywood celebration on Oct. 17, 2022, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 2022 LACMA ART+FILM Gala on Nov. 05, 2022, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2022 on Nov. 16, 2022, in London.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 2023 Met Gala.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends a screening of HBO Films' "Reality" at Museum of Modern Art on May 16, 2023, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney and Aja Naomi King attend a Miu Miu event during the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2023, in Cannes, France.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends Variety Power of Young Hollywood at NeueHouse on Aug. 10, 2023, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney and her cousin Lucille Hancock attend the Miu Miu fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 3, 2023, in Paris, France.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends Columbia Pictures' "Anyone But You" New York Premiere on Dec. 11, 2023, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Glen Powell, left, and Sydney Sweeney in the 2023 film "Anyone But You."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the screening of "Anyone But You" at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter on Dec. 18, 2023, in Sydney, Australia.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney greets fans at the screening of "Anyone But You" at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter on Dec. 18, 2023, in Sydney, Australia.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney attend the World Premiere of Sony Pictures' "Madame Web" on Feb. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 35th GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 14, 2024, in Beverly Hills, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the premiere of Neon's "Immaculate" during Beyond Fest at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on March 15, 2024, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends Met Gala celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2024, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the premiere of "Eden" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, in Toronto.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney attend CinemaCon 2025 on April 1, 2025, in Las Vegas.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney underwent a weeklong transformation before debuting her most shocking hairstyle yet. She arrived at the Oct. 25, 2025, "Christy" premiere during the annual AFI Fest sporting an icy blonde bob, her shortest 'do yet.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Sydney was looking for a change and wanted to have a big hair moment for the red carpet to support her new movie," hair colorist Jacob Schwartz told Vogue.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney made headlines after donning a sheer, silver, floor-length Christian Cowandress at Variety's 2025 Power of Women Los Angeles event, where she was an honoree, on Oct. 29, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney walks onstage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the Nascar Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2, 2025, in Avondale, Arizona.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sydney Sweeney attends the 2025 GQ Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont on Nov. 13, 2025 in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney attend the Los Angeles premiere of "The Housemaid" on Dec. 15, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney attend W Magazine's annual Best Performances Party at Chateau Marmont on Jan. 10, 2026, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Sydney Sweeney photos: Look back at the 'Euphoria' star's best looks, career

The Emmy-nominated star of"Euphoria"and"The White Lotus," Sydney Sweeney, has made a name for herself in prestige television, on silver screens in horror flicks or romantic comedies and as a fashion darling on red carpets like theMet Gala.Scroll through for more photos of her life and career.

Gellar said it "took a few seconds" to recognize that Zhao was replicating the "Buffy" prom speech. But then she was touched.

"And it was just incredibly special," Gellar says, adding that she is protecting the keepsake now. "I have it. It's in my office."

Zhao convinced Gellar to return 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

After Gellar turned down past "Buffy" series, superfan Zhao convinced the actress to return for the revival set 25 years after the original. Both Zhao and Gellar are executive producers.

"I didn't think I'd ever be revisiting that character," says Gellar. "So just being on set was emotional."

Gellar has made it clear "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale" is not a reboot or a sequel, but a continuation of the TV world. Currently it's just the pilot, which was shot in August. The full series has not been officially greenlit by Hulu.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Sarah Michelle Gellar on reunion with treasured 'Buffy' series prop