Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud AbbasReuters

The festival of Pesach (Passover) came to an end in Israel last night; but for those of our readers living in the Diaspora the eighth and final day ends this evening - and Arutz Sheva is here to provide you with a summary of some of the important news stories of the past two days.

Palestinian Authority yo-yos over threats to disband

As talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority look set to dissolve on April 29, PA's chairman Mahmoud Abbas issued a threat over the weekend to dissolve the PA entirely as part of a series of unilateral moves aimed at isolating Israel internationally.

US officials expressed their alarm over the threat, and in turn warned America could cut the flow of aid to the PA.

Confusingly, PA officials later denied that any such moves were on the table - only for Abbas to once again imply that disbanding may be a possibility if Israel did not give in to his demands for a building freeze in Judea and Samaria.

Israeli officials, meanwhile, reacted with skepticism and derision. Economics Minister Naftali Bennett pointed out that this was the seventh time Abbas had made such threats, and that Israel would be more than happy for him to follow through.

"If (Abbas) is doing that for Zionist motives I appreciate it. But if he's using it as a threat against us, then I ask him: what's the threat? Breaking apart the PA that incites terror? Breaking apart the PA that breaches the Oslo Accords? Breaking apart the PA that pays fixed stipends to murderers of Jews?" asked Bennett.

Temple Mount riots

MK Moshe Feiglin has called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to fire Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich, for failing to deal withIslamist riots on the Temple Mount throughout Pesach.

Feiglin said police were aware that riots were being planned but could not do anything to prevent them from occurring due to directives issued by Aharonovich's office.

Meanwhile the Palestinian Authority warned of a "holy war" over the Temple Mount, and pledged to stop Feiglin from visiting.

A 'Pesach miracle' as southern Israel comes under fire again

Terrorists from the Gaza Strip fired a barrage of rockets at southern Israel - including one which narrowly missed a packed synagogue in the embattled town of Sderot, on the final day of Pesach.

'Unprecedented' US counterterrorism operation kills Al Qaeda's chief bomb-maker

Reports have surfaced of an "unprecedented" US special forces operation, which is believed to have killed two prominent members of Al Qaeda's "most dangerous" branch, known as AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula).

The operation in Yemen killed as many as 55 Al Qaeda operatives, including chief bomb-maker Ibrahim Al-Asiri, and AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi.

It comes less than a week after footage appeared of al-Wuhayshi holding a major meeting of Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, with over 100 fighters and commanders of the terrorist group appearing in public.

Anti-Semitism in Ukraine

As tensions continue to escalate between Kiev and Moscow, Ukraine's Jewish community is finding itself increasingly caught in the middle, with accusations flying over which side is responsible for a spike in anti-Semitism.

The two most recent anti-Semitic attacks include the firebombing of a Chabad synagogue in the birthplace of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson) Nikolayev, as well as anti-Semitic graffiti on the grave of his brother, who was murdered during the Holocaust, in Dnepropetrovsk.

Mayor of Missouri resigns over support for Kansas City gunman

The mayor of Marionville, Missouri, hometown of Kansas City killer Frazier Glenn Miller was forced to resign Monday, after voicing support for the anti-Semitic gunman and former KKK leader's views.

He told a local paper that he "kind of agreed with him [Miller] on some things, but I don't like to express that too much."