March 30 (Reuters) - Israel's parliament approved the 2026 state budget,a Knesset spokesperson said in a statement early on Monday, allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to head off early elections as his country's joint war with the U.S. on Iran continues.

The approval of the defence-heavy 699-billion shekel budget comes a month into the war, with Israel also fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon and its cost to the economy standing at about $1.6 billion a week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday the Latin Patriarch would get "full and immediate access" to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, after police denied him entry on Palm Sunday.

"I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem," Netanyahu tweeted on X.

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister will urge her G7 counterparts on Monday not to pursue unilateral measures such as new trade barriers while the Iran war continues, saying such steps could further threaten energy security.

During a meeting with G7 finance ministers, energy ministers and central bank governors, Rachel Reeves will say the G7 "should act together, not in ways that shift pressure onto partners or weaken collective resilience", a statement released by her ministry said.

By Asif Shahzad and Alexander Cornwell

ISLAMABAD/TEL AVIV, March 29 (Reuters) - Pakistan said on Sunday it was preparing to host "meaningful talks" to end the conflict over Iran in coming days even though Tehran earlier accused Washington of preparing a land assault while seeking negotiations.

Speaking after talks between regional foreign ministers, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said they had covered possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region as well as potential U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad.

March 29 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Sunday it had found no negligence or ethical failures by officers involved in the killing of Israeli farmer Ofer Moskovitz near the Lebanese frontier earlier this month.

The head of Israel's Northern Command said on March 23 that Israeli forces had misfired artillery, killing 60-year-old Moskovitz, an avocado farmer from the town of Misgav Am.

The military had initially attributed the incident to cross-border fire from Lebanon.

Worshippers attended a muted Palm Sunday service at a Greek Catholic cathedral in Damascus after the city's churches decided to limit celebrations to prayers only after violence hit a Christian town.

On Friday night, Suqaylabiyah, one of the largest Christian communities in central Syria, was attacked, with shops vandalised and cars burned.

In the capital on Sunday, Fadi Shammas, a 37-year-old engineer, carried his infant daughter Nala, who wore a white dress.

March 29 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had instructed the military to further expand the existing security buffer zone in southern Lebanon, vowing to fundamentally change the security situation there.

"I have just instructed to further expand the existing security buffer zone. We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north," Netanyahu said in a video statement from the Northern Command.

By Ariba Shahid, Jonathan Spicer and Mubasher Bukhari

ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL, March 29 (Reuters) - Pakistan hosted talks with Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Sunday as part of its efforts to broker an end to the Iran war, with initial discussions focused on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, sources familiar with the matter said.

Foreign ministers from the three regional powers landed in Islamabad for the talks as Iran warned the U.S. against launching a ground attack and global oil prices surged amid continued fighting between Iran, the U.S. and Israel.

By Ali Sawafta and Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM, March 29 (Reuters) - Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from marking Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre "for the first time in centuries," the Patriarchate said, with police citing security concerns linked to the Iran war.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Friar Francesco Ielpo were stopped by police while walking to the church, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.

KYIV, March 29 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Jordan on Sunday as part of a Gulf tour aimed at shoring up defence ties with countries in the region amid rising tensions over the Iran war.

Zelenskiy is seeking support from Gulf states for Ukraine's war against Russia as Western military aid faces fresh uncertainty and Kyiv struggles to cover its budget deficit and fund domestic weapons production.