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Internationally recognised Irish peacekeeper for UN gets major Mideast post

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:15:41 -0400

18 June 2013 150 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment today of Major General Michel Finn, of Ireland, as head of Mission and Chief of Staff of the Jerusalem-based UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the first such operation the world body set up almost 60 years ago. "Major General Finn succeeds Major General Juha Kilpia of Finland, who will ...

Hamas holds talks to stop being listed as terror group

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:10:01 -0400

The Islamic Hamas movement has been holding meetings with foreign officials in a bid to get its name erased from the list of international terrorist organisations, a Hamas official said Wednesday. The US, several European countries and Israel have classified the Hamas movement, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since June 2007, as a terrorist organisation. A series of meetings with European ...

Palestinians should have a state as a right Blair

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:00:01 -0400

Palestinians "should have a state, not as a reward for good behaviour but as a right", Tony Blair, the official envoy of the Middle East Quartet, said Wednesday. Blair cautioned Israeli leaders that the "window of opportunity" for peace with the Palestinians might close shortly, Xinhua reported. "Some say the two-state solution is a fantasy. The fantasy is thinking one-state is sustainable or ...

Cisco set to open new centre in Israel

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:50:01 -0400

The US technology giant Cisco plans to open a new research and development center in Israel, the company's CEO John Chambers said during his meeting with Israel's Minister of Finance Yair Lapid. The new centre is expected to offer 100 jobs, to be added to about 2,000 employees already work at Cisco center in Israel, reported Xinhua. Chambers Tuesday said the new project, whose main focus is ...

Israel wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:20:01 -0400

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his country would not accept anything less than the total halt of Iranian uranium enrichment. "We cannot accept anything less than a total cessation of all enrichment of nuclear materials at all levels, removal of all enriched nuclear material and a closure of Iran's illicit nuclear facilities," reported Xinhua citing Netanyahu during a ...

Intl Meeting on Israel-Palestine Peace Process Concludes in Beijing

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:14:21 -0400

Beijing, Jun 19 (Prensa Latina) China today urged to seek a gradual and pragmatic solution in order to reach tangible results in the complex peace process between Israel and Palestine, during an international meeting sponsored by the United Nations in this capital. This annual UN meeting to promote peace between Israel and Palestine concluded in Beijing today, organized by the UN for the first ...

Hamas Iran relations suffering from Syria conflict

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:10:17 -0400

Hamas to Hezbollah: Leave Syria and focus on fighting Israel instead "Our relations with Iran were affected both on the political and the financial levels," said Ghazi Hamad, deputy minister of foreign affairs in the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip.Hamad declined to provide any figures for the amount of aid Hamas receives from Iran or give details of any cutbacks, other than to ...

Israel to permit 40 gas exports

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:08:12 -0400

Israel will keep 60% of its natural gas reserves for domestic use and permit the export of the remaining 40%. After three years of discussions and a major public campaign on the subject, the cabinet will finally be asked on Sunday to approve a joint decision that will be submitted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Silvan Shalom, Minister of Finance Yair ...

Palestinian tobacco faces threat from crackdown on black economy

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:53:07 -0400

YA'ABAD, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian farmers sow tobacco sprouts in the rocky earth of the northern West Bank, reaping a harvest that provides a reliable livelihood in the struggling occupied ...

Hamas says its Iran ties worsen over Syrian civil war

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:48:18 -0400

GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas said on Wednesday its relations with financial backer Iran have suffered as a result of the Islamist group's support of rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Iranian ...

Palestinian presidents Fatah group takes hard line on returning to talks with Israel

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:46:19 -0400

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, speaks with Canada's foreign minister John Baird during their meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, June 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Majdi ...

Arab Mob Attacks Car in East Jerusalem

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:53:55 -0400

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Police rescued two Jewish men just in time Wednesday morning after Israeli Arabs bombarded their car with rocks, smashing all the windows. The two men fled from the car, escaping an attempted lynching as the mob began beating them. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told CBN News police arrived on the scene within eight minutes and initiated a search for the perpetrators, who ...

Syrian Forces Rebels Have Israel in the Crosshairs

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:53:54 -0400

JERUSALEM, Israel -- President Obama announced Thursday the U.S. will increase aid to Syrian rebel forces in response to President Bashar Assad's use of chemical weapons. But whatever the eventual outcome of Syria's civil war, both Assad and the rebel forces have Israel in the crosshairs. Assad has promised to open a new front against Israel on the Golan Heights once the civil war is ...

Gaza rockets fired at Israel land in Palestinian area no injuries

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:30:14 -0400

Gaza early Wednesday landed in Palestinian territory, Israeli officials said. There were no reports of damage or injuries. The officials said it was the first attack by militants in nearly two months and came while some world leaders and celebrities were in Jerusalem for ...

Norwegian pension fund reconsiders Israel investments

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:28:51 -0400

Norway’s Ministry of Finance is referring to its Ethical Guidelines for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund – Global following the situation in Gaza. According to the current Guidelines, the Council on Ethics shall recommend exclusion of companies from the fund’s investment universe where they see a considerable risk of contributing to serious or systematic human ...

Real News Network Will Next Israeli Leader Attack Iran

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:27:04 -0400

Will Next Israeli Leader Attack Iran? August 8 - The decision by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to step down amid corruption allegations has left many questions in Israel and in the region. What this could mean for the stalled peace process with the Palestinians will depend mostly on the next US president. But on the question of Iran, there is still fear that Israel might act unilaterally. ...

Israels President Peres Honored on 90th Birthday

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:43:08 -0400

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israeli President Shimon Peres celebrated his 90th birthday with a host of celebrities and diplomats Tuesday evening. Among the distinguished guests were former President Bill Clinton, Britain's Tony Blair, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, and Barbra Streisand and her husband, James Brolin. One guest after another praised ...

Palestine Monetary Authority launches its social media pages

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:41:58 -0400

The PMA has launched its official social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; in an effort to develop banking and financial awareness among the Palestinian ...

Carter Downplays US Influence on Israel Palestine

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:27 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Palestinians Await Ship Attempting to Break Gaza Siege

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:26 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Gaza-bound Aid Ship Boarded by Israeli Forces

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:26 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Israeli Parliament Dissolves for Early Vote

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:25 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Islamic Jihad No Truce Reached with Israel

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:25 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Qatar Gaza Aid Via Egypt Not Israel

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:25 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Hezbollah Advances Will Help Palestinian Resistance Brigades

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:24 -0400

Brigades in Gaza on Friday said advances in Hezbollah's weapons capabilities would benefit the Palestinian resistance. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday said his movement had sent the reconnaissance drone shot down over Israel last weekend.The Gaza-based Al-Mujahideen Brigades described Hezbollah's operation as "unprecedented" and said it proved that ...

Drone Downed by Israel Sent by Hezbollah

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:24 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Israeli PM Netanyahu Calls Early Election

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:23 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Palestinian Resistance Factions Warn Israel Not to Invade Gaza

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:23 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Man Hit by Israeli Airstrike Dies from Injuries

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:22 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Israeli Police Enter al-Aqsa Compound

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:22 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Thousands Join Islamic Jihad Rally in Gaza

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:21 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Abbas UN to Admit Palestine within Weeks

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:21 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Jerusalem Convent Vandalized by Settlers

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:21 -0400

Suspected Israeli settlers have scrawled graffiti and religious insults on a monastery outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on Tuesday, in the latest of a series of attacks on non-Jewish sites. Photographs published online showed blue graffiti denigrating Jesus at the Convent of Saint Francis on Jabel Sahyoun, also known as Mount Zion. The vandals wrote the phrase "price tag" ...

Gaza Tunnel-traders Say Network at 10 Percent Capacity

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:20 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Israeli PM Sets Red Line over Nuclear Iran

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:20 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Abbas Seeks Upgrade of Palestinian UN Status

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:20 -0400

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he will seek to have the Palestinians' UN status upgraded to a sovereign country and cautioned that Israeli settlement expansion meant time was running out for a two-state solution.One year after his emotional bid for full membership of the United Nations, Abbas returned to the UN General Assembly to warn that Israel's tactics were a sign ...

Palestinian Delegation Working Quietly at UN

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:19 -0400

In stark contrast to 2011, the Palestinian delegation to the UN General Assembly is working quietly and limiting its remarks to the media.Since Friday, few details have emerged of President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to New York for the UN's 67th General Assembly, or his plan to seek an upgrade to Palestine's status at the world body.In 2011, Abbas submitted a request to the UN for a ...

Family Blames Sewage Trash for Deaths of 8 Children in Gaza Camp

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:19 -0400

Two Palestinians have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip after they had clashed with Israeli troops crossing into the territory, medical sources ...

Hamas Leader Abbas Should End Security Coordination with Israel

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:18 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Israel and PA Discuss Gaza Offshore Gas Plans

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:18 -0400

Former US President Jimmy Carter has downplayed the US influence over Israel and Palestine, saying its record low sway on either side hinders resolution of prolonged Palestinian-Israeli ...

Deaths in Israel-Egypt Border Shootout

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:17 -0400

One Israeli soldier and three armed men have been killed in clashes along the Israel-Egypt border. Israeli troops shot the three heavily armed men when they crossed the Egyptian border and ambushed the soldiers, averting "a very big terror attack", an Israeli military spokeswoman said on Friday. The incident took place on the Israeli side of the frontier at a place called Har Harif, ...

Shimon Peres feted by celebrities and leaders on 90th birthday – video

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:22:53 -0400

Barbra Streisand, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton are among the guests at the 90th birthday of Israel's president, Shimon Peres. Clinton gets a laugh from the crowd by joking that Peres is 'the last living Israeli to have known King David'. Streisand sings Avenu Malkeinu, a traditional Jewish song requested by ...

Right things done in Kubuqi desert Israeli ambassador

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:15 -0400

By Fang YangAmos Nadai, ambassador of Israel to China, spoke highly of the desertification control efforts in the Kubuqi desert of China during an exclusive interview with Xinhuanet here Saturday. "It's a huge area, which is more than half of my country," Nadai said, "I see a lot of planting and it's very beautiful." Nadai was here for the 2011 Kubuqi International ...

Cyprus looks to Israel to back East Med LNG terminal plan

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:02:53 -0400

Wed Jun 19, 2013 7:02am EDT * Israeli interest in project * Cyprus gas reserves could be as high as 1 trillion cubic metres * Also hopes to find oil By Henning Gloystein LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Cyprus and Israel`s Delek Drilling are in talks about developing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island to tap the East Mediterranean's vast gas discoveries and serve buyers in Europe ...

The Netherlands will veto EU sanctions over Israeli settlements minister

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:34:01 -0400

The Netherlands will veto any moves by the European Union to impose sanctions if Israel presses ahead with building settlements on disputed territory east of Jerusalem, foreign minister Frans Timmermans is quoted as saying by news agency ANP. Timmermans said sanctions are not 'currently on the agenda'. The minister has had meetings with Israeli and Palestinian representatives over the ...

Israel-Palestine Peace Process Running Out of Time Blair

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:31:19 -0400

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (File photo) Time is running out for the Middle East process, which faces collapse if there's no movement soon, former Biritsh PM Tony Blair said on Wednesday."The window of opportunity will be open for only a short space of time," he said, speaking in Jerusalem at the 2013 Presidential Conference, hosted by Israel's President Shimon ...

Ban Israeli-Palestinian peace remains urgent priority

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:35:20 -0400

New York, June 19 : With spiralling violence in Syria stoking tension in the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday said "we must not lose sight of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," whose resolution was no less ...

Israel hit by Grad rocket today

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:22:43 -0400

Occupied Jerusalem: June 19 -- (BNA)-- "Radio Israel" reported that one (Grad) rocket hit this morning near Ashkelon city. The Israeli radio station said that the source of the rocket was from Gaza Strip and that no human causalities or property damage were reported so far. The Hebrew Radio pointed out that two rockets were launched however both rockets landed inside Palestinian ...

Israeli authorities arrest 3 Palestinian youngsters and dismantle the doors of 10 shops in Jenin today

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:22:43 -0400

Ramallah: June 19 -- (BNA)-- Israeli occupation forces arrested three Palestinian youngsters from Jenin province at dawn today (Wednesday: 19 June 2013) and dismantled the doors of ten commercial shops in the industrial area. Local security sources quoted by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reportedly said that a large number of Israeli occupation forces stormed into Jenin City, abducting ...

Barbra Streisand echoes Monroes birthday tribute for Shimon Peres

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:08:38 -0400

Barbara Streisand sings Israel's national anthem next to Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, and former US president Bill Clinton at Shimon Peres's 90th birthday gala. Click for full image. Photograph: Jim Hollander/AFP/Getty ...

Israel Reports New Arms Deals

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:01 -0400

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel has reported a series of arms export deals. The state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries reported a series of newcontracts with unidentified foreign militaries. IAI said the contracts,awarded in 2013, exceeded $100 ...

Hamas Follows Hizb In Tunnel Rockets

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:59:56 -0400

GAZA CITY [MENL] -- The Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip has been directed byHizbullah on the use of tunnels for missile and rocket fire toward ...

Turkeyss Erdogan welcomes Hamas leaders

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:23:39 -0400

Even as the EU canceled a parliamentary visit to Ankara scheduled for Wednesday, and UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon criticized Turkey for its handling of the recent protests, embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh for meetings in the Turkish capital.It was not immediately clear if the arrival of the Hamas leaders was ...

Israel celebrates 90 years of Shimon Peres

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:02:09 -0400

Celebrations have been taking place to mark the 90th birthday of Israel’s President Shimon Peres, although his real birthday is on August 2. Some 3,000 guests ...

Barbra Streisand criticizes womens discriminatory treatment in Israel

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:22:29 -0400

The 71-year-old actress took aim at cases of ultra-Orthodox Jews targeting women while speaking at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Monday.The star, who herself was born in a Jewish family, said that it was distressing that women in Israel were forced to sit at the back of the bus, CBS News reported.She said she was also disturbed when she read about 'Women of the Wall' having ...

Abbas Palestinians want Kerrys efforts to succeed

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:19:49 -0400

Kerry is expected to return to the region next week as part of his efforts to revive stalled peace talks, the Palestinian Authority and Israeli officials said Tuesday.PA President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized that the Palestinians were keen on making Kerry's mission ...

Rockets fired from Gaza hit Israeli coast

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:09:38 -0400

Three grad rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit the Israeli coastal town of Ashkelon this morning, according to media reports, the first time missiles from the Palestinian enclave have hit Israel for nearly two ...

Israeli president Shimon Peres 90 says he expects peace with Palestinians within his lifetime

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:06:08 -0400

Weeks away from his 90th birthday, Israel's president Shimon Peres, has said that he expects to see peace with the Palestinians within his ...

Jerusalem Journal A-List Celebration Traces Leader’s Trajectory and Israel’s

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:54:16 -0400

President Shimon Peres turns 90 in August. He is the last of Israel's founding fathers still in office, and in recent months has strained his largely ceremonial role by speaking out on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian ...

When artists scapegoat Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:08:31 -0400

Dear Ms. Walker,I am writing this letter to you with great pain, after encountering your name in the news, again, calling for a boycott on my home and country. Recently, you urged a popular American artist to boycott Israel. In your statement you claimed that "under a campaign named ‘Brand Israel,’ Israeli officials use culture and arts to showcase Israel as a modern, welcoming ...

Michael Hastings dead at 33

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:44:26 -0400

Michael Hastings, the fearless journalist whose reporting brought down the career of General Stanley McChrystal, has died in a car accident in Los ...

Platini Praises Israel as Spain Take Spoils Once Again

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:11:19 -0400

JERUSALEM ...

Star-studded party for Israels Peres 90

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:00:54 -0400

More than 3000 guests, including prominent politicians and Hollywood stars, have turned out for a gala dinner held in honour of Israeli President Shimon Peres, who will turn 90 in August."We have our queen, you have your Shimon," said former British prime minister Tony Blair as the celebration got under way on Tuesday evening in Jerusalem.Former US president Bill Clinton, former Soviet ...

Stars mark Israeli leaders 90th

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:42:26 -0400

Hollywood superstars have joined Israeli and global leaders and local celebrities to honour president Shimon Peres for his forthcoming 90th birthday, reflecting world respect for one of the country's peace ...

Fisa court oversight a look inside a secret and empty process | Glenn Greenwald

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:32:43 -0400

NSA 's massive domestic spying apparatus, various NSA defenders - beginning with President Obama - have sought to assure the public that this is all done under robust judicial oversight. "When it comes to telephone calls, nobody is listening to your telephone ...

Armed groups formed by Zionist organizations such as Irgun Stern and Haganah were responsible for collective killings to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and residential areas during and after the 1948 war unleashed by the pr

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:16:52 -0400

Prensa Latina The finding of the remains of dozens of people in a collective tomb in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv could witness today, 65 years later, Israeli militia ...

Google challenges U.S. gag order citing First Amendment

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:51:09 -0400

Washington Post June 18, 2013 Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. ...

Time to Leave Conflict Behind Panellists Say as International Meeting on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Considers Viability of Two-State Solution

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:51:59 -0400

BEIJING, 18 June ‑ The United Nations Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace this afternoon heard appeals to leave perpetual conflict behind, as experts grappled with ways to revitalize the two-State solution and re-engage the international community in that effort, amid regional turmoil and, by some accounts, societal and political indifference within ...

Star-studded party for Israeli presidents 90th birthday

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:48:31 -0400

In this handout image provided by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli President Shimon Peres holds a press conference for the Arabic media ahead of the month of Ramadan on July 26, 2011 in Jerusalem, Israel. (Mark Neyman, GPO via Getty ...

Light Up the West Bank - By Alec Ross

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:36:34 -0400

Afghans take over, peace office opens: a ridiculous mouse? Syria aid M.I.A.; Iran's shady plans to go nuclear; Middies charged with rape; The services are "acting like children;" And a bit more. - by Gordon ...

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict No Less Urgent Secretary-General Stresses amid Fears that Syria Crisis Could Engulf Already Tense Region

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:41:22 -0400

BEIJING, 18 June ‑ With regional tensions rising over relentless fighting in Syria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today ...

Tycoon Rami Levy eyes shopping mall for Israeli settlers

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:57 -0400

has reported that the mall will cost 100 million shekels ($27.5 million) and is slated for completion within two years. Some 3,000 square meters of the complex will be devoted to a Rami Levy supermarket. In total, it will have 11,000 square meters of retail space and 5,000 square meters for offices. Other Israeli companies indicating an interest in having branches in the mall include the clothes ...

Turkeys Erdogan meets top Hamas officials for talks on Palestinian reconciliation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:20 -0400

In this photo released by the Turkish Prime Minister's Press Office, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, seen during a meeting with Khalid Mashaal, the Hamas chief in exile, center, and Gaza’s prime minister Ismail Haniyeh in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. The meeting is expected to focus on talks on Palestinian reconciliation.(AP Photo/Yasin Bulbul, Prime ...

Israeli premier pressure on Iran nuclear program must not ease despite election of reformist

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:07 -0400

JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister says the international community must not ease pressure on Iran because of the election of a reformist president. Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he believed Iran's president-elect Hasan Rowhani spoke moderately but backs enriching uranium for nuclear weapons. The comments came after Russia's foreign minister was quoted as saying Iran was ...

Tel Aviv-based group threatens Australian professors over Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:57:53 -0400

Tel Aviv-based group threatens Australian professors over Israel boycott Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center June 13, 2013: A Tel Aviv-based civil rights group warned Australian supporters of a proposed boycott against Israel on Thursday that their activities were racist, and in violation of Australian Federal anti-discrimination laws. Recently, faculty and students at Sydney University called ...

Palestinians ‘aiding US peace drive’

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:25:24 -0400

JERUSALEM - The Palestinian administration in the West Bank has tried to help the latest US peacemaking drive by quietly cutting off funds for grassroots campaigners against Israel's occupation of the territory, a senior Israeli general said on ...

These ‘build build build’ comments go to the heart of Israel’s problems

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:22 -0400

Naftali Bennett has just become the latest Israeli official to declare the two-state solution a dead end. Speaking at a conference for Jewish settlers, he said the idea of negotiating for an independent Palestinian state alongside an Israeli one was ';futile'; and ';hopeless'; and that the only Israeli approach to this conflict should be to ';build, build, build'; in ...

Israel should give Rouhani a chance

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:21 -0400

toward Iran in recent years, we really don't know much about what is going on in the Land of the Ayatollahs. The United States, Israel and other Western nations have launched sophisticated cyber-attacks against the nuclear reactor systems in Bushehr. Intelligence agencies know the exact role of every nuclear scientist in Iran, and where they can be found at any given moment. But despite all ...

Israeli leaders respond with scowls to Rouhani’s election

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:21 -0400

For most Israeli politicians, the news of the election of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran, is not good. That it is considered good news by anyone else makes it that much worse. In Poland last Wednesday, two days before Iranians went to the polls, Israeli Prime Minister ...

Why Rouhani won — and why Ayatollah Khamenei let him

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:19 -0400

One explanation is that the Ayatollah simply miscalculated and found himself, once again, overtaken by events when Rouhani's candidacy surged with little forewarning. Indeed, it is likely that Khamenei really did expect Iranians to vote for the conservatives. After all, the conservatives have held all the cards in Iran since 2005; they dominate its institutions and dictate the terms of the ...

An emerging Sunni-Shiite alliance in Baghdad

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:18 -0400

An alliance combining Shiite and Sunni currents in Baghdad succeeded last Saturday, June 15, in forming a local government without the participation of the State of Law Coalition. The latter was the largest winning bloc in ...

Hamas and Hezbollah’s strained relations

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:17 -0400

The conflict in Syria has stressed the relationship between the Palestinian Sunni Hamas movement and the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah organization, transforming it from one of ';intimacy'; between allies to a tension-inducing ';quarrel'; after Hamas took a position against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad ...

Israel installs digital ‘Multi-Sensor’ system on Lebanon border

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:28:18 -0400

Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV -- Israel’s military has been installing a digital security system along the border with Lebanon. Military sources said the network was comprised of advanced sensors that could detect infiltration attempts from several kilometers. They said the so-called Multi-Sensor System, a project reported at $60 million, was led by prime contractor Elbit ...

Palestinian writers refused visas for travel to UK

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:16:04 -0400

Two Palestinian writers have been refused visas to travel to the UK and speak at a festival celebrating contemporary Arab art.The Gaza-based husband and wife writers, Ali Abukhattab and Samah al-Sheikh, were due to talk about their writing at London's ICA on 28 June but have been barred from coming - to the disappointment and frustration of festival organisers.Omar al-Qattan, chairman of ...

Barbra Streisand Jumps Right Into Delicate Subjects In Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:56:27 -0400

Barbra Streisand is touring Israel right now and has broached a very delicate subject on her first major stop: the treatment of women by Orthadox Jews. The iconic singer was there to receive an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and will perform two concerts in Tel Aviv, as well as sing for Israeli President Shimon Peres’ birthday, but on Monday she spoke ...

Egypt Brotherhood backs Syria jihad denounces Shi’ites

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:56:25 -0400

Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood blamed Shi’ites for creating religious strife throughout Islam’s history, as the movement joined a call by Sunni clerics for jihad against the Syrian government and its Shi’ite allies. In a striking display of the religious enmity sweeping the region since Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah committed its forces behind Syrian President ...

How the microbiome provides food for thought

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:56:24 -0400

UCLA researchers now have the first evidence that bacteria ingested in food can affect brain function in humans. In an early proof-of-concept study of healthy women, they found that women who regularly consumed beneficial bacteria known as probiotics through yogurt showed altered brain function, both while in a resting state and in response to an emotion-recognition task. The study, conducted by ...

Arab village in Israel targeted in racial attackVandals daubed Arabs out graffiti and punctured tyres in an Arab village near Jerusalem on Tuesday targeting a community widely seen in Israel as a showcase for Jewish-Arab coexistence.

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:44:00 -0400

Jewish-Arab coexistence . Unlike similar attacks that have damaged Arab mosques, homes, vehicles and olive groves, the vandalism took place in an Arab village in Israel popular with Jewish visitors, rather than in a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank. Abu Ghosh, where the tyres of 28 cars were punctured and anti-Arab slogans scrawled on walls, is located along the main Tel ...

Flow of arms to Syria alarms Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:30:10 -0400

Israel is worried about continued arms supplies to the Syrian regime from Russia, which has ignored Israeli pleas not to deliver promised shipments of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles which could target planes taking off from Israeli territory, according to a senior Israeli official. But officials also say that Israel is also cautious about Western plans to supply weapons to the divided ...

Israeli general warns of unrest if no peace talks

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:16:09 -0400

An Israeli-Arab and children are seen on a street next to a graffiti in the village of Abu Gosh near Jerusalem, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. Israeli police have launched an investigation to find perpetrators who vandalized cars and sprayed hate graffiti in an Arab town near Jerusalem. The Hebrew graffiti reads, "Racism or assimilation" and "Arabs out." (AP Photo/Mahmoud ...

Israeli Maneuver to Annex Part of Belen Denounced

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:14:28 -0400

Ramallah, Jun 18 (Prensa Latina) Israeli occupation authorities authorized the confiscation of nearly six acres of land of Belen city, where the Christian tradition locates the birth of Jesus Christ, denounces a non-governmental organization today. The procedure bases on the Israeli law of absent owners that allows the government to transfer the property of lands and the technicality consists on ...

Teva to stop filing for patents in Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:08:00 -0400

TEVA ) is stopping filing for patents in Israel for products developed in the country and will file for them in Switzerland instead. The step will enable the pharmaceutical giant to benefit from tax exemptions and incentives that are granted in Switzerland but are not available in Israel for development, manufacturing and registering patents, sources inform "Globes." As ...

Israeli leaders divided over new Iran president

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:08:00 -0400

Hassan Rouhani served as the country's chief nuclear negotiator from 2003-2005. But some observers have hailed the new leader as pragmatist that will lift Iran out of international ...

Israel Think Tank Deems Iran Vote Fair

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:40:38 -0400

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel's leading strategic think tank has deemed Iran'spresidential elections as fair. The Institute for National Security Studies determined that Iran'spresidential elections on June 14 were not tampered by the mullah regime. Ina report by Ephraim Kam, the institute said the landslide victory by HassanRowhani marked a surprise and reflected a desire for change ...

Palestinians Demand Clarification of Israeli Minister Statements

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:07:22 -0400

Ramallah, Jun 18 (Prensa Latina) The Palestinian presidency demanded from Israel today clarification of statements in recent hours by Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennet, according to which the independent Palestinian State is at a dead end. The main hindrance to clarify this is reticence in the heart of the cabinet, said Bennet in a meeting of Israeli settlers, among which his party ha-Bayit ...

Israel replicating apartheid SA envoy

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:02:15 -0400

Jerusalem - The recently retired South African ambassador to Israel has taken a parting shot at the country's treatment of Palestinians, calling it a "replication of ...

Vandals Strike in Quiet Jerusalem Suburb

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:45:08 -0400

Children played on Tuesday in front of graffiti sprayed on a wall in Abu Ghosh, an Arab-Israeli suburb of Jerusalem. The graffiti reads "Arabs out" at left and "racism or ...

Barbra Streisand criticises Israeli treatment of women – video

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:42:58 -0400

Singer, actor and director Barbra Streisand addresses an audience at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Streisand says she finds it hard to read about women being made to sit at the back of buses or being prevented from praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall. Streisand, was picking up an honorary PHD, during a tour of Israel which includes a performance at President Shimon Peres's 90th ...

Ex-South Africa ambassador criticizes Israeli policies as replication of apartheid

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:40:26 -0400

JERUSALEM - The recently retired South African ambassador to Israel has taken a parting shot at the country's treatment of Palestinians, calling it a "replication of apartheid." Ismail Coovadia made the statement in a letter to pro-Palestinian activists. In it, Coovadia explained his decision to reject a symbolic gift from the Israeli government -- planting trees in his honour in ...

Irans shock election result poses challenge for Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:34:28 -0400

The election of Hassan Rowhani as the new president of Iran seems to have stunned everyone – his supporters and staff, and analysts and decision-makers around the world. No-one expected that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei would allow a moderate to occupy the presidency at a time when Iran is under pressure, under sanctions and under suspicion.And nowhere is the shock of ...

U.S. Woos Israel With V-22

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:34:26 -0400

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The United States has been pressing Israel to becomethe first foreign client of the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft. Officials said the administration of President Barack Obama has beenlobbying Israel's military and Defense Ministry to purchase the MV-22Osprey. They said Osprey was offered as part of a 10-year military packagereported at more than $30 ...

Vandals Hit Mixed Suburb Of Jerusalem

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:06:08 -0400

JERUSALEM ...

Israel has frozen building in settlements housing minister says

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:04:38 -0400

JERUSALEM // Israel has frozen nearly all housing starts in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the housing minister Uri Ariel said yesterday, in an apparent bid to help US efforts to revive peace talks with the Palestinians. The step, confirmed several weeks ago by the Israel's anti-settlement Peace Now movement, has had no impact on construction already under way in ...

Israels tax chief warns on unreported capital abroad

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:32 -0400

"Despite the tax authority's voluntary reporting campaign uncovering NIS 12 billion in capital held abroad by Israelis, this is only the tip of the iceberg. We are in constant contact with various bodies to receive further lists of Israeli activities overseas," Tax Authority head Moshe Asher told the annual STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) conference today. Asher ...

Israeli Budget Passes 1st Knesset Reading

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:51:10 -0400

JERUSALEM, Israel -- The 2013-2014 State budget passed its first reading Monday night by a 58-44 vote. Finance Minister Yair Lapid told legislators the "vision of the working man" is the basis for the decisions that went into it. Lapid said the budget is aimed at "letting go of the culture of welfare and introducing a culture of labor," turning the problem of addressing the ...

Israel Dismayed By U.S. Assessments

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:28:54 -0400

JERUSALEM [MENL] -- Israel has become increasingly dismayed over U.S.intelligence assessments on the Middle East. Officials said Israel's government and intelligence community havedetermined huge gaps between U.S. assessments and developments in the MiddleEast. They said Israel's government and intelligence community were underconstant pressure by the administration of President Barack ...

Real men dont do poetry Israeli army refuses to let soldier read verses on the radio

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:39:35 -0400

Real men don't do poetry. That's the message at least from one brigade in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), which has banned one of its soldiers from reading out his own verses on the radio for fear that it might cast aspersions on the army's ...

Nick Turse Blowback central

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:30:42 -0400

buddied up with the Saudis and Pakistani intelligence and backed a set of extreme fundamentalist Afghan rebels against the Soviets, the U.S. has been, advertently or not, promoting Islamic radicalism in the Greater Middle East. As Karzai said of that long-forgotten moment, "The more radical we looked and talked, the more we were called mujahedin. The consequence of that was a massive effort ...

G8 leaders work to develop Syria statement acceptable to all

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:22:27 -0400

Group of Eight leaders worked to develop a statement on Syria acceptable to nations wanting a transition of power and Russia, an ally of the Syrian government. Accounts differed from officials Tuesday morning at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on the prospects of developing a substantive agreement on Syria and the fate of its president, Bashar Assad, to which Russia might sign on, The New York ...

Israeli leaders condemn hate crime against Arabs

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:51:46 -0400

Celebrities head to Jerusalem for Peress birthday

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:26:40 -0400

Israel's President Shimon Peres meets with US actor Robert De Niro at the President's residence in Jerusalem, on June 18, 2013. A slew of stars, politicians and public figures were flocking to Jerusalem to take part in Peres's 90th birthday celebrations to be held ...

Reports say Hamas preventing rocket fire

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:17:55 -0400

Gaza has deployed a 600 member military force to prevent rocket attacks on Israel, an Arab source told The Times of Israel. Hamas formed a special force to "safeguard public order" and operates along the border with Israel, the source told the Israeli website. Recent months have seen a dramatic decline in the number of rockets fired at Israel compared to a similar period last year, ...

Barbra Streisand Women shouldnt sit in back of bus in Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:15:50 -0400

Barbra Streisand: American actress Barbra Streisand said Orthodox Jews in Israel shouldn't treat women as second class citizens. Streisand was in Israel getting an honorary doctorate at Hebrew University of ...

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks must resume China

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:50:41 -0400

BEIJING (AFP) - China called for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians at a conference in Beijing Tuesday, as the rising global power seeks greater diplomatic influence in the Middle East."We need to redouble efforts to promote peace talks," assistant foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu said at the United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian ...

Israel seeks $5b US loan guarantees - report

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:40:46 -0400

Israel's Defense Ministry will ask the US to guarantee $5 billion in bridge loans that Israel plans taking from US commercial banks to finance procurement of advanced weapons systems that the Obama administration is offering Israel including the Osprey aircraft-helicopter and smart munitions. In the long term procurement will be financed by US military aid, and the loans will bridge the ...

Jewish Extremists Spray Graffiti Damage Cars in Jerusalem

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:38:03 -0400

Occupied Jerusalem, June 18 (BNA) - Israeli vandals from the so-called 'price tag' group slashed late Monday night tires of 28 cars in the Arab town of Abu Ghoush, west of Jerusalem, according to local sources. Price tag refers to an underground anti-Arab Israeli group that carries out terrorist acts against Palestinians in the occupied territories and inside Israel, as in the case ...

Israeli Forces Begin Demolishing School in Azzun Atmah Village

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:37:58 -0400

Bethlehem, June 18 (BNA) - Israeli forces began demolishing a school on Tuesday in the village of Azzun Atmah in the northern West Bank district of Qalqiliya, the school's administration said. A day earlier Israeli forces entered the Azzun-Beit Amin School to take measurements as they prepare to enforce the further construction of Israel's separation wall in the district. The ...

Summer Camp in the Gaza Strip

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:37:38 -0400

JERUSALEM, Israel -- It's summertime again and for kids in the Gaza Strip, that means dressing up like jihadists and learning how to fight the Zionist enemy. Every summer, Islamic Jihad, a Gaza-based terror group, sponsors free military training camps for kids between the ages of six and 16 to indoctrinate the next generation in the fine art of "popular resistance." The target is ...

Hamas leaders to meet Turkey PM source

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:22:37 -0400

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal speaks at political conference in Cairo on April 4, 2013. Senior leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas will meet in Ankara with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ...

Rwanda and Israel to forge closer ties

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:22:11 -0400

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame arrived in Jerusalem, Israel, on Monday to strengthen ties between the Middle East nation and his country at the fifth Israel Presidential Conference. Kagame hopes to posit Rwanda's economic security in line with that of Israel's at the 2013 Israeli Presidential Conference.Bilateral meetings between Kagame, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime ...

Clinton urges 2-state solution for Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:14:40 -0400

Shimon Peres . "You have to cobble together some kind of theory of a two-state solution, and the longer you let this go, just because of sheer demographics, the tougher it's going to get. I don't see any alternative to a Palestinian state," the former U.S. President said in a speech before the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot Monday night. Clinton said he would donate the ...

Suspected price tag vandalism in Arab Israeli town

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:21:51 -0400

An Arab Israeli man speaks on his mobile phone as he looks at the punctured tyres of his vehicle in the Arab Israeli town of Abu Ghosh, west of Jerusalem on June 18, 2013. Suspected Jewish extremists punctured the tyres of 28 cars in an Arab Israeli town and scrawled graffiti nearby in a likely "price tag" attack ...