Israel

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Israeli Rabbis Cut Off Vatican Over Holocaust Dispute

Pope attempts to smooth ties with conciliatory remarks

(Newser) - Israel’s senior rabbinical body has severed ties with the Vatican, saying Bishop Richard Williamson should recant his statements denying that millions of Jews were "deliberately gassed" during the Holocaust. The chief rabbinate expressed “sorrow and pain” at the decision, which follows worldwide outrage among Jews and progressive...

Israel, Palestine Need Outside Support for Lasting Fix

Neighbors must be involved: Friedman

(Newser) - The dominant theory holds that the two-state solution is the answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the war in Gaza has pushed tensions past the point where an equitable sharing of geography is enough, argues New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He wants a "five-state solution—Palestine, Egypt, Jordan,...

Israel Turns Right—and Away From America

Two weeks before election, Netanyahu poised for victory

(Newser) - Polls indicate the next prime minister of Israel will be Benjamin Netanyahu, an election result that will push the country even further to the right and away from a two-state solution. The Likud leader presents a paradox, Damien McElroy writes in the Telegraph: although Netanyahu is the most "American-style"...

Israel Bombs Gaza Tunnels
 Israel Bombs Gaza Tunnels 

Israel Bombs Gaza Tunnels

Escalating violence threatens ceasefire as US envoy heads to region

(Newser) - Israel bombed smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border today in response to yesterday's killing of an Israeli soldier, CNN reports. The escalating violence is threatening the fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. The strikes occurred just as George Mitchell, President Obama's envoy to the Middle East, was scheduled to...

Israel Renews Attacks on Gaza
 Israel Renews Attacks on Gaza 

Israel Renews Attacks on Gaza

Air strikes, border closing follow Israeli soldier's border death

(Newser) - In the worst violence since both sides declared ceasefires, Israel today launched new air attacks and sent tanks and bulldozers into Gaza following a border explosion that killed an Israeli soldier, the BBC reports. There has been intense fighting in the south and a Palestinian farmer was killed. Israel closed...

Carter: Only a Free Palestine Can Stop Israeli 'Catastrophe'

Former prez advocates a two-state solution

(Newser) - Israel faces "catastrophe" unless it revives the peace process and works toward the establishment of an independent Palestine, says Jimmy Carter. In an interview with the AP, the former president and Nobel laureate says the growing number of Arabs in the Holy Land means that only a two-state solution...

Israeli Soldier Killed in Gaza Border Attack

Militants breaching ceasefire believed to have set blast

(Newser) - An Israeli soldier has been killed and three wounded by an explosion along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, reports the BBC. The attack appeared to have been carried out by militants in a breach of last week's ceasefire declaration, although no group has claimed responsibility, according to Palestinian authorities....

Israel to Back Soldiers Accused of War Crimes

Government fears tribunals following civilian deaths in Gaza war

(Newser) - Special legal teams will defend Israeli soldiers against potential war crimes charges stemming from civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today, promising the country would "fully back" those who fought in the three-week offensive. "The soldiers and commanders who were sent on missions...

BBC Refusal to Air Gaza Appeal Sparks Uproar

Network fears appearance of bias in charged issue

(Newser) - The BBC has been lambasted by politicians, religious leaders and its own staff for the network's refusal to broadcast an appeal for Gaza aid, the Guardian reports. Executives of the publicly funded network say they must adhere to a strict code of impartiality, and that airing the appeal could be...

US Navy Hunts Hamas Arms Ship

Iran sends supplies to allies in Gaza

(Newser) - An American naval force is on the trail of a ship believed to be carrying Iranian arms bound for Hamas, the Times of London reports. Iran is working to resupply Hamas fighters in the wake of the three-week Israeli assault on Gaza using vessels purportedly sent to fight piracy along...

Mitchell to Israel Within the Week

(Newser) - Newly appointed Middle East special envoy George Mitchell will make his first trip to Israel next week, possibly as early as Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post reports. Mitchell is expected to meet with top Israeli officials and leaders of the Palestinian Authority. The main priority will be ensuring that the current...

New Mideast Envoy Is Old Hand at Peacemaking
New Mideast Envoy Is
Old Hand at Peacemaking
analysis

New Mideast Envoy Is Old Hand at Peacemaking

Israel-Palestine negotiations just 'another assignment' for Mitchell

(Newser) - As the Obama administration’s new Middle East envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell has  the toughest of diplomatic tasks on his hands: negotiating peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. But “if anyone can succeed in this difficult endeavor," it's Mitchell, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Mitchell...

Gaza Conflict Triggers Talk of War Crimes

With battles on pause, new fight begins over legality of assault

(Newser) - Now that its 22-day offensive in Gaza has ended, Israel is facing a new battle—over the legality and morality of its military action. Several human rights groups, in Israel and elsewhere, have accused the army of committing war crimes in Gaza's cities and denying medical care and refuge to...

Mitchell, Holbrooke Named Special Envoys

Former senator gets Mideast portfolio; ex-ambassador Afghanistan and Pakistan

(Newser) - President Obama and newly minted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moved quickly today to build the administration’s diplomatic efforts, naming George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke special envoys, Reuters reports; both appointments were expected. Former Sen. Mitchell will focus on facilitating peace talks between Israel and Palestine, while ex-UN ambassador...

Israel Probes Phosphorus Use in Gaza
Israel Probes Phosphorus
Use in Gaza

Israel Probes Phosphorus Use in Gaza

Admits deadly shells may have hit civilian areas, violating law

(Newser) - Under pressure from the international community, Israel has admitted its troops might have inappropriately used white phosphorus in attacks on Gaza, and has launched an investigation. International law only permits the caustic chemical for creating smokescreens in troop areas, which wouldn’t explain hits on United Nations facilities in Gaza,...

Israelis Near Gaza See Slim— or No—Victory

Residents still fear rockets, think war should have continued

(Newser) - When Israel began its raid of the Gaza Strip three weeks ago, the government said its goal was to end rocket attacks and sniper fire into the country's south. Polls show that most Israelis supported the war, despite the staggering civilian casualties. But in interviews with farmers and other residents...

Israel Completes Gaza Withdrawal

(Newser) - The last Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip before dawn today, the military said, as Israel dispatched its foreign minister to Europe in a bid to rally international support to end arms smuggling into the Hamas-ruled territory. The timing of the pullout reflected Israeli hopes to defuse the Gaza crisis...

Gaza Faces Years of Reconstruction
 Gaza Faces Years 
 of Reconstruction 
ANALYSIS

Gaza Faces Years of Reconstruction

Blockade, destroyed tunnels make rebuilding nearly impossible

(Newser) - Now that the guns have fallen silent in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave faces what might be the most difficult reconstruction project in recent history, writes Patrick Cockburn in the Independent. Rebuilding in the densely populated zone will face two major obstacles: the economic blockade by Israel and Egypt, and the...

Mitchell Considered for Mideast Post

Former senator's portfolio could take chunk out of Clinton's at State

(Newser) - Former Sen. George Mitchell, who led a 2000 commission examining Middle Eastern violence, is being considered as special envoy to the region by the Obama administration, the New York Times reports. The appointment of such a high-profile negotiator would signal Obama’s seriousness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but could deprive...

Israel Speeds Gaza Pullout to Beat Inauguration

Aim is to get troops out before Obama is inaugurated

(Newser) - Israel hastened its withdrawal from Gaza today, saying the troops could be out in time for Barack Obama’s inauguration tomorrow—assuming the Palestinians keep their end of the ceasefire. But some rockets were fired after the ceasefire was declared, and Hamas’ armed wing has promised to rearm ASAP, the...

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