As the Egyptian army continues to demolish houses and smuggling tunnels, Fatah leaders in the West Bank are hoping that they will soon be able to return to the Gaza Strip.
An Egyptian army watchtower at Rafah, along the Gaza Strip border with Egypt. – Photo: Marius Arnesen
At one time, Fatah leaders had hopes that Israel would overthrow Hamas through military force. Continue Reading »
VIENNA – The UN nuclear watchdog has received a request from Russia to assess the impact if a missile were to hit a small Syrian reactor and is considering the issue, the Vienna-based agency said on Friday.
The N. Korea reactor in Yongbyon, the Syrian site. – Photo: REUTERS
Russia said this week a military strike on Syria could have catastrophic effects if the research reactor near Damascus that contains radioactive uranium was struck, “by design or by chance”.
By Ynet
US media outlets including CNN, ABC and The New York Times have reported Fiday that the potential US strike on Syria could be larger than previously anticipated.
B-2 bomber
The possible US led air campaign could be two-days long and include long-range B-2 and B-52 stealth bombers which would takeoff from the US and fire guided missiles from beyond the range of Syria anti-air defense systems, Jonathan Karl of ABC News, who is traveling with President Barack Obama to Russia, reported. Continue Reading »
At least 15 arrests were made at the Temple Mount on Friday, as Palestinian youths and police clashed at the sacred site only days after similar clashes took place there.
Palestinian stone throwers at the Temple Mount on Wednesday. – Screenshot
The youths threw stones at the police officers, who were at Mughrabi Gate entrance to the site in the Old City of Jerusalem. Police entered the Temple Mount and used stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Continue Reading »
By Ari Soffer
A Palestinian Authority official has demanded that Israel provide civilians living in PA-controlled areas with gas masks in the event of a spillover of violence from Syria.
Trying on my gas-mask – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP
Israel has been distributing gas masks to its citizens over the last two weeks amid fears of reprisals against the Jewish state, following anticipated US military intervention in neighboring Syria.
Syrian officials have repeatedly declared that in the event of a western-led intervention against the regime, they would respond by attacking Israel. Continue Reading »
Hezbollah is preparing to defend Damascus from an invasion by the Syrian rebels following a possible US strike, as well as preparing for retaliation against Israel if the situation in the area calls for it, Lebanese sources told Saudi newspaper Okaz on Thursday.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorists marching with flags – Photo: Jamal Saidi/Reuters
The sources told the paper that the Shi’ite organization recruited 10,000 fighters, who were tasked to defend the Syrian capital in the event the Syrian army fails to thwart attacks on it from both the rebels and the United States.
By Ynet
A Turkish official said Thursday that Turkish-Israeli talks to end a diplomatic crisis between the two countries are on track and can be concluded at any time, Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman reported.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – Reuters
“This should not surprise anyone,” the official, who spoke this week on condition of anonymity, told the Turkish newspaper regarding progress in the normalization process, adding “I do not see any political obstacle standing in the way of normalization,” the official said. Continue Reading »
President Barack Obama faced growing pressure from world leaders not to launch military strikes in Syria on Thursday at a summit on the global economy that was eclipsed by the conflict.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet at opening of G20 summit – Photo: Reuters
The Group of 20 (G20) developed and developing economies met in St. Petersburg to try forge a united front on economic growth, trade, banking transparency and fighting tax evasion. Continue Reading »
German intelligence says that an official with the Hezbollah terror group admitted that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad ordered a poison gas attack last month.
Hezbullah flag – Reuters
According to a report in the Reuters news agency on Wednesday, Hezbollah considered the move a mistake which showed Assad was losing his grip.
Participants at a confidential meeting of German lawmakers on Monday said the head of the BND foreign intelligence agency told them it had intercepted a phone call believed to be between a high-ranking member of Hezbollah and the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. Continue Reading »
Everybody loves to hate Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu – Illustration: The Commentator
When he appeared at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2012 to warn the international community about Iran’s impending nuclear threat with a graphic depiction of a bomb, Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt dismissed it as “confusing”. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman called him “a local party boss”.
In 2011 former US President Bill Clinton blamed him for the failure of the peace talks with the Palestinians. Continue Reading »
By Ahiya Raved, Yoav Zitun
Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio arrived in Haifa, Israel for a routine port visit on Wednesday, the US Navy said.
The amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio, at sea in July, 2013 – Photo courtesy: Sabrina Fine/U.S. Navy file photo
San Antonio’s commanding officer, Capt. Continue Reading »
U.S. President Barack Obama joined Jewish leaders and relatives of Raoul Wallenberg, who is credited with saving at least 20,000 Jews during the Holocaust at the Great Synagogue of Stockholm. A Swedish diplomat serving in Budapest, Hungary, Wallenberg risked his life to issue protective passports and shelter Jews in Swedish diplomatic buildings.
President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, center standing, listen to Nina Lagergren, 92, center, seated, as they look over the personal possession of Raoul Wallenberg.
An anonymous group of anti-Israel hackers has announced plans for a new cyber-assault. The mass hacking attempt has been scheduled for September 11.
Hacker (illustrative)- IsraelandStuff/PP
The same group previously attempted a mass online attack in April 2013. The only noticeable effect was a several-second delay in access to one government site; other than that, all Israeli government sites ran as usual.
A previous attack did more damage, temporarily affecting hundreds of Israeli civilian sites.
The hackers have released a video with their latest threats. Continue Reading »
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon met Tuesday with the leaders of the Judea and Samaria settler community and said that a future agreement with the Palestinians was unlikely to include the eviction of settlements. He added that Israel should focus on “creating deterrence, not peace deals.”
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon – Photo: Yoav Ari Dudkevitch
“We have somehow become accustomed to the fact that just hearing the word ‘peace,’ just hearing it, instinctively spells ceding territory,” Ya’alon was quoted by the Walla news website as saying during the gathering, which was held in the Shomron Regional Council community of Barkan.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – Photo GPO
“There is no doubt that Jewish communites will continue to stand by Israel, just as Israel will continue to be there for Jewish people everywhere,” Netanyahu said with a family photo barely visible in the background.