Archive for Mid-East News

Gazans protest against having Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

 

Hamas leader: Abbas doesn’t have the right to relinquish any piece of Palestinian land. Returning to talks is a blow to jihad & to our sacrifices.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

 

 

Hundreds of Palestinians on Friday protested in the Gaza Strip against the recently renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, AFP reported.

Israeli Arabs wave Palestinian flags during a rally, April 2007.

Israeli Arabs wave Palestinian flags during a rally, April 2007.- Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

The marches, reportedly organized by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, condemned rival West Bank-based Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s “political failure” for returning to the negotiating table with Israel.

Protesters commenced marching from various mosques across the enclave toward a square in central Gaza City, according to AFP.

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Israel Air Force Strikes Back at Lebanon Following Rocket Attack

Israel Air Force struck at terror target south of Beirut, a few hours after Lebanese terrorists fired 4 rockets at Israel’s Galilee.

By Elad Benari

 

Israeli aircraft struck a terror target south of Beirut on Thursday night, said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Israeli Fighter Jet F-16

Israeli Fighter Jet F-16 – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

 

According to the statement, a direct hit was identified and all aircraft returned safely to their bases.

The IDF statement said that the airstrike came in response to Thursday afternoon’s rocket attack from Lebanon at northern Israel.

“Yesterday’s attack is a blatant breach of Israeli sovereignty that jeopardized Israeli civilian life. Continue Reading »

Lebanon Fired 4 Rockets into Northern Israel; IDF No Retaliation yet

Lebanon fires at least 4 rockets toward Israel; residents of Akko, Nahariya urged to stay close to bomb-shelters.

By Gil Ronen and Ari Soffer

 

At least four rockets were fired from Lebanon Thursday afternoon, with at least one confirmed as having struck in the area of Nahariya.

Fired at IsraelSeveral residents have been treated for shock.

IDF Radio reported that bomb shelters in the northern city of Akko (Acre) have been opened for public use, and the IDF is urging residents of the north to remain close to shelters.

The IDF has denied earlier reports from Arabic media that it responded to the rockets with artillery fire. Continue Reading »

Tripoli: A Sunni Hezbollah Commander Assassinated

Masked gunman on motorbikes shoot dead a Sunni militia commander, Hassan al-Mouri, along with 2 other men who were near him amid rising sectarian tensions in Lebanon.

By Ari Soffer

 

A leading supporter of the Hezbollah terrorist group was assassinated in Tripoli on Thursday.

Sunni Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon – Reuters

Al-Mouri was gunned down by “masked men on motorbikes,” along with a security official and a bystander, according to a security source quoted by the Lebanese Naharnet website.

The 40 year-old leader of a pro-Hezbollah Sunni militia was standing at the entrance to his home along with the two other men when the gunmen drove up and shot them. Continue Reading »

UN probes Israeli response to rockets, but not Syria chemical attack on civilians

 

UN hypocrisy is always reaching new heights. This time the UNSC declined to investigate claims of a Syrian chemical weapons massacre.

By Ryan Jones

 

The United Nations on Wednesday again revealed its true colors when it stopped short of ordering an official probe into charges that the Syrian government had killed hundreds of its own citizens in a chemical weapons attack.

United Nations Security Council - Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

United Nations Security Council – Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 

That decision was especially interesting to Israelis, who are still irked by the UN’s massive and widely-publicized probe into the Gaza War that began in late 2009 after Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorists escalated missile attacks against southern Israel. Continue Reading »

Israel & Jordan Working on Water Deal

 

The Kingdom of Jordan, thirsty for water from the huge influx of displaced Syrian refugees, are to get Kinneret water from Israel’s north, in return for supplying desalinated water from Jordan’s soon to be built, southern Aqaba plant.

By Roi Kais

 

 

Israel and Jordan are holding advanced negotiations over water exchanges between the two sides, Ynet has learned.

The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) – Photo: Hagai Aharon

According to the developing outline, a water desalination plant will be built in Aqaba, and Jordan will supply Israel with the product to be used in the Negev.

In return, Israel will supply Jordan with water from the Kinneret to be used in the north of the Hashemite Kingdom. Continue Reading »

Thai court convicts 2 Iranian terrorists for bomb plot near Israeli embassy

The 2 Iranians were arrested after bomb destroyed their Bangkok apartment less than a km from the Israeli embassy.

 

 

Two Iranian men were convicted Thursday of taking part in a botched bomb plot that was exposed last year when an accidental explosion blew apart the Bangkok villa where they were staying.

Bangkok apt - Reuters - Feb 2012

The Bangkok apartment where the bomb exploded. Feb 2012 – Photo: Reuters

Israeli and Thai officials have said the plot was aimed at Israeli diplomats in Bangkok, the capital, though Iran denied the allegations and neither defendant was charged with terrorism or attempting to kill Israelis. Continue Reading »

Hamas Tells Egypt: Open the Border Crossing

Gaza’s terrorist rulers urge the Egyptian gov’t to reopen the Rafiah border crossing that was closed after the latest terrorist attack left 25 Egyptian security personnel executed.

By Elad Benari

 

Gaza’s Hamas rulers urged Egypt on Wednesday to reopen the border crossing with Gaza that was closed after Islamist terrorists killed 25 Egyptian security personnel in northern Sinai earlier this week.

The officers were killed as they were travelling in two buses which came under attack from armed men close to the town of Rafiah, on the Gaza border. As a result of the attack, Egypt closed down the Rafiah crossing between the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza. Continue Reading »

Liberman plans to turn the Negev’s Arad into Israel’s Hollywood

 

Bayit Yehudi MK pictures Angelina Jolie, Sean Connery & Brad Pitt among a host of Hollywood’s greatest coming to Israel’s future state-of-the-art movie studio he hopes will be built in Negev town.

 

 

When casual observers arrive in the sleepy Negev Desert town of Arad, they see Sudanese workers, cacti, and a lot of dust.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. – Photo: REUTERS

But on a visit to the city Wednesday, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avigdor Liberman said he sees Hollywood stars Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt coming soon to a state-of-the-art movie studio he hopes will be built there.

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PA Threatens to Sue Israel in Int’l Court Over Building New Homes

Contrary to the spirit of making peace with Israel,  Palestinian Authority member is threatening to sue Israel over building plans they were informed about prior to the commencement of negotiations.

By Ari Soffer

 

The Palestinian Authority threatened Wednesday to sue Israel through international bodies if it continues expanding Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, warning that they would put an end to talks unless building in Jewish areas came to a halt.

“These are not just dots on a map,” PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi said of more than 2,000 new Jewish homes which were approved for construction ahead of a resumption of peace negotiations late last month. Continue Reading »

Amb. Prosor reports to UNSC: Hezbollah’s Nasrallah has no regard for human life

 

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor delivered a scathing attack on Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, in his address to the U.N. Security Council, saying,  ‘Hezbollah is a ruthless terrorist group committing double war crimes again, this time in Syria, by operating among civilians & directing attacks against civilians.’

By Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor has delivered a scathing attack on Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the group’s involvement in the Syrian civil war.

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Egyptian Jews: We support Army’s opposition to ‘terrorism’

For the very small Jewish community in Cairo, the Army’s leaders removal of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi and its opposition to his supporters’ violent demonstrations are cause for hope for a more tolerant Egyptian future.

Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi scream chants at Egyptian soldiers during a protest in Cairo, Aug. 12, 2013. – JTA PHOTO: Ed Giles/Getty

“Not even a Jew would do this,” she heard him say.

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Erdogan says he has ‘evidence’ Israel behind Egypt coup

 

Turkish daily quotes its PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday saying he has proof from a Jewish intellectual that the Israel gov’t was involved in the Egyptian Army’s overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood regime.

By Israel Hayom staff

 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused Israel of being behind the July 3 military coup in Egypt, saying he had evidence of the Jewish state’s involvement in the overthrow of Egypt’s Islamist former President Mohammed Morsi.

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UN rights chief seeks legality of US & Israel drone use

 

UN wishes to examine the legal terms of US and Israeli drone use, which asks to clarify basis of counter-terrorism or military strikes in areas of armed conflict.

Associated Press

 

The UN human rights chief is urging the United States and Israel to clarify the legal basis for the use of armed drones in Pakistan, Yemen and Gaza.

Israel Air Force Drone – Photo courtesy IDF Spokesperson’s Office

Navi Pillay told a UN Security Council meeting Monday on protection of civilians that “the current lack of transparency surrounding their use creates an accountability vacuum and affects the ability of victims to seek redress.” Continue Reading »

Israel tells the US: Stopping aid to Egyptian army could end peace talks

 

Israeli Official: Egyptian support of great importance in keeping Palestinians at peace talks and influencing Hamas in Gaza.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
 

 

Israel has urged the US to back the Egyptian military, saying losing Egypt to Islamists could pose a risk the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Egyptian troops en route to Sinai

Egyptian troops en route to Sinai – Photo: REUTERS

According to an Israeli official quoted by the paper, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have traditionally played an important role in providing the Palestinians the support to stay in the negotiations and to make concessions, and without them there is a chance the talks will fail.

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