Archive for Mid-East News

| March 10, 2014
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Hamas promises Gaza rockets will land in northern Israel

 

Before Israel televised their captured advanced rockets bound for Gaza, Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade said bloodshed will not end until ‘owners of Palestine recover their rights.’

By AFP

 

GAZA – Hamas’ armed wing threatened Monday to shoot rockets that would reach northern Israel during its next confrontation with the IDF.

M75 monument

Members of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, stand in front of M-75 monument at the al-Jalaa square on March 10, 2014 in Gaza City. – Photo: AFP photo/Mahmud Hams

During the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense, Gaza terror organizations for the first time fired rockets that reached Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

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| March 10, 2014
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Arab League supports PA’s refusal to recognize Israel as Jewish state

 

Israeli PM Netanyahu responded to Abbas’ refusal saying “It is absurd to think that in an agreement in which we will recognize the nation-state of the Palestinian people they will not recognize the Jewish state.”

By i24NEWS

 

The Arab League on Sunday has given its seal of approval to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s refusal to meet Israel’s demand to recognize it as a Jewish state.

Arab League - Photo: AFP

Arab League – Photo: AFP

The issue is a key Israeli demand, which will likely be included in the framework agreement that US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to present to the sides at the end of April. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| March 10, 2014
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Israeli products overrun Gaza supermarkets

 

Since Gaza is a captive market as Israel controls the formal movement to & from Gaza, it goes without saying that Israeli companies control its market.

By Elior Levy

 

Cookies, coffee, soap and even hummus – these are just some of the Israeli products one can find on the grocery stores’ shelves in Gaza, written in Hebrew just like the ones in the nearby Israeli retail chains.

Products from Israel in Gaza (Photo: Gisha Organization)

Products from Israel in Gaza – Photo: Gisha Organization

Apparently, beneath the surface of the daily military tensions between Israel and the Gaza Strip, there is a meaningful economic relationship. In 2012 the value import of Israeli products to Gaza stood at NIS 1.3 billion ($375 million), including not only water, gas and electricity, but also food and cleaning products from well-known Israeli companies such as Telma, Willifood, Osem and Tnuva, which brings subtantial tax profit to Israel. Continue Reading »

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| March 9, 2014
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PM Netanyahu to Ashton: Ask Iranians about intercepted weapons shipment

 

 

 

PM Netanyahu: Ship’s takeover was meant to stop missiles from reaching terrorists and to expose ‘true face’ of Iran

By i24news

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the seizure of the cargo ship carrying missiles from Iran bound for Gaza had two goals – to prevent the weapons from reach terror groups and to “expose the true face of Iran” to the world.

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu

“Iran denies its involvement, but it’s lying. We will provide proof of this tomorrow,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. The prime minister and Israel’s top brass are expected to head to the Red Sea port of Eilat Monday for a news conference and display of the captured weaponry. Continue Reading »

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| March 9, 2014
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Hamas: Bomb-making training blows up in their face

Hamas ‘Work Accident’ during bomb-making training kills local Hamas commander and injures nine others, according to Palestinian sources.

By Ari Soffer

 

An explosion Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least one terrorist and wounded nine more, medical sources said.

“The explosion occurred during a training session in bomb-making,” said a statement from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamist Hamas movement that controls Gaza.

Source have identified the dead man as Ibrahim al-Ghoul, a local Hamas commander.

The blast took place at a house in the southern town of Rafah, on the Egyptian border.

Witnesses had previously described most of the injured, including two seriously hurt, as “activists” – a term often used by Palestinian Arab sources to describe members of terrorist groups operating in the Islamist-controlled territory. Continue Reading »

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| March 8, 2014
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Abbas Promises Fatah : There’s ‘No Way’ We’ll Recognize Israel

Mahmoud Abbas promises youth activists, Palestinian Authority will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

By Elad Benari, Canada

 

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas stood his ground on Friday and reiterated that he will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas – Reuters

Speaking to youth activists of his Fatah party and quoted by The Associated Press (AP), Abbas unequivocally declared that there is “no way” he will recognize Israel as a Jewish state and accept a Palestinian capital in just a portion of eastern Jerusalem.

Abbas further stated that he withstood international pressure in the past, when he sought UN recognition of a state of Palestine despite the United States’ objections. Continue Reading »

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| March 7, 2014
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Erdoğan quips Turkey may ban Facebook & YouTube to leash opponents

Forced to confront his former political ally, the struggling Turkish prime minister aims to silence criticism from his political enemies on internet sites.

By REUTERS

 

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could ban Facebook and YouTube, which he says have been abused by his political enemies, after local elections on March 30.

Facebook - Photo IsraelandStuff

The Power of Facebook – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

Erdogan is locked in a power struggle with the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally who he says is behind a stream of “fabricated” audio recordings posted on the Internet allegedly revealing corruption in his inner circle.

“We are determined on this subject. Continue Reading »

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| March 7, 2014
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Heads will Roll: Egyptian TV station investigated for promoting tourism to Israel

 

 

A television segment on the Israeli Arab town of Jisr az-Zarqa sparked demands for an investigation from Egyptians who strongly oppose advocating normalization with neighboring Israel.

By Roi Kais

 

While Egypt is desperately seeking to attract tourists amid the ongoing security crisis in the country, the Egyptian television surprisingly chose to promote tourism in Israel.

Israel Arab village of Jisr az-Zarqa - Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Israel Arab village of Jisr az-Zarqa – Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

One of Egypt’s state-owned television channels featured an article this week about the Arab-Israeli town of Jisr az-Zarqa, which is located near the coastal city of Haifa. The segment explained why the village would be a touristic hot-spot, noting the town’s magic, beauty, enchanting nature and friendly residents. Continue Reading »

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| March 7, 2014
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Saudi Arabia blacklists Muslim Brotherhood & Hezbollah as terrorist groups

 

The Islamic Kingdom also deemed 2 other groups and encourages their Saudi fighters in Syria to return home.

By and News Agencies

 

 

Saudi Arabia on Friday declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah fighters.- Photo: AP

The kingdom also included Lebanon-based Shi’ite group Hezbollah on its terrorism list along with the Syria-based Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Nusra Front, an Al Qaida branch operating in Syria and Lebanon that was created in 2012.

According to the report, hundreds of Saudi fighters are believed to be members of ISIS and the Nusra Front in Syria. Continue Reading »

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| March 7, 2014
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Egypt Detained 100 Female European & American Activists On Way to Gaza

American & European activists who had planned to spend Int’l Women’s Day in Gaza, are being held due to the Egyptian crackdown on Hamas, for “the timing was not appropriate…”

By Ari Yashar

 

A group of 100 European and American activist women were stopped by Egypt on Thursday, as they attempted to cross Sinai to spend International Women’s Day on Saturday in Gaza.

Egyptian soldiers (Illustration) – Reuters

Egyptian authorities stopped the women at the Cairo airport. Among the group, Northern Irish Nobel Laureate and anti-Israel activist Mairead Maguire was already deported on Wednesday; the same happened to American activist Medea Benjamin on Tuesday. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| March 6, 2014
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Palestinians tell Obama: ‘We Have Nothing Left to Make Concessions On’

Palestinian Authority statement adds that the dream of peace is slowly fading away & any 2-state solution is ‘evaporating.’

By and

 

The Palestinians responded Wednesday to U.S. President Barack Obama’s promise to pressure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “to make tough decisions” in their March 17 meeting, saying they have nothing left to make concessions on.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo, November 11, 2013. – Photo: Reuters

A top U.S. official told Haaretz that Obama made the promise to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting in Washington Monday.

The Palestinian Authority said in a statement Wednesday, “It is important for you to know Mr. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| March 5, 2014
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IDF intercepts Iranian ship capturing advanced rockets sent to Gaza

UPDATED

—–> SPECIAL SECURITY REPORT <—–

IDF elite navy unit raided the Iranian vessel in daring open sea operation, capturing Iranian made long-range missiles that were en route to Sudan.

By Yoav Zitun

 

 

Israel seized an Iranian ship carrying advanced weapons destined for Gaza on Tuesday night and towed it to Eilat port, the IDF said Wednesday. Elite troops from the Israel Navy’s Shayetet 13 unit boarded the ship in open waters on the maritime border of Sudan and Eritrea, some 1,500 km south of Israel.

The Klos C

The Klos C – Photo source: Ynet

The Klos C Iranian vessel was sailing under a Panamanian flag, making its way to Sudan from Iran carrying a cargo of advanced rockets capable of reaching distances of up to 200 km. Continue Reading »

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| March 4, 2014
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Egyptian court Blacklists Hamas as terrorist organization, banning activities

 

Cairo court ruling bans activities by Hamas in Egypt, branding it a terrorist organization, ordering all Hamas offices in the country shut down & all dealings with the group be suspended.

By The Associated Press & Israel Hayom Staff

 

An Egyptian court ruled on Tuesday to ban Hamas activities in the country, branding the group a terrorist organization.

A Hamas rally in Gaza [Archive] – Photo: AP

The Cairo court ordered the closure of Hamas offices in Egypt and the suspension of all dealings with the group.

Egypt’s relations with Hamas have sharply deteriorated since the Egyptian military overthrew the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi last July.

Continue Reading »
Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| March 4, 2014
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European Union won’t take ‘no’ for an answer

 

 

European officials admit that even if Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stall, they will not blame either side

By Adar Primor

 

Brussels. Even as the entire world’s attention is turned towards Putin’s maneuvers in Ukraine and Crimea, European Union officials stress that nothing will make the 28-nation member organization stop striving to achieve a Middle East peace deal and a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) walks with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (L) before their meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (not pictured) in Geneva, on November 8, 2013 ( Jason Reed (POOL/AFP) )

US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) walks with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (L) before their meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (not pictured) in Geneva, on November 8, 2013 – Photo: Jason Reed – POOL/AFP

Some 20 Israeli journalists were invited to EU headquarters in Brussels as part of the organization’s efforts to demonstrate the importance it places on the process, and in order to allay the mistrust that characterizes Israel’s relations with the EU. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 4, 2014
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Update: 2 Gazans killed in airstrike while preparing to fire rockets into Israel

 

According to an updated Palestinian report, 2 Islamic Jihad members were killed & 2 others wounded in the IAF strike in the Beit Hanoun area in the northern Gaza Strip.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN, JPOST.COM STAFF

 

 

The IAF struck a terror cell attempting to fire rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Monday.

Israel Air Force F15 I,’Ra’am’ (‘Thunder’) A multipurpose long-range fighter jet, mainly used for attack and interception strikes. – Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

The air strike targeted a rocket launching cell in the final preparations stage before firing at Israel. The IDF said the target had been accurately struck.

Continue Reading »
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