Live updates on Israel, regional security, U.S.–Israel relations, and developments affecting the Body of Christ in the Middle East.
Arafat’s Davos Speech Nixes Positive Election Spin Out of Taba
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
The week-long Taba peace talks concluded on Saturday with an upbeat assessment from Israeli negotiators - backed up by a joint statement with the Palestinians - that the two sides were "closer than ever" to a final agreement,…
IDF Intercepts Terrorists Inside Northern Border
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
There has been a marked increase in Palestinian attacks following the premature break-up of peace talks in Taba on Saturday evening, while the IDF managed to intercept an armed Palestinian squad infiltrating from Lebanon, leaving two terrorists dead.
Another Lethal Attack Leads Back to Arafat’s Bodyguards
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
Palestinian gunmen shot dead an Israeli motorist near Ramallah on Monday in what security sources believe may have been the latest attack traceable to Force 17, an elite commando unit that guards PLO chief Yasser Arafat.
Palestinian Violence Dogs Barak’s Final Days
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
The four-month-old Palestinian intifada that has slowly toppled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak from power, plagued him right up to the eve of the election, which promises to be yet another "day of rage."
No Pre-Election Deal with Hizb’allah
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh dismissed weekend reports of an imminent prisoner swap with Hizb'Allah as disinformation on Sunday, quashing rumors of an election eve surprise.
PA Police Face Charges for Ramallah Lynchings
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
A Palestinian policeman was to be charged by an Israeli military court on Monday with intentional manslaughter for his part in the lynching of two IDF reservists in Ramallah last October.
Agreement Reported at Sharm Summit
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
US President Bill Clinton announced at the summit's close this afternoon that a ceasefire agreement had been reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The major points are as follows:
Initifada Claims Arab Christian Soldier on Election Eve
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
Only hours before the Israeli Arab sector's almost blanket boycott of the election for prime minister, an Arab Christian from Galilee was shot by Palestinian terrorists while serving in an IDF unit in southern Gaza.
Arafat’s Corruption Costing His People
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
While Western envoys are pressing Israel to help alleviate raging Palestinian poverty caused by their own violent uprising, Arab states are withholding the bulk of $1 billion pledged towards the renewed intifada because they do not trust PLO…
Palestinians Test Sharon with New Spiral of Violence
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
Palestinian rioters and terrorists escalated the renewed intifada in recent days throughout Gaza and Judea/Samaria, including Jerusalem, in a move meant to “test†Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon even before he formally assumes office.
Fatah Issues New Threats to Israelis
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
In separate statements circulating on Monday, militants in the main PLO faction Fatah threatened to “turn the lives of all the settlers into a living hell†and to kill Israeli reporters covering stories in Bethlehem.
Europe, US Parting Ways Over Peace Process
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
In what appears to be a growing divide between US and European approaches to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the European Union this week expressed support for the Palestinian position that Israeli concessions made since the Camp David talks should…
The Battle for Truth: Case Study One
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001
As is often the case in the Middle East, the first casualty in the recent wave of Arab-Israeli clashes was truth, which was baldly proven by the flagship print daily in the US this past week.
Arafat Puts on Milage, But Spins in Place
Posted on Friday, August 24, 2001
PLO chief Yasser Arafat has launched another trademark whirlwind tour in search of more international support for the Palestinian intifada, but his latest anti-Israel offensive found little traction this week at the United Nations or Arab League.
PA Sentences Another “Collaborator” To Death
Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2001
ICEJ NEWS – 08/22/2001 Amid approving shouts from spectators, a Palestinian Authority security court in Gaza this week sentenced to death a 24-year-old half-retarded Arab man for suspected “collaboration” with Israel. The condemned man, Khaled al-Oukka, simply smiled…
Arab/Islamic Threats Against Israel Never End
Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2001
In recent days, Hamas Sheikh Ahmed Yassin has defended Islamic suicide bombings as a "democratic right," a leading Egyptian newspaper urged Palestinians to kill Israelis everywhere, and Saddam Hussein has called on Jordan to open its borders to…
Hizb’allah Encroaches On Divided Border Village
Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2001
Tensions increased over recent days in the disputed Har Dov region along the Israeli-Lebanese border, after Hizb'Allah forces set up a roadblock just outside the divided border village of Ghajar.
UN Debate On Mideast Crisis Leading Nowhere
Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2001
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday is trying to wind up a heated open debate on the PLO's renewed demand for an international "protection force" in Palestinian areas, but the measure seems doomed to failure yet again…
