The fluid and rapidly changing dynamics of politics in the Middle East, where allegiances can shift dramatically, is impacting Palestinian politics and the biggest loser appears to be the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority (PA) which is losing support amongst its followers and being sidelined by Hamas.
The Palestinian Authority leadership is under pressure from the international community to resume the peace talks with Israel, a Palestinian official was quoted on Saturday.
Less than two hours before his deadline was set to expire on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hammered out a deal with Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett, allowing him to inform President Reuven Rivlin that he had successfully cobbled together a 61-seat coalition — the narrowest of Knesset majorities.
Secretary of State John Kerry sought to calm Israeli worries over an emerging nuclear deal with Iran in an interview aired Sunday, dismissing some concerns as brought on by “hysteria” over the possible agreement.
Hours after an Israeli air strike on militants along the Syrian border, Arab news networks al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya reported a new Israeli attack in Syrian territory early Monday morning, targeting missile launchers held by Hezbollah and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The use of Israeli military force against Iran’s nuclear facilities would be an act of “last resort,” Israel’s air force commander said Thursday, but part of his role is to ensure that the air force has “the genuine capacity to get the job done” if ordered to do so.
President Barack Obama is making overtures to repair his long-strained relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the efforts have more to do with currying favor with pro-Israel members of Congress and American Jews than with the Jewish State, according to The New York Times.
A year after rival Palestinian nationalist movements Hamas and Fatah agreed to end their bitter divisions, the unity deal they signed appears to be on the brink of collapse, AFP reported.
France and Britain urged the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to set a framework for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, as New Zealand announced it was working on a draft resolution to revive long-stalled peace talks.
President Reuven Rivlin formally granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two more weeks to form a governing coalition Monday morning in a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russia’s president to convey his displeasure over Russia’s decision to sell advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. Putin for his part told Netanyahu that the missiles had only defensive capabilities and “pose no threat” to Israel.
Senior Israeli officials warned on Monday evening that, over the last few weeks, Iran has considerably stepped up its operations to arm Hezbollah in order to prepare its terrorist proxy for a large-scale conflict with Israel.
Israel could destroy Iran’s electric network with a specially designed electromagnetic bomb in the event of a military conflict between the countries.
The French government has seen a window of opportunity, following recent elections in Israel, to get the United States on board for a renewed effort towards an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, and is preparing a draft UN Security Council resolution.
Last November, a senior IDF officer warned of the implications of a Third Lebanon War. His name is Yair Golan, and he was at the time ending his stint as GOC Northern Command and transferring to Tel Aviv to serve as deputy chief of staff, Ynet reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned President Obama on Thursday that the emerging deal with Iran, if implemented, would threaten the existence of Israel.
Following recent assessments on the significant rocket threat posed by Hezbollah to the Israeli home front, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it carried out a successful test of the US-Israel developed David’s Sling anti-missile system, which is designed to shoot down shortto medium-range missiles, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Iran would be less than a year away from obtaining a nuclear weapon if its emerging deal with world powers is signed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday, as talks between Iran and the US-led group of countries went down to the wire in Switzerland, the Times of Israel reported.
Iran is placing guided warheads on its rockets and smuggling them to Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior Defense Ministry official involved in preparing Israeli air defenses said Tuesday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
France sees a window of opportunity after Israel’s elections to get the United States on board with a new push for Mideast peace, and is preparing a draft UN Security Council resolution in about 12 days, according to French diplomatic officials, the Times of Israel reported.