US warns it won’t fund UN refugee agency if Palestinians reject talks
The US on Tuesday threatened it would cut aid to the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency if Ramallah refused to come to the negotiating table for relaunched peace talks.
Israel
Franken officially resigns from Senate after groping allegations
Minnesota Democrat Al Franken officially resigned from the Senate on Tuesday after announcing he would step down last month amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
Trump threatens to cut off US aid to Palestinians over Jerusalem dispute
Acknowledging his push to broker peace in the Middle East has stalled, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority, asking why Washington should make ‘any of these massive future payments’ when the Palestinians were ‘no longer willing to talk peace.’
Seal from First Temple Period found at Kotel supports biblical accounts
A rare, well-preserved piece of clay dating to the First Temple period with the Hebrew inscription ‘governor of the city’ was recently discovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem.
In late night vote, Knesset passes law to hinder East Jerusalem withdrawal
Lawmakers approved a bill in the early hours Tuesday that requires a special two-thirds majority vote in the Knesset to relinquish any part of Jerusalem to the Palestinians under a future peace accord.
As protests persist, Rouhani warns Iran will respond to ‘lawbreakers’
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday said his country would respond to ‘rioters and lawbreakers,’ a day after attempting to strike a conciliatory tone with protesters demonstrating against the regime across the country.
Air force hits Hamas camp in Gaza after rocket fire
The Israeli Air Force hit a Hamas camp in the southern Gaza Strip early Tuesday in response to a rocket fired at Israel hours before, the army said.
Netanyahu’s party approves resolution to annex West Bank, open settlements
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party approved on Sunday evening a proposal requiring party members to act to annex Judea and Samaria.
Hamas calls US ambassador ‘racist,’ says all ties should be cut with DC
The Palestinians should cut all ties with the United States because of ‘racist’ and ‘ignorant’ comments US Ambassador David Friedman made to The Jerusalem Post last week, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Saturday.
Iran unrest ‘start of a big movement,’ says Nobelist Iranian
The unrest in Iran is just “the beginning of a big movement” that could be more widespread than the demonstrations of 2009, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi said in an interview Sunday.
Iran warns against ‘illegal gatherings’ as fresh protest reported in Tehran
The Iranian government warned people against further protests on Saturday after two days of demonstrations sparked by anger over an array of economic problems even as a fresh demonstration was reported at the University of Tehran.
Thousands of Palestinians take part in anti-Trump protests
Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza and the occupied West Bank for the fourth Friday in a row in protests against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Assad may have retaken the Syrian Golan, but Iran is pulling the strings
The evacuation of several hundred Syrian rebels from the Beit Jinn area on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights over the weekend puts Israel in an old-new position on the border. Assad’s army is once again at the fences, just like it was from 1967 to 2011.
France sets up tax dept to investigate Jews
The secret department has 20 Hebrew-speaking employees, and is hiring five more to investigate tax evasion.
Palestine recalls U.S. envoy following Trump Jerusalem decision
Palestine recalled its envoy to the United States after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
How Trump could kill the Iran nuclear deal in January
President Donald Trump allowed the Iran nuclear deal to survive through 2017, but the new year will offer him another chance to blow up the agreement — and critics and supporters alike believe he may take it.
PM warns Iran, Hamas not to tangle with IAF’s ‘tremendous firepower’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran and Hamas on Wednesday not to act against the Jewish state, as it has the strongest air force in the region, with the ability to reach targets at all distances.
Israel and U.S. Create Secret Plan to Counter Iran
The United States and Israel are working hand in hand to counter dangerous Iranian activity in the Middle East. According to Axios News, a strategic partnership agreement was reached during a secret meeting between Israeli and U.S. officials in the White House on December 12th.
New Synagogue Opens Under Temple Mount
While there may not be a Third Temple at which Israeli Jews can worship atop the Jerusalem Temple Mount, there is a brand-new synagogue under the foundation of the holy site – and it’s open for prayer.
Hezbollah, Syrian forces advance on rebels 7 miles from Israel
Hezbollah and Syrian army forces have reportedly launched an assault on a besieged Syrian rebels’ stronghold some 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from Israel’s border, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel will not accept Iranian proxies on its frontier.