JERUSALEM (AP) — The European Union’s decision Wednesday to start labeling Israeli products made in the West Bank delivered a resounding show of international disapproval over Israel’s expansion of Jewish settlements and raised the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to renew peace efforts with the Palestinians. Israel condemned the measure as unfair and discriminatory, … Continue reading
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded a man at a station of Jerusalem’s light rail Friday before he was shot and wounded by Israeli forces, police said. Israeli media said the man hurt in the stabbing was a U.S. tourist, but police could not immediately confirm the report. In the … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister lashed out at an Arab lawmaker Wednesday for flouting a directive and visiting the sensitive Jerusalem holy site that is at the heart of the recent round of unrest, as the five-week long outbreak of violence that has plagued the region continued. A Palestinian was shot after the Israeli … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — The latest developments in ongoing violence between Palestinians and Israelis (all times local): ___ 7:35 p.m. The Palestinian U.N. ambassador is accusing Israel of acting in “the most savage, shameful” way, pointing to Palestinian statistics showing 30 people killed, including seven children, in the latest violence and about 1,500 wounded, a great … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — In a landmark test case for Israel, the appointment of its next ambassador to Brazil is suddenly in trouble due to his ties to the West Bank settlement movement. Brazil has reportedly expressed objections to the appointment of Dani Dayan, raising questions about when or even if he will take up the … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister will convene an emergency meeting over recent Palestinian attacks, an official at his office said Monday, hours after an Israeli died after rocks were thrown at his car and violence broke out at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site for a second day in a row. Benjamin Netanyahu will consult … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is comparing tensions between the U.S. and Israel over the Iranian nuclear deal to a family feud and says he expects quick improvements in ties between the longtime allies once the accord is implemented. “Like all families, sometimes there are going to be disagreements,” Obama said Friday in a … Continue reading
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Egyptian military bulldozers are digging through the sand along Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip in recent days, pressing ahead with what appears to be a renewed campaign to pressure Gaza’s Hamas rulers and stamp out militant activity along the border. The project, billed as an Egyptian military-operated fish farm, … Continue reading
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Nearly a year after a devastating war, Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers appear to have formed an unspoken alliance in a common battle against the shared threat of jihadis aligned with the Islamic State group. While Israel and Hamas remain arch-enemies, both have an interest in preserving an uneasy … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday denounced the French telecom giant Orange SA for announcing it will sever business ties with the Jewish state, highlighting a wave of public anger over the Palestinian movement to boycott Israel. Netanyahu spoke a day after Orange’s CEO, Stephane Richard, said in Cairo that he … Continue reading
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister paid a rare visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Monday, calling on Israel to ease a blockade on the territory and urging Hamas prevent rockets from being fired into Israel. Frank-Walter Steinmeier became the latest Western diplomat, including U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, to tour Gaza … Continue reading
It was an unlikely display of protesters: nuns cloaked in white, a black-clad priest clutching a golden scepter and dozens of Arab schoolchildren picketing outside the hulking headquarters of Israel’s Education Ministry. Their message, raised high on large banners: “Take your hands off our schools.” Private Christian schools are among Israel’s highest ranked educational institutions, … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his Cabinet are united in “strongly opposing” an emerging framework agreement on curbing Iran’s nuclear program and demanded that any final deal contain Iranian recognition of Israel’s right to exist. Iran and six world powers announced a series of understandings Thursday, with a … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Monday that a Palestinian state will not be established if he is re-elected, as part of frantic last-minute campaigning ahead of parliamentary elections. Netanyahu, looking to shore up support from his hard-line base ahead of the Tuesday vote, made the comment in a videotaped interview … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration pushed ahead Monday with an effort to end its standoff with Israel, arguing that the focus on tensions between the allies obscured a larger truth that the United States would never jeopardize the Jewish state’s security by allowing Iran to become a nuclear power. Addressing this year’s annual policy … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 