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Obama Fumbling a Chance for Middle East Peace
Mortimer B. Zuckerman
Only four percent of Israelis see Obama as a friend. Obama should worry about this. So should we all, for the alienation has significant consequences for peace
On Gaza, the UN Targets Israel Again
Harold Evans
A new report is the gold standard of moral equivalence between killer and victim in Gaza.
Consequences of the Palestinian-Israel Status Quo
William Pfaff
There seems to have been a mistake made when President Barack Obama named former Sen. George J. Mitchell his special representative concerned with settlement of the Palestinian-Israel impasse. The president and Mr. Mitchell seem to have believed that the problem is one of negotiation between adamantly opposed but ultimately reconcilable parties
Shimon Peres on Peace, Obama's Tough Love, and Working in the Shadows
Arianna Huffington
It's hard to spend any time with Israeli President Shimon Peres and remain pessimistic about the possibility of peace. 'I'm 86,' he told me, 'and at a moment in my life when I have no personal agenda. I'm not interested in money. I'm not jealous of anyone. My only agenda is my country. I feel freer than I've ever felt before -- and with this freedom I can be most effective. At my age I don't want a suntan. I like being in the shadows.'
Biofuel Technology and Performance Issues Could Slow Acceptance
Ari Axelrod
Biofuels are a conundrum. Their potential advantages are undeniable: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, lessening of our dependency on imported oil, support of domestic agriculture. And they certainly have their supporters. The Obama administration repeatedly affirmed its backing of rapid development of alternative energy sources, including biofuels. Still, the hurdles are high.
Israel Fortifies Presence in Latin America
Andres Oppenheimer
Following three years of frantic Iranian activities in Latin America that included three trips by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the region -- a fourth visit is scheduled in August to Brazil -- and the opening or enlargement of a half-dozen Iranian embassies, Israel is beginning to raise its own profile in the region.
Obama Presses Israel on Settlements
by William Pfaff
The Obama administration's confrontation with Israel over its colonies inside the Palestine territories began as a test of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's willingness to enter serious negotiations on a Middle Eastern settlement.
Israel's Cuban Missile Crisis All the Time
by Victor Davis Hanson
Why would the Iranian government spend billions of dollars on trying to develop a few first-generation nuclear bombs when the country is so poor that it has to ration gasoline? A lot of reasons have been offered by various experts.
Waiting For Netanyahu
International Current Events, News & World Affairs
As President Obama prepares to receive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting, the situation is very similar to what it was in 1978.
Now as then, Israel is ruled by a rightwing coalition. Now as then, some of its elements are more hawkish than the prime minister and his Likud Party is. Now as then, talks with the other side are ongoing but leading nowhere.
Essence of Islamist Resistance:
Different View of Iran, Hezbollah & Hamas
by Alastair Crooke
Most Western analysts of political Islam make the same mistake. They instinctively assume that conflict with the West has mainly to do with specific foreign policies, particularly of the U.S. with respect to Israel, the Arab world and Iran, and, if those changed, all would be well.
Hamas 'tests long-range rocket'
Hamas has test-fired a rocket capable of reaching Tel Aviv from Gaza, Israel's head of military intelligence says.
US view on settlement 'unchanged'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the US has not changed its opposition to continued Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
Six Hamas MPs released by Israel
Israel releases six Hamas members of the Palestinian parliament from jail after holding them for up to three years.
Israeli settler held over attacks
Israeli police arrest a Jewish settler who they say confessed to a string of high-profile hate attacks over the past 12 years.
Israel endorses Iran nuclear plan
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu praises a UN proposal on Iran's nuclear enrichment programme as a "positive first step".
Report: Palestinians denied water
Israel is denying Palestinians access to the basic minimum of clean, safe water, Amnesty International says.
Israel mulls Gaza probes review
Israel considers a review of internal military inquiries clearing troops of alleged war crimes during the Gaza offensive.
Arrests at holy site in Jerusalem
Israeli police clash with Palestinian stone-throwers at Jerusalem's most sensitive religious site, making arrests.
Abbas sets Palestinian polls date
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says polls will be held on 24 January in the West Bank and Hamas-run Gaza.
White House urges Mid-East push
The White House urges both sides in the Middle East conflict to press forward to re-launch a deadlocked peace process.
Rights group denies Israel bias
Human Rights Watch has rejected accusations by its founder, Robert Bernstein, that it is biased against Israel.
Israel rejects police abuse probe
An Israeli state prosecutor rules that border police officers who were filmed abusing Palestinian civilians will not face charges.
Goldstone rejects Israel protests
UN human rights investigator Richard Goldstone dismisses Israeli claims his Gaza war crimes report could harm the peace process.
UN backs Gaza 'war crimes' report
The UN Human Rights Council backs a report into Israel's Gaza offensive accusing both Israel and Hamas of war crimes.
Israel must end 'unfair' jailing
Israeli human rights groups say Israel must release or put on trial hundreds of Palestinians held without trial or charge.
Aid worker diary: Part 25
Hatem Shurrab, an aid worker in Gaza for the UK-based charity Islamic Relief Worldwide, keeps a diary of his work amid the conflict.
Gaza voices: Hamas and the truce
Palestinians in Gaza assess the ceasefire "victory" for Hamas, and describe the aftermath of the conflict.
Israeli and Palestinian views
In pictures: Reaction to ceasefire
Broken town shows Gaza destruction
The BBC's Paul Wood reports from Gaza City on his impressions as he entered northern Gaza at the beginning of the ceasefire.
Gaza City voices: Pressure eases
Palestinians across Gaza City describe a welcome easing in conditions after Israeli tanks pull back.
Israeli voices: When to stop
Four Israelis discuss the conflict with Hamas.
Jerusalem
The BBC's Martin Asser looks at issues which divide Palestinians and Israelis.
Borders and settlements
The BBC's Martin Asser looks at the four main obstacles on the road to peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
Water
The BBC's Martin Asser looks at issues still dividing Arabs and Israelis.
Refugees
The BBC News website's Martin Asser looks at the issue of Palestinian refugees, one of the main obstacles to peace.
History of failed peace talks
In the 40 years since the Middle East war of June 1967, there have been many peace plans and many negotiations.
Profile: Fatah movement
After decades as the ruling party and heart of the Palestinian cause, Fatah seems to have slipped in Palestinians' affections.
Who is a civilian?
What can be defined as military target?
Guide: Gaza under blockade
The BBC News Website examines the Israeli restrictions on Gaza that aid agencies say have brought conditions in the Strip to their worst in decades.
Profile: Gaza Strip
Profile of the strip, including population centres, refugee camps and border crossings.
Who are Hamas?
Hamas, the main Islamist movement in the Palestinian territories, was born soon after the previous intifada erupted in 1987.
Q&A: Israeli Arabs
The BBC News website looks at the complex position of the 20% of Israeli's population that are of Palestinian Arab descent.
Gaza industry rebuilding struggle
Gaza's industries, already hit hard by Israel's two-year blockade, are struggling to recover from war damage six months on from the January conflict, reports the BBC's Heather Sharp in Gaza City.
Breaking silence on Gaza abuses
A report by a group of Israeli ex-military activists lends credibility to widespread claims that the laws of war were breached in Gaza.
Working West Bank checkpoints
You may be able to see Jerusalem from the West Bank but it doesn't mean it is an easy job delivering goods across the border.
Agencies rush aid to Gaza Strip
The UN says border crossings must be opened quickly to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip.
Sharing the land
Why Mid-East peace has remained elusive
Gaza scrutiny
The UN looks closely, but will report bring action?
US pressure on Arabs grows
Obama presses Arab states on peace process
PM concedes a little in key speech
Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu may have mentioned the words "Palestinian state", but his speech gave little else to encourage those who dream of peace, the BBC's Jeremy Bowen says.
Can Obama deliver on the ME?
Barack Obama's aim of improving Arab-Israeli relations is being put to the test just as Israel turns its attention to Iran, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus writes.
Goldstone fall-out plagues Abbas
Palestinian leaders face anger over UN report on Gaza
Cancer trauma inspires film
Palestinian film of woman's fight for cancer treatment
Israeli Arabs struggle for land
Israeli Arabs say discrimination chokes their towns
Israeli troops 'ill-treat kids'
A former Israeli military commander has told the BBC that Palestinian youngsters are routinely ill-treated by Israeli soldiers while in custody, Katya Adler reports.
Uneasy recovery for Sderot
Six months on, Israelis who lost homes and loved ones to Palestinian rocket fire during the Gaza conflict still fear an uncertain future, reports the BBC's Heather Sharp.
Secret Jerusalem
Palestinian artists go underground to dodge Israeli curbs
Just playing?
Iran casts long shadow over US-Israeli war games
Future imperfect
Jeremy Bowen on President Obama's Mid-East efforts
Hamas rule
Gaza residents suffer as Hamas sticks to its guns
Jerusalem diary
Pornographer wants Israelis to have sex, not wars
Cinematic tension
Jewish-Arab film breaks new ground for Israeli audience
BBC News | In Depth | Middle East crisis | World Edition
BBC News Special Reports: Middle East Crisis, in-depth coverage and analysis on the struggle between Israel and the Palestinians plus audio and video.
U.N. debates Gaza war investigations
A resolution calling for independent investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Israel and Hamas during last winter's Gaza war was the focus of debate in the U.N. General Assembly.
Somali group with al Qaeda ties threatens Israel
A militant Islamist group associated with al Qaeda has for the first time threatened to attack Israel, far from its normal base of operations in Somalia.
'New Jews' stake claim to faith, culture
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai about 3,300 years ago, he couldn't have seen these Jews coming.
Israel keeping Gaza parched, Amnesty International says
Israel is denying Palestinians access to adequate water supplies by controlling shared water resources, the human rights group Amnesty International said in a report released Tuesday.
Israel rules out questioning troops about Gaza offensive
The Israeli government has ruled out setting up an independent investigative body that would interview Israeli military personnel about allegations that the military committed war crimes during its offensive against Hamas earlier this year.
Israel, U.S. begin joint military exercises
Israel and the United States commenced what is believed to be their largest ever joint military exercises in missile defense Wednesday.
Israel's Peres rejects U.N. Gaza report
Israeli President Shimon Peres rejected a United Nations report on his country's incursion into Gaza as "one-sided" and "unfair" in an interview with CNN.
U.N. rights council backs Gaza 'war crimes' report
The United Nations Council for Human Rights approved a controversial report Friday which accuses Israel and Hamas of "actions amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity" during the December-January war in Gaza.
UN panel debates Gaza War report slamming Israel, Hamas
The U.N. Council for Human Rights began debate Thursday over whether to adopt the recommendations of a controversial U.N. report examining the three-week winter war between Israel and the militant group Hamas in Gaza.
UN to resurrect debate on Israel-Hamas war
The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a special session Thursday to reopen discussion of Israel's three-week offensive against the Islamic militant group Hamas in Gaza.
Israel rejects findings of UN report on Gaza incursion
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a Monday speech at the opening session of the Knesset, slammed a United Nations report critical of Israel's tactics during its offensive into Gaza.
Turkish FM criticizes Israel over Gaza
Turkey excluded Israel from a planned NATO military exercise, partly because of Ankara's criticism of Israel's Gaza offensive nearly a year ago, Turkey's foreign minister told CNN Sunday in an exclusive interview.
Video of kidnapped soldier airs as Israel frees Palestinian prisoners
A "proof-of-life" video of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants more than two years ago was made public Friday, after its delivery led to the release of Palestinian women prisoners.
Blair: Mideast peace talks will restart soon
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday that he believes within weeks Israel and the Palestinian Authority will begin talks aimed at a permanent resolution of their decades-long conflict.
Israel on Iran: All options still on table
Israel on Monday restated its long-standing policy regarding Iran after Russia's president indicated that Israel had taken the military option off the table.
Egyptian filmmaker boycotts festival in Israel protest
An Egyptian film producer has pulled his film out of the Toronto film festival in protest over the event's presentation of a series of films spotlighting the Israeli city, Tel Aviv.
Ad campaign trying to bring 'lost Jews' together backfires
Posters featuring lost youth are not an unusual site in any big city, but the ones that recently appeared on Israeli TV and on the Internet weren't what they seemed.
Gaza acts amounted to war crimes, U.N. report says
A United Nations report issued Tuesday says both Israel and the Palestinians committed actions amounting to war crimes during Israel's military incursion into Gaza from December 27 to January 18.
Ancient synagogue found in Israel
In what was slated to be the site of a new 122-room hotel, archaeologists say they have discovered one of the world's oldest synagogues in Northern Israel.
UN criticizes rocket attack on Israel
The United Nations has condemned Friday's rocket attack on Israel from southern Lebanon, and urged both sides "to exercise maximum restraint."
Israel approves construction of more settlements
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved the construction of 455 housing units in the West Bank, his office said Monday.
Israel may build more settlements before weighing housing freeze
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to approve building hundreds of new settlements in the West Bank before considering a freeze on construction in the area, a senior Israeli government official said Friday.
State Dept.: Policy against new Israeli settlements stands
The State Department is sticking with a strict no-new-settlements policy toward Israel, its spokesman said Thursday, but he held out the possibility that Israelis and Palestinians might eventually take a different path.
Israel weighs Iranian threat
Israel makes no secret that it sees Iran is its biggest threat but the scale of the threat is less clear cut.
Israel hits back over Swedish organ harvesting article
Israel on Sunday withheld the press credentials of a Swedish newspaper in retaliation for a controversial piece that suggested the Israeli army kidnapped and killed young Palestinians to harvest their organs.
Paper's organ harvesting article causes Israel-Sweden rift
Israeli troops are accused in a newspaper article of harvesting organs from dead Palestinians, and Israel wants Sweden's government to condemn the Swedish paper that published it.
Swedish paper's organ harvesting article draws Israeli outrage
Israel has expressed outrage about a Swedish newspaper article that called for an investigation into claims that Israeli soldiers may have harvested organs from dead Palestinians.
Israel defends Jerusalem evictions
Israel moved to defend itself in the face of international criticism Monday over its eviction of dozens of Palestinian families from a neighborhood of Jerusalem they have lived in for generations.
Israel minister: I'll quit if indicted for corruption
Israel's foreign minister will resign from the post if he is indicted on corruption charges, he said Monday.
Analysis: U.S. gives Israel 'big hug'
Don't you just love a parade? Apparently the Obama administration does too, as evidenced by the steady stream of top U.S. officials visiting Israel this week. A bevy of heavy hitters are there, the likes of which haven't been seen since the Persian Gulf War.
Jews protest Arab construction in Israel
More than 1,000 police officers were deployed to the southern Israeli Bedouin town of Rahat on Sunday morning as two dozen Jewish right-wing extremists protested what they said was unlawful Arab construction on neighboring hilltops.
Israel strips 'catastrophe' of nation's birth from books
Israeli textbooks for Arab school children will no longer say that Arabs refer to the period surrounding the birth of Israel as al-Nakba, or "the catastrophe," Israel's education minister said Wednesday.
Fugitive U.S. white supremacist captured in Israel
A fugitive American white supremacist was arrested Monday in Israel, ending an international manhunt that began in 2007, Israeli and U.S. officials said.
Hospital: Teen killed by Israeli tank fire
A 17-year-old girl was killed and another person was injured on Thursday by Israeli tank fire at the El Marej refugee camp east of Gaza City, hospital sources said.
Amnesty: Israel killed hundreds of Gaza civilians
Israeli troops killed hundreds of unarmed civilian adults and children, broke laws and committed war crimes during their winter offensive in Gaza, Amnesty International said in a scathing report released Thursday.
Israel moves forward with settlement construction
Israel plans to build 50 new housing units in an existing West Bank settlement near Jerusalem, the Defense Ministry said Monday.
Israel targets smuggling tunnels in Gaza
Israeli forces said they targeted two smuggling tunnels in Gaza on Sunday in response to rocket and mortar attacks in southern Israel.
Israeli settlers wary, defiant in West Bank
Many Jewish settlers in the West Bank believe the land was promised to them in the Bible by God.
Israeli PM promises peace speech
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will deliver a major speech next week to lay out his plan for the country's peace and security.
Israel stages biggest-ever war drill
Israel started its biggest emergency drill in the nation's history Sunday to prepare civilians, soldiers and rescue crews for the possibility of war, the defense force said in a statement.
Analysis: Pope's visit to Israel puts focus on Catholic-Jewish ties
As he arrives in Israel, the focus for Pope Benedict XVI shifts from Catholic/Muslim ties, which were at the heart of his three-day visit to Jordan, to relations with Judaism.
Biden prods Israel on settlements
Vice President Joe Biden prodded Israel on Tuesday to halt the expansion of its settlements on the West Bank, a move he called a necessary step toward ending the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Freedom of the media declines worldwide, report says
"Global declines in press freedom" persisted last year, with setbacks highlighted in Israel, Italy, Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere across the world, an annual survey said Friday.
Envoys walk out of U.N. anti-racism conference
Dozens of international envoys walked out during a speech by Iran's president Monday as he accused Israel of having a "racist government" and committing genocide.
Boycotts hit U.N. racism conference
A major United Nations anti-racism conference was thrown into further disarray Sunday when more countries joined a U.S. boycott amid concerns it was developing into a platform for attacking Israel.
Israeli police return fire, kill Palestinian woman
A Palestinian woman opened fire Saturday on Israeli border police in southern Israel before they shot and killed her, an Israeli spokesman said.
Israeli foreign minister spurns Annapolis peace process
Israel's new hard-line foreign minister immediately distanced himself Wednesday from the 2007 relaunch of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians adopted by his predecessor, Tzipi Livni.
Israel: 'Iron Dome' rocket shield test a success
Israel says it has successfully tested an anti-rocket system developed to protect the country from short-range rocket and artillery attack from Lebanon and Gaza, defense officials said.
Nearly 30 hurt as Israel extremists march in Arab town
Arab protesters threw rocks and hurled insults at flag-waving Jewish marchers in Israel's largest Arab city on Tuesday, an event that reflected fresh hostilities between Israel's Arab citizenry and rightist sectors of the Jewish state.
Israeli general: Soldiers did not act in 'cold blood'
Israel's top general said Monday he did not believe the country's soldiers "hurt civilians in cold blood" after newspaper reports quoted soldiers who said the army had treated Gaza as a free-fire zone during its offensive this winter.
Deal to free Israel soldier collapses
A potential prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas collapsed Tuesday when the Israeli Cabinet rejected the latest Hamas demands.
Pope to skip Holocaust museum on trip to Israel, envoy says
Pope Benedict XVI will not visit Israel's Holocaust museum when he makes his first trip to the region as pope in May, though he will visit a memorial that is part of the site, his ambassador to Israel said Tuesday.
Parents of captured Israeli soldier camp outside Olmert's home
The parents of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit set up camp Sunday outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in hopes of pressuring government officials to a secure a deal with Hamas that would bring their son home.
Israel launches airstrikes into Gaza
Israel launched airstrikes into Gaza on Saturday, responding to a series of rockets fired by Hamas the day before, the Israeli military said.
Israel asked by Mauritania to close its embassy
Mauritania has requested that Israel close its embassy in the West African country, according to an official in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs.
Olmert: Gaza will face 'painful' hit if attacks don't stop
Israel will retaliate against Palestinian-controlled Gaza with a "painful, sharp, strong and uncompromising response" if rocket attacks do not stop, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday.
Israel targets smuggling tunnels
Israeli aircraft attacked seven smuggling tunnels underneath the Gaza-Egypt border Wednesday in response to rocket attacks on southern Israel, the Israeli military said.
1,800-year-old marble head unearthed in Israel
Archaeologists in Israel have discovered what they believe is the bust of a Roman boxer from the second or third century.
Amnesty seeks embargo against Israel, Palestinians
The human rights group Amnesty International is calling on the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on Israel and the Palestinians, saying both sides used weapons supplied from abroad to carry out attacks on civilians during their three-week conflict in Gaza.
Israel claims woman hurt in rocket attack
A woman was injured Saturday when a rocket landed in northern Israel, a spokesman for the Israeli police said.
Israel demands release of missing soldier
Israel on Wednesday demanded the release of an Israeli soldier seized by militants more than two years ago as a condition of lifting its economic blockade on Gaza, a government spokesman said.
Israel expects pope to visit in May
Pope Benedict XVI will visit Israel in May, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Sunday.
Israel denies reports of Hamas negotiations
Israel's prime minister denied media reports that it is negotiating with the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, but said there will be Israeli "consultations" Sunday "regarding the situation in the south."
War of words between Israel and Turkey sparks formal complaint
Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador to the Turkish capital of Ankara on Saturday to issue a formal complaint over a top Israeli commander's reported remarks criticizing Turkey.
Israel centrists just keeping lead
Israel's centrist Kadima is maintaining its one-seat lead over right-wing Likud but with about 100,000 ballots yet to be counted the result is not yet official, the Central Elections Committee said Thursday.
Kadima, Likud claim mandate to govern
The leaders of Israel's two largest parties jockeyed to form ruling coalitions Wednesday, each claiming a mandate to govern as unofficial election results indicated a virtual tie between them.
Exit polls: Kadima leads Israeli vote, big gains for Likud
Israel's two largest parties each claimed a mandate early Wednesday after exit polls showed a surprise first-place finish by the ruling Kadima party and dramatic gains by its conservative rivals.
Palestinian despair deepens ahead of elections
My eyes stung, I was coughing, my nose was running. Along with cameraman David Hawley and freelance producer Kareem Khadder, I had just been tear-gassed -- not for the first time last Friday -- during a day-long clash between Palestinian kids and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Na'alin, on the West Bank.
Israel launches fresh Gaza air strikes
Israel launched air strikes against a number of targets in Gaza Monday to retaliate against Palestinian militants who have fired a "barrage" of rockets inside the Jewish state in recent days, the military said.
How Israel's electoral system works
Israel was founded on democratic principles with the Jewish state's declaration of independence in 1948 including a commitment to the "complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex." It has remained a continuous democracy ever since.
Israel mulls expelling Venezuelan diplomat
Israel said Wednesday it may expel Venezuela's top diplomat from the country in a tit-for-tat gesture after the South American nation ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave over the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza.
Top Israeli official blasts Spanish court's probe
A top Israeli official named as a suspect in a war crimes investigation by Spain's high court has lambasted the move, claiming Spanish law is siding with terrorist organizations.
Turkish PM slams Israel over Gaza campaign
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed off stage at the World Economic Forum on Thursday during an angry discussion with Israeli President Shimon Peres over the crisis in Gaza.
Spain court in 2002 Israel 'war crime' probe
A Spanish court says it is investigating an alleged "crime against humanity" involving Israel for its 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed 15 people and wounded 150 others.
Cease-fire's success is on Hamas, Israel says
A cease-fire between Israel and Gaza will hold only if Hamas ends weapons smuggling into Gaza and halts rocket fire into Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the top U.S. envoy to the Middle East on Wednesday, Israeli media reported.
Israel expels Venezuelan ambassador
Israel has expelled Venezuela's ambassador in response to Venezuela's expulsion of an Israeli envoy and the rupture of diplomatic relations earlier this month.
Week-old Gaza cease-fire is breached
Palestinians activated an explosive device and a Palestinian was killed by Israeli helicopter fire early Tuesday in the first incidents of violence since last week's Mideast cease-fire, according to Hamas and Israeli army sources.
Israel prepares legal defense of soldiers
Israel's government on Sunday approved a measure that will give legal protection to its military officers if they are accused of war crimes during the Gaza incursion, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said.
Analysis: After the war, an uneasy peace
Just a few hours before President Barack Obama rode in a triumphal parade from Capitol Hill to the White House, in Gaza City there was another triumphal parade.
Palestinians: 1,300 killed, 22,000 buildings destroyed in Gaza
More than 1,300 Palestinians died and about 5,400 others were wounded during Israel's three-week offensive in Gaza, the Web site of the Palestinian Authority's Central Bureau of Statistics said Monday.
Israel says it plans swift Gaza withdrawal
Israel plans to have its troops out of Gaza as soon as possible after the weekend cease-fire that ended three weeks of fighting in the Palestinian territory, Israeli officials said Monday.
Bodies dug from rubble during Gaza cease-fire
Palestinians in Gaza's Zeitoun neighborhood Sunday used bare hands and bulldozers to unearth 23 bodies of people killed in what witnesses say was an Israeli attack during Israel's three-week Gaza offensive.
Pro-Israel crowd rallies in Madrid
More than 1,000 people rallied Sunday in support of Israel in front of the Israeli Embassy in the Spanish capital.
Israel declares unilateral cease-fire in Gaza
Israel has declared a unilateral cease-fire in the fighting in Gaza beginning at 2 a.m. Sunday (7 p.m. ET Saturday), Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said.
Israel, U.S. target Hamas arms smuggling
Diplomats edged closer to finding a way to end the fighting in Gaza on Friday as the United States and Israel signed an agreement designed to stop arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory.
Palestinians say Gaza death toll surpasses 1,010
Israel's air and ground offensive in Gaza continued early Thursday, killing three people and wounding another outside the home of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Venezuela, Bolivia cut ties to Israel over Gaza
Venezuela announced Wednesday it is breaking diplomatic relations with Israel over the conflict in Gaza, joining Bolivia, which did the same thing earlier in the day.
Arab nations split over brokering Gaza truce
Egypt, which has hosted peace talks with leaders from Israel and the Palestinian Authority and has acted as an intermediary between Hamas and Israel, wants to hold a summit in Kuwait on Sunday, the eve of previously scheduled Arab economic summit there.
Israel explains Gaza media restrictions
From a distance, smoke rises over Gaza. It is about as close as most reporters can get to the battle zone.
Group accuses Israel of firing white phosphorus into Gaza
The international group Human Rights Watch is accusing Israel of firing weapons containing white phosphorus into Gaza. The group demands that the alleged practice cease.
Protesters across Europe call for end to Gaza conflict
Thousands of demonstrators marched through cities across Europe on Saturday, calling for an immediate end to Israel's attacks on Gaza.
House passes bill recognizing Israel's right to defend itself
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution Friday "recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza," a measure that it said reaffirms the United States' strong support for Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Israel, Hamas brush off U.N. cease-fire resolution
Israel continued its offensive in Gaza on Friday, hitting more than 70 targets, despite the U.N. Security Council's call for an immediate cease-fire.
House to vote on resolution supporting Israel
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Friday on a resolution "recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza," Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday.
Lebanese PM condemns rocket attack on Israel
Lebanon's prime minister condemned the firing of rockets into northern Israel after an attack wounded two Israelis on Thursday. He said his government is trying to determine who was responsible.
Red Cross demands Gaza access, cites 'shocking' discoveries
The International Committee of the Red Cross called on Israel to allow it immediate access to Gaza, saying a trip into Gaza City revealed weak children laying with their dead mothers and other "shocking" scenes.
Israel to send envoys to Gaza truce talks
Israel will send two envoys to Cairo, Egypt, in the coming days to discuss a Gaza truce plan that is still in its early stages, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.
Commentary: Both sides wrong in Gaza
The recent carnage in Gaza has left little doubt that within the tortured dynamic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both the chicken and the egg have completely and utterly lost their minds.
Is Gaza 'occupied' territory?
As fighting rages in Gaza, a question about the region has shot to the forefront of international politics: More than three years after Israel pulled out from the small strip of land, is it still "occupied" territory?
EU sending delegation to Middle East
A European Union delegation aimed at diffusing tensions and re-establishing a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza headed to the region Sunday, nine days after Israel began its military assault on Gaza.
Israel: News & Videos about Israel - CNN.com
Find stories, videos, and photos about Israel from CNN.com.
Goldstone and Gaza
The dispute over the Goldstone Report will continue, but Gaza needs help right now.
Clinton Backs Peace Talks Before Israeli Settlement Freeze
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s call for peace talks to precede a freeze of Israeli settlements conflicts with Arab and Palestinian demands.
Israeli Navy Captures Arms Shipment
Officials say a cargo ship captured off Cyprus was carrying weapons for Hezbollah but offered no proof.
U.N. Set to Endorse Inquiry Into Possible War Crimes in Gaza
The U.N. is expected to endorse a report that found evidence that Israel and Palestinian militants had each committed war crimes during last winter’s Gaza conflict.
Short-Term Fixes Sought in Mideast
With the peace push stalled, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is sketching out a more modest effort.
Israel Says Hamas Test-Fired Rocket
Hamas militants in Gaza recently test-fired a rocket that flew 37 miles into the sea, which could put it within the reach of Tel Aviv, Israel said.
Clinton Denies Easing Pressure on Israel
In an effort to stem Arab protests, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reiterated that the White House wanted Israel to freeze construction of Jewish settlements.
Israelis and Obama
Obama is not popular in Israel because he is serious about peace.
Israelis Arrest West Bank Settler in Attacks
Jack Teitel, an immigrant from the United States, was charged with the murders of two Palestinians and two bombings that wounded a professor and a 15-year-old boy.
Clinton Asks Abbas to Return to Talks
The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rebuffed an Israeli proposal, relayed by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, to limit building to 3,000 additional housing units.
Netanyahu Backs Nuclear Deal That Iran Rejected
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, cautiously endorsed U.S.-backed efforts to limit Iran’s nuclear program through shipments abroad of its enriched uranium.
Moderate in America’s Jewish Lobby Causes a Stir
The emergence of J Street, a fledgling new Jewish group, prompts the question whether a supporter of Israel can also criticize it.
Israeli Police Clash With Palestinians at Sacred Compound in Jerusalem
Twenty-six people were hurt at the Temple Mount compound in the latest sign of tension in Jerusalem.
Gaza Report Author Asks U.S. to Clarify Concerns
Richard Goldstone said the U.S. response to the U.N. report on last winter’s war in Gaza had been ambivalent.
Israel Signals Concern on Iran Talks
The Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, said what was necessary was “the cessation of enrichment by Iran, and not just the removal of the enriched material.”
NYT > Israel
World news about Israel, including breaking news and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Hamas Rockets Can Reach Tel Aviv
Iran’s threat to Israel increases.
Is Jerusalem About to Explode?
New round of violence erupts on the Temple Mount.
Concerns Resurface Over Turkey-Israel Ties
When will Israel realize that Turkey is no friend?
Hezbollah Found to Have Chemical Weapons
When Middle East Peace Talks Resume ...
Will violence be more or less likely?
Iraqi Terrorists Setting Up in Gaza
Fatah Reveals Its True Colors
Is the mainstream Palestinian party really moderate?
UK Trying to Freeze Israeli Settlements
The British government admitted it is trying to support Palestinian growth in East Jerusalem.
PA Holds First-Ever Meeting With Iran
High-level representatives from the so-called moderate Palestinian Authority and Iran have met together for the first time. Iran has Israel surrounded and is closer than ever to Jerusalem.
Britain Puts Partial Embargo on Arms Exports to Israel
Britain’s decision to block the sale of some military parts to Israel’s navy is part of a prophesied break in relations between the two.
Let the Stones Speak
Shocking and inspiring messages for the Jews and the world—buried in the rubble of Jerusalem
The Tie That Binds America, Britain and Israel
Though divided by contention and strife, the three remain prophetically linked.
Why the Peace Process Is Not Working
Netanyahu’s speech—and the Arab leaders’ reactions—gets to the heart of the issue.
The Unthinkable Will Happen!
Nuclear proliferation leading to nuclear annihilation—the once unthinkable becomes the greatest fear of the experts.
The End of the U.S.-Israeli Alliance
Obama abandons historic ally to win favor from Muslims.
Ode of a Broken Promise
A generation fades from the scene, and the English-speaking nations repeat the mistakes of the past—in a nuclear age!
President Obama Embraces Islam
But by doing so, he’s empowering the radicals.
Who Put These Poor Palestinians in Harm's Way?
Guess who is thrilled by the planned demolition of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem’s Silwan area.
With Friends Like These ...
America’s president wants to reshape the Middle East—by snubbing an ally.
The Unapologetic Pope
Yad Vashem speech disappoints those hoping for an expression of remorse.
Israel: Why the Two-State Solution Will Not Work
The international community wants Israel to commit suicide.
Vatican Presses for Possession of Jerusalem Sites
And Israel’s president is helping.
The Vatican Will Betray Israel--Again
As the world watched the Durban II spectacle, most missed its most important revelation.
theTrumpet.com: Israel
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.
Hamas 'tests long-range rocket'
Hamas has test-fired a rocket capable of reaching Tel Aviv from Gaza, Israel's head of military intelligence says.
US view on settlement 'unchanged'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the US has not changed its opposition to continued Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
Six Hamas MPs released by Israel
Israel releases six Hamas members of the Palestinian parliament from jail after holding them for up to three years.
Israeli settler held over attacks
Israeli police arrest a Jewish settler who they say confessed to a string of high-profile hate attacks over the past 12 years.
Israel endorses Iran nuclear plan
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu praises a UN proposal on Iran's nuclear enrichment programme as a "positive first step".
Report: Palestinians denied water
Israel is denying Palestinians access to the basic minimum of clean, safe water, Amnesty International says.
Israel mulls Gaza probes review
Israel considers a review of internal military inquiries clearing troops of alleged war crimes during the Gaza offensive.
Arrests at holy site in Jerusalem
Israeli police clash with Palestinian stone-throwers at Jerusalem's most sensitive religious site, making arrests.
Abbas sets Palestinian polls date
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says polls will be held on 24 January in the West Bank and Hamas-run Gaza.
White House urges Mid-East push
The White House urges both sides in the Middle East conflict to press forward to re-launch a deadlocked peace process.
Rights group denies Israel bias
Human Rights Watch has rejected accusations by its founder, Robert Bernstein, that it is biased against Israel.
Israel rejects police abuse probe
An Israeli state prosecutor rules that border police officers who were filmed abusing Palestinian civilians will not face charges.
Goldstone rejects Israel protests
UN human rights investigator Richard Goldstone dismisses Israeli claims his Gaza war crimes report could harm the peace process.
UN backs Gaza 'war crimes' report
The UN Human Rights Council backs a report into Israel's Gaza offensive accusing both Israel and Hamas of war crimes.
Israel must end 'unfair' jailing
Israeli human rights groups say Israel must release or put on trial hundreds of Palestinians held without trial or charge.
Aid worker diary: Part 25
Hatem Shurrab, an aid worker in Gaza for the UK-based charity Islamic Relief Worldwide, keeps a diary of his work amid the conflict.
Gaza voices: Hamas and the truce
Palestinians in Gaza assess the ceasefire "victory" for Hamas, and describe the aftermath of the conflict.
Israeli and Palestinian views
In pictures: Reaction to ceasefire
Broken town shows Gaza destruction
The BBC's Paul Wood reports from Gaza City on his impressions as he entered northern Gaza at the beginning of the ceasefire.
Gaza City voices: Pressure eases
Palestinians across Gaza City describe a welcome easing in conditions after Israeli tanks pull back.
Israeli voices: When to stop
Four Israelis discuss the conflict with Hamas.
Jerusalem
The BBC's Martin Asser looks at issues which divide Palestinians and Israelis.
Borders and settlements
The BBC's Martin Asser looks at the four main obstacles on the road to peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
Water
The BBC's Martin Asser looks at issues still dividing Arabs and Israelis.
Refugees
The BBC News website's Martin Asser looks at the issue of Palestinian refugees, one of the main obstacles to peace.
History of failed peace talks
In the 40 years since the Middle East war of June 1967, there have been many peace plans and many negotiations.
Profile: Fatah movement
After decades as the ruling party and heart of the Palestinian cause, Fatah seems to have slipped in Palestinians' affections.
Who is a civilian?
What can be defined as military target?
Guide: Gaza under blockade
The BBC News Website examines the Israeli restrictions on Gaza that aid agencies say have brought conditions in the Strip to their worst in decades.
Profile: Gaza Strip
Profile of the strip, including population centres, refugee camps and border crossings.
Who are Hamas?
Hamas, the main Islamist movement in the Palestinian territories, was born soon after the previous intifada erupted in 1987.
Q&A: Israeli Arabs
The BBC News website looks at the complex position of the 20% of Israeli's population that are of Palestinian Arab descent.
Gaza industry rebuilding struggle
Gaza's industries, already hit hard by Israel's two-year blockade, are struggling to recover from war damage six months on from the January conflict, reports the BBC's Heather Sharp in Gaza City.
Breaking silence on Gaza abuses
A report by a group of Israeli ex-military activists lends credibility to widespread claims that the laws of war were breached in Gaza.
Working West Bank checkpoints
You may be able to see Jerusalem from the West Bank but it doesn't mean it is an easy job delivering goods across the border.
Agencies rush aid to Gaza Strip
The UN says border crossings must be opened quickly to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip.
Sharing the land
Why Mid-East peace has remained elusive
Gaza scrutiny
The UN looks closely, but will report bring action?
US pressure on Arabs grows
Obama presses Arab states on peace process
PM concedes a little in key speech
Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu may have mentioned the words "Palestinian state", but his speech gave little else to encourage those who dream of peace, the BBC's Jeremy Bowen says.
Can Obama deliver on the ME?
Barack Obama's aim of improving Arab-Israeli relations is being put to the test just as Israel turns its attention to Iran, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus writes.
Goldstone fall-out plagues Abbas
Palestinian leaders face anger over UN report on Gaza
Cancer trauma inspires film
Palestinian film of woman's fight for cancer treatment
Israeli Arabs struggle for land
Israeli Arabs say discrimination chokes their towns
Israeli troops 'ill-treat kids'
A former Israeli military commander has told the BBC that Palestinian youngsters are routinely ill-treated by Israeli soldiers while in custody, Katya Adler reports.
Uneasy recovery for Sderot
Six months on, Israelis who lost homes and loved ones to Palestinian rocket fire during the Gaza conflict still fear an uncertain future, reports the BBC's Heather Sharp.
Secret Jerusalem
Palestinian artists go underground to dodge Israeli curbs
Just playing?
Iran casts long shadow over US-Israeli war games
Future imperfect
Jeremy Bowen on President Obama's Mid-East efforts
Hamas rule
Gaza residents suffer as Hamas sticks to its guns
Jerusalem diary
Pornographer wants Israelis to have sex, not wars
Cinematic tension
Jewish-Arab film breaks new ground for Israeli audience
BBC News | In Depth | Middle East crisis | World Edition
BBC News Special Reports: Middle East Crisis, in-depth coverage and analysis on the struggle between Israel and the Palestinians plus audio and video.
Pakistan Arrests Three Suspects in Iranian Bombing
Suicide attack last month in Sistan-Baluchistan province killed 42 people, including Revolutionary Guards' deputy commander General, Noor Ali Shooshtari
Israel Accuses Iran of War Crimes Over Arms-Laden Ship
Hezbollah denies having any connection to weapons on vessel intercepted by Israeli commandos near Cyprus
Abbas Threatens to Quit Over Stalled Peace Process
Mr. Abbas accuses US of backtracking on demands that Israel freeze settlement expansion
Saudi Arabia Resumes Livestock Trade with Somalia
Saudi Arabia removes an 11-year ban on livestock imports from Somalia after fears of Rift Valley Fever were allayed
Clinton Holds Emotional Meeting with Families of Hikers Held in Iran
Hikers were arrested for illegally entering Iran, being held at notorious Evin prison in Tehran
UN Endorses Israel-Palestinian War Crimes Report
During three-week-long Israeli military incursion into Gaza Strip, at least 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed
Syrian Novelist Talks About Impediments to Greater Democracy in the Arab World
Syrian novelist and democracy activist Ammar Abdulhamid talks about impediments to and incentives for greater democracy in the Arab world
Israel Rejects UN War Crimes Resolution
Israel calls accusation of war crimes during the Gaza conflict, in which 13 Israelis and nearly 1,400 Palestinians killed, 'completely detached from reality'
Iran Lawmakers Say Tehran Will Reject UN-Backed Nuclear Deal
ISNA news agency quotes prominent conservative lawmaker, laeddin Boroujerdi, saying Iran will not send abroad any of its 1,200 kilograms of enriched uranium
Lebanon Opposition Agrees to Unity Government
New Cabinet could be formed within next two days
VOA News: Middle East
Up to the minute news from Voice of America
Saudis and Yemenis versus jihadists: A bloody border
Trouble on the frontier between Saudi Arabia and Yemen is getting out of hand TWO separate incidents underline the growing shakiness of Yemen’s government and the increasing fear of Saudi rulers that their own fairly successful campaign to quash Islamist terrorism may be undermined by neighbouring Yemen’s feared descent into chaos. On November 3rd suspected al-Qaeda fighters ambushed a Yemeni government convoy in the remote Hadramawt region, near the border with Saudi Arabia, killing three senior security men. A day later Yemeni rebels at the other end of the country crossed the frontier into Saudi Arabia, killed a Saudi officer and claimed to have captured a strategic mountaintop inside the kingdom. The very next day, Saudi aircraft were reported to have bombed rebel positions in Yemen. In the first attack the Yemeni officers were targeted in what may be an emerging strategy by al-Qaeda’s resilient local branch to hit local security forces rather than symbols of “crusader” influence, such as Western embassies. The attack on Saudi Arabia, by contrast, was a spillover from the civil war in northern Yemen between government forces and rebel tribesmen loyal to a powerful local clan, the Houthis. The government accuses Shia Iran of backing the Houthis, most of whose supporters are Zaydis, a Yemeni branch of the Shia faith, whereas the rebels say Sunni Saudi Arabia is backing the government’s ferocious counter-insurgency. ...
Protests in Iran: Green November
The opposition takes to the streets again THIRTY years ago, the world was mesmerised by pictures of 52 blindfolded Americans being taken hostage in their embassy in Tehran by Iranian students. This week’s anniversary provided more gripping scenes, as Iranians used the official celebration of that event to take to the streets once again, this time to protest against their own government and their country’s controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election in June they still hotly dispute. The green movement, as the opposition calls itself, had held no big rally since Jerusalem Day in mid-September, when protesters turned an officially sponsored event into an anti-government one. On November 4th they did it again. Thousands came on to the streets, despite dark warnings from the authorities. There were big demonstrations in Tehran, and reports of others in provincial cities such as Arak, Isfahan, Mazandaran, Rasht, Shiraz and Tabriz. The internet hummed with tales of opposition protests, replete with videos and photographs. It was hard, however, to assess the size of the crowds. ...
The flagging peace process: Is Israel too strong for Barack Obama?
As America drops its demand for a total freeze on the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, angry Palestinians say there is no scope for resuming talks FIVE months after Barack Obama went to Cairo and persuaded most of the Arab world, in a ringing declaration of even-handedness, that he would face down Israel in his quest for a Palestinian state, American policy seems to have run into the sand. The American president’s mediating hand is weaker, his charisma damagingly faded. From the Palestinian and Arab point of view, his administration—after grandly setting out to force the Jewish state to stop the building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land as an early token of good faith, intended to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to negotiation—has meekly capitulated to Israel. The upshot is that hopes for an early resumption of talks between the main protagonists seem to have been dashed. Indeed, no one seems to know how they can be restarted. The mood among moderates on both sides is as glum as ever. ...
Guinea's strife: Don't let it be contagious
The neighbours of a shaky west African state fear that its instability could spread WHEN Moussa Dadis Camara, a 45-year-old captain, seized power at the end of last year, many Guineans and foreigners were by no means unhappy. He seemed sure to be better than his corrupt and dictatorial predecessor, President Lansana Conte, who had just died after 25 years in charge. But hope evaporated at the end of September, when security forces smashed up an opposition rally in a stadium in Conakry, the capital. Soldiers and police killed at least 150 demonstrators and raped scores of women, says Human Rights Watch, a lobby based in New York. A worldwide storm of outrage ensued. The African Union has frozen the assets held abroad by junta members. The European Union has imposed an arms embargo and has also, along with the United States, stopped giving visas to Guineans close to the regime. France, the former colonial ruler, has cut military ties. Its foreign minister has called for “international intervention”, so far unspecified. ...
Iraq's coming election: The region's liveliest system
Amid the bickering and chicanery, people are engaging in democracy SOMETIMES it seems as if Iraqi politicians cannot agree on anything. Parliament has taken months debating a bill to pave the way to elections on January 16th, though at least 296 parties have declared their intention to compete at the polls. Yet outside the chamber many members say they want the same things. The era of sectarian division, they all insist, is over. Shias and Sunnis embrace at press conferences as they present electoral alliances. In the name of reconciliation, politicians disavow the militias that once killed on their behalf. Banners proclaim the goal of “national unity”. Is there any sign that such fine dreams might ever come true? For all the backbiting, progress is plain. After months of negotiations, six main electoral blocks have emerged to meet a looming deadline for registering alliances. The three that look most genuinely post-sectarian may well be the strongest. The rest sport fig-leaves of diversity but are tainted with past sectarian violence. ...
Baghdad's Green Zone goes dry: Stop that naughty Western habit
Life for Westerners in Iraq’s capital becomes less bearable RESIDENTS of Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where nearly all Western civilians in the capital still live in around 100 compounds, along with several thousand soldiers, have long enjoyed a relatively privileged life. Unlike just about everyone else in Iraq, they have electricity that keeps them permanently cool, lights their rooms, plays their music, and runs their fridges around the clock. Their water is clean; loos flush. Above all, suicide-bombers and other insurgents are generally kept out by a maze of high concrete walls and stringently checked entry points, though the occasional lethal bomb has gone off and in bad times rockets and mortars have rained down. Compared with the rest of Baghdad, fatalities have been rare. Now, however, the residents of the Green Zone are taking a big hit. Many of its diplomats, security people, lobbyists and aid workers have been used to whiling away their evenings at cocktail parties or in bars. But the Iraqi government is banning the transport and sale of alcohol inside the zone even though alcohol will remain legal in other parts of the country. Liquor stores must close after selling off their stock. Restaurants have been told to go dry. ...
Riots in Jerusalem: Just like old times?
Not quite. But the riots afflicting Jerusalem are worrying, all the same BLACK smoke again rose over the al-Aqsa mosque on October 25th, as Palestinian rioters and Israeli security forces clashed after two weeks of quiet. Just as they had earlier in the month, Palestinian youths set tyres and piles of rubbish on fire in the Old City and threw stones at Israeli policemen storming the holy compound. Three Israeli policemen and about 30 Palestinians were injured. The clashes were sparked by rumours that extremist Jewish groups planned to harm al-Aqsa, which sits atop a compound that Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims Haram al-Sharif. In biblical times two Jewish temples stood here. Since then the rabbis have ruled that the precinct is too holy for Jews to enter, let alone pray in. The ban on Jewish worship was enforced by the Israeli government after the country took East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967. In recent years, however, some nationalist rabbis have urged a reversal of the religious proscription and led Jewish worshippers onto the Mount. On the fanatical fringes, some believe that the mosque must be destroyed in order for the “third temple” to be built. Imams urged Muslim worshippers to defend a site that is as holy to Islam as it is to Judaism. ...
Turkey and the Middle East: Looking east and south
Frustrated by European equivocation, Turkey is reversing years of antagonism with its Arab neighbours IT IS a thousand years since the Turks arrived in the Middle East, migrating from Central Asia to Anatolia. For half of that millennium they ruled much of the region. But when the Ottoman Empire fizzled out and the Turkish Republic was born in 1923, they all but sealed themselves off from their former dominions, turning instead to Europe and tightly embracing America in its cold war with the Soviet Union. The Turks are now back in the Middle East, in the benign guise of traders and diplomats. The move is natural, considering proximity, the strength of the Turkish economy, the revival of Islamic feeling in Turkey after decades of enforced secularism, and frustration with the sluggishness of talks to join the European Union. Indeed, Turkey’s Middle East offensive has taken on something of the scale and momentum of an invasion, albeit a peaceful one. ...
Tunisia's durable president: One-man show
Another meaningless election THERE were no surprises at the polls on October 25th. President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was re-elected for a fifth five-year term with 90% of the vote. Not bad—although surely something of a let-down after previous results in 1989, 1994 and 1999 when he got 99%. The slump began in 2004, when the president got a mere 95%. Despite the opposition gaining a further five percentage points, the election results can hardly be described as a step towards democracy. Since he took power in 1987, Mr Ben Ali and his Constitutional and Democratic Union party have kept a firm grip. Though the constitution originally limited the presidency to two terms, Mr Ben Ali has twice amended it to let himself stay on. Opposition is rigorously controlled; the only candidates allowed to run against Mr Ben Ali were the leaders of parties authorised by the Constitutional Council, an institution close to the ruling party. Ahmed Brahim, the only candidate critical of the regime, won just 1.6% of the vote. ...
Protecting displaced Africans: Selective rescue
A new treaty promises much, but will not help those who need help most urgently AFRICA contains half of the world’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)—those who have fled their homes but continue to live in their own countries. Sudan alone has over 4m of them, about the same number as the whole of Asia. Congo has another 2m or so, Somalia at least 1.3m. A score of other countries including Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya have hundreds of thousands more. In sum, there are about 12m IDPs across the continent. On top of that, Africa has 3m refugees, who, by crossing an international border, have rights and can expect assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). IDPs, however, are not so fortunate. No binding agreements protect them. UNHCR will help out, but generally they have to rely on the generosity of foreign-aid organisations and, occasionally, the goodwill of their own governments. Sometimes though, as in the Darfur region of Sudan, those very same governments have driven the IDPs from their homes in the first place. ...
Bombs and politics in Iraq: No end in sight
Another “spectacular” raises doubts about American troop withdrawals TWO car bombs that exploded on October 25th in the centre of Baghdad claimed the lives of at least 155 people and injured more than 700. The main targets were the Ministry of Justice and the office of the governor of Baghdad province. Almost simultaneously the explosions blew windows and their frames several hundred metres along Haifa Street, near the fortified Green Zone. Burst water mains flooded parts of the area, washing over charred bodies and through burned cars. This was the second such attack in two months and the bloodiest in two years. On August 19th bombs destroyed several government buildings, including the ministries of finance and foreign affairs, killing about 100 people. Since then, a new sense of crisis has enveloped the Iraqi capital. The overall number of attacks has decreased in the past year, but spectacular assaults are on the rise. This is affecting politics. Elections are due in January and security is now a big issue. Within hours of the bombings, some politicians were pointing fingers. “Voters know these are manipulations by the Saddamists,” says Ammar al-Hakim, the new leader of the largest Shia party. Many other Iraqis blame the same Sunni insurgents, including al-Qaeda and members of Saddam Hussein’s former regime. On October 27th a group calling itself Islamic State in Iraq, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the bombings, saying it had attacked “dens of infidelity” in the capital. ...
Nigeria's hopeful amnesty: A chance to end the Delta rebellion
An amnesty for thousands of militants in the Niger Delta is raising hopes that reconciliation in the region may benefit the whole country IN HIS former life as leader of the self-styled Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, he was known as General Adenkunle. Now the gangly ex-guerrilla prefers to be called plain Prince Wisdom Amackree. His civilian name denotes his new status as one of thousands of militants who have accepted a Nigerian government amnesty and surrendered in exchange for a pardon, some cash and the prospect of a better life. The amnesty officially expired on October 4th. A fortnight later Mr Amackree and a hundred or so of his former foot-soldiers turned up at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre at Aluu, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, the Delta’s biggest city, to start the next phase: classes on how to reintegrate into society. If this works, it will be a big turning-point for the oil-producing Delta region and for Nigeria as a whole. For six years dozens of heavily armed, well-organised groups have terrorised the creeks and jungle of the Delta, sabotaging oil production and kidnapping foreign oil workers. The fighters said they were acting on behalf of communities whose lands had been horribly polluted by oil spills, flaring and so on. The locals, they complained, were still among Africa’s sickest and poorest, reaping no benefit from the oil bonanza. These idealistic fighters were joined by petty criminals and gangsters who just wanted to make money out of kidnapping. ...
Turkey's tantalising television: Happy Arabs, outraged Israelis
Turkey is selling its televisual wares all over the region BAD vibrations between Turkey and Israel have been worsened by a series on one of Turkey’s state-run television channels showing Israeli soldiers shooting Palestinian babies in a place that looks like Gaza. Yet anti-Jewish propaganda has long been a staple of a popular series called “Valley of the Wolves”. In a recent episode two Turkish scientists on the verge of building weapons that Turkey usually buys from Israel get bumped off by Kurds on Israel’s payroll. But it is unfettered romance rather than Jew-bashing that is catching the imagination of millions of Arab viewers. Particularly alluring is a soap opera called “Noor” that has been dubbed in Arabic and was broadcast last year by a pan-Arab, Saudi-owned satellite network, MBC. Starring an emancipated woman and a blue-eyed blonde former male model, “Noor” has been credited with a recent surge in Arab tourists to Turkey. Many head straight for a Bosporus villa (now rented by tour operators) where the drama was filmed. ...
Nuclear talks with Iran: Deal or no deal?
And still no end to Iran’s nuclear story IRAN doesn’t usually do deadlines. It has been evading them in the seven years since an opposition group first outed its extensive covert nuclear programme, despite five UN Security Council resolutions that have told it to halt its suspect nuclear work. Yet after talks that ended in Vienna on October 21st, Iran and the three countries trying to strike a side-deal over new fuel for a Tehran-based nuclear reactor were told by Mohamed ElBaradei, outgoing chief of the UN’s nuclear guardian, that they had just two days to take his draft agreement or leave it. As The Economist went to press it was unclear whether Iran would accept or haggle over the deal, which would keep in operation a research reactor that makes medical isotopes. Meanwhile, after a three- week delay at Iran’s insistence, UN nuclear inspectors were due to visit a uranium-enrichment plant which until recently had been concealed. It is built deep in a mountainside on a military compound near the city of Qom. ...
Botswana's impatient president: Diamonds are not for ever
Ian Khama, newly re-elected as president, wants to shake things up THE inauguration of the leader of the world’s biggest diamond-producer after a landslide election victory was by no means a glittering affair. There was a bit of bunting in blue, white and black, Botswana’s national colours; a mounted guard in plumed pith-helmets, incongruous relics of the country’s British colonial past; no visiting foreign dignitaries, no banquet, no alcohol; some scantily clad youngsters, who sang and danced; and a couple of short speeches, all over in barely an hour. Plainly, with Botswana sunk into its first recession since independence in 1966, President Ian Khama wanted nothing fancy. In any case, the smartly dressed 56-year-old bachelor and former army commander is a teetotaller who has never been fond of socialising. Indeed, he decided, after taking over the presidency last year from the retiring Festus Mogae, to slap a 30% tax on alcohol and severely curtailed opening hours for bars. This helped earn him a reputation for being a disciplinarian with an authoritarian streak, perhaps even a low regard for civil liberties. ...
Iraq's fragile security: Jangling nerves
As the Americans prepare to go and an election looms, anxiety is rising again THE outlook remains far rosier than two years ago. Violence has dropped to the level of a few months after the American invasion in 2003. Voters are likely to turn out in large numbers for a general election scheduled for January 16th. So far, the main electoral alliances are being drawn from across the sectarian spectrum. It has yet to be determined whether Iraq will be Islamist, federal or centralised in character and constitution. But most politicians seem sincere in insisting that this will be decided by parliament and not by force. The insurgents are too weak to overthrow the newly emerging order. They control no swathes of Iraq, as they once did. There are some dangerous areas, but the Iraqi forces can go more or less where they please. Even so, the continuing presence of 120,000 American soldiers still underpins security, though they stopped patrolling the streets in July. But Barack Obama this week reassured Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, who was visiting Washington, that all American combat troops would be out by the end of next August and that all troops would have left by the end of 2011. ...
Somalia's embattled Christians: Almost expunged
Even Somalia’s supposedly moderate government is loth to protect them WHERE is the hardest place in the world to be a Christian citizen? North Korea, perhaps? Saudi Arabia? Try Somalia. There are thought to be no more than a thousand Christians in a resident population of 8m people, with perhaps a few thousand more in the diaspora. The Islamist Shabab militia, which controls most of southern Somalia, is dedicated to hunting them down. Christian men attend mosques on Fridays, so as not to arouse suspicion. Bibles are kept hidden. There are no public meetings, let alone a church. Catholic churches and cemeteries have been destroyed. The last nuns in the smashed capital, Mogadishu, were chased out in 2007. The year before, an elderly nun working in a hospital there was murdered. The only Christian believers left are local Somalis. ...
Palestinian farmers: Not much of an olive branch
The plight of rural Palestinians on the West Bank is as grim as ever “WHAT did the trees do?” says Muhammad Abu Awad, a retired teacher of agriculture and father of 14 children, as he looks gloomily at his ravaged field. Twisted, silvery stubs are all that remain of a lush grove that once offered up a yearly abundance of fat green olives. The vandals came at night from Adei Ad, a Jewish settlers’ outpost deemed “illegal” even by the Israeli government, near Shvut Rachel, an established West Bank settlement that is judged illegal in international but not Israeli law. Working fast, unnoticed by Palestinian landowners in the nearby Arab village of al-Mughayir, the settlers cut down nearly 200 olive trees, of which 70 belonged to Mr Abu Awad. As a result, he reckons to have lost income worth around $3,400 that he would have earned from this year’s harvest. But that is not all. “I planted these trees with my own hands 35 years ago”, he says, wistfully touching the stumps, now wrapped in sackcloth to protect them from the sun. Mr Abu Awad hopes his trees will recover and one day bear fruit again. ...
Education in the Arab world: Laggards trying to catch up
One reason that too many Arabs are poor is rotten education A RECENT issue of Science, the weekly journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was devoted to research into “Ardi” or Ardipithecus ramidus, a 4.4m-year-old hominid species whose discovery deepens the understanding of human evolution. These latest studies suggest, among other things, that rather than descending from a closely related species such as the chimpanzee, the hominid branch parted earlier than previously thought from the common ancestral tree. In much of the Arab world, coverage of the research took a different spin. “American Scientists Debunk Darwin”, exclaimed the headline in al-Masry al-Youm, Egypt’s leading independent daily. “Ardi Refutes Darwin’s Theory”, chimed the website of al-Jazeera, the region’s most-watched television channel. Scores of comments from readers celebrated this news as a blow to Western materialism and a triumph for Islam. Two or three lonely readers wrote in to complain that the report had inaccurately presented the findings of the research. ...
The Economist: Middle East and Africa
Middle East and Africa