For Israel a Two-State Proposal Starts With Security
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

Israelis have lost trust in the possibility of peaceful coexistence. They have observed that every effort to make peace breeds new aggression. They have realized, with understandable bitterness, that every defensive military operation that leaves the aggressor still in control of the attack base results only in the enemy being better prepared the next time.

Israel Should Selectively Reveal Its Nuclear Arsenal
Louis R. Beres

Israel now requires a complex and nuanced counter-terrorism strategy to survive. At the same time, the major threats to its physical survival lie in certain mass destruction attacks by enemy states. Israel's existential security, therefore, must ultimately rest upon nuclear deterrence.

Israeli Flotilla Raid Raises Tensions Over Gaza
Alex Kingsbury

When Turkish activists organized a flotilla of six aid ships to test the Israeli blockade of Gaza, they sought to provoke a response from the Jewish state and draw international attention to the plight of Palestinians living in the coastal territory. In that, they succeeded. The blockade controversy has complicated Washington's strained relationship with the Israeli government

Israel's Gaza Blockade: It Works
Jonah Goldberg

Only one blockade is deemed indefensibly beyond the pale: Israel's blockade of Gaza. Why? Because it imposes 'collective punishment.' The U.N. Human Rights Council, which rarely finds time to condemn the barbaric practices of its own members, routinely denounces the blockade as a crime against humanity

Why No Outrage for Anti-Israel, Phony Flotilla?
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

Israel paid close attention when the flotilla of some 700 activists, dominated by members of an extremist Islamist organization in Turkey known as IHH and other radical groups, boarded ships filled with tons of 'humanitarian aid' stating that their real mission was to bust the Israeli blockade and establish a sea lane between Gaza and the rest of the world

U.N. Probe of Israeli Raid Is a Joke
Andres Oppenheimer

Latin America's immediate condemnation of the Israeli raid on a pro-Palestinian flotilla is understandable, but the region's support for an investigation by the United Nations Human Rights Council is outrageous. The U.N. group is dominated by some of the world's worst dictatorships and most viscerally anti-Israeli regimes

Israel: When Doing What You Need to Do Goes Badly
Ross Mackenzie

If you were running Israel, what would you have done? About what? About the flotilla of 'peace activists' organized by a Turkish 'philanthropic' and 'humanitarian' entity closely tied to jihadist terror groups such as al Qaeda. The flotilla set out to provoke an incident by running the blockade of Gaza imposed in 2007

Israel: The Convenient Villain
Jonah Goldberg

In fairness, the majority of 'peace activists' on the ships were nonviolent, offering passive resistance. But on the last boat Israelis boarded, the supposed disciples of peace attacked the Israeli commandos. These new Gandhians beat the Israelis with metal bars and even threw one Israeli overboard

An Act of Piracy on the High Seas
Bill Press

Forget what country did it. Consider, first, the facts: Armed commandos attack an unarmed ship in international waters, open fire and kill nine civilians, including one American. What do you call that? An act of piracy. It doesn't matter what country did it

Managing a More Assertive Turkey
F. Stephen Larrabee

Turkey's recent diplomatic differences with the United States and its sharpened deterioration of relations with Israel come from Turkey's desire to reestablish its role as a major influence in the Middle East and Central Asia, says F. Stephen Larrabee, an expert on Turkey

Israel Is a Key Ally and Deserves U.S. Support
William Pfaff

If the Obama administration wants to leave a decent mark in history for its handling of the Middle East it should do something right now that would clear the air. It's simple. Just invite the Palestinians to declare that both sides have genuine claims to this land, that both sides have the right to live in peace, and that a viable compromise is possible.

Israel: Re-Run
Cal Thomas

Does it strike anyone else as beyond coincidence that within hours of Israel's commando raid on a flotilla of ships bound for Gaza that demonstrations broke out in Europe and outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington? And how about the U.N. Security Council, which often acts in slow motion, except when it has the opportunity to criticize Israel.

On Israel: Obama Playing the Middle East Game Wrong
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

The Middle East peace process is stalled thanks to a second deadlock engineered by the United States government. President Obama began the process with his call for a settlement freeze in 2009 and escalates it now with a major change of American policy on Jerusalem.

What's Happening With Israel?
Victor Davis Hanson

Current American relations with our once-staunch ally Israel are at their lowest ebb in the last 50 years. The Obama administration seems as angry at the building of Jewish apartments in Jerusalem as it is intent on reaching out to Iran and Syria, Israel's mortal enemies. President Obama himself, according to reports, has serially snubbed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Iran - Sanctions on Iran
Louis R. Beres

President Barack Obama finally acknowledges that Iranian threats to annihilate Israel are serious. Still, Obama fails to understand that applying so-called economic sanctions to Iran will be ineffectual. Somehow, despite very good reasons to the contrary, the president is now insisting that Israel learn to 'live' with a nuclear Iran

Dangerous Bias of United Nations Goldstone Report
Dore Gold

Last year's Goldstone Report by the U.N. on the Gaza War is not going away. It was promoted at the time by Cuba, Egypt, and Pakistan -- not exactly beacons of human rights -- and had no support from Western democracies. However, the number of states backing the report has been growing. And yet, it remains one of the most potent weapons in the arsenals of terrorist organizations.

In Middle East Public Diplomacy Is Wrong Approach
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

Who would have thought that a decision by a community planning board in the third year and at the fourth level of a seven-step process that still has years to go before construction can begin could ignite a firestorm between Israel and the United States?

Israel's New Enemy: America?
Cal Thomas

Despite Joe Biden's recent pledge of unswerving fidelity to Israel, the rhetoric and pressure directed by the Obama administration against the only fully functioning democracy in the Middle East more accurately resembles the behavior of an enemy. The latest pretext for putting more pressure on Israel comes from a decision by Israel to construct 1,600 new housing units in east Jerusalem

The Truth About American and Israeli Interests Comes Out
William Pfaff

The relationship between the United States and Israel has always rested on a number of pretensions, politically useful to politicians on both sides, but because they are untrue, certain eventually to prove destructive to both countries. The destruction has now begun, as the pretensions and hypocrisies begin to fall. The cause of this is external and unexpected

Is There a Middle East Peace Solution
William Pfaff

Internationally speaking, there are only two subjects to talk about in the Middle East. These are Israel, the Palestinians and the Americans; and Iran and Israel. The two subjects dominated the annual meeting here of the Institute for Mediterranean Political Studies otherwise known as the Club of Monaco

Israel and Palestine: An Interim Agreement
Ehud Yaari

More than 16 years after the euphoria of the Oslo accords, the Israelis and the Palestinians have still not reached a final-status peace agreement. Indeed, the last decade has been dominated by setbacks -- the second intifada, Hamas' victory in the Palestinian legislative elections and then its military takeover of the Gaza Strip -- all of which have aggravated the conflict.

New Palestinian Statehood Push and Nuclear Threat to Israel
Louis R. Beres

The Palestinian Authority still makes its aggressive intentions plain. On its official emblem, Israel is covered with an Arab Keffiyah headdress, next to a Kalashnikov rifle, and a picture of Yasser Arafat.

Israel's Challenges from the United Nations to the J Street Lobby
Harold Evans

It's depressing that almost the only news you get about Israel is so determinedly negative. If you asked nearly anyone about Israel, it's a good bet nobody would say ...

Palestinians Start to Show Progress
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

There is still a ways to go, but the progress being made by the Palestinians, especially in terms of controlling the terrorists and criminal gangs, is one of the most promising developments to have occurred in decades.

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.

Iranian opposition leader absent at anti-Israel rallies
Protesters gathered in Iran on Friday for a demonstration to observe an annual holiday that marks the country's solidarity with Palestinians and calls for the end of Israel occupation.

Q&A: What's at stake in Mideast talks
The leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority met in Washington on Thursday to resume direct talks. CNN's Jerusalem correspondent Paula Hancocks explains what's at stake:

Israeli military hunts West Bank drive-by shooters
The Israeli military said Wednesday it is still looking for the perpetrators behind a drive-by attack Tuesday evening that left four people dead, including a pregnant woman.

Lebanese army, Hezbollah appear closer after Israel clash
The Lebanon mission to the U.N. has told CNN in a written statement that the Israeli Military "ignored a request by the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) and UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) to postpone cutting down trees in a contested area along the "Blue line", the U.N. border line demarcating Israel and Lebanon.

Israel probing claims of flotilla ship thefts
Israel is investigating claims that some of its soldiers stole personal belongings of activists participating in the controversial Gaza aid flotilla in May.

Soup kitchen feeds Jerusalem's poor
At one o'clock on the dot, dozens of children burst through the door of Khasiki Sultan soup kitchen, clutching their pots and pans.

Netanyahu: Security vital to lasting peace deal
The Israeli prime minister said Sunday that talks with Palestinians will only lead to a lasting peace deal if the latter guarantees security and recognizes that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people.

Israel's Barak calls planned flotilla a 'provocation'
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday a planned Gaza-bound aid flotilla from Lebanon "has nothing to do with humanitarian aid and is an act of hostile provocation."

Israel hits suspected weapons manufacturing site
The Israeli Air Force struck a suspected weapons manufacturing site in central Gaza Wednesday, in response to two mortars that were fired from the territory a day earlier, the military said.

Rare 2,200-year-old gold coin found in Israel
A rare gold coin dating back 2,200 years was discovered by a combined university research team in Israel, a top Israeli antiquities official said Thursday.

Israel removes gunfire barrier in disputed Jerusalem neighborhood
Israeli troops Sunday began dismantling a concrete barrier built to protect a disputed Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem from Palestinian sniper fire, citing improvements in security since its 2001 construction.

Israel steps up Ramadan security in Jerusalem
Israel will deploy 3,000 police officers in and around Jerusalem to prevent any outbreak of violence as Muslims gather for the first Friday prayers for the holy month of Ramadan, police said.

Lawyers get 90 days to review documents in NASA scientist's spy trial
A federal judge overseeing the case of a NASA scientist accused of trying to sell secrets to Israel has granted lawyers 90 days to review classified documents admitted as evidence.

Israel's military chief testifies in flotilla inquiry
The head of Israel's military defended the "bravery, morality and calm" of his commandos Wednesday on the third day of the nation's inquiry into Israel's mid-sea interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla that left nine people dead.

Israel's defense minister defends raid on aid flotilla
Defense Minister Ehud Barak testified Tuesday that he bears full responsibility for the actions of Israeli soldiers in the mid-sea interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla that left nine people dead in May.

Israel again razes Bedouin village
On the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli police re-entered a Bedouin village Tuesday to repeat the demolition of homes they had razed only a few days earlier.

Inquiry into Israeli flotilla raid begins
Israel operated within international law when it stopped a flotilla and raided the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, on which nine people were killed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during an inquiry into the incident.

Hundreds of acres of forest burned in Israel, Golan Heights
As Russia contends with hundreds of wildfires fueled by heat and drought, Israel is dealing with its own fire problem.

7 dead in collision between train and bus in Israel
Seven people were killed Thursday when a train hit a minibus standing on a train track in southern Israel, police said.

Analysis: Deadly clash highlights border tensions
It was a timely reminder that four years of relative calm on the Israeli-Lebanese border cannot be taken for granted.

Israel to deport 400 children of illegal migrants; 800 can stay
The Israeli government on Sunday approved the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee to decide the fate of 1,200 children of foreign workers residing in Israel. The decision is that 800 of the children will remain in the country, but 400 others will be deported.

Bedouins evicted from village in southern Israel
Police evicted 200 Bedouins from their homes in a southern Israeli village on Tuesday and demolished their dwellings, an act decried by residents who said they are on ancestral land.

Israeli air force targets sites in northern and southern Gaza
The Israeli air force launched overnight airstrikes against a weapons manufacturing site in northern Gaza and a pair of weapons-smuggling tunnels on the southern end of the Palestinian territory, a military spokesman said Monday.

Israel to limit use of white phosphorus in conflicts
Israel pledged to limit the use of munitions containing white phosphorus and make greater efforts to protect civilians during conflicts, in a report this week to the United Nations.

Analysis: 'Groundhog Day' for MidEast peace process
For some, it may have felt like the diplomatic equivalent of Groundhog Day. Officials, in Cairo, Egypt for another round of talks in the never-ending Middle East peace process.

Israel plans to have anti-missile system operational in 4 months
Israel's anti-missile system, the Iron Dome, will become operational within four months, the Israeli Defense Ministry said Monday.

How I learned to love postal rate increases
I'd known about Forever Stamps for perhaps three years but was wary of buying them. You buy a stamp at today's first class rate and it's good forever, no matter how high the first class rate goes. At first glance, a great hedge against one of life's certainties -- postal rate increases. It's like death and taxes. Right?

EU presses Israel to allow 'a better life' for Gaza
The European Union's top foreign affairs representative visited Gaza on Sunday and urged Israel to ease its embargo of the Palestinian territory to allow "a better life" for its residents.

Israel's parliament strips Arab lawmaker of privileges
Israel's parliament has punished an Arab lawmaker for participating in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.

New aid ship will try to reach Gaza, organizer says
An aid ship trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza still plans to aim for the Palestinian territory, its organizer told CNN on Sunday, despite Israel's foreign ministry saying it would likely dock elsewhere.

Aid flotilla likely will not sail to Gaza, Israel says
An aid flotilla intended to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza likely will dock at another port, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said Saturday.

Old Turkish grenade found in Jerusalem's city wall
A 100-year-old Turkish hand grenade was found recently during conservation measures near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City wall, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Wednesday.

Obama: 2012 Middle East nuclear conference won't single out Israel
President Barack Obama assured visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that an international conference on creating a nuclear-free Middle East, planned for 2012, would not single out Israel, which is believed to have a nuclear arsenal.

Israel rebuffs Turkish demand for raid apology
"Israel will never apologize for defending its citizens," a high-ranking Israeli government official told CNN Monday, after Turkey reportedly demanded an apology or an inquiry into an Israeli raid on an aid ship that killed nine Turkish citizens.

Israel unveils new blockade rules for Gaza
Israel announced Monday that it will continue to restrict construction materials allowed into Gaza, but will allow other items to be brought into Gaza without specific permission.

Secret Turkey talks anger Israeli foreign minister
Israel's foreign minister has lashed out at the country's prime minister for failing to inform him of the first ministerial talks between Israel and Turkey since the Gaza flotilla incident in May.

Israel takes diplomats to border, urges against aid flotillas to Gaza
An Israeli official escorted more than 80 diplomats on a tour of the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza on Thursday, urging them to prevent their citizens from participating in aid flotillas to the Palestinian territory.

Israel opens official probe into deadly flotilla raid
A commission appointed by Israeli officials to investigate last month's deadly flotilla raid will ask top government authorities to testify, the panel said at its first session Monday.

Iran says plan to send ship to Gaza still on
Iran still plans to send ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite earlier reports to the contrary, a top official said Sunday.

Israel bombs targets in Gaza
A Palestinian was killed after Israel bombed two tunnels in the south of Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said on Friday.

Britain praises Israel's plans to ease Gaza blockade; U.S. 'gratified'
Britain's foreign secretary and the U.S. State Department's spokesman have joined the chorus of international leaders praising Israel's plans to ease its blockade of Gaza.

Source: Israel lifting blockade of Gaza 'except for military items'
Israel plans to ease its blockade of Gaza, a source from the prime minister's office told CNN Sunday.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel take to streets over court ruling
Some 100,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews protested Thursday an Israeli Supreme Court decision banning segregation based on ethnic background in a girls' religious elementary school.

Israel to ease blockade of Gaza, Cabinet says
Israel is relaxing its blockade of Gaza, its Security Cabinet announced Thursday after widespread international criticism of its raid on a ship trying to break the barricade last month.

Israel could ease Gaza blockade within days, Blair says
A deal to ease the Israeli blockade of Gaza could be in place "pretty quickly," Middle East envoy Tony Blair told CNN Wednesday.

Is Israel isolating itself?
There is good reason to hope that Israel has been paying attention to Central America in the past year. In the event that it has not, it might fall on the U.S. to give Israel a crash course.

Israeli cabinet approves probe commission
Israel's cabinet unanimously backed the creation of an "independent public commission" Monday to investigate the deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the prime minister's office said.

Israel names head of commission for flotilla inquiry
Retired Israeli judge Jacob Turkel will lead an inquiry into the Israeli raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, in which nine people were killed, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday.

Israel will accept international role in flotilla probe, officials say
Israeli officials said Friday they will accept international participation in their investigation into the deadly boarding of the Turkish flotilla ship destined for Gaza.

Countries line up to slam Israel at Asian security summit
A conference called "Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia" has turned into a high-profile international platform for the host country, Turkey, to condemn conference member Israel.

Body of fifth Palestinian found after Israeli attack at sea
Hamas officials in Gaza found the body of a fifth Palestinian militant Tuesday slain by Israel during a naval operation, officials said.

Flotilla clash still making waves in Middle East politics
The political repercussions of Israel's raid of boats carrying aid to Gaza last week continued to ripple across the Middle East and showed no signs of slowing Tuesday.

Israel appoints 'experts' to examine flotilla incident
The Israeli military's chief of general staff has appointed a reserve general to lead "a team of experts" to examine Israel's interception of a flotilla bound for Gaza last week in order to "establish lessons from the event," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Israel kills 4 Palestinians off Gaza in foiled terror attack
The Israeli military said Monday it thwarted a terror attack when it fired on a group of Palestinians in diving gear at sea off Gaza.

Gaza convoy tapes edited, Israel acknowledges
Israel acknowledged Sunday that it edited recordings of what it said were anti-Semitic and anti-American radio calls by pro-Palestinian activists who tried to run the Gaza blockade and that it could not identify the origin of the broadcasts.

Turkey says Israel can't 'face the facts' on Gaza raid
Israel's resistance to an independent, international investigation into its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship is "another proof of their guilt," Turkey's foreign minister said Sunday.

Israeli Navy seizes aid boat headed for Gaza
For the second time this week, Israeli naval commandos seized aid headed for the Gaza Strip, but Saturday's action had a peaceful ending.

Irish aid ship bound for Gaza won't stop 'unless forced to'
An Irish-owned aid ship headed for Gaza won't stop until it's forced to, a former U.N. official aboard the ship told CNN Thursday.

Raid shines light on Israel's failed policy
The tragic events that occurred in the waters off Gaza have prompted calls for an investigation into Israel's operation. An inquiry is indeed urgently needed, but its focus should be neither on Israel alone nor on its botched military assault. Rather, it ought to be on a morally and politically bankrupt policy toward Gaza and on the many in the region and around the world who backed it.

South Africa recalls Israeli ambassador over flotilla raid
South Africa is recalling its ambassador to Israel because of the deadly Monday raid on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a South African foreign affairs official said Thursday.

Eyewitnesses recount Israel flotilla raid
Some of the first accounts emerged Tuesday from eyewitnesses who were aboard several boats stormed by Israeli forces as they approached Gaza the day before.

Kucinich wants Obama to 'call Israel to an accounting'
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, called Wednesday on President Barack Obama "to call Israel to an accounting" for its attack Monday on a Turkish ship that was traveling in international waters laden with humanitarian goods for Gaza.

Turks want prosecutors to sue Israel for murder over flotilla raid
An anguished sob echoed outside the Sultanahmet courthouse in Istanbul on Wednesday morning.

IDF: Hamas stops flotilla aid delivered by Israel
Israel has attempted to deliver humanitarian aid from an international flotilla to Gaza, but Hamas -- which controls the territory -- has refused to accept the cargo, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.

Palestinian official: Human rights problems prevent direct talks
There are no direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians because of "continuous Israeli violations of human rights," a Palestinian government spokesman said.

U.S. must condemn Israel for ship killings
President Obama, in his memorable speech almost exactly one year ago in Cairo, Egypt, urged Palestinians to pursue nonviolent means toward securing their freedom and raised the hopes of many Muslim-majority nations who saw a new, unbiased Mideast policy in the making. Those hopes were shattered by America's tepid response to the killings aboard a ship on a peaceful humanitarian mission Sunday night.

Obama speaks with Turkish prime minister about flotilla raid
President Barack Obama spoke by telephone Tuesday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express condolences for the deaths and injuries from Israel's raid on a Turkish ship that was part of a flotilla hauling relief supplies to blockaded Gaza, the White House said.

Stop the hypocrisy about Israel
Enjoy hypocrisy? This past weekend you could glut the appetite.

Turkey demands U.S. solidarity in response to Israeli attack
Turkey's foreign minister said Tuesday that his government is "not happy" with the U.S. response to Israel's raid on an aid flotilla carrying humanitarian goods bound for blockaded Gaza.

Q&A: Aid and Israel's Gaza blockade
The deaths of several people Monday during a raid by Israeli soldiers on a flotilla bringing aid to Palestinians in Gaza has once again brought worldwide attention on Israel's blockade of the area.

2 Palestinians killed in Israel border clash, sources say
There was an exchange of fire along the Israel-Gaza border Tuesday after Israeli forces identified a number of people trying to enter Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said.

U.N. Security Council meets on Israeli raid
Israel faced condemnation and questions Monday at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting called by Turkey on the Israeli military's storming of a six-ship flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists headed to Gaza with aid supplies.

Rift between crucial Middle East allies a headache for United States
For years, Turkey has been Israel's strongest predominantly Muslim ally in a region where the Israelis have few other friends.

Israeli raid met with global protests
As world leaders came out Monday against an Israeli raid on a flotilla carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza, so did protesters in various cities around the world.

World reaction to Israel's predawn raid
International leaders expressed shock and dismay Monday over the Israeli navy's pre-dawn storming of a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza that resulted in nine deaths.

Iraqis take to streets to protest Israel
Hundreds of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr took to the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday to protest the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists after the Israeli navy stormed a flotilla of ships aiming to bypass a blockade to deliver aid to Gaza.

World reaction to Israel after raid on aid flotilla mostly negative
International leaders expressed shock and dismay Monday over the Israeli Navy's pre-dawn storming of a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza that resulted in nine deaths.

Israel rejects U.N. conference resolution on non-proliferation
The final document from the just-completed U.N. review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "not only fails to advance regional security but actually sets it back," the Israeli government said in a statement released Saturday.

State media: Lebanon fires on Israeli warplanes
The Lebanese army fired anti-aircraft guns on Israeli warplanes Wednesday after what it said were repeated violations of Lebanese airspace, state media reported.

Convoy of ships heads to Gaza in attempt to break blockade
The Israeli government said Thursday it will stop a convoy of cargo and passenger ships filled with supplies and headed to Gaza to break a blockade imposed by Israel in 2007.

Israel denies apartheid South Africa nuke talks
Israel "has never negotiated the exchange of nuclear weapons with South Africa," its president's office said Monday, after a British newspaper claimed such talks had taken place.

Israel-Qatar relations snag over Gaza aid
Israel's government rejected a Qatari offer to re-establish trade relations that would have allowed the Gulf state to provide aid to Gaza, two senior Israeli government officials said Thursday.

Obama seeks funding to help Israel build defense system
The White House is asking Congress to approve $205 million to help Israel build a new short-range rocket defense system, Obama administration officials confirmed Friday.

Israeli 'disappointment' over Russia-Hamas meeting
Israel expressed "deep disappointment" Thursday over a meeting the Russian president held this week in Syria with exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

Palestinian Authority blocks sale of goods made at Israeli settlements
The Palestinian Authority has embarked on a series of measures aimed at ending what one official has called the "cancer" of Palestinian economic dependence on Israel's West Bank settlements.

Palestinian leaders agree to indirect talks with Israel
Palestinian leaders have agreed to begin indirect peace talks with Israel, a Palestinian official said Saturday.

Talks could restart between Israel, Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend welcomed the Arab League's endorsement of peace talks with the Palestinians.

Jerusalem mayor touts construction
Local politics could once again throw U.S.-Israeli relations into turmoil and complicate efforts to restart peace talks.

Abbas: State with temporary borders would be a 'trap'
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that he would not accept a Palestinian state with temporary borders and described an Israeli proposal for such an arrangement as a "trap."

Israel reverses its iPad ban
Israel has reversed a ban on the iPad, Apple's tablet computer, and said users can bring in the device without worrying that customs officials will seize it.

U.S. envoy in Israel amid settlement dispute
The Obama administration's special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, returned to the region Thursday, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that "there will be no freeze" on construction opposed by Palestinians and the United States.

Israeli customs blocks entry of iPads
A number of Israelis and tourists entering the country at Ben Gurion Airport have had their new Apple iPads seized by customs officials.

Israeli defense minister expresses worries about relations with U.S.
Israel's defense minister expressed concern Monday about deteriorating relations with the United States and warned that "the growing alienation" with President Obama's administration "is not a good thing for the state of Israel."

Jordan protests to Israel over expulsions
Jordan has called in Israel's ambassador for an official protest over a controversial decision to expel Palestinians that Israel says are living illegally in the West Bank, the Jordanian state news agency reported Wednesday.

Anti-Semitic incidents rise sharply in 2009, study says
The number of anti-Semitic incidents around the world more than doubled from 2008 to 2009, according to a Tel Aviv University study.

Homer Simpson isn't the only would-be 'Messiah' in Jerusalem
Leave it to "The Simpsons" to kick off Holy Week with a zinger.

Israeli-Palestinian peace process at critical stage, Arab leaders say
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned Saturday that peace talks would not move forward "as long as Israel maintains its settlement policy," continuing the rift in the region that began this month with Israel's intent to build housing in disputed territory.

UK warns of Israel travel amid passport scandal
British citizens who travel to Israel should be aware that their passport details could be captured for "improper uses," Britain's Foreign Office warned Tuesday.

Analysis: Israel's mission to lose friends and alienate people
First the United States blew its top at Israel.

UK: Israel behind passport forgery in Dubai killing
There are "compelling reasons" to believe the Israeli government was responsible for forging British passports used in a plot to kill a Hamas leader in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Tuesday.

Israel: News & Videos about Israel - CNN.com
Find stories, videos, and photos about Israel from CNN.com.

 

Turkish Action Film Depicts Israeli Raid
“Valley of the Wolves: Palestine” is built around the unsuccessful attempt in May by a six-boat Turkish flotilla to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

Successive Rounds of Mideast Talks Are Set
Middle East negotiators agreed to keep talking, but the issue of West Bank settlements threatens to derail the negotiations.

Mideast Experts Fear Peace Talks Are Too Ambitious
Some veteran peace process practitioners say Israel and the Palestinians should first aim for a partial solution because the gaps between the positions are too wide.

Stop the War Talk
A pre-emptive attack on Iran's nuclear facilities could precipitate a devastating regional war with unforeseeable global consequences.

Palestinians Hunt the Killers of 4 Israelis
Palestinian troops rounded up dozens of men suspected of ties to Hamas as Israeli settlers held a mass funeral for two women and two men who were shot dead in their car on Tuesday night.

Leaders Call for Peace as Mideast Talks Begin
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority appeared together with President Obama.

Israeli Peace Effort Rests on Netanyahu’s Shoulders
The Israeli prime minister believes that only someone like himself, with his hawkish credentials, has the will and support to produce lasting peace with the Palestinians.

Trying to Buck Odds, Obama Takes On 3 Big Mideast Tasks
President Obama is looking for simultaneous progress on Iraq, Iran and Israeli-Palestinian peace, a triple play that has eluded his predecessors for decades.

A Peace Plan Within Our Grasp
The biggest obstacle that now stands in the way of success is psychological. We must work toward rebuilding trust and a sense of security.

You Ain’t Seen This Before
With the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Iraqis, President Obama makes an ambitious reach to change the Middle East.

The Shadow of Ben-Gurion
As discussions about a peace plan in Oslo took place, the ghost of David Ben-Gurion, was surely present, the familiar leathery lion’s face aglow.

The Outlines of a Future Palestinian State
Some see encouraging signs about a two-state solution in improved security and governance by Palestinians.

Early Obstacle, and Test, at Start of Mideast Talks
If the Israeli and Palestinian leaders move beyond the Sept. 26 expiration of Israel’s settlement moratorium, they will demonstrate that this time, they mean business.

In Israel, Settling For Less
Will a fight over the theology of Zionism derail Mideast peace?

Israel Tense Before Talks as Protest and Sermon Fan Flames
Ahead of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israel was in an uproar over actors’ refusal to perform in settlements, and Palestinians were outraged by a rabbi’s sermon.

NYT > Israel

World news about Israel, including breaking news and archival articles published in The New York Times.

 

Why the Mideast Peace Talks Will Fail--Again
The U.S. has called for a final round of talks to settle the world’s most pressing security problem.

Israel: The Tension Builds
That Israel is gravitating toward war is an inescapable reality.

Oldest script found in Jerusalem

Egypt: New Government Imminent?
A change of leadership in Cairo will have major implications for the Middle East, particularly Israel.

Iran Builds Radar Station in Syria
Iran helps build up Hezbollah as a threat to Israel.

Israel: EU May Monitor Gaza Checkpoints

A Good Excuse to End a Bad Relationship
Turkey’s leaders have jammed a stake into the heart of their alliance with Israel. Here’s why it was inevitable.

Israel the Outcast
Its desperate turn to Germany for help is drawing near.

Humanitarian aid--or propaganda?

America's assault on Israel's sovereignty

PA TV: Israel shouldn't exist

Is Obama After Israel's Nukes?
Forget Iran—the Obama administration appears to be more worried about Israel’s nuclear program.

Why Won't Netanyahu Listen ...
… to the words of those he loves, admires and never stops talking about?

Joint Syria-Turkey Military Drills Raise Concerns in Israel
Jerusalem begins to acknowledge the sobering truth of Ankara’s true allegiances.

Netanyahu stands firm on Jerusalem

Where Are Clashes in Israel Leading?

How Bibi Might Be Provoking a War
Once again, it’s all about Jerusalem.

The U.S.-Israeli Feud
Who is insulting whom?

Diplomatic spat between U.S. and Israel fulfills prophecy

Silwan: The Untold Story
How Palestinian leaders made conflict in this East Jerusalem neighborhood inevitable.

Why Most Do Not Understand Prophecy
One cannot unlock the mystery in Bible prophecy without this indispensable key.

Solomonic Wall Discovered in Jerusalem
Recent three-month excavation raises more ruins of ancient Jerusalem.

With Friends Like Germany, Who Needs Enemies?
Germany’s actions over Iran prove it cannot be trusted.

The Landmark Meeting No One Noticed
It occurred Monday in Berlin.

"We Need a Better Grasp of the Limits of Our Power"
Israel’s first stab at tough diplomacy ends in humiliation.

theTrumpet.com: Israel
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.

 

US Launches Direct Mideast Peace Talks
Both sides agree to second round of talks to be held in Middle East later this month

Israelis, Palestinian West Bank Residents Say No Compromise on Settlements
Presence of Jewish settlements in Israeli-occupied West Bank at heart of impasse facing negotiators

Obama Urges Israel, Palestinians to Seize Opportunity for Peace
One by one, Mr. Obama welcomes leaders of Israel, Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and Egypt to Oval Office

Obama, Mideast Leaders Begin Peace Talks
US president holds meetings with Israeli PM, Palestinian President a day before they begin direct negotiations

Basketball Stars Bring Hope, Fun to Israeli Children
Dwight Howard, Allan Houston, Jerome Williams on goodwill tour of Israel this week

Palestinian Security Cracks Down on West Bank Hamas Forces
Crackdown comes after group claimed responsibility for killings of four Jewish settlers in West Bank on the eve of peace negotiations

Obama Global Health Initiative Targets Maternal, Child Health, Disease
Initiative also focused on family planning, programs to fight infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS

US Formally Ends Combat Mission in Iraq
Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Gates preside over formal change-of-command ceremony in Baghdad

Gates Visits Birthplace of Iraqi Turnaround
US defense secretary stops in al-Anbar Province on way to Baghdad to mark formal end of US combat operations in Iraq

Gaza Lessons Harden Israeli Views on Security, Ahead of Peace Talks
Many feel unilateral pullout from Gaza Strip has not reduced violence in area

For Palestinian Refugees at Shatila, 'Going Home' Holds Different Meanings
Middle East peace summit in Washington sets goal of one year to resolve final status issues including Palestinians' right of return

Obama: Time To Turn The Page On Iraq
US president told Americans in a nationally broadcast speech from the Oval Office that the US combat mission in Iraq is over

Former British PM Reflects on Iraq War in Long-Awaited Memoir
Tony Blair says he does not regret his decision to take Britain to war in Iraq, but did not foresee nightmare that had unfolded there

Ramadan Tests US Teen Athletes
Abstaining from food and drink during the daylight hours proves challenging for Muslim high school sports players

Four Israelis Dead in West Bank Shooting
Attack took place near Hebron in the West Bank; militant group Hamas says its military wing carried out the attack

VOA News: Middle East
Middle East Voice of America

 

Maids in the Middle East: Little better than slavery

Domestic workers in the Middle East have a horrible time

AS a maid working in Saudi Arabia, Lahanda Purage Ariyawathie suffered at the hands of her Saudi employer and his wife, who skewered her body with at least 24 nails and needles (pictured). Her case was unusually brutal, but the abuse of domestic workers in the Middle East is all too common.

Huge numbers of migrant domestic workers, mostly from Asia and Africa, are employed throughout the region. Some 1.5m work in Saudi Arabia, 660,000 in Kuwait and 200,000 in Lebanon. Many work very long hours and receive little food, no time off and pay that is a fraction of any minimum wage, if it materialises at all. Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based group, says at least one domestic worker died every week in Lebanon between January 2007 and August 2008. Almost half were suicides and many were as a result of falling from high buildings, often while trying to escape their employers. Mistreatment is so widespread that the Philippines, Ethiopia and Nepal no longer let their citizens go to Lebanon to work as maids, though such bans have had little effect. ...

Middle East peace talks: Back to the table

Israel’s prime minister sounds upbeat, even if no one else does

YET another bout of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations was launched this week amid a splurge of pious public talk tempered by sceptical punditry. Not much new in that, it seems, though it is almost two years since the previous direct talks took place (and ran aground).

Nothing new, either, in two ghastly shootings on the West Bank in the days before the talks. The first left four Israeli civilians dead, two of them the parents of six children and another a pregnant woman. Hamas proudly took the “credit” as a means of exposing, it said, the collusion between the Palestinian Authority and the occupying forces of Israel. The following day two more Israelis were wounded. ...

South African politics: With friends like these

President Jacob Zuma is badly bruised by weeks of crippling strikes

THE public-sector strikes that have paralysed hospitals, schools and other essential services across the country since August 18th have damaged South Africa’s image abroad. They have also undermined relations between the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), part of the ruling tripartite alliance, together with the communists. On September 1st Cosatu rejected the latest pay offer from the government, so as The Economist went to press the strikes seemed destined to continue, and even intensify. President Jacob Zuma, who ordered both sides back to the negotiating table on August 30th in a last-ditch attempt to end the strike, has emerged weakened from the fray.

Cosatu, with a membership of 2m, has been feeling increasingly aggrieved since Mr Zuma took over as president 16 months ago. Having helped elevate him to power, the country’s biggest union federation thought that he was their man. Cosatu had expected to play an important role in the new administration. Instead, it has repeatedly found its policies ignored. In June relations reached near breaking-point when the ANC threatened to bring disciplinary proceedings against Cosatu’s leader, Zwelinzima Vavi, for having accused the government of failing to take action against corrupt ministers. ...

Rwanda's meddling in Congo: Revisiting the killing fields

A leaked UN report looks very bad for Rwanda’s government

IN 1996 Rwandan troops descended on the Chimanga refugee camp in east Congo, to which their compatriots had fled to avoid genocide at home. The soldiers gathered the refugees together with promises of meat to fortify themselves for a promised return to Rwanda. “At a given moment,” says the draft of a new report from the United Nations, “a whistle sounded and the soldiers positioned all around the camp opened fire on the refugees. According to different sources, between 500 and 800 refugees were killed in this way.”

In the 16 years since his rebel forces halted the Rwandan genocide, the country’s president, Paul Kagame, has earned a reputation for steering his country firmly towards stability, economic growth and a measure of reconciliation. Lately, that reputation has come under attack. Before a landslide election victory in August Mr Kagame found himself under heavy fire for the mysterious murders, oppression and censorship that marred the run-up to the polls. Grim-faced and impatient of critics, Mr Kagame weathered the storm. ...

Iraq's uncertain future: The reckoning

American troops are leaving a country that is still perilously weak, divided and violent. Little wonder that some Iraqis now don’t want them to go

THE last American combat soldiers in Iraq shuffle through a half-empty base as they prepare for the one-way journey to the Kuwaiti border. Some recall their exploits during many tours of duty over the past seven years, charting their fortunes with language that has become common currency on television back home. The shock and awe of the invasion was eclipsed by insurgents using IEDs. Backed by contractors who erected blast walls around a green zone, the soldiers eventually inspired an awakening among Iraqi tribes that, aided by a surge of extra troops, in time brought something like order. In the soldiers’ telling, the names of places that were little known before the war have acquired the resonance of history: Najaf, Sadr City, Abu Ghraib.

Some 50,000 American troops will stay on in a support role, to “advise and assist” the Iraqi forces that are now supposed to be in charge of the country’s security. Nonetheless, August 31st marks the official end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the combat mission that began with the invasion in March 2003. As a sign of America’s changing role in the country, the State Department will now assume some of the responsibilities that were previously undertaken by the Pentagon. Chief among them is the training of Iraqi policemen, a key to keeping the peace. Consular offices will be opened across the country to replace military bases. Since the State Department does not have its own forces, it is hiring private gunmen. They will fly armed helicopters and drive armoured personnel carriers on the orders of the secretary of state long after the last American soldier has gone home. ...

Egypt's presidential hopeful: Of course I don't want to be president

Gamal Mubarak begins to test the ground for his bid for the succession

FOR the past decade, Gamal Mubarak, the son of President Hosni Mubarak and now the number two in Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), has denied any wish to succeed his father. When asked about his future, the younger Mubarak prefers to say only that his work in the party is quite enough to keep him busy.

But this summer’s speculation that the president is grievously ill is now rekindling interest in Gamal. His 82-year-old father flew abroad for hospital treatment in March; there are unconfirmed reports that he has cancer. Then, a month or so ago, posters calling for his son’s candidacy for president began to spread in cities and in the countryside. They are usually presented as private initiatives backed by local businessmen wanting to pledge their affection for the self-styled reformer. ...

Iran's nuclear programme: Game resumed

Iran pockets Bushehr and plays on

IT WAS meant as a marker for the world’s readiness to accept Iran’s right to benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear power, despite its provocative behaviour. By this reasoning, the fuelling this week by Russia of the Bushehr nuclear reactor, Iran’s first power-generating nuclear plant that is due to start supplying electricity to the national grid by year’s end, could help persuade the regime to return to the negotiating table over United Nations demands that it suspend more troubling nuclear work.

For Iran, however, Bushehr symbolises something altogether different: the fruits of defiance. It comes alongside recent reports that Iran has acquired a clutch of advanced air-defence missiles on the black market, developed its own new attack drone and supplied advanced radar to Syria, a neighbour of Israel, a country that Iran’s fiery president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has talked of being wiped off the map. Such an attitude augurs ill for new talks about talks that Iran hints might resume in September with the six countries (America, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and China) that have been trying to negotiate it round. ...

South Africa's strikes: After the party…

…comes an almighty hangover

THE warm, fuzzy feeling of national pride and unity engendered by South Africa’s hosting of the football World Cup did not last long. As a strike by more than 1m public-sector workers enters its second week, hospitals, schools and other services across the country remain closed. Women in labour are being turned away from hospitals, the sick and the dying left unattended and pupils trying to get into school beaten up by their own teachers. The army has been called in to help. Police have been using water cannon and rubber bullets to break up the most violent protests. Dozens have been arrested.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), the biggest union federation and a supposed ally of the ruling African National Congress, is now threatening to shut down the entire economy by calling all its members out in a sympathy strike next week unless the government gives in to the public-sector unions’ demands for an 8.6% wage rise—more than double the inflation rate—plus a housing allowance of 1,000 rand ($135) a month. The government says it cannot afford more than its final offer of a 7% rise plus a 700 rand allowance along with a previously agreed on 1.5% performance bonus. ...

Ethiopia's capital city: Make it prettier and cheaper

Architects want to make the city that hosts the African Union so much nicer

AMHARIC has no precise word for architecture, but it needs one. Ethiopia’s capital, founded by Emperor Menelik II in 1886, now has 4.6m people but that figure may well double by 2020. Dirk Hebel of Addis Ababa’s revamped architecture school says that “the first thing we do is to sit down with the students for a day and explain what [it] is”.

According to the UN, Addis has one of the higher densities of slum dwellers in the world. But their geographical pattern is unusual. Most African cities separate fairly neatly into poor and rich areas “like a sunny-side-up egg”, with slums spreading out from the rim, says Mr Hebel. But Addis is “more of a scrambled egg”. A lack of crime and a tradition whereby the rich seem to tolerate the poor living among them mean that Addis’s slums often lie in the seams between office buildings and flats in the more affluent parts of the city. ...

The Israel-Palestine peace process: Talk of talks

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are proving hard to revive

TOUGH beginnings often make things easier later on. Inveterate Middle East optimists clung to this dubious reasoning as diplomats strained this week to get direct peace talks going again between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The proposed choreography is intricate. The peacemaking Quartet (the United Nations, the European Union, America and Russia) was meant to issue a statement on August 16th urging direct talks based on Israel’s 1967 borders and aimed at setting up a Palestinian state within two years. The Palestinians were expected to welcome this and the Israelis to balk at it, claiming it smacked of “preconditions”. Then the Americans would invite the two parties to Washington, or perhaps Egypt, for a formal opening of negotiations. The American letter was to be vague enough for Israel’s Binyamin Netanyahu to accept it without rocking his rightist-religious coalition, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, would point to the Quartet document to ward off his critics. ...

Congo's conflict minerals : Clean them up

American lawmakers want to break the link between laptops and war

MANY of the rebel groups still fighting across swathes of the Democratic Republic of Congo get their cash from rocks. Apart from gold, they illicitly sell cassiterite (used in laptops), coltan (mobile phones) and wolframite (light bulbs). Hundreds of the mines containing such treasures, especially in the country’s troubled east, where conflict has long been fiercest, are targets in turf warfare. Reducing the illicit trade will not bring peace, but it may help.

New legislation passed by America’s Congress is intended to curb the black market and boost the legal one. Companies that report to the American Securities and Exchange Commission now have to reveal whether they buy minerals from Congo or from any of its nine neighbours and, if so, from where. New regulations likely to be proposed by the State Department next year may follow guidelines being drafted by the UN and the OECD, a rich-country club, that will advise companies on how best to trace the origin of their materials. ...

Nigeria's coming election: Will he, won't he?

Speculation has been growing as President Goodluck Jonathan, who was appointed to his post earlier this year, ponders whether to run for election

ON THE streets of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, unusual posters are appearing. Hastily formed lobby groups are plastering the city with banners encouraging Goodluck Jonathan, the president, to run in next year’s presidential election. “We have found our champion”, declares one. “You can do it”, urges another. Newspapers carry headlines speculating about who might back his bid. But, amid the clamour, the man himself is staying silent.

The election in Africa’s most populous country—a heady mix of 150m people, 250 ethnic groups and 36 billion barrels of oil reserves—is due in January. Many Nigerians hope it will prove different from those of the past decade, in which the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has used ever more violence and fraud to keep its grip on power. But with only five months to go, the man most likely to win has not said if he will even run. ...

Iraq's oil: Hard to get out

Foreign oil companies are still finding Iraq a tough place to do business

THE besuited band of executives from an international oil company had expected a different reception when they arrived in Baghdad to sign a deal with senior government officials to develop one of the world’s largest untapped oilfields. Instead of being whisked through the airport, they were held for several hours by immigration officers who thought them “suspicious”. Eventually they were let go. But plenty of others have to wait even longer.

Iraq’s bloody-minded and inefficient bureaucracy is one of several problems oil majors face. Many are still hopeful about the country’s prospects, but the euphoria of last year, when the government started auctioning large fields, has given way to caution. Increasing Iraqi oil production from 2.5m barrels a day to 12m, a quarter more than Saudi Arabia pumps now, will take more than the six to seven years that the government projects, not least because of Iraq’s continuing political violence. ...

Yemen's dwindling Jews: The last of the Jewish Arabs

An ancient community is finally abandoning its Yemeni homeland

THE government of Yemen and its people are vociferously anti-Israel. Three of the country’s members of parliament were on the aid flotilla to Gaza that was lethally raided by Israeli commandos at the end of May. They were later given a hero’s welcome home. Yemenis rarely protest publicly against their own miserable circumstances at home. But when tensions rise in Gaza, they happily hold parades in Sana’a, the country’s capital. Comedies on television often feature stupid Israeli soldiers outwitted by plucky Palestinians.

Yet Yemenis also say they appreciate the heritage of their country’s Jews. In the Great Mosque in Sana’a’s ancient city, a guard, whispering as pious men pore over Korans, points out Jewish carvings. In the village of Jibla, south of Sana’a, locals show the star of David on an ancient synagogue, now a mosque. Market traders boast that their wares are made of traditional Jewish silver. A stern police officer gives a permit to a Jewish-American to let him visit an old Jewish village. ...

Kenya’s new constitution: Tribal loyalty still wins the day

Ethnic differences overshadow a strong endorsement for a new constitution

BY A margin of two to one, on August 4th Kenyans endorsed a new constitution. It retains a presidential system, though with stronger checks and balances, plus a measure of devolution to 47 new counties. But differences between the country’s leading ethnic groups were huge, illustrating a persistently worrying ethnic polarisation of politics.

Of Kenya’s five most populous groups, the Luo, who account for about 12% of the total, voted overwhelmingly yes en bloc, as requested by their undisputed leader, Raila Odinga, who hopes, under the new deal, to become the next president. The Luhya, the other main western group, who number a shade more than the Luo, were nearly as keen to say yes. Somalis, coastal people and Kenyan Muslims in general, also gave a uniform nod of approval. ...

Ramadan in Morocco: To fast or not to fast

Some harassed libertarians say you should be free not to observe Ramadan

THE law in several countries, mostly in the Persian Gulf but also in the Maghreb and parts of Indonesia, provides for stiffer penalties for those who break fast in public, ranging from fines to flogging. Take article 222 of Morocco’s penal code, dating from the era of the French protectorate, which states that “a person commonly known to be Muslim who violates the fast in a public place during Ramadan, without having one of the justifications allowed by Islam [such as travelling or sickness], shall be punished by one to six months in prison,” as well as a fine.

Last Ramadan, a small group of young Moroccans calling itself the Alternative Movement for Individual Freedoms decided to hold a picnic near Casablanca, the country’s commercial capital, to protest against this law. They argue that article 222 clashes with Morocco’s international obligations and its constitution, which guarantee freedom of conscience. They were arrested before getting a chance to take a bite. ...

Trouble in Sudan's Darfur region: The perils of peacekeeping

The UN is caught between squabbling rebels and a ruthless government

PITY the United Nations Africa Mission in Darfur, better known by its acronym UNAMID. Despite its best intentions, it has come in for regular criticism since the very start of its task in January 2008. A hybrid combination of peacekeepers under the joint aegis of the UN and the African Union, its 22,000 or so soldiers and policemen have been accused of doing more to protect each other than the wretched displaced Darfuris they were sent to defend. Aid-workers, Darfuris and the Sudanese government have all been loth to trust them. However, for all UNAMID’s flaws, it has improved security a little, at least in the main towns. But now the peacekeeping mission faces a choice which could cost it the last of its credibility.

Late last month fighting broke out in Kalma, a vast camp for internally displaced people near the town of Nyala in south Darfur. It is home to more than 100,000 angry residents, many of them previously victims of the deadly government-supported militias known as the janjaweed. The recent violence flared between supporters of two different rebel groups, a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur, and the Liberty and Justice Movement (LJM). The SLA is boycotting the current round of Darfur peace talks being chaired by the Qataris in their capital, Doha, while LJM, a coalition of several minor rebel movements, is the only rebel group attending the talks with representatives from the Sudanese government. ...

Ramadan in the summer heat: When everything slows down

Is it much harder when Ramadan falls in the boiling months of summer?

THE Muslim calendar, now in its 1,431st year, follows the cycle of the moon rather than the sun. This means it shifts by 11 days a year in comparison with the Gregorian calendar, completing a full cycle in about 33 years. And it ignores the seasons. Ramadan, the month of fasting which this year began on August 12th, is now taking place slap in the middle of the Arab world’s summer holiday. Those who observe the fast must not only put up with the heat and the ensuing dangers of dehydration and exhaustion. There are economic costs that did not weigh a generation ago, when consumer culture had yet to take hold. Across the Arab world, for instance, the price of cooking oil shoots up, since fried sweets are a Ramadan speciality. The cost of sugar rises too. So does the price of honey, especially in the Maghreb. Food importers do particularly well out of pistachios, dates and dried apricots. Cafes close by day but often make up for that with late-night revels. Many big new television shows are launched during Ramadan, accounting for a third of annual advertising revenue for Arab satellite television stations.

But for many businesses, especially government ones, productivity plummets as the working day shortens by two or three hours. The stock market, however, usually surges, according to a recent study by Ahmad Etebari, a professor at the University of New Hampshire. Studying market patterns in Muslim countries between 1989 and 2007, he found that returns during Ramadan were almost nine times higher than in the rest of the year. The reason, he says, is that the seasonal cheer encourages optimism and thus risk-taking. ...

Palestine's Jerusalem MPs: Just get out

The Israeli authorities try to expel Hamas’s MPs from East Jerusalem

HAMAS members of parliament who live in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem have not only lost their jobs, since the Palestinian Authority (PA) closed down their legislature; they are also losing their homes.

Perhaps they were too successful. Four years ago a more conciliatory Israeli government let East Jerusalem’s Palestinians, including Hamas, compete in the Palestinian legislative elections. Though still banned as a terrorist outfit, Hamas swept all four of East Jerusalem’s contested seats in the Palestinian parliament. ...

The Economist: Middle East and Africa
Middle East and Africa