UNHRC report: Settlements are a war crime
Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and east Jerusalem is a war crime, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein charged in a report he issued last week.
Israel
Ministers approve conscription bill as Yisrael Beytenu tries to halt move
A bill proposing to exempt members of the ultra-Orthodox community from conscription to the IDF, which is at the center of a fierce government crisis that could lead to early elections, passed its first legislative hurdle on Monday, though it wasn’t initially clear whether that reflected an agreement between coalition partners.
U.S., Israel can’t afford confrontation, Iranian commander warns
A senior Iranian commander has warned Israel and the United States that it cannot afford the costs of a confrontation with the Islamic Republic.
Report: Hezbollah in Lebanon fears Israeli attack, declares state of emergency
Hezbollah in Lebanon has declared a state of emergency for fear of an Israeli attack approved by the United States.
U.S. and IDF troops, in major joint drill, simulating battle on 3 fronts
Juniper Cobra, the largest joint US-Israeli air-defense exercise, is under way, with thousands of troops deployed across the country simulating scenarios where Israel faces missile barrages simultaneously on various fronts.
Netanyahu to Amb Haley: U.S. support of Israel at U.N. a ‘tsunami of fresh air’
Meeting with US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in New York on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said American support of Israel at the UN was not just a breath of fresh air but ‘a tsunami’ of it.
Christians emerge as key patrons for Jews moving to Israel
Seven decades after its foundation, Israel is relying on Christians to help fulfill the promise of encouraging Jewish immigration — and what was once a strictly Jewish-funded mission is increasingly being bankrolled by evangelical Christians.
Iran’s Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile Now Operational, U.S. Says
Iran tested and deployed a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile system last year that has long worried U.S. and Israeli military officials because it gives the Islamic Republic a ‘generational improvement in capabilities,’ the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency disclosed.
Ex-Netanyahu aide will testify against 2 Likud ministers
Nir Hefetz, the former media adviser to the Netanyahu family who became a state’s witness earlier this week against the prime minister, has reportedly told investigators he has potentially incriminating evidence against four senior Likud officials, including two sitting ministers.
U.S. leaders at AIPAC hint Middle East peace plan is near
A comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will require compromise from both sides, leading voices from the Trump administration told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee this week.
Trump says he could come to Jerusalem in May for embassy opening
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he could return to Jerusalem in May, when the US opens its new embassy in the city to coincide with Israel’s 70th anniversary.
Full text of U.S. President Trump and Israeli PM Netanyahu White House remarks
Read the complete texts of remarks by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on March 5, 2018.
Pence at AIPAC vows Iran nuke deal to end ‘immediately’ if not fixed
US Vice President Mike Pence vowed the US would withdraw from the nuclear deal forged between Iran and six world powers in the coming months unless lawmakers move to fix the agreement, and called US President Donald Trump the most pro-Israel president the country has ever had.
Netanyahu says he told Trump Israel doesn’t want to rule over the Palestinians
Less than one-fourth of his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday was devoted to the Palestinian issue, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters hours later in a briefing.
Gaza on the brink of explosion, Hamas warns
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warned Monday that the Gaza Strip was on the brink of an ‘explosion’ because of the continued Palestinian power struggle between his group and the Palestinian Authority.
ISIS Focuses on U.S. Embassy Attacks, Kidnappings of Westerners
The weekly Islamic State newsletter that usually focuses on internal headlines within remaining caliphate territory devoted a section to discussing attacks on U.S. embassies and kidnappings of westerners in locales not usually touched by the terror group.
Netanyahu arrives in D.C. bruised but can gain from elections after AIPAC
The trip to Washington comes at a critical time for Netanyahu. He departed Israel on Saturday night, just one day after he and his wife, Sara, were questioned in the expanding Bezeq probe. Police have already recommended charging the prime minister with bribery in two other criminal investigations.
Coalition leaders warn gov’t on verge of collapse, elections by June
Senior coalition partners have reportedly warned that infighting over legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox students from military service will topple the government in the coming weeks, leading to new elections by mid-2018.
Iran will not discuss missile program until West dismantles nuclear weapons, says military official
Iran will not conduct talks on its ballistic missile program until the US and European countries dismantle their nuclear weapon arsenal, said an Iranian military official on Saturday. Speaking to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the official claimed that the US’ criticism of Tehran’s program was driven by its own failures in the region.
U.S. slams UNHRC on Israel, Iran
The United States on Wednesday slammed the United Nations Human Rights Council for its biased treatment of Israel and for providing a platform to human rights abusers such as Iran.