Arab Joint List to Support Blue & White Minority Govt Only with Ban on Jewish Access to Temple Mount
The chairman of the Arab-majority Joint List, Ayman Odeh, has named his key demands for supporting a Blue and White-led minority government.
Middle East
Iran hit hardest as oil price war, cornavirus cripples nation
The one-two punch of coronavirus and an escalating oil price war that is roiling world markets is hurting one country more than any other: Iran.
‘People running to the altar with no invitation’: Organizers of Tennessee revival hope for nationwide aftershock
A revival in eastern Tennessee that began last year with a young pastor’s decision to pray and fast for 30 days is expected to reach 100,000 people, and organizers are hoping it will lead to nationwide revival.
UN slams ‘worrying’ Israeli plans to build in West Bank, East Jerusalem
The United Nations Middle East peace envoy condemned Israel’s recent advancement of construction plans in the West Bank and East Jerusalem that he said would effectively cut the West Bank in two and isolate some Palestinian neighborhoods.
UN Security Council calls for two-state solution to be respected in Middle East
The UN Security Council made a rare show of unity Monday when it called on all parties to maintain their support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Locust plague begins to spread from Africa to Middle East and Asia
Locusts swarming across eastern Africa have now made their way out of the continent, into the Middle East, and as far as India, Pakistan, and China, though authorities in east Asia say they are not yet worried about the locusts coming further inland.
Top EU diplomat wants European strategy for Middle East peace
In light of US President Donald Trump unveiling of his Middle East peace plan in January, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the bloc needs to formulate a European initiative to facilitate the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.
Iranian leader sees ‘pretext’ for attacking Israel in death of Soleimani
A former leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps says Iran has been looking for an excuse to ‘raze Tel Aviv to the ground,’ and has one now following the killing of Qassem Soleimani in January.
Abbas blames rash of attacks on Trump peace plan; Hamas praises ‘revolution’
The office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said a major escalation in West Bank violence Thursday was the fault of US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, which was unveiled last week.
Palestinians Claim Status of Jerusalem is Key to Their Rejection of Trump Peace Plan
Jerusalem has always been the most contentious issue in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and it’s no different now with President Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century.’
Trump promises to grant Iraqi Christians facing deportation extensions to stay in US
President Donald Trump vowed last week to grant ‘extensions’ to stay in the United States to some Iraqi Christians that his administration had earlier sought to deport despite concerns they could face persecution upon return to the Middle East.
Israel foreign ministry: EU rejects peace plan with ‘threatening language’
The EU rejected US President Trump’s Middle East peace plan Tuesday, opposing its annexation elements that Israeli leaders have vowed to implement within weeks and promising legal opposition to attempts by Israel to carry out Jared Kushner’s vision.
Backing Abbas, Arab League unanimously rejects Trump’s Middle East peace plan
The Arab League on Saturday unanimously rejected US President Donald Trump’s controversial Middle East plan, calling it ‘unfair’ to Palestinians.
‘A new stage in our war’: ISIS announces it will focus on Israel attacks
The Islamic State released an audio recording that announced a ‘new stage’ in its terrorist operations and called on followers to begin attacking Israel.
Gantz says will meet Trump separately from Netanyahu
The Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz said on Saturday he had accepted an invitation to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to discuss a peace plan for the Middle East.
20,000 US Troops Have Surged Into Mideast Since Last Spring To ‘Counter Iran’
The top U.S. commander who oversees missions in the Middle East said that newly deployed troops might remain in the region for ‘quite a while.’
Hamas official warns of ‘a new intifada’ if Trump Middle East plan moves forward
A Hamas official warned that if the United States moves forward with its Middle East plan, it could lead to another intifada. Basem Naim, the head of Hamas’s International Relations Office, tweeted the notion on Thursday.
U.S.-Russia ‘engagements’ underscore danger of oil mission in Syria
President Trump says he is determined to keep control of Syrian oil fields as the country’s civil war plays out, but exactly how far the U.S. military is willing to go to protect those valuable energy reserves remains a mystery and represents a key question for the administration’s broader policy in the Middle East.
US ‘likely’ to deploy anti-missile system to protect American troops in Iraq
The Pentagon is likely deploying a missile-defense system to Iraq in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on an Iraqi base housing American troops earlier this month, U.S. defense officials tell Fox News.
Signs in Israel that “Deal of the Century” will be released before third elections
The entire US peacekeeping team arrived in Israel Wednesday after attending the Davos World Economic Forum to discuss what could be a soon rollout of the long-delayed ‘Deal of the Century’ with Israeli leaders.