Israel suspends UNESCO ties over al-Aqsa resolution
Israel has suspended cooperation with UNESCO a day after the UN cultural body passed a resolution that sharply criticised Israeli policies around the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, while supposedly rejecting Jewish ties to the holy site in occupied East Jerusalem. The resolution condemned Israel for restricting Muslims access to the site, and for aggression by police […]
Israel angered by UNESCO decision on holy site
UNESCO has renewed a resolution criticising Israel for restricting Muslim access to a holy site in east Jerusalem. The draft text repeatedly refers to the site, known to Jews as Temple Mount and Muslim as al-Aqsa compound by its Muslim names. It is a move which has angered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says it […]
US funding ‘Israeli state terrorism’ in military deal
Last month, the United States signed a $38bn record military aid deal with Israel, described as the “largest single pledge of military assistance in US history to any country”. Traditionally, US military aid is provided to Israel on the provision that the bulk of the money is spent on United States war machinery and weapons.
Shimon Peres: The Quiet Man Who Sought Peace for Israel
Israel just lost the last tie to its founding fathers. Shimon Peres, Israel’s ninth president, three-time prime minister, defense minister, foreign minister, minister of transportation, minister of immigrant absorption and director general of the Ministry of Defense, died on Wednesday at the age of 93. Peres was a protégé of Israel’s first prime minister, David […]
Israel’s elder statesman Shimon Peres dead at 93
The death of Shimon Peres at the age of 93 marks the departure of the last major figure in Israel’s founding generation. He died on Wednesday in a hospital after suffering a major stroke. Peres – one of the disciples of David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister – spent his long political career in […]
US aid deal ‘significant reward’ for Israeli right
The new military aid deal formalised by the United States and Israel on September 14 could serve to boost an intransigent, right-wing Israeli government that has already shown little appetite for substantial concessions to the Palestinians, analysts say. “The primary lesson that the increasingly extremist Israeli right will draw from this agreement is that there […]
IDF chief to Druze leaders: Israel has no ties to extremist Syria rebels
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot on Friday told leaders of the Druze community in Israel that the country is not in any kind of contact with extremist rebel groups involved in the Syrian civil war, rejecting a recent claim by a Druze member of the Knesset. Eisenkot said there has been no change in […]
US and Israel sign record $38bn military aid deal
The United States has signed a record $38bn deal to provide Israel with military assistance over a 10-year period – the largest such agreement ever by the US with any country. Following 10 months of frequently tense negotiations, the two allies finalised the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a signing ceremony on Wednesday in Washington […]
The politics of an accident in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The cooler evenings of September in the hills of the Occupied Palestinian Territories are a perfect time to sit out on the balcony and chat with family and friends over coffee and grapes. On Saturday evening around 8pm, the Da’adoun family were doing just that in the town of Al Khadir, south of Bethlehem.
King of Jordan denounces ‘violations’ of al-Aqsa Mosque
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Monday that he stands firmly against any Israeli attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. In an interview with the Jordanian broadcaster Ad-Dustour, the monarch promised to fight “repeated violations and attacks carried out by Israel and extremist groups” at the holy site. “We are continuously dealing with…the blatant […]