12/02/2013 | Argentina

Iran: no grilling of minister for AMIA attack

A statement made by an Iranian official yesterday directly rejecting Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman’s insistence that key figures in the current Iran administration would be involved in the bilateral truth commission into the 1994 AMIA attack provoked outrage from politicians and the Jewish community yesterday.

28/09/2012 | Argentina

Timerman 'surprised' by Israel's reaction on Iran meeting

Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman met with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, who assured he was not aware of the Israeli Embassy’s communiqué which harshly criticized Argentina's talks with Iran.

29/01/2013 | Argentina

Israel expresses 'disappointment' over Iran agreement

29/01/2013 | Argentina

Gov't: Israel’s decision to summon ambassador ‘improper’

The National Government rejected Israel’s decision to summon the Argentine ambassador in Tel Aviv to discuss recent agreement between Argentina and Iran, saying it considered it an “improper” move that goes “against the traditional, friendly relationship” between both nations.

17/03/2011 | Argentina

Timerman commemorates 19th anniversary of Israeli Embassy terrorist atack

Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman commemorated the 19th anniversary of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that left 29 dead, assuring "it was an attack on all the people of Argentina."

30/03/2011 | Argentina

Iran gov't 'funding local organizations through embassy,' Federal Judge says

Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas said he is “certain that many local organizations are being funded by the Iranian embassy” in Buenos Aires, and warned that social movements’ leader Luis D’Elía “is aware of it.”

03/04/2011 | Argentina

'Argentina and Israel share an unbreakable bond,' Timerman

Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman said that “Argentina and Israel are two countries that are friends with each other, who cooperate between them and hold an unbreakable bond,” before he is due to start an official visit to that country.

23/05/2013 | World

Kerry meets Israelis, Palestinians in bid to revive talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry held separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials today and acknowledged there was considerable scepticism that the two sides would resume peace negotiations.

24/05/2013 | World

Kerry says Israelis, Palestinians must make tough decisions

Israeli and Palestinian leaders are nearing crunch time, when they must decide whether to revive long-dormant peace negotiations to end their decades-old conflict, US John Kerry said.

28/05/2013 | World

Russia says missile systems for Syria will deter intervention

Russia will not scrap plans to deliver an air defence system to Syria despite Western opposition because it would help deter "hotheads" intent on intervention in the two-year-old conflict, the deputy foreign minister said today.

06/05/2013 | World

Israel to Assad: air strikes did not aim to help Syria rebels

Israel sought to persuade Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that its recent air strikes around Damascus did not aim to weaken him in the face of a more than two-year-old rebellion.

06/05/2013 | World

Israel says 'no winds of war' despite Syria strikes

Israel played down weekend air strikes close to Damascus reported to have killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, saying they were not aimed at influencing its neighbour's civil war but only at stopping Iranian missiles reaching Lebanese Hezbollah militants.

21/05/2013 | World

Israel fires back at Syria after gunshots at its troops

Israeli troops shot at a target across the Syrian frontier today in response to gunfire that struck its forces in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military said.

26/04/2013 | World

Obama talks tough, shows no rush to act on Syria chemical arms evidence

President Barack Obama warned Syria that its use of chemical weapons would be a "game changer" for the United States but made clear he was in no rush to intervene in the Syrian civil war on the basis of evidence he said was still preliminary.

30/04/2013 | World

Pope accepts invitation to Israel, urges peace talks

Pope Francis urged Israelis and Palestinians to resume talks and make "courageous decisions" to bring peace after his first meeting with Israel's President Shimon Peres and accepted an invitation to visit the Holy Land.

04/05/2013 | World

Explosions in Damascus, Syria blames Israel

Explosions shook Damascus early and Syrian state television said Israeli rockets had struck a military research center on the outskirts of the capital.

23/03/2013 | World

Syria rebels seize southern base, border area

Rebels seized an air defence base near Syria's strategic southern international highway, activists said, bolstering access to supply routes to the capital Damascus.

24/03/2013 | World

Israel fires into Syria after Golan attack

Israel said it fired into Syria and destroyed a machinegun position in the Golan Heights from where shots had been fired at Israeli soldiers in a further spillover of the Syrian civil war along a tense front.

03/04/2013 | World

Hostilities flare along Israeli-Gaza border

Israel pressed Hamas to rein in rocket-firing militants in the Gaza Strip after the most serious outbreak of cross-border hostilities since the ceasefire that ended an eight-day war in November.

21/03/2013 | World

Khamenei: 'Iran will destroy Israeli cities if attacked'

Iran's most powerful authority said the Islamic Republic would destroy the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa if Israel launched a military attack against it.

22/03/2013 | World

Obama pays homage at symbolic Israeli sites on last day of visit

US President Barack Obama visited Israel's most powerful national symbols, paying homage at the Holocaust memorial and the graves of the founder of modern Zionism and assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

23/03/2013 | World

Kerry to meet Palestinian, Israeli leaders after Obama visit

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman before flying to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he seeks ways to revive long-stalled peace talks.

14/03/2013 | World

Israeli President congratulates Francis, invites him to visit Holy Land

Israeli President Shimon Perez congratulated Pope Francis on his election as head of the Roman Catholic Church and officially invited him to Israel in order to promote peace in a “stormy region."

20/03/2013 | World

Obama promises undying support to Israel

Making his first official visit to Israel, President Barack Obama pledged unwavering commitment to the security of the Jewish State where concern over a nuclear-armed Iran has clouded US-Israeli relations.

21/03/2013 | World

Obama says two-state solution 'still possible'

US President Barack Obama said today he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that continued Jewish settlement activity was not constructive and did not "advance the cause of peace."

24/02/2013 | World

Syrian rebels say capture nuclear reactor site bombed by Israel

Syrian rebels have captured the site of a suspected nuclear reactor which Israeli warplanes destroyed six years ago, opposition sources in eastern Syria said.

27/02/2013 | World

EU report denounces 'provocative' Israeli settlement building

Israeli building on occupied land poses the most serious threat to the creation of a Palestinian state, EU diplomats said in a report leaked on Wednesday, urging Europe not to fund any settlement activities.

03/03/2013 | World

Netanyahu says Iran using nuclear talks to 'buy time' for bomb

Renewed international efforts to negotiate curbs on Iran's disputed nuclear program have backfired by giving it more time to work on building a bomb, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

04/02/2013 | World

Iran says Israel will regret Syria air strike

Iran told Israel it would regret its air strike against Syria last week, without spelling out whether Iran or its ally planned any military response.

06/02/2013 | World

'We can wipe out Israel if they attack us,' Iran's Ahmadinejad

The Iranian people are ready to march on Israel to "wipe it out" if the Jewish state attacks the Islamic republic, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in statements published today by Egypt's state news agency.

11/02/2013 | World

Israel gives final approval for 90 new settler homes

Israel gave final approval for 90 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, driving another wedge into a rift with Washington ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama.

27/01/2013 | World

Israel threatens Syria strike if rebels get chemical arms

Any sign that Syria's grip on its chemical weapons is slipping as it battles armed rebels could trigger Israeli military strikes, Israel's vice premier said.

28/01/2013 | World

AMIA: Israel 'surprised' by Argentina-Iran deal

Israel’s Foreign Ministry communicated to be “surprised” by the deal signed between Argentina and Iran to establish an independent international “truth commission” in the investigation of the 1994 AMIA terrorist attack.

31/01/2013 | World

Syria warns of "surprise" response to Israel attack

Syria warned of a possible "surprise" response to Israel's attack on its territory and Russia condemned the air strike as an unprovoked violation of international law.

10/01/2013 | World

Car explodes in Tel Aviv, several injured

A car exploded near a bus in Tel Aviv today, injuring several people. Police suspect it was an attempt to kill an alleged criminal kingpin.

13/01/2013 | World

Israel evacuates Palestinians from West Bank tent outpost

Israeli security forces evacuated about 100 Palestinians early from tents pitched in an area of the West Bank as a protest against Israeli plans to build a settlement there.

22/01/2013 | World

Netanyahu claims election win despite losses

Hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged the bruised winner of Israel's election, claiming victory despite unexpected losses to resurgent centre-left challengers.

23/12/2012 | World

Israel says Syria chemical weapons are secure for now

Syria's chemical weapons are still secure despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country, a senior Israeli defense official said.

30/12/2012 | World

Israel eases ban on building material for Gaza

Israel eased its blockade of Gaza, allowing a shipment of gravel for private construction into the Palestinian territory for the first time since Hamas seized control in 2007.

06/01/2013 | World

Netanyahu tries to hold back far-right surge before Israel votes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambled to hold back an opinion-poll surge by a far-right party, appealing in rare radio interviews for his supporters to stand by him in the January 22 election.

12/12/2012 | World

Gaza perfume sales soar with rocket name

Sales of a citrus-scented perfume marketed in Gaza have soared since it was named in honour of the rockets that Palestinians shot at Israel during a war last month, the manufacturer said.

14/12/2012 | World

Israeli foreign minister quits after indictment

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned today after being charged with fraud and breach of trust, in a move that could have repercussions on next month's election.

19/12/2012 | World

Israel charges Tel Aviv bus bomb suspect

Israel charged an Israeli Arab citizen today over a bomb explosion on a Tel Aviv bus during Israel's November military offensive in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, the Justice Ministry said.

06/12/2012 | World

Merkel says agree to disagree with Netanyahu on settlements

Germany's Angela Merkel and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to disagree on the question of Israeli plans to build more Jewish settlements, the chancellor said.

08/12/2012 | World

Feted in Gaza, Hamas leader hits out at Israel

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, in an uncompromising speech during his first ever visit to Gaza after decades of exile, told a mass rally he would never recognise Israel and pledged to "free the land of Palestine inch by inch"

09/12/2012 | World

Netanyahu: Hamas's Gaza jubilation proves Israel is at risk

Hamas's vow to vanquish Israel after claiming "victory" in last month's Gaza conflict vindicates Israel's reluctance to relinquish more land to the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

03/12/2012 | World

Israel says will stick with settlement plan despite European pressure

Israel rejected concerted criticism from Europe over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to expand settlement building after the United Nations' de facto recognition of Palestinian statehood.

04/12/2012 | World

EU considers response to Israeli settlement building plans

European Union states struggled to agree on a common response to Israel's plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, highlighting the divisions within the bloc over how to tackle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

05/12/2012 | World

Netanyahu says Israel still committed to Palestinians peace deal

Israel remains committed to a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today, despite worries among the Jewish state's European allies over its plans to build more settlements.

30/11/2012 | World

Stung by UN defeat, Israel pushes settlement plans

Hours after the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to grant de-facto statehood to Palestine, Israel responded today by announcing it was authorising 3,000 new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

01/12/2012 | World

Hamas complains to Egypt after Israeli army kills Gazan

Hamas accused Israel of violating the shaky, Egyptian-brokered Gaza truce of Nov. 21 after Israeli troops killed a Palestinian taking part in a protest at the enclave's border fence.

01/12/2012 | World

Merkel reaffirms support for Israel after UN vote

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reassured Israel of her country's support, two days after Berlin disappointed the Jewish state by abstaining in a UN vote on the Palestinians' status.

24/11/2012 | World

Hamas leader defiant as Israel eases Gaza curbs

Israel eased restrictions on Gaza fishermen and farmer Palestinian officials said, advancing a three-day-old truce brokered by Egypt after a week of fierce fighting.

25/11/2012 | World

Hezbollah warns of rocket barrage if Israel attacks Lebanon

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel on Sunday that thousands of rockets would rain down on Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities if Israel attacked Lebanon.

29/11/2012 | World

Palestinians win implicit UN recognition of sovereign state

The 193-nation UN General Assembly today overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the world body to issue its long overdue "birth certificate."

21/11/2012 | World

Read: Ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza's Palestinians

Following is the verbatim English text of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza that was reached with Egyptian mediation. The text was distributed by the Egyptian presidency.

22/11/2012 | World

Israel pulls back from Gaza, invasion force intact

Israel began withdrawing the army that had been poised to invade the Gaza Strip to go after Hamas, with both sides declaring they had won their eight-day battle.

23/11/2012 | World

Israeli gunfire kills Gazan near border after truce

Israeli gunfire at the Gaza border killed one Palestinian today and wounded several others, medics said, two days after a ceasefire between the territory's Islamist rulers Hamas and Israel took hold.

21/11/2012 | World

Explosion on Tel Aviv bus leaves 10 wounded

A bomb exploded on a bus in central Tel Aviv today, wounding at least 10 people in what officials said was a terrorist attack that could complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

21/11/2012 | World

Hamas: 'You opened the gates of hell on yourselves'

21/11/2012 | World

Hamas-Israel ceasefire takes hold but mistrust runs deep

A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers took hold today after eight days of conflict, although deep mistrust on both sides cast doubt on how long the Egyptian-sponsored deal can last.

20/11/2012 | World

Israel's military targets 100 sites in Gaza

20/11/2012 | World

Hamas says Gaza truce agreed; Israel, Egypt say no deal yet

20/11/2012 | World

Meeting Clinton, Netanyahu demands 'long-term' Gaza deal

19/11/2012 | World

Hamas: Israel must make first move on ceasefire

19/11/2012 | World

Ban Ki-moon to meet Netanyahu and Abbas after Egypt talks

20/11/2012 | World

World pressure for Gaza truce intensifies as Clinton heads to Israel

The UN chief called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip today and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to the region with a message that escalation of the conflict was in nobody's interest.

17/11/2012 | World

Obama discusses Israel, Palestine violence with Turkey's PM

18/11/2012 | World

Israeli air strike kills 11 civilians in Gaza, Hamas

19/11/2012 | World

Israel says prefers diplomacy but ready to invade Gaza

Israel bombed dozens more targets in the Gaza Strip today and said that, while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end Palestinian rocket fire.

15/11/2012 | World

Rockets hit near Tel Aviv as Gaza death toll rises

Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip targeted Tel Aviv today in the first attack on Israel's commercial capital in 20 years, raising the stakes in a showdown between Israel and the Palestinians that is moving towards all-out war.

16/11/2012 | World

Israel authorises more reservists after rockets target cities

16/11/2012 | World

Egypt: Attacks in Gaza, a 'blatant aggression against humanity'

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi denounced Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip as "a blatant aggression against humanity" and said Cairo "would not leave Gaza on its own", the state news agency MENA reported.

12/11/2012 | World

Israel hits Syrian artillery that fired on Golan

Israel's army fired tank shells into Syria today and scored "direct hits" in response to a Syrian mortar shell that struck the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Israeli military said in a statement.

12/11/2012 | World

Abbas says ready to start talks with Israel after UN upgrade

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas repeated an offer today to restart peace talks with Israel after a UN vote to recognise Palestine as an observer state later this month.

14/11/2012 | World

Top Hamas commander killed in Israeli airstrike, group calls for revenge

Israel killed the military commander of Hamas in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip today, bringing the two sides to the brink of a possible new war.

24/10/2012 | World

Violence surges on Israel-Gaza frontier

Palestinians fired dozens of rockets into Israel from Gaza and an Israeli air strike killed a militant in a surge of violence after the Emir of Qatar embraced the enclave's Hamas leadership with a visit.

28/10/2012 | World

Israel kills Hamas gunman

Israel killed a Hamas gunman it accused of preparing to fire a rocket from the Gaza Strip and a separate Palestinian salvo struck a southern Israeli city, causing no damage.

11/11/2012 | World

Israel says ready to escalate as Hamas joins Gaza clashes

Israel said it was poised to escalate attacks on the Gaza Strip following a surge of rocket and mortar salvoes by Hamas and other factions in the Palestinian enclave.

14/10/2012 | World

Israeli air strikes kill 3 Palestinian militants in Gaza

Israel killed three Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, a day after two men identified as the most senior al Qaeda affiliates in the enclave died in an Israeli air strike as they rode a motorcycle.

20/10/2012 | World

Israel seizes pro-Palestinian activist ship off Gaza

The Israeli navy seized an international pro-Palestinian activist ship in the Mediterranean sea on Saturday to prevent it breaching its blockade of the Gaza Strip, a military spokeswoman said.

22/10/2012 | World

Israeli forces clash with Hamas, kill two gunmen in Gaza foray

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants during an incursion in the northern Gaza Strip that touched off clashes with gunmen from the governing Hamas movement, local officials said.

05/10/2012 | World

Israeli forces kill American gunman in hotel shoot-out

Israeli forces shot dead an American man who opened fire in a seaside hotel packed with tourists today, killing one person.

06/10/2012 | World

Israeli leaders confront political rift as election looms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his defence minister, Ehud Barak, on Saturday to discuss allegations he had undermined the premier during recent trips to the United States, raising further speculation of an early election.

09/10/2012 | World

Netanyahu announces early Israeli election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for an early election, seeking to strengthen his political position after signalling that any military action against Iran could be months away.

27/09/2012 | World

Netanyahu draws 'red line' on Iranian nuclear program

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew his "red line" for Iran's nuclear program - the point at which Iran has amassed nearly enough highly enriched uranium for a single atomic bomb - and voiced confidence that the United States shares his view.

28/09/2012 | World

Obama, Netanyahu seek to get past Iran differences

US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a show of unity on preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, seeking to tone down the acrimony between the two leaders that has become an issue in the final stretch of the US presidential race.

30/09/2012 | World

Israel says Iran economy 'on verge of collapse'

Iran's economy is edging towards collapse due to international sanctions over its controversial nuclear program, Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said.

23/09/2012 | World

Iran commander says could launch pre-emptive strike on Israel

Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state were preparing to attack it, a senior commander of its elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying.

24/09/2012 | World

Ahmadinejad says Israel will be 'eliminated'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad disregarded a UN warning to avoid incendiary rhetoric and declared ahead of the annual General Assembly session that Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated."

25/09/2012 | World

'Door for Israeli-Palestinian peace may be closing,' Ban Ki-moon

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the "door may be closing, for good" on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying the continued growth of Jewish settlements undercuts peace.

20/09/2012 | World

Arab nuclear 'goodwill gesture' fails to impress Israel, US

Arab states said they had decided as a "goodwill gesture" to refrain from targeting Israel with a resolution over its assumed nuclear arsenal at the UN atomic agency's annual assembly this week.

22/09/2012 | World

Iran's Revolutionary Guard says expects Israel to launch war

Israel will eventually go beyond threats and will attack Iran, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Saturday.

23/09/2012 | World

Iran accuses IAEA of passing nuclear secrets to Israel

A senior Iranian lawmaker accused the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog of passing confidential information about Iran's nuclear activities to Israel.

26/08/2012 | World

Israeli rabbi calls for prayers for Iran's destruction

An influential Israeli rabbi has called for prayers for Iran's destruction, a week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to court his support for a possible attack on a nuclear program Israel sees as an existential threat.

05/09/2012 | World

Iran says it treats Israeli military threats as American

Iran makes no distinction between US and Israeli interests and will retaliate against both countries if attacked, an Iranian military commander said.

11/09/2012 | World

Obama, Netanyahu speak, 'united' on Iran

US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program and reaffirmed their united determination to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, the White House said.

17/08/2012 | World

Hezbollah says can kill tens of thousands of Israelis

Hezbollah said it could kill tens of thousands of Israelis by hitting targets with what it described as precision-guided missiles in a declaration that seemed aimed at deterring Israeli strikes on Lebanon or its regional backer Iran.

18/08/2012 | World

EU's Ashton condemns 'hateful' Iran remarks on Israel

The EU foreign policy chief said that comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called Israel a "cancerous tumour" with no place in a future Middle East, were "outrageous and hateful".

24/08/2012 | World

Israel accuses Iran of accelerating work towards atomic weapons

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran today of making "accelerated progress towards achieving nuclear weapons", adding that it was "totally ignoring" Western demands to rein in its atomic programme.

14/08/2012 | World

Netanyahu picks new security minister as Iran strike debated

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose a former security chief as his new civil defense minister amid heightened public debate over a possible strike on Iran.

15/08/2012 | World

Possible war with Iran could be month-long affair, Israel minister

War with Iran would probably turn into a month-long conflict on various fronts with missile strikes on Israeli cities and some 500 dead, Israel's civil defense minister said in an interview published.

17/08/2012 | World

Ahmadinejad says no place for Israel in new Middle East

Many thousands of Iranians shouted "Death to America, death to Israel" during state-organized protests and president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told them there was no place for the Jewish state in a future Middle East.

04/08/2012 | World

Palestinians to renew UN statehood drive next month

The Palestinians will next month renew a bid to upgrade their status at the United Nations, their foreign minister said on Saturday, a move which could strengthen their statehood claims after talks with Israel stalled.

05/08/2012 | World

Eye on Iran and Syria, Israel hardens missile shield

Israel is upgrading its Arrow II ballistic missile shield in a US-backed "race" against Iran, Syria and other regional enemies, a senior Israeli defense official said.

05/08/2012 | World

Islamists kill 15 Egyptians, Israel strikes attackers

Islamist gunmen killed at least 15 Egyptian policemen and seized an army tank in an assault on a Sinai police station near the border with Israel on Sunday, the deadliest attack in the region in at least two decades.

28/07/2012 | World

Sinai Jihadi group says responsible for Israel attack in June

An Islamic Jihadi group based in Egypt's Sinai has posted a video showing it carried out a cross-border attack in June, killing one Israeli at a border barrier construction site and raising doubts over Egypt's security control over the desert peninsula.

29/07/2012 | World

Romney talks tough on Iran during visit to Israel

US Republican candidate Mitt Romney, presenting himself as Israel's best friend in the Nov. 6 presidential election, said that "any and all measures" must be used to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

30/07/2012 | World

Palestinians accuse Romney of undermining peace prospects

Palestinians accused US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney of undermining peace prospects by calling Jerusalem "the capital of Israel", ignoring their own claims to the city and most world opinion.

04/07/2012 | World

Iran says can destroy US bases 'minutes after attack'

Iran has threatened to destroy US military bases across the Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian media reported, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing of ballistic missiles into a third day.

22/07/2012 | World

Shots fired from Egypt at Israeli troops, none hurt

Gunshots fired across the border from Egypt hit an Israeli army bus but caused no casualties, a military spokeswoman said.

24/07/2012 | World

Romney accuses Obama of weakness abroad, leaks

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of weakness in the face of US adversaries and promised he would be firm against Iran and China as he prepares to head overseas to boost his foreign policy credentials.

08/06/2012 | World

Abbas offers Israel dialogue for amnesty, arms

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to hold dialogue with Israel if it freed prisoners and re-armed his police, but there could be no full peace talks without a freeze on West Bank settlements.

20/06/2012 | World

Hamas signals ready for truce after Israel kills 2

Gaza militants said on Wednesday they were ready to sign up to an Egyptian-brokered truce to end three days of cross-border fighting after Israeli air strikes killed a Palestinian militant and a 14-year-old boy.

30/06/2012 | World

Israel holds beauty pageant for Holocaust survivors

A beauty contest for Holocaust survivors stirred deep emotions in Israel, with organizers hailing it an affirmation of life and detractors calling it a macabre spectacle.

23/05/2012 | World

Dig 'proves' Bethlehem existed centuries pre-Jesus

Israeli archaeologists said they had discovered the first physical evidence supporting Old Testament accounts of Bethlehem's existence centuries before the town became revered as the birthplace of Jesus.

29/05/2012 | World

Israel says nuclear talks with Iran 'have achieved nothing'

International nuclear talks with Iran have achieved nothing, a senior Israeli official said, suggesting that some Western nations were happy to see the negotiations drag on.

29/05/2012 | World

Israel to sponsor non-Orthodox rabbis for first time

Israel will pay the salaries of non-Orthodox rabbis for the first time, the Justice Ministry said, a move hailed by reformed Jews as "historic", but one that keeps the Orthodox in control of much of the country's religious services.

22/04/2012 | World

Israel intercepts ship for weapons search

Israeli naval forces intercepted a cargo ship in the Mediterranean on Sunday then boarded the vessel to search for suspected weapons, military officials and media reports said.

08/05/2012 | World

In surprise move, Netanyahu forms unity government

In a surprise move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a unity government today which has been negotiated secretly over the past days and sealed at a private meeting overnight.

14/05/2012 | World

Palestinian inmates agree to end hunger strike

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails agreed to an Egyptian-brokered deal aimed at ending a mass hunger strike that challenged Israel's policy of detention without trial and raised fears of a bloody Palestinian backlash if any protesters died.

19/03/2012 | World

Obama calls Abbas to discuss Middle East peace

US President Barack Obama spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time in six months to discuss the long-stalled Middle East peace process, the White House said.

04/04/2012 | World

Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers to meet

The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers will meet later this month, officials said on Wednesday, but the rare talks may only sharpen differences that have brought peace negotiations to a standstill.

16/04/2012 | World

Palestinians to deliver Netanyahu ultimatum on talks

The Palestinian prime minister plans to use a rare meeting set for Tuesday with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a letter detailing Palestinian grievances on stalled peace talks.

02/03/2012 | World

Obama says he's not bluffing on Iran military option

US President Barack Obama issued his most direct threat yet of US military action against Iran if it builds a nuclear weapon, but in a message to Israel's leader ahead of White House talks he also cautioned against a pre-emptive Israeli strike.

06/03/2012 | World

Netanyahu stands firm on right to attack Iran

Benjamin Netanyahu assured President Barack Obama that Israel has not made any decision on attacking Iran's nuclear sites, sources close to the talks said, but the Israeli prime minister gave no sign of backing away from possible military action.

10/03/2012 | World

Israel kills four more Gaza gunmen, rockets hit Israel

Israel killed four Gaza militants as violence sparked by the death of a militant leader a day earlier escalated with gunmen firing more than 90 rockets at Israel, injuring four people, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

13/02/2012 | World

Bombers target Israeli embassies in India and Georgia; government blames Iran

Bombers targeted staff at Israel's embassies in India and Georgia today, wounding four people, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of being involved in the attacks. Israel had put its foreign missions on especially high alert.

20/02/2012 | World

Obama to meet Netanyahu at White House on March 5

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be in Washington to address the annual policy conference of the influential pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, which will be held on March 4-6.

25/02/2012 | World

Palestinians clash with Israeli troops in West Bank

Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians who threw rocks and firebombs towards them in a West Bank clash that erupted after a funeral for a protester killed a day earlier.

25/01/2012 | World

Israeli-Palestinian talks end with no progress

Israeli-Palestinian talks aimed at reviving peace negotiations ended in Jordan without achieving any progress and President Mahmoud Abbas plans to consult fellow Arabs on his next move, Palestinian officials said.

01/02/2012 | World

UN Ban Ki-moon urges Israeli goodwill gestures to Palestinians

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to offer Palestinians goodwill gestures to keep peace talks alive.

05/02/2012 | World

Obama says risky to attack Iran, wants diplomatic fix

US President Barack Obama said on Sunday there were important risks to consider before any military strike against Iran and made clear he does not want to see more conflict in the oil-producing Gulf region.

02/01/2012 | World

Israelis, Palestinians to meet in Jordan

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet in Jordan alongside international mediators trying to revive their stalled peace talks, but neither side is raising hopes they can end more than a year of deadlock.

03/01/2012 | World

No breakthrough on Mideast peace, talks to go on

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators made no breakthrough during their first high-level discussions in more than a year, but agreed to hold further talks in Amman on a confidential basis, Jordan's foreign minister said.

19/01/2012 | World

Israel arrests Hamas head of Palestinian parliament

Israeli soldiers arrested senior Hamas official, Aziz Dweik, speaker of the Palestinian parliament on suspicion of involvement with terrorist groups, the Israeli military and Hamas said.

25/12/2011 | World

Ancient ‘purity’ seal found near Jerusalem temple site

Israeli archaeologists said today they had found a 2,000-year-old clay seal near Jerusalem's Western Wall, confirming written accounts of ritual practices in the biblical Jewish Temple.

30/12/2011 | World

Israel kills al Qaeda-linked chief in Gaza strike

Israel killed the leader of an al Qaeda-inspired faction in the Gaza Strip, accusing him of involvement in firing rockets and a planned attack on the Jewish state from the neighboring Egyptian Sinai.

01/01/2012 | World

Israel, Palestinians to meet Tuesday; prospects hazy

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet this week after more than a year of deadlocked peacemaking, officials said, but both sides played down prospects of any imminent resumption of talks.

13/11/2011 | World

Israel says Iran closer to atom bomb than thought

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the full extent of Iran's nuclear programme was not reflected in a recent UN report, which said that Tehran appeared to have worked on designing an atomic bomb.

27/11/2011 | World

Saboteurs blow up Egypt gas pipeline to Jordan, Israel

Saboteurs blew up Egypt's gas pipeline to Jordan and Israel, witnesses and security sources said, a few hours before the country holds its first free election since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February.

04/12/2011 | World

Israel asks future Egypt rulers to keep peace deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Egypt's future rulers to preserve a peace treaty with Israel after Islamists took the lead in the Arab country's first round of elections.

05/11/2011 | World

Israel begins deporting Gaza boat activists

Israeli authorities began deporting pro-Palestinian activists who tried to breach the Jewish state's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

08/11/2011 | World

White House says Quartet to meet Israelis, Palestinians next Monday

Envoys of the "Quartet" of Middle East peace mediators will meet separately with Israeli and Palestinian officials on November 14 in Jerusalem, their latest effort to jump-start the stalled peace process, the US State Department said today.

09/11/2011 | World

White House tries to limit Netanyahu 'liar' damage

The White House sought to limit damage to US-Israel relations following revelations that French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel "a liar" in a private conversation with President Barack Obama.

27/10/2011 | World

Egyptians cross home, US -Israeli leaves Egypt in swap

Egyptians crossed the border home today and some bowed down in prayer during a prisoner exchange involving an American-Israeli man who Egypt charged with spying and who was on his way by plane to Tel Aviv.

29/10/2011 | World

Israel kills top militant in Gaza camp attack

Israeli forces attacked an Islamic Jihad camp in the southern Gaza Strip, killing a commander of the Palestinian faction and four other militants, officials on both sides said

01/11/2011 | World

Israel to speed up settlement building in West Bank

Israel decided to accelerate Jewish settlement building and withhold Palestinian Authority funds, moves likely to further hold up international efforts to revive peace talks.

17/10/2011 | World

Israel court gives green light to Shalit swap

A deal between Israel and Hamas to exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was on course for Tuesday after Israel's highest court rejected petitions to block it.

18/10/2011 | World

Israeli soldier Shalit released in mass prisioner swap

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and hundreds of Palestinians crossed Israel's borders in opposite directions as a thousand-for-one prisoner swap brought joy to families but did little to ease decades of conflict.

25/10/2011 | World

Israel gov't approves prisoner swap with Egypt

Israel's security cabinet approved unanimously the freeing of 25 Egyptian prisoners to secure the release of an Israeli-American held by Cairo on suspicion of espionage, the government said.

11/10/2011 | World

Israel, Hamas agree prisoner swap to free Shalit

Israel and Gaza's Hamas Islamist rulers agreed to swap more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit, resolving one of the most emotive and intractable issues between them.

16/10/2011 | World

Israel moves 430 Palestinians near prisoner swap venue

Israel bused 430 Palestinian prisoners under heavy guard to a holding facility in the Negev desert in preparation for them to be exchanged on Tuesday for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, officials said.

17/10/2011 | World

Egypt sees Egypt-Israel prisoner swap soon

Egypt expects to swap US-Israeli dual national Ilan Grapel, detained in June on spying charges, for Egyptian prisoners held in Israel, an Egyptian security source said.

24/09/2011 | World

Abbas sees UN taking weeks, not months on bid

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he expected the Security Council to finish debating his nation's application for full UN membership within weeks, not months.

03/10/2011 | World

Panetta urges Israel, Palestinians to negotiate

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called for "bold action" today from Israeli and Palestinian leaders to achieve peace after cautioning that Israel was becoming increasingly isolated in the Middle East.

11/10/2011 | World

Hamas confirms reaching Gilad Shalit's swap deal with Israel

A spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas confirmed today a prisoner swap deal had been reached with Israel in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit.

18/09/2011 | World

New York meetings open to avert Palestinian crisis

A last-ditch international push began in New York today to try to re-launch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and avert a crisis over Palestinian statehood at the United Nations.

19/09/2011 | World

US urges Turkey to keep door open with Israel

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Turkey to "keep the door open" to better ties with Israel, a US official said, seeking to prevent relations between two US allies from deteriorating further.

19/09/2011 | World

Abbas presses Palestinian UN bid despite warnings

President Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations' top official he would seek full UN membership for a Palestinian state, a move the United States and Israel warn could lead to disaster and shatter chances for resuming peace negotiations.

09/09/2011 | World

Obama concerned about storming of Israel's Cairo embassy

US President Barack Obama is concerned about the storming of the Israeli embassy in Cairo by protesters and told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States is taking steps to help resolve the situation without further violence, the White House said in a statement.

09/09/2011 | World

Egyptians attack Israel embassy, ambassador said to flee

Hundreds of Egyptians stormed the building housing Israel's mission in Cairo and threw embassy documents and its national flag from windows, while airport sources said that Israel's envoy was set to fly out of the country.

10/09/2011 | World

Egypt vows to try those who targeted Israel mission

Egypt's army rulers vowed today to try those behind the violence that drove Israel to evacuate its ambassador from Cairo, struggling to contain public fury against the Jewish state while fending off US criticism

19/08/2011 | World

Israel-Gaza violence intensifies after gun attacks

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas outposts in Gaza and Palestinians fired rockets into southern Israel as violence escalated following deadly gun attacks along Israel's porous border with Egypt.The first of more than 20 dead were eight Israelis killed on Thursday in assaults on a normally tranquil desert road.

22/08/2011 | World

Israel and Hamas agree Gaza truce

Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, agreed to a ceasefire after five days of cross-border violence, officials said.

01/09/2011 | World

UN panel's report says Gaza blockade was legal

A long-awaited UN report on an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound ship that killed nine Turks declares that Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip was legal but that the Jewish state used unreasonable force.

22/06/2011 | World

Israeli cabinet test nuclear bunker to prepare for a possible missile war

Israeli leaders holed up in a new underground nuclear bunker today as part of annual nationwide maneuvers to prepare for a possible missile war with Iran, Syria and their Lebanese and Palestinian guerrilla allies.

27/06/2011 | World

Israel backs away from threat to flotilla reporters

Israel backtracked today on a threat to bar foreign journalists from entering the country for 10 years if they board a new international aid flotilla that plans to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

08/07/2011 | World

Israel must apologise to normalise ties, Turkish PM says

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said it was "unthinkable" to normalise ties with Israel unless the Jewish state apologised for the killing of nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists aboard a Turkish ship bound for Gaza last year.

22/05/2011 | World

Obama seeks to soothe Israel on Mideast vision

President Barack Obama sought to soothe Israeli fury over his new Middle East peace proposals by making clear that the Jewish state would likely be able to keep some settlements in any final deal with the Palestinians.

24/05/2011 | World

Netanyahu says will give up some land for peace

Israel is prepared to make "painful compromises" for peace with the Palestinians, including the handover of land they seek for a state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the US Congress.

06/06/2011 | World

Israel sees Syrian hand in Golan clashes, death toll reaches 23

Israel accused Syria today of orchestrating lethal confrontations on the once-quiet ceasefire line between the two countries as a distraction from Damascus's bloody crackdown on an 11-week-old revolt. Syria said 23 people, including a woman and a child, were killed.

28/04/2011 | World

Surprise Palestinian unity deal challenges Israel

Israel said a Palestinian unity deal would sabotage prospects for peace and stemmed from panic by Hamas and Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas over popular uprisings in Syria and Egypt.

15/05/2011 | World

Israel-Palestinian violence erupts on three borders

Israeli troops shot Palestinian protesters who surged toward its frontiers with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, killing at least 13 people on the day Palestinians mourn the establishment of Israel in 1948.

20/05/2011 | World

Israel's Netanyahu rejects Obama proposal on borders

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly told President Barack Obama his vision for the borders of a future Palestinian state would leave the Jewish state with an "indefensible" frontier.

23/03/2011 | World

Bombing near Jerusalem bus stop kills woman, 30 hurt

A bomb planted in a bag exploded near a bus stop in a Jewish district of Jerusalem, killing a woman and injuring at least 30 people, in an attack police blamed on Palestinian militants.

25/03/2011 | World

Gates becomes first US Defense Secretary to visit West Bank

Robert Gates became the first US Defense Secretary to visit the West Bank, meeting Palestinian leaders keenly aware of every little nod to their hopes of achieving statehood.

26/03/2011 | World

Gaza rockets hit Israel after lull in violence

Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in Israel after a brief lull in violence along a frontier where tension has risen this week.

18/02/2011 | World

US vetoes UN draft condemning Israeli settlements

The United States vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory after the Palestinians refused to withdraw the Arab-drafted text.

19/02/2011 | World

Palestinians will not spurn US despite veto, Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would continue to cooperate with the United States despite Washington's veto of a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements on occupied land.

06/03/2011 | World

Israel plans work at contested Jerusalem holy site

.Israel has given preliminary approval for renovations at a contested holy site in East Jerusalem where rebuilding has triggered violence in the past, a city official said.

13/12/2010 | World

Netanyahu says welcomes shift in US peace effort

"I welcome this American decision. It is good for Israel. It is good for peace," Netanyahu, who resisted US, Palestinian and international calls for a construction moratorium, told an economic forum hours before the arrival of a US peace envoy.

02/01/2011 | World

Israeli troops kill Palestinian at West Bank checkpoint

Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian who approached them at a West Bank checkpoint holding a bottle, the Israeli military and Palestinian officials said.

08/01/2011 | World

Israel envoy to discuss reviving peace talks in US

An envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington next week to discuss ways to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

07/01/2011 | Latin America

Chile joins peers in recognizing Palestinian state

Chile said it had recognized a Palestinian state, joining an endorsement by Latin American peers the United States has called premature and Israel has warned is harmful to the Middle East peace process.

23/11/2012 | Sports

Bilbao's match in Israel to go ahead next week

The Europa League match between Hapoel Kiryat Shmona and Athletic Bilbao, postponed on Thursday for security reasons, has been rescheduled for next Wednesday, UEFA said in a statement today.

12/04/2011 | Entertainment

Justin Bieber under siege in Israel

Justin Bieber is not getting much spiritual peace on his eagerly anticipated visit to Israel.The Canadian teen idol bitterly complained  that paparazzi had ruined his visits to holy sites, saying on Twitter that he was "super frustrated" by the intrusions.

15/05/2011 | Entertainment

Israeli university awards $1 million to the Coen brothers

An Israeli university awarded Oscar-winning filmmaker brothers Joel and Ethan Coen a million-dollar prize, as the duo made their first visit to a country their mother had long urged them to see.