The US secretary of state has seemed more engaged than either side during eight months of bickering and brinkmanship It is a truism of the Middle East that the US cannot be more invested in the peace process than the sides themselves. But with the current round of peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis on the brink of collapse, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, it seems, has fallen foul...
Agent held since 1985 could be freed in deal to persuade Israel to press on with a planned release of Palestinian prisoners Jonathan Pollard, serving a life sentence in a US jail for spying for Israel, could be released as part of a putative "grand bargain" to breathe new life into the stalled Middle East peace process. Speculation that Pollard's release was being seriously considered by...
Opposition leader suggested only 'some settlement' was illegal, a shift in Labor's position Bishop George Browning has written to Bill Shorten calling on him to clarify Labor policy on Israeli settlements in the West Bank after the opposition leader suggested to the Zionist Federation that only some settlement activity was illegal. If accurate, these comments would amount to a serious distortion of...
US trying to convince Palestinians to prolong talks beyond deadline and Israel to release fourth tranche of prisoners The US secretary of state, John Kerry, was flying back to the Middle East for the second time in a week on Monday as the latest round of peace negotiations with Israeli and Palestinian leaders appeared to have reached a make-or-break point. Amid a flurry of intense diplomatic contacts...
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert is found guilty of bribery charges by a Tel Aviv court on Monday. The charges relate to a luxury property deal in Jerusalem and he could face a jail sentence. Ehud Olmert leaves after hearing the guilty verdict, but speaking outside the court his lawyer Eli Zohar tells reporters they are considering whether to appeal...
Former prime minister convicted of bribery over Hoyland apartments property deal while he was mayor of Jerusalem An Israeli court has convicted former prime minister Ehud Olmert of bribery, over his ties to a property deal while in his previous post of mayor of Jerusalem mayor, which is likely to end any prospect of a political comeback. Olmert, a centrist internationally credited with pursuing peace...
Big hitters stress Israel backing to Republican Jewish Coalition Billionaire Sheldon Adelson donated more than $90m in 2012 Two of the highest-profile Republican state governors on Saturday called for more aggressive leadership on America's challenges abroad, emphasising their support for Israel as they courted powerful Jewish donors. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Wisconsin Governor Scott...
Scott Anderson's account of the Arab revolt and the life of TE Lawrence is both scholarly and highly readable A certain type of Englishman reveres Arab culture and Islamic finery. Wilfred Thesiger, the explorer, loved to wear the gorgeous flowing robes of the Marsh Arabs; Rory Stewart , the Arabist and Tory MP, has travelled manfully through the Punjab wearing a Pakistani shalwar kameez suit and turban....
General Martin Dempsey meets Israeli defence minister Peace talks hit snag over terms of Israeli prisoner release The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, on Sunday began his visit to Israel , at a time of heightened tensions with Israel's defence minister. Dempsey and Moshe Yaalon tried to portray business as usual, weeks after Yaalon angered US officials. Also on Sunday,...
Martin Dempsey, joint chiefs of staff chairman, flies to Israel Defence minister Moshe Yaalon ridiculed US foreign policy The United States' top military officer will visit Israel next week, and will meet the defence minister who has angered Washington by criticising its strategies in the Middle East and Ukraine. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, will meet Israeli defence...
If Israel really is serious about peace, it will release Bargouti the one man uniquely placed to negotiate an agreement The death of Nelson Mandela reminds us that often the first step towards the resolution of a conflict is the release from prison of a national leader who has the authority to unite, negotiate and resolve. Marwan Barghouti has been in jail since 15 April 2002 when Israeli security...
Talk of releasing jailed Fatah leader has emerged as part of tit-for-tat demands from the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships In her suite of offices in a modern block in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the wife of Marwan Barghouti, the most prominent of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, considers the significance of the latest efforts to seek his release. Fadwa Barghouti has been here before....
Meeting comes hours after Arab League releases statement saying it will never recognise Israel as a 'Jewish state' Amid fears the stalled Middle East peace talks are heading towards collapse, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, travelled to Amman on Wednesdayfor urgent consultations with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Kerry arrived in the Jordanian capital hours after an Arab League summit...
Israel's hardline foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman who suggested the controversial idea is seeking secret legal advice Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has commissioned a confidential legal opinion that argues it would be legal under international law to transfer Arab-Israeli citizens to a new Palestinian state by shifting the border. The internal foreign ministry document, leaked to...
University director Jake Lynch is accused by legal centre Shurat HaDin of unlawful discrimination Michael Safi ...
Fugitive Hamas fighter among the dead after raid on Jenin house amid growing tensions over faltering peace talks Four Palestinians, including a fugitive member of the military wing of Hamas, have been killed by Israeli forces in a shootout in the town of Jenin in one of the most serious incidents on the West Bank in recent months. The deaths occurred amid growing tensions in the runup to the April...
From Syria to Turkey to Lebanon, exiled Palestinians haven't surrendered – they are raising the flag for a return to their home The only thing heard nowadays about the majority of the Palestinian people – those made refugees in the Nakba of 1948 – is that they must consider themselves and their fate entirely forfeited. Surrendering their right to return to the place they were expelled from – the most...
Royal Institute of British Architects proposes boycott of Israeli Association of United Architects' over Palestinian settlements Britain's leading architectural association has called for its Israeli counterpart to be excluded from the International Union of Architects in protest at Israel's occupation of Palestine, in a further indication of the growing momentum of the boycott movement. The Royal...
Air raids targeting Syrian army HQ kill one solider and wound seven – in response to ambush of Israeli paratroopers Israeli air force jets bombed Syrian army positions near the town of Quneitra in the early hours of Wednesday, killing one soldier and wounding seven, as analysts warned of the danger of the country's armed forces being sucked further into its northern neighbour's conflict. During the...
Air raids on Syrian positions were in retaliation for roadside bombing a day earlier, say Israeli authorities ...