Category: Middle East

Letter: U.S. veto an insult to Israel

Letter: U.S. veto an insult to Israel President Obama did not just “rebuke” Israel, but metaphorically spit in the face of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Check out this story on northjersey.com: http://northjersy.news/2iKOS85 When the United States abstained on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, President Barack Obama did not just “rebuke” Israel, but metaphorically spit in the face of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israelis and supporters of Israel everywhere.

Russian air strikes target IS around Syria’s al-Bab – Turkish military

ANKARA: Russian aircraft have carried out three air strikes on Islamic State around the Syrian town of al-Bab over the past 24 hours, the Turkish military said on Friday, in what appeared to be the first Russian support for Turkish army operations in the area. The strikes came as a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides in the conflict, got off to a shaky start at midnight.

Britain criticises focus on Israel settlements after Kerry speech

The British government on Thursday said peace between Israel and the Palestinians cannot be brokered by focusing solely on settlement construction, following a stern warning over the practice by US Secretary of State John Kerry. British Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesperson said Britain supports a two-state solution and believes the construction of settlements on Palestinian lands is illegal.

Relations between Obama and Netanyahu administrations hit new low

It took eight years of backbiting and pretending they got along for relations between President Barack Obama ‘s administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s government to finally hit rock bottom. Though they’ve clashed bitterly before, mostly notably over Iran, the two governments seemed further apart than ever after a speech Wednesday by Secretary of State John Kerry and last week’s United Nations resolution.

Cease-fire begins in war-ravaged Syria

A Syrian shopkeeper waits for customers next to paintings of of President Bashar Assad, and Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, center, at the Souk Tawil market in Damascus, Syria. BEIRUT – A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey went into effect in war-ravaged Syria tonight, a potential breakthrough in the six years of fighting that have left more than a quarter-million people dead and triggered a refugee crisis across Europe.

Fate of Syria Cease-fire Unclear

Osama Abu Zaid, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army rebel alliance, shows the text of the agreement about a cease-fire between Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government during a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 29, 2016. Much remains unclear about the nationwide Syrian cease-fire Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday – a truce that Moscow says can pave the way for Russian-brokered talks on a settlement of the five-year-long war.

Ita s Not Over!Exclusive: Obama, Palestinians Plotting More Anti-Israel Action

The Palestinian Authority has been in contact with the Obama administration and European countries about the possibility of taking more UN action on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before President Obama leaves office next month, a senior PA official told Breitbart Jerusalem. The official said the UN action could come in the form of declarations by UN bodies, including the General Assembly; UN sessions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; or even another United Nations Security Council resolution.

De Blasio isn’t jumping to defend Israel after UN vote :0

Mayor de Blasio – who has repeatedly cast himself as a fierce defender of Israel – refused Thursday to take a position on the UN resolution condemning the Jewish State for expanding its settlements . “I don’t really know what I think about the details of the resolution,” the mayor said at an unrelated press conference in Times Square.

Russia-Turkey cease-fire deal offers new hope for Syria

” The cease-fire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey and approved by the Syrian government and some of its most powerful rebel opponents is a potential turning point in the Syrian civil war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and laid waste to huge parts of the country over the past six years. Thursday’s announcement comes days after government forces recaptured the northern city of Aleppo, scoring its most symbolic and strategic victory in the conflict.

U of T, McGill University rank in top five of North America’s…

Members of the Jewish Defense League protest a public forum on Israel apartheid featuring Jenny Peto at the University of Toronto, Tuesday January 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ont. Israeli supporters overlook the main floor of York University’s Vari Hall as pro-Israel and pro-Palestine supporters divide the space down the centre while holding countering rallies at the school, Thursday afternoon, February 12, 2009 in Toronto.

Chuck Schumer tears into John Kerry over Israel speech that ’emboldened extremists on both sides’

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s admonishment of Israeli settlements on Wednesday did not sit well with a key member of his own party: incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. The Obama administration’s decision to harangue Israel for allegedly complicating the Middle East peace process angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the 70-minute speech also irked the powerful senator from New York.

Russia: Syria ceasefire deal reached

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a ceasefire between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian state media TASS reports. “Reports have just arrived that several hours ago there was a development that we all have looked and worked for for so long,” Putin said.

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Boxing legend Don King stood beside President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday to discuss the relationship between Israel and the United States. “You all know Don King? Who doesn’t know Don King,” the President-elect asked reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Iraqi forces launch second phase of Mosul offensive against ISIL

Iraqi security forces on Dec. 29 began the second phase of their offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants in Mosul, pushing from three directions into eastern districts where the battle has been deadlocked for nearly a month. Since the offensive to capture Mosul began 10 weeks ago, counter-terrorism forces have retaken a quarter of the city, the jihadists’ last major stronghold in Iraq, but their advance has been slow and troops on other fronts have made little progress.

Turkey to raise minimum wage by 8 percent to 1,400 liras

Turkey will raise the monthly minimum wage by 8 percent to 1,404 Turkish liras , Labor Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said at a press conference on Dec. 29 in Ankara, a level that trade unions did not welcome. “The minimum wage in Turkey is increasing from 1,300 Turkish liras per month to 1,404 liras per month, as of 2017, after we reached an agreement with stakeholders,” he said.

Mosul fight resumes after two-week lull

Iraqi security forces on Thursday resumed an offensive to rid eastern Mosul from the Islamic State after a two-week pause, an Iraqi army official said. Iraqi officials brought in reinforcements to aid the Iraqi army, police and elite counter-terrorism forces during the pause in the offensive.

Why I Call BS On US Claims “Gang-Up On Israel” Meeting Never Took Place

The White House vehemently denied a report Wednesday morning claiming Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice discussed the controversial U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements with a top Palestinian official days before Friday’s Security Council vote. An Egyptian news site first published what it claimed to be details of the meeting with Palestinian official Saeb Erekat and others.

Iraqi forces in Mosul reinforced, new push against IS soon

Iraqi forces stalled for weeks on the edges of Mosul have been bolstered by reinforcements and are now ready, along with elite special forces, to launch a stepped up, three-pronged assault against Islamic State group militants in the city’s eastern sector, ending a two-week lull in fighting, a top Iraqi general told The Associated Press. The planned assault aims in part to overcome stiff resistance by the militants that has slowed advances in the more than 2-month-old offensive to recapture the northern city, the last main bastion of the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Iraqi forces in Mosul reinforced, new push against IS soon

Iraqi forces stalled for weeks on the edges of Mosul have been bolstered by reinforcements and are now ready, along with elite special forces, to launch a stepped up, three-pronged assault against Islamic State group militants in the city’s eastern sector, ending a two-week lull in fighting, a top Iraqi general told The Associated Press. The planned assault aims in part to overcome stiff resistance by the militants that has slowed advances in the more than 2-month-old offensive to recapture the northern city, the last main bastion of the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Julie Bishop backs Israel rather than the US over UN resolution

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Julie Bishop backs Israel rather than the US over UN resolution

Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer View text version of this page Help using this website – Accessibility statement Join today and you can easily save your favourite articles, join in the conversation and comment, plus select which news your want direct to your inbox. Join today and you can easily save your favourite articles, join in the conversation and comment, plus select which news your want direct to your inbox.

Kerry condemns growth of Israeli settlements

Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday harshly criticized Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying that their growth threatens to destroy the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said the United States was obliged to allow passage of a UN resolution condemning the activity in order to preserve the possibility of peace.

Trump tweets gives a glimpse into foreign policy approach

President-elect Donald Trump has used Twitter – his preferred means of communication – to weigh in on a swath of foreign policy issues over the past few weeks. His comments give glimpse into how his incoming administration will deal with pressing foreign matters – but also highlight how reactionary comments on social media can immediately spur international concern and attention.

a Kerry’s Mideast Plan – Impossible’

The Israeli-Palestinian negotiating formula proposed during a speech Wednesday by lame-duck Secretary of State John Kerry is “impossible and does not correspond with reality,” Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely stated. “The formula proposed by Secretary Kerry is impossible and does not correspond with reality.

The Latest: Israeli envoy says UN vote an act against Israel

In this July 14, 2015 file photo, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem. Some suburban Philadelphia high school alumni say theyA’ve sent a 1960s yearbook to one of their most famous classmates, Netanyahu.

Abbas: Stop building and peace talks can resume

Hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech on the Middle East peace process , Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday again imposed conditions on peace talks. Abbas, reacting to Kerry’s remarks, said he was ready to resume peace efforts with Israel if it stops “settlement building”.

Secretary of State John Kerry: Two-state solution in Middle East in ‘serious jeopardy’

With less than a month left in office, Secretary of State John Kerry laid out the Obama administration’s vision for Middle East peace Wednesday, offering a framework for a deal between Israelis and Palestinians. Kerry defended the United States’ decision to abstain from a vote on – and not veto – a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as one aimed at “preserving the two-state solution” and offered a stinging rebuke of Israeli settlement policy as he promoted a two-state solution to the conflict, which he called “the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Pushing back on Israel, Kerry defends Obama’s UN vote

Stepping into a raging diplomatic argument, Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday staunchly defended the Obama administration’s decision to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal and warned that Israel’s very future as a democracy is at stake. Kerry, pushing back on Israel’s fury at the U.S. abstention of the United Nations vote, questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s true commitment to Palestinian statehood, which has formed the basis for all serious peace talks for years.

A rare visit to the Raqqa front line shows how near – and far – the defeat of ISIS remains

“Raqqa we are coming” say the words spray-painted in Kurdish at the entrance to this empty little town, which lies on the front line of a U.S.-backed advance toward the Islamic State’s capital. The city of Raqqa is 17 miles away, a tantalizingly short hop to the place showcased in the militants’ propaganda videos as an Islamist utopia, where the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels were planned and where, U.S. officials warn, new plots against the West are being forged.