RAANANA, Israel (AP) — The charismatic new leader of Israel‘s Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister’s party, according to polls ahead of Jan. 22 elections, and if the trend continues, the high-tech millionaire and former commando could emerge as a powerful voice opposing Palestinian statehood. Though Naftali Bennett, the 40-year-old son of American immigrants, is a classic … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The black-and-white photos show masses of people yearning for independence, celebrating a vote recognizing a state in Palestine. It was a day that generations of pupils would be taught to remember with reverence: Nov. 29. The jubilant revelers were Jews, the year was 1947, and the vote was held in the United Nations General Assembly. The Palestinians … Read More
JERUSALEM — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak abruptly quit politics Monday, potentially robbing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a key ally who enabled his hard-line government to present a moderate face to the world. Netanyahu’s party picked a young, more hawkish list of candidates in its primary election on Monday. Barring another comeback by the mercurial former general, Barak’s departure … Read More
SDEROT, Israel (AP) — In this southern Israeli town, which has lived for nearly 13 years under the constant threat of rocket attacks from Gaza, there is little joy over a new cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers: Schools remain closed, traffic is sparse and hope is hard to find. The working-class residents of Sderot have seen previous lulls … Read More
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seeks to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas after a week of heavy fighting. The AP’s Aron Heller reports for KFWB Radio (Los Angeles) from Jerusalem. [url href=”https://www.aronheller.com/articles/southern-israelis-disappointed-by-gaza-cease-fire/”] [url href=”http://audioboo.fm/boos/1071172-kfwb-q-a-nov-21-2012-2?utm_campaign=detailpage&utm_content=retweet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter” content=”Listen to Report” target=external]
JERUSALEM (AP) —Throughout his long political career, Israel’s prime minister has earned a reputation as a tough talker. An ardent hawk who wrote a book about how to defeat terrorism, Benjamin Netanyahu has previously threatened to attack Iran, topple Gaza’s Hamas leaders and strike hard at Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. But only now, after seven years in power, he has … Read More
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) _ After days of incessant rocket fire, the largest city in southern Israel has been turned into a ghost town. Schools are closed, stores are shuttered and normally bustling streets are empty. Aside from emergency errands, residents avoid the outdoors and hunker down in their homes around the clock. Yet they still insist the military should carry on … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) _ With pinpoint airstrikes on militant targets in the Gaza Strip and Iranian-made rockets flying deep into Israel, the current conflagration between Israel and Hamas reflects the vast changes that have taken place on the battlefield in just four years. Israel, armed with precise intelligence and newly developed munitions, has carried out hundreds of surgical airstrikes in a campaign … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Leehee Goldenberg was having lunch at an outdoor cafe in Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest metropolis, when an air-raid siren wailed. She and other diners knew the drill: They dashed inside the coffee shop and kept away from the windows. Then, from a distance, came the boom. Minutes later, everyone was back outdoors, chatting loudly. “It’s … Read More
Israel pounds Gaza as Hamas fires deep into Israel in the worst case of violence in four years. The AP’s Aron Heller reports for KFWB Radio (Los Angeles) from Jerusalem. [url href=”https://www.aronheller.com/articles/israeli-airstrike-kills-hamas-military-chief-sets-off-offensive/”] [url href=”http://audioboo.fm/boos/1062364-kfwb-interview-on-israel-gaza-violence” content=”Listen to Report” target=external]
Palestinian militants barraged Israel with nearly 150 rockets on Thursday, killing three people as Israel pressed a punishing campaign of airstrikes on militant targets across the Gaza Strip. The AP’s Aron Heller reports from Jerusalem. [url href=”https://www.aronheller.com/articles/analysis-israeli-gaza-offensive-looks-to-be-brief/”] [url href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWekKX5aqME&feature=plcp” content=”Watch the Video” target=external]
JERUSALEM (AP) — The major operation Israel launched to stop Gaza rocket fire bears some striking similarities to a punishing three-week campaign it unleashed against Hamas militants four years ago. Both began with a sudden series of airstrikes that caught Hamas off guard, included a threat to invade the coastal strip and came shortly after an American election and before … Read More
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel killed the commander of the Hamas military wing in one of some 20 airstrikes on the Gaza Strip Wednesday, the worst barrage on the Palestinian territory in four years in retaliation for renewed rocket fire on southern Israel. Gaza’s health minister said 10 people were killed, two of them young children. The Israeli … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel acknowledged Thursday it killed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s deputy in a 1988 raid in Tunisia, lifting a nearly 25-year veil of secrecy and allowing a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of its secret operations. One of the commandos was disguised as a woman on a romantic vacation, and one of the weapons was hidden in … Read More
JERUSALEM—He’s been Israel’s prime minister, military chief, the country’s most decorated soldier and, for the past five years, its defense minister and moderate face to the West. Now Ehud Barak’s long and distinguished career might be coming to an end. He is unpopular with the public, and polls predict his Independence Party will barely make it into parliament in the … Read More