WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday released a video of a closed meeting in which senior Gulf Arab officials play down the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, defend Israel’s right to defend itself, and describe Iran as the greatest threat to regional peace. The video, bearing the insignia of Netanyahu’s office, gave a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes … Read More
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Mideast conference in Poland that started Wednesday offers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an opportunity to flaunt in public what he has long boasted about happening behind the scenes — his country’s improved relations with some Gulf Arab nations. Several Gulf dignitaries are expected to attend in a potential show of force against uninvited Iran. … Read More
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Israel’s prime minister on Wednesday sent out a belligerent rallying cry to his Arab partners at a U.S.-backed Mideast conference, saying he planned to focus on the “common interest” of confronting Iran. Netanyahu made the comments during an off-the-cuff interview with reporters on a Warsaw street, shortly after meeting Oman’s foreign minister. He has long used … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Seeking re-election under a cloud of criminal investigations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks to be channeling his inner Donald Trump in an angry campaign against perceived domestic enemies. Drawing clear inspiration from Trump, Netanyahu’s Likud party has plastered huge billboards of the two leaders together and launched a Trump-like weekly webcast to counter what it calls … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warm welcome to Lithuania’s prime minister marks his latest embrace of an eastern European leader who has offered strong political support while promoting a distorted image of the Holocaust. Lithuania is among a slew of former communist nations swept up in a wave of World War II-era revisionism that seeks to diminish … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Retired Israeli military chief Benny Gantz on Tuesday launched his campaign to be prime minister, presenting himself as a moderate alternative to Benjamin Netanyahu with a message of unity at home, a search for peace and a tough line against the country’s many enemies. Gantz, a tall, telegenic ex-general with salty hair, delivered his keynote … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Delek Drilling and its U.S. partner, Noble Energy, said Sunday the foundation of their rig for the Leviathan gas field has arrived, in the first stage of an ambitious project they say will wean Israel off coal and revolutionize its economy by turning it into an energy exporter. The foundation, known as the platform jacket, is … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — As the world commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on International Holocaust Remembrance Day Sunday, death camp survivor Cipora Feivlovich marks her own personal milestone as she turns 92. Feivlovich has spent her most recent birthdays recounting to audiences in Israel and Germany her harrowing experiences in the camp, where her parents, brother and best … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — A decade after discovering natural gas fields off its Mediterranean coast, Israel is starting to feel the geopolitical boost. Its newfound riches have fostered economic bonds with its neighbors, tightening relations with Arab allies, and built new bridges in a historically hostile region — even without significant progress being made toward peace with the Palestinians. Last week’s … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s new military chief took office Tuesday, pledging to lead a “lethal, efficient and innovative army” into the future as it faces grave challenges along its borders. Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi’s inauguration comes shortly after the military’s announcement that it has successfully completed its operation to destroy a network of cross-border tunnels dug by the militant group … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday confirmed that Israel has struck hundreds of Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria, including a weapons facility in a weekend airstrike, as the military announced the discovery of a sixth and final tunnel dug by the Lebanese militant group for cross-border attacks. The statements marked a rare, public acknowledgement of Israeli … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s internal security service said Wednesday it was prepared to thwart any foreign intervention in the upcoming elections, after its director warned such efforts were being made by a world power, with suspicions falling on Russia. The unusual Shin Bet statement followed a TV report that Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman recently told a closed audience that … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been awarded Israel’s 2019 Genesis Prize in recognition of his philanthropy and commitment to combatting anti-Semitism, organizers of the prize announced on Wednesday. The $1 million award, widely known as the “Jewish Nobel” prize, is granted each year to a person recognized as an inspiration to the next generation of … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Barring a devastating legal ruling against him in a series of corruption allegations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks to be cruising toward re-election and a historic fifth term in office after the upcoming April 9 vote. Part of his longevity is due to Israel’s splintered electoral system, which allows him to rule with just a quarter … Read More