ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — From the Israeli captain’s emotional greeting in Arabic upon takeoff in Tel Aviv, to the warm Emirati reception on the ground in scorching Abu Dhabi, it was obvious this was no typical flight. Monday’s El Al flight LY971 marked the first-ever direct flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates, placing a significant stamp on … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — For eager Israelis, anticipation is mounting that Dubai’s glitzy Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, will soon join the ranks of the Pyramids in Egypt and the ancient ruins in Jordan’s Petra as a once-forbidden destination now within reach. Last week, the United Arab Emirates said it would establish full diplomatic ties with Israel, which would make … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz, agreed to form an “emergency” government in May after three bitter and deadlocked election campaigns, the goal was to stabilize Israeli politics in the face of a global pandemic. But less than 100 days later, their fractious coalition government could be headed toward collapse as Israel grapples … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The 1972 Munich Olympics were marked by historic achievements and unprecedented controversy but will be forever defined by devastating catastrophe. In hosting the 1972 Munich Games, West Germany was eager to erase the stain of the 1936 Games in Berlin that came to symbolize a paragon of Nazi propaganda. Munich introduced the first-ever Olympic mascot, … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Just before heading to sleep on Sept. 4, 1972, Israeli Olympic racewalker Shaul Ladany lent his alarm clock to wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg, a fellow Israeli delegation member known by his nickname “Muni,” who had an early morning practice to run. Ladany, a reserve artillery officer in the Israeli army who said he could “sleep … Read More
RAANANA, Israel (AP) — Israel’s returning ambassador to the United Nations affirmed the country’s bond with the Trump administration Tuesday, dismissing notions that Israel would pay a price for its tight ties to the divisive president should he be defeated in November. In his first comprehensive interview since returning from the diplomatic posting, Danny Danon said he was relieved that … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — In attending his first-ever public protest, 34-year-old Nimrod Gross arrived with the only prop he felt reflected him — the blue-and-white Israeli flag. The former combat soldier and current tour guide and after-school science teacher had seen his monthly income plunge to around $500 as a result of the harsh economic fallout from the coronavirus. A centrist … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s largely ceremonial president lashed out Thursday at squabbling members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s so-called unity government, beseeching them to quit bickering at a time of national emergency and stop floating the prospect of yet another “terrible” election campaign. Reuven Rivlin’s tweet comes amid a wave of angry protests against Netanyahu for his perceived mismanagement of … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — With an unprecedented new surge in coronavirus cases battering Israel’s economy, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants was dispatched to a TV studio recently to calm the nerves of a jittery nation. Instead, he dismissed expressions of some of the public’s economic pain as “BS.” The flippant comment by Cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi is symptomatic … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — As scandal-plagued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands trial for corruption, his 28-year-old son has emerged as a driving force in a counterattack against critics and the state institutions prosecuting the longtime Israeli leader. A favorite of the prime minister’s nationalistic base and far right leaders around the world, Yair Netanyahu has become a fixture in the news, clashing with … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Unlike many of his fellow Israeli generals, Amir Haskel wasn’t looking to politics in retirement. After 32 years in the Israeli Air Force, he became a Holocaust researcher and was satisfied with publishing books, leading student delegations to former concentration camps in Poland and spending time with his four children and six grandchildren. But as Israel’s prime … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s latest hit TV series takes the viewers straight into the heart of the country’s archenemy Iran. “Tehran” tells the story of Tamar Rabinyan, a young Mossad operative tasked with hacking into and disabling an Iranian nuclear reactor so the Israeli military can carry out an airstrike. But when the mission goes wrong, the agent goes … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The U.N. envoy for the Middle East warned Israel on Thursday that carrying out its plans to annex parts of the West Bank could set of a spasm of violence that would upend Israeli-Palestinian relations and reverberate across the region. Speaking to a group of foreign correspondents in Jerusalem, Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N. special coordinator for the … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli top model Bar Refaeli signed a plea bargain agreement with authorities on Tuesday to settle a long-standing tax evasion case against her and her family. The deal will require Refaeli to serve nine months of community service while her mother, Zipi, will be sent to prison for 16 months. The two are also ordered to pay … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s national cyber chief Thursday officially acknowledged the country had thwarted a major cyber attack last month against its water systems, an assault widely attributed to arch-enemy Iran, calling it a “synchronized and organized attack” aimed at disrupting key national infrastructure. Yigal Unna did not mention Iran directly, nor did he comment on the alleged Israeli retaliation … Read More