Israel – News Stories About Israel - Page 76

Jan 21, 2009 10:17 AM CST

Israel Probes Phosphorus Use in Gaza

Admits deadly shells may have hit civilian areas, violating law

(Newser) - Under pressure from the international community, Israel has admitted its troops might have inappropriately used white phosphorus in attacks on Gaza, and has launched an investigation. International law only permits the caustic chemical for creating smokescreens in troop areas, which wouldn’t explain hits on United Nations facilities in Gaza,...

Israelis Near Gaza See Slim— or No—Victory

Jan 21, 2009 8:18 AM CST

Israelis Near Gaza See Slim— or No—Victory

Residents still fear rockets, think war should have continued

(Newser) - When Israel began its raid of the Gaza Strip three weeks ago, the government said its goal was to end rocket attacks and sniper fire into the country's south. Polls show that most Israelis supported the war, despite the staggering civilian casualties. But in interviews with farmers and other residents...

Israel Completes
Gaza Withdrawal

Jan 21, 2009 7:48 AM CST

Israel Completes Gaza Withdrawal

(Newser) - The last Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip before dawn today, the military said, as Israel dispatched its foreign minister to Europe in a bid to rally international support to end arms smuggling into the Hamas-ruled territory. The timing of the pullout reflected Israeli hopes to defuse the Gaza crisis...

Gaza Faces Years
of Reconstruction

ANALYSIS

Jan 20, 2009 8:34 AM CST

Gaza Faces Years of Reconstruction

Blockade, destroyed tunnels make rebuilding nearly impossible

(Newser) - Now that the guns have fallen silent in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave faces what might be the most difficult reconstruction project in recent history, writes Patrick Cockburn in the Independent. Rebuilding in the densely populated zone will face two major obstacles: the economic blockade by Israel and Egypt, and the...

Mitchell Considered
for Mideast Post

Jan 19, 2009 1:24 PM CST

Mitchell Considered for Mideast Post

Former senator's portfolio could take chunk out of Clinton's at State

(Newser) - Former Sen. George Mitchell, who led a 2000 commission examining Middle Eastern violence, is being considered as special envoy to the region by the Obama administration, the New York Times reports. The appointment of such a high-profile negotiator would signal Obama’s seriousness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but could deprive...

Israel Speeds
Gaza Pullout to
Beat Inauguration

Jan 19, 2009 9:09 AM CST

Israel Speeds Gaza Pullout to Beat Inauguration

Aim is to get troops out before Obama is inaugurated

(Newser) - Israel hastened its withdrawal from Gaza today, saying the troops could be out in time for Barack Obama’s inauguration tomorrow—assuming the Palestinians keep their end of the ceasefire. But some rockets were fired after the ceasefire was declared, and Hamas’ armed wing has promised to rearm ASAP, the...

Israeli Gains in Gaza
Are Elusive

ANALYSIS

Jan 19, 2009 7:10 AM CST

Israeli Gains in Gaza Are Elusive

Amid tenuous ceasefire, officials wonder if they have weakened Hamas

(Newser) - As the world waits to see whether the truce declared this weekend in Gaza will hold, Israelis are asking themselves just what the 3 weeks of vicious fighting has achieved. There is hope that damage to tunnels may prevent Hamas from rearming and resuming firing rockets across the border, at...

Palestinians Agree to Ceasefire

Jan 18, 2009 8:03 AM CST

Palestinians Agree to Ceasefire

Israel agrees to withdraw from Gaza if truce holds

(Newser) - Hamas and other Gaza militants have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, and will allow Israel a week to pull troops out of the area, a Hamas official said today in Egypt. Israel said it would withdraw if the truce was upheld. It had declared a unilateral ceasefire beginning early this...

Gaza Skirmishes
Defy Ceasefire

Jan 18, 2009 7:08 AM CST

Gaza Skirmishes Defy Ceasefire

Militants fire rockets; Israel responds with air strike

(Newser) - Skirmishes have continued in Israel and Gaza after Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire yesterday, the New York Times reports. Militants fired rockets at an Israeli border town, and Israel responded with an air strike. In Gaza, a lone gunman faced off against Israeli troops. Hamas has said it will fight...

Israel Quiets
Guns in Gaza

updated

Jan 17, 2009 7:05 PM CST

Israel Quiets Guns in Gaza

Goals achieved, PM says; Hamas rejects ceasefire and makes demands

(Newser) - Israel ended its 3-week assault on Gaza today by enacting a unilateral ceasefire that Hamas has vowed to ignore, Reuters reports. Israeli leaders voted today to halt the offensive, which has killed nearly 1,200 people and incited strong reactions worldwide, MSNBC reports. “Goals have been achieved and even...

Right Groups Cite Evidence
of Israeli Phosphorus Use

Jan 17, 2009 9:46 AM CST

Right Groups Cite Evidence of Israeli Phosphorus Use

UN workers say incendiary weapon used to attack Gaza compound

(Newser) - Witness accounts are adding weight to accusations by human rights groups that Israel is violating international law by using white phosphorus as a weapon against civilians, the Guardian reports. Palestinians say the incendiary shells were used to set their homes on fire and doctors report treating patients with injuries clearly...

Israel Pummels Gaza
Before Ceasefire Vote

Jan 17, 2009 8:31 AM CST

Israel Pummels Gaza Before Ceasefire Vote

2 children killed in UN school shelter: Palestinians

(Newser) - Israel launched 50 air strikes on Gaza last night ahead of a Cabinet vote on a unilateral ceasefire, the BBC reports. A tank shell hit a UN school, killing at least two children among hundreds of people who had taken refuge there, Palestinians say; Israel says it’s looking into...

Israel Nears Decision
on Gaza Ceasefire

Jan 16, 2009 2:24 PM CST

Israel Nears Decision on Gaza Ceasefire

Cabinet may approve unilateral move at meeting tomorrow

(Newser) - Israel’s security cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss, and likely approve, a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reports. The move comes after negotiations in Egypt and the signing of an agreement with the US designed to halt smuggling of arms into Gaza. The ceasefire does not include...

Hamas Divided Over
Continued Fighting

analysis

Jan 16, 2009 12:00 PM CST

Hamas Divided Over Continued Fighting

Locals want to stop violence; exiled leaders say keep it up

(Newser) - Hamas is split over its next steps in the continuing bloodshed in Gaza. Local leaders want an end to the violence, while exiled bosses in Syria want to keep battling until all their conditions are met, the Economist reports. Outside leaders are putting pressure on Hamas, particularly its Syrian arm,...

Real Reason for Rich Pardon: Israeli Pressure

OPINION

Jan 16, 2009 8:59 AM CST

Real Reason for Rich Pardon: Israeli Pressure

It's a taboo topic in DC, as evidenced by Holder's hearing

(Newser) - For the sake of a quiet confirmation, attorney general nominee Eric Holder is letting us forget the real reason for Bill Clinton’s controversial Marc Rich pardon. Clinton didn’t let Rich off the hook because of his generous wife, writes Joe Conason in Salon. He did so because of...

Israel Shells UN Headquarters

Jan 15, 2009 6:51 AM CST

Israel Shells UN Headquarters

Offensive escalates even as ceasefire hopes rise

(Newser) - Israeli shells set fire to the UN’s relief agency headquarters and a hospital today, as Israeli tanks pushed deep into Gaza City, the BBC reports. Some 700 people were inside the compound, along with large amounts of fuel and aid supplies; at least three UN employees were injured. Secretary-General...

Bin Laden Urges
Jihad Against Israel

Jan 14, 2009 9:18 AM CST

Bin Laden Urges Jihad Against Israel

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden today urged Muslims to launch a jihad against Israel and condemned Arab governments as allies of the Jewish state, the AP reports. In a new message aimed at harnessing anger in the Mideast over the Gaza offensive, bin Laden spoke in an audiotape posted on Islamic militant...

Oy, Caramba!
Cubans Turn
to Judaism

Jan 14, 2009 8:25 AM CST

Oy, Caramba! Cubans Turn to Judaism

But for some, religious awakening looks a lot like exit strategy

(Newser) - Cuba's Jewish community is growing for the first time in decades, the Wall Street Journal reports. The country's Jewish population dwindled to 1,000 by the late 1980s but has now hit 1,500. Hundreds of other Cuban Jews have recently emigrated, landing in Israel, Canada, and the US. Many...

Lebanon
Rockets
Hit Israel
2nd Time

Jan 14, 2009 6:00 AM CST

Lebanon Rockets Hit Israel 2nd Time

Soldiers move into Gaza City; UN chief arrives in region

(Newser) - Rockets from Lebanon landed in northern Israel for the second time since the start of the Gaza invasion two weeks ago, Reuters reports. No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, and Israeli police say no one was hurt. This morning Israeli troops moved closer to the heart of...

Gaza Neighborhoods Fall to
Machine Gun Battles

Jan 14, 2009 2:12 AM CST

Gaza Neighborhoods Fall to Machine Gun Battles

Israeli troops shoot it out with militants in suburbs as Egypt tries to broker ceasefire

(Newser) - Israeli troops are battling Hamas militants in the suburbs of Gaza City, filling residential streets with the chilling rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire, reports the BBC. Israeli forces have advanced deep into several neighborhoods, and air strikes hit 60 targets in Gaza overnight, including tunnels under the Egyptian border and...