Search focused on the Middle East

14+ min ago (391+ words) Four progressive House Democrats have introduced a bill aimed at combatting antisemitism in the wake of the attack on Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney and presenting an alternative to the Trump Administration's efforts combat antisemitism. The bill also seeks to protect criticism of Israel "when not motivated by or expressed through antisemitic tropes or discrimination against Jews." In addition to Nadler, those sponsoring the bill introduced on Wednesday were Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Maxwell Frost of Florida and Becca Balint of Vermont. Frost is the youngest member of Congress, while Balint is Jewish. The bill borrows from the Biden administration's plan to combat antisemitism. It would fully fund the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, which handles federal antisemitism investigations in schools, and reopen some of its regional offices that were shuttered by the Trump administration. The…...

16+ min ago (380+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 804 US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee held a rare meeting with Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Ramallah on Wednesday to discuss ongoing tensions in the West Bank, a US official and a PA official revealed to The Times of Israel. It was just the second known meeting between the pair since the start of US President Donald Trump's administration, and came amid another largely unchecked wave of settler violence and IDF counter-terror operations that have the territory on edge. The US has privately been urging Israel to respond more aggressively to settler violence, but with limited success, the US official said. Huckabee and Sheikh also discussed the continued Israeli withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, which has severely hampered Ramallah's ability to operate because the funds make up the majority of its budget, the PA…...

32+ min ago (117+ words) [ Thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, seized from a fishing vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen, sit on the flight deck of guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) during an inventory process, in the Gulf of Oman in Arabian Sea, in this photo taken January 7, 2023. (photo credit: US NAVY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)]From disappearing flights to byzantine corporate entities, a groundbreaking report details not just China, Russia accessory to avoid sanctions, but many other countries. How Iran outfoxes sanctions on aviation, weapons with shell games From disappearing flights to byzantine corporate entities, a groundbreaking report details not just China, Russia accessory to avoid sanctions, but many other countries....

38+ min ago (307+ words) The police arrested eight rioters from the Jerusalem Faction on Thursday evening during protests held at the entrances to the city of Ashkelon. Dozens of demonstrators who arrived on organized buses blocked traffic lanes and began disturbing public order.Despite a dispersal order issued by a police officer, the protesters did not comply with instructions, and officers were forced to use crowd-dispersal measures. Among those arrested were individuals who assaulted police officers and others who violated public order.The police stated that they will allow lawful protests, but will act decisively against violence and violations of the law. Eight rioters arrested in Ashkelon The police arrested eight rioters from the Jerusalem Faction on Thursday evening during protests held at the entrances to the city of Ashkelon. Dozens of demonstrators who arrived on organized buses blocked traffic lanes and began disturbing…...

44+ min ago (120+ words) US President Donald Trump said today (Thursday) that Prime Minister Netanyahu could visit him while he spends the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.Trump told reporters that Netanyahu would "probably come to see me in Florida." "He added: "He would like to see me. We haven't set it up formally, but he'd like to see me." US President Donald Trump said today (Thursday) that Prime Minister Netanyahu could visit him while he spends the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump told reporters that Netanyahu would "probably come to see me in Florida." He added: "He would like to see me. We haven't set it up formally, but he'd like to see me."...

45+ min ago (553+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 804 The Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions Thursday on two more judges of the International Criminal Court due to their targeting of Israeli government officials over the Gaza war. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions against Georgian judge Gocha Lordkipanidze and Mongolian judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin in a written statement. He linked the move to a vote on Monday in which the two upheld arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. "These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute Israeli nationals without Israel's consent," he said. "We will not tolerate ICC abuses of power that violate the sovereignty of the United States and Israel and wrongly subject US and Israeli persons to the ICC's jurisdiction," the top diplomat continued. "We…...

45+ min ago (657+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 804 Turkey is looking to return the S-400 air defense systems that it purchased from Russia in 2017, hoping that doing so will clear the way for it to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing Turkish and Russian officials familiar with the matter. According to the report, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the issue with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, when the pair met on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan last week. Ankara is also hoping to receive a refund if it returns the S-400 systems, Bloomberg reported, which could be granted in the form of discounted oil and natural gas imports from Russia. The Kremlin denied the contents of the report on Thursday, saying that the matter of returning the S-400 systems "was not on the agenda" when the two…...

54+ min ago (36+ words) Real time news brief - Watch: Youth group hike ends with complex cliffside rescue - Israel National News flashes around the clock are waiting for you on the site Watch: Youth group hike ends with complex cliffside rescue...

56+ min ago (762+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 804 French, Saudi Arabian and American officials held talks in Paris with the head of the Lebanese Armed Forces on Thursday aimed at finalizing a roadmap to enable a mechanism for Hezbollah's disarmament. The meeting with General Rudolf Heykal was planned amid worry that Israel could embark on a new military operation against the Iran-backed group after the December 31 deadline for its disarmament passes. With growing fears the ceasefire could unravel, officials aimed to create more robust conditions to identify, support and verify the disarmament process and dissuade Israel from escalation, four European and Lebanese diplomats and officials told Reuters. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in November 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that severely weakened the Iran-backed group. Under the deal, Lebanon's army was to disarm Hezbollah south…...

1+ hour, 3+ min ago (102+ words) [Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pose for a photo before signing a deal to build the EastMed subsea pipeline to carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe, at the Zappeion Hall in Athens, Gree (photo credit: REUTERS/ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS)]The initiative is part of a broader effort to deter Turkey's military and strategic activities in the eastern Mediterranean. Israel, Greece, Cyprus explore rapid-response unit to boost regional security The initiative is part of a broader effort to deter Turkey's military and strategic activities in the eastern Mediterranean....