Middle East

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Israel Evicts 200 in Palestinian 'Peace Camp'

Conflict over settlements continues in E1 corridor

(Newser) - The battle over proposed Jewish settlements heated up today as Israeli forces uprooted Palestinian activists who had staked tents on a hillside east of Jerusalem, the Guardian reports. The activists say a military force encircled their camp at about 3am and arrested all 200 of them, injuring six in the...

Abbas: We Won't Allow Israeli Settlements

Netanyahu: 'I don't care what the United Nations says'

(Newser) - With tensions rising over new Israeli settlement plans , Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said today that he will not allow settlements in a highly sensitive area bordering Jerusalem, reports the Jerusalem Post . Building plans in the 5-square-mile E1 corridor are "a red line and we will not allow it to...

Turnout Low, VP Quits in Egypt Constitution Vote

Vice President Mahmoud Mekki steps down, but it's not clear why

(Newser) - Egyptians voted today in the second and final phase of a referendum on an Islamist-backed constitution that has polarized the nation, with little indication that the expected passage of the charter will end the political crisis in which the country is mired. Voter turnout was low, the Guardian reports, but...

Egypt's Morsi Preps Decree for Martial Law

Military warns of 'disastrous consequences'

(Newser) - With thousands of protesters still crying for his ouster on Cairo's streets, President Mohamed Morsi has prepared a decree to impose martial law, according to Egyptian media. Morsi hasn't issued it yet, but the order comes on the heels of the military warning of "disastrous consequences" if...

Hamas Will Keep Arming Itself: Deputy Leader

Militant group rejects Gaza arms halt

(Newser) - Gaza's ruling Hamas will not stop arming itself, the No. 2 in the Palestinian group told the AP today, signaling tough challenges ahead for indirect negotiations between Israel and the Islamist militants on a new border deal for Gaza. The talks are being brokered by Egypt, which also helped...

Why Syria Is More Important Than You Think

 Why Syria Is 
 More Important 
 Than You Think 
Condoleezza Rice

Why Syria Is More Important Than You Think

Condoleezza Rice: The Mideast 'as we know it' is at stake

(Newser) - Syria isn't just another domino in the Arab Spring revolution, and its civil war presents far more than a humanitarian crisis for the world, writes Condoleezza Rice in the Washington Post . What's happening there jeopardizes the entire "Middle East as we know it," she argues. If...

West Bank Protests Show Support for Hamas, Not Abbas

34 killed in Gaza; Israel considers latest ceasefire offer

(Newser) - Daily demonstrations in the West Bank show increasing support for Hamas and appear to undermine the more moderate power of the Palestinian Authority, the New York Times reports. "Strike a blow on Tel Aviv!" declared a pop song playing from stores during a protest today. "Don’t...

Israel Can &#39;Win&#39; This War&mdash;at the Bargaining Table

 How Israel Can 
 'Win' This War 
opinion

How Israel Can 'Win' This War

Peter Beinart: A 'unity' deal is the best solution

(Newser) - "Hamas forced Israel’s hand" by firing more rockets into Israel with each passing year, writes Peter Beinart at the Daily Beast . The question is why, and how can that answer help both sides achieve peace? Beinart looks back to when Hamas took power in Gaza in 2006: Washington...

Israel: We're 'Ready for a Ground Operation'

Hamas rep says peace talks have failed

(Newser) - With Israeli air strikes raining down on Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he would only stop the attacks if Hamas halted its rocket fire, Ynet News reports. Netanyahu added that Israel is looking for "a way to meet the operation's objectives without a ground offensive,"...

McCain&#39;s Pick for Middle East Negotiator: Bill Clinton
McCain's Pick for Middle East Negotiator: Bill Clinton
talk show roundup

McCain's Pick for Middle East Negotiator: Bill Clinton

Highlights from the Sunday talk shows

(Newser) - John McCain has an idea for finally negotiating peace in the Middle East: Send in Bill Clinton. "The United States should obviously be as heavily influential as they can," McCain said on CBS's Face the Nation today when asked about the Israel-Gaza conflict. Thus Clinton, "a...

Israel Shells Gaza, Shoots Down Rocket

Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip hit by 300 air strikes

(Newser) - Israel bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with about 300 airstrikes today and shot down a Palestinian rocket fired at Tel Aviv, the military said, widening a blistering assault to include the Hamas prime minister's headquarters, a police compound, and a vast network of smuggling tunnels. The Israeli attacks, which...

Gulf States: We Support Syria's New Opposition

The Gulf Cooperation Council backs newly forged group

(Newser) - The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council recognized the new broad-based Syrian opposition group today as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, the first formal endorsement of the opposition group that seeks to topple President Bashar Assad. Syrian anti-government groups struck a deal yesterday after more than a week of meetings...

Drone Retaliation: Israeli Jets Buzz Lebanon

Lawmaker accuses Hezbollah of launching Iranian drone

(Newser) - Israeli fighter planes flew low over Lebanese towns today in apparent retaliation for a mysterious drone that crossed Israel this weekend, the AP reports. The military didn't directly blame Hezbollah—a powerful Shiite group in Lebanon—for the drone, but Haaretz pointed a finger at them and an Israeli...

Google to Users: Watch Out for State-Sponsored Attacks

New warnings from Google pop up for thousands of users

(Newser) - The next time you log in to Gmail or run a Google search, don't be surprised if you see a warning that "state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer.” The search engine giant is issuing the messages to tens of thousands of users...

More Romney Video: Peace in Middle East Impossible

We'd 'kick the ball down the field': candidate

(Newser) - Mother Jones has more from the Mitt Romney fundraiser that yielded yesterday's off-the-cuff footage . This time, Romney is discussing foreign policy, particularly his feeling that "there's just no way" to establish peace between Israel and Palestine. The Palestinians, he says in the tape, have "no...

Is This the Moment for a Greater Kurdistan?
Is This the Moment
for a Greater Kurdistan?
OPINION

Is This the Moment for a Greater Kurdistan?

Unrest in Syria strengthening Kurds position around region

(Newser) - With Syria mired in civil war, Iraq still unstable, and Iran and Turkey watching warily, could this be the last, best chance for a "Greater Kurdistan?" asks Pepe Escobar at al-Jazeera . The two major Kurdish parties in Syria have already come together to run the country's northeast, in...

Netanyahu: Iran's Nukes 'Dwarf' Other Threats

Experts divided whether Netanyahu posturing

(Newser) - Syria descending into civil war, the Arab Spring, instability in Egypt—the Middle East is full of uncertainties that threaten Israel, but all of them are "dwarfed" by Iran's nuclear threat, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night, reports Reuters . Netanyahu's comments were broadcast live by...

Islamists Kill 15 Egyptians on Israeli Border

Israel strikes back with aerial assault

(Newser) - Islamists gunned down at least 15 Egyptian police officers and stole an army tank today in an attack on a Sinai police station close to the Israeli border, Reuters reports. Israeli aircraft responded by destroying a vehicle used by the attackers; another of their vehicles exploded at the North Sinai...

What's the US to Do After Exiting Iraq? Stay in Kuwait

13.5K soldiers will help secure the region: report

(Newser) - The US has no combat force in Iraq and a wary eye on Iran: What's a nervous country to do? Maintain a force in neighboring Kuwait, apparently. The AP obtained an advance copy of a congressional report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, set to be released today, that...

Libya Retakes Tripoli Airport

Disgruntled militiamen stormed site with heavy machine guns

(Newser) - Libya's government has retaken control of the country's main airport from disgruntled militiamen who stormed the Tripoli site with heavy machine guns and armored vehicles today, Libya's interim leader said. In an interview with the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera, the head of the country's National Transitional...

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