Israel

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UN: No Militants in Shelled School

Mortar may have been fired from nearby grove

(Newser) - The UN says it found no evidence to support claims there were militants inside the UN-run school Israeli forces fired on yesterday in Gaza, killing 40 civilians and injuring 55 more, Time reports. Israeli Defense Forces “returned fire,” a spokesman said, after militants fired mortars from inside the...

Gaza Encapsulates Mideast Strife: Friedman

Can the Jews have a room at this hotel?

(Newser) - The bloody scene playing out in Gaza is painful, but “all too familiar,” writes Thomas Friedman of the New York Times: It’s “a mini-version of three great struggles that have been playing out since 1948.” Those struggles:
  • Who Owns This Hotel? Who’s the Mideast
...

Olmert Says He Favors Ceasefire

Israel PM will send delegate to Egypt, but stops short of acceptance

(Newser) - The Israeli prime minister's office said today that it "views positively" efforts by the Egyptians to broker a ceasefire, and that it would send a delegation to a meeting there. But Ehud Olmert stopped short of fully accepting the French-Egyptian plan, which proposes an immediate ceasefire for Gaza, followed...

Israel Grants 3-Hour Reprieve
 Israel Grants 3-Hour Reprieve 
Jan 7, 2009 6:34 AM CST

Israel Grants 3-Hour Reprieve

Mulls international ceasefire

(Newser) - Israel's military paused its Gaza offensive for three hours today to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international ceasefire plan or expand the assault against Hamas. More than 500 aid trucks have entered Gaza since operations began, but military...

Israel Weighs Truce Proposal
 Israel Weighs Truce Proposal 
Jan 6, 2009 8:37 PM CST

Israel Weighs Truce Proposal

(Newser) - Israel and Hamas are considering a new truce proposal floated by Egypt and France, Reuters reports. Few details emerged, but the US supports the plan, as does Europe. The development comes on the deadliest day yet of the conflict, after an Israeli missile struck a UN school and killed at...

Al-Qaeda No. 2: Gaza Raid Is 'Gift From Obama'

Zawahiri mocks him as a potential 'savior'

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader called the Israeli invasion of Gaza a "gift from Obama" and urged Muslims to take revenge against Israel, CNN reports. In an audio message posted on extremist websites, Ayman al-Zawahiri said that Barack Obama was portrayed as "the savior who will come and change...

Hamas: We're Winning the Sympathy War

Group sees political gains in the face of casualties

(Newser) - The casualties—most of them civilians—are appalling, but Hamas still sees itself coming out the winner in Israel’s devastating Gaza offensive, Time reports. In a war of “perception,” write Jamil Hamad and Tony Karon, Hamas is reaping sympathy from the wide distribution of images of suffering...

Gaza Attack a 'Catastrophe': Boutros-Ghali
Gaza Attack a 'Catastrophe': Boutros-Ghali
OPINION
Jan 6, 2009 2:43 PM CST

Gaza Attack a 'Catastrophe': Boutros-Ghali

Assault will strengthen religious extremists, former UN Sec-Gen says

(Newser) - The assault on Gaza is a terrible mistake for Israel, Boutros Boutros-Ghali tells Der Spiegel in an interview in which he is deeply pessimistic about the prospects for peace. “The war in Gaza strengthens the position of radical Islamists in the entire Arab world,” the former UN secretary-general...

To Halt Hamas, Win 'Confidence War'
 To Halt Hamas, 
 Win 'Confidence War' 
OPINION
Jan 6, 2009 11:31 AM CST

To Halt Hamas, Win 'Confidence War'

Psychology is at center of current struggle

(Newser) - The Arab-Israeli conflict was once about reaching some kind of long-term land settlement—but for extremist groups like Hamas, a “handshake on the White House lawn” is no longer a goal, writes David Brooks in the New York Times. Now, “both sides seek the destruction of the other,...

Hamas Support Grows in West Bank
 Hamas Support 
 Grows in West Bank 
analysis
Jan 6, 2009 10:38 AM CST

Hamas Support Grows in West Bank

Palestinians call for tougher stance from president

(Newser) - As violence continues in Gaza, support for Hamas is growing in the Fatah-controlled West Bank, the New York Times reports. Though demonstrations of solidarity with Hamas have thus far been relatively small, West Bank residents see Gaza as “part of themselves,” writes Steven Erlanger. Still, there’s little...

Israeli Strike Hits UN School, Kills 30

30 killed, UN official calls for stop to hostilities

(Newser) - At least 30 Palestinians were killed and several dozen more wounded today when Israeli tanks shelled a UN-run school in the Gaza Strip, MSNBC reports. Medical officials said those killed were all either local residents, or among the hundreds seeking refuge from the assault in the school. “There’s...

Israeli Forces Attack Gaza's 2nd Biggest City

4 Israeli soldiers die in friendly fire; Khan Younis raided

(Newser) - Israeli tanks and troops moved today into Gaza's second-largest city, Khan Younis, covered by intensive airstrikes. Fighting has been heaviest in the north of the Strip, where witnesses have reported waves of bombings, and naval attacks from the Mediterranean killed 10 Palestinians. The Guardian also reports that 4 Israeli soldiers...

Egypt on Gaza: Open Sympathy, Closed Border

Despite support for Palestinians, Egyptians don't want refugees

(Newser) - As Israel's military operation in Gaza continues, thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes and assembled at the Strip's southern border with Egypt. But except for a few severely wounded individuals, Egypt is not letting anyone through. It's not the first time, writes the Los Angeles Times, that national interest...

'The Israelis Killed My Father'
 'The Israelis Killed My Father' 
OPINION
Jan 5, 2009 1:54 PM CST

'The Israelis Killed My Father'

(Newser) - Fares Akram’s family farm was a small “beloved place,” so close to the Israeli border that they’d always feared it would be hit by errant rockets launched by Hamas, he writes in the Independent. Instead, it was blown up by an Israeli bomb while Akram’s...

Israel Waging a Heartbreaking, Stupid War
Israel Waging a Heartbreaking, Stupid War
OPINION
Jan 5, 2009 11:37 AM CST

Israel Waging a Heartbreaking, Stupid War

Only 'a Marshall Plan' can bring lasting peace, writes rabbi

(Newser) - Israel's push to wipe out Hamas via military action "is understandable, but stupid," writes Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of the Jewish progressive magazine Tikkun. While Israel clearly must defend itself, "the kind of response matters"—and the killing of Gazan civilians is "a crime...

Middle East Fumes Over Obama's Gaza Silence
Middle East Fumes Over Obama's Gaza Silence
analysis
Jan 5, 2009 11:10 AM CST

Middle East Fumes Over Obama's Gaza Silence

Arabs and Muslims disappointed after 'promise of change'

(Newser) - Barack Obama's studied silence on the Gaza attacks—there’s only one president at a time, and so on—isn’t playing well in the Middle East, writes Simon Tisdall in the Guardian. “Foreign wars don't wait for Washington inaugurations,” Tisdall notes. Many Arabs and Muslims “cannot...

Hezbollah All Bark, No Bite on Gaza

No sign Islamic group will bring its weapons to bear from Lebanon

(Newser) - Leaders of the Islamic group Hezbollah have been plenty vocal about the situation in Gaza, but Hassan Nasrallah hasn’t ordered his Lebanon-based militia into action or fired any missiles. And he’s unlikely to do so, analysts tell the New York Times, because Hezbollah believes Palestinian ally Hamas can...

Israeli Army Moves Into Gaza City

Soldiers exchange gunfire with Hamas fighters on capital's streets

(Newser) - The Israeli army moved into Gaza City for the first time this morning, fighting gun battles in the streets with Hamas militants. The Guardian reports that Israeli soldiers were making house-by-house sweeps for fighters associated with Hamas. This morning Ehud Barak, the defense minister, said that Israel would continue to...

Israel Likely Using Shells That Burn Skin

Controversial tool to disguise troops causes horrific damage

(Newser) - As Israeli soldiers approached the limits of Gaza City, reports have suggested they are using controversial white phosphorus shells to cover their advance. Although the shells are not illegal if used as a smokescreen, they can cause severe burns among bystanders, says the Times of London. An international treaty says...

Peace Team Rushes to Gaza as Toll Tops 520

Sarkozy to meet with Israeli leaders today

(Newser) - A European peace and humanitarian team and French President Nicolas Sarkozy headed to the region today as Israeli ground-assault tanks pushed further into Palestinian territory, and edged the death toll close to 530, Reuters reports. Hamas militants have retaliated by firing rocket-propelled grenades at tanks in eastern Gaza, and at...

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