BY YAAKOV LAPPIN AND HERB KEINON— Hundreds of Palestinian rioters repeatedly tried to infiltrate Israel throughout Sunday in two locations on the Syrian border, but were rebuffed by an IDF determined to prevent a repeat of the “Nakba Day” scenes in which activists spilled into Israeli territory. Syrian television claimed 20 activists were killed, and…
BY CAROLINE GLICK, JPOST— Anti-regime protests in Syria are welcome departure from grim choices posed by Egypt, Libya because supporting protesters there is actually good idea. Amidst the many dangers posed by the political conflagration now engulfing the Arab world, we are presented with a unique opportunity in Syria. In Egypt, the overthrow of President…
by Isabel Kershner, The New York Times For Israel, the prospect of a government in Lebanon backed by Hezbollah, one of Israel’s worst enemies, seemed to be the realization of a nightmare. Yet some analysts here said it was not necessarily an immediate cause for alarm. The previous Beirut government, led by Saad Hariri, “never…
by Associated Press The prosecutor who filed his first indictment in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri hailed the move Tuesday as a landmark in efforts to end impunity for political slayings in the strife-torn country. Canadian prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said in a video statement that the confidential indictment at the UN-backed…
by JPOST Staff Hizbullah Leader Hassan Nasrallah discussed the international probe into the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, blaming Israel and the US for the Lebanese government’s fall, in a televised speech on Sunday. Nasrallah accused Hariri’s son, Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri, of acting under “heavy American influence.” He explained that there…
by Mariam Karouny, Reuters Lebanese leaders agreed on Thursday to start talks next week on rebuilding a government after Hezbollah walked out of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s coalition, testing political faultlines across the Middle East. Monday’s first meeting will launch a process. But few think a new cabinet likely until compromise is found in the dispute…
DEBKAFILE — With backing from Tehran, Hizballah and its Christian ally Michel Aoun abruptly quit the Lebanese unity government Wednesday, Jan. 12, in a move that could pave the way for their seizure of power in Beirut. They struck as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s prosecutor Daniel Bellemare prepared to hand over to the pre-trial…
by Matthew RJ Brodsky, JPost With the peace process returning to a deep freeze, the Obama administration is eyeing an opportunity to make headway with Syria. The theory is nothing new: If the regime in Damascus can make peace with Israel, end its sponsorship of terrorist groups such as Hizbullah and Hamas, distance itself from…
by Ronen Bergman, The Wall Street Journal Speaking recently to the heads of his country’s major media outlets, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unable to contain his glee at the revelations from the latest WikiLeaks documents (a reaction that elicited a private protest from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv). The main reason for…
by Hilary Leila Krieger, Jerusalem Post Former US president George W. Bush indicates that both Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas were willing to publicly back Olmert’s proposed peace agreement before Olmert’s ouster as prime minister ruined the deal, according to a memoir to be released on Tuesday. Bush also excoriates the US intelligence agencies that…