Hagai Amir, freed Israeli brother of Rabin gunman says he’s “proud”

Reuters and JTA
Published on May 4, 2012

Hagai Amir, the brother of the man who assassinated late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, said he was proud of his own role in the murder plot after he was freed from prison on Friday.

Barak goes on defensive against Olmert’s ‘gang’

JTA
Published on May 3, 2012

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the recent spate of criticism by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's "gang" on a possible attack on Iran's nuclear infrastructure has caused "damage" to Israel.

Netanyahu the clear favorite heading to Israel’s upcoming elections, Haaretz poll

by Yossi Verter, Haaretz
Published on May 2, 2012

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can rest easy after reading the results of the latest Haaretz-Dialog poll: Not only does he trounce all his rivals on the question of who is most fit to lead the country, but an absolute majority of Israelis reject the aspersions cast on him last week by former Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin.

Mubarak’s PM says can lead Egypt, draws protests

by Marwa Awad and Edmund Blair, Reuters
Published on April 26, 2012

Ahmed Shafiq says he has the military and political experience needed to lead Egypt into a new democratic era, yet Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister has divided voters and drawn angry protests with his bid to become president.

Jordanian prime minister Khasawneh resigns

by Hiba Al Isawe, Reuters
Published on April 26, 2012

Jordan's Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh resigned on Thursday after barely six months in office, in a surprise move that politicians said followed an extended power struggle with the powerful security services.

Roseanne for president.  Really.

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on February 4, 2012

Move over, Donald: Rosanne Barr officially files presidential bid

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on February 3, 2012

Prime Minister Fayyad: ‘Unity and Non-violence’ requisites for statehood

by Felice Friedson, The Media Line
Published on November 29, 2011

With skepticism rife over a Fatah-Hamas rapprochement and the Hamas demand to replace him, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the man credited with energizing the movement toward statehood and the man Western governments want holding the PA�s purse strings, discusses the pending issues with Friedson Friedson, President and CEO of The Media Line news agency, at his Ramallah office. Below is the first of two sessions between Prime Minister Fayyad and Ms. Friedson.

Full Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu UN address to General Assembly Sept 23 2011

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on November 25, 2011

Fayyad may quit for sake of Palestinian unity

by Ali Sawafta, Reuters
Published on November 14, 2011

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad signaled on Monday he is ready to step aside to help reconcile the two rival factions of the Palestinian national movement and pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections.

Report: Ariel Sharon is responsive, moves fingers

JTA
Published on October 23, 2011

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is responsive and has gained weight, his son told The New York Times.

In Putin’s return, Russian Jews see stability

By Lev Krichevksy, JTA
Published on October 4, 2011

Was Vladimir Putin�s carefully choreographed plan to return to Russia's presidency in 2012 a big blow to democracy or a victory for stability?

Australia�s deputy PM supports boycotted Israeli business

JTA
Published on August 29, 2011

Australia�s Deputy Prime Minister visited an Israeli business that has been targeted by supporters of the Israel boycott.

Hamas rejects Fayyad nomination for prime minister

JTA
Published on June 12, 2011

The Hamas-Fatah reconciliation appeared to be in jeopardy after Hamas rejected Fatah's nominee for prime minister, Salam Fayyad.

Heed the lonely voice of reason of Canada�s prime minister

By Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, JTA
Published on June 1, 2011

Pundits already are busy deciphering the performance of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his new foreign policy team at the just completed Group of Eight Summit in France. The G-8 meeting was convened amid pivotal crises ranging from global debt to human rights to nuclear energy safety, and how to nurture the complex Arab Spring impacting on 400 million people in the Middle East.

Palestinian Authority prime minister suffers heart attack

JTA
Published on May 23, 2011

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad suffered a heart attack while in Texas for his son's college education, his spokesman told the Associated Press. Fayyad felt chest pains Sunday and went to an Austin hospital, where he had a heart attack, AP reported. He underwent catheterization to open a blocked artery and likely will be released from the Seton Medical Center in two days, according to the spokesman.

Netanyahu: Israel would object to any withdrawal to 'indefensible' borders

Office of the Prime Minister of Israel
Published on May 19, 2011

Israel appreciates President Obama�s commitment to peace. Israel believes that for peace to endure between Israelis and Palestinians, the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state. That is why Prime Minister Netanyahu expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004, which were overwhelmingly supported by both Houses of Congress.

Britain�s Prime Minister David Cameron calls on Hamas to recognize Israel

JTA
Published on May 5, 2011

British Prime Minister David Cameron during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu called on Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist and join peace negotiations. Cameron and Netanyahu met Wednesday night; the Israeli leader traveled to France on Thursday. According to a statement released Wedneday night by Cameron, the two leaders discussed the Fatah-Hamas unity deal.

Canada re-elects Stephen Harper, its pro-Israel prime minister

JTA
Published on May 3, 2011

Canada's staunchly pro-Israel prime minister, Stephen Harper, was re-elected by a wide margin. Harper, who heads the Conservative Party, has gone from heading two successive minority governments to a healthy majority.

Shalit family to PM: Your refusal to free Gilad signs his death sentence

By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Service
Published on April 21, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to strike a deal that would secure the release of Gilad Shalit is equivalent to signing the abducted Israeli soldier's death sentence, a missive from the Shalit family said on Thursday.

PM�s pressure reportedly tables talks on E. Jerusalem construction

JTA
Published on April 11, 2011

Discussions on new construction in eastern Jerusalem have been postponed reportedly due to pressure from the Prime Minister's Office. The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee tabled its talks scheduled for this week on projects to build nearly 1,000 apartments in Har Homa and 600 in Pisgat Ze'ev until May 5, Haaretz reported.

�YouTube World View� live interview with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

Published on March 30, 2011

In the footsteps of President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, Benjamin Netanyahu will participate today in YouTube's World View Project on a live broadcast, answering questions submitted by users from all over the world.

Tunisia Jewish leader meets interim PM over safety concerns

JTA
Published on February 15, 2011

Tunisia's Jewish community is concerned for its security in the wake of anti-Jewish protests outside of the capital's main synagogue, a community leader said. The head of the Tunisian Jewish community, Roger Bismuth, met over the weekend with the country's interim prime minister, Mohammed Ghanoucci, and requested better security for the country's 1,500 Jews, the French news agency AFP reported.

Israeli diplomats� strike damages international ties

JTA
Published on January 12, 2011

A strike by Israeli Foreign Ministry employees has broadened, halting defense-related exports and freezing assistance for Israelis abroad. The strike, which began several weeks ago and has added sanctions on a weekly and now daily basis, has included refusing to cooperate with other ministries such as the Prime Minister's Office, the Mossad and the army; disrupting diplomatic mail service; and refusing to cooperate on visits of dignitaries and state delegations. Earlier this month, a delegation of 500 that included business leaders and was led by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had to be canceled due to a lack of cooperation from Foreign Ministry personnel. A visit scheduled for next month by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and several of her Cabinet ministers to attend the annual joint Israel-Germany Cabinet session is in danger of cancellation.

Ariel Sharon moved to ranch first time since coma

By Ron Kampeas, JTA
Published on November 12, 2010

Ariel Sharon was moved to his ranch for the first time since he fell into a coma in January 2006.

P.A�.s Fayyad shuns ban, attends Jerusalem dedication

JTA
Published on November 2, 2010

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attended dedication ceremonies for a school in eastern Jerusalem, despite an Israeli ban.

Israel bans PA prime minister

JTA
Published on November 1, 2010

Israel has banned the Palestinian Authority prime minister from attending an official PA event in eastern Jerusalem.

Israel marking Rabin assassination

JTA
Published on October 19, 2010

The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin "must not be forgiven or forgotten," Israeli President Shimon Peres said at a candlelighting ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the tragedy.

Ariel Sharon going home

JTA
Published on September 22, 2010

Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for nearly five years, is expected to be moved from an Israeli hospital to his Negev ranch.

Disraeli: The curious case of England�s Jewish prime minister

By Rabbi David Wolpe
Published on December 31, 2008

Disraeli: The curious case of England’s Jewish prime minister

By Rabbi David Wolpe
Published on December 25, 2008

Benjamin Disraeli was born Jewish, baptized as a boy but (mostly) considered himself to be Jewish. He famously proclaimed to Queen Victoria -- who began by hating him and ended adoring him -- that he was the "blank page" separating the Old and New Testaments.

Yes, we cantankerous

By Steve Greenberg
Published on November 12, 2008

Olmert submits resignation, promises to help Livni

Published on September 21, 2008

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tells Cabinet stepping down "was not an easy or simple decision," then submits his letter of resignation to President Shimon Peres

Can Olmert and Abbas deliver at high-stakes Annapolis summit?

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 8, 2007

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are well aware of the stakes; but, for domestic reasons, both are too weak to deliver a peace agreement that would spell unqualified success at Annapolis. Instead, both are looking for a formula that papers over their political difficulties and keeps the momentum going. They have therefore agreed to redefine Annapolis as a launching pad for intensive negotiations rather than a forum for the end game. For lack of choice, the United States is going along with the low-key approach. But the Americans remain keenly aware of the underlying regional issues that they were hoping the parley would help them shape.

The Lion in Waiting

By Rob Eshman
Published on February 1, 2007

In person Barak is somehow both more and less imposing than he seems from afar.

Olmert Sworn in as Israel’s New PM

By Dan Baron
Published on May 11, 2006

Exactly four months after assuming Israel's top office amid tragedy, Ehud Olmert has been confirmed as prime minister

Challenges Loom for New Olmert Regime

By Dan Baron
Published on May 4, 2006

Just in time for Israel's 58th Independence Day, Ehud Olmert has clinched his new coalition government.

Israeli Candidates Battle Voter Apathy

By Dina Kraft
Published on March 23, 2006

Shimon Peres joins a young couple having lunch at a seaside restaurant and asks them who they are voting for in Israel's upcoming election. They smile nervously, glance up at the swarm of photographers and TV cameras that surround the former prime minister and admit the truth: They don't know.

Scheinerman/Sharon

By Rob Eshman
Published on January 12, 2006

The pre-mortem eulogies, the stream of editorials, the international expressions of sympathy -- what you are witnessing is Ariel Sharon's ascension to the Jewish pantheon.

In Political Tsunami, Sharon Bolts Likud

By Dan Baron
Published on November 24, 2005

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon quit the Likud Party this week to form a new centrist party to compete in early elections expected to take place in March.

Sharon's new party, to be called the National Responsibility Party, is expected to capitalize on mainstream support for his decision to withdraw Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip last August.

Steinitz Says Sharon Move ‘Damaging’

By Tom Tugend
Published on November 24, 2005

Steinitz Says Sharon Move 'Damaging'
Dr. Yuval Steinitz, one of the most influential Likud stalwarts in the Knesset, lashed out against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during a just concluded visit to Southern California.

The Final Frontier

By Amy Klein
Published on July 21, 2005

Professor Ron Folman leads me down a few staircases of the science building of Ben Gurion University (BGU) in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva to show me his million-dollar, state-of-the-art nanotech laboratory.

It feels like we're descending to some basement bomb shelter of an old Israeli building. Actually, we are. Very recently, the laboratory was a bomb shelter. And despite the double doors leading to a white, clean room with an air-pressurized system to keep the expensive equipment immaculate, there is still a feel of the makeshift here, in the wall coverings, in the tiled ceilings, in the fact that it was formerly a bomb shelter before Folman came along.

"Building a lab was the condition for me to do my high-tech here," said Folman, a scientist in his 40s who is darkly handsome in a 1970s professorial way. Sometimes it's "frustrating," added the head of the Atom Chip Laboratory, to make do with a lab that's been improvised into a basement bomb shelter, "but in the big picture we're doing more than science. We're helping the Negev and making a difference. These are not just words for me."

Bibi May Mount Sharon Challenge

By Idan Ivri
Published on July 7, 2005

At the moment, Benjamin Netanyahu is working under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as finance minister, but at a stop in Beverly Hills last week, Netanyahu sounded like he'd rather have Sharon's job.

"Bibi," who served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999, has denied rumors that he will soon resign his post, but has been sounding more and more like a political candidate in recent months.

Most notably, he's staked out a position opposing Sharon's plan to evacuate settlers and troops next month from the Gaza Strip.

Is Bibi Set to Challenge Sharon?

By Leslie Susser
Published on June 16, 2005

Everyone in the Israeli political establishment knows it's only a matter of time before Benjamin Netanyahu challenges Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for leadership of the Likud Party and the country.

The Battle Over Gaza in America

By Marc Ballon
Published on June 16, 2005

Demonstrators rally in May against Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Gaza pullout plan in New York.

Sharon Pushes for Labor, Likud Union

By Leslie Susser
Published on December 9, 2004

Convinced that 2005 will be a year of great peace opportunities, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is throwing his considerable political weight behind a coalition with the Labor Party.

Sharon sees a Likud-Labor partnership, bolstered by at least one ultra Orthodox party, as the ideal tool for carrying through his disengagement plan and beyond. To that end, Sharon is following a two-stage strategy: first, ensuring that the centrist, secular Shinui Party, which has refused to sit in the government with ultra Orthodox parties, leaves the coalition, and then breaking resistance in Sharon's own Likud Party to a partnership with Labor.

Sharon Wins Key Likud Party Vote

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 25, 2004

After a string of embarrassing defeats in his own party, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's victory in the election of key Likud officers raises the chances that he will be able to broaden his government and push through a promised withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- though it's still not certain.

Will Sharon Share Rabin’s Fate?

By M.J. Rosenberg
Published on November 4, 2004

Nov. 4 marks the ninth anniversary of the single-worst moment in Israel's history: the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. With hindsight -- although many recognized it at the time -- it is clear that the Rabin murder achieved the goal of its perpetrator.

U.S. Jews Laud Withdrawal Vote

Published on October 28, 2004

American Jewish organizations rushed Tuesday afternoon to express support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan.

Other People’s Problems

By Rob Eshman
Published on October 14, 2004

If it wasn't for the fact that America can't chew gum and hold an election at the same time, politicians and the media would have been buzzing about what happened this week in Israel.

France’s Dangerous Cocktail

By Andre Glucksmann
Published on August 5, 2004

On July 18, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon festively proposed to "all the Jews of France" "to move to Israel immediately ... because in France today, one of the wildest forms of anti-Semitism is spreading."

Sharon is wrong -- not in his concern about a real rise in anti-Semitism in France, but because he explains it too simplistically.

Ten percent of the French population is of Muslim origin. Most are not fundamentalists who feel solidarity with the Hamas suicide bomb campaigns.

Sharon Battles for Pullout Plan

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 27, 2004

On the international front, the Israeli prime minister has weathered scathing criticism of Israel's latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, which left more than 40 Palestinians dead and dozens of homes demolished in the Rafah refugee camp.

At home, a rebellion is gathering steam in Sharon's Likud Party by opponents of the planned withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

Bribe Charges Cloud

By Leslie Susser
Published on April 1, 2004

The state prosecutor's recommendation to indict Ariel Sharon on bribery charges came just as the Israeli prime minister was putting the finishing touches on his plan for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

Will Sheik’s Assassination Bring Stability?

By Leslie Susser
Published on March 25, 2004

No one believes Israel is a safer place just after the assassination of Sheik Ahmad Yassin, leader of the terrorist group Hamas.

The question is whether the assassination and continued Israeli pressure on Hamas will contribute to stability over time.

Right Wing Girds to Block Gaza Plan

By Leslie Susser
Published on February 19, 2004

In the wake of the recent announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that Israel soon could withdraw unilaterally from Jewish settlements from Gaza, the political landscape is shifting as well. Since Sharon made his remarks two weeks ago, right-wing ministers have been busy mobilizing Cabinet colleagues in an effort to stop the prime minister, while the left-leaning Labor Party has been preparing to embrace Sharon.

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the hawkish National Union, has written to 10 right-wing ministers, urging them to come up with an alternative plan to Sharon's. The Likud's Uzi Landau is openly trying to drum up a majority against the prime minister in the Cabinet. In addition, the National Union and the National Religious Party are threatening to bolt the coalition, if Sharon goes ahead with his plan.

Sharon Cool on Assad Peace Offer

By Leslie Susser
Published on January 8, 2004

Once upon a time, a Syrian president calling for peace talks would have been met by Israeli leaders rolling out the red carpet.

But Bashar Assad's recent overtures toward Israel, first made in an interview with The New York Times, have failed to excite Israeli decision-makers.

The chief of Israel's military intelligence branch, Maj. Gen. Aharon Farkash Ze'evi, says Assad is serious and should be put to the test, but Prime Minister Ariel Sharon doubts the Syrian leader's sincerity and questions whether giving up the strategic Golan Heights in return for peace with Syria is as much in Israel's interest as it once was.

Olmert Withdrawal Plan Stirs Up Israel

By Leslie Susser
Published on December 11, 2003

In a single passionate interview recently, Ehud Olmert, Israel's deputy prime minister, managed to do what most politicians only dream about -- recast a nation's political and diplomatic agenda.

Pressure on Israel Grows After Summit

By James Besser
Published on August 7, 2003

If you're confused about this week's developments in U.S.-Israel diplomacy, don't worry; you're not alone.

Bush, DeLay Views on Israel at Odds

By Douglas M. Bloomfield
Published on August 7, 2003

Are the two most powerful Republicans in Washington playing a version of the old good-cop, bad-cop game with Israel and its friends in this country?

U.S. Jewish Leaders Face Risky Situaton

By James D. Besser
Published on May 29, 2003

As a new round of Mideast peacemaking begins, U.S. Jewish leaders are putting themselves on the line for a government in Jerusalem, whose real intentions are more impenetrable than ever.