Israel

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Netanyahu says Iran sanctions aren't working. His UN ambassador disagrees.

Who to believe?
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Why Israel is even less likely to strike Iran now

Obama appears to be hemming in Israel at every turn. Case in point: A report in which unnamed US officials allege that Israel has obtained access to bases in Azerbaijan, on Iran's border.
Terrorism & Security
Israeli efforts to defuse 'Land Day' tensions fail as clashes erupt at checkpoint

Some Palestinian protesters threw rocks at Israeli soldiers amid Land Day commemorations of the 1976 killing of six Palestinian citizens of Israel. Israeli forces responded with tear gas.
Israel-Gaza truce ends worst fighting since 2009 war. Did Iran have a role? (+video)

The Gaza fighting marked the rise of the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian proxy that analysts say could be used to try to divert Israel's focus away from Iran's nuclear program.
Palestinian solar power: why Israel may turn out the lights

As peace negotiations remain stalled, a project to bring rural electrification to Palestinian communities in the West Bank faces demolition by Israel.
Gaza militant assassinated by Israel, sparking fears of wider violence

Israeli confirmed its targeted assassination of Zuhair al-Qaissi was the chief of the Popular Resistance Committees, a pro-Hamas militant group that has threatened retaliation.
Majority of Israelis oppose a unilateral strike on Iran nuclear program

Two polls that came out this week show that as many as two-thirds of Israelis oppose a strike on Iran nuclear sites even without US support – a step the prime minister has threatened.
Why Israel's Netanyahu doesn't fully trust Obama on Iran

Part of the friction comes from Obama making the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top priority early on, putting off Netanyahu's demands for urgent action on the Iran nuclear program.
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Inside AIPAC and out, Obama's opponents turn up the heat

Attack ads from lobbying groups, warnings of nuclear doom from GOP hopefuls, and saber-rattling from the punditocracy surround AIPAC's annual meeting.
AIPAC concerns aside, Israelis say Iran is a waning hegemon

Israeli leaders see Iran in danger of losing its dominance in the region as Syria, the linchpin of Tehran's regional alliance, falters. But a nuclear weapon could help it regain lost ground.
Israel's calculus on Iran: Shaped by leaders' youth in daring commando unit?

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Defense minister served as brothers in arms in Sayeret Matkal, a sort of Ivy League for future Israeli leaders. Now they face a grave decision on Iran.
Shimon Peres: a dovish voice in Obama's ear

Israeli President Shimon Peres meets with President Obama today. Mr. Peres opposes an Israeli preemptive strike on Iran, adding a dovish voice to deliberations between the US and Israel.
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Iran debate: If Obama doesn't bluff, he's not a good poker player

President Obama's interview with The Atlantic can be seen as a preemptive strike to control the nuclear Iran narrative ahead of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's visit next week.
Backchannels
If Israeli voters get their way, no attack on Iran without US help

So says a new poll.
Terrorism & Security
Reports: Netanyahu will push Obama hard on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly ratchet up the pressure when he meets with President Obama in Washington next week.
Israel's ultra-Orthodox could lose exemption from army service

A landmark supreme court decision ends exemptions for ultra-Orthodox, a mushrooming group whose devotion to religious study instead of military service has led to accusations of freeloading.
Terrorism & Security
Israel says Bangkok, Delhi, and Tbilisi attacks all linked – to Iran

The Israeli ambassador to Thailand said that the bombs used in all three countries had similarities implying a common source. Two suspects were arrested carrying Iranian passports.
Terrorism & Security
Iran accuses Israel of setting up attacks on its own diplomats

After Israeli diplomats were targeted in India and Georgia yesterday, Iran blamed Israel for staging the attacks to heighten international opprobrium against Tehran.
Backchannels
Israel blames Hezbollah and Iran for attacks on diplomats. Is it right? (+video)

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that has carried out attacks as far afield as Argentina before, is certainly a prime suspect in today's attacks in India and Georgia.
Israeli Defense minister implies a strike on Iran nuclear program is near

The current standoff with Iran is similar to the 'fateful' period before the 1967 Arab-Israel war, when Israel launched a preemptive strike, said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Religious trash talk goes mainstream in Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Religious fundamentalists are gaining greater influence on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, complicating peace efforts.
Interview: Former US spy chief sees shift toward Asia

In an interview, Admiral Dennis C. Blair - the former director of national intelligence - says the US needs to back moderate Islamic societies, and urges Israel to keep pace with a changing Middle East.
As Israeli-Palestinian talks sink, fringe ideas gain traction

As time passes and a two-state solution looks less feasible, Israelis and Palestinians are more seriously considering ideas like a binational state.
Buoyed by 'Islamic Spring,' Hamas considers new direction

Hamas' political chief Khaled Meshal is stepping down as the militant Palestinian group faces a regional moment of change.
In Jerusalem, national parks seen by Palestinians as a land grab

Seven existing and planned parks in sensitive East Jerusalem, chosen in part for their archaeological significance, would expand areas of Jewish control where Palestinians envision a future capital.