Topic: Israel

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Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

The coinciding visits to Beijing of the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian Authority president this week speak to China's growing interests in the Middle East.
Syria civil war: This week could be decisive for US involvement

Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Moscow to discuss international pressure on Syria, following Israel’s targeted airstrikes on Damascus over the weekend.
Plastic guns made by 3-D printers: Should Congress impose a ban? (+video)

An online group is preparing to release plans for how to make a plastic gun with a 3-D printer. The gun could be built to be undetectable to airport screeners, leading to worries in Congress.
The Monitor's View Israeli strike in Syria tips a civil war toward a global response

The Israeli strike in Syria represents a regional escalation that should push the UN or West to find a way to prevent a collapse of Syrian society. But first, the world must decide what would fill Syria's void. Democracy?
Israeli airstrike in Syria brings Iran onstage, raising risk of proxy war

Iran dismissed Israeli claims that yesterday's airstrike in Syria targeted Iranian weapons destined for Hezbollah, accusing Israel of looking for an excuse to hammer the 'Axis of Resistance.'
Terrorism & Security Israel tries to tamp down Syrian anger after killing dozens of its elite soldiers (+video)

Israel is straining to arrest a slide toward regional conflict after staging an airstrike on a military facility outside Damascus, reportedly to stop a transfer of weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli attacks inside Syria risk widening war

Israel, as well as Syria and its Lebanese-ally Hezbollah, has little interest in a wider conflict. But as Israel grows more assertive across its borders, the chance of a miscalculation is on the rise.
Thousands of Sunnis flee Syrian coastal region after mass killings

British human rights activists say about 4,000 people have fled the predominantly Sunni Mediterranean city of Banias. At least 62 people, including children were killed Friday by pro-government gunmen and troops.
Terrorism & Security Why Israel bombed Syria, again (+video)

Israeli aircraft bombed a warehouse in Syria Friday that reportedly held Iran-made Fateh-110 missiles bound for Hezbollah. It's the second time in four months that Israeli aircraft have hit targets in Syria.
'Palestine' finds a new home as Google follows 'lead of the UN'

The Internet search giant Google said it was 'following the lead of the UN' in changing its references from 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine.'
Guantánamo hunger strike: How others have handled such protests (+video)

Governments face grim choices when confronted with hunger strikes. Consider cases in Israel, India, and Margaret Thatcher's Britain.
In Middle East, public rejects arming Syrian rebels: poll

A Pew Center poll found that large majorities worry that an influx of arms – from Western or Arab sources – will increase violence and instability in the region.
Emboldened by military gains, Assad regime shows resilience

Syrian President Assad has frustrated predictions of his imminent downfall for more than two years. A string of recent Army successes has rolled back some rebel gains and disrupted rebel plans.
Two Iranians in Kenya found guilty of bomb plots

The men were found with enough RDX explosives to bring down a building, and more could be hidden. They scoped-out British and Israeli embassies, and a synagogue.
Olive Press A shortage of water, but not hospitality, in the West Bank's fields

Abu Elias, a Jericho farmer, cultivates cucumbers, eggplants, ingenuity, and a good sense of humor.
With air strike on Gaza, Israel tells Hamas 'get it together'

Israel's deadly strike today was a warning to Hamas to rein in more extreme militants, like the Salafist group that is firing rockets into Israel. Hamas is already on it.
Kerry makes headway with Middle East peace, but violence flares

Secretary of State John Kerry got an important boost yesterday when the Arab League agreed to soften the terms of their Middle East peace proposal.
Change Agent A different road out of poverty: saving instead of borrowing

Microloans get all the publicity, but the key to upward mobility for the world's poor may be to rely on simple savings plans, which offer a debt-free way to build wealth, make investments, and better one's life.
Olive Press Israeli first responder searches for the good among Sderot's rocket-pocked streets

One would expect Israeli Judith Bar-Hay to be angry after working for years in Sderot, which has been hit with more than 7,000 Palestinian rockets. She says that helping others keeps her sane.
Cover Story Boston bombing reveals a new American maturity toward insecurity

The post-9/11 'new normal' has evolved: The tactical and emotional responses to the Boston Marathon bombings show what experts call a national maturity toward terrorism that echoes longer experience with such crises in England, Spain, Russia, Japan, and Israel.
Olive Press Dancing around the conflict in Ramallah

Shyrine Ziadeh dreamed of studying ballet abroad, but once she realized how much she could help talented girls in Ramallah, she put aside that dream and opened her own studio.
Syria chemical weapons: Where did they come from? (+video)

The roots of Syria's chemical weapons program lie decades in the past, perhaps back to the 1970s. Other countries were early suppliers. What's uncertain now is if Syria can make its own chemical weapons.
Israel shoots down drone, Hezbollah denies it's theirs

The Shiite militant group in Lebanon has sent drones over Israel in the past, linking their use to Israeli violations of Lebanon's airspace.
Chorus grows against Obama administration's sanctions-heavy Iran policy

The Obama administration's effort to end Iran's nuclear program has focused on punitive measures, with little diplomatic outreach. Critics say this jeopardizes negotiations.
Chemical weapons in Syria? What Obama's high bar for proof could mean.

Three key US allies – Britain, France, and Israel – have said Syria has used chemical weapons in its civil war, but the US, wary of intervening in the conflict, is calling the evidence 'inconclusive.'