In West Bank, barrier threatens Roman terraces
One of the last Palestinian farming villages that still uses irrigation systems from Roman times says its ancient way of life is in danger as Israel prepares to lay down its West Bank separation barrier.
Israel: Iran must commit to stop all enrichment
Israel on Wednesday accused Iran of stalling in negotiations over its nuclear program with the international community, and said an upcoming round of talks can succeed only if the Iranians agree to halt all uranium enrichment.
Middle East nuclear talks thrown into doubt
VIENNA (Reuters) - Talks on ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons looked in doubt on Tuesday as the Western official organizing them said he had yet to secure the needed attendance of all countries in the region. The statement by Finnish diplomat Jaakko Laajava at a meeting in Vienna was a sign of the difficulties involved in getting Israel, its arch foe Iran and other Middle East nations to sit around a table this year to discuss the divisive issue. ...
Netanyahu surprise gives Israel grand coalition
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a unity government on Tuesday in a surprise move that could give him a freer hand to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and seek peace with the Palestinians. The coalition deal, negotiated secretly over the past days and sealed at a private meeting overnight, means the centrist Kadima party will hook up with Netanyahu's rightist coalition, creating a majority of 94 of parliament's 120 legislators. ...
Netanyahu seeks September Israel election
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he supported holding an early general election in four months' time, a ballot polls say could strengthen his hand as Israel confronts Iran's nuclear ambitions. The next national vote was not due until October 2013, but new legislation that might force ultra-Orthodox Jews to serve in the military and an upcoming budget debate have threatened to unravel a governing coalition of religious and nationalist parties once seen as one of the most stable in Israel's history. ...
Israel officer reassigned after striking activist
An Israeli military official says an officer who was punished for hitting a pro-Palestinian activist last month has been reassigned to a training school.
Rabin killer’s brother released from Israel prison
The brother of the man who killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has been released from prison after 16 1/2 years.
Israel gets 4th nuke-capable German submarine
Israel on Thursday received its fourth German-made submarine capable of launching nuclear warheads, expanding a fleet that experts say could be used in an attack on Iran.
Israel heading for September poll, Netanyahu leads field
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel is expected to hold early elections on September 4 after the ruling Likud party submitted a bill to dissolve parliament, with opinion polls on Thursday giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a clear lead. Although a national vote was not due until 2013, tensions within Netanyahu's rightist coalition over domestic issues, such as military draft for ultra-orthodox Jews, have convinced the prime minister to push for a pre-emptive ballot. ...
Israel’s jobless rate leaps as the counting changes
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's move to bring its economic statistics in line with leading Western countries has led to a far bleaker picture of its jobs market, undermining claims that the country is riding through the global crisis with relative ease. The Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday unveiled a new employment survey - a reworking of past surveys - that showed a first-quarter jobless rate of 6.7 percent. It compared with fourth-quarter rate of 5.4 percent using the old system, a number that was touted at the time as being the lowest level in three decades. ...
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