Israeli-Palestinian Coverage

World News

Syrian Opposition Leader Holds Talks With Russia, Iran

8:47am February 10, 2013

Over the weekend, one of the main Syrian opposition leaders held informal talks with the regime's main backers — Russia and Iran. The talks were held on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany. It's unclear whether this creates an opening to a political settlement that could end the bloodshed in Syria.

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Israeli Election Rekindles Debate Over Military Service

12:51pm February 03, 2013

by Larry Abramson

Military service is compulsory for most Israelis, but the exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews is a highly charged issue. The national debate may soon come to a head as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to form a government with parties on both sides of the issue.

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World News

North Korea's Rhetoric And Nuclear Capabilities

12:48pm February 03, 2013

Responding to tightened sanctions and a new United Nations Security Council resolution condemning their December rocket launch, North Korea has threatened a new nuclear test, explicitly warning that the North Korean weapons program will target the United States.

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National

The Changing Nature of American Diplomacy

9:18am January 27, 2013

Confirmation hearings begin on Thursday for President Obama's pick to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Nominee Sen. John Kerry told a Senate committee that he would come to the job at a moment when the world is "complicated and ever more dangerous."

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World News

Netanyahu Must Turn Fractured Results Into A Government

9:17am January 27, 2013

by Larry Abramson

Voters appear to have re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to another term. But his right-wing alliance suffered serious losses. Center and left parties defied the polls and won half the seats in parliament.

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Yair Lapid and his new political party, There Is a Future, got the second-most votes in Israel's election on Tuesday.

World News

An Israeli Political Newcomer, Who May Soon Be An Insider

9:17am January 27, 2013

by Larry Abramson

Journalist-turned-politician Yair Lapid saw his new party — There Is a Future — become the second-largest party in parliament in Tuesday's election. Now the question is whether he will join the government or be in the opposition.

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Obama's Foreign Policy: The Way Forward With Iran

8:44am January 20, 2013

As President Obama prepares for a second term, a host of international challenges await. In a piece in the Washington Post, former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski suggests that as Obama prioritizes his foreign policy goals, "It is essential that the issue of war or peace with Iran be fully vented."

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Israel has announced plans to build a fence in the Golan Heights, saying radical Islamist groups have taken over Syrian villages near the boundary with Israel.

World News

Wary Of Syria's War, Israel Plans A Fence In The Golan Heights

9:04am January 13, 2013

by Sheera Frenkel

Some 20,000 Israelis now live in the Golan Heights, and so far, the Syrian conflict has had little impact on their lives. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's concerned the fighting could pose a threat.

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Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., speaks at the White House on Monday after President Obama nominated him to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Politics & Government

Lobbying Battle Over Hagel Under Way Before Obama's Nod

9:03am January 13, 2013

by Peter Overby

The fight over the former GOP senator's nomination to be the next defense secretary might be bigger than any other Cabinet nomination in recent history. Chuck Hagel's friends and foes are preparing for modern combat on TV and the Internet.

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Obama To Pick New Pentagon, CIA Leaders

9:01am January 13, 2013

Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan is expected to be chosen as CIA director. And it's expected that Chuck Hagel will be announced to replace retiring Defense secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon.

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