Commentary / World Jul 25, 2017
How a 1929 dispute frames the Temple Mount conflict
by Noah Feldman
The holy site has been the symbolic flashpoint of the broader Israeli-Arab struggle since at least 1929.
World Jul 8, 2017
UNESCO puts Hebron on endangered heritage list, outraging Israel
UNESCO on Friday declared the Old City of Hebron a Palestinian World Heritage site in danger, sparking outrage from Israel, which said the decision denied a Jewish claim to an ancient burial cave that is also sacred to Muslims. The Tomb of the Patriarchs, known ...
World / Politics Jan 25, 2017
Israel plans 2,500 more settler homes in huge expansion in Trump-linked enclave as two-state solution fades
Israel has approved 2,500 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, officials said Tuesday, marking a major settlement expansion following the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. The planned new homes approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman may be the ...
World / Politics Jan 23, 2017
Netanyahu accepts Trump invite as Israel delays vote on annexing key West Bank settlement area
Israel's prime minister on Sunday accepted an invitation to visit the White House next month in hopes of forging a "common vision" for the region with President Donald Trump that could include expanded settlement construction on occupied territories and a tougher policy toward Iran. Prime ...
World / Politics Jan 11, 2017
Palestinians seek prayers across Mideast to protest Trump-pledged U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem
A senior Palestinian official called Tuesday for mosque and church prayers "from Pakistan to Tehran, from Lebanon to Oman" to protest the possible relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to contested Jerusalem. The appeal came amid growing concerns in the region that President-elect Donald ...
World / Politics Dec 29, 2016
Kerry's 'hard truths' parting shot blasts Israeli settlements as foreclosing on two-state solution, peace
Secretary of State John Kerry tore into Israel on Wednesday for settlement-building, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging Israel away from democracy and forcefully rejecting the notion that America had abandoned Israel with a controversial U.N. vote. Israel's government accused Kerry of a ...
World Dec 23, 2016
More tourists will bring cheer to Bethlehem over the Christmas period
Preparations for Christmas are in full swing at the site of Jesus's birthplace, with Bethlehem shops, hotels and church officials planning for more visitors than 2015, when violence put a damper on celebrations. At Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, built on ...
Film Sep 21, 2016
Hany Abu-Assad: Making strong voices heard
by James Hadfield
Ever since the first series of "Pop Idol" screened on British TV in 2001, the televised music competition has become practically inescapable, with franchises springing up everywhere from Macedonia to the Maldives. Given how cannily stage-managed these "reality" shows really are, though, it almost ...
World / Crime & Legal Jun 8, 2016
U.S. reluctant to deport Palestinian plane bomber who killed Japanese teen in 1982 Tokyo-Hawaii flight
The United States has a "concrete plan" to deport a Jordanian-born Palestinian who put a bomb on a passenger flight in 1982, a government lawyer said Tuesday, arguing he should stay in custody until then because he remains a terrorist threat. An attorney for Mohammed ...
World / Social Issues Dec 25, 2015
Christians urge peace as they mark Christmas in Bethlehem amid deadly West Bank violence
Christian faithful from around the world descended Thursday on the biblical city of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, as an outburst of Israeli-Palestinian violence dampened the typically festive mood. Before the celebrations began, Israeli authorities said three Palestinians involved ...
World / Politics Dec 7, 2015
Kerry's 'binational state' comments trigger uproar in Israel
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry set off an uproar in Israel on Sunday after warning that the country, through its continued West Bank occupation, will become a "binational state." Kerry's words describe a scenario that would mark a failure of U.S. policy and end ...
World Nov 27, 2015
Israeli security forces shoot three Palestinians dead in West Bank clashes; fence to be bolstered
Three Palestinians were shot dead in separate clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank on Thursday as Israel announced plans to strengthen a fence near the flash-point city of Hebron in an effort to contain a two-month spate of violence. In the first ...