Newsaholic

  The United States (U.S.) officials have spoken with Omani counterparts to look into the potential of resuming mediated nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. According to a report, Israeli officials have accused the officials of wanting a temporary agreement that would permit the Islamic Republic of Iran to keep enriching uranium. A report in Axios was published almost nine months after indirect talks to revive the historic 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the international community failed, with the United States claiming that the talks to revive the deal were no longer a high priority. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, was looking for a diplomatic solution to the matter. Reportedly, Biden’s top official in Iran said that the US wanted to revive the talks, which Israel alleges constitutes a military threat. Robert Malley, United States Special Representative for Iran, said, “We hope that we can resolve this through diplomatic means, and w...

  Only two days after Israel's military chief warned "action" against Tehran over its nuclear program, Iranian state media said on 25 May that the country had successfully tested a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers. With one of the largest missile arsenals in West Asia, Iran asserted that its warheads could reach American and Israeli positions there. Tehran has vowed to keep developing its alleged defense missile program, despite worries from the US and Europe. "We want Iran's adversaries to know that we will stand up for the nation and its accomplishments. Our message to our friends is that we want to help regional stability," According to Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Iran's Minister of Defense. Because of its small radar signature, this missile is able to elude radar detection and get past opposing air defense systems, according to the expert. Additionally, the defense minister noted that "this missile has t...

As a further step towards normalcy, Israel is optimistic that it would be able to set up direct flights from Israel to Saudi Arabia for the Haj, the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, this year. A diplomatic source expressed hope about the ongoing negotiations on Monday. The comments were made following days of consistent rumors of a breakthrough in negotiations before the pilgrimage, which is scheduled to take place from June 26 to July 1 this year. According to Maariv, only Israeli Muslims would be permitted on the flights out of Ben-Gurion and Ramon Airports. 4,500 Israelis are anticipated to travel to Mecca this year, up from 2,700 last year. Most previously traveled via Jordan. FM Cohen claims that normalization with Saudi Arabia is imminent. According to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, normalization with Saudi Arabia is "not a matter of if, but when," he told The Jerusalem Post last week. Saudi Arabia and we have similar interests. During their visit to Jeddah this mon...

  Iran is pressuring Hamas (and maybe also Hezbollah) to react forcefully in the wake of the escalation in Gaza in order to exact revenge on Israel for its operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This is a part of Iran's persistent strategy to include Israel in a campaign that spans many theaters while keeping itself out of a current direct conflict. As it gets closer to Saudi Arabia and Syria, Iran is breaking all the commitments it signed: it violates human rights in Iran and the Ukraine, backs Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, and finances terrorist groups in Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, among other places. However, there are still those in the EU and the United States. I have written several times in the past on the folly of a flawed and incomplete nuclear agreement (dubbed "less for less," when it is actually "much more for much less"). Although an agreement would at worst afford the West a few weeks or months' delay before Iran a...

  Two Palestinian terrorists who opened fire on soldiers in the occupied West Bank early on Wednesday were killed in the most recent incident in the region's almost daily bloodshed. Moreover, tensions are at an all-time high as a result of a series of Israeli bombs in the Gaza Strip that left 10 people dead, the majority of them women and children, including three senior Islamic Jihad members. However, as a precaution against attacks by Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, schools were shuttered for a second day. Residents of southern Israel have been instructed by the Israeli military to remain close to bomb shelters. Gunmen opened fire on soldiers during an army operation in the Palestinian hamlet of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank. According to the story, the two people were killed when soldiers returned fire and seized their guns. The two men who died were Rani Qatanat, 24, and Ahmed Assaf, 19. The people weren't immediately recognized as being ...

The Ministry of National Defense of Greece and Israel's Defense Ministry announced on Monday that they had inked a defense export agreement worth close to $400 million. According to the agreement, Greece will purchase "Spike" missiles from Rafael, the ministry announced in a statement. The statement read: “Major General (Reserves) Eyal Zamir, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and Vice Admiral (Retired) Aristeidis Alexopulos, Director General of the General Directorate for Defence Investments and Armaments, signed a Government to Government (GTG) agreement for the export of naval, air, and land-based spike missiles produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.” The arrangement, which is ‘valued at approximately 1.44 billion NIS (or approximately $400 million), was led by SIBAT, the Israeli Ministry of Defense's International Defense Cooperation Directorate’, the ministry spokeswoman continued. “This project adds to a number of agreements betwe...

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commanded the mobilization of all reserve units in the military police and army forces following the Tel Aviv incident. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the prime minister asked everyone to abide with the security agencies' directives. After a drive-by and shooting attack left one person dead and six others injured in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu made his decision. Keep in mind that the attacker was also dead. Three Jewish female residents in the Jordan Valley had been slain earlier by unidentified gunmen. This was the fourth similar incident in the previous three months. It followed nocturnal hostilities on the western and northern borders. Following a meeting with top security experts, Israeli Defense Minister Yves Galant issued an order to step up security at illegal settlements and settlement movement hubs in the West Bank. The Israeli army's spokesman stated that while Tel Aviv does not desire tension, it is prep...

 On Thursday, Malaysia's prime minister called on the UN and the rest of the world to hold the Israeli government accountable for harming Palestinian worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. Anwar Ibrahim tweeted that Malaysia is urging the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to hold the Israeli state accountable for the terrible crimes and demand that they immediately release all Palestinian captives. In the interest of peace and stability, he pleaded with the world community to demand that the Israeli government immediately cease all provocative actions. He continued, “Malaysia reiterates the status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the Holy site of the Muslim Ummah and continues to stand in strong solidarity with the people of Palestine.” According to Israeli police, 350 Palestinians were taken into custody from the facility on Wednesday. Nevertheless, witnesses claim that disproportionate force, including tear gas, was employed. The atrocit...

  Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has warned Israel and its allies against their aggressive actions, which are driving the region towards a general escalation and instability. According to the ministry, Israeli occupation forces have attacked Homs, Damascus, and the surrounding countryside over the course of the last four days, killing one civilian and injuring a number of others in addition to causing property damage. The ministry charged that the Israeli government was acting in flagrant violation of international law and the UN charter by exporting crises and turning its back on domestic issues to commit crimes and aggressions abroad, much like its patrons in Washington and other Western capitals. Recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria have killed several civilians as well as two Iranian military advisers, wrecked residential areas and government buildings, and temporarily shut down the two biggest airports in the nation. They have also stoked concerns of ...

  The far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will be in charge of the National Guard, the Israeli government said Wednesday. To support Ben-National Gvir's Guard, the cabinet decided to decrease the budgets of all ministries by 1.5%. This would give Ben-Gvir almost 1 billion shekels ($278 million).  According to the Hebrew media, a number of cabinet ministers opposed the budget cuts of 1.5%. Ben-Gvir was charged of "wanting everything here and now at the expense of other ministries," according to intelligence minister Gila Gamliel. While Yair Lapid, a former prime minister, criticized ministers for voting to "fund a private army of thugs" and called Netanyahu's government's priorities "ridiculous and terrible," Netanyahu's cabinet, he claimed, "has been in place for three months, and the only things that interest it are trampling on democracy and furthering the crazy desires of delusional people." Accord...

  The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, turned down United States President Joe Biden’s suggestion that the Israeli government “walks away” from a plan to overhaul the country’s legal system. A verbal spat between the two close allies took place on Wednesday. The US President and Israeli Prime Minister exchanged a few words on judicial changes in Israel. On Tuesday, reporters asked Joe Biden about Israel’s judicial overhaul planned reforms. Biden reportedly said, “I hope he (Netanyahu) walks away from it.” He said that the Israeli government “cannot continue down this road” and urged compromise on this plan to overhaul the country’s legal system. Subsequently, the Israeli PM said that his country makes its own decisions. He reportedly said in a statement, “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends.” Netanyahu’s latest comments came a day after he de...

  Two state-level policy changes in the Middle East are likely to combine to have a significant impact on regional stability in light of recent political developments . After a seven-year hiatus, Saudi Arabia and Iran decided to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies on March 10 in a deal mediated by China and signed in Beijing. That is, as Simon Mabon remarked in an essay for the Conversation, a great development even though it is still far from putting an end to wars like the bloody war in Yemen. The Times' Middle East correspondent Michael Spencer had previously written on a Gulf plot to normalize ties with the Assad regime in Syria. If this allegation is true, the two occurrences will have a significant impact on Middle East affairs, not least because of recent social and political changes in Iran and Israel. The Times article's main point was that some Arab countries desire to normalize their ties with Damascus, despite the US and its western partners...

  Three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces near a village close to the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. According to Palestinian radio, Israeli forces raided the village near the West Bank city and the village of Jaba, south of Jenin. There was an exchange of fire and one person was also arrested. Palestinian Health Ministry did not reveal further details about the dead people. Itamar Ben-Givr, the Minister of National Security of Israel, confirmed the death of three people during the Israeli raid. He said it was the “elimination of those who opened fire on our fighters.” However, the Israeli military did not comment on the incident. According to Hamas radio, Israeli forces targeted a group called the ‘Jaba Brigade’ and killed its leader. However, it did not provide further details. Earlier, Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in Jenin and killed six Palestinians, including the Hamas gunman. According to the Pal...

  The region of  Palestinian territories and Israel are among the most sensitive places on the planet in terms of climate too. Instead of addressing the challenges of global warming, Netanyahu's government seeks and is working to garner support in this area. Before the time of the industrial revolution, the temperature of the world is increasing by an average of 1.1 degrees Celsius but in the region of Isreal and nearby the average increment in temperature is 1.5 degrees Celcius from 1970 to 2017.  Now the Israeli Meteorological Service is predicting this increase will be noted by 4 degrees Celcius by the end of the century. Some regional news from the EVS ministry of Isreal is saying that the temp will increase by a meter by the end of 2050. Haaretz newspaper also indicates the upcoming tragedy in the area of shores. The Gaza Patti is also in danger. Another problem of the region is the power imbalance!  The region is already feared for desertification and the lea...

  Israel’s outgoing coalition has been the most diverse in the country’s history, bringing a slew of progressive policies on the environment, LGBTQ issues and funding for the country’s Arab minority.  But now, even before it takes office, Israel’s expected new coalition government — overwhelmingly male, religious and right-wing — is promising to roll back many of the achievements of its predecessor, prompting concern from activists and liberals over where their country is headed. If its promises materialize, a tax on environmentally destructive single-use plastics could be abolished. New protections for gay Israelis could be reversed, and generous budgets for the long underserved Arab sector could be slashed. The outgoing coalition lasted for just over a year and collapsed over disagreements on the Palestinians — although on that subject, its policies were largely unchanged from previous, hard-line governments.  But after Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year reign, activists say...

  The violence flared as Israel tallies the final votes in national elections held this week, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to lead a comfortable majority backed by far-right allies. The Palestinian Health Ministry said a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank. Israeli police said it happened during a raid in the territory and alleged the man threw a firebomb at the forces. The ministry identified the man as Daoud Mahmoud Khalil Rayan, 42, from Beit Duqqu, in the West Bank. Israeli police said paramilitary border guards had raided the home in the town of a Palestinian who slammed his car into an Israeli soldier on Wednesday. The guards faced a violent protest there, with demonstrators throwing stones and firebombs at the forces. The forces opened fire on the thrower of the firebomb, police said.  The violence came as a political shift is underway in Israel after national elections, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Neta...

  A sixth Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops who were attacked with stones in a protest against the raid, Palestinian medical sources say. The operation in the northern city of Nablus targeted the recently formed Lion's Den group. The group killed an Israeli soldier in a shooting earlier this month. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had locked down Nablus for the past two weeks amid an intensive search for the killer of 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Ido Baruch. Sgt Baruch was shot dead in an ambush near an Israeli settlement about five miles (8km) away. There has been an intensification of violence between Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank in recent weeks amid an ongoing Israeli operation to root out militants following a wave of deadly attacks against Israelis earlier this year. The Lion's Den group was formed following near daily arrest raids by Israeli forces targeting militants, concentrated in the northern West Bank. It is believed to number a few dozen member...