avril 2012

          Israel began building a wall on Monday along a 1-km (0.6 mile) -stretch of its border with Lebanon, saying the barrier was necessary to boost security for an Israeli frontier town across from a Lebanese village. An Israeli security fence already runs along the entire border but the military said defenses had to be bolstered with a 5-7 meter-(16-23 feet) high cement wall between the Israeli town of Metulla and the Lebanese village of Kila. "(The wall is) intended to prevent firing... [Lire la suite]

          PM Binyamin Netanyahu says he is considering the possibility of bringing forward the Knesset elections, which otherwise would not take place until late next year. Netanyahu was speaking at a weekly meeting of Likud cabinet ministers. Over the weekend, individuals close to the prime minister approached advisers of opposition leader Shaul Mofaz over the matter. Minister Eli Yishai says the election campaign is being launched on the backs of the Haredi sector. He was referring... [Lire la suite]

        Former television personality Yair Lapid officially registered his new political party "Yesh Atid" (There is a future) at the party registrar’s office on Monday. Lapid stated that registering the party marked another step on the path to fulfilling the central goal he set for himself - to establish a large and meaningful political force that will bring about a change in the State of Israel's priorities and "finally" offer real representation for the middle class. In a letter to his supporters,... [Lire la suite]

         Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he intends on setting into motion a new law that would include mandatory civilian national service for Israeli Arabs. The statement came after Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened on Saturday that a vote on a replacement to the Tal Law, which allows full-time yeshiva students to defer national service, would decide the date of Israel's elections. Lieberman advocated for a mandatory service law that would require the enlistment... [Lire la suite]

           Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz said Sunday he took former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yuval Diskin's criticism of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak very seriously and rejected claims that the comments were made out of personal, political considerations. Diskin lashed out at Netanyahu and Barak on Friday for poor leadership, saying that the two were lying to the Israeli public about the projected effectiveness of an Israeli strike on... [Lire la suite]

‏            Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet this morning with the leaders of the campaign for drafting ultra -Orthodox  Israelis into the IDF.Campaign leaders urged all Zionist factions to cooperate with their struggle, "without political considerations." Representatives told Kol Yisrael that they will press the prime minister to introduce legislation during the summer Knesset session , which opens tomorrow, calling for national service for all citizens.

           Israel is celebrating its 64th Independence Day. President Shimon Peres will this morning hold a reception together with the IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, for 120 outstanding soldiers. The president will later ‏be joined by the prime minister, defense minister and others, singing their favorite Independence Day songs with the IDF band and accompaniment by singers. The president will also hold a reception for the diplomatic corps in Israel. An Israel Air... [Lire la suite]

            A senior Egyptian minister said on Monday her country is ready to resume gas exports to Israel but at a new price, after scrapping a long-term contract. International Cooperation Minister "Fayza Abul Naga said the Egyptian side had no objections to reaching a new contract with new conditions and a new price," the official MENA news agency reported. Egypt annulled the contract last Thursday, saying Israel had not met the conditions of a gas export accord signed in 2005.... [Lire la suite]

          In his first appearance as president at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, a solemn President Barack Obama announced on Monday a new crackdown on Iran and Syria and said the world must never again allow hatred to take root into the "madness" of mass atrocities. The president announced new sanctions on people and entities in Iran and Syria that use technology to target citizens and erode their human rights. More broadly, Obama spoke of the work that "will never be done" — the global... [Lire la suite]

           The London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper is reporting that there has been a break between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. It follows last week's refusal by Fayyad to meet with Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and deliver a letter on behalf of Abbas. Instead, top Palestinian officials including Saeb Erekat and a Palestinian intelligence chief met with Netanyahu last Tuesday at the Prime Minister's official residence... [Lire la suite]