Israel / Middle East - Page 341

Scottish Labour has expressed its “deep regret” over selecting a woman who had allegedly made antisemitic social media posts in the past as its candidate to fight the seat of Falkirk in December’s snap general election.

President Donald Trump once again proved his unequaled friendship with Israel earlier this month when his administration declared that the Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”) was not illegal.

Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli admitted during a television interview on Wednesday that at least 200,000 people participated in protests inspired by rising gas prices across a hundred towns and cities last week, setting fire to about 730 banks, 50 bases used by security forces, 70 gas stations, and 140 government sites.

The Turkish National Security Council issued a statement on Tuesday that “Operation Peace Spring,” the Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria, will continue despite cease-fire agreements brokered with the United States and Russia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded in a speech Wednesday that the United Nations and international community establish March 15 as “International Solidarity Day Against Islamophobia.”

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday blamed the United States and other “foreigners” for “interference in Iran’s internal affairs” for supporting the recent protests over gasoline price increases. Meanwhile, at a chemical weapons conference in The Hague, Iran’s representative denounced the U.S. as a threat to global security.

Jeremy Corbyn dodged giving an apology for his party’s record on antisemitism four times during a general election interview. 

A Lebanese-born Swiss real estate mogul said Monday that he purchased Adolf Hitler’s top hat and other Nazi memorabilia from a German auction in order to keep them out of the hands of neo-Nazis, and has agreed to donate them to a Jewish group.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has backed an electoral intervention by Britain’s chief rabbi by saying the country should be alert to the unease felt by many Jews at the prospect of a left-wing Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn.

The Chief Rabbi in the United Kingdom made an unprecedented intervention in the upcoming general election, saying on Monday the far-left Labour Party Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is ‘unfit for office’ over his handling of anti-Semitism allegations.

Iran will wipe out the United States, Israel and the U.K if they cross Tehran’s red lines, the head of the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday in an address to a pro-government rally. He added “heavy slaps” will be forthcoming for any country that challenges the Islamic Republic.

Security forces killed 13 protesters on Sunday in one of the bloodiest days of the Iraqi protest movement, now in progress for almost two months.

A group of men supporting the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah attacked a group of anti-corruption protesters Sunday night in Lebanon.

Iran’s week-long blackout of the Internet ended on Sunday, unleashing a flood of online videos that revealed chaos and repressive violence during nationwide protests over rising gas prices.

Students at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, installed a memorial to honor Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, including terrorist leader Baha Abu al-Atta, who was recently killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the country will take all necessary actions to fend off Iranian aggression in the region.

U.S. Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley touched down in Israel on Sunday morning to begin a series of meetings with senior Israel Defense Force leaders.

A media outlet in Turkey reported Monday the country’s military is to begin testing Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, despite threats of sanctions from its NATO allies.

Iran vowed Sunday to severely punish “mercenaries” arrested over a wave of street unrest sparked by a fuel price hike, as much of the country came back online after a week-long internet blackout.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision not to be drawn into military conflict with Iran was attacked by France’s defense minister on Saturday, with Florence Parly lamenting the absence of an American military response in the oil-rich region.

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, made a Saturday morning surprise visit to troops based in Iraq.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was urged to stand his ground Thursday against an “outrageous” slew of corrution allegations, with political commentator Mark Levin backing him to fight what he called a “corrupt investigation.”

Ali Saeedi, a hardline Iranian cleric close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, admitted on Wednesday that top officials were surprised by the intensity of protests against the recent gasoline tax hike.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s attorney general has formally charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of corruption scandals.

For the first time during her 14 years in office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning next month to visit the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took a swipe at Israel at the Democrat debate in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday night, saying “we have to be rethinking who our allies are … and not continue to support brutal dictatorships.”

Amnesty International said on Tuesday that Iranian security forces have killed at least 106 civilians in 21 cities during five days of protests, and there are “some reports suggesting as many as 200 have been killed.” 

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday published the 2019 edition of its Global Terrorism Index.

A Jewish group has sharply condemned an auction of Nazi memorabilia in Germany that includes Adolf Hitler’s top hat, a silver-plated edition of his book “Mein Kampf” and a cocktail dress owned by his long-time girlfriend Eva Braun.

Israeli leaders on Wednesday morning issued fresh threats to Iran after the military conducted overnight airstrikes on the Islamic Republic’s Quds Force in Syria, with the defense minister saying even Tehran’s leaders were “not immune.”

The Middle East’s biggest carrier, the Dubai-based Emirates, announced on Wednesday a firm order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in a deal valued at $8.8 billion.

Iran will likely buy new advanced fighter jets and tanks next year when a U.N. Security Council arms embargo is scheduled to be lifted, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Tuesday as the Defense Intelligence Agency released a new assessment of Iran’s military capabilities.

The Israeli military said it struck dozens of targets in Syria belonging to Iranian forces and the Syrian regime in the predawn hours of Wednesday morning, in response to four rockets that were fired at Israel the day before.

A U.S. aircraft carrier strike group transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, after it was ordered by the White House to rapidly deploy to the Mideast to meet heightened threats from Iran.

The Taliban released two Western professors, an American and an Australian, on Tuesday after more than three years in captivity. In exchange, the Afghan government released three Taliban jihadists and flew them to Qatar.

The Hungarian government has granted the Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (EMIH) special status in the country, giving it official recognition “in the highest category.”