Untitled Document
MIDEAST FLASHPOINT
  LATEST NEWS

Syria targeted Israeli jeep going to rebel village
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Syria said it targeted an Israeli vehicle that crossed a ceasefire line into its territory earlier this week because it was heading toward a village with a large rebel presence....

Kerry's focus on peace talks, not settlements

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israel's government on Friday to prevent further settlement construction where possible to help revitalize Middle East peace hopes, but stressed that the Jewish state and Palestinians alike should remain focused on the larger goal of restarting direct negotiations....

Israel to discuss military draft reform proposal

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JERUSALEM (AP) -- An official Israeli committee on Thursday handed the government its proposal for ending a contentious system that grants Jewish ultra-Orthodox seminary students automatic exemptions from military service, setting the stage for what could become the first major conflict in the new Israeli coalition government....

Israel says Iran unaffected by world pressure

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JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's prime minister says a new report by the U.N. atomic agency shows that international pressure is having no effect on halting Iran's suspect nuclear program....

AP Interview: Syria conflict uproots Palestinians

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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians - descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century ago - and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of a U.N. aid agency said Thursday....

Submerged structure stumps Israeli archaeologists

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TIBERIAS, Israel (AP) -- The massive circular structure appears to be an archaeologists dream: a recently discovered antiquity that could reveal secrets of ancient life in the Middle East and is just waiting to be excavated....

Palestinians have little faith in Kerry effort

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RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership in key international organizations as soon as next month, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday....

Israeli air force chief warns of Syrian attacks
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's air force chief warned Wednesday that tensions with Syria could escalate into a "surprise war" and that Israel needs to be ready....

Kerry praises $2.1 billion Raytheon deal in Oman

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MUSCAT, Oman (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Wednesday with officials in Oman to discuss their plans to buy a $2.1 billion air defense system from American manufacturer Raytheon....

Young objector challenges Israeli army

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JERUSALEM (AP) -- The Israeli military has jailed a young man for six months for refusing to serve because of his opposition to Israel's occupation of the West Bank, focusing attention on the longstanding conflict between the country's universal military service and divided political beliefs....