JERUSALEM — Israel’s new governing coalition promised to reach out to neglected foreign allies as well as to heal divisiveness at home after securing a razor-thin margin to oust Benjamin Netanyahu. But the longtime leader showed no signs of backing down, vowing Monday to depose his rivals and saying he...
Ex-Mossad Chief Signals Israel Attacked Iran Nuclear Assets
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The outgoing chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence service has offered the closest acknowledgment that his country was behind recent attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program and a military scientist. The comments by Yossi Cohen, speaking to Israel's Channel 12 investigative program “Uvda” in a segment aired...
Israel Suspends Ultranationalists’ March in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM — Israeli police said Monday they blocked a planned procession by Jewish ultranationalists through parts of Jerusalem's Old City, following warnings that it could reignite tensions that led to a punishing 11-day war with Gaza's militant Hamas rulers last month. The parade, which celebrates Israel's capture of east Jerusalem...
Herzog, Scion of Prominent Israeli Family, Elected President
JERUSALEM — Isaac Herzog, a veteran politician and the scion of a prominent Israeli family, was elected president Tuesday, a largely ceremonial role that is meant to serve as the nation’s moral compass and promote unity. Herzog is set to become Israel's 11th president after securing 87 votes in a...
Blinken Seeks to Fix Palestinian Ties on Maiden Mideast Trip
JERUSALEM — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen a key diplomatic outreach office to the Palestinians and pledged nearly $40 million in new aid — reversing key policies of the Trump administration as he moved to bolster the embattled Palestinian government in the West Bank....
Blinken off to Mideast to Push Peace Talks After Gaza Truce
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to the Middle East on Monday to press the Israelis, Palestinians and regional players to build on and strengthen last week’s Gaza cease-fire, start an immediate flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and lay the groundwork for an eventual...
After Another War, Displaced in Gaza Face Familiar Plight
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip — It took Ramez al-Masri three years to rebuild his home after it was destroyed in a 2014 Israeli offensive. When war returned to the area last week, it took just a few seconds for the house to be flattened again in an Israeli airstrike. The...
Hour-by-Hour: Biden’s Behind-the-Scenes Push for Cease-Fire
The diplomatic flurry was over and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu was on the phone telling President Joe Biden that it appeared the furious fighting between Israel and Hamas was about to end. But Biden remained wary even after the afternoon phone call with the prime minister. Things still could go crosswise...
Palestinians See Victory in Gaza Truce as Israel Warns Hamas
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as a costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel vowed to respond with a “new level of force” to further hostilities....
Israel, Hamas Agree to Cease-Fire to End Bloody 11-Day War
JERUSALEM — Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire Thursday, ending a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel accepted the Egyptian proposal after a late-night meeting of his Security...