Tag: Israel

Israel ambassador reaffirms Israel’s friendship with the INC in 2nd courtesy call to INC Executive Minister

  Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Effie Ben Matityau visited the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) Central office on Monday, June 11, 2018, to make a courtesy call to INC Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo for the second time, two months before the end of his tour of duty in the Philippines. Ambassador Matityau, who first served as ambassador to the Philippines in August 2014, said he will be leaving the country […]

Israeli minister slams Argentina team over football cancellation

  JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday slammed the Argentina national football team over the cancellation of a planned friendly against Israel in Jerusalem, calling it a surrender to hate. “It’s a shame that Argentina’s footballing nobility did not withstand the pressure from Israeli-hating inciters,” he wrote on Twitter in the first response from an Israeli cabinet minister. The Israeli embassy in Argentina earlier announced the “suspension” of Saturday’s sold-out game because […]

Argentina-Israel friendly called off: Israel embassy

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Argentina’s upcoming friendly with Israel in Jerusalem has been cancelled, the Israeli embassy confirmed on Tuesday, citing unspecified threats against Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. The World Cup warmup match had been scheduled to take place on Saturday. But its status had been placed in doubt earlier, following protests by Palestinian football authorities who had urged Messi not to take part. “The Embassy of Israel regrets to communicate the suspension of the […]

Netanyahu heads to Europe seeking about-face on Iran

by Deborah Cole © Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarks Monday on a three-day European tour in Germany set to be dominated by strategic differences on Iran, as leaders attempt to rescue the nuclear deal after US withdrawal. With partners in Berlin, Paris and London still reeling from President Donald Trump’s decision last month to exit the hard-fought 2015 accord, Netanyahu is expected to seek European cooperation on a still-to-be-determined […]

US will veto UN draft on protecting Palestinians: Haley

  UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The United States will “unquestionably veto” a UN draft resolution calling for the protection of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said ahead of a Security Council vote on Thursday. Haley described the text put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries as a “grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between the […]

Israel launches new air raid on Hamas in Gaza

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel said Thursday it launched an overnight air raid on a Hamas facility in Gaza after gunfire from the territory targeted its soldiers and damaged a building. “The Israeli army struck targets belonging to Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, including terrorist infrastructure and weapons-making facilities,” the military said in a statement. Palestinian security sources confirmed the target was a Hamas base, saying there were no immediate reports of injuries. On Wednesday, […]

Gaza toll rises to 59 with more protests against Israel planned

by Joe Dyke and Adel Zaanoun Agence France Presse GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Fresh protests were expected Tuesday a day after Israeli forces killed 59 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the US embassy opening in Jerusalem in the conflict’s bloodiest day in years. Palestinians on Tuesday mark the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” commemorating the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s […]

US blocks call for independent Gaza inquiry at UN: diplomats

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The United States on Monday blocked the adoption of a UN Security Council statement that would have called for an independent probe of deadly violence on the Israel-Gaza border, which erupted as the new US embassy in Jerusalem was opened, diplomats said. “The Security Council expresses its outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians exercising their right to peaceful protest,” read a draft of the statement, a copy […]

Israeli forces kill 55 in Gaza clashes as US opens Jerusalem embassy

  by Jonah Mandel with Joe Dyke in Gaza City Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israeli forces killed 55 Palestinians on the Gaza border in the conflict’s bloodiest day in years on Monday as clashes and protests coincided with the deeply controversial opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. The clashes, which left more than 2,400 Palestinians wounded, erupted before a White House delegation and Israeli officials opened the embassy at an inauguration ceremony in Jerusalem […]

World leaders warn US Jerusalem move fans Mideast tension

by Gina Doggett Agence France-Presse PARIS, France – Both friends and foes of the United States voiced criticism Monday as Washington opened its embassy in the disputed city of Jerusalem, saying the move would fan Middle East tensions. Chief US ally Britain reiterated its stated objection to the move, while the Iranian speaker of parliament said it showed that US President Donald Trump is “feebleminded” and “incapable of evaluating the long-term consequences of his actions”. […]

On eve of Israel embassy move, US says ‘hard at work’ on peace

  by Ian Geoffrey Timberlake © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Top US officials insisted Sunday that they could still push forward the troubled Israeli-Palestinian peace process despite outrage across the Arab world over the opening of the new American embassy in Jerusalem. Speaking on the eve of the embassy opening, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was hopeful of success in efforts to end the decades-old conflict while National Security Advisor John […]

Russia urges ‘restraint on all sides’ after Israeli strikes in Syria

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — A Russian deputy foreign minister called for “restraint on all sides” on Thursday following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria and said Moscow was “concerned” at the escalation. “We have established contacts with all parties and we call for restraint from all parties,” deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said, adding that Moscow was “concerned” at the development. Israel’s army said Thursday it had hit dozens of Iranian military targets around […]