The Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was freed in a prisoner swap with Hamas, has returned home. The AP’s Aron Heller reports from his hometown of Mitzpe Hila in northern Israel. [url href=”http://aronheller.com/articles/israeli-soldier-emerges-from-5-years-of-captivity/”] [url href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXiTdLcqnrM&feature=share” content=”Watch the Video” target=external]
The hometown of Israeli soldier Sgt. Gilad Schalit is excited about his release. Israel freed 477 prisoners Tuesday in exchange for Schalit, who had been held by Palestinian militants for more than five years. The AP’s Aron Heller reports from Mitzpe Hila in northern Israel. [url href=”http://aronheller.com/articles/israeli-soldier-emerges-from-5-years-of-captivity/”] [url href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDRuUI2RAkk&feature=share” content=”Watch the Video” target=external]
MITZPE HILA, Israel (AP) — Gaunt and pale, Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit returned home Tuesday after more than five years in captivity, freed in a lopsided exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners that could greatly complicate Mideast peace prospects and strengthen the Islamic militant Hamas. The swap set off massive celebrations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, where crowds in … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israeli euphoria over a deal to free a soldier held for five years by Hamas gave way Wednesday to growing anxiety that the swap for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, some of them convicted of murder, could lead to new violence. When Israelis first got word Tuesday night of the deal to free Sgt. Gilad Schalit, they erupted in … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) _ In a much-anticipated prisoner exchange that could have broad implications, Israel and Hamas on Tuesday announced that an Israeli soldier abducted to Gaza five years ago would be swapped for about 1,000 Palestinians held by Israel and accused of militant activity. Israel’s government approved the deal early Wednesday following a three-hour debate after both Israeli Prime Minister … Read More
Israel and Hamas say Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier abducted 5 years ago, will be swapped for about 1,000 Palestinians held by Israel. The AP’s Aron Heller reports from outside the Israeli Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem as Cabinet members approved a deal. [url href=”http://aronheller.com/articles/israel-hamas-announce-swap-for-captured-soldier/”] [url href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwQdE9aLElA&feature=youtu.be” content=”Watch the Video” target=external]
JERUSALEM (AP) _ With tears in his eyes, Michael Sidko laid a wreath of flowers at Israel’s official Holocaust memorial during a solemn ceremony Thursday marking 70 years since a World War II massacre he barely escaped. Sidko was six when he was taken with his family to the Babi Yar ravine outside Kiev, Ukraine _ then part of the … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) _ When Israeli scientist Dan Shechtman claimed to have stumbled upon a new crystalline chemical structure that seemed to violate the laws of nature, colleagues mocked him, insulted him and exiled him from his research group. After years in the scientific wilderness, though, he was proved right. And on Wednesday, he received the ultimate vindication: the Nobel Prize … Read More
Thousands of Palestinians, watching on outdoor screens across the West Bank, cheered their president on Friday as he submitted his historic request for recognition of a state of Palestine to the United Nations. The AP’s Aron Heller reports from Ramallah. [url href=”http://aronheller.com/articles/palestinians-take-to-streets-to-cheer-on-un-bid/”] [url href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYw1fErYZSE&feature=youtu.be” content=”Watch the Video” target=external]
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of jubilant, flag-waving Palestinians, watching on outdoor screens across the West Bank, cheered their president on Friday as he submitted his historic request for recognition of a state of Palestine to the United Nations. Mahmoud Abbas’ defiant stance, pushing for U.N. recognition over strong objections from the U.S. and Israel, has struck a chord … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israel’s official Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem on Thursday rescinded an invitation to Lithuanian officials to attend a memorial service, as a protest against their country’s call to investigate a Holocaust survivor. The decision follows a Lithuanian accusation against a prominent survivor of slandering Lithuanians who collaborated with the Nazis, but are considered national heroes because they opposed … Read More
Palestinians officially launched their campaign to join the United Nations as a full member state, saying they would stage a series of peaceful events in the run-up to the annual gathering of the UN General Assembly later this month. The AP’s Aron Heller reports from Ramallah, West Bank. [url href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVUXwUSwty0&feature=youtu.be” content=”Watch the Video” target=external]
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ Turkey’s prime minister said Tuesday his nation’s navy will step up its surveillance of the eastern Mediterranean Sea _ a move that could potentially lead to confrontation with Israel _ and warned of more sanctions against Israel as relations between the former allies deteriorated further. Turkey has already suspended its vast military ties with Israel, said … Read More
JERSUALEM (AP) _ Israel was dealing with terrorism long before al-Qaida attacked the United States a decade ago. So when two passenger planes crashed into the World Trade Center, Washington looked to Israel for ideas. American law-enforcement agencies have now adopted many Israeli technologies, according to Steven Emerson, executive director of the nonprofit Washington-based Investigative Project on Terrorism. The New … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) – More than 400,000 Israelis poured into streets in cities across the country Saturday night in a show of strength behind a social protest movement that has rocked the country for two months. The demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and elsewhere against Israel’s high cost of living, its housing crisis and distorted distribution of wealth marked the … Read More