JERUSALEM – Jerusalem’s mayor presides over perhaps the most complicated city in the world: deeply divided between Arab and Jew, religious and secular, rich and poor, and claimed as a capital by both Israelis and Palestinians. But Nir Barkat, a successful former high-tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist, told The Associated Press that Jerusalem is thriving like never before and in … Read More
BARKAN, West Bank (AP) — Micha Drori is living the Israeli dream: a house, a yard, a wife and three kids. The 42-year-old businessman has found an affordable alternative to Israel’s booming real estate market in a quiet community he loves, with a commute of less than half an hour to his job near Tel Aviv. What’s the catch? He’s … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — State-of-the-art TV studios above an ancient Mideast port signal Israel’s arrival in a modern media landscape in which countries increasingly seek to broadcast their own perspective to the world. Israel advocates have long alleged that their country is portrayed in an unfair and one-dimensional way by the international media, largely as an occupier of the … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — In one of the central scenes of the summer blockbuster movie “World War Z,” Israeli troops funnel Palestinian refugees to safety in Jerusalem behind a massive concrete wall. There, the Arabs and Jews embrace, dance and sing — shortly before they are all engulfed by bloodthirsty zombies. Even for such an over-the-top work of science fiction, in … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli soldier was walking home on a busy Jerusalem street when suddenly a car stopped next to him, and men inside spat upon him and hurled insults, trash and water bottles. When the assailants stepped out, he was fearful enough to call the police who swiftly arrived to rescue him. The assailants were members of his … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Danny Danon says he has no problem with his party leader, Israel’s prime minister — so long as he doesn’t make peace. The ambitious deputy defense minister isn’t a household name internationally yet, but at home he has emerged as an unlikely opponent to Benjamin Netanyahu and his strongest opposition within the hawkish ruling Likud … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — In the spring of 1943, the friend of a Polish-Catholic family discovered a naked, Jewish baby in a nearby dark, cold cellar. The child, not even 2 years old, could neither walk nor talk. Her Jewish parents had been murdered and the family they paid to protect her had abandoned her. Taking on considerable peril, Jozef and … Read More
ABU GHOSH, Israel (AP) — In a land rife with religious tension, one town has proven to be an exception — Abu Ghosh has been a model of coexistence in Israel for more than 65 years. This week the Arab village nestled in the foothills of Jerusalem became the latest victim in a wave of crimes linked to Jewish extremists … Read More
OSWIECIM, Poland (AP) — Standing in front of a former prisoner block at the infamous Auschwitz death camp, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the world Thursday of not doing enough to stop the Holocaust and said Israel can only rely on itself to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. The scathing speech marked the most dramatic point … Read More
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his two-day visit to Poland, which Germany’s Nazis occupied during World War II and where they committed the worst crimes ever against the Jewish people, with a stern warning about a potential Holocaust from Iran. Netanyahu said Wednesday the upcoming “so-called” Iranian presidential election will “change nothing” in the Islamic … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — He’s a powerful Cabinet minister and a potential heir to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She’s an influential anchor for Israel’s state-run TV channel who led its recent election night coverage. Together they have emerged as the country’s most high-profile power couple, with every step of their budding romance chronicled by paparazzi and gossip columnists. Beyond the headlines, … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — For years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been saddled with an image of a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite. Now a new disclosure about his soaring spending on housekeeping, furniture, clothing and other expenses is increasing pressure on him in a country whose leaders once were known for washing their own dishes and taking out the garbage. The … Read More
REHOVOT, Israel (AP) — With a hand on her chest, 82-year-old Rivka Fringeru battled back tears as she reeled off a list of names she has rarely voiced in the past 70 years: her father, Moshe, then her mother, Hava, and finally her two older brothers, Michael and Yisrael. All perished in the Holocaust after the Harabju family from Dorohoi, … Read More
ALONEI HABASHAN, Golan Heights (AP) — Against a vista of green fields and snowcapped mountains, all is silent but for a gusting wind. Then comes a burst of gunfire from the Syrian civil war raging next door, where jihadist rebels are battling Bashar Assad’s troops in a village. Watching it all unfold from a few kilometers (miles) away are Israeli … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — In 65 years, Israel has surpassed the dreams of its founders, emerging as the Middle East’s strongest military force, a global high-tech powerhouse and a prosperous homeland for the Jewish people. Yet it remains a divided society, and its most intractable problem — peace with its Arab neighbors — has yet to be resolved. On the eve … Read More