Middle East

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Obama Invites Middle East Leaders to DC

Netanyahu, Abbas will meet president—but maybe not each other

(Newser) - Barack Obama has invited the leaders of Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority for talks in Washington in a new bid for a Middle East peace agreement, reports the BBC. Obama extended the invitations after a meeting yesterday with Jordan’s King Abdullah, at which the president spoke of "...

Despite 'Skepticism,' Blair Nudges Netanyahu on Talks

Urges negotiations for two-state solution, more freedom for Palestinians

(Newser) - Though “there is a great deal of skepticism out there” about the motivation of Israel’s new prime minister, Middle East envoy Tony Blair today encouraged Benjamin Netanyahu to resume Palestinian peace talks amid efforts to improve the West Bank’s economy, Reuters reports. A “credible political negotiation...

Israel's Labor Will Join Netanyahu

But some party members may split off to join opposition

(Newser) - Israel's Labor Party voted today to join the incoming government of Benjamin Netanyahu, giving a centrist tone to the coalition that has looked hard-line up to now. The vote—680 in favor and 507 against—came after heated debate. "I won't be anyone's fig leaf or anyone's third wheel,...

Troops in Iraq Face Final Challenge: Moving Out

US military prepares to remove equipment from Iraq

(Newser) - As the US military reduces its presence in Iraq, it faces the logistical challenge of moving all the equipment it brought to the country during the nearly six-year war effort, the Los Angeles Times reports. Unlike personnel, much of the equipment used in Iraq will remain in the region, stored...

US Talks With Syria; Obama to Visit Turkey

(Newser) - Talks are underway between two US representatives and Syrian officials in Damascus, Hillary Clinton said today. The officials arrived in the capital today and sat down with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem. Jeffrey Feltman, the top State Department envoy on the Mideast, said the conversation was "very constructive,"...

Clinton Heads to Mideast, Europe and Russia

Egypt, Israel and Europe all on the itinerary

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton is using her second overseas trip as the nation's top diplomat to assess peace prospects in the Middle East, reconnect with European allies, and discuss America's strained relationship with Moscow with her Russian counterpart. Clinton will begin the weeklong journey in Egypt, where she'll attend an international conference...

'We Are Not Your Enemy,' Prez Tells Muslims

President pledges on Arab TV to rebuild ties to Muslim world

(Newser) - Barack Obama reassured the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy" in his first formal TV interview as president, presented on an English-language Arabic news channel. The president pledged that he would "get engaged right away" on Middle Eastern issues and repeated his campaign promise to travel...

Mitchell to Israel Within the Week

(Newser) - Newly appointed Middle East special envoy George Mitchell will make his first trip to Israel next week, possibly as early as Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post reports. Mitchell is expected to meet with top Israeli officials and leaders of the Palestinian Authority. The main priority will be ensuring that the current...

Israel Completes Gaza Withdrawal

(Newser) - The last Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip before dawn today, the military said, as Israel dispatched its foreign minister to Europe in a bid to rally international support to end arms smuggling into the Hamas-ruled territory. The timing of the pullout reflected Israeli hopes to defuse the Gaza crisis...

Hamas Reclaims Control; Gazans Face $2B in Damage

(Newser) - Uniformed Hamas fighters emerged on Gaza City's streets today as leaders of the group vowed to restore order in the shattered Palestinian territory, the AP reports. Hamas proclaimed victory as Gazans picked through the rubble, which included some 4,100 homes and 1,500 factories valued at nearly $2 billion....

Mitchell Considered for Mideast Post

Former senator's portfolio could take chunk out of Clinton's at State

(Newser) - Former Sen. George Mitchell, who led a 2000 commission examining Middle Eastern violence, is being considered as special envoy to the region by the Obama administration, the New York Times reports. The appointment of such a high-profile negotiator would signal Obama’s seriousness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but could deprive...

Obama Plans Mideast Diplomatic Offensive

President-elect plans to tackle Gaza crisis from first day in Oval Office

(Newser) - Barack Obama will launch a diplomatic offensive to tackle the Gaza crisis and other troubles in the Mideast his very first day in office, he tells USA Today. He plans a more cohesive approach to the region than President Bush, and may appoint special envoys. The challenges in Iran, Afghanistan,...

Gaza Encapsulates Mideast Strife: Friedman

Can the Jews have a room at this hotel?

(Newser) - The bloody scene playing out in Gaza is painful, but “all too familiar,” writes Thomas Friedman of the New York Times: It’s “a mini-version of three great struggles that have been playing out since 1948.” Those struggles:
  • Who Owns This Hotel? Who’s the Mideast
...

Gaza Attack a 'Catastrophe': Boutros-Ghali
Gaza Attack a 'Catastrophe': Boutros-Ghali
OPINION
Jan 6, 2009 2:43 PM CST

Gaza Attack a 'Catastrophe': Boutros-Ghali

Assault will strengthen religious extremists, former UN Sec-Gen says

(Newser) - The assault on Gaza is a terrible mistake for Israel, Boutros Boutros-Ghali tells Der Spiegel in an interview in which he is deeply pessimistic about the prospects for peace. “The war in Gaza strengthens the position of radical Islamists in the entire Arab world,” the former UN secretary-general...

Middle East Fumes Over Obama's Gaza Silence
Middle East Fumes Over Obama's Gaza Silence
analysis
Jan 5, 2009 11:10 AM CST

Middle East Fumes Over Obama's Gaza Silence

Arabs and Muslims disappointed after 'promise of change'

(Newser) - Barack Obama's studied silence on the Gaza attacks—there’s only one president at a time, and so on—isn’t playing well in the Middle East, writes Simon Tisdall in the Guardian. “Foreign wars don't wait for Washington inaugurations,” Tisdall notes. Many Arabs and Muslims “cannot...

Will Israel Win Out, or Fire Up Its Enemies?

Israel's success—or failure—could prompt range of scenarios

(Newser) - Invading the Gaza Strip may boost Israel's leverage, shoring up alliances and isolating Iran—but that's optimistic, writes Steven Lee Myers in the New York Times. President Mahmoud Abbas could be the one isolated—from his own people—as surviving Hamas leaders seethe and militants plot revenge across the Arab...

Iranian Suicide Bombers Want Govt's OK to Attack Israel

Iranian groups say 10,000 have signed up

(Newser) - Hardline Iranian student groups have asked the government to authorize volunteers to carry out suicide bombings in Israel in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government has not responded to the call. Five student groups and a conservative clerical group launched a registration drive on...

Tony Blair: Part Obama, Part Bush

Ex-prime minister optimistic but doesn't regret Iraq war

(Newser) - Tony Blair was both Britain's Barack Obama, promising change, and its George W. Bush, dragging his country into an unpopular war, Jennifer Senior writes in New York. But now the Middle East envoy and superstar Yale lecturer is his own man. He's excited about Obama's victory and urges the president-elect...

Pope Calls for Peace in Christmas Speech

Middle East, Africa conflicts must be resolved: Benedict

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI passionately called for peace in the Holy Land during his annual Christmas message, delivered from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. “The horizon seems once again bleak for Israelis and Palestinians,” he said, praying for hope against war, terrorism, and injustice. He also appealed...

Syria Eyes a New Start With America
Syria Eyes a New Start With America
Dec 24, 2008 10:04 AM CST

Syria Eyes a New Start With America

President Assad moots direct talks with Israel, strategic pact

(Newser) - After years of frosty relations with George W Bush, the president of Syria is looking for a new diplomatic start with Barack Obama in 2009. In an interview with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, Bashar al-Assad says he is willing to work with the United States to stabilize Iraq, and...

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