Israel’s army pressed on Sunday with its campaign in southern Gaza to destroy Hamas as prospects dimmed for a ceasefire in the more than four-month-old war. A total of 127 people died in 24 hours, Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry said, as the main battlefront edged closer to far-southern Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians live in […]
Read MorePalestinian Authority’s financial plight threatens US plans for post-war Gaza
The Biden administration is looking to financially prop up the Palestinian Authority amid warnings from officials in Ramallah that it is close to running out of money, potentially jeopardising US hopes that the organisation will be able to govern Gaza when Israel’s war with Hamas is over. The administration is trying to work around […]
Read MoreHouthi rebels vow retaliation after US, UK strikes in Yemen
Dubai: Houthi leaders have vowed retaliation after the US and the UK launched military strikes against rebel targets in Yemen, raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel’s war in Gaza. The bombardment – launched in response to a campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in […]
Read MoreWhat’s next in Middle East? Consider these six factors
What’s next in Middle East? Consider these six factors Sunday, January 7, is three months since Hamas’s terrorist attack in southern Israel, where more than 1500 jihadists crossed over from Gaza on the morning of a Jewish religious holiday, killed 1200 people, raping and torturing many, and taking several hundred hostages. The attack aimed to […]
Read MoreManiacal hatred of Jews festers in cocoon of denial
In the hazy, floating, no-man’s land between Christmas Day and the new year, I read two books: one by a former journalist at this newspaper, Dan Box, called The Man Who Wasn’t There. I highly recommend it. The other, by bestselling children’s author Alex Ryvchin, isn’t for kids, though perhaps in hindsight a modified version […]
Read MoreUS ramps up diplomacy to avert broader Mideast war
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the region as attacks outside Gaza war zone raise the risk of a wider conflict. America’s top diplomats are converging on the Middle East as they make a full-court press to prevent the war in the Gaza Strip from sparking a broader, more destabilising regional conflict. President […]
Read MoreIsrael is pushing Hezbollah to its limits. How it responds will define the future of this war
With the assassination of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon, Israel has risked an alarming escalation In an alarming turn of events, just as Israel revealed its plan to withdraw thousands of troops from northern Gaza for the next phase of its ongoing war, the senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a targeted […]
Read MoreUS Navy helicopters repel Houthi attack on Maersk container ship in Red Sea ABC News
Iranian-backed Houthi militants have attacked a Maersk container vessel, prompting the global shipping company to pause all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours, it said on Sunday. Key points: The US military says Houthi militants attacked the Maersk Hangzhou vessel in the Red Sea on Saturday US Navy helicopters destroyed three of […]
Read MoreSome friendly advice for Israel from best pal Joe Biden
The Israel-Hamas war is running on two very different timetables: the real-life one Israel is following and the fantasy one the international community, including Australia and the UN, is following. Under the fantasy timetable, which Australia backed in the UN General Assembly this week, Israel and Hamas should put down their weapons and agree to […]
Read MoreSaudis, US agree on path to normalise ties with Israel
The US and Saudi Arabia have agreed on the broad contours of a deal for Saudi Arabia to recognise Israel in exchange for concessions to the Palestinians, US security guarantees and civilian nuclear help, according to US officials. US officials expressed cautious optimism that, in the next nine to 12 months, they can hammer out […]
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