Israel and Palestine

Analysis: As Biden visits, Israel keeps Iran fears in mind

Matt Beynon ReesMarch 11, 2010 07:34Updated May 30, 2010 13:25

JERUSALEM — Israeli leaders would like nothing better than to smash Iran’s putative nuclear capability with a swift bombing raid. Trouble is, most Israeli military and political chiefs are doubtful it could be done and fear the broader consequences of any attempt. That might make for uncomfortable times down the road for Israel when it comes in the range of Iranian nukes. But it also could lead to domestic political conflict over the peace talks with the Palestinians, which U.S. mediators announced this week will restart in the coming days.

Political suicide of a peace-loving party

Matt Beynon ReesMarch 10, 2010 07:38Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

TEL AVIV — Israel’s politics is in a mess. How do I know? The party that stands most firmly for peace talks, environmentalism, liberal education, social justice, separation of religion and state, women’s rights, equality between Jewish and Arab citizens and human rights is considering dissolving itself.

Born Hamas, turned Shin Bet

Matt Beynon ReesFebruary 26, 2010 07:52Updated May 30, 2010 13:21

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Parents often lament that their kids don’t follow them into their chosen professions. They ought to think themselves lucky. They could be Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder of the Islamic militant group Hamas whose son converted to Christianity and became a key Israeli agent. Mosab Hassan Yousef, 32, reveals his secret life in a book to be published next week “Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices” (Salt River Publishers).

Egyptian desert a smuggler's paradise

Rebecca CollardMarch 30, 2010 06:41Updated May 30, 2010 13:21

Editor's note: Last week's gun battles between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants, which widened into some of the fiercest fighting in the Gaza Strip since Israel's military offensive there last year, served as a reminder of the region's instability. One group that profits from such instability are the Bedouins of Egypt's Sinai desert, as GlobalPost contributor Rebecca Collard reports.

The new faces of Israel

Daniella CheslowFebruary 21, 2010 10:31Updated May 30, 2010 13:21

TEL AVIV, Israel — On a Thursday night at Mommy's Place, AJ Masajo took his normal place in front of the karaoke screen. Clutching a microphone, the 34-year-old from the Philippines belted out “Sweet Child of Mine,” including an air guitar solo. Masajo, who studied music in Manila, comes to the restaurant each Thursday. "It's like the Philippines in here,” said Masajo, dressed in dark jeans and a tight pink shirt. He has worked as a caretaker in Israel for the last four years. “In every home in Manila there's karaoke.”

Welcome to splitsville

Joshua BrilliantFebruary 19, 2010 07:35Updated May 30, 2010 13:21

JERUSALEM — Mohsen Ahmed’s village grocery store, in the village of Ghajar, is on a quiet street with no sidewalk. His big display window is bare but the store and his apartment above it underscore a situation that has kept United Nations, Israeli, Lebanese and other diplomats busy over years.

StreetLife: Jerusalem — This place is a zoo

Sara Sorcher and Matt Beynon ReesFebruary 10, 2010 08:15Updated May 30, 2010 13:20

Opinion: Bringing the Mideast to America

Matt Beynon ReesFebruary 1, 2010 07:55Updated May 30, 2010 13:19

JERUSALEM, Israel — Though we do so at our peril, overseas events are easy to ignore. We flip past the foreign pages of the newspaper. We might not even obtain a passport or travel further than Florida for vacation. But if we ignore the world beyond our borders, one day that world will come to remind us that it’s there. That’s what happened on 9/11 and in the terror attacks in Madrid and London.

From Sudan to Israel: a tough road

Rebecca CollardFebruary 8, 2010 08:06Updated May 30, 2010 13:19

JERUSALEM, Israel — From the top of a sand dune on the Egyptian side of the border it’s easy to see how 18,000 African asylum seekers have slipped across Israel’s desert frontier. Khalil, one of many Sinai Bedouins involved in smuggling, points at the sparsely placed Egyptian guard posts in the distance. He says he smuggles around 20 Africans a week into Israel, usually in groups of five to 10.

Anti-Israel protests target young tennis star

Mark StarrJanuary 22, 2010 07:36Updated May 30, 2010 13:19

BOSTON — The weather at the Australian Open has been unusually damp this week, but the mood in Melbourne is sunny. After a few years in which its game seemed to flag almost as much as its economic underpinnings, women’s tennis appears poised — with a star-studded cast — for a revival season.