Kushner says Abbas responsible for spike in violence after release of peace plan

After briefing UN Security Council members on plan, Trump’s son-in-law says Palestinian leadership has long history of ‘inciting intifadas when they don’t get their way’ By TOI staff and Agencies Today, 12:39 am Print NEW YORK — US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the architect of the US peace plan for the Middle East, […]

Troops nab suspected car rammer, as soldiers he hit are sworn into unit

Attacker said to be East Jerusalem man with flower shop in Jerusalem shopping mall; injured Golani troops attend unit ceremony, some of them on crutches By Judah Ari Gross 6 February 2020, 7:10 pm Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel’s military correspondent.   Israeli security forces on Thursday evening arrested the suspected terrorist […]

Three attacks in 12 hours: A day of violence, casualties in Jerusalem, West Bank

14 Israeli soldiers and cops wounded in attacks by Palestinian assailants, two Palestinian policemen killed by IDF, several clashes erupt amid tensions tied to Trump peace plan By TOI staff 6 February 2020, 10:31 pm Three Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers and police officers took place within 12 hours on Thursday, leaving 14 service members […]

IDF Chief of Staff: “We will deliver a sharp response to terrorism”

The IDF Chief of Staff General Aviv Kochavi visited the city of Bethlehem in the company of several high ranking officers who presently serve as commanders of forces in Judea and Sumaria. “We have no intention of allowing terror to succeed. The directive is very clear to every fighting force: to thwart and prevent all […]

PM Netanyahu to participate in Jerusalem Conference

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to participate in the Jerusalem Conference later this month. The conference, hosted by the Besheva newspaper, will be held on February 24-25 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem. It will focus on a variety of topics of public interest, including the elections scheduled for the week after […]

PM Netanyahu conducts security tour at Gush Etzion tunnels

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday conducted a security tour at the tunnels checkpoint in Gush Etzion. Netanyahu received a security briefing from the IDF Etzion Brigade commander and the Border Police Jerusalem area southern battalion commander, and spoke with soldiers and commanders serving in the area.

Iraq Considers Deepening Military Ties With Russia After U.S. Killing of Soleimani

Defense officials discussed prospects for ‘cooperation and coordination,’ emphasized the importance of exchanging information to prevent the resurgence of ISIS Iraq and Russia discussed prospects for deepening military coordination, Iraq’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, amid a strain in Baghdad-Washington relations after a U.S. airstrike killed a top Iranian general inside Iraq. The ministry statement followed […]

IAF strike on Syria kills at least 23 pro-Iranian gunmen

The Israeli military declined to comment. By ANNA AHRONHEIM, REUTERS FEBRUARY 6, 2020 20:40 At least 23 Iranian militia members fighting in Syria were reported to have been killed in alleged IAF airstrikes on Thursday against several targets in the war-torn country. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least three government […]

CENTCOM commander in Baghdad to discuss US troop presence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Marine Corp General Kenneth McKenzie, head of United States Central Command, was in Baghdad on Tuesday to discuss the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) and the future of the US presence in Iraq. The visit comes at a sensitive time for US-Iraqi relations amid growing calls for a complete US […]

Palestinian cop shot by IDF in Jenin dies of wounds

Palestinian cop shot by IDF in Jenin dies of wounds A Palestinian Authority police officer succumbed to bullet wounds he sustained in Jenin earlier on Thursday, the official PA news site Wafa reports. PA Jenin Governor Akram Rajoub tells The Times of Israel that 25-year-old Tareq Badwan was hit by Israeli sniper fire while he […]

Turkey and Israel: Can Pragmatism Defeat “Bad Blood”?

Turkey and Israel: Can Pragmatism Defeat “Bad Blood”? By Burak Bekdil February 6, 2020 Recep Tayyip Erdogan, photo by Paul Morigi via Flickr CC   BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,439, February 6, 2020 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Turkish admiral who masterminded Turkey’s maritime deal with Libya thinks the same agreement should also be signed with […]

February 6, 2020: Israel-Hamas and Israel-Iran tensions rise

February 6, 2020by Seth Frantzman By SETH  J. FRANTZMAN February 6, 2020 tensions Tensions appear to be escalating between Israel and Hamas as well as there being a potential for escalation with Iranian-backed groups in Syria. This comes after the January US airstrike on Qasem Soleimani and  the US decision to rollout a “Deal of […]