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Former Hamas leader calls Abbas in hospital to wish him well

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Khaled Mashaal speaks to 83-year-old PA leader, who is being treated for pneumonia By TOI STAFF/05/28/2018 Khaled Mashaal, the former head of the Hamas terror group reportedly phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday to wish him a speedy recovery. Abbas has been hospitalized for the past week with pneumonia. A source close to him said he may leave hospital on Monday but the hospital director said no date had been set for his discharge. Ynet news site reported on Mashaal’s call to the 83-year-old PA president, but said that so far the current leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh had not contacted …

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Dy FM: Progress made in talks with Europeans

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IRNA – Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Sunday that progress has been made in talks with Europe over the past two weeks but ‘We are not in such a point to say that we can attain a desirable result.’ 05/28/2018 In a televised interview, Araqchi said he had witnessed Europe’s seriousness in advancing negotiations with Iran but was not sure about the Europeans’ ability to realize Iran’s demands. Head of the expert team for negotiations with Europe said ‘In the first place, the Europeans should clarify how they are going to meet Iran’s demands. The leaders of three European …

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CLAY SEAL OF PROPHET ISAIAH TO BE UNVEILED AT JOINT ISRAEL-U.S. EVENT

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Dozens of ancient items lent to US foundation which assists in excavations. BY TAMARA ZIEVE  MAY 28, 2018 lay seals believed to have been used by the biblical prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah are set to be unveiled at a June event, which will be held simultaneously in Jerusalem and Oklahoma via a live stream. While the seals and nearly three dozen other pieces loaned by the Antiquities Authority will be on display in Oklahoma, the archeologist who made the discoveries will deliver a keynote address in Jerusalem. The connection between Oklahoma and the antiquities collection lies with the relationship between Hebrew University of …

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Israel’s Syria operations against Iran and Hizballah goes into next stage

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05/28/2018 Israel is broadening the scope of its war on Iran and Hizballah in Syria to additional regions and even possibly outside its boundaries. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spelled this out at Israel’s weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, May 27: “We are working to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons…against Iran’s consolidated military presence against us… and operating against the transfer of deadly weapons from Syria to Lebanon or their manufacture in Lebanon. All of these weapons are for use against the State of Israel and it is our right – based on the right of self-defense – to prevent …

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WHY THE MONTH OF MAY DID NOT SEE AN ALL-OUT MIDDLE EAST EXPLOSION

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Undoubtedly the ingredients were in place this month that could have led to an explosion. 05/27/2018 On paper, the month of May swept in some of the most combustible elements at one time the region has seen in years. Iran was entrenching itself in Syria and threatening revenge for alleged Israeli attacks on Iranian assets in Syria; US President Donald Trump was going to decide on the future of the Iran nuclear deal; the “Great Return March” was continuing in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinians were to mark Nakba Day, the “Day of Catastrophe,” marking Israel’s independence; the US was …

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REPORT: ISRAEL, IRAN ENGAGE IN INDIRECT NEGOTIATIONS OVER SYRIA FIGHTING

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The report said a Jordanian mediator carried messages between the sides. BY YASSER OKBI/MAARIV, YAMI ROTH / MAARIV MAY 28, 2018 srael and Iran engaged over the weekend in indirect negotiations in Jordan regarding fighting in southwestern Syria, according to a Saudi-owned website. According to the Elaph website, the Iranians pledged not to participate in expected battles in southwestern Syria between President Bashar Assad’s forces and rebel groups, and Israel has made it clear that it will not intervene in the battles in the tri-border area, as long as Hezbollah and the Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias are not involved. The unconfirmed report said the …

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Netanyahu heads to Berlin, Paris next week for talks expected to focus on Iran

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PM will meet with Merkel and Macron for first time since US withdrawal from nuclear deal, a move opposed by Germany and France By TOI STAFF /05/27/2018 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Paris and Berlin next week, his office said Sunday, with talks expected to focus on Iran. The Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu will fly to Germany on June 4 to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, before traveling later that day to France for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. He will return to Israel on June 6. The meetings will be Netanyahu’s first with Merkel and Macron since US President …

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HOW IRAQ’S NEW PM COULD UPEND 15 YEARS OF U.S. IRAQ POLICY

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Whether Iraq gets Sadr’s brand of nationalism or Amiri’s brand of Tehran hegemony, Iraq has beguiled US policymakers again. BY SETH J. FRANTZMAN  MAY 27, 2018 Iraqi democracy has gone beyond anything Washington might have imagined when the US planned the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militia once targeted US troops, came in first in the elections in mid-May. He now holds the key to power alongside another Shi’ite strongman and Iranian ally, Hadi al-Amiri. Whether Iraq gets Sadr’s brand of nationalism or Amiri’s brand of Tehran hegemony, Iraq has beguiled US policy-makers again. In April 2004, Coalition Provisional …

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Iran says security forces to clamp-down on protests

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05/27/2018 DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian security forces will “resolutely confront” unrest that could be exploited by the United States and other enemies, a judiciary spokesman said on Sunday, after a wave of protests across the country mainly about economic issues. The likely return of U.S. economic sanctions after Washington withdrew from an Iranian nuclear deal with world powers has triggered labour unrest and protests in Iran in the past few weeks by various groups, including teachers and truckers. Earlier in May, at least two people were killed in the southern city of Kazeroon when protesters set fire to a police …

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Liberman: UN Human Rights Council has become a cheerleader for terrorists

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Defense minister slams investigation ordered by UN’s top human rights body following weeks of violence along Gaza fence 05/19/2018 Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Saturday accused the UN Human Rights Council of becoming a “cheerleader for terrorists,” after the UN’s top human rights body ordered an investigation into the deadly violence along the Gaza border fence this week. Rejecting the probe, Liberman tweeted in Hebrew that “the only investigation that needs to be set up is into how the Human Rights Council became a cheerleader for terrorists.” Israel said Friday that it will not cooperate with the investigation after …

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