RAMALLAH: After months of wavering, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has taken a decisive step toward reconciliation with the Islamic militant group Hamas, a move Israel promptly warned would close the door to any future peace talks.
In a deal (...)
HERZLIYA: UN chief Ban Ki-moon has warned that time is running out for a Mideast peace deal and urged Israel to make goodwill gestures, including easing its blockade of Gaza, to help lure the Palestinians back to negotiations.
Ban on Thursday (...)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The release of an Israeli soldier by Hamas as part of a prisoner exchange with Israel is reshaping complex regional ties, mostly in favor of Gaza's once isolated Islamic militant rulers.
The swap, mediated by Egypt, has (...)
GAZA CITY: Israel's interception of a flotilla trying to break the blockade of Gaza has been a boon to Hamas and vastly improved prospects of at least easing the 3-year-old closure of the territory.
Before Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound (...)