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Following a day of clashes between security forces and Arab rioters in Jerusalem, Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Sunday evening stated that the fate of the capital would be determined by force, not negotiations. "The fate of Jerusalem will be determined only by confrontation and not by the negotiating tables," Mashaal said in a speech, according to Channel 10. "The Israelis want to divide al-Aqsa Mosque, and this is not all. They want to hold their religious ceremonies in the mosque … in preparation for demolishing it and building their temple there," he reportedly said. Israel is interested in...

Despite the publication of a critical report on Iran's nuclear program, senior Israeli diplomatic officials are accusing the International Atomic Energy Agency of "hiding critical information on Iran's nuclear progress," the Foreign Ministry said Saturday. IAEA officials said Iran was stonewalling the agency about "possible military dimensions" to its program. In the report, the IAEA said it has pressed Iran to clarify its uranium enrichment activities and reassure the world that it's not trying to build an atomic weapon. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said in a prepared statement that the latest IAEA report, released Friday, "accuses Iran of defying...

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday belittled the global focus on the growth of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, and said there would be no more unilateral concessions to the Palestinian Authority. "It is not a coincidence that since [the] Oslo [Accords] we have not reached the end of the conflict," Lieberman said, addressing a gathering of Druze supporters in the Arab city of Shfaram. The meeting was held at the home of Hamad Amar, a Knesset Member representing Lieberman's Israel Beiteinu party. In the last Knesset elections, the mixed Druze, Christian and Muslim Shfaram gave Israel Beiteinu 14.4%...

Hamas on Thursday criticized a report issued by global human rights group Amnesty International, which accuses both Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes in Gaza. Hamas said in response that the report was "imbalanced and unfair". In its first in-depth human rights report on the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza, Amnesty International accused both Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes during the fighting earlier this year. The group charged that the Israel Defense Forces killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians and destroyed thousands of Gaza Strip homes in attacks that amounted to war crimes, and denounced Hamas for firing...

A UN human rights investigator on Thursday called Israel's seizure of a ship carrying relief aid for the Gaza Strip "unlawful" and said its blockade of the territory constituted a "continuing crime against humanity". Israeli authorities on Tuesday intercepted the vessel, which was also carrying 21 pro-Palestinian activists, and said it would not be permitted to enter Gaza coastal waters because of security risks in the area and its existing naval blockade.

Iran's nuclear chief Gholam Reza Aghazadeh said "good news" regarding Iran's nuclear plan will be announced on April 9, Iranian news agency Mehr reported on Wednesday. No further details were provided regarding the expected announcement. The nuclear chief added the country has increased the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges to 6,000, noting that "their number is expected to grow." This is Tehran's latest defiance of United Nations demands to halt its nuclear program. The latest announcement indicates that Iran installed another 2,200 new centrifuges on top of the 3,800 centrifuges that were already in place in Natanz. According to Aghazadeh, Iran...

The army's next-generation armored personnel carrier received its baptism by fire during Operation Cast Lead last month. The newest model Namer (Tiger), which is produced locally, joined the Israel Defense Forces' ranks in recent months. Several dozen are being used in infantry training. Eventually, the IDF is hoping to replace all of its older APCs with the new model.

A Puppet bear named Nassur appeared Friday on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV, promising to be a Jihad fighter, and declaring war on "the Zionists". He replaced Farfur the Mickey Mouse look-alike, Nahoul the bee and Assoud the rabbit -- who were all killed by "Zionist agents" on the TV show. Palestinian Media Watch translated the video, according to which, Nassur carries on a dialogue with a girl named Saraa as follows: Nassur: "I will join the ranks of the Izz A-Din Al-Qassam [Hamas'] Brigades. I will be a Jihad fighter with them and I will carry a rifle. Do you know...

Four weeks after the cessation of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF finally opened its dossier on Palestinian fatalities on Sunday for the first time, and presented to The Jerusalem Post an overview utterly at odds with the Palestinian figures that have hitherto formed the basis for assessing the conflict. While the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, whose death toll figures have been widely cited, reports that 895 Gaza civilians were killed in the fighting, amounting to more than two-thirds of all fatalities, the IDF figures shown to the Post on Sunday put the civilian death toll at no higher than...

AMERICAN tycoon Donald Trump has quit the board of debt-laden Trump Entertainment Resorts as the company he founded faces possible bankruptcy this week. "I have nothing to do with it. I'm not in it, I'm not on the board," said Mr Trump, who was chairman. The reality TV star said he had no idea if there would be a bankruptcy filing. Trump Entertainment faces a February 17 deadline to make a $US53 million ($81 million) bond payment, a target extended four times since the initial grace period ended on December 31.

Israel Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman refused to endorse either Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni or Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night, saying rather his party would be open to hearing from all parties involved in the formation of the next coalition, but his party would never give up its core principles. Israel Beiteinu leader... "We truly hope that one of the dramatic changes that will be in the next government will be a change in the method of governing," Lieberman said following the exit polls which predicted Livni the winner of the election. "We will be open to hearing what...

As Operation Cast Lead entered its 16th day, the Israel Air Force on Saturday night attacked the home of Ahmad Jabari, the commander of Hamas' military wing. It is unclear whether there was anyone in the building, which is located in the northern Gaza Strip neighborhood of Sajaiyeh. According to estimates, Jabari was not in the house, as he is managing the fighting against the Israel Defense Forces from a hiding place. In any event, the attack was a clear signal by the Israel to the man referred to as "Hamas' chief of staff" and the most senior person responsible...

Iran is exerting heavy pressure on Hamas not to accept the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with Israel, an Egyptian government official said on Sunday. The official told The Jerusalem Post by phone that two senior Iranian officials who visited Damascus recently warned Hamas leaders against accepting the proposal. His remarks came as Hamas representatives met in Cairo with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman and his aides to discuss ways of ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas representatives reiterated their opposition to a cease-fire that did not include the reopening of all the border crossings into...

A kindergarten wall in Ashdod was struck by a Grad rocket fired from Gaza on Sunday afternoon, leaving ten people in shock and the facility heavily damaged. "Thankfully, no children were in the kindergarten, and no one was badly hurt," a police officer said. "The rocket fell in a built-up area. One person developed chest pains following the blast," Ami Ivgi, Head of Magen David Adom in the Lachish district told The Jerusalem Post. Earlier, air raid sirens rang out in Ashkelon to warn residents of an incoming rocket. The projectile landed in open territory, causing no injuries or damage....

For the first time since Operation Cast Lead began over two weeks ago, the IDF on Sunday announced that reservists have been sent into the Gaza Strip to participate in the military effort. The army refused to say whether the announcement was an indication that the third phase of the operation had begun. Defense officials have said that the IDF is prepared for a third stage in which ground troops would push further into Gaza, but are waiting for approval from the government. The first phase consisted of aerial bombardment, and the second saw ground forces enter Gaza, seize open...

Hamas has resumed its policy of shaving mustaches of political opponents to humiliate them, Fatah officials said Wednesday. Hamas resorted to this form of punishment in the past after arresting senior Fatah representatives in the Gaza Strip, the officials said. Hamas, for its part, accused the Palestinian Authority security forces of shaving the beards of detained Hamas officials in the West Bank. The latest victim of the mustache-shaving policy is Nafez al-Namnam, a top Fatah operative in the Strip. Namnam, 51, is one of the commanders of Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, in Gaza City. He and his...

Come one, come all! Hannity is on the Radio!

Israel will not agree to a deal with Syria involving the return of the Golan Heights, President Shimon Peres said Sunday. "If the Golan is given back, it will boost Iran's influence in Lebanon and the territory will effectively be under Iranian-Syrian control," said Peres. Cheney said the US was concerned by developments in Syria, specifically about Damascus supplying weapons to Hizbullah. The US vice president added that he did not get the impression that Syrian President Bashar Assad was interested in dialogue with Israel. Peres also told Cheney that the US and Europe were apparently ignoring Iran's ballistic missile...

The BBC has apologized for significant errors in two recent news reports on Israel. In a news item on March 7, following the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva attack, the BBC showed a bulldozer demolishing a house, while correspondent Nick Miles told viewers: "Hours after the attack, Israeli bulldozers destroyed his family home. Later, mourners set up Hamas and Islamic Jihad banners nearby." The house, however, was not demolished; the BBC was embarrassed when news reports from other broadcasters showed the east Jerusalem home intact and the family commemorating their son's actions. Last week, the BBC apologized live on its news program,...

German chancellor, US vice president, Republican presidential candidate, Russia's foreign minister and Britain's foreign secretary expected to visit Jerusalem this week. Diplomatic tsunami reflects international community's concern over escalation in region A busy and stressful week packed with visits by foreign diplomats awaits Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The different envoys will try and exert pressure on Israel to uphold understandings reached at the Annapolis peace conference and refrain from engaging in an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip. During the week Olmert is scheduled to host German Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as eight German ministers, Republican presidential candidate John...