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Outgoing US Secretary State John Kerry expressed disappointment Sunday that his efforts over the past four years have not put an end to the construction of homes in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Speaking at the Saban Forum, Kerry said that Israel is "heading to a place of danger" and that the chances for peace are eroding "by virtue of this continued settlement process." "I don't agree with him that settlements are not an obstacle to peace," Kerry said. "Let's not kid ourselves here– you can't just wipe it away by saying it doesn't have an impact. It has...

There is something bizarre about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Everyone assumes, naturally, that it is about Israel giving something that Palestinians want - a state. But what it really is about is the Arab world giving the Jewish people what it wants - a state. That makes no sense, you might say. After all, Israel exists, Palestine doesn't. How could the conflict be about people who don't have something giving it to people who do? The answer lies in a simple fact of history: The Arab war against a Jewish state not only predates Israeli control over the territories ostensibly in...

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Knesset at the opening of its Winter Session on Monday that the current Palestinian leadership wants to move forward toward peace with Israel and that he would not use excuses to stall peace talks. Laying out his agenda for the coming year, Olmert said he planned to make every effort to pursue peace with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. "The current Palestinian leadership is not a terrorist leadership. President Abbas and Prime Minister Salaam Fayad are committed to all the agreements signed with Israel, and I believe that they want to move ahead...

In the largest act of military insubordination since 2005's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, a group of Orthodox soldiers from the Kfir Brigade on Monday refused direct orders to participate in the planned evacuation Tuesday of two Jewish families from the Hebron marketplace. OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni immediately ordered disciplinary measures against the 12 soldiers - including two squad commanders - and some of them were sentenced on Monday night to 28 days in prison. Shamni also decided to dismiss the soldiers from their combat units. In his decision, Shamni said the soldiers' refusal to obey orders "undermined...

Despite the storm it ignited, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter held fast on Thursday to his accusation that Israel oppresses the Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza and seeks to colonize their land. Speaking at The George Washington University to a polite but mostly critical student audience, Carter offered no second thoughts on his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid that prompted 14 members of the Carter Center's advisory board to resign and drew fire from Jewish groups and some fellow Democrats. He said he was not accusing Israel of racism nor referring to its treatment of Arabs within the...