Israeli

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday categorically refuted reports regarding landing of an Israeli aircraft in Islamabad and termed it baseless and fictitious. Replying to Khursheed Shah's query during the National Assembly session, Qureshi stressed that the present government is not responsible for the current economic crisis, the country is passing through the dire economic situation, and it is responsibility of both opposition and treasury benches to collectively work to steer country out of the…

GAZA: Israeli forces killed two Palestinians including a child at a protest along the Israel-Gaza border on Friday and wounded at least 126 others, Palestinian officials said. Thousands of Palestinians had gathered for a protest near Israel’s border fence with the Gaza Strip. Gaza’s Health Ministry said a 12-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man were shot dead by Israeli forces. At least 126 others were wounded by bullets, it said. Israel’s military blamed that some Palestinians were “throwing explosive devices and…

JERUSALEM: The Israeli army has revealed details of a new tank it was developing, designed more for use in guerrilla warfare conditions. The Merkava 4 Barak, scheduled to be operational in three years, will be the latest of the Israeli Merkava tank series, which has traditionally focused on combatting the conventional forces of neighbouring Arab states. The military said the new model reflected an understanding that the theatres of conflict it faces are changing. "The enemy won't necessarily be states and armies, but…

GAZA: The Arab League called Thursday for an international probe into alleged crimes by Israeli forces against Palestinians following mass protests on the Gaza border that saw dozens of demonstrators killed. Tens of thousands have protested along Gaza's border with Israel since March 30 calling for Palestinian refugees to be able to return to their homes now inside Israel. The largest demonstrations coincided with the move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Monday, which saw Israeli forces kill…

GAZA BORDER: Israeli troops fired live rounds and tear gas at Palestinians, who thronged the Gaza-Israel frontier near a border terminal on Friday as part of a long-running protest, injuring about 1,100 people. Medics said around 82 people were shot and wounded with live fire, another 800 treated for gas inhalation and the rest for other injuries along the Gaza side of the 25-mile border fence, where Palestinians set up tent encampments on March 30 for what they call “The Great March of Return”. Youths rolled burning…

GAZA: Israeli troops shot dead three protesters along the Gaza border on Friday, Gaza medics said, hours after the United Nations human rights chief criticised Israel for using “excessive force” against demonstrators. Israeli troops have killed 41 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,000 others since Gaza residents began staging protests along the border fence on March 30 to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees. The troops were holed up behind fortifications on their side of the 40km (25-mile) border…

JERUSALEM: Israeli-American Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has refused to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because of the distressing events in the country, the organisers said, announcing the prizegiving had been cancelled. Israel has drawn international criticism in recent weeks for lethal tactics used during clashes with Palestinians along the border with Gaza. Thirty-one Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded. Israel says it is doing what it must to defend its border.…

JERUSALEM: Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday for the first time in a corruption case that involves the country’s largest telecommunications company Bezeq, Israel Radio said.  Along with two other corruption cases, in which Netanyahu is suspected of bribery, the probes pose a serious threat to the four-term prime minister’s political survival.  Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing in all the cases. In the newest investigation, known as Case 4000, police allege that the owners of Bezeq…

Lebanese authorities have banned Steven Spielberg's latest film, political thriller "The Post", and Australian drama "Jungle" to comply with a boycott of Israel, an official told AFP Monday. "Screening of the film 'The Post' has been banned," said the official from Lebanon's General Security authority, speaking on condition of anonymity. Spielberg "is blacklisted by the Arab League's boycott office, which Lebanon complies with", the official explained. The pan-Arab body maintains a regional boycott of Israel, and…

RAMALLAH: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Monday harshly condemned a vote by Israel's ruling party in support of annexing large parts of the West Bank and criticised the United States for its silence. Abbas said the non-binding vote by the central committee of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party on Sunday "could not be taken without the full support of the US administration." He said in a statement that the White House "has refused to condemn Israeli colonial settlements as well as the systematic…