Iran is ready to work with the United States and its allies to stop Islamic State militants, but would like more flexibility on Iran’s uranium enrichment program in exchange, senior Iranian officials told Reuters. The comments from the officials, who asked not to be named, highlight how difficult it may be for the Western powers […] Read More → 
“The tax system should be simplified and work for all Americans with lower individual and corporate tax rates and fewer brackets.” That’s from the Obama administration’s 2009 proposals for tax reform, straight from whitehouse.gov. “Because our corporate tax system is so riddled with special interest loopholes,” the document goes on, “our system has one of […] Read More → 
The Palestinians appeared divided Sunday as the clock was winding down on the latest Gaza cease-fire, with officials saying Hamas was still opposed to a compromise Egyptian proposal that would ease the closure of the territory, while other factions, including delegates representing President Mahmoud Abbas, were inclined to accept. Hamas officials said they were holding […] Read More → 
Hamas rejected on Saturday as insufficient offers made in Cairo to Palestinian negotiators seeking to end Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, and raised the possibility of renewed fighting when the current truce expires. Israel said it had also not yet accepted any proposals made in the Egyptian-mediated talks but, like the Palestinians, its envoys […] Read More → 
The Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza accused israel on Friday of a cross-border shooting in violation of a truce that has largely held since getting off to a shaky start on Thursday. An Israeli military spokeswoman said: “We have no knowledge of such an incident.” The Palestinian ministry in the coastal territory dominated by Hamas […] Read More → 
Wide gaps remain between Israel and the Palestinians in reaching a long-term deal on the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official said, as Hamas warned there would be no more truces beyond the one due to end midnight tomorrow. No progress has been made in the Cairo talks that resumed yesterday, according to the Israeli official, […] Read More → 
Talks aimed at securing a new truce for the Gaza Strip have been placed under severe pressure Sunday after both sides issued warnings. Palestinian negotiators have said they will quit the talks altogether Sunday if Israel’s negotiators, who left Cairo Friday when the original 72-hour cease-fire expired, do not return. For their part, the Israeli […] Read More → 
Tens of thousands of people have turned out in central London to protest the bombing of Gaza. Large crowds of protesters marched through the British capital’s busy West End shopping area on Saturday, passing the U.S. Embassy before descending on Hyde Park for a rally. Many waved placards and the Palestinian flag, chanting “Free, Free […] Read More → 
Israel launched more than 20 aerial attacks in Gaza on Saturday, killing five Palestinians, and militants fired rockets at Israel as the conflict entered a second month, defying international efforts to negotiate an agreement for an extended ceasefire. Medical officials in Gaza said two Palestinians were killed when their motorcycle was bombed and the bodies […] Read More → 
An irate Benjamin Netanyahu told the U.S. ambassador to Israel on Friday “not to ever second-guess me again” after Hamas violated the latest cease-fire agreement just 90 minutes after it went into effect. The Israeli prime minister told President Obama and other top U.S. officials that two soldiers of the Gvati Brigade had been killed […] Read More → 
Israel signaled it was winding up the 25-day-old Gaza war unilaterally, saying on Saturday it would not attend Egyptian-hosted negotiations for a new truce and giving Palestinians who had fled fighting in one northern town the all-clear to return. But shelling exchanges continued, with Palestinian officials saying Gaza’s mostly civilian death toll rose to 1,665 […] Read More → 
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Friday to crack down on Central American migrants, including unaccompanied children, who are flooding to the U.S. border with Mexico, as lawmakers passed a $694 million border security bill. The 223-189 vote came one day after conservative Republicans balked at an earlier version of the measure, […] Read More → 
The Obama administration pushed back strongly Monday at a torrent of Israeli criticism over Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest bid to secure a cease-fire with Hamas, accusing some in Israel of launching a “misinformation campaign” against the top American diplomat. “It’s simply not the way partners and allies treat each other,” State Department spokeswoman […] Read More → 
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday defended the U.S. decision to trade five Taliban leaders at Guantanamo for war prisoner Bowe Bergdahl, insisting it was the right move but admitting failure to tell lawmakers hurt trust with Congress. Hagel told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee the administration felt a growing sense of urgency […] Read More → 
Pope Francis told Israeli and Palestinian leaders they “must respond” to their people’s yearning for peace “undaunted in dialogue” during an unprecedented prayer meeting among Jews, Christians and Muslims at the Vatican on Sunday. The pope made his vibrant appeal to Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the end of […] Read More →