NEWS ABOUT: Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak stories: 31 news briefs
New York Times Jun 29, 09 9:00 AM CDT
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The Israeli government approved the construction of 50 new West Bank homes today, seemingly defying President Obama’s call for a freeze on new settlements. But Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to offer a temporarily halt on some construction, officials tell the New York Times , if Palestinians agree to negotiate an end to the conflict and other Arab nations take some confidence-building steps.
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Would remove some West Bank outposts for OK on current building
Associated Press May 26, 09 10:55 AM CDT
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Israel would dismantle nearly two dozen wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank in the next few weeks if the US drops its objections to continued building in existing, government-sanctioned settlements, officials said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak will bring the new proposal to senior American officials during his visit to Washington next week, the Israeli officials said.
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Panetta told that Israel won't bomb Iran without first alerting Washington
Times (UK) May 15, 09 5:34 AM CDT
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CIA director Leon Panetta was sent on a secret mission to Israel earlier this month to warn the country's leaders against launching a surprise attack against Iran, the Times of London reports. Panetta asked for—and received—assurances from Israel's hawkish new government that the country would not bomb Iranian nuclear facilities without alerting the US.
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Jerusalem Post (Israel) Apr 7, 09 3:28 PM CDT
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Israel today performed a successful test of a missile-defense system the country said could defend against any munition in Iran’s arsenal, the Jerusalem Post reports. The Arrow 2, a US-Israel collaboration, was paired with its radar system for the first time and took down a missile masquerading as an Iranian Shihab 3. “While we are for peace,” PM Benjamin Netanyahu said of the test, “we will know how to defend ourselves.”
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Barak signs deal with Netanyahu, but party members may rebel
Haaretz Mar 24, 09 6:20 AM CDT
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Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister-designate, has reached a deal with Ehud Barak that would see Barak's center-left Labor Party join an otherwise hard-right coalition, reports Haaretz . Barak, a former PM, is expected to retain his current post of defense minister in the new government. But Labor is divided over the wisdom of joining Netanyahu, and there's no guarantee the party's central committee will approve the deal today.
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Netanyahu gets more time as Labor debates joining coalition
Haaretz (Israel) Mar 20, 09 7:19 AM CDT
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Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister-designate of Israel, has been given an extra two weeks to form a government after a breakthrough in talks with Ehud Barak, the leader of the Labor Party and the country's outgoing defense minister. While Netanyahu has been ready to complete his right-wing cabinet this week, Barak seems ready to join in, warning that letting the hard right govern Israel would be irresponsible.
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Jerusalem Post (Israel) Feb 10, 09 2:58 PM CST
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This much is clear: Exit polls show that Tzipi Livni's Kadima Party has narrowly defeated Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, the Jerusalem Post reports. So who will be the next prime minister? Not so clear. In fact, both candidates are claiming the mantle. Israel's election rules say the party with the best chance of forming a ruling coalition—not necessarily the overall winner—gets the post. Given the surge of the right-wing Israel Beiteinu party, Netanyahu has the edge, the Post notes.
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Reuters Feb 10, 09 7:11 AM CST
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Today's parliamentary elections in Israel are still too close to call, with polls showing foreign minister Tzipi Livni locked in a statistical dead heat with hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu, reports Reuters . Centrist Livni closed in on the right-winger's lead following Israel's 22-day incursion into Gaza.
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Netanyahu falls back ahead of vote on Tuesday
Haaretz (Israel) Feb 6, 09 6:25 AM CST
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With four days to go before the Israeli election, Tzipi Livni has pulled within striking distance of Benjamin Netanyahu, whose hawkish Likud Party has led throughout the race. In the last polls before a media blackout, Likud is forecast to win 25-27 seats, while Livni's centrist Kadima would win 22-23. The polls also suggest a major advance for the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu, which has relegated Ehud Barak's Labor Party to fourth place.
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Cabinet may approve unilateral move at meeting tomorrow
Jerusalem Post (Israel) Jan 16, 09 2:24 PM CST
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Israel’s security cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss, and likely approve, a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reports. The move comes after negotiations in Egypt and the signing of an agreement with the US designed to halt smuggling of arms into Gaza. The ceasefire does not include Hamas as a direct party, as Israel does not want to legitimize the group.
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OPINION
It's a taboo topic in
DC, as evidenced
by Holder's hearing
Salon Jan 16, 09 8:59 AM CST
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For the sake of a quiet confirmation, attorney general nominee Eric Holder is letting us forget the real reason for Bill Clinton’s controversial Marc Rich pardon. Clinton didn’t let Rich off the hook because of his generous wife, writes Joe Conason in Salon. He did so because of pressure from Israel, but that fact seems to be a "forbidden" topic in Washington.
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Offensive escalates even as ceasefire hopes rise
BBC Jan 15, 09 6:51 AM CST
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Israeli shells set fire to the UN’s relief agency headquarters and a hospital today, as Israeli tanks pushed deep into Gaza City, the BBC reports. Some 700 people were inside the compound, along with large amounts of fuel and aid supplies; at least three UN employees were injured. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he was outraged by the attack, which Ehud Barak called a “grave mistake.”
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Israeli leaders torn over next step
Washington Post Jan 12, 09 9:38 AM CST
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“The elements of an agreement” for a ceasefire in Gaza are in place, Mideast envoy Tony Blair said today amid negotiations in Cairo including representatives of Israel and Hamas. But in Jerusalem, Israeli leaders were weighing an escalation, the Washington Post reports. PM Ehud Olmert is pushing for a “third-phase” attack, while other ministers say Israel should cut its losses while they’re relatively low.
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4 Israeli soldiers die in friendly fire; Khan Younis raided
Guardian (UK) Jan 6, 09 7:27 AM CST
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Israeli tanks and troops moved today into Gaza's second-largest city, Khan Younis, covered by intensive airstrikes. Fighting has been heaviest in the north of the Strip, where witnesses have reported waves of bombings, and naval attacks from the Mediterranean killed 10 Palestinians. The Guardian also reports that 4 Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 wounded in two separate friendly-fire incidents.
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Soldiers exchange gunfire with Hamas fighters on capital's streets
Guardian (UK) Jan 5, 09 6:08 AM CST
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The Israeli army moved into Gaza City for the first time this morning, fighting gun battles in the streets with Hamas militants. The Guardian reports that Israeli soldiers were making house-by-house sweeps for fighters associated with Hamas. This morning Ehud Barak, the defense minister, said that Israel would continue to fight until it had achieved "peace and tranquility" in the country's south, which is still enduring daily rocket and mortar attacks.
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Offensive could make or break the election for leaders who planned it
Washington Post Dec 31, 08 8:04 AM CST
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An uneasy triumvirate of Israeli politicians united to plan the offensive against Gaza, the Washington Post reports. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who will compete to become prime minister in February's election, both want to convince the electorate they can successfully defend Israel. For outgoing PM Ehud Olmert, who resigned under pressure from a corruption scandal, the offensive could be the last chance to leave a positive legacy.
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Associated Press Dec 30, 08 10:31 AM CST
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Israel is considering halting its Gaza offensive temporarily to give Hamas militants an opening to halt rocket fire, an Israeli defense official said today, but with the threat of a ground offensive if a ceasefire does not hold. Ehud Barak will raise the proposal during a meeting tomorrow of Israel's security Cabinet, which will also be asked to consider various plans for a ground invasion, the defense official said.
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Death toll at at least 320
Jerusalem Post (Israel) Dec 29, 08 10:57 AM CST
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Israel is determined to fight a “war to the bitter end” with Hamas, Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared today, as Israeli fighters continued to level high-profile targets throughout Gaza. “We have nothing against the people of Gaza,” Barak said. “But this is an all-out war against Hamas and its branches.” Meanwhile an IAF missile strike killed four Islamic Jihad fighters, along with one of the men’s 8-year-old son.
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Jerusalem Post (Israel) Dec 27, 08 11:23 PM CST
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Israel's bombardment of Hamas posts in the Gaza Strip is the start of a military operation likely to last several weeks, the Jerusalem Post reports. The assault—one of the deadliest in the 60-year conflict—has killed 230 Palestinians, including at least three senior Hamas officers, notes Haaretz . Hamas vowed revenge, calling for a new uprising and more suicide attacks in Israel.
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analysis
Washington Post Dec 27, 08 7:12 PM CST
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It's no surprise that Israel has struck back at Hamas, but the intensity of the attacks "appeared to stun Western governments and analysts," writes Michael Abramowitz of the Washington Post . Barack Obama's camp has remained largely mum so far on the air assaults that have killed more than 200, but it will likely come under pressure to rein in Israel. In the meantime, any hope Obama had of an early Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement has gone up in smoke.
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