Jerusalem
Iran calls latest US response to proposal insufficient, and other Mideast developments
A senior Iranian official says Tehran finds the latest U.S. response to a proposal to end the war “insufficient” and warns of attacks on regional data centers and cables if fighting intensifies again. Meanwhile, Israel’s former attorney general took the witness stand in corruption cases against Benjamin Netanyahu, as the political future of the country’s […]
FlyDubai co-pilot intended to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, UAE prosecutor says
JERUSALEM | The axe-wielding co-pilot who attacked the captain of a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv last month intended to seize control of the airplane and fly it into the passenger terminal at Israel’s main international airport, authorities in the United Arab Emirates said Friday. The suspect, an Omani national, did so “with the intention […]
FACT FOCUS: What’s known about the FlyDubai attack probe and the red flags about the suspect
JERUSALEM | The investigation into the thwarted FlyDubai cockpit attack last week has turned into a wide security and intelligence probe spanning from the Middle East to New Zealand as authorities try to figure out how the suspect, previously flagged for extremist views in Oman, was cleared to fly an Israel-bound flight. Investigators in the […]
In-flight attack on FlyDubai pilot puts aviation security measures under fresh scrutiny
JERUSALEM | Israel has some of the world’s most stringent air travel security measures. The United Arab Emirates proudly adheres to international aviation safety standards. Yet those safeguards failed to prevent a flight between the countries from taking a dangerous plunge during an alleged attack in the cockpit. The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in […]
Investigators work to determine why a pilot apparently tried to crash a FlyDubai flight to Israel
JERUSALEM | Investigators worked Thursday to determine why an Omani pilot stabbed the captain of a flight to Israel, causing the plane to plummet dangerously before others on board landed it in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on the FlyDubai plane — which was carrying 174 people, mostly Israelis, from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv […]
A closer look at Yom Kippur, the holiest day of Jewish calendar
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. is widely considered the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar. It is being observed this year from around sunset on Sunday until after nightfall Monday night. It is typically spent in prayer and repentance. It marks the conclusion of the Jewish High Holy days, which began […]
An Israeli documentary on the war in Gaza sets off a firestorm at home after Venice award
JERUSALEM | An Israeli documentary about the civilian death toll in the war in Gaza has sparked fierce backlash at home after being awarded the special jury prize last week at the Venice Film Festival, drawing anger from top officials and even calls to strip the filmmakers of Israeli citizenship. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu […]
Netanyahu’s big reelection concern isn’t his political rivals. It’s some of his biggest supporters
JERUSALEM | As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks reelection, his main concern these days isn’t his political rivals. It’s some of his biggest supporters. A series of small, pro-Netanyahu parties are competing in the run-up to the Oct. 27 vote. But instead of strengthening the Israeli leader, these parties — including hard-line blocs led […]
Regional powers seek off-ramp from Iran war, and other Middle East developments
JERUSALEM | Regional powers sought an off-ramp from the war with Iran as another tanker attack was reported in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian government dismissed the Trump administration’s latest sanctions. Elsewhere in the Middle East, a Jerusalem court acquitted a man accused of beating a Catholic nun, but ordered him to undergo […]
An AP reporter spends the night locked inside Jerusalem’s holiest church with clergy and pilgrims
JERUSALEM | The enormous doors were pushed shut, the clanking bolts secured from the outside and several clergy, pilgrims and one journalist — me — were locked for the night inside one of Christianity’s holiest sites in Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built over the spots where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, […]