Does Obama Have a Plan B for the Middle East?

It’s hardly surprising that President Barack Obama chose to schedule a White House visit by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the dead of night Monday, because right now Obama has little to show for his 10-month effort to revive a Mideast peace process. The Israeli leader’s refusal to abide by Washington’s demand for a complete freeze of settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — and the Palestinian refusal to enter talks without one — has left the Administration’s plans in tatters, with President Mahmoud Abbas threatening to resign and pull the plug on his Palestinian Authority, and the peace process of which it forms part

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Israel, U.S. begin joint military exercises

Israel and the United States commenced what is believed to be their largest ever joint military exercises in missile defense Wednesday. The long-planned, two-week air defense exercise has been dubbed Juniper Cobra 10 and will involve participation of 1,000 personnel from the U.S.

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U.N. rights council backs Gaza ‘war crimes’ report

The United Nations Council for Human Rights approved a controversial report Friday which accuses Israel and Hamas of “actions amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity” during the December-January war in Gaza. The report, based on a fact-finding mission led by former South African jurist Richard Goldstone, calls for both parties to independently investigate the alleged human rights violations cited in the report.

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Israel to protest TV show to Turkish envoy

Israeli officials are seeking a meeting with Turkey’s ambassador to protest a show on Turkish television that reportedly depicts Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian children. Turkey has been Israel’s strongest Muslim ally in the Middle East, and the move comes as relations between the countries have soured in recent days over the latter’s decision to exclude Israel from scheduled military exercises

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