He has led Israel for 13 years, but his desperation to be re-elected was not just about continuing his project of hardcore religious nationalism, but about securing immunity from indictment on charges of fraud. It remains to be seen whether the prime minister really will be politically sidelined, writes Shlomo Ben-Ami

Palestinian flag flying atop our municipal buildings is about attaining the summit, in a hierarchy of victims, says Gerard Howlin.

Shimon Peres, the Israeli politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize during his unprecedented seven-decade career, has died aged 93.

Itamar Rabinovich, chief negotiator for Israel during the Yitzhak Rabin government (1992-5), wrote a book about the failed negotiations with Syria.

Betty Purcell’s heartfelt advocacy on behalf of the Arab population in the West Bank is clearly genuine, she describes how “as a teenager, I planned to go and work on a kibbutz, believing that Israel was building an equal and fair society.

When an Arab high court judge sentences the Jewish president of Israel to rot in jail, what better proof can there be that Israel is the only democracy in the neighbourhood?

With the US, the long-time global leader, seemingly weakened in recent times, the radical axis of Syria, Iran, and the Hezbollah may look to take advantage next year, writes Ehud Barak

Humanitarian charities, an Israeli prime minister and a European Union commissioner were among 1,000 targets on a surveillance list drawn up by British and American intelligence agencies, it has been reported.

IF Miko Peled’s life were fiction, it might be mistaken for fantasy: a staunch Zionist, Israeli Special Forces commando and son of a famous army general becomes an Arab-loving peace activist and champion of Palestinian rights.

Israel’s defence minister Ehud Barak announced he was quitting politics, a surprise decision that deepens uncertainty over how Israel will confront Iran’s nuclear programme.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said today that he is quitting politics and will not run in general elections in January.

Hamas leaders in Gaza declared victory over Israel today and thousands of flag-waving supporters rallied in celebration as the battered territory entered its first day of calm under an Egyptian-brokered truce.

Israeli strikes hit two media centres in the Gaza Strip today as Israel warned it was widening its range of targets to go after military commanders of the territory’s Hamas rulers.

Palestinian militants barraged Israel with more than 200 rockets today, killing three people, as Israel pressed a punishing campaign of air strikes on militant targets across the Gaza Strip.

Israel was drawn into the fighting in neighbouring Syria for the first time, firing warning shots across the border after an errant mortar shell landed near a military installation in the occupied Golan Heights.

Lifting a nearly 25-year veil of secrecy, Israel acknowledged today that it killed the deputy of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in a 1988 seaborne raid in Tunisia.

Gaza militants pummelled Israel with dozens of rockets and mortars and Israeli airstrikes killed two Palestinians in a sharp escalation of violence following a landmark visit to the coastal territory by the leader of Qatar.

Masked gunmen killed 16 Egyptian soldiers at a checkpoint along the border with Gaza and Israel, the first such attack on troops.

Israel would “have to act” if the Syrian regime collapses and there is a risk Syria’s chemical weapons and missiles could fall into the hands of militant groups, the Jewish state’s prime minister warned yesterday.

Israel would “have to act” if the Syrian regime collapses and there is a risk Syria’s chemical weapons and missiles could fall into the hands of militant groups, the Jewish state’s prime minister warned today.

Iranian negotiators have rejected proposals by six world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme.

A rabbi, his two young sons and another child were shot dead by a lone gunman outside a French school today in what was feared to be the latest in a string of racist murders.

A lone gunman murdered a rabbi, his two small sons and another child outside a Jewish school in France today.

Israel pounded Gaza for the second day in a row today, trading airstrikes and rocket fire with Palestinian militants and killing 15 of them as the deadliest Gaza violence in over a year showed no signs of abating.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of being the most irresponsible country in the world and said sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme “haven’t worked.”

Iran’s “terrorist activities” have been exposed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, after a spate of blasts in India and Thailand sparked a dramatic rise in tension between the arch foes.

Thai police said today that two Iranian suspects arrested in Bangkok were probably planning to attack individuals, but did not have the capacity to target large crowds or buildings.

An Iranian man wounded by an explosion in Bangkok lobbed a grenade at police that rebounded and blew off his leg in a series of blasts Israel said were an attempted terrorist attack by Iran.

Israel has accused Iran of being behind a bungled terrorist attack in Thailand after a man blew his legs off trying to throw a grenade at police.

Security has been stepped up across Israel following bomb attacks on its diplomats in India and Georgia.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said the world must quickly stop Iran from reaching the point where even a “surgical” military strike could not block it from obtaining nuclear weapons.

A former Israeli military intelligence chief said today Iran had all the components to build a nuclear bomb.

Israel’s defence minister urged the world today to apply “paralysing” sanctions on Iran’s energy sector and leadership.

Iran began a four-day air defence military exercise today aimed at upgrading its ability to protect its airspace and its nuclear facilities in case of an attack.

Iran’s supreme leader has warned Israel and the United States of a tough response if they launch a military strike against it in the row over its nuclear programme.

IRAN is suspected of conducting secret experiments whose sole purpose is to develop nuclear arms, the UN nuclear atomic energy agency said yesterday for the first time.

ISRAEL has successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable missile able to reach Iran, fuelling a debate over whether it is agitating for a military attack on Tehran’s atomic facilities.

Israel has successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable missile able to reach Iran, fuelling a debate over whether it is agitating for a military attack on Tehran’s atomic facilities.

The storming of the Israeli embassy in Cairo by a mob of Egyptian protesters inflicted a “severe injury to the fabric of peace” between the two countries, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned today.

Israel apologised today for the deaths of Egyptian troops killed during a shoot-out between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants.

SEVEN Israelis died when squads of gunmen armed with heavy weapons and explosives crossed into southern Israel from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and launched a series of attacks.

Israel has launched air strikes on Gaza after gunmen killed seven Israelis in a series of attacks near the border with Egypt.

Seven Israelis died when squads of gunmen armed with heavy weapons and explosives crossed into southern Israel from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula today and launched a series of attacks.

ISRAELI foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said participants in an aid flotilla planning to challenge an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip were seeking “confrontation and blood”.

ISRAELI and Palestinian officials floated a ceasefire yesterday to end an upsurge of violence in Gaza, as Israel warned of a still stronger response if rocket fire from the coastal strip continues.

AN anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip struck a school bus in southern Israel, wounding two people, including one child critically, Israeli officials said.

An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip struck a school bus in southern Israel today, wounding two people, including one child critically, Israeli officials said.

The Israeli military said a Palestinian has infiltrated a Jewish West Bank settlement and killed five people.

ISRAELI Defence Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday that he was leaving the Labour Party and forming a new faction in parliament, completing a split in the party over the handling of peace talks with the Palestinians.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said today that he was leaving the Labour Party and forming a new faction in parliament, completing a split in the party over the handling of peace talks with the Palestinians.