Israel

Israel and Turkey have reached an agreement to normalize ties, a senior Israeli official told reporters, according to Reuters. This will end bitter rift over the Israeli Navy’s killing of nine Turkish citizens during a Gaza flotilla raid in 2010.

By Jonathan Cook

"Information Clearing House" - "The National" - In a little-noticed move last week, Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman barred an official close to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas from entering Israel. Mohammed Madani is accused of “subversive activity" and “political terror". His crimes, as defined by Mr Lieberman, are worth pondering. They suggest that Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians may be rooted less in security issues and more in European colonialism.

Author Akiva Eldar, Translator Ruti Sinai

On the day after the March 2015 Knesset elections, the popular Italian daily Corriere de la Sera headlined its story on the Likud Party victory “The Comeback of Bibi, the Magician.” It brought to mind the Israeli performer Dori Ben-Zeev crooning Kobi Luria's “There once was a country,” a song about a magician who could speak without saying a thing, lived like a king and had a wife like a queen, until one morning his bluff was called. There are growing indications in recent weeks that Israel's “magician” is losing his touch and that the game is up.