Israel retaliates in Syria after roadside bomb attack against Israeli troops

Israel has warned Syria’s government that any aggression against Israeli citizens will be met with force, as a roadside bomb attack which injured Israeli troops prompted airstrikes on Syrian targets. Addressing a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes on Syrian territory targeted elements “that not only facilitated, but also cooperated with the attacks on our forces.” He added, “Our policy is very clear: We attack those who attack us.” The government of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is engaged in a long-running civil war which has seen some conflict spill over into neighboring countries. Four Israeli paratroopers were injured Tuesday when the bomb exploded under their patrol jeep in the Golan…

Kerry in Mideast to propose peace framework

Secretary of State John Kerry is back in the Middle East where he plans to propose a framework for a lasting peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, saying the time is close for tough decision-making. Kerry arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday and immediately headed for Jerusalem, the start of his ninth trip to the region since taking over as America’s top diplomat nearly a year ago. A senior State Department official said Kerry’s talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be substantive. “It is an effort to provide agreed guidelines for a permanent status agreement, that is to say a full and final peace treaty between the…

Israel pushes ahead with settlement expansion

The expansion of Jewish settlements on the West Bank has been a lasting thorn in the side of Palestinians. That spine grew longer Thursday, when Israel announced it will finish construction of 675 new settlement homes on the West Bank. The project includes 137 houses, which have already been built in the settlement of Itamar. The housing units are part of an old agreement and not a new plan, prime minister spokesman Mark Regev has said. But there are also new plans to add an additional 550 homes to the settlement in Bruchin. The public has a 60 day period to object to them, and the plans then need to pass through a process of…