Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held his annual press conference with the foreign media based in Jerusalem. This is one of the few times during the year when the entire press corps in Israel comes together and has a chance to ask questions of the nation’s top leader. And this year’s event took place on the same day as a series of moves by the European Union which call into question their ability to serve as honest brokers for peace in the Middle East. First, the European court of justice removed Hamas from the EU’s list of banned terrorist organizations. Second, the European Parliament passed a resolution declaring its readiness to recognize a Palestinian state. And finally, more than a hundred countries used the format of the Geneva Convention to call for a probe of Israel for alleged war crimes. Meantime, the UN Security Council also began considering a resolution that would force Israel to accept a Palestinian state within two years. So how did Prime Minister Netanyahu respond to this sudden flurry of diplomatic challenges? What did he have to say about the negative actions by Europe towards the only fellow democracy in the Middle East? And did he show any sign of caving in to the growing pressure on Israel to agree to a Palestinian state outside the framework of a permanent peace deal? Netanyahu Calls Out Europe! That’s our focus yhis week here on Front Page Jerusalem! We’ll bring you the remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his annual appearance before the foreign press corps in Jerusalem, held last week in the Israeli capital. We’ll have the answers most of the media left out.
On today’s program we’re featuring the recent remarks delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his annual media stakeout with the foreign press corps based in Jerusalem. The event took place right as Israel was hit with a series of unilateral moves by the Palestinians at the United Nations and in the European Union meant to secure Palestinian statehood without having to reach a peace accord with Israel. Front Page senior producer David Parsons was there and brings us Netanyahu’s reactions…
Join hosts Earl Cox, Ben Kinchlow and David Parsons for this week’s Front Page Jerusalem, on a radio station near you or visit our website to download the MP3 and to subscribe to program podcasts
We are just ending 2014 and what an eventful year it has been for Israel and the entire Middle East. The year started out rather slowly, with Israel mainly worried about new security challenges on the northern border with Syria and its southern border with Sinai. But then things really heated up with the latest rocket war with Hamas in Gaza this past summer. And about that same time, we saw the sudden rise of the Islamic State militia in Syria and its rapid advances and brutal tactics in Iraq. More recently, there has also been the wave of violence and incitement in Jerusalem. And finally, the year has just ended with Israel heading for new elections only a few short months from now. So what were the biggest stories out of Israel over the past 12 months? What were the key developments elsewhere in the Middle East? How will the year 2014 be remembered? Who had the biggest impact, whether for good or bad? And what are the latest trends to follow as we head into 2015? The Year in Review! That’s our focus next week here on Front Page Jerusalem! We’ll look back one more time at the main headlines in Israel and the Middle East during 2014. Our special guest will be Chris Mitchell, the Jerusalem Bureau Chief for CBN News.
