ISRAEL

Thousands of Israeli soldiers are called up for a surprise exercise -- are they training to face Syrians?

The Palestinian Authority's budget is short some $400 million, a gap that will remain and cause serious fiscal difficulties, even if all donors fulfill their 2012 pledges to Palestine, the World Bank warned on Wednesday.

The MTA said that 10 pro-Israel advertisements calling jihad “savage” are expected to appear in New York City subways next week.

President Jimmy Carter's grandson helped unearth the video of Mitt Romney's talk to wealthy donors that has embarrassed the Republican candidate, he said Tuesday.

FedEx's forecast cut, signs of stagnation in Germany, drops in oil price and looming political tensions spell trouble for the global economy.

The leader of Lebanon's militant Islamist political party Hezbollah has issued a proclamation calling for the death of the producers of the highly controversial film, Innocence of Muslims, which has sparked outrage, protests and violent attacks throughout the Islamic world.

Romney's stance on Palestine, the two-state solution with Israel, and the peace process, were made abundantly clear in a recording obtained by Mother Jones. Thus far in the campaign, Romney's foreign policy statements in general have shown that he's not afraid to say what's on his mind.

The latest United Colors of Benetton promotional campaign, valued at approximately $26 million, will give seed money to young entrepreneurs whose ideas are most popular among registered visitors to the company's site.

The Iranian nuclear technology dance continued Tuesday as EU foreign affairs chief Ashton met with Iranian National Security Council Secretary Jalili.

What are Iran's nuclear capabilities at present, and is a preemptive military strike necessary? A difference of opinion between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu show that major world powers are at odds over these pivotal issues.

The man suspected to be Sam Bacile, the director behind the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims," Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, was taken in for questioning on Saturday by the L.A. police. Meanwhile, protests in Afghanistan and Jakarta turned violent, and Al-Qaeda called last week's bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens a "great event."

An armada of military hardware from 25 nations, including battleships, aircraft carriers, submarines and minesweepers has descended on the Persian Gulf as Western policy makers desperately try to convince Israel that diplomacy and sanctions designed to halt Iran?s nuclear program need more time to work.

Benjamin Netanyahu football talk on two Sunday talk shows was meant to draw a stark focus on Israel's threats to prevent a nuclear Iran at a time when the world has been fixed upon global anti-American Muslim protests. His main hope is the U.S. doesn't drop the ball.

The actors who appeared in the Islamophobic movie that set off violent protests across the Middle East have maintained that they thought they were making a simple adventure movie set in Biblical times. Some entertainment law experts say the actors might have grounds to sue the filmmaker who duped them.

The United States is working to shore up security at diplomatic sites abroad, as protests responding to an incendiary film, entitled "Innocence of Muslims," spread across the Middle East, an Obama spokesperson said on Friday.

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), the No. 1 search engine, said it’s blocked access to the controversial “Innocence of Muslims”on YouTube in countries with large Muslim populations, including India, Libya and Egypt. But Afghanistan's government blocked all access to YouTube, claiming the video is offensive.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo got snarky on the Muslim Brotherhood after the Egyptian political party tweeted a condolence message.

Rush Limbaugh has an interesting theory about the May 2011 killing of Obama bin Laden. On his radio show Wednesday, the conservative pundit stated that Al Qaeda may have allowed bin Laden to be killed in order to make Barack Obama look good.

Dr. Ephraim Asculai does not see a bombing by Israel or the U.S. as imminent, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Hawks, however, may be disappointed by what an attack could really accomplish.

The U.S. and its allies have long sought to pressure Russia and China into backing such a statement against Iran, amidst fears that Israel would unilaterally attack Iran in a pre-emptive measure in lieu of finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Is there really a Sam Bacile, and does his movie, "Innocence of Muslims," even exist? So far only scant details have emerged about a filmmaker whose low-budget movie sparked deadly in Egypt and Libya that left four Americans dead.