ISRAEL

The U.N. drugs watchdog chief voiced dismay and serious concern in talks with an Iranian envoy Tuesday over claims by the Islamic Republic's vice president that Jews were behind global narcotics trafficking.

The Arab League has called on the various Syrian opposition factions to unite in light of their rejection of a U.N.-brokered plan for a transitional government that, as a gesture to Russia, would possibly include President Bashar al Assad in any decision-making on the country's future government.

Iran announced missile tests Sunday and threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the earth if the Jewish state attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions

Now that we?ve passed through the first half of 2012, it?s time to reflect on some technology events and anticipate what might be ahead. Maybe we can make a few predictions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a letter to Egypt's newly sworn-in President Mohamed Morsi, urging him to maintain peace between the two countries, following an Iranian report last week that Morsi was planning to reconsider the peace deal with Israel, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who clung throughout his life to the belief that Israel should hang on to territory and never trust an Arab regime, passed away at 96 in a nursing home in Herzliya, Israeli officials said Saturday.

The Miss Holocaust Survivor pageant, in which Holocaust survivors ranging in age from 74 to 97 competed for the title in Israel, has been criticized as macabre by some and as a celebration of life -- and a triumph over evil -- by others.

How powerful is the Syrian military? How do Western nations stack up against it? And would it be wise to intervene in the first place?

Promoter Bob Arum and Manny Pacquiao met in Los Angeles Monday to discuss his next fight.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has never conducted an official memorial during the games to honor the Munich victims.

The Palestinians' bid for a UNESCO World Heritage site proved successful Friday as committee members voted to put the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem on its renowned list.

Former Egyptian Oil Minister Samih Fahmi has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a deal that exported natural gas to Israel below market value and cost the government over $714 million in lost revenue.

All is not lost, however, for peace between Israelis and Arabs need not come just from the top down -- not just when leaders across this turbulent region cast aside their weapons and sign treaties.

Worries about present-day issues overshadowed unsavory history this week as Russian President Vladimir Putin made a 24-hour whirlwind visit to Israel.

A Syrian official suggested on Wednesday that Syria might have shot down a Turkish jet last week because it was believed to be an Israeli jet.

Russia and Syria signed a $100 million deal for the transaction last year.

Relations between these two giant Islamic nations have been strained since 1979.

Drahi wants to offer ?a balanced presentation of life in Israel throughout the world [that] will help strengthen the country's image.

Israel began the evacuation of settlers from the West Bank outpost of Ulpana Tuesday, bringing a sense of finality to the Supreme Court's ruling that it was built illegally on private Palestinian land and had to be dismantled.

Everyone has a reason to hate the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been in the limelight ever since the brutally oppressive reign of former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak ended. The Western mainstream opinion is united against the Brotherhood, an organization which reeks of sinister religious overtones right from its name supported suitably by its new-found Islamic-state rhetoric. But the radical Islamists in the Middle East condemn the Brotherhood equally, for luring thousands of young Musli...

Russia has been widely criticized for its friendly relations with both nations, but Putin is hoping to raise his status in the region.