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New York  – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued sharp criticism late Tuesday of Israel’s latest plans to build new housing units on the occupied Palestinian territories.

Amman  – Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Tuesday condemned as “a flagrant challenge” to the world community an Israeli plan to build 900 new settlement units in East Jerusalem, which the Jewish state captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war.

Jerusalem  – Israel would answer to any Palestinian step toward an unilateral declaration of independence with “one-sided Israeli measures,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted by Israeli media as saying in a forum Sunday in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem  – Israeli prosecutors Thursday indicted a militant Jewish settler who has confessed to a host of attacks against Palestinians, the gay community in Israel and left-wing Israelis opposed to Jewish settlement of the occupied West Bank.

Washington  – President Barack Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Monday as the US struggles to revive stalled Middle East peace talks.

Washington  – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet late Monday with US President Barack Obama, the White House confirmed.

Jerusalem  – Israel Friday rejected an Arab-backed UN General Assembly resolution, giving it three months to launch an independent, credible investigation into last winter’s Gaza war.

Tel Aviv  – Tehran will probably find new routes to smuggle arms to the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group, Israeli defence officials said Thursday – a day after Israeli commandos seized a ship en route from Iran to Lebanon with hundreds of tons of weapons on board.

Tel Aviv  – The Israeli Navy overpowered a cargo ship with weaponry and ammunition hidden on board overnight, the military said Wednesday.

Tel Aviv  – Israel must “look ahead” in its relations with Turkey and “both must make an effort to repair their friendship”, Israeli Industry, Trade and Labour Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Thursday in the Israeli ceremony of Turkey’s National Day.