President Obama has reaffirmed a 4-decade-old secret understanding that has allowed Israel to keep a nuclear arsenal without opening it to international inspections, three officials familiar with the understanding said. The officials, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were discussing private conversations, said Mr. Obama pledged to maintain the agreement when he first hosted …

JERUSALEM — Stung by a damning U.N. report alleging war crimes in Gaza, Israel is taking extraordinary steps to fend off potential international prosecution of its political and military leaders, hiring high-powered attorneys, lobbying Western governments and launching a public relations blitz.Israel has dismissed the U.N. investigation into its winter offensive in the Gaza strip as biased, but its latest …

As diplomats from the so-called P5+1 countries — The United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, and Germany — met yesterday in Switzerland for talks with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, the guessing game continues. The guess is not only about whether Iran is making a nuclear bomb, but also about whether an attack on Iran will take place. Both are possibilities. …

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoganThe Turkish president has condemned Western countries’ focus on Iran’s nuclear program, stressing that the world should deal with Israel’s nuclear weapons instead. Turkey’s “Radikal” newspaper on Sunday reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strong comments against Israel’s nuclear program was similar to his “one minute” stance in Davos in January when he walked out of …

Weeks before the arrival of president Ahamadinejad in new York for the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting arrangements had already been made for some Western powers and Israel to walk out as soon as Ahamadinejad got up to speak. Demonstrations in support of the opposition in Iran were to be staged. In fact Ahamadinejad was anathema to Israel and the …

September 06, 2009 “Washington Post” — During the past 16 months I have visited the Middle East four times and met with leaders in Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. I was in Damascus when President Obama made his historic speech in Cairo, which raised high hopes among the more-optimistic Israelis and Palestinians, who …