King Abdullah of Jordan sat down at Petra with NEWSWEEK's Lally Weymouth last week and reflected on the state of affairs in his part of the world. He emphasized the need for a settlement of the Palestinian issue and claimed that Iran was no longer such a big problem for his country. Indeed, he sounded a bit like Barack Obama in arguing for the need for dialogue with Iran- a country he has in the past described as a major threat. Excerpts:
Israel's defence minister has accused the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, of having an "incomprehensible obsession" with his push for Middle East peace, but later apologised for his remarks via a statement released by his ministry.
Israel's foreign minister has threatened to expel the UN's special envoy for offering to help transfer Qatari funds to the Gaza Strip, Channel Two television reported.
Hamas rejected an Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with Israel on Tuesday, moments after the Israeli Cabinet accepted the plan, throwing into disarray international efforts to end a week of fighting that has killed 192 Palestinians and exposed millions of Israelis to Hamas rocket fire.
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, July 21, 2014 (AFP) - US President Barack Obama called for an "immediate ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas on Sunday, after the bloodiest day of fighting in Gaza raised the number of Palestinians killed to 476.