The senior Israeli official told Israel Hayom that after the IDF completed its planned maneuver in Rafah it will turn to the north. "Achieving the strategic goal of the return of northern residents to their homes requires a ground war. We will do that after Rafah, not simultaneously,” the official said.
Relatives of Israelis still held in Gaza react to the New York Times interview of released hostage Amit Soussana, in which she shared the harrowing experience and sexual abuse she endured at the hands of Hamas.
In most cases, these are students from the Sephardi yeshivas, who are in any case more integrated into the general Israeli society and feel ready for a change, although no concrete steps have been taken to have them join the IDF.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's name evokes a myriad of reactions within Iran and among its diaspora. To some, he was a pragmatic leader who steered Iran through tumultuous times; to others, he epitomizes the corruption and cronyism that has beset the Islamic Republic since its inception.
Lieberman's independent streak and especially his needling of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential contest rankled many Democrats, the party he aligned with in the Senate. Yet his support for gay rights, civil rights, abortion rights and environmental causes at times won him the praise of many liberals over the years.
