Ron Friedman

Palestinians demonstrate in front of the Palestine Liberation Organization offices in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on July 15, as they protest against secret meetings between officials from the PLO and Israel. (photo credit: Issam Rimawi/FLASH90)

August 13, 2013, 8:44 am

Poll shows Palestinians evenly split on support for talks

Youth survey reveals backing slightly higher in Gaza than in West Bank; one in three think armed conflict best means to ‘end occupation’

By Ron Friedman

Holocaust survivors celebrate their belated Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City in October 2012, having been unable to mark the event at the traditional age of 13 (photo credit: Yoav Ari Dudkevitch/Flash90)

August 3, 2013, 4:01 am

Surviving Holocaust contributed to longevity, study finds

Analysis of 55,220 Polish immigrants to Israel finds men who experienced the Shoah lived on average 14 months longer than those who arrived before 1939

By Ron Friedman

Israelis rallying against a planned prisoner release, with fake blood on their hands. (photo credit: Flash90)

July 28, 2013, 5:02 pm

Cabinet votes to free prisoners, paving way for peace talks

104 pre-Oslo convicts to be released in phases; no Israeli Arabs on the list; terror victims’ families rally outside PMO; Ramallah police clash with anti-negotiation protesters

By Haviv Rettig Gur and Ron Friedman

July 28, 2013, 4:17 pm

PM certain of majority on prisoner release, but debate goes on

Ministers Sa’ar and Landver to vote in favor of freeing 104 convicts, ensuring cabinet approval of controversial move; terror victims’ families protest outside PMO

By Haviv Rettig Gur and Ron Friedman

Israel's ministers attend the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister offices in Jerusalem, on Sunday, July 28 (photo credit: Kobi Gideon / GPO/Flash90)

July 28, 2013, 11:58 am

Cabinet majority on prisoner release safe, but shrinking

Vote postponed as Netanyahu tries to pressure Likud ministers; in surprise move, Shai Piron says he’ll vote against; terror victims’ families hold protest outside PMO

By Haviv Rettig Gur and Ron Friedman

Former Knesset Minister Yaakov Peri, a former head of the Shin Bet. (Photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90)

July 28, 2013, 9:45 am

PM adds Peri to panel on prisoner releases to ensure majority

Addition of Yesh Atid minister to inner group aims to avert future squabbles; protesters camp out opposite PMO as cabinet meets to approve release of long-term Palestinian terror convicts

By Haviv Rettig Gur and Ron Friedman

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, on Sunday, July 21 (photo credit: Amos Ben Gershom/Flash90

July 22, 2013, 5:37 am

Netanyahu seeks national referendum on peace deal

PM advancing bill to expand legislation that currently only requires the public to weigh in on a handover of the Golan and East Jerusalem

By Ron Friedman

US Secretary of State John Kerry, center left, meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center right, on Friday, July 19, 2013 in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (photo credit: AP/Mandel Ngan)

July 20, 2013, 9:13 pm

Israel: PA dropped preconditions; Palestinians say talks based on pre-67 lines

Negotiations are in Israel’s interest, Netanyahu says; ministers confirm pre-Oslo prisoners with blood on their hands to go free

By Ron Friedman

Minister of Justice and Hatnua party leader Tzipi Livni, April 29, 2013 (photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

July 20, 2013, 8:16 pm

Senior Israeli negotiator: Everything is on the table in new talks

Tzipi Livni indicates some pre-Oslo Palestinian terrorists will be freed, but says basis of negotiations should be acceptable to government’s right-wing

By Ron Friedman and AP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks on the phone. (Gideon Markowicz/Flash90)

July 15, 2013, 6:20 am

Phone mixup gives girl direct line to PM

Replacement phone holds numbers of senior defense officials, text conversations with politicians

By Ron Friedman

African immigrants seen at a detention facility located in the south of Israel. August, 2012. (photo credit: Moshe Shai/Flash90)

July 15, 2013, 5:29 am

Rights groups decry repatriation of Eritrean migrants

14 asylum seekers leave Israel under ‘voluntary return’ procedure; activists claim they were coerced

By Ron Friedman

A Yakhont missile at a Russian air show in 1997 (CC BY-SA, JNO, Wikimedia Commons)

July 14, 2013, 2:43 am

US points finger, but Syria denies Israel involved in arms depot strike

Damascus officials rebuff American officials’ claims that Israeli warplanes hit advanced Russian-made missiles

By Ron Friedman and Joshua Davidovich

July 13, 2013, 4:12 am

US sources say Israel attacked Syrian weapons depot

Unnamed officials claim IDF carried out July 5 strike on Latakia to destroy a shipment of Russian-made anti-ship missiles

By Ron Friedman

Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon (photo credit: IDF Spokesman/Flash90)

July 11, 2013, 11:24 am

Hundreds of Palestinians arrested in pre-Ramadan raids

Wave of detentions contributes to sharp fall in terror attacks, security sources say; improved cooperation with PA also said helping. Israel may issue tens of thousands of entry permits

By Avi Issacharoff and Ron Friedman

Hunger-striker Ayman Sharawneh shortly after his release from Israeli prison in March 2013 (screen capture: Youtube/RuptlyTV)

July 11, 2013, 6:54 am

Government mulls force-feeding hunger-striking prisoners

Having been pressured into releasing long-fasting detainees, state is looking for a solution that will take away strikers’ leverage

By Ron Friedman