By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Israel's recent airstrikes on Syria not only stopped the delivery of arms to its sworn enemy Hezbollah in Lebanon but also gave notice to the Obama administration and Iran that the Jewish state has the will and the means to act unilaterally to protect its interests in the volatile Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered on Tuesday a halt to all building in the contested West Bank settlement areas.
It's "business as usual" in Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left on Monday for a scheduled meeting in China — just a few hours after his country sent in two aircraft strikes against Syria.
Israeli warplanes struck areas in and around the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, setting off a series of explosions as they targeted a shipment of highly accurate, Iranian-made guided missiles believed to be bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, officials and activists said.
An Israeli airstrike against Syria was targeting a shipment of advanced missiles believed to be bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israeli officials confirmed Saturday.
Over the past half-year, it seems that Israel and the West have lessened their attention on the ominous Iranian nuclear program.
The Arab League has sweetened a peace-making deal with Israel, putting the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reignite talks with coalition members who have more moderate views on Palestinian relations.
A helicopter transporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a quick emergency landing Thursday after military officials spotted — then shot down — an unmanned drone that was entering Israeli airspace.
Israeli officials said the drone shot down Tuesday by the air force about 6 miles off its northern coast most likely was an Iranian-made aircraft that is part of Hezbollah's armory.
American and Israeli defense officials welcomed a new arms deal as a big boost in Israel's military strength, but Israeli officials said it still left them without the American-made bunker-buster weapons they need to attack Iran's most important, deep-buried nuclear sites.
U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Sunday urged Turkey to speed up and cement an American-brokered rapprochement with Israel, and he explored with Palestinian officials new ways to relaunch Mideast peace efforts.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sunday the United States and Israel see "exactly the same" threat from Iran but differ on when it may reach the point of requiring U.S. or Israeli military action.
A two-minute siren sounded right at 11 a.m. on Monday, bringing Israel to a halt during a days-long period of remembrance and honor for the nation's 25,578 victims of war and terrorist attacks.
A senior Israel official said that the government will indeed stop its much-contested settlement building as a step toward peace with the Palestinians — but very quietly, without fanfare or policy order.
On his second trip to the Middle East in two weeks, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Monday the U.S. won't stop Israel from taking whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained the new procedures to Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who is the envoy for the "Quartet" of Mideast peacemakers — the United States, the United Nationas, the European Union and Russia.
Also Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he has accepted a German mediator's proposal to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants in Gaza for four years.
