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Libya

  • Israel Turns Back Gaza-bound Libyan Ship

    A Libyan ship attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza was turned back without incident. The ship, carrying an estimated 3,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid, instead docked Monday at an Egyptian port. An Israeli navy boat approached the ship near the Gaza coast, the Israeli Foreign Ministry told reporters. Monday’s… More ▸

  • Libyan Aid Ship Bound for Gaza

    A boat carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians has left Libya with plans to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian lawmaker told The Associated Press that the ship, with thousands of tons of aid, will arrive in Gaza next week. The Palestine News Network also reported the start of the voyage, according… More ▸

  • Libyan Jews Plan Return to Tripoli Hoping They’ll Meet Gadhafi This Time

    A group of exiled Libyan Jews living in Italy did not meet as expected with Col. Muammar Gadhafi during a four-day visit to Tripoli last week. But they look forward to doing so in a follow-up visit planned for next month. Delegation member Angelo Mantin said the six-member delegation, and probably several additional people, were… More ▸

  • As Part of His ‘charm Offensive,’ Gadhafi Courts Former Libyan Jews

    In Libya, a land that at times has shown as little hospitality to Jews as its Sahara Desert does to travelers, a visiting Jewish delegation is getting the royal treatment. A group of Libyan Jews who now live in Italy met early Monday afternoon with Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi in Tripoli, according to a statement… More ▸

  • Backgrounder Unknown Immigration from Libya Has Swelled Ranks of Italian Jewry

    One year ago, Rina Debach landed at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport after a flight across the Mediterranean from the Libyan capital of Tripoli. On the plane traveling with her were two officials from the Libyan Foreign Ministry. In the arrivals hall to greet Debach were the Italian consul general in Tripoli, and family members who had… More ▸

  • Israel Relieved at Libyan Move, Braced for Pressure to Follow Suit

    Libya’s announcement that it would end its capacity for developing weapons of mass destruction brought both relief and concern to Israel: relief that an implacable enemy was apparently moderating its outlook, concern that Israel would come under pressure to end its own reported nuclear capability. After nine months of secret negotiations with Britain and the… More ▸

  • Libya to Chair Human Rights Group; Will Israel Even Feel the Difference?

    Israel and Jewish groups are outraged that Libya has been chosen to chair the U.N. Human Rights Commission — though they say the group’s treatment of the Jewish state can’t get much worse than it already is. The commission “can’t do anything but run a smear campaign against Israel, which is what they already do,”… More ▸

  • Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner? Shul Bans Dershowitz for Libyan Case

    Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz is a sought-after speaker, but Temple Adath Yeshurun in Syracuse, N.Y., may have scored a first by uninviting the veteran human rights advocate and prolific author. Dershowitz was to deliver the keynote address and accept a Citizen of the Year award at the temple’s festive dinner on Sept. 6… More ▸

  • Committee Rebuffs White House, Votes for Longer Iran, Libya Sanctions

    The House of Representatives is poised to extend sanctions against Iran and Libya for five more years, after a congressional committee rejected an amendment by the Bush administration that would have shortened the renewal to two years. The amendment to cut three years off the Iran Libya Sanctions Act was overwhelmingly defeated Wednesday by the… More ▸