Ruth Pollard
Ruth Pollard is the Middle East Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Her job takes her throughout the Middle East and North Africa, reporting on the Arab revolutions from Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Tunisia and on the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
High stakes, hidden foes in Israel's intervention
Ruth Pollard It is just under seven years since the skies over Lebanon roared with the sound of Israeli fighter jets and missiles rained down on both sides in a furious 34-day war.
Anti-settlement protesters struggle to make Obama hear
Ruth Pollard On a rocky hill overlooking the large Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, as sheep grazed along the grassy shoulders of the highway that leads into Jerusalem, a large Palestinian flag unfurled in...
Israel apologises to Turkey
Ruth Pollard Israel has apologised to Turkey for the deaths of nine of its citizens during a 2010 Israeli naval raid on a Turkish aid flotilla that was headed for Gaza.
Obama visits the Church of the Nativity
Ruth Pollard As a fierce sandstorm blew into Bethlehem from the Negev Desert in the south, President Barack Obama made his final stop on his three-day visit to Israel and Palestine before he flies to neighbouring...
Israeli PM's call soothes relationship with Turkey
Ruth Pollard Israel has apologised to Turkey for the deaths of nine of its citizens during a 2010 Israeli naval raid on a Turkish aid flotilla that was headed for Gaza.
Obama came, saw and united, which is bad news for Assad
Ruth Pollard He came to woo the Israeli public and woo them he did, with endless symbolic gestures and a speech that won over many on both the right and left of the political spectrum.
Gaza Strip marathon cancelled after Hamas bans female runners
Ruth Pollard in Jerusalem The UN has been forced to cancel its annual marathon in the Gaza Strip after the ruling Islamist movement Hamas insisted that women be banned from the race.
EU report blasts Israeli zoning, urges sanctions
Ruth Pollard Recommending economic sanctions against Israeli settlements, a scathing report from European Union consulates accuses Israel of illegally annexing East Jerusalem and 'systematically undermining...
Oscar hope inspired by a great divider of land and livelihood
Ruth Pollard BILIN, West Bank: The tear gas canisters lie in the bright green grass that grows next to Israel's concrete ''separation wall'' in the Palestinian village of Bilin.
Palestinian Catholics wary of Benedict's exit
Ruth Pollard Palestinians fear Benedict's resignation may reduce the authority of the church.
Aleppo massacre: 68 bodies found near river
Ruth Pollard The bodies lie on the muddy concrete bordering a small canal in Aleppo, many with their hands tied behind their back, each with a bullet to the head, their blood spilling into the stagnant water...
Massacre corpses pulled from Syrian river
Ruth Pollard, Jerusalem The bodies lay on the muddy concrete edge of a small canal in Aleppo, many with their hands tied behind their back, each with a bullet to the head, their blood spilling into the stagnant water below.
Controversial Israeli minister resigns after charges laid
Ruth Pollard Maintaining his innocence and vowing to clear his name, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has resigned just 38 days before the country’s national elections after it was revealed he would be...
Distrust and disdain leave Egyptians divided
Ruth Pollard CAIRO: Sameha and her son Mohammed lean against the railing outside a Cairo health clinic, her arms clasped around him as his bandaged head rests heavily on her shoulder.
Heavenly virgins hold no sway over freedom-fighting females
Ruth Pollard ''I AM with the uprising of women in the Arab world because I would prefer to be free on this earth [than be] a heavenly virgin.''
'We are a country': Palestinians celebrate
Ruth Pollard in Ramallah The street party was in full swing in the West Bank city of Ramallah well before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was due to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Ramallah rejoices in historic vote, although few expect change
Ruth Pollard RAMALLAH, West Bank: The street party was in full swing in Ramallah well before the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, stood to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Israel's settlement plan sparks protest
Ruth Pollard Israel is facing international condemnation over its plans to significantly expand settlement construction in occupied territory in the West Bank, Fairfax's Ruth Pollard reports.
Israel faces rebuke over settlement plans
Ruth Pollard JERUSALEM: Israel is facing condemnation over its plans to expand settlements in occupied territory in the West Bank, with Britain and France reported to be considering recalling their ambassadors...
Egyptian protesters refuse to back down
Ruth Pollard CAIRO: A towering wall of concrete blocks separates Egypt's protesters from the Presidential Palace, but the opposition movement remains defiant, calling for another mass rally on Tuesday over the...
