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.
Obama arrives in Israel, this time as president
Ruth Pollard Barack Obama landed in Israel on Wednesday for the first time as US President, on a mission to ease past tensions with his hosts but facing scepticism about his plans to thwart Iran's nuclear threat.
Israel dresses up for Obama's visit but expectations are rock-bottom
Ruth Pollard The flowerbeds along King David Street in downtown Jerusalem are blooming and the road markings have been freshly painted as the city continues its meticulous sprucing in preparation for the visit of...
Obama and Netanyahu smooth over tensions
Ruth Pollard Putting aside their much-analysed frosty relationship, US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united, even jovial front at the conclusion of Mr Obama's...
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.
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.
Israeli PM thwarted by anti-Orthodox newcomers
Ruth Pollard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, frustrated by an unexpectedly strong alliance between Israel's two political newcomers, has been forced to seek an extension of time to build a coalition with which...
Israel rejects torture claims in Zygier case
Ruth Pollard Israel has defended its actions in the case of Ben Zygier, the Australian citizen who died in its custody, rejecting allegations he was tortured and committing to releasing a judge's report into his...
Israel denies 'Prisoner X' Zygier was in contact with ASIO
Ruth Pollard in Jerusalem Seeking to put an end to speculation that the Australian suspected of spying for Mossad was arrested for also passing information to ASIO, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied Ben...
Family of suspected spy fought to keep inquiry into his death open
Ruth Pollard JERUSALEM: Israeli government representatives tried to shut down the investigation into the death in custody of Ben Zygier, the Australian suspected of spying for Mossad, arguing there was no...
Palestinian's death prompts call for fresh probe
Ruth Pollard The Palestinian man who died in custody in an Israeli jail on Saturday showed obvious signs of torture, a senior Palestinian government minister said, calling for an independent, international...
Israel accused of torturing prisoner
Ruth Pollard JERUSALEM: The Palestinian man who died in custody in an Israeli jail on Saturday showed obvious signs of torture, a senior Palestinian government minister said, calling for an independent,...
Israel 'torture' victim's funeral focuses anger
Ruth Pollard SAAER, West Bank: As the men carrying her husband's body drew closer and the sounds of anguish from the thousands of mourners outside grew louder, Dalal Jaradat, three months pregnant with their...
Jaradat laid to rest as anger in West Bank grows
Ruth Pollard Grieving widow Dalal Jaradat watched as men carried her husband's body.
'Systematic, deliberate and provocative': EU report critical of Israeli settlements
Ruth Pollard in Jerusalem Recommending a regime of economic sanctions against Israeli settlements, a scathing report from European Union consuls accuses Israel of illegally annexing East Jerusalem and “systematically...
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...
Australian, Hezbollah links to deadly bus bombing
Ruth Pollard An Australian with connections to the Hezbollah militant group is one of the key suspects in a bombing that killed five Israelis and a local bus driver at an airport at a Black Sea resort last year,...
Syrians accuse Israel of raid on military site
Ruth Pollard JERUSALEM: The Syrian regime has confirmed Israeli jets bombed a military research centre north of the capital, Damascus, as tension mounts inside Israel about the possible movement of chemical and...
Israel strikes Syria as tensions rise on weapons
Ruth Pollard, Jerusalem Syrian regime confirms Israeli jets bombed a military research centre north of the capital, Damascus, as tension mounts inside Israel about the possible movement of chemical and other weapons from...
