Palestine

Palestinian protesters, some festively dressed as Santa Claus, have clashed with Israeli security forces in Bethlehem, a day before the beginning of Christmas celebrations in the West Bank city revered as the birthplace of Jesus. Holding Palestinian flags, the demonstrators, who gathered at Israeli military tower to protest against US President …

More than 120 countries defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor. …

The curly haired Palestinian teenager is seen walking up to two Israeli soldiers standing near the entrance of her house, and she can be heard telling them to leave. She then pushes and kicks both soldiers who casually fend off the blows. Then she slaps one soldier hard in the …

Prior to an emergency UN General Assembly session on Jerusalem al-Quds, the United States and Israel have resorted to pressure tactics and lobbying efforts in an attempt to prevent the world body from adopting a resolution critical of Washington’s policy shift on the occupied city. Arab and Muslim states have …

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey is launching an initiative at the United Nations to annul a decision by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday. Palestinian protestors shout slogans and hold a Palestinian flag during a demonsration after Friday prayers in Jerusalem’s Old …

China called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, Xinhua state media reported Thursday. “China understands the Islamic countries’ concern about the status of Jerusalem,” a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, adding that China “calls for a …

By Mohamed Mohamed* December 13, 2017   The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced a plan to repeal government regulations which ensure that internet service providers (ISPs) treat all data equally. This principle is known as “net neutrality,” and is intended to prevent ISPs from blocking or slowing down certain content, …

Palestinian officials are reportedly pushing for a UN Security Council resolution that rejects US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital.” The measure, which would strongly condemn Washington’s decision and demand its reversal, would almost certainly face a US veto, diplomats said Wednesday. According to senior …

The Trump declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocating the U.S. embassy there is as historically significant to Israel’s control of Jerusalem as the Balfour Declaration was to recognizing the rights of the Jewish people in Palestine. But according to new revelations, the announcement could be part of a …

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convenes an urgent summit in Istanbul on Washington’s contentious declaration on Jerusalem al-Quds, with the Turkish foreign minister urging Muslim nations to respond by pressing the world for the recognition of the city as the capital of a Palestinian state. Representatives from 57 OIC members are …

The Coptic Christian pope has canceled a meeting with the US vice president in Cairo, in protest against America’s move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Palestinian leader Abbas also snubbed Mike Pence. In a statement released on Saturday, the Coptic Church said it “excused itself from hosting Mike Pence” when …

The recognition by US President Donald Trump of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has triggered more than just criticism from America’s allies. Here in Bahrain, at the annual Manama Dialogue security conference, there is an almost universal concern that the announcement will be a gift to the region’s twin adversaries – …

The United States faced blunt and sometimes withering criticism from friends and adversaries alike at the United Nations on Friday over President Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital and his plans to move the American Embassy to the highly contested holy city. The rebukes, made at an emergency Security …

Israel has conducted an airstrike and artillery attacks against Palestinian fighters in the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli forces fired artillery shells at a checkpoint belonging to Palestinian resistance forces in the northeast of the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza. An Israeli surveillance jet targeted a group of resistance fighters in …

FILE PHOTO: A man watches Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah © Jamal Saidi / Reuters   2.6K189 Lebanese Hezbollah has backed calls by the Palestinian armed group Hamas to launch a new uprising against Israel in response to the US recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, …

Israeli forces have opened fire on protesters, injuring several Palestinians in Jerusalem al-Quds where worshipers gathered on a “day of rage.” Clashes broke out Friday between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters, who are out on the streets to voice their anger at US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds …

Israeli security forces were readying themselves Friday for mass demonstrations by Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem in response to a statement made by President Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said units had been beefed up in and around the Old City. However, …

Less than a month ago the Palestinians’ top diplomat in Washington was telling me he thought President Trump might succeed at peacemaking where others had failed. In every meeting Trump confirmed he would “give his heart and soul” to this process, said Husam Zomlot, the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) representative. …

Jordan’s King Abdullah voiced his concern Wednesday over US President Donald Trump’s plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there, saying the city is key to regional stability. Trump’s expected announcement has prompted a chorus of criticism and concern from regional and world figures — …

Turkey’s president has warned it could sever ties with Israel if the US recognises Jerusalem as its capital. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said such a move would cross a “red line” for Muslims. A growing number of countries have urged Donald Trump not to make his anticipated announcement. Reports say the …

Some of President Trump’s senior national security aides convened at the White House on Monday for what was expected to be an uncomfortable but straightforward discussion. On the table was how the administration would handle an upcoming deadline to say whether it would again defer its promise to move the …

Secret British documents have revealed that deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had agreed to resettle Palestinians in Egypt over three decades ago. According to the documents, obtained exclusively by the BBC following a Freedom of Information Act disclosure request, Mubarak was responding to an American request when he made his offer. The …

Israeli forces raided at predawn Monday the center of Ramallah and broke into homes and shops, including a jewelry store where the forces stole some of its gold merchandise, according to Palestinian security sources and shop owners. They said a large force raided Ramallah, the de facto capital of the …

The Latest on the status of the Palestinians’ office in Washington (all times local): 1:05 p.m. The Palestinians are threatening to cut off all communication with the Trump administration if it goes through with plans to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat (sah-EEB’ EHR’-ih-kaht) …

By Mohamed Mohamed November 2, 1917 marks an infamous chapter of Palestinian history, when the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued a statement declaring British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Coming from the most powerful empire of the time, the Balfour Declaration provided a major endorsement and propaganda …

Eight people were killed when the Israeli military struck a tunnel leading into Israel from Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. The Israeli Army said earlier it had “neutralized a terror tunnel” leading into southern Israel from Khan Younis in the south of Gaza. Israeli Army …

President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian government mourned on Saturday dozens of Egyptian policemen killed on Friday during a raid at a base for terrorists in the Egyptian desert. Abbas expressed strong support for Egypt in its battle against “blind extremist terrorism aimed at Egypt, its security, stability and its …

Beleaguered Gazans exulted at seeing the two main Palestinian factions take an important step toward reconciliation on Monday, as the Palestinian Authority’s prime minister arrived to take the reins of their impoverished territory’s government. If the effort succeeds, the Palestinians could have a unified leadership for the first time in …

A decade on, Rawda al-Zaanoun is at last willing to forgive the gunmen who killed her son during the civil war that split Palestine. It has been painful, but she says it is time. ”He was hit with a bullet in the back. He was a martyr,“ the 54-year-old said …

By Lamis Beshara –World leaders gathered at the 72nd meeting of the UN Nation’s General Assembly, not to denounce the violence and barbarity driving the world today but rather to confirm their choices for war by maintaining and reiterating same stances against each other’s without any hope for change, as …

The UN Human Rights Commissioner, Zeid bin Ra’ad Al Hussein, sent a letter two weeks ago to 150 companies around the world, warning them that they are to be added to a database of companies doing business in Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian occupied territories since 1967 in the West …

Three Israelis have been shot dead by a Palestinian at the entrance to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police say. The gunman, a 37-year-old from a nearby village, was also shot and died later. Police say he pulled out a gun as he waited to enter …

Israel is seeking to thwart the Palestinian Authority’s latest bid to join the international law enforcement body Interpol over concerns it would leak sensitive information to Palestinian terror groups. Interpol’s General Assembly will convene for its annual meeting in China on Tuesday, where the international policing organization will vote on …

A Chicago Palestinian activist with a decades-old record of bombings in Jerusalem will be deported to Jordan on Tuesday, her spokesman said. Supporters and community activists plan to gather at O’Hare International Airport before Rasmea Odeh, 70, departs for Jordan, said Hatem Abudayyeh, coordinator of her defense committee. Odeh pleaded …

By Dr. Swee Chai Ang This September will be the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Sabra-Shatila Massacre in West Beirut. Three thousand unarmed refugees were killed from 15-18 September 1982. I was then a young orthopedic trainee who had resigned from St Thomas Hospital to join the Christian Aid Lebanon medical …

US President Donald Trump will reportedly meet Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later this month. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, a senior White House official said Trump intended to meet “a long list of world leaders on a wide …

Palestinian security forces arrested human rights defender and well-known Palestinian activist Issa Amro in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday. The arrest was reportedly related to a Facebook post published by Amro, in which he criticized the Palestinian Authority for arresting a journalist a day earlier. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud …

Palestine has picked Annemarie Jacir’s Wajib as its official contender for the 2018 Oscars in the foreign-language category. The film, which premiered in Locarno’s official competition, where it won three independent prizes, pairs father and son Mohammad Bakri and Saleh Bakri for the first time, teaming the celebrated Palestinian actors …

Hamas and Iran have patched up relations, the Palestinian militant group’s new leader in Gaza said on Monday, and Tehran is again its biggest backer after years of tension over the civil war in Syria. “Relations with Iran are excellent and Iran is the largest supporter of the Izz el-Deen …

A 19-year old woman has been jailed by the Israeli authorities for refusing to be conscripted into the Israel Defence Force. Noa Gur Golan is currently being held in a military prison near Haifa, having been detained for more than 30 days. She is being held in a room with …

Al-Jazeera has denounced Israel’s decision to close the Jerusalem bureau of Qatar’s flagship satellite network, saying that the measure is “undemocratic” and that it will take legal action. Israel’s move follows in the footsteps of four Arab countries that are aligned against Qatar as part of a months-long political dispute …

An attack has taken place at the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital, Amman, with casualties reported. A BBC reporter at the scene says the immediate vicinity has been locked down but authorities have not released details. Media reports citing security sources say one Jordanian was killed and one Israeli …

Israel has placed CCTV cameras near an entrance to a holy site in Jerusalem as tensions over security measures there continue. Metal detectors installed after two Israeli policemen were killed have sparked protests by Palestinians. It remains unclear if the metal detectors will be removed. Tensions over the site, known …

Three Palestinians have been killed during clashes with Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials say. Hundreds were injured in the violence, after days of friction over a Jerusalem holy site boiled over. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he was freezing all contacts with …