Ramallah, Palestinian | XINHUA | Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that holding the elections in Palestine will be decided after an agreement with the Palestinian factions is reached, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Thursday. Abbas made the announcement during a telephone conversation late on Wednesday night with Josep …
Read More »Israel, Kosovo to establish diplomatic ties, Serbia to move embassy to Jerusalem: Israeli PM
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israel is to establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo, a predominantly Muslim nation, while Serbia will move its embassy to Jerusalem. The agreements were reached with U.S. mediation, as an announcement was made by U.S. President Donald …
Read More »Trump Mideast plan faces dim prospects
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump has boasted that his Middle East plan will find support but most experts believe its unabashed backing of Israel and tough conditions for the creation of a Palestinian state mean it is doomed to fail. “It is a non-starter,” said Steven Cook, …
Read More »Trump’s Middle-East peace plan: from idea to reality
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | US President Donald Trump, who has announced his long promised “ultimate deal” for Israeli-Palestinian peace, has since coming to office maintained a staunchly pro-Israel stance. With the new US peace plan rejected in advance by the Palestinians and talks between the two sides stalled …
Read More »Netanyahu hurries home after Hezbollah calls for revenge
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Greece and flew home Friday as Lebanon’s Hezbollah demanded revenge for the killing of a top Iranian commander in a US strike. A source in Netanyahu’s office said that the premier was returning from …
Read More »US faces Palestinian, international criticism of Israel settlement move
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | The United States faced stiff international and Palestinian criticism Tuesday over its decision to no longer consider Israeli settlements illegal, while the Jewish state’s premier cheered on the “historic” move. The United Nations and European Union stressed the decision would not change the reality that …
Read More »‘A bribe’ — Palestinians unmoved by US economic offer
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | An economic conference intended to kickstart a Middle East peace initiative by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law has failed to convince Palestinians, who boycotted it and treated it with disdain or disinterest. In a rare show of unity, all Palestinian factions condemned the conference in …
Read More »Kushner holds open door to wary Palestinians in Bahrain peace push
Manama, Bahrain | AFP | Jared Kushner said Wednesday that Palestinians were still welcome to engage in his peace initiative, and accused their leaders of not caring about their own people for rejecting his $50 billion economic plan. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law launched a long-awaited Middle East initiative with …
Read More »Italy doctor-to-be picks Gaza for semester abroad
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Seated with other students on the steps at the Islamic University of Gaza with his backpack, the young Italian doctor-to-be draws looks from passersby. Riccardo Corradini is the first exchange student in the Gaza Strip under a popular European programme known as Erasmus …
Read More »Funding shortage leads to World Food Programme cuts for Palestinians
Jérusalem, Undefined | AFP | The World Food Programme has suspended or reduced aid for some of its Palestinian beneficiaries in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip due to funding shortages, an official with the organisation said Sunday. Some 27,000 Palestinians are no longer receiving aid through the United …
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