Palestine

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Middle East Quartet Meets as Gaza Toll Hits 23

Iran condemns Israel's 'war crimes'

(Newser) - With 23 Palestinians now dead in the latest Gaza conflict , the Middle East Quartet is meeting for the first time in six months in New York. Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and EU diplomat Baroness Ashton will discuss the growing violence after Israeli air...

18 Palestinians Dead in Israeli Strikes

Israel keeps schools closed as citizens huddle in bomb shelters

(Newser) - Gaza and Israel continued to exchange rocket attacks for air strikes this weekend, leaving 18 Palestinians dead, four Israelis wounded, and world leaders weighing in on the latest round of Middle East violence, the Guardian reports. On the Israeli side, schools were kept closed and thousands of civilians spent hours...

Israel's Gaza Strike Sets Off New Violence

Palestinians retaliate with nearly 100 rockets

(Newser) - Israel's killing of a militant commander in the Gaza Strip yesterday has led to renewed violence along the border. Palestinians have fired nearly 100 rockets into Israel, wounding at least one civilian seriously, while Israeli airstrikes have killed 14 militants, reports AP . Palestinians said 20 civilians have been injured....

Hamas, Fatah Agree to Unite
 Hamas, Fatah Agree to Unite 
Feb 6, 2012 7:56 AM CST

Hamas, Fatah Agree to Unite

And this time, they mean it

(Newser) - Palestine's rival factions, Hamas and Fatah, say they've finally agreed on a deal for a unified government, hoping to present a united front in their negotiations with Israel. Of course, they said the same thing last spring . That deal hit the rocks because the sides couldn't agree...

Rival Monks in Broom Brawl at Christ's Birthplace

Annual cleaning ignites tensions

(Newser) - Not a very nice birthday present for Jesus: Dozens of rival monks brawled at his birthplace today, as the feuding clergy members were performing an annual cleaning of the holy spot. The Church of the Nativity, built over the site where Jesus is believed to have been born in Bethlehem,...

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Packed With Tourists

Faithful flock to Church of the Nativity

(Newser) - There wasn't any room at the inns today as thousands of faithful thronged the streets of Bethlehem to worship at Christ's biblical birthplace. Visitors snapped photos at the 50-foot-tall Christmas tree at Manger Square and received blessings from Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, the head of the Catholic Church...

Israel Frees Another 550 Palestinians

Release follows clash at internment compound

(Newser) - Israel has set free another 550 Palestinian prisoners, completing the deal that secured the release of captured soldier Gilad Shalit . Thousands gathered at the former home of Yasser Arafat to celebrate alongside Palestinian officials. Most prisoners were directed to the West Bank; some 41 were sent to Gaza, and a...

Panetta to Israel: 'Just Get to the Damn Table'

Defense Secretary says military action should be 'last resort, not the first'

(Newser) - Leon Panetta delivered a harsh rebuke to Israel yesterday, saying that it needed to take steps to end its increasing isolation in the Middle East—starting with reviving peace talks with the Palestinians. “Just get to the damn table,” Panetta said at a pro-Israel forum in Washington, according...

Iceland Votes to Recognize Palestine

Country becomes first in western Europe to do so

(Newser) - Iceland has become the first Western European nation to recognize Palestine as an independent state. A resolution to recognize Palestine as "an independent and sovereign state" based on borders predating the Six Day War of 1967 passed the country's parliament with 38 of 63 votes. Iceland's foreign...

US Cuts Off Funding to UNESCO Over Palestine

Political workaround unlikely to go anywhere

(Newser) - The US has officially cut off all funding to the UN’s Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization over its acceptance of Palestine as a full member. The impact will be felt immediately, because the US had a $60 million dues payment due in November, the AP reports. The Obama administration’...

Palestine Named Member of UN Cultural Body

Controversial move prompts cheers at UNESCO

(Newser) - Palestine became a full member of UNESCO today, in a highly divisive move that the United States and other opponents say could harm renewed Mideast peace efforts. US lawmakers had threatened to withhold roughly $80 million in annual funding to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization if it...

Gilad Shalit Healing After Isolation: Dad

Noam Shalit 'understands price we are paying' for release

(Newser) - Israel soldier Gilad Shalit is home and “happy,” but he’s still recovering from five years’ imprisonment, his father says. “In isolation,” Gilad “had no connection with his people, with his own language,” Noam Shalit told members of the media, including the Jerusalem Post...

Israel to Free Bombers, Killers in Soldier Swap

Jerusalem releases names of first prisoners to be freed

(Newser) - The founders of Hamas' militant wing. The organizer of a Jerusalem bombing that killed 15. A woman who lured a lovelorn Israeli teen to a Palestinian city to be murdered. All will be released in Israel's planned swap of Palestinian political prisoners for a single kidnapped Israeli solder, the...

Palestine Bid for UNESCO Membership Moves Forward

Initial approval granted yesterday

(Newser) - Palestine's bid for statehood took one step forward yesterday as it gained initial approval for full membership in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Membership in UNESCO would allow Palestine to apply to protect its monuments and historical sites as World Heritage Sites, which would increase conflict...

Israel OKs 1,100 More Homes in East Jerusalem

Palestine condemns move

(Newser) - In a move sure to ratchet up Israeli-Palestinian tension even further, Israel gave the OK today to construct 1,100 new housing units in east Jerusalem. Israel’s Interior Ministry says construction can begin after 60 days, a period that is mandatory for comments from the public but largely a...

Palestinians Request UN Membership

Abbas makes formal appeal to UN chief Ban Ki-Moon

(Newser) - Defying US and Israeli opposition, Palestinians asked the United Nations today to accept them as a member state. In his letter accompanying the application, Mahmoud Abbas asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to immediately forward the request for full UN membership to the Security Council. Action on the membership request could...

Jon Stewart Steps Up for Palestine

One strategy: Change name to 'Palestein'

(Newser) - On last night’s Daily Show , Jon Stewart summarized the US response to Palestine seeking UN membership: To win a seat, “all you need to do is settle your differences with Israel!” Though a “spelling change” could also help--instead of “Palestine,” how about “Palestein”...

Palestine to Security Council: Take Your Time

Statehood resolution doesn't have votes to pass

(Newser) - Palestine won’t push for an immediate Security Council vote on its push for full UN membership, because it doesn’t appear to have the requisite nine votes—even if the US weren’t promising to veto the move. “We will give some time to the Security Council,”...

Sarkozy, Obama to Abbas: Drop UN Membership Bid

Presidents will make their appeal today

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama plan to heap pressure on their Palestinian counterpart today in a concerted push to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to end his bid for full UN membership and to instead seek upgraded status in the world body. The presidents will make their pitches...

Deal in Works to Prevent US-Palestine UN Showdown

Mahmoud Abbas would submit a letter, but not force a vote

(Newser) - The international community is hammering out a deal that would spare the US from having to veto Palestine’s move for statehood . There are several ideas floating about, but all revolve around the premise that Mahmoud Abbas would deliver a letter to the Security Council requesting statehood, but would not...

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