The FBI is helping Qatar investigate the source of an alleged “hack” of state media which sparked diplomatic tensions in the Gulf, a source with knowledge of the probe said Friday. An FBI team has been in Doha for the past week after the Qatari government asked for US help following the claim of an … Read more
Lebanon has banned the screening of Hollywood blockbuster “Wonder Woman” because of its lead actress Gal Gadot, who served in the Israeli military, on the grounds of a long-standing boycott of the Jewish state. The decision sparked a social media frenzy, with some Lebanese mocking the authorities but others welcoming it as part of a … Read more
Fifty years after Israel occupied the Palestinian territories, its policies in the West Bank and Gaza are at the root of Palestinian hardship, the United Nations said Wednesday. “Occupation policies and practices remain the key cause of humanitarian needs in the occupied Palestinian territories,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said … Read more
Israelis and Palestinians mark 50 years since the Six-Day War next week as the gap between them further widens, with both sides deeply scarred by years of violence, failed negotiations and broken promises. The anniversary comes as hopes dim for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and with heavy scepticism surrounding US President Donald … Read more
Some use photographs, others seek global solidarity or throw themselves into campaigning for peace. Fifty years after the 1967 Six-Day War, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has left scores of families bereaved and searching for ways to keep loved ones’ memories alive. Israeli Tamar Paikes, 49, feels she lost her father twice. In 1967, a few months … Read more
The United Nations warned Friday that an energy crisis in the Gaza Strip was severely affecting water supplies and health services, and could trigger an outbreak of violence. UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas movement, which runs the Gaza Strip, “all have obligations for the … Read more
The alleged hack on Qatar’s state news agency may have lasted just four hours, but the impact on already tense ties between Gulf rivals could last a lot longer. Doha launched an inquiry and went into damage control after accusing hackers of publishing false remarks attributed to Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on state … Read more
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas executed three people in the Gaza Strip on Thursday over the assassination of one of its military leaders allegedly on behalf of Israel. Two men were hanged to death in Gaza City over the killing of Mazen Faqha in March, while a third was executed by firing squad, said an … Read more
Qatar said Wednesday it had begun an inquiry into an unprecedented security breach by hackers who posted fake news stories attributed to its ruler on highly sensitive regional political issues. The cyber attack, which hit Qatar’s official news agency website and Twitter account, caused ripples inside the Gulf state and across the Middle East. Qatar’s … Read more
Israeli right-wingers celebrated US President Donald Trump’s visit after he made no mention of the two-state solution, but a lack of specifics on how he would resolve the conflict with the Palestinians raised concerns. Trump visited Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday and Tuesday, and in a closing speech talked extensively about his commitment … Read more
Donald Trump made the short trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem Tuesday to meet Mahmud Abbas, who was hoping to convince the unpredictable US president to remain committed to an independent Palestinian state. His talks in Bethlehem with the Palestinian president came after Trump on Monday made a heavily symbolic visit to the Western Wall in … Read more
Donald Trump made the short trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem Tuesday to meet Mahmud Abbas, who hopes to convince the unpredictable U. S. president to remain committed to an independent Palestinian state. A ragtag-sounding military band played the American and Palestinian national anthems while Trump and Abbas stood at the head of a red carpet … Read more
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas accused US President Donald Trump on Monday of smearing the name of Palestinian “resistance” to Israeli occupation during a speech on Islam. Addressing Muslim leaders in Riyadh on Sunday, Trump called for unity against “Islamic terror”, specifically naming Hamas and the Islamic State group. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said Trump’s remarks … Read more
US President Donald Trump’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday and Tuesday will be closely scrutinised as he seeks ways to restart peace efforts. Here are key issues: What is the current state of the conflict? Nearly 70 years after the creation of Israel, peace with the Palestinians remains a long way … Read more
A court in the Gaza Strip on Sunday sentenced three men to death over the assassination of a Hamas military commander that the Islamist movement accused Israel of masterminding. After a trial that lasted four days, two of the accused were sentenced to be hanged and one to be shot, the military court announced. The … Read more
A court in the Gaza Strip on Sunday sentenced three men to death over the assassination of a Hamas military commander that the Islamist movement accused Israel of masterminding. After a trial that lasted four days, two of the accused were sentenced to be hanged and one to be shot, the military court announced. The … Read more
Dozens of Palestinians were hurt on Friday in the occupied West Bank and Gaza during clashes with Israeli forces after marches backing hunger-striking prisoners, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said. Both the Red Crescent and the health ministry in Gaza said protesters were injured by tear gas, rubber bullets and live fire. Thousands of people … Read more
A military court in Gaza on Wednesday concluded the trial of three men accused of assassinating a Hamas military leader and will deliver its verdict at the weekend, an official said. The trial of the alleged killers of Mazen Faqha opened on Monday and the court held its fourth and final session on Wednesday. The … Read more
A military court in Gaza on Monday held the first hearing of three men accused of assassinating a Hamas military leader, naming the chief suspect for the first time. Hamas has accused Palestinian “collaborators” of working with Israel to commit the murder. “In Gaza today, the first hearings were held for three (men) accused of … Read more
An Israeli patrol boat fired at Palestinian fishermen accused of breaching the blockade off the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, leaving one of them dead, officials said. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and the strip has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years. Fishing off the northern … Read more