Controversial new US ambassador to Israel David Friedman arrived in the country on Monday to take up his post, days ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump. The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed the arrival of Friedman, who has been a strong supporter of Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank. Friedman is … 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
A Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli officer in annexed east Jerusalem on Saturday before being shot dead, police said. The officer was taken to hospital with “moderate” injuries after the attack in the walled Old City, police spokeswoman Louba Samri said in a statement. The attacker, brandishing a knife, stabbed the policeman in one … Read more
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank voted Saturday in municipal elections that underscored deep rifts between president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party and Islamist rival Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip. Their failure to reconcile is seen as a major obstacle to any settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The West Bank and Gaza have not participated … Read more
A Palestinian youth was shot dead during clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The man was shot during the protests which are held weekly near the village of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, and later died in a nearby hospital, the ministry said in a … Read more
Hisham Suleiman now hears calls of “Abu Ahmad” when walking down the street — a sign of the popularity of a television drama that dares to present a complex view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The show “Fauda,” or chaos in Arabic, sees Arab Israeli actor Suleiman portray Abu Ahmad, a Hamas militant being pursued by … Read more
Israeli authorities on Thursday charged a Palestinian with murder over the fatal stabbing of a young British woman on a Jerusalem tramway last month, the justice ministry said. Jamil Tamimi, 57, from Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, was charged with premeditated murder, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said Tamimi had entered the tramway with … Read more
Hamas has arrested the suspected murderer of one of its key military commanders in Gaza, the Palestinian Islamist movement’s leader said Thursday, while maintaining Israel was behind the March assassination. The killing of Mazen Faqha in the heart of Hamas-controlled Gaza shocked the militant movement and raised fears of a fresh conflict with Israel. “We … Read more
Hamas has arrested the suspected murderer of one of its key military commanders in Gaza, the Palestinian Islamist movement’s leader said Thursday, while maintaining Israel was behind the March assassination. “We announce that the killer and criminal that carried out the orders of the officers of the Zionist security services is in the hands of … Read more
The leader of the world’s Anglicans on Wednesday backed US President Donald Trump’s bid for fresh peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, saying “determined leadership” could tip the balance towards a resolution. Speaking near the end of a 12-day trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said Trump would … Read more
A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli police at an entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday before she was shot dead, Israeli authorities said. Police said the assailant approached officers while pulling out a knife at Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances to the Old City and the site of a number of such … Read more
Hamas’s former chief in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, has been elected overall head of the Palestinian Islamist group, succeeding Khaled Meshaal, its official media announced Saturday. Haniya, seen as a pragmatist within the movement, is expected to remain in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave run by Hamas since 2007, unlike Meshaal who lives in exile … Read more
The radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad has rejected Hamas’s new policy of easing its stand on Israel and accepting the establishment of a Palestinian state limited to the 1967 borders. “As partners with our Hamas brothers in the struggle for liberation, we feel concern over the document” which the main Islamist movement that rules Gaza … Read more
The leader of the radical Palestinian group Hamas called on US President Donald Trump Wednesday to break with past approaches to Middle East peace and find an “equitable solution” for Palestinians. Khaled Meshaal’s comments came as Trump was due to receive Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at the White House to explore avenues for reviving the … Read more
Israel warned its citizens on Wednesday against visiting Tunisia, where Jewish pilgrims will celebrate a religious festival later this month, citing the threat of jihadist attack. It also said any Israelis currently there should “leave the country immediately.” The festival of Lag BaOmer, taking place this year on May 14-15, draws hundreds of Jews to … Read more
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned the “illegal” detention of two Israeli citizens by Hamas, releasing new details about the men who are believed to be mentally ill. The Islamist movement which runs Gaza is believed to have held Hisham al-Sayed and Avraham Mengistu since April 2015 and September 2014 respectively, after they sneaked into … Read more
Hamas’ armed wing on Tuesday gave Israel 24 hours to respond to the demands of hunger-striking prisoners, warning the Jewish state it would face consequences for failure to act. “We warn the enemy not to ignore the just and legitimate demands of the prisoners, and we say we are giving the enemy leadership 24 hours … Read more
Hamas has softened its stance on Israel after long calling for its destruction, but the Palestinian movement must do more to convince the world to end its isolation, analysts and diplomats said Tuesday. The Islamist movement, which runs the Gaza Strip, unveiled a new policy document on Monday night ahead of a first face-to-face meeting … Read more
The six-page Document of General Principles and Policies unveiled Monday by Hamas, accepts a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders while refusing to recognise Israel. The document underscores the Palestinian Islamist movement’s right to armed resistance against Israel. But it says its struggle is not against Jews because of their religion but against Israel as … Read more
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas unveiled Monday a new policy document easing its stance on Israel after having long called for its destruction, as it seeks to improve its international standing. The document notably accepts the idea of a Palestinian state in territories occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. It also says … Read more