Independent voices from the TWT Communities
President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a new prime minister, ending weeks of uncertainty following the resignation of the previous premier, the official Palestinian news agency said Sunday.
As President Obama wrapped up his three-day visit to Israel Friday, he spent some solemn moments at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, relighting the eternal flame there, laying a wreath and vowing to fight anti-Semitism and racism of all kinds.
Angry residents on Sunday demanded government protection from an onslaught of attacks against Shiite Muslims, a day after 81 people were killed in a massive bombing that a local official said was a sign that security agencies were too scared to do their jobs.
After bitter rival Hamas held its own in a fierce battle with Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has no choice but to override U.S. objections and seek U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine next week, his aides said Friday.
The Palestinian prime minister pulled out of a planned meeting with Israel's leader on Tuesday, torpedoing what was set to be the highest-level talks between the sides in nearly two years.
After pushing the envelope for the past few years, Palestinian Au- thority (PA) President Mah- moud Abbas finally might have pushed too far. The stalwart backing the PA has received from the U.S. government - which results in upward of $500 million in total annual funding - appears to be waning.
Thousands of Palestinians cheering and waving flags gave President Mahmoud Abbas a hero's welcome in the West Bank on Sunday as he told them triumphantly that a "Palestinian Spring" had been born following his historic speech to the United Nations last week.
It would be a serious mistake for the international community to recognize a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state ("Palestinian leader Abbas says nothing can stop U.N. bid," Web, Monday).
News of the Fatah-Hamas unity deal last week shook Israel and the world. Officials are wondering how Palestinian Authority (PA) President MahmoudAbbas, in the midst of arrangements to renew the peace process with Israel, could negotiate a unity government with the terrorist organization Hamas.
The U.S. Embassy said Monday it was "deeply concerned" by Israel's plans to build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank following a deadly attack on a settler family, calling Israeli settlements "illegitimate" and an obstacle to peacemaking.
According to the the Palestine Papers, a cache of 1,676 leaked documents from the PLO's Negotiatons Support Unit being made public by Al Jazeera this week, Saeb Erekat — chief negotiator for the PLO — and other Palestinian leaders effectively agreed in December to relinquish the "right of return" in the context of a final-status peace agreement with Israel.
The Palestinian president said Tuesday he will seek active U.S. mediation in negotiations with Israel that are resuming in Washington this week.
"Who are these people who made us Hazara so grim and sad? Why are they after us?" he asked.
Speaking to reporters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Mr. Abbas said he was hopeful for progress with Mr. Netanyahu.
