Category: International

‘SA-18 missiles will of course make it difficult to fly over the residence of the Syrian president,’ Russian President Vladimir Putin told Israeli TV channel one ahead of his next…

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of the Lebanese resistance party Hezbollah that the United Nations’ demand to disarm the militias in Lebanon is irrelevant to Hezbollah because it is not…

The American Administration has agreed to give Israel a 3 billion-dollar financial guarantee until 2008 to assist the implementation of the disengagement plan, Israel Radio said Wednesday. Israeli delegates met…

Last Monday, French President Jacques Chirac told Israeli vice Premier Shimon Peres that Israel should offer Palestinians a political horizon. French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier proposed hosting an international conference…

Many things need to be reformed in the United Nations, said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. ‘The United Nations can not continue to be a vital power if it…

Following decades in which western democracies have backed oppressive regimes in the Middle East and focusing efforts on backing authorities and secular elites, both the U.S. and the EU are considering closer…

U.S. defense officials said Friday the United States has stooped Israel’s involvement in the development of the biggest warplane program ever, because of Israel’s arm deals with China. ‘There are…

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said on Thursday that normalization of relations with Israel is every countries own business. The United Emirates based Al-Bayan newspaper quoted Abul Gheit as…

The Bush administration announced Thursday that James Wolfensohn, the retiring president of the World Bank, will become a special coordinator to help in the economic and political aspects of the…

Shareholders of the Caterpillar Company this week rejected a proposal that called for re-examining selling bulldozers to Israel due to their use in the demolition of Palestinian homes. Only 3%…

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights on Thursday condemned Israel for using force against Palestinian civilians and called for halting settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. The 53-states…

The U.S. Administration is sending two envoys this week to Israel and the Palestinian Authority territories in order to examine ways to help strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s rule.  The…

The Israeli army reported on Tuesday evening that the Lebanon based Hezbollah flew a mini drone over the Western Galilee area. The army stated that the drone flew over 18…

The Egyptians security forces have arrested a Palestinian who admitted that he smuggled Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles into Gaza through Sinai. Israel is worried that the smuggling of such missiles would…

The U.S. administration is planning to broaden the mandate of its special security envoy Lt. Gen. William Ward, to allow him to deal with Israeli complains and become more involved…

Israeli official sources reported Friday that Iran’s nuclear capabilities are expected to take a major part of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Monday meeting with U.S. president George Bush. Israeli…

U.S. President George Bush said on Friday he would tell Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that there can be no expansion of Jewish settlements under the U.S.-backed road map for…

Presidents, prime ministers and kings from around the world joined around two million people in paying a final farewell Friday to Pope John Paul II; one of the largest religious…

The UN Security Council decided Thursday night to form an international committee to investigate the assassination of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Harirri. The resolution 1595, submitted by the U.S.,…

Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem told the Financial Times on Friday that his group will be prepared to discuss disarmament if Israel withdrew from Shebaa Farms. Kassem said if…

An explosion in a tourist area near al-Azhar mosque in the Egyptian Capitol, Cairo, took Thursday the lives of four people. 17 more were wounded to various degrees, Egyptian police…

The European Union called Thursday on Israel to observe its obligations, to freeze all settlement activity and to dismantle unauthorized settlers’ outposts, an EU statement said. The European Union expressed…

U.S. President George Bush is likely to refrain from bringing up “thorny” issues when he meets Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at Bush’s Texas ranch next week, because he prefers…

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to visit the Palestinian areas during his planned visit to Israel at the end of April. “Putin…

The “Third Arab Human Development Report” was published on Tuesday in the Jordanian Capital in cooperation with the Economic and Social Development Fund and the Arab-Gulf Program to aid UN…

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that he would press Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at their meeting next week to abide by the road map peace plan…

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday the Bush administration will help with the reconstruction of Gaza after Israel’s withdrawal. The Palestinian Authority and International agencies estimate that around…

Representatives of major UK academic institutions are planning to sanction Israeli higher education institutes, except the ones who condemns the “racist Israeli policy towards Palestinians” The Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday…

Following a Tuesday meeting with U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Sharon’s top advisor Dov Weissglas said Tuesday that the American-Israeli differences over the grand expansion the largest West bank…

UN envoy to Lebanon Terry Larsen said Sunday that Syria will pullout all of its troops and security personnel from Lebanon by April 30. Larsen statements came in a joint…

Junior U.S. State Department officials called Saturday Israel, India and Pakistan to disown nuclear weapons and accept international Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on all nuclear activities.   The officials, Jackie…

The Egyptian prosecution published a report which revealed that Sinai bombing was carried out October, 7 2004 after failing to enter the Palestinian territories to carry out attack against Israel…

An explosive device detonated Friday night in Maten, northeast the Lebanese capitol Beirut, lightly wounding nine people. Around 9:45 P.M. an explosive device planted in the parking lot of Plaza…

Vatican officials confirmed the death of Pope John Paul II, who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than 25 years, on Saturday at night, at the age of 84.…

Addressing a gathering in Beirut, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nassralah on Thursday challenged the United States to send troops to Lebanon to disarm resistance. Thousands gathered in Beirut in the anniversary…

An Israeli security source stated that Syria will withdraw all its forces from Lebanon including the secret service. The source added that this withdrawal will be before the assigned date…

The annual report concerning democracy and human rights, prepared by the US ministry of foreign affairs, slammed the Separation Wall and military checkpoints for its effects on limiting the access…

The Arab League announced that the Palestinian Authority received 101 Million Dollars aid to rebuild the Palestinian areas destroyed since the beginning of the Intifada.  Three member countries of the…

Leader of the Lebanese opposition, Walid Jumblat stated on Sunday that he will not demand the disarmament of Hezbollah. Jumblat’s statements came during his meeting with the Secretary General of…

An international anti-apartheid campaign similar to the one against former apartheid South Africa is needed to create an independent Palestinian state, the Malaysian prime minister said Monday. Prime Minister Abdullah…

A bomb exploded in a Beirut industrial suburb, injuring five people and setting a huge fire in the place. Opposition leaders blamed the Lebanese pro-Syrian government for the series of…

The United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minster Rafik Al-Hariri reported that the investigation carried out by the Lebanese authorities has major deficiencies,…

The United States will release a statement on U.S. policy regarding Israel’s construction plans in West Bank settlements as early as today, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Danny Ayalon told…

High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy at the EU, Javier Solana, accused Israel of breaching the Road Map Plan, which is backed up by the international community,…

Speaking at a press conference in Paris, the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned on Thursday that the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Miniser Rafik Al-Harriri in Beirut lat month…

According to Israel radio, U.S. Ambassador in Tel Aviv Dan Kurtzer accused that the report published by Israeli newspaper Youdot Ahranot, in which he was quoted as saying there were…

Arab leaders on Wednesday re-launched a 2002 peace initiative which offered Israel normal relations in return for full withdrawal from areas occupied in 1967 war.  The closing statement of the…

United Nations Secretary General Kufi Annan on Tuesday reiterated his demand to Syria to provide timetable for its pullout from Lebanon. Annan demanded a that by early next month, Syria…

Two senior U.S. envoys met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday to ask pointed questions about plans to expand the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in violation of the…

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned Tuesday that Syria and Hezbollah are trying to divert attention from the situation in Lebanon by encouraging Palestinian activists to carry out attacks against Israel. …

For the second time in less than two years, the Arab world offers Israel a chance to end the occupation in return of full-scale normalization of ties. The Arab leaders…

A member of the New Zealand parliament suggested his country grant the nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu a NZ citizenship after Israeli claimed that Vanunu attempted to obtain forged NZ passports.…

Israeli official source predicted Sunday that U.S. President George W. Bush will reiterate his commitment to the staged Israeli-Palestinian peace process laid out in the road map peace plan. Bush…

Jordan accepted amendments to its proposal, which called for revising the long-standing Arab strategy to normalize relations with Israel, Arab diplomatic source in Alger said on Saturday.  According to the…

The European Union intends to offer Israel economic benefits in exchange for easing Palestinian living conditions, EU sources said.  An EU delegation is due to arrive in Israel in about…

A car bomb wrecked the front of a building in the northern suburbs of the Lebanese capital early Saturday, wounding eight people, Lebanese police said. The explosion left a crater…

Jordan has put forward a new peace strategy that calls for Middle East nations to normalize relations with Israel even before all land occupied in the 1967 war are returned. …

U.S. President George W. Bush has invited Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his ranch in Texas for talks on April 11 on boosting the Middle East peace process, U.S.…

The United States cautiously welcomed the conditional calm declared in Cairo by the Palestinian factions and the reformation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization , (PLO). A state department spokesman described…

Hezbollah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday that the resistance weapons are not to be used against anyone else except the Israeli occupation. ‘Hezbollah’s arms will not be used…

Syrian intelligence agents pulled out of large parts of Lebanon on Wednesday, Reuter reported.   There appears to be no end in sight to Lebanon’s political crisis with Prime Minister-designate Omar…

U.S. President George W. Bush called on Hezbollah to lay down arms leaving open the possibility that the party becomes part of the political mainstream in Lebanon, despite his past…

The parents of Rachel Corrie, a U.S. activist killed in Gaza while trying to stop an Israeli army bulldozer from destroying a Palestinian home, filed suit in Israel on Tuesday…

The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Syrian on Tuesday to hold talks with the Syrian officials on the situation in Lebanon, according to diplomatic Egyptian source. Speaking on condition…

The United States had halted the work of the Israeli-American task force after Israel did not keep its promises made to the United States April 2004 to define and set…

Several hundred took the streets of Ramallah calling UN General Secretary Coffi Annan, who arrived in the Palestinian city on Monday morning, to pressure Israel to stop the construction of…

While Syrian intelligence offices shut down in central Lebanon and Syrian soldiers continue to lave Lebanon in real numbers, UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said Saturday that Syria will announce a…

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield said Thursday that Israel has yet to implement its promise to remove unauthorized settlers’ outposts. ‘The government of…

Lebanese sources reported that almost all of the Syrian troops have left north Lebanon on Friday. Nevertheless, the United Nations, called on Syrian president Bashar Assad to provide a timetable…

Lebanese sources reported that almost all of the Syrian troops have left north Lebanon on Friday. Nevertheless, the United Nations, called on Syrian president Bashar Assad to provide a timetable…

The European decided on Thursday to consider the Lebanon based Hezbollah party as a terrorist organization, and urged the EU countries to acts against it. The nonbinding decision adopted by…

Mubarak, Mofaza arrived Thursday at a tentative understanding by which Israel commits to evacuate the Philadelphi route, along the Gaza-Egyptian border, sometime after the disengagement from Gaza is completed. Egyptian…

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday that he expects full Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, urging Israel, the PA to keep to the understandings reached at Sharm’s summit.…

Officials in the Bush administration are to explain to skeptical lawmakers in Washington that the $350 million proposed to aid the Palestinians will be transferred to the P.A in order…

Israeli official sources said that Egypt is trying to bring about a deal in which Palestinian President Yasser Arafat would hand real power to Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in exchange…

At least one million people attended a rally against the Syrian pullback from Lebanon called by Hezbollah in Lebanese capitol Hezbollah source reported on Tuesday. This rally drastically outnumbered those…

An official Japanese source denied that Japan is planning to host a Mideast summit saying ‘we have no such plans,’ Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda clarified that Japan has…

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told Monday United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan that Syria has recently been bolstering its intelligence forces in Lebanon, calling the UN to pressure Syria to…

Al-Sharq Al-Awasat news paper reported Sunday that the European Union is communicating with Hamas leaders in an effort to remove the Islamic Resistance Movement from the EU list of terrorist…

The Irish Evening Herald newspaper reported Friday that Irish police tracked two Israeli Mosad agents who planned to assassinate exiled Fatah leader Jihad Ja’ara. An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman denied…

Syrian President declared a plan for a gradual withdrawal of Syrian troops to the Syrian-Lebanese borders; Lebanese President Emile Lahoud welcomed the move; Lebanese opposition optimistic, but cautious, Israel accused…

Lebanese Army Friday morning foiled an attempt to fire two shells at Israel from southern Lebanon, Lebanese sources stated. The source said, an army patrol near the town of Markaba…

According to an International Solidarity Movement source, American peace activist Flo Razowsky successfully resisted Saturday an attempt to deport her. Razowsky was forced into a departing airplane against her will,…

As pressure is mounting on Syria to fully pullout its troops and intelligence service from Lebanon, Syria is said to be preparing for a major redeployment of forces in Lebanon,…

Israeli sources reported that the Lebanese opposition have made contacts with Israel about the demanded Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. The source said Lebanese figures contacted Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz’s…

London mayor Ken Livingstone branded Thursday night Israeli Prime minister Ariel a war criminal, the British Independent reported on Friday. Livingstone accused Israel of executing ‘ethnic cleansing’ and demonizing Muslims,…

The U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated his call for an immediate Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, AP reported on Thursday. In his speech at Anne Arundel Community College, which was…

The Opposition in Lebanon said they will accept a ‘neutral’ transitional Cabinet to govern the country on the condition that it calls for a Syrian withdrawal and pledges to uncover…

In a surprising move, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders plan to convene summit talks in Egypt on Thursday. A top Saudi official is expected to join the summit, Palestinian sources reported…

Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Mousa, demanded Israel to be committed to its pledges and promises to the International Community, especially the pledges made at the Sharm Al-Sheikh…

The London conference called the PA to meet security obligations to enable it to combat militant groups, Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday in an interview to Israeli TV…

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that ‘firm evidence’ indicates that the Islamic Jihad group in Syria helped plan last week’s Tel Aviv bombing, but didn’t indicate what…

The Lebanese Government announced its resignation on Monday in a special Parliament session held for a confidence vote. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Omar Karami, announced the resignation which was very warmly…

A human rights report published by the US ministry of foreign affairs revealed that Israel is violating the rights of prisons in its jails, especially Palestinian political detainees and foreigners…

The UNRWA submitted a detailed plan to the International Community in Geneva in order to achieve a “better future for four million refugees”; the UNRWA demanded additional $1.1 million during…

Tunisia’s leading opposition parties vowed on Monday to block an invitation to a summit issued by the government to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Ten opposition parties and human rights…

Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani al-Malqi is to visit in Israel on Saturday night. Jordan has returned Ambassador to Tel Aviv following the Sharm Al-Sheikh summit.    Al-Malqi visit, during which peace…

Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami announced his government’s resignation Monday evening, prompting a cheer among thousands of protestors, who gathered calling for cabinet resignation and for pulling Syrian troops out…

French diplomatic sources said Saturday that Israel hinted to UN secretary General Kofi Annan that it might consider pulling out of Shiba Farms in Lebanon if assured that the Lebanese…

In a surprising move, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ordered a constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections slated for September. The election law in Egypt allows only a referendum on…