Category: Diplomacy

The first South American-Arab summit gave support for the Palestinians in their fight for an independent state and called for dismantling all Jewish Settlements and the Wall built in the…

Israeli sources reported on Wednesday that teams of diplomats from the U.S. and the U.N. are drafting proposals for understandings upon which Israel withdraws from the occupied Shiba Farms, if…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas questioned Tuesday Israel’s belief in democracy after Israeli foreign minister suggested that Israel reconsider the pullout from the Gaza Strip if Hamas wins in Palestinian parliamentary…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Tokyo on Sunday for talks on the Middle East peace process, Japan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. Abbas will hold discussions with Japanese Prime…

Representatives of the quartet, who met Monday in Moscow, emphasized the need to step up diplomatic efforts in the coming few months to cease the opportunity created by the emergence…

Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa stated on Monday that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is going to meet with Presidents of some Latin American countries in Brazil. Arriving from…

Former general and interim Prime Minister Michel Aoun returns to Lebanon after 15 years in exile. Anti-Syrian leader Michel Aoun returned to Lebanon Saturday to the cheers of thousands of…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that it was necessary to hold a meeting with Israeli Minister Ariel Sharon to push forward the peace process. ‘We need a meeting to…

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told reporters Friday that he does not consider Hezbollah to be a militia, but vowed to disarm the party that drove Israel out of southern…

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan named on Friday Peruvian diplomat Alvaro de Soto as his special envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, replacing Terje Roed-Larsen. de Soto will also serve as…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated the PA’s rejection to the idea of a provisional state, Palestinian sources reported. Speaking at a meeting with some prominent Palestinian figures, Abbas affirmed his…

The United Stated blacklisted on Wednesday a charitable organization which it described a ‘front of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’, which said that it ‘needed a safe channel to transfer donations…

U.S. Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin was formally charged Wednesday with passing classified military information about Iraq to two former officials of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC. Franklin, 58, an analyst…

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said on Wednesday that his country managed to get the U.S. President George W. Bush to slightly support the Arab initiative for peace in…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday will hold a national referendum on any final status agreement with Israel. He also criticized Israel for applying pressure on him to confront resistance…

A day after returning from a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Turkish lawmakers on Tuesday that “Palestinians should not be left…

An American official source said the United States administration is pressuring the Europeans to reject the idea of holding an international peace conference on the Middle East proposed by the…

The Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom is expected in Mauritania on Tuesday in order to present the ‘Road Plan’ as Israeli calls it, which aims to expand the Israeli relations…

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon harshly attacked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, reiterating claims that Abbas was strengthening rather than fighting terror. Speaking to visiting U.S. senators Bill Frist…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived Sunday to Israel, expressed desire to play a role in the peace process, and proposed setting up a Turkish-Israeli-Palestinian working team to…

Nine people were injured Saturday in Cairo during a double terror attack carried out by a suicide bomber, his fiancée, and his sister. Ihab Yousri Yassin, who is believed to…

{mosimage}UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday that he was happy with the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, but made note that Security Council resolution 1559 requires the disarmament of militant groups.…

‘It is impossible to give up the option of resistance for as long as there is occupation,’ Palestinian lawmaker Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five consecutive life terms in an…

‘If we expect chairman Abbas to fight terrorism effectively, he can’t do it with slingshots and stones,’ Russian President Vladimir Putin said. Putin was making a reference to Israel’s dismissal…

During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Israel to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, rather than put pressure…

The U.S. Pentagon notified Congress on Tuesday of a proposed sale to Israel of 100 guided bunker-busting bombs, a move that could prompt concerns about a unilateral Israel strike against…

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem. Sharon, at the close of the meeting, expressed happiness that Putin had chosen to visit Israel…

Israeli sources reported that the Israeli railway Authority is planning to link the Gaza Strip with the railway as part of a project that would cost some NIS 280 millions.…

The United Nations Secretary General Kufi Anan called Damascus and Beirut to cooperate with the team deployed to ensure the full withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Anan demanded his…

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah urged Monday U.S. president George Bush to help advance a broad settlement of the Middle East conflict that would call on Israel to withdraw from Arab…

Amnesty International called on Israel on Monday to take action against West Bank settlers who have been poisoning Palestinians’ livestock. In an issued statement, Amnesty said that over a period…

Lebanon’s security chief Jamil al-Sayyed submitted his resignation on Monday, hours before the last Syrian military and intelligence forces were due to leave the country. ‘Security chiefs are usually appointed…

A proposal submitted by U.S. Senator Sam Brownback called on the International community and the Arab world to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in both of its eastern…

Palestinian Foreign Minister Naser Kidwa called Saturday for convening an international conference to help rebuild the Palestinian territories, which suffered large scale destruction during the past four years. The minister…

The last Syrian soldier will leave Lebanon on Sunday after 29 years, a senior Lebanese military officer said. Syrian troops vacated Saturday 10 positions in the northern part of the…

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah hinted Friday his group might be forced to kidnap Israel soldiers to win the release of three Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. ‘When we fail…

Delegates of the United Kingdom Association of University Teachers, meeting in East Bourne England, voted Friday to boycott two Issraeli universities, Haifa and Bar Ilan. Delegates belonging to the leading…

Chair of the Israeli Knesset Reuvene Revelen demanded the State’s Attorney General Minachem Mazuz, to urge Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not to sign the agreement in which Israel allows Egypt…

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met on Wednesday in Ramallah with the two U.S. envoys, David Welch, deputy secretary of state, and Elliot Abrams, deputy national security advisor, Palestinian sources…

‘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…

Israel’s consul to Holland, Uriel Yitzhaki, 50, was arrested at Ben Gurion International Airport, after arriving in Israel for a visit on Tuesday. An Israeli source reported that the International…

The outgoing Israeli chief of staff Moshe Yaalon met with King Abdullah II of Jordan Tuesday in Amman, Israeli sources reported. The source did not mention topics discussed in the…

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…

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…

Palestinian official sources announced on Saturday that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, will visit the United States for meetings with the U.S. president George W. Bush in early May. Abbas…

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…

Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayad met Friday U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss international aid needed to overcome economical hardships in the Palestinian territories. The meeting focused on…

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…

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…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday rebuffed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s accusations made during U.S. talks, blaming Palestinians for stalled peace moves. Sharon told U.S. President George W. Bush at…

After the Bush-Sharon summit, and 100 days prior to the implementation of the unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Palestinians feel pushed to the corner. Dr. Sae’b Ereikat, former chief of…

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom presented the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak with an Israeli ‘road map’ to peace with Arab countries in their meeting in Cairo on Tuesday. According to…

Palestinians expressed dissatisfaction with statements made by the United States President George W. Bush supporting Israel on keeping control over the Settlements built on the West Bank land. Hassan Abu…

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S. President George Bush could have instead exchanged letters listing their agreement and differences. Unless Sharon badly wanted to taste the famous Texan steaks,…

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 Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, demanded the U.S. President George W. Bush to press the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who is visiting the U.S. now, to immediately stop…

 In a news conference with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, U.S. president George Bush asked his guest not to undertake any activity that contravenes the road map or prejudices final…

Israeli official source reported on Sunday that the Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom will be visiting Cairo on Tuesday for meetings with his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Abul Gheit. Shalom’s quick…

 Israeli media sources reported on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to tell Bush that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s regime is on verge of collapsing, proposing to…

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday that settlement activities conducted by the Israeli government in the Palestinian territories are illegal. The statements of Abbas were made as the…

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…

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…

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…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday he needed more time to reconstruct the PA security forces. He promised not to stay in office even for one day if he fails…

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…

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…

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will arrive in Ramallah Tuesday for talks with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials. The visit was arranged last month…

Israeli newspaper Youdot Ahranot revealed on Tuesday that Palestinian Minister of civil affairs Mohammed Dahlan met Monday night with Israeli communication minister Dalia Itzik in Dan hotel in Tel Aviv.…

  A Palestinian source revealed on Sunday that a secret Palestinian-Israeli meeting was held in Jerusalem, Sunday morning. The meeting was held between the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmad Qorei, Minister…

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…

Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia Doron Grossman, 49, died in Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem from his wounds on Sunday morning, days after shooting himself in the Ethiopian capitol Addis Ababa.…

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…

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…

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 Palestinian Authority said that it is preparing a campaign and an international case against the Separation wall in Jerusalem and the “security fences” in the Gaza Strip. The London…

Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia, Doron Grossman, was in critical but stable condition at an Addis Ababa hospital Wednesday. The ambassador was found with a gunshot wound to the head in…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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. …

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…