Category: International Politics

Ongoing talks on the possibility of EU purchases of Israel’s natural gas put into question the EU’s commitment to Palestinian rights under international law. The EU has made a strong…

A European Union official, yesterday, denied that the bloc had decided to recognize an independent Palestinian state, saying that the conditions for such a decision have not been met. The…

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s offer to pay for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem represents the privatization of U.S. foreign policy, says Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy…

Palestinian and US officials are reportedly holding secret talks brokered by Saudi Arabia to improve relations between the two sides, after US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,…

Jerusalem’s Christian leaders, Sunday, decided to close the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in the old City of Jerusalem, in protest of Israel’s tax policy and a proposed land appropriation…

On Tuesday, South African Minister for Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, called on the ruling ANC party to severe diplomatic ties, during a parliamentary session which followed the President’s state…

An American delegation, on Thursday afternoon, was evacuated from a research center in Ramallah following a protest took place outside of the center to protest the visit. The protest was…

PA President Mahmoud Abbas, on Tuesday, proposed a peace plan at the United Nations Security Council that tackles core issues, which have foiled peace efforts over the past few decades.…

Israeli gas fields in the Mediterranean will soon be providing gas exports to Egypt as a part of a 10-year, $15 billion deal announced on Monday. According to the PNN,…

by Zena Agha on February 18, 2018, for the Al Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network. Since 1967, Israel has sought to limit Palestinian power, ownership, and habitation in the Jerusalem area on the one hand,…

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday, during a visit to Jordan., that his administration has a fairly well advanced Middle East peace plan that has been under…

Arab parliamentarians called, on Saturday, for severing ties with any country that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or transfers its embassy to the occupied city. At the end…

by Nadia Hijab, for the Al Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network. In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reinforced by Vice President Mike Pence’s promise to move…

AIDA, an International non-governmental organization (INGO) coordination body consisting of more than 70 of such organizations working in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), expressed alarm at the United States government’s…

The head of Jerusalem Legal Aid Center, Issam al-‘Arouri, has reported that Israel is still holding captive in the “Numbers Graveyards,” the remains of 260 Palestinians who were killed in…

Responding to statement by U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, the official Palestinian Presidency spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, said Tuesday that the ongoing illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine is the root cause…

Following a decision by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian cabinet of ministers today said it is starting plans to disengage from Israel. In its last meeting in Ramallah,…

Nabil Shaath, advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas for external affairs and international relations, has affirmed that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is collecting signatures of Japanese parliamentarians to demand the…

Palestinian leadership in Ramallah have received, via a third party, the initial outlines for the forthcoming U.S. peace plan, dubbed the ‘Deal of the Century’, according to a report by…

The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report, on Wednesday, identifying 206 companies from around the world that are doing business linked to Israeli settlements,…

Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Pierre Krähenbühl said, on Thursday, that the recent US aid cuts represent the most severe crisis in…

The US Ambassador to the United Nations, on Wednesday, slammed a UN report on 206 companies tied to Israeli settlements as “a waste of time and resources that showed an…

Ahead of the Emergency Donor Meeting in Brussels, today, the meeting’s conveners Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide met with members…

A group of Palestinian activists expelled an American delegation visiting the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on Tuesday. The activists carried banners representing the American and Israeli racist administrations,…

Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem has said that all conspiracies against Jerusalem will fail, stressing that US policy regarding the eMiddle East is “ugly.” “The history, heritage,…

The Slovenian government decided to move ahead with plans from the past week, to recognize the Palestinian state, media sources reported. The Slovenian parliament is due to file, on Wednesday,…

Israeli Channel 2, on Thursday, said that the U.S. is considering closing down the PLO offices in Washington as a sanction for refusal, by the Palestinian Authority(PA), to return to…

Slovenian President Borut Pahor expressed doubt, on Friday, that his country would recognize state of Palestine, days after his foreign minister pointed to such a move taking place in March.…

Pew polling reveals Israel has become a right-wing issue, with 79% of Republicans supporting it, compared to just 27% of Democrats. The bipartisan consensus of support for Israel over the…

Palestine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said on Wednesday that the Security Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday, in order for the Council members to shoulder…

In a statement released by the Major’s office, the northern Parisian suburb of Gennevilliers has signaled its intent to recognize the State of Palestine, while calling on ‘all the cities…

Pence’s speech to the Knesset praised Israel’s democracy, while Palestinian members of parliament were forcibly removed for expressing their views, says TRNN correspondent Shir Hever. Shir Hever is an Economist working…

Several Palestinians, on Tuesday, suffocated by tear gas as the Israeli army used violent force to disperse Palestinians who were protesting the US decision on Jerusalem and US Vice President…

The Palestinian Authority has submitted an official complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Israeli violations against Palestinian children. The move came as Israeli occupation authorities extended the detention…

An Arab League ministerial committee convened on Monday, to discuss a plan it has prepared to block Israel’s bid for a United Nations Security Council seat in the 2019-2020 term.…

Jordan’s King Abdullah, during a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence, said that East Jerusalem must be the capital of a future Palestinian state, adding that the only solution to…

A Palestinian paramedic, on Saturday, was shot and injured in the head with a rubber-coated steel bullet, during clashes that broke out in Kufr Qaddum village, east of Qalqilia, said…

US President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, denied Netanyahu’s statement that the US embassy to Israel will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem within the year. US Secretary of State Rex…

UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl, on Wednesday, stated that the organization is facing a formidable challenge in upholding its mandate – an expression of the will of the international community – and…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed US threats to the funding of UNRWA, the UN agency that delivers vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees. TRNN’s Aaaron Maté speaks…

Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr. Riyad al-Maliki said, on Tuesday, that the Palestinian mission to the United Nations will soon submit a request for full membership of the state of Palestine…

The second-highest decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) decided Monday to call on the executive committee to suspend recognition of Israel until Israel recognizes the existence of Palestine,…

In his new book “Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom,” Norman Finkelstein argues that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN Human Rights Council, and other defenders of international law…

Isael’s Strategic Affairs Ministry has set up a public-benefit corporation to engage in what it calls “mass awareness activities” as part of “the struggle against the delegitimization campaign” against Israel…

A Palestinian rides on a donkey with a settlement in the background (Photo: Christian Peacemaker Team) Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki criticized the US government on Wednesday for “giving the…

Pope Francis reiterated, on Monday, his call to respect the status quo of Jerusalem following US President Donald Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital. Addressing ambassadors from more…

US Vice President Mike Pence will visit the Mideast from January 20 to 23, the White House said on Monday. The White House explained, in a statement, that Pence will…

The International Criminal Court in The Hague is planning on investigating Israeli leaders over Israeli settlement expansion in Jerusalem and West Bank, as well as the 2014 aggression on Gaza…

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said, on Monday, that its mandate comes only from the United Nations General Assembly, which created it in 1950…

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has expressed support for a gradual cutback of US funding to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees, according to Israeli…

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Friday, condemned what it described as “the vicious Israeli and US campaign” targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The…

In violation of a longstanding agreement between Jordan and Israel, which prevents non-Muslim religious rituals from being performed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, a group of…

Hebrew “0404” website, on Tuesday, said that US President Donald Trump has confirmed, to Israel, his intention to transfer the embassy of his country from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as…

Trump’s promise to stop aid is based on a misunderstanding of how aid works. Shir Hever is an Economist working at The Real News Network. His economic research focuses on Israeli…

Qatar called on all countries to suspend diplomatic delegations to occupied Jerusalem, and adhere to  UN Security Council decisions. The statement was issued Wednesday during the meeting of ministers council…

Describing London as the city of “tolerance, acceptance and diversity,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan, however, on Wednesday, said that President Donald Trump is not welcome. Khan’s written statement came after the London…

Leaders of the Israeli occupation army warned, during a cabinet session, of the gravity situation in the blockaded Gaza Strip, which could end up with the outbreak of a new…

US Ambassador to Israeli occupation David Friedman has asked the US State Department to stop using the term “occupied” in official documents referring to Israeli occupation of West Bank. Friedman…

Guatemalans reacted with anger and concern over their president’s decision to move his country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following suit as a result of a similar…

After Guatemala, Israeli occupation authorities say that another two countries will move embassies of their countries to Jerusalem. Guatemala’s eastern neighbors, Honduras and Paraguay, are also expected to join the…

Via the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. The following is an English translation of the introductory piece on a new Dutch-language blog exploring the relationship between the colonization of Palestine,…

After a United Nations vote against American President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the US has announced that it is planning to cut $285m from funds it…

Pope Francis called for peace in Jerusalem and throughout the holy land in his traditional Christmas Urbi et Orbi speech, which, in Latin, means: “To the city and world.” According…

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salman asked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to back a US-sponsored peace plan for Israel-Palestine, officials told Middle East Eye. Abbas was invited to Saudi…

Spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Issa Musleh, on Sunday, called upon US president Donald Trump to withdraw his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, according to WAFA.…

by Nur Arafeh, Dana El Kurd, Munir Nuseibah, Victor Kattan, Tareq Baconi  What does Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel mean for the future of Palestine and the Palestinians, and what does…

Deputy Malaysian Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said that his country would open an embassy in occupied East Jerusalem, a report stated. Speaking to local media, the prime minister…

Christian leaders stressed, on Saturday, the centrality of Jerusalem to all three monotheistic religions, denouncing the United States for declaring it the capital of Israel. Speaking at a press conference…

US president Donald Trump’s declaration of occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has no strategic view, as he did not define the borders of Jerusalem, and almost all the…

“Any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and…

As the U.S. vetoes a UN Security Council measure on Jerusalem, it is also protecting Israel’s deadly attacks on Palestinian civilians, including one that killed a wheelchair-bound double amputee. TRNN’s…

Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney, on Wednesday, reiterated his country’s commitment to a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, as a basis for peace negotiations. He stressed, in a…

Foreign and Expatriates Minister Riyad Malki said that the United Nations General Assembly will meet today, to vote on a draft resolution regarding the right of the Palestinian people to…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said during a meeting in his Ramallah headquarters,on Monday evening,that the Palestinians reject America’s alleged “mediation role” in the “Peace Process”, and added that the United…

Fourteen of the fifteen nations in the United Nations Security Council voted Monday reaffirming the status of the city of Jerusalem as unresolved, and challenging the U.S. administration’s decision to…

David Hearst is the editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye. He was chief foreign leader writer of The Guardian, former Associate Foreign Editor, European Editor, Moscow Bureau Chief, European Correspondent and…

The United Nations Security Council is considering a draft resolution against the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The resolution, drafted by Egypt and circulated among the Security…

At least six Palestinians were injured with live ammunition and others suffocated by tear gas as clashes continued, along the Gaza borders, in protest of US President Donald Trump’s recognition…

“Palestinians will continue to protest as long as they’re not liberated,” says writer Mariam Barghouti, “the question is, when will the rest of the world finally begin listening?” Mariam Barghouti is…

Dozens of settlers stormed, on Thursday morning, the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy security of Israeli occupation police. Jerusalemite sources said that more than 200 settlers broke into…

PA president Mahmoud Abbas, on Wednesday, said that the Palestinians will no longer accept any role for the United States in the Middle East peace process, following President Donald Trump’s…

The 16-year-old Palestinian teenager who was taken into custody by Israeli soldiers last week, in a photo that went viral on social media, was presented to an Israeli military court…

The mayor of Bethlehem, lawyer Anton Salman, on Monday, made comments about an Israeli report which portrayed Bethlehem city as if it were simply celebrating Christmas and separating itself from…

Christian Palestinians, along with Muslims, held a protest in front of the historic Church of the Nativity, after Sunday prayers, to express their rejection of US president Donald Trump’s decision…

A Palestinian protester is evacuated after being injured during clashes with Israeli security forces near the border with Israel, east of Gaza City in October 2015 (AFP, File) At least…

As the Israeli crackdown on protests in the Occupied Territories turns deadly, human rights attorney Noura Erakat says that Trump’s decision on Jerusalem is only the latest US attack on…

12/09/17 | International Solidarity Movement | al-Khalil Team Clashes continued throughout the weekend in Hebron, after Palestinian civil society groups called for “three days of rage” in response to Donald…

Israeli army forces, Saturday night, shot a young Palestinian man in his eye with a rubber-coated steel bullet, during protests at the northern entrance of the city of al-Bireh. The…

Israeli soldiers violently suppressed protests in the southern occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem for the third day in a row, on Saturday, firing tear gas and sponge-tipped bullets at…

A student was injured on Saturday, east of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, when Israeli soldiers stationed near the border opened fire at a group of…

by Nadia Hijab Protests around the world are planned against US president Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In so doing, Trump dispensed with such details as boundaries and borders…

The United Nations Security Council, on Friday, convened an emergency session, at the invitation of eight countries, to discuss US President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally recognize occupied Jerusalem as…

As protests erupt over Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti says Trump and Netanyahu won’t succeed in displacing Palestinians from their homeland. Mustafa Barghouti was born…

Just days after the Christmas tree lighting in the birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem, the lights on the giant Christmas tree were turned off at the request of local officials, to…

In a televised speech from his home in the ash-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, the head of the Political Bureau of Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyya, strongly denounced the American decision…

All Palestinian national and Islamic forces and factions have declared Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to be days of total popular struggle throughout Palestine and outside, calling on the masses of…

In a move that contradicts decades of US policy, flagrantly violates international law and signed peace agreements, and discards the Palestinian people’s basic rights, the sitting U.S. President Donald Trump…

President Trump will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there. Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada says years of US policy set the stage.…

Amid controversy over the US decision to move their embassy to Jerusalem, PLO Executive Committee member, Tayseer Khaled, published a press release calling for an international campaign in the Arab,…

The US House of Representatives voted, on Tuesday, to sharply reduce the annual $300m in US aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA), unless it stops paying families of Palestinian abducted…