Palestinian Christians and Israel
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem continue to attract the attention of Palestinians, Jordanians and Greeks alike. The decision by more than two thirds of the Holy Synod of the Church…
Abbas’ terrible dilemma
To the uncritical eye, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas looks like an ordinary statesman residing over an equally ordinary political reality. Nothing could be further from the truth. As I disinterestedly…
Reciprocation could help
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ political honeymoon is almost over. And the results are worrisome. Palestinians gave Arafat’s heir a huge boost in the January presidential elections in which he ran…
Israel, Jordan jointly targeting EU markets
Jordan and Israel announced Friday that they will jointly participate in a European-Mediterranean trade system that will allow the both countries to boost duty-free exports to Europe. Israeli Deputy Prime…
U.S. new interventionist ME diplomacy
The U.S. government intends to replace traditional diplomacy conducted through U.S. embassies with an interventionist foreign policy that focuses on political and economic reform, Robert Zoellick, the U.S. Deputy Secretary…
Settlers attack residents in Hebron
Friday afternoon, armed settlers attacked three residents in Al-Sihla square, in the old city of Hebron, and hurled stones at dozens of homes near Abraham Abino settlement outpost. The WAFA…
Palestinian injured, 26 Israeli peace activists arrested in Bilein
A medical source in Sheikh Zayed hospital, in Ramallah reported that one resident was injured in the village of Bilin, west of Ramallah, dozens suffocated after inhaling gas fired by…
Courts’ ruling or violence
A Fatah leader in Gaza harshly criticized Hamas for objecting the court ruling to throw out the results of some Gaza local councils due to voting irregularities. Ahmad Heles, a…
Dr. Battarseh, the new Bethlehem mayor
The newly elected city council elected Friday Dr. Victor Battarseh as the mayor of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Eight council members voted for Battareseh, 6 voted for his…
Abbas: no intentions to postpone PLC elections
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday he had no plans to postpone parliamentary elections set for July 17. "I have no intention to postpone the elections. The parliamentary elections will…
Trees uprooted, farmlands bulldozed near Bethlehem
The Ministry of Local Government in Bethlehem reported that Israeli soldiers and settler groups intensified their attacks against farmlands which belong to residents of al-Khader, near Bethlehem, in order to…
Three injured in Balata
Friday morning, Israeli soldiers invaded Balata refugee camp, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, wounded three residents, and arrested four including one of the wounded residents. A…
Resistance fighter killed near Dir al-Balah
A Palestinian medical source in Dir al-Balah said that the fighter who was killed earlier on Friday, was identified as Mohammad Ribhi Baraka, 22, from Dir al-Balah, in the central…
Israeli-Palestinian Academic cooperation singed in London
Israeli sources reported that an agreement to start a Palestinian-Israeli academic cooperation is signed in London between the Hebrew University and Al-Quds University. The agreement is signed by heads of…
PA: Hamas splitters formed Jundallah ‘God’s Brigades’
A militant group named Jundallah ‘God’s Brigades’ became first known earlier this week as it declared responsibility for an attack on an army post near the Gaza Strip city of…
Sharon OK’s Netanyahu’s tax reduction plan
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved Thursday Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tax reduction plan, which the later described as ‘imperative for market growth.’ The plan is expected to be submitted…
Former Shin Bet chief: a Harm Al-Sharif attack would trigger ‘total war’
An attack by extreme-right Jews on Haram Al-Sharif (Temple Mount) would trigger a large-scale war between Israel and the Muslim world, former Shin Bet chief Carmi Gillon told Haaretz on…
Army: stolen ammunition in Yitzhar might be used to terrorize Palestinians
Ammunition and night-vision equipment disappeared from the army post at the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar on several occasions, senior army official told Israeli newspaper Haaretz this week. Army suspects…
Hamas rejects ruling on some Gaza election results
Hamas announced Thursday that it objects the court ruling annulling some municipal election results in the Gaza Strip which favored Hamas. Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, believed to be the leader of…
Despite Gaza escalation, Sharon Okays ‘gestures’
Senior Israeli army officers warned Thursday that if Israel did not act to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, ‘he’ll fall, and then we’ll have to give more abatement to Hamas,…
patient in Coma denied move to Egyptian hospital
The Israeli security, Shabak, prevented parents of Khamees abu Aser, from Gaza, from moving him to an Egypt hospital, after sustaining a critical injury to his head. Khamees was injured as a result…
Soldiers jailed for assaulting Palestinian students
The Jerusalem Central Court sentenced two Israeli soldiers after convicting them of abusing and degrading two Palestinian residents studying at Abu Dis University, near Jerusalem. The students, Firas al-Bakri, 22,…
PA court cancels more election results in Gaza Strip
In a step that could cause Hamas to suffer an election blow, a Palestinian court, on Thursday, canceled some municipal results in the northern Gaza strip city of Beit Lahia.…
Mofaz authorizes army to kill any fighter who attempts to fire at settlements
Israeli Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, issued direct orders to the army to kill any Palestinian who attempts to fire at Israeli settlements or military camps in the Gaza Strip. The…
U.S. investigtes links of ex-AIPAC staffers to reporters
U.S. government investigators are focusing on conversations that two top American Israel Public Affairs Committee staffers allegedly had with a Washington Post reporter and an Israeli diplomat Apparently, the investigation…
Settlers attack, wound four residents in Hebron
Thursday morning, three women and one child were injured, after a group of settlers attacked them in Tal Rmeida neighborhood in southern West Bank city of Hebron. A medical source…
Ayalon detention; `“a living hell`
A freed detainee from Tubas area in the West Bank described the situation in al-Ramleh detention, Ayalon branch, as a “living hellâ€Â, as a result of the repeated attacks against…
UN high official warns of escalation in the Middle East
Kieran Prendergast, undersecretary-general for political affairs at the UN, warned of the increasing violence in the Palestinian territories, urging the Palestinian Authority to ‘end all violence actsâ€Â, and called on…
Resistance hits Netzarim with seven mortars
Thursday morning, an Israeli military source reported that Palestinian resistance fired seven shells at Netzarim settlement in the Gaza Strip, no injuries were reported. The source stated that Palestinian resistance…
Palestinian-Egyptian detainee stuck in detention
Prisoners Supporters Society in the Galilee reported that Detainee Yassin Mohammad Abdul-Khaliq Qasem has been in detention since three years after he was arrested in his parents’ home in Beit…
Palestinian lawmakers reject full proportional representation in Parliament Elections
On Wednesday afternoon, the Palestinian Legislative Council rejected a proposal submitted by 25 percent of its members to conduct parliamentary elections totally by proportional representation, a senior Palestinian official told IMEMC. Former Minister of…
Gaza settlers given a week to sign up for Nitzanim plan
The Israeli government gave Wednesday Gaza Strip settlers a seven days ultimatum to sign up for a plan to relocate to the Nitzanim area after they are evacuated from the…
Absentees law still in effect in East Jerusalem
Arab Israeli Member of Knesset Jamal Zahalka complained at the office of the Israeli Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu against the ongoing utilization of the Absentees Law in east Jerusalem.…
Resident killed in Khan Younis air strike
A medical source at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis reported that resident Ahmad Shahwan, 25, died on Wednesday at night of wounds sustained after the military gunship fired a missile…
Pal-Egyptian summit in Egypt
A source at the Palestinian Authority reported on Wednesday that a Palestinian-Egyptian summit will be held in Sharm al-Sheikh resort in Egypt next Saturday. The summit will discuss preparations for…
PLO calls for a diaspora convention
The Political Bureau of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, PLO, called on Tuesday for a conference for Palestinian living in Diaspora to be held during the last quarter of this year.…
leftist gear for unity ahead of PLC elections
Palestinian Sources close to the leftist factions said that talks among these factions to form a unified bloc to run in the upcoming Parliament election slated for July 17 are…
Under covered army units arrest a resident arrested in Bethlehem
On Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers arrested a resident of Bethlehem in the West Bank. A local source in Bethlehem reported that under covered military units of the Israel army abducted Mahmoud…
Elections date on July 17 is not binding
Former minister of Justice at the Palestinian Authority, Abdul-Karim Abu Salah said that the legislative elections date on July 17th is not binding and could be altered. The legislative council…
Dahlan: Israel hinders the success of the pullout
{mosimage}The Israeli news website in English YnetNews published an interview they held with the Palestinian Minister of Civil affairs, and in charge of the disengagement file in the Palestinian Authority…
Settlers: We are ready to block roads daily
Following the Monday anti-pullout protests organized by an unknown settlers group that calls itself, ‘Habayit Haleumi’ (The National Homeland), settlers say they are ready to block the roads on daily…
Every Minute Counts
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who visited the Nitzanim area with Housing Minister Isaac Herzog Tuesday, instructed various government officials to accelerate the work. ‘You must work immediately and quickly,’…
Army shot dead a Palestinian near Rafah
Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian on the Gaza-Egypt border early Wednesday, local eyewitnesses said. Ahmed Barhoum, 22, was hit in the head by a bullet and died immediately.…
PA court cancels local election results in Rafah
A Palestinian court on Tuesday cancelled the voting results in 51 of the 141 polling stations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, a move that could increase tension…
Workers Union condemns the arrest of 600 workers in Israel
The General Workers Union in Palestine condemned the arrest of 600 Palestinian workers in Israel, after the army claimed that the illegally entered the country. The Union reported that these…
Barghouthi: `“Fateh needs to work among the people`
The Jailed legislator and Fatah leader, Marwan Barghouthi, said in a letter written behind bars in Hadarim Israeli prison that Fateh movement needs to organize its work and be actively…
Palestinian Minister of Interior met with U.S. Security Envoy
As part of the preparations for the intended Israeli pullout from the Gaza strip and four northern West Bank settlements, the Palestinian Minister of Interior Nasser Yousef met with the…
Clashes near Hebron, four injured
Medical sources in Hebron report that four schoolchildren suffocated after inhaling gas fired by the Israeli army during clashes that erupted after an incursion into the Hebron-area village of Doura. A local source…
Seeking Hamas’s consent on a quite Gaza Pullout
While Israel is pressing on the PA to curb on Hamas, Israeli security officials say they are welling to cooperate with elected Hamas-affiliated council leaders. Already, the discussion in Israel…
Abbas: Hamas may join government
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the PA was cooperating with Israel to facilitate the upcoming pullout, and that Hamas may join the…
New Shin Bet head believes Jewish terror could target Sharon, Haram Al-Sharif
Yuval Diskin, the new director of the Israeli Shin Bet internal security service, said Tuesday that ‘Israeli society would not be able to tolerate the murder of another prime minister.’…
Haifa Univ. students protest against ‘racist’ conference
Several dozen Jewish and Arab students protested Tuesday morning at Haifa University against an academic conference titled ‘The Demographic Problem and Israel’s Demographic Policies’, describing the conference as a gathering…
Soccer Star Ronaldo visits Palestine
Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo was warmly received in the West Bank on Monday during his good will visit to the Palestinian territories and Israel. Ronaldo, the Real Madrid striker, the…
Shin Bet fears Jewish terror
The newly appointed Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin expressed his fears Tuesday over terror attacks conducted by Jews especially in light of the escalating threats against Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.…
P.A policemen exchange fire in Gaza
Monday evening, members of the Palestinian police exchanged fire after a police unit arrested a policeman from another division; two policemen were slightly injured. Police officials declined to comment on…
Former Malaysian PM ‘Israeli Soldiers humiliated me’
Israeli army soldiers delayed for five hours former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at a border crossing before allowing him to enter the Palestinian areas, sources at the former leader’s…
Army to resume assassinations
An Israeli security source reported that the army will resume its assassination policy against Palestinian resistance fighters. The source stated that Israeli security heads, Israeli PM Ariel Sharon, and defense…
Japan to increase aide to the Palestinians
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said following his meeting with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Tokyo that Japan will give USD 100 millions, additional funds to the Palestinian Authority.…
Resident dies of wounds sustained in Rafah last year
Monday evening, a resident of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, died of wounds sustained after the army shelled the area, last year. The WAFA news agency…
Most pullout foes will be released
Israeli police decided on Tuesday to release most of the 378 pullout foes arrested Monday for blocking major highways and intersections in Israel. Protestors who were arrested only for blocking…
Jewish Settlers attempt to burry a Palestinian Alive
Palestinian media sources reported that Israeli settlers tried to burry a Palestinian young man from a village near Nablus alive. Israeli soldiers operating in the area were watching them doing…
Hamas denies coordination with Israeli security
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) dismissed Monday Israeli media reports on ongoing coordination between Hamas-affiliates who won in the recent local elections and Israeli security and army officials. Dr. Mahmoud…
FBI questions four reporters in AIPAC case
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has begun questioning reporters who had contact with Pentagon official Lawrence Franklin, who has been charged with disclosing classified information to officials of the…
Abbas affirms holding elections on time, asks Japan for support
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived Sunday in Tokyo for a three-day visit, said Monday, ahead of meeting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo, that the Palestinian parliament election…
Suicidal attempt to fire missile at Haram Al-Sharif, grenades at police uncovered
Israeli Police said Monday that 9 Israeli Jews were arrested, questioned and conditionally released in recent weeks on suspicion of planning an attack on Haram Al-Sharif mosque in Jerusalem. The…
Israeli High Court removes injunction on Ariel’s separation wall
The Israeli High Court cancelled Monday the temporary injunctions imposed on the construction of the separation wall fence near West Bank settlements of Ariel and Immanuel. The Ariel wall section…
Gilboa detainees complain of harassments
Lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoners Society, Mohammad Abu Rayya, visited several detainees in Gilboa detention who informed him of repeated attacks against them. Abu Rayya said that a special forces…
Evening of road blockades across Israel
Thousands of anti-pullout protesters blocked Monday evening the entrance to Jerusalem and key highways in the Tel Aviv and Haifa areas. Around 140 of them were arrested. Hundreds of Protesters…
Lieutenant, objector to pullout, requests to be discharged
A platoon commander of the Golani infantry brigade of the Israeli army, requested to be discharged from his position, saying that he cannot take part of evacuating Gaza Strip settlements…
Qalqilia next if PA collects arms
Israeli military officials conditioned the handover of security in Qalqilia to the Palestinian Authority to collecting the weapons of wanted Palestinian fighters in Tulkarem and Jericho, Israeli sources reported on…
Peres: `“Labor party is still alive and growing`
Shimon Peres, the acting Labor party leader said on Sunday that his party reported recently 120.000 new members. The statements of Peres came during his speech at the party headquarters…
PA: Mofaz has no say in internal Palestinian issues
The Ministry of Interior and National Security said that only the Palestinian Authority has the right to discuss internal Palestinian issues with other factions in accordance to the Cairo talks.…
Human Barrels against the wall
On Sunday early morning hours, Israeli soldiers, who are guarding the construction of the separation wall near the village of Belein, near Ramallah, found five human barrels blocking the construction…
Palestinian killed south of Tulkarem
Monday morning, Israeli soldiers killed a resident on al-Kafriyyat checkpoint, south of Tulkarem. The WAFA news agency reported that soldiers fired at the residents killing him immediately, and barred the…
Al-Bak’a a town remembered only by the Settlements
‘We will not leave, we have no other place to go to’ said Atta Jaber, 43 from the village of Al-Bak’a in a sign of stead-fasting in his town despite…
Um Fu’ad, tells a story of Diaspora
{mosimage}57 years passed, but Atera Hussein, Um Fu’ad, still remembers with pain and tears, the Nakbe, she still remembers the Israeli planes shelling her village transferring it into ruins. Um…
Mofaz: Hamas is forming a second PA
Israeli defense minister Shaual Mofaz warned Sunday that army would take “necessary†military actions “without consulting with the Palestinian Authority†in case information on attempts to develop Qassam shells in…
Justice and justice
An Israeli judge in beer Sheva central court warned that if the DA does not reveal the accusations against Neria Ofen, an extreme right wing activist placed under administrative detention,…
Abbas: Refugees will not be forsaken
In special speech marking Palestinian Nakbe (“catastropheâ€Â) Day, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says ‘peace must be based on U.N. resolution that ensures just solution to refugee problem’ ‘The Palestinian people…
Jewish settlers behind Greek Orthodox patriarchate land deal
The viscous deal between the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and ‘Jewish investors’ in which major property in Omar Ben Al-Khatab square in Jerusalem was presumably sold, was reportedly made by settler…
Israeli Cabinet extends citizenship offering’ restriction
The Israeli cabinet on Sunday extended the temporary law limiting offering citizenship to Palestinians from the occupied territories married to citizens of Israel, Army Radio reported. Sixteen ministers voted in…
And the Catastrophe Continues
On May 15, 1948, Palestinians experienced one of the most tragic episodes of Palestinian Arab history. Palestinians remember this day as Al-Nakba, in English “the Catastrophe,†Israel forcibly expelled close…
May 15, Nakbe day
Palestinians, across the globe, will commemorate Sunday the 47th anniversary of the Nakbe day. In the year 1948, Jewish armed groups forced the majority of Palestinians to leave their cities,…
Palestinian journalists accuse PA with apathy to attacks
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate in the Gaza Strip on Saturday called on the Palestinian Authority to launch an investigation into an attack on the car of a local journalist. Masked…
Israel agrees to allow PA police to carry arms in W.B. cities
Israel has finally agreed to the Palestinian Authority request to deploy hundreds of armed policemen in all West Bank cities, except of Hebron city, to crack down on crime, According…
Settlers attack homes in Hebron
A local source in Hebron reported that settlers of Avraham Abeenu illegal settlement outpost, in the old city of Hebron, attacked dozens of homes and attempted to occupy them. Najeeb…
Egypt supports P.A reforms
A senior Palestinian source reported that the talks between Omar Suleiman, head of the Egyptian Intelligence, and P.A minister of Interior Nasser Yousef on Thursday, discussed the situation in the…
Sharon’s unilateralism, a jungle law
Humanity has developed to a level where solving a dispute has either to take place upon an agreement between parties involved or through a trusted third party, mostly a judge.…
Hamas rejects PA call to delay PLC elections
Hamas on Thursday warned against postponing legislative elections slated for July 17, saying it was designed to serve the interests of the ruling Fatah party. The warning came following statements…
Poll shows 76% of Palestinians support Abbas
A public opinion poll showed that the majority of Palestinians support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and believe that Israel’s disengagement plan is a positive step for peace. Nearly 53% percent…
Abbas, Bush to meet in two weeks
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to visit Washington for talks with President George W. Bush on May 26, diplomatic sources said on Friday. Bush has invited Abbas to the White…
Hezbollah, Israel exchange fire across borders
An exchange of fire across the borders between Hezbollah and Israeli troops took place near Sheba Farms on Friday afternoon, the third incident in less than 48 hours. Army source…
This Week in Palesitne – May Week 2
Download MP3 (9.00 MB) | Listen to Real Audio  (9:39 min) This week in Palestine – a service of the International Middle East Media Center, IMEMC.Org- for the week of Friday,…
Hebron woman dies of wounds sustained Thursday
A medical source in Hebron reported that resident Widad Mohammad al-Qaoud, 57, died of wounds sustained on Thursday after midnight, after soldiers attacked her brothers’ home in the old city.…
Abbas: Israel doesn’t want calm
In an interview with London-based newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas charged Israel was inciting against him but said that despite the smear campaign he does not intend to…
P.A began collecting weapons
The Israeli online daily Haaretz reported that the Palestinian Authority began collecting weapons in its controlled areas, which comes in accordance to the Sharm al-Sheikh understandings. Haaretz stated that that…
million signitures to reveal the cause behind Arafat’s death
A group called Fatah’s Forum launched a campaign to collect a million signature, calling upon the Palestinian leadership to investigate and uncover the real cause of the death of Palestinian…
Man killed near Israeli embassy in Tashkent
An Israeli source reported on Friday that security guards of the Israeli embassy in the Uzbek capital Tashkent shot and killed a man near the embassy. The Israeli Ynet news…
Atallah Hanna speaks on the Dismissal of the Patriarch of Jerusalem
In an interview with spokesman of the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, Dr. Archimandrite Atallah Hanna, conducted the Palestine News Network, Hanna affirms that the church is serious about appointing the…
We want the body of our son
Family of Abdul-Fattah Yousef Raddad, who died in detention on May 5, 2005, appealed humanitarian organizations to inflict over the Israeli Prison Authorities in order to hand them the body…