31 dec 2014
Israel's government summoned the French ambassador on Wednesday over his country's support for a failed Palestinian bid to pass a UN resolution setting an end date for Israeli occupation.
Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told AFP that the ambassador, Patrick Maisonnave, was being summoned to the ministry in Jerusalem later in the day.
France along with China and Russia were among the eight countries which voted in favor of the text on Tuesday, but the resolution fell short of winning the nine "yes" votes necessary for adoption within the 15-member Security Council.
Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told AFP that the ambassador, Patrick Maisonnave, was being summoned to the ministry in Jerusalem later in the day.
France along with China and Russia were among the eight countries which voted in favor of the text on Tuesday, but the resolution fell short of winning the nine "yes" votes necessary for adoption within the 15-member Security Council.
The number of Jews moving to Israel leapt in 2014 to its highest figure in a decade, with western Europe leading the way, the immigration ministry said Wednesday.
Immigration hit a 10-year high, with the arrival of some 26,500 new residents, according to a joint statement with the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization tasked with encouraging Jews to move to Israel.
This marks a significant 32 percent increase over last year's approximately 20,000 immigrants, the statement said.
This "was a year of record-breaking aliyah," Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said, using the Hebrew word for immigration to Israel.
It "also saw a historic shift: for the first time in Israel's history, the number of immigrants who came to Israel from the free world is greater than that of immigrants fleeing countries in distress."
For the first time ever, France provided the biggest number, as more than 6,600 Jews moved to Israel. That was nearly twice the 3,400 who arrived in 2013.
Overall, immigration from Western Europe increased 88 percent, with the arrival of some 8,640 people, compared with 4,600 a year earlier.
Some 620 arrived from Britain, compared with 520 a year earlier, and the number from Italy doubled to 340. Around 240 arrived from Belgium, a slight decrease, and the number from Germany remained stable, at approximately 120. Immigration from former Soviet Union countries saw a 50 percent increase, with the arrival of some 11,430 people, compared with 7,610 in 2013.
That was largely driven by an exodus from conflict-wracked Ukraine, where the number surged 190 percent to 5,840.
More than half of all people moving to Israel in 2014 were under 35, among them 5,300 children and some 8,200 adults aged between 18-34.
Tel Aviv was the city which received the highest number of immigrants, at around 3,000. It was followed by the northern coastal city of Netanya and then Jerusalem.
More than three million Jews have immigrated to Israel since its creation in 1948 -- including one million from former Soviet states since 1990 -- under the Law of Return, which offers citizenship and benefits to Jews from anywhere in the world.
However, millions of Palestinians in exile -- those whose descendants were among the 750,000 who fled or were driven from their homes during the war that led to Israel's creation in 1948 -- are barred from returning to their land in what is now Israel.
Immigration hit a 10-year high, with the arrival of some 26,500 new residents, according to a joint statement with the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization tasked with encouraging Jews to move to Israel.
This marks a significant 32 percent increase over last year's approximately 20,000 immigrants, the statement said.
This "was a year of record-breaking aliyah," Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said, using the Hebrew word for immigration to Israel.
It "also saw a historic shift: for the first time in Israel's history, the number of immigrants who came to Israel from the free world is greater than that of immigrants fleeing countries in distress."
For the first time ever, France provided the biggest number, as more than 6,600 Jews moved to Israel. That was nearly twice the 3,400 who arrived in 2013.
Overall, immigration from Western Europe increased 88 percent, with the arrival of some 8,640 people, compared with 4,600 a year earlier.
Some 620 arrived from Britain, compared with 520 a year earlier, and the number from Italy doubled to 340. Around 240 arrived from Belgium, a slight decrease, and the number from Germany remained stable, at approximately 120. Immigration from former Soviet Union countries saw a 50 percent increase, with the arrival of some 11,430 people, compared with 7,610 in 2013.
That was largely driven by an exodus from conflict-wracked Ukraine, where the number surged 190 percent to 5,840.
More than half of all people moving to Israel in 2014 were under 35, among them 5,300 children and some 8,200 adults aged between 18-34.
Tel Aviv was the city which received the highest number of immigrants, at around 3,000. It was followed by the northern coastal city of Netanya and then Jerusalem.
More than three million Jews have immigrated to Israel since its creation in 1948 -- including one million from former Soviet states since 1990 -- under the Law of Return, which offers citizenship and benefits to Jews from anywhere in the world.
However, millions of Palestinians in exile -- those whose descendants were among the 750,000 who fled or were driven from their homes during the war that led to Israel's creation in 1948 -- are barred from returning to their land in what is now Israel.
27 dec 2014
An Israeli bank has been fined $400 million USD for aiding and assisting Americans in evading payment of their taxes.
Al Ray reports, via Press TV, that Israel’s second largest bank, Bank Leumi, will pay as much as $270 million to the US government and $130 million to the US State Department.
“Bank Leumi employees engaged in a series of egregious schemes – including creating complex, sham loan arrangements – to help its US clients shirk their responsibility to pay taxes,” State Department Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky said in a statement.
“What’s worse, when certain Swiss banks began to put the brakes on this type of misconduct, Bank Leumi instead hit the accelerator even harder – viewing it as a ‘golden opportunity’ to pick up new business,” Lawsky added.
According to the US Department of Justice, the bank aided American taxpayers in hiding their assets in Israel, Switzerland, and Luxembourg from 2000 to 2011.
Bank Leumi has admitted to the violations, agreed to pay the fines, and has reportedly sacked some of its senior employees, as well.
Al Ray reports, via Press TV, that Israel’s second largest bank, Bank Leumi, will pay as much as $270 million to the US government and $130 million to the US State Department.
“Bank Leumi employees engaged in a series of egregious schemes – including creating complex, sham loan arrangements – to help its US clients shirk their responsibility to pay taxes,” State Department Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky said in a statement.
“What’s worse, when certain Swiss banks began to put the brakes on this type of misconduct, Bank Leumi instead hit the accelerator even harder – viewing it as a ‘golden opportunity’ to pick up new business,” Lawsky added.
According to the US Department of Justice, the bank aided American taxpayers in hiding their assets in Israel, Switzerland, and Luxembourg from 2000 to 2011.
Bank Leumi has admitted to the violations, agreed to pay the fines, and has reportedly sacked some of its senior employees, as well.
16 dec 2014
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be holding a meeting in London, on Tuesday, with the Palestinian delegation headed by Chief Negotiator Dr. Saeb Erekat, and various Arab officials.
Again, Kerry will be trying to convince the Abbas and Arab officials to rescind, or at least “delay," the Palestinian application to the Security Council demanding a time-frame for ending the Israeli occupation within three years.
The United States said it would use its veto power to topple the Palestinian move, but is trying to prevent the application from being submitted in the first place to avoid a hostile political move that could jeopardize its ties with various Arab and Islamic countries.
In addition, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-‘Arabi will be holding a meeting, Tuesday, with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to discuss the Palestinian application, and the French proposal regarding a “final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians within two years.”
After landing in London last night, Kerry held a meeting with his French, British and German counterparts, and discussed the Palestinian application and the French proposal.
American officials said the United States “has not yet decided whether to support of oppose the French proposal, adding that “there are various issues that the U.S. cannot ever support.
On his part, Fabius said he and his counterparts intend to discuss a draft that would be supported by all parties, and added that the United States clearly said it intends use its veto power.
On Monday evening, Kerry held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Rome, but Netanyahu refused to reveal “whether Kerry promised the US would use its veto against the Palestinian application.”
In addition, Netanyahu said, “Israel will refuse any proposal that would escalate tension, and endanger Tel Aviv.”
Netanyahu added that, a few days ago, he phoned the French President Francois Hollande asking him not to submit his country's proposal to the Security Council.
Again, Kerry will be trying to convince the Abbas and Arab officials to rescind, or at least “delay," the Palestinian application to the Security Council demanding a time-frame for ending the Israeli occupation within three years.
The United States said it would use its veto power to topple the Palestinian move, but is trying to prevent the application from being submitted in the first place to avoid a hostile political move that could jeopardize its ties with various Arab and Islamic countries.
In addition, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-‘Arabi will be holding a meeting, Tuesday, with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to discuss the Palestinian application, and the French proposal regarding a “final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians within two years.”
After landing in London last night, Kerry held a meeting with his French, British and German counterparts, and discussed the Palestinian application and the French proposal.
American officials said the United States “has not yet decided whether to support of oppose the French proposal, adding that “there are various issues that the U.S. cannot ever support.
On his part, Fabius said he and his counterparts intend to discuss a draft that would be supported by all parties, and added that the United States clearly said it intends use its veto power.
On Monday evening, Kerry held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Rome, but Netanyahu refused to reveal “whether Kerry promised the US would use its veto against the Palestinian application.”
In addition, Netanyahu said, “Israel will refuse any proposal that would escalate tension, and endanger Tel Aviv.”
Netanyahu added that, a few days ago, he phoned the French President Francois Hollande asking him not to submit his country's proposal to the Security Council.
UN special coordinator for the Middle East Robert Serry warned of the uncertain future of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis and the gravity of the political obstacles hindering the reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.
This came during his speech at the UN Security Council session held on Monday to listen to his report on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and other Middle East areas.
Serry expressed hope that the Egyptian authorities could overcome its security issues soon so as to reopen the Rafah border crossing and allow the movement of passengers and goods into and from Gaza.
The UN official also called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities towards the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis.
He also warned that the collapse of the ruling coalition in Israel and the scheduling of early elections on March 17, 2015 should not be an excuse for either side to let the present situation in the occupied territories get worse.
Serry stressed the need for restoring the hope for a permanent solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict before it is too late, adding that achieving progress in the peace process needs an effective role by the international community.
He noted that the recent legislative steps in Europe towards recognizing a Palestinian state as well as the agreement by the League of Arab States to present to the Security Council a draft resolution setting a time frame for its implementation were important but not a substitute for a genuine peace process recognized by both parties.
He conveyed the UN secretary-general’s hope that the council members would back a meaningful and constructive framework for renewed negotiations instead of giving the Palestinians a time frame for their state.
This came during his speech at the UN Security Council session held on Monday to listen to his report on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and other Middle East areas.
Serry expressed hope that the Egyptian authorities could overcome its security issues soon so as to reopen the Rafah border crossing and allow the movement of passengers and goods into and from Gaza.
The UN official also called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities towards the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis.
He also warned that the collapse of the ruling coalition in Israel and the scheduling of early elections on March 17, 2015 should not be an excuse for either side to let the present situation in the occupied territories get worse.
Serry stressed the need for restoring the hope for a permanent solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict before it is too late, adding that achieving progress in the peace process needs an effective role by the international community.
He noted that the recent legislative steps in Europe towards recognizing a Palestinian state as well as the agreement by the League of Arab States to present to the Security Council a draft resolution setting a time frame for its implementation were important but not a substitute for a genuine peace process recognized by both parties.
He conveyed the UN secretary-general’s hope that the council members would back a meaningful and constructive framework for renewed negotiations instead of giving the Palestinians a time frame for their state.
No statement was released following U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's meeting on Monday evening with the Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu at the headquarters of the Italy-based U.S. embassy.
The meeting was convened as both parties developed their responses to a draft U.N. resolution that would set a delineated timetable for the end of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
The Israeli Channel 10 said the meeting was held amid an ongoing pressure by Tel Aviv, urging Washington to exercise its Security Council veto against any resolution setting a time-frame requested by the upcoming Palestinian bid to the UN.
Reporters expressed deep disappointment and surprise after none of the two convening parties held a press conference to brief journalists on the findings.
The Israeli radio quoted sources close to the Netanyahu delegation as stating: “There is no reason there should be a change to the U.S. policy, which has always gone up against unilateral procedures forcing Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood.”
Washington is set to urge the Palestinian side to call off the bid expected to be tabled to that end on Wednesday, the sources added.
The meeting was convened as both parties developed their responses to a draft U.N. resolution that would set a delineated timetable for the end of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
The Israeli Channel 10 said the meeting was held amid an ongoing pressure by Tel Aviv, urging Washington to exercise its Security Council veto against any resolution setting a time-frame requested by the upcoming Palestinian bid to the UN.
Reporters expressed deep disappointment and surprise after none of the two convening parties held a press conference to brief journalists on the findings.
The Israeli radio quoted sources close to the Netanyahu delegation as stating: “There is no reason there should be a change to the U.S. policy, which has always gone up against unilateral procedures forcing Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood.”
Washington is set to urge the Palestinian side to call off the bid expected to be tabled to that end on Wednesday, the sources added.
The Moroccan Committee in Support of the Nation’s Causes slammed the Israeli occupation for the series of crimes and state terrorism perpetrated against the Palestinian people and Islamic holy sites across the occupied Palestinian territories.
A statement issued by the committee's central bureau, following its weekly meeting in Casablanca, raised alarm bells over the alarming state of affairs in Occupied Jerusalem and Gaza.
The committee reiterated its firm rebuff of the anti-humanitarian siege imposed by the Israeli occupation on the Gaza Strip for eight uninterrupted years.
The conveners called on the international community to take up its responsibility vis-à-vis the cause and push for the reconstruction of Gaza at the soonest time possible.
The meeting was convened against the backdrop of the simmering tension rocking the occupied Palestinian territories due to Israel’s pre-planned assaults on Palestinian civilians and holy sites.
The committee voiced disappointment over Israel’s murder of the Palestinian official Ziyad Abu Ein and the Judaization plots weaved against Muslims’ al-Aqsa compound in an attempt to enforce a spatio-temporal division on a typically Islamic site.
The committee hailed the pro-Palestine moves staged by a consortium of Moroccan institutions and committees.
A statement issued by the committee's central bureau, following its weekly meeting in Casablanca, raised alarm bells over the alarming state of affairs in Occupied Jerusalem and Gaza.
The committee reiterated its firm rebuff of the anti-humanitarian siege imposed by the Israeli occupation on the Gaza Strip for eight uninterrupted years.
The conveners called on the international community to take up its responsibility vis-à-vis the cause and push for the reconstruction of Gaza at the soonest time possible.
The meeting was convened against the backdrop of the simmering tension rocking the occupied Palestinian territories due to Israel’s pre-planned assaults on Palestinian civilians and holy sites.
The committee voiced disappointment over Israel’s murder of the Palestinian official Ziyad Abu Ein and the Judaization plots weaved against Muslims’ al-Aqsa compound in an attempt to enforce a spatio-temporal division on a typically Islamic site.
The committee hailed the pro-Palestine moves staged by a consortium of Moroccan institutions and committees.
15 dec 2014
The Israeli Yediot Aharonot newspaper said the PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has remained in power on account of his security coordination with the Israeli occupation.
The newspaper said in its editorial that the Palestinians have been reiterating ‘Palestine has fallen part’ and lamenting the breakdown of their dream to establish an independent Palestinian state thanks to their "weak president".
The newspaper called on Abbas to pay back “the great debt” in reference to the security coordination with the Israeli occupation, which represents the nucleus of the Oslo accord.
The editorial pointed out that the Israelis are most concerned with the means to keep Abbas in power and to foil any pressures urging him to step down.
"Hadn’t it been due to security coordination and the role played by the Israeli intelligence agencies in aborting attacks and arresting Hamas affiliates, Abbas would have been overthrown," the newspaper added.
The statement coincided with a mass-arrest campaign launched by the Nablus–based PA intelligence apparatuses against scores of Hamas advocates.
The PIC quoted by-standers at the scene as reporting that a dozen of Hamas-backers were summoned for interrogation in the process.
The PA forces have also reportedly come down heavily on a peaceful pro-Hamas demonstrators while they were waving resistance flags and chanting national slogans to mark the group’s 27th anniversary.
Hamas Movement in Nablus issued a statement on Monday urging the PA to end the policy of political detention and summonses of its cadres and supporters.
The newspaper said in its editorial that the Palestinians have been reiterating ‘Palestine has fallen part’ and lamenting the breakdown of their dream to establish an independent Palestinian state thanks to their "weak president".
The newspaper called on Abbas to pay back “the great debt” in reference to the security coordination with the Israeli occupation, which represents the nucleus of the Oslo accord.
The editorial pointed out that the Israelis are most concerned with the means to keep Abbas in power and to foil any pressures urging him to step down.
"Hadn’t it been due to security coordination and the role played by the Israeli intelligence agencies in aborting attacks and arresting Hamas affiliates, Abbas would have been overthrown," the newspaper added.
The statement coincided with a mass-arrest campaign launched by the Nablus–based PA intelligence apparatuses against scores of Hamas advocates.
The PIC quoted by-standers at the scene as reporting that a dozen of Hamas-backers were summoned for interrogation in the process.
The PA forces have also reportedly come down heavily on a peaceful pro-Hamas demonstrators while they were waving resistance flags and chanting national slogans to mark the group’s 27th anniversary.
Hamas Movement in Nablus issued a statement on Monday urging the PA to end the policy of political detention and summonses of its cadres and supporters.
Israeli Finance Minister Naftali Bennet
PNN reports that a group of Israeli and American academics calling themselves "genuine Zionists" have sent written demands to the US government and European countries insisting that they impose sanctions on Israeli politicians Naftali Bennett, Uri Ariel, Moshe Feiglin and PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
This demand, according to Haaretz, comes as a result of the call from the four Israeli party leaders for merging the West Bank into Israel, disrupting the peace process and international law.
The group is calling for the withdrawal of investments and the imposition of sanctions on the country, noting that though this campaign will not necessarily achieve peace, any extremist Israeli leader who violates international law must be punished, as any serious negotiations must be subjected to that law in order to achieve such a peace.
Furthermore, the group is demanding that the US freeze the four Israeli leaders' bank accounts within the US and in EU countries, in addition to banning the extremist leaders from entering the United States and the EU as a punishment for their actions.
The petition was signed by 20 Israeli and American academics who said that the extremist Israeli actions are offensive to Israel.
The signatories state that it is time to make the necessary procedures to achieve peace and establish two states that will peacefully coexist.
PNN reports that a group of Israeli and American academics calling themselves "genuine Zionists" have sent written demands to the US government and European countries insisting that they impose sanctions on Israeli politicians Naftali Bennett, Uri Ariel, Moshe Feiglin and PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
This demand, according to Haaretz, comes as a result of the call from the four Israeli party leaders for merging the West Bank into Israel, disrupting the peace process and international law.
The group is calling for the withdrawal of investments and the imposition of sanctions on the country, noting that though this campaign will not necessarily achieve peace, any extremist Israeli leader who violates international law must be punished, as any serious negotiations must be subjected to that law in order to achieve such a peace.
Furthermore, the group is demanding that the US freeze the four Israeli leaders' bank accounts within the US and in EU countries, in addition to banning the extremist leaders from entering the United States and the EU as a punishment for their actions.
The petition was signed by 20 Israeli and American academics who said that the extremist Israeli actions are offensive to Israel.
The signatories state that it is time to make the necessary procedures to achieve peace and establish two states that will peacefully coexist.
14 dec 2014
Historiographers have recently spotlighted the mounting underhanded Israeli-Saudi partnership, bolstered under the red herring of intents to fight political Islamism and terrorism in the region.
A fuss has been lately triggered by a visit paid by the shadowy chief of Israel's Mossad spy agency Tamir Pardo to his Saudi counterpart, local Hebrew sources said quoting Israeli security apparatuses.
The same sources said Saudi Arabia is expected to supply Israel with oil, a scenario that was not ruled out by Saudi officials themselves.
The Saudi Arabian Minister of Petroleum Ali Al-Naimi said his government is ready to sell oil to all world countries.
“Israel is recognized by most of the world’s states,” sources quoted the minister as further claiming. “Nothing prevents trade cooperation with Israel.”
The Saudi Arabia-Israel partnership, which had always been carried out in the shades, have emerged to the surface and become as evident as day light.
Prof. Joshua Teitelbaum, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at the Bar-Ilan University, said such deals between the two parties are likely to result in a Saudi back-up to the Israeli occupation in case the latter opts to hit Iran’s nuclear installations.
He pointed to the key-role played by the U.S. administration in the current deals struck between the two parties.
The shift from a state of underhandedness to a lack-of-guile phase as far as the Saudi-Israeli ties are concerned does not just fit the former’s intents to fashion an image for itself as the lookout-tower of Islam, so it might stop such cooperation in the event its image was harmed, Prof. Teitelbaum added.
A fuss has been lately triggered by a visit paid by the shadowy chief of Israel's Mossad spy agency Tamir Pardo to his Saudi counterpart, local Hebrew sources said quoting Israeli security apparatuses.
The same sources said Saudi Arabia is expected to supply Israel with oil, a scenario that was not ruled out by Saudi officials themselves.
The Saudi Arabian Minister of Petroleum Ali Al-Naimi said his government is ready to sell oil to all world countries.
“Israel is recognized by most of the world’s states,” sources quoted the minister as further claiming. “Nothing prevents trade cooperation with Israel.”
The Saudi Arabia-Israel partnership, which had always been carried out in the shades, have emerged to the surface and become as evident as day light.
Prof. Joshua Teitelbaum, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at the Bar-Ilan University, said such deals between the two parties are likely to result in a Saudi back-up to the Israeli occupation in case the latter opts to hit Iran’s nuclear installations.
He pointed to the key-role played by the U.S. administration in the current deals struck between the two parties.
The shift from a state of underhandedness to a lack-of-guile phase as far as the Saudi-Israeli ties are concerned does not just fit the former’s intents to fashion an image for itself as the lookout-tower of Islam, so it might stop such cooperation in the event its image was harmed, Prof. Teitelbaum added.
The ministry of Agriculture in Gaza voiced firm rebuff to an Israeli request to meet with Palestinian farmers over the issue of toxic pesticides sprayed on their crops by Israeli warplanes last month.
The ministry had asked the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) to identify the nature of the substance sprayed over Palestinian farmlands in mid-November near the security fence, adjacent to southern Gaza, A PIC correspondent quoted government sources as reporting.
The IOA laid down a set of stipulations, weeks after the request, saying the probe could only be carried out if samples of damaged crops are taken as case studies and Palestinian farmers are interviewed.
The Palestinian ministry rejected the appeal for fear of the security repercussions resulting from Israeli interrogation procedures.
A drove of Israeli warplanes had sprayed toxic herbicides over large areas of Palestinians’ crops and farmlands, for three days, that penetrated as deep as 1500 meters of the targeted lands located west of the border fence separating Gaza and 1948 Occupied Palestine.
More than 600 dunums of Palestinian cultivated land lots have sustained considerable damage in the process.
The ministry had asked the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) to identify the nature of the substance sprayed over Palestinian farmlands in mid-November near the security fence, adjacent to southern Gaza, A PIC correspondent quoted government sources as reporting.
The IOA laid down a set of stipulations, weeks after the request, saying the probe could only be carried out if samples of damaged crops are taken as case studies and Palestinian farmers are interviewed.
The Palestinian ministry rejected the appeal for fear of the security repercussions resulting from Israeli interrogation procedures.
A drove of Israeli warplanes had sprayed toxic herbicides over large areas of Palestinians’ crops and farmlands, for three days, that penetrated as deep as 1500 meters of the targeted lands located west of the border fence separating Gaza and 1948 Occupied Palestine.
More than 600 dunums of Palestinian cultivated land lots have sustained considerable damage in the process.
12 dec 2014
Israel decided, this Thursday, to boycott the international Geneva conference scheduled for December 17th, and will also reconsider its relationship with Switzerland, according to Israeli sources.
The decision comes following Switzerland's call, on Thursday, for a special meeting of the high contracting parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention next week, which is expected to severely censure Israel for its actions in the West Bank and Gaza.
PNN further reports that Switzerland, the Depository of the Fourth Geneva Convention, under the request of Palestinian Authority who joined the convention in April, summoned the meeting following the breakdown of the US-backed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
According to Israeli daily news outlet, Haaretz, Israel is still hoping to lobby EU states "to get as many as possible to boycott the conference".
Furthermore, the gathering is likely to "intensify international criticism of Israeli policy in the territories, particularly with regard to the settlements".
The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits harming those uninvolved in a conflict, be they civilians, wounded soldiers or POWs, as well as obliging the occupying side to maintain human rights and decent living conditions of an occupied civilian population.
The US and Australia boycotted the meeting in 2001, in support of Israel, and they are expected to boycott it this year, as well. Canada is expected to do the same.
See also: 11/11/14 Israeli Law to be Extended to West Bank
The decision comes following Switzerland's call, on Thursday, for a special meeting of the high contracting parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention next week, which is expected to severely censure Israel for its actions in the West Bank and Gaza.
PNN further reports that Switzerland, the Depository of the Fourth Geneva Convention, under the request of Palestinian Authority who joined the convention in April, summoned the meeting following the breakdown of the US-backed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
According to Israeli daily news outlet, Haaretz, Israel is still hoping to lobby EU states "to get as many as possible to boycott the conference".
Furthermore, the gathering is likely to "intensify international criticism of Israeli policy in the territories, particularly with regard to the settlements".
The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits harming those uninvolved in a conflict, be they civilians, wounded soldiers or POWs, as well as obliging the occupying side to maintain human rights and decent living conditions of an occupied civilian population.
The US and Australia boycotted the meeting in 2001, in support of Israel, and they are expected to boycott it this year, as well. Canada is expected to do the same.
See also: 11/11/14 Israeli Law to be Extended to West Bank
The Israeli occupation radio said the Greek police have launched a probe into a gunfire attack on the Israeli embassy in Athens.
Four people on two motorcycles reportedly fired 20 shots at the embassy building in a northern suburb of Athens in Greece at an early hour Friday.
No injuries or damages have been reported during the attack.
The Israeli occupation radio noted that no party has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Four people on two motorcycles reportedly fired 20 shots at the embassy building in a northern suburb of Athens in Greece at an early hour Friday.
No injuries or damages have been reported during the attack.
The Israeli occupation radio noted that no party has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
11 dec 2014
Ziad Abu Ein
The Palestinian leadership has ended all security coordination with Israel in response to the death of Minister Ziad Abu Ein Wednesday following clashes with Israeli soldiers.
Jibril Rajoub told press that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will end "all forms of security coordination with Israel for deliberately killing Minister Ziad Abu Ein."
This was a move called for by all Palestinian political parties.
Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said in an official statement that "The incident in which Ziad Abu Ein dies is being investigated by the IDF. We regret his death. We have offered the Palestinian Authority a joint investigation, and there will be a joint autopsy of Abu Ein's body."
President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday evening that all options to respond to the killing of a Palestinian minister are up for debate. Senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi said the Palestinian leadership demands an independent, neutral investigation into this latest Israeli crime, calling for an end to impunity for Israeli violations.
"Israel's use of excessive and indiscriminate violence constitutes war crimes under international law”, Ashrawi added. “Israel habitually uses extreme violence, especially against non-violent resistance, and Ziad was guilty of nothing more insidious than planting olive trees on Palestinian land that Israel was attempting to steal."
The Palestinian leadership has ended all security coordination with Israel in response to the death of Minister Ziad Abu Ein Wednesday following clashes with Israeli soldiers.
Jibril Rajoub told press that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will end "all forms of security coordination with Israel for deliberately killing Minister Ziad Abu Ein."
This was a move called for by all Palestinian political parties.
Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said in an official statement that "The incident in which Ziad Abu Ein dies is being investigated by the IDF. We regret his death. We have offered the Palestinian Authority a joint investigation, and there will be a joint autopsy of Abu Ein's body."
President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday evening that all options to respond to the killing of a Palestinian minister are up for debate. Senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi said the Palestinian leadership demands an independent, neutral investigation into this latest Israeli crime, calling for an end to impunity for Israeli violations.
"Israel's use of excessive and indiscriminate violence constitutes war crimes under international law”, Ashrawi added. “Israel habitually uses extreme violence, especially against non-violent resistance, and Ziad was guilty of nothing more insidious than planting olive trees on Palestinian land that Israel was attempting to steal."
10 dec 2014
The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani has said Israel's illegal settlement policies and attacks on the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque and Occupied Jerusalem "contradict the international norms in their simplest sense."
The Emir said that such aggressions make it imperative on the Arab countries and the international community to assume their responsibility towards Palestine.
The statement was delivered on Tuesday evening during the 35th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held on the backdrop of the complicated and delicate international and regional circumstances.
Israel's aggression and terrorism in the occupied Palestinian territories along with its continuing violations of human rights and the persecution of Palestinians through its apartheid policy will have grave consequences on the region, turning the-two state solution, into an "unviable slogan," he added.
Emir Tamim said the Arab and Islamic worlds should take a serious stand to defend Islamic holy shrines in Occupied Jerusalem and provide further support for the people of Palestine.
He slammed the silence maintained by the international community over Israel's terrorism as "a big crime against humanity."
He called on the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation to observe the international legitimacy resolutions in an attempt to end Palestinians’ agony and thwart Israel’s Judaization plots in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Emir said that such aggressions make it imperative on the Arab countries and the international community to assume their responsibility towards Palestine.
The statement was delivered on Tuesday evening during the 35th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held on the backdrop of the complicated and delicate international and regional circumstances.
Israel's aggression and terrorism in the occupied Palestinian territories along with its continuing violations of human rights and the persecution of Palestinians through its apartheid policy will have grave consequences on the region, turning the-two state solution, into an "unviable slogan," he added.
Emir Tamim said the Arab and Islamic worlds should take a serious stand to defend Islamic holy shrines in Occupied Jerusalem and provide further support for the people of Palestine.
He slammed the silence maintained by the international community over Israel's terrorism as "a big crime against humanity."
He called on the international community to pressure the Israeli occupation to observe the international legitimacy resolutions in an attempt to end Palestinians’ agony and thwart Israel’s Judaization plots in Occupied Jerusalem.
9 dec 2014
Israeli Knesset is expected to vote on Monday, the 12th of December, 2014, on dissolving itself and officially setting March 17 as the date for the next general election.
According to Haaretz, the meeting is expected to take place at 4 p.m., and will convene for the second and third readings of the bill to dissolve the Knesset, which was approved in a preliminary vote last week.
Once the bill passes, the Knesset will be dissolved and the election campaign will be underway, the PNN further reports.
"Although we believed that this is not the right time from the country's point of view to go to elections, the option of forming a different government now is even worse," right-wing politician Yisrael Beiteinu said in a statement.
"If the die is cast and we are going to elections, we must do it in a worthy fashion, without shticks or tricks or stinking maneuvers," he said.
Along with Beiteinu, other ultra-Orthodox parties, made it clear that they would not allow any attempt by PM Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new coalition based on the current Knesset.
Over the past few weeks, Netanyahu has apparently been exploring a number of such alternatives, as a means of avoiding early elections.
According to Haaretz, the meeting is expected to take place at 4 p.m., and will convene for the second and third readings of the bill to dissolve the Knesset, which was approved in a preliminary vote last week.
Once the bill passes, the Knesset will be dissolved and the election campaign will be underway, the PNN further reports.
"Although we believed that this is not the right time from the country's point of view to go to elections, the option of forming a different government now is even worse," right-wing politician Yisrael Beiteinu said in a statement.
"If the die is cast and we are going to elections, we must do it in a worthy fashion, without shticks or tricks or stinking maneuvers," he said.
Along with Beiteinu, other ultra-Orthodox parties, made it clear that they would not allow any attempt by PM Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new coalition based on the current Knesset.
Over the past few weeks, Netanyahu has apparently been exploring a number of such alternatives, as a means of avoiding early elections.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestinians cannot and will not recognize Israel as a "Jewish" state, Al Ray correspondence reports.
Palestinians "...cannot recognize a Jewish state," Mr. Abbas decalred, in an interview with Egypt's Akhbar Al-Yawm daily news:
"We will stand against this enterprise, not out of obstinacy, but because it contradicts our interests.”
He reaffirmed the presence of six million Palestinian refugees, including himself, who’ve become homeless since the beginning of the Israeli occupation, in 1948. (Palestinians now make up the largest refugee population on the planet, according to United Nations statistics.)
"Working with Israel is very difficult, if not impossible," he added.
"We are conducting mutual relations with people who don't believe in peace. You ask for peace, and they do not want it...”
The president also reiterated the Palestinian call for an independent state based on the pre-1967 boundaries, and an end to the Israeli occupation.
"We want a state in the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and we want to [set] a date to end the occupation. That is all we want. If Israel agrees to this now, we will go to negotiations. [But] they use deception and excel at media fraud,” Abbas said.
On May 17, 2014, almost all countries in the United Nations voted in favor of Resolution 58/292 stipulating that the borders of a Palestinian state should be based on the pre-1967 borders.
"If we cannot get what we want, there are other steps [we can take]. The first step is joining many international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice,” Abbas further added.
“There are 520 international organizations, and [joining them] will surely bother everyone. If there is an appeal to the ICC, and a Palestinian files a lawsuit against an Israeli, they [the Israelis] get scared, because they are wanted and cannot travel."
Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of occupied East Jerusalem.
Palestinians "...cannot recognize a Jewish state," Mr. Abbas decalred, in an interview with Egypt's Akhbar Al-Yawm daily news:
"We will stand against this enterprise, not out of obstinacy, but because it contradicts our interests.”
He reaffirmed the presence of six million Palestinian refugees, including himself, who’ve become homeless since the beginning of the Israeli occupation, in 1948. (Palestinians now make up the largest refugee population on the planet, according to United Nations statistics.)
"Working with Israel is very difficult, if not impossible," he added.
"We are conducting mutual relations with people who don't believe in peace. You ask for peace, and they do not want it...”
The president also reiterated the Palestinian call for an independent state based on the pre-1967 boundaries, and an end to the Israeli occupation.
"We want a state in the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and we want to [set] a date to end the occupation. That is all we want. If Israel agrees to this now, we will go to negotiations. [But] they use deception and excel at media fraud,” Abbas said.
On May 17, 2014, almost all countries in the United Nations voted in favor of Resolution 58/292 stipulating that the borders of a Palestinian state should be based on the pre-1967 borders.
"If we cannot get what we want, there are other steps [we can take]. The first step is joining many international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice,” Abbas further added.
“There are 520 international organizations, and [joining them] will surely bother everyone. If there is an appeal to the ICC, and a Palestinian files a lawsuit against an Israeli, they [the Israelis] get scared, because they are wanted and cannot travel."
Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of occupied East Jerusalem.
7 dec 2014
The Association of Senegalese Imams and Preachers slammed a recent visit paid by six Imams to Israel on November 22.
Spokesperson for the Association, Youssoupha Sarr, said during a meeting held in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, the visit paid by these Imams, who were warmly welcomed by the Israeli occupation authorities, is no more than a propaganda aimed at legitimizing Israel’s repressive practices, violations of human rights, and mass-execution of the Palestinian people.”
Sarr strongly condemned the six-day stopover as an act of barefaced betrayal and a heavy blow dealt to the Senegalese Muslim community and adherents of the Islamic faith everywhere across the globe.
Spokesperson for the Association, Youssoupha Sarr, said during a meeting held in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, the visit paid by these Imams, who were warmly welcomed by the Israeli occupation authorities, is no more than a propaganda aimed at legitimizing Israel’s repressive practices, violations of human rights, and mass-execution of the Palestinian people.”
Sarr strongly condemned the six-day stopover as an act of barefaced betrayal and a heavy blow dealt to the Senegalese Muslim community and adherents of the Islamic faith everywhere across the globe.
6 dec 2014
Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog declared that he plans to establish a coalition between the parties opposing Benjamin Netanyahu in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Herzog stated that he considers Tzipi Livni's Hatnuah party to be of great importance in this coalition.
Speaking at the Saban Forum on Friday night, Herzog declared that he is planning to win the next elections and form the new government which will "lead Israel in a different direction".
Both Herzog and Livni stated that they haven't reached an agreement about a joint party for the upcoming elections yet.
Herzog stated that he considers Tzipi Livni's Hatnuah party to be of great importance in this coalition.
Speaking at the Saban Forum on Friday night, Herzog declared that he is planning to win the next elections and form the new government which will "lead Israel in a different direction".
Both Herzog and Livni stated that they haven't reached an agreement about a joint party for the upcoming elections yet.