3 feb 2015
The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) prevented Tuesday the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) delegation from leaving Gaza to attend the PLO central council meetings in Ramallah in the West Bank.
The member of PFLP political bureau Kaid al-Ghoul revealed that the IOA refused to grant permission for his Front's delegation to leave Gaza Strip via Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
The PFLP delegation was consisting of MP Jamil Majdalawi and members of its political bureau including al-Ghoul, Rabah Mihana and Mariam Abu Dakka.
The Israeli decision aims to sow division between Gaza and West Bank, he added.
IOA strives to prevent the convening of the PLO Central Council in presence of all its members especially those who reject negotiation and security coordination with the occupation and call for national reconciliation.
The member of PFLP political bureau Kaid al-Ghoul revealed that the IOA refused to grant permission for his Front's delegation to leave Gaza Strip via Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
The PFLP delegation was consisting of MP Jamil Majdalawi and members of its political bureau including al-Ghoul, Rabah Mihana and Mariam Abu Dakka.
The Israeli decision aims to sow division between Gaza and West Bank, he added.
IOA strives to prevent the convening of the PLO Central Council in presence of all its members especially those who reject negotiation and security coordination with the occupation and call for national reconciliation.
The massive destruction, the siege and the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip didn't prevent its people from organizing the anti-apartheid week - 2015 in which many activities were organized.
Abdul Rahman Abu-nahl, the coordinator of the Boycott National Committee (BNC), said: "After six months of the Israeli massacre in Gaza, the National Committee for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel launched anti-apartheid week 2015 in all parts of occupied Palestine".
He pointed out that the events will take place in more than 250 countries across the globe, and added: "The boycott movement is aimed at forcing the Israeli Occupation regime to comply with the International Law and meet conditions that are necessary to guarantee the Palestinian people's right to self-determination”.
He outlined those conditions as follows: “Ending the occupation, removing all settlements and the Apartheid Wall, and putting an end to the racist practices against the Palestinians who hold Israeli IDs, and the return of refugees to their lands from which they were displaced during and after the Nakba."
He stressed that these are the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people in the diaspora, in 1967 occupied lands, and in 1948 occupied Palestine.
He also said: "We are glad that the anti-apartheid week was organized in the Gaza Strip for the seventh year in a row with the participation of many volunteers, organizations, campaigns, and syndicates in spite of the Zionist brutal blockade imposed on Gaza for eight years and the massacres that were described by international experts as preludes for a genocide, especially the last one which resulted in the death of more than 2200 martyrs and the injury of 12000, let alone the systematic destruction of the residential neighborhoods and the infrastructure.
The most violent
He noted that ever since 1948, the year 2014 has been the most violent and bloody, however; it witnessed a wide spread of ‘BDS’ movement across the globe to the extent that Israel started considering it a strategic threat to its existence, confirming that boycotting Israel is the most prominent way to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.
He clarified:" The Palestinian civil society called on the international civil society to impose a comprehensive military embargo on Israel and boycott all the Israeli companies which support the apartheid regime, in addition to imposing sanctions and divestment and preventing Israeli ships from anchoring at world ports, as we are convinced that this is the best way to prosecute the Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) for its heinous crimes."
Solidarity with Gaza
For his part, Ronnie Kasrils, a South African activist and a former minister, said that Gaza will always remain in the hearts and minds of all humanity, and stressed the importance of divestment and boycott of Israel.
He also championed lifting the Gaza siege, opening all crossings, allowing the entry of the humanitarian aid to the besieged Strip and paying compensations for all the damage caused by the Israeli aggression on the Strip, saying: "Israel , America and Europe must respect the rights and bring justice to the Gaza Strip."
Gaza steadfastness
MK Hanin Zoabi expressed her pleasure for participating in any event that aims at boosting Gaza steadfastness, and stressed that such events lift the spirits and morale, and declared: "We will never accept anything less than complete defeat of apartheid."
Zoabi also pointed to the fact that Israel enacted 50 racist laws to prevent the Palestinians from living in many occupied Palestinian lands, and added: "We will never give up on our rights, people or history."
Abdul Rahman Abu-nahl, the coordinator of the Boycott National Committee (BNC), said: "After six months of the Israeli massacre in Gaza, the National Committee for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel launched anti-apartheid week 2015 in all parts of occupied Palestine".
He pointed out that the events will take place in more than 250 countries across the globe, and added: "The boycott movement is aimed at forcing the Israeli Occupation regime to comply with the International Law and meet conditions that are necessary to guarantee the Palestinian people's right to self-determination”.
He outlined those conditions as follows: “Ending the occupation, removing all settlements and the Apartheid Wall, and putting an end to the racist practices against the Palestinians who hold Israeli IDs, and the return of refugees to their lands from which they were displaced during and after the Nakba."
He stressed that these are the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people in the diaspora, in 1967 occupied lands, and in 1948 occupied Palestine.
He also said: "We are glad that the anti-apartheid week was organized in the Gaza Strip for the seventh year in a row with the participation of many volunteers, organizations, campaigns, and syndicates in spite of the Zionist brutal blockade imposed on Gaza for eight years and the massacres that were described by international experts as preludes for a genocide, especially the last one which resulted in the death of more than 2200 martyrs and the injury of 12000, let alone the systematic destruction of the residential neighborhoods and the infrastructure.
The most violent
He noted that ever since 1948, the year 2014 has been the most violent and bloody, however; it witnessed a wide spread of ‘BDS’ movement across the globe to the extent that Israel started considering it a strategic threat to its existence, confirming that boycotting Israel is the most prominent way to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.
He clarified:" The Palestinian civil society called on the international civil society to impose a comprehensive military embargo on Israel and boycott all the Israeli companies which support the apartheid regime, in addition to imposing sanctions and divestment and preventing Israeli ships from anchoring at world ports, as we are convinced that this is the best way to prosecute the Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) for its heinous crimes."
Solidarity with Gaza
For his part, Ronnie Kasrils, a South African activist and a former minister, said that Gaza will always remain in the hearts and minds of all humanity, and stressed the importance of divestment and boycott of Israel.
He also championed lifting the Gaza siege, opening all crossings, allowing the entry of the humanitarian aid to the besieged Strip and paying compensations for all the damage caused by the Israeli aggression on the Strip, saying: "Israel , America and Europe must respect the rights and bring justice to the Gaza Strip."
Gaza steadfastness
MK Hanin Zoabi expressed her pleasure for participating in any event that aims at boosting Gaza steadfastness, and stressed that such events lift the spirits and morale, and declared: "We will never accept anything less than complete defeat of apartheid."
Zoabi also pointed to the fact that Israel enacted 50 racist laws to prevent the Palestinians from living in many occupied Palestinian lands, and added: "We will never give up on our rights, people or history."
Saudi Arabia slammed on Monday the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people and the violations of their inalienable human rights.
The Saudi Minister of Information, Dr. Adel Zaid Al-Toraifi, said in a statement issued following a cabinet session chaired by King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Council of Ministers condemned Israel’s continued violations of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
To mark the launch of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at the United Nations this year, the cabinet called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and work on fostering the peace process stalled because of Israeli obstinacy.
The cabinet further urged the international community to work on halting the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and push for the establishment of a Palestinian state having Jerusalem as its capital.
The King further briefed the cabinet on his talks with the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, who had popped in Saudi Arabia last week.
The Saudi Minister of Information, Dr. Adel Zaid Al-Toraifi, said in a statement issued following a cabinet session chaired by King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Council of Ministers condemned Israel’s continued violations of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
To mark the launch of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at the United Nations this year, the cabinet called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and work on fostering the peace process stalled because of Israeli obstinacy.
The cabinet further urged the international community to work on halting the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and push for the establishment of a Palestinian state having Jerusalem as its capital.
The King further briefed the cabinet on his talks with the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, who had popped in Saudi Arabia last week.
2 mar 2015
Deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haneyya, afternoon Sunday called on the Palestinian unity government to take up its allotted national missions and call for general elections.
Hamas is ready to contest the elections at any nationally-scheduled time, Haneyya said following a meeting with the head of the Central Elections Commission (CEC), Hanna Naser, in Gaza.
The CEC has begun preparations for the voter registration updates in all provinces of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Naser said the update drive, conducted from Sunday to Thursday, aims at registering secondary school students who turned 17 years old and estimated at over 65,000 students. The registration update is, meanwhile, open to any other eligible voter.
The registry update is a regular technical activity that is conducted on an annual basis to update the lists of registered voters and include new eligible electors.
Hamas is ready to contest the elections at any nationally-scheduled time, Haneyya said following a meeting with the head of the Central Elections Commission (CEC), Hanna Naser, in Gaza.
The CEC has begun preparations for the voter registration updates in all provinces of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Naser said the update drive, conducted from Sunday to Thursday, aims at registering secondary school students who turned 17 years old and estimated at over 65,000 students. The registration update is, meanwhile, open to any other eligible voter.
The registry update is a regular technical activity that is conducted on an annual basis to update the lists of registered voters and include new eligible electors.
1 mar 2015
The Euro-Palestinian Forum and the Middle East Monitor in London will hold on March 4, 2015 a symposium in the British House of Lords on Gaza reconstruction, the European position on Hamas, and the recognition of the Palestinian state.
Noted Pro-Palestinian figures including British lawmakers, intellectuals, and journalists will participate in this meeting.
Head of the Euro-Palestinian Forum Zaher al-Berawi said the symposium is part of the activities and events that are organized by the Forum to promote a better understanding of the Palestinian cause and its developments, and to build bridges of communication with the European societies and their political and social groups.
Berawi explained that the conference will address three important themes, the first one is the growing European recognition of the Palestinian state, the second one is the political obstacles facing the reconstruction efforts in Gaza and the last one is the European Union's position towards Hamas following its removal from its terror list.
Noted Pro-Palestinian figures including British lawmakers, intellectuals, and journalists will participate in this meeting.
Head of the Euro-Palestinian Forum Zaher al-Berawi said the symposium is part of the activities and events that are organized by the Forum to promote a better understanding of the Palestinian cause and its developments, and to build bridges of communication with the European societies and their political and social groups.
Berawi explained that the conference will address three important themes, the first one is the growing European recognition of the Palestinian state, the second one is the political obstacles facing the reconstruction efforts in Gaza and the last one is the European Union's position towards Hamas following its removal from its terror list.
The Hamas Movement has expressed its belief that there is coordination between Israel and the Egyptian regime against the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip.
In recent facebook remarks, spokesman for Hamas Sami Abu Zuhri said this collaboration was vindicated by Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman last night when he said that the Egyptian court verdict against Hamas made Israel in a better position to end its rule in Gaza.
Abu Zuhri called on the Arab countries to take urgent action to redress the collapse and decline of the Egyptian position towards the Palestinian cause.
"No matter how much is the size of the Israeli alliance with the Egyptian regime, the Israeli occupation will remain the real enemy of the region's peoples," the spokesman said.
In press remarks on Saturday evening, Lieberman hailed the Egyptian court ruling that labelled Hamas as a terrorist organization and called for doing the same thing with the Arab citizens inside Israel.
He threatened to work on depriving the Arab citizens, who oppose Zionism, of Israeli citizenship and expel them from Israel.
One month after its armed wing al-Qassam Brigades was designated a terror group by the Egyptian court for urgent matters in Cairo, the same court on Saturday ruled the Hamas Movement itself a terrorist organization.
In recent facebook remarks, spokesman for Hamas Sami Abu Zuhri said this collaboration was vindicated by Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman last night when he said that the Egyptian court verdict against Hamas made Israel in a better position to end its rule in Gaza.
Abu Zuhri called on the Arab countries to take urgent action to redress the collapse and decline of the Egyptian position towards the Palestinian cause.
"No matter how much is the size of the Israeli alliance with the Egyptian regime, the Israeli occupation will remain the real enemy of the region's peoples," the spokesman said.
In press remarks on Saturday evening, Lieberman hailed the Egyptian court ruling that labelled Hamas as a terrorist organization and called for doing the same thing with the Arab citizens inside Israel.
He threatened to work on depriving the Arab citizens, who oppose Zionism, of Israeli citizenship and expel them from Israel.
One month after its armed wing al-Qassam Brigades was designated a terror group by the Egyptian court for urgent matters in Cairo, the same court on Saturday ruled the Hamas Movement itself a terrorist organization.
28 feb 2015
The Cairo Court of Urgent Matters ruled on Saturday to designate the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, a terrorist organization. Hamas described the Egyptian ruling as a shocking decision, saying it targets the Palestinian people and Palestinian resistance factions as well.
The Egyptian court verdict came after a lawsuit filed by lawyer Samir Sabri asked to label Hamas a "terrorist" movement. The court ruling followed a previous similar one that designated Ezziddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, as a terrorist group just two months ago.
Hamas said the Egyptian court ruling is shocking and dangerous as it targets the Palestinian people and resistance.
Hamas said, “The ruling is shameful to Egypt and constitutes an unsuccessful attempt to export the Egyptian internal crises”.
Hamas added, “This ruling will not affect the status of Hamas which enjoys the respect of the masses and leaders of the (Arab and Islamic) Nation”.
Khreisha: Egypt’s blacklisting of Hamas as terrorist “serious lapse”
Second deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Dr. Hasan Khreisha, slammed the Egyptian judiciary for blacklisting Hamas as a terrorist group, dubbing the move a “a serious lapse.”
The Egyptian court ruling branding Hamas as a terrorist movement “harms Egypt’s reputation and its historical positions regarding anti-colonization struggles,” Hasan Khreisha said.
He called on the Egyptian political leadership to rescind the recent court verdict and “stop the fierce ad hominem campaign against Hamas and the Palestinian resistance.”
“Egypt has to resume its role as a broker party in current endeavors to heal the national rift, halt aggression on Gaza, and negotiate prisoner swap deals,” he added.
“Any potential attack to be launched on Gaza by an Arab or Egyptian party is just the most nightmarish of all scenarios,” he further stated.
Khreisha called on the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Palestine Liberation Organization to voice a straightforward and unambiguous position vis-à-vis such a decision against Hamas and the Palestinian people as a whole.
Member of the Central Committee of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine Zulfiqar Sweirjo, meanwhile, called on the Palestinian masses to rally round the Palestinian resistance in Gaza and the West Bank.
Speaking in a TV Show aired by al-Aqsa TV Channel on Saturday evening, Sweirjo, said the Egyptian court decision is very likely to be used as a pretext to hit blockaded Gaza.
Hamas is a national liberation movement and there is no single proof that it has meddled in Egypt’s home affairs, he said, pointing to the politicized nature of the court issue.
Sweirjo urged Abbas to take up his responsibilities and back up the Palestinian resistance factions.
Egypt's Urgent Matters Court late Saturday morning declared Hamas a terrorist organization, weeks after the Palestinian movement's armed wing was given the same designation.
The Egyptian court verdict came after a lawsuit filed by lawyer Samir Sabri asked to label Hamas a "terrorist" movement. The court ruling followed a previous similar one that designated Ezziddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, as a terrorist group just two months ago.
Hamas said the Egyptian court ruling is shocking and dangerous as it targets the Palestinian people and resistance.
Hamas said, “The ruling is shameful to Egypt and constitutes an unsuccessful attempt to export the Egyptian internal crises”.
Hamas added, “This ruling will not affect the status of Hamas which enjoys the respect of the masses and leaders of the (Arab and Islamic) Nation”.
Khreisha: Egypt’s blacklisting of Hamas as terrorist “serious lapse”
Second deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Dr. Hasan Khreisha, slammed the Egyptian judiciary for blacklisting Hamas as a terrorist group, dubbing the move a “a serious lapse.”
The Egyptian court ruling branding Hamas as a terrorist movement “harms Egypt’s reputation and its historical positions regarding anti-colonization struggles,” Hasan Khreisha said.
He called on the Egyptian political leadership to rescind the recent court verdict and “stop the fierce ad hominem campaign against Hamas and the Palestinian resistance.”
“Egypt has to resume its role as a broker party in current endeavors to heal the national rift, halt aggression on Gaza, and negotiate prisoner swap deals,” he added.
“Any potential attack to be launched on Gaza by an Arab or Egyptian party is just the most nightmarish of all scenarios,” he further stated.
Khreisha called on the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Palestine Liberation Organization to voice a straightforward and unambiguous position vis-à-vis such a decision against Hamas and the Palestinian people as a whole.
Member of the Central Committee of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine Zulfiqar Sweirjo, meanwhile, called on the Palestinian masses to rally round the Palestinian resistance in Gaza and the West Bank.
Speaking in a TV Show aired by al-Aqsa TV Channel on Saturday evening, Sweirjo, said the Egyptian court decision is very likely to be used as a pretext to hit blockaded Gaza.
Hamas is a national liberation movement and there is no single proof that it has meddled in Egypt’s home affairs, he said, pointing to the politicized nature of the court issue.
Sweirjo urged Abbas to take up his responsibilities and back up the Palestinian resistance factions.
Egypt's Urgent Matters Court late Saturday morning declared Hamas a terrorist organization, weeks after the Palestinian movement's armed wing was given the same designation.
The Union for Palestine, a coalition of pro-Palestine organizations in the United States of America, announced launching a campaign next week to protest the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu’s speech before the Congress next Tuesday.
In a statement on Saturday, the Union said that the campaign will include publishing ads in streets, public buses, and trains in seven US big cities against the visit.
The campaign aims at educating the American people on the effects of last summer’s Israeli aggression on Gaza, and the Congress use of US tax money in supporting the Israeli army against civilians in the Israeli-besieged enclave, the statement revealed.
“It sends a clear message to the US Congress that the US military aids are no longer acceptable in light of the Israeli violations against human rights in occupied Palestine.
The statement quoted Jackie Chase, a member of the Union for Palestine, as saying “the Israeli enforced blockade against the Gaza Strip is still preventing the entry of the supplies needed for the Gazan people”.
“This is, unfortunately, done by the support of the United States. We seek to have this stopped immediately by delivering our voice to lawmakers in Congress via this campaign”, she added.
For his part, the coordinator of the Organization Coalition of the Boycott of Israel in the United States, Sinan Shekdih, said that “Netanyahu's visit and the controversy raging on it in the US media is an opportunity to educate the Americans about the Israeli daily crimes and breaches of human rights committed with the help of funding from taxpayers in the United States”.
In a statement on Saturday, the Union said that the campaign will include publishing ads in streets, public buses, and trains in seven US big cities against the visit.
The campaign aims at educating the American people on the effects of last summer’s Israeli aggression on Gaza, and the Congress use of US tax money in supporting the Israeli army against civilians in the Israeli-besieged enclave, the statement revealed.
“It sends a clear message to the US Congress that the US military aids are no longer acceptable in light of the Israeli violations against human rights in occupied Palestine.
The statement quoted Jackie Chase, a member of the Union for Palestine, as saying “the Israeli enforced blockade against the Gaza Strip is still preventing the entry of the supplies needed for the Gazan people”.
“This is, unfortunately, done by the support of the United States. We seek to have this stopped immediately by delivering our voice to lawmakers in Congress via this campaign”, she added.
For his part, the coordinator of the Organization Coalition of the Boycott of Israel in the United States, Sinan Shekdih, said that “Netanyahu's visit and the controversy raging on it in the US media is an opportunity to educate the Americans about the Israeli daily crimes and breaches of human rights committed with the help of funding from taxpayers in the United States”.
A delegation from the Association of Palestinians in Italy (API) held during the past few days several meetings with Italian parliamentary blocs and visited the Palestinian embassy in Rome.
On February 25, the Palestinian delegation led by API chief Mohamed Hanoun met with Italian lawmakers from the Sinistra Ecologia Liberta (SEL) party at the parliament in Rome.
The delegation also met the next day with lawmakers from the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) party.
The M5S party is the most supportive of the Palestinian rights and its parliamentary bloc recently submitted a motion backed by SEL and the ruling party calling for recognizing Palestine as a state.
API chief Mohamed Hanoun stated that he talked with the two Italian parliamentary groups about the importance of Italy's recognition of the Palestinian state and its people's rights, in addition to the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinians at home and abroad.
Hanoun urged the lawmakers to necessarily move through their parliament to end Israel's blockade on Gaza and work on accelerating the international efforts to reconstruct what had been destroyed by Israel during the last war.
The API delegation also visited last Thursday the Palestinian embassy in Rome and met with ambassador Mai al-Kaila.
On February 25, the Palestinian delegation led by API chief Mohamed Hanoun met with Italian lawmakers from the Sinistra Ecologia Liberta (SEL) party at the parliament in Rome.
The delegation also met the next day with lawmakers from the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) party.
The M5S party is the most supportive of the Palestinian rights and its parliamentary bloc recently submitted a motion backed by SEL and the ruling party calling for recognizing Palestine as a state.
API chief Mohamed Hanoun stated that he talked with the two Italian parliamentary groups about the importance of Italy's recognition of the Palestinian state and its people's rights, in addition to the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinians at home and abroad.
Hanoun urged the lawmakers to necessarily move through their parliament to end Israel's blockade on Gaza and work on accelerating the international efforts to reconstruct what had been destroyed by Israel during the last war.
The API delegation also visited last Thursday the Palestinian embassy in Rome and met with ambassador Mai al-Kaila.
Political bureau member of Hamas Sami Khater denied claims that the group might have been partly responsible for the ongoing divisions between Jordanian Islamists.
According to Khater, pointing the finger at Hamas is either the by-product of ad hominem campaigns targeting the group’s reputation or claims released by uniformed parties.
He voiced deep disappointment over the “scramble for lashing out at Hamas and the Palestinian resistance” propagated by Egyptian and Arab media outlets.
“Such accusations are groundless and sheer lies,” he said.
Khater slammed allegations on Hamas’s partial involvement in ongoing tensions between Jordanian Islamists, saying: “Everybody knows that Hamas has never meddled in Jordan’s internal affairs. It is a national liberation movement and a Palestinian resistance group with the sole aim of ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
According to Khater, pointing the finger at Hamas is either the by-product of ad hominem campaigns targeting the group’s reputation or claims released by uniformed parties.
He voiced deep disappointment over the “scramble for lashing out at Hamas and the Palestinian resistance” propagated by Egyptian and Arab media outlets.
“Such accusations are groundless and sheer lies,” he said.
Khater slammed allegations on Hamas’s partial involvement in ongoing tensions between Jordanian Islamists, saying: “Everybody knows that Hamas has never meddled in Jordan’s internal affairs. It is a national liberation movement and a Palestinian resistance group with the sole aim of ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
Italy’s Chamber of Deputies Friday backed a non-binding resolution that encourages the government to recognize Palestine as a state and push for resuming stalled peace negotiations.
Proposed by the ruling center-left Democratic Party, the motion vowed to “unconditionally support the goal of establishing a Palestinian state living side by side in peace, security and prosperity next to the state of Israel.”
The Chamber of Deputies voted by 300 to 45 to pass the motion presented by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) "to promote the recognition of Palestine as a democratic state".
"The government considers the parliamentary initiative to promote the recognition of the state of Palestine positively and will make every effort to ensure that negotiations between the parties reopen", said Italian Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni addressing the House moments before the vote.
Overlooking the symbolic significance of the motion, the Israeli embassy in Rome pretended to go into raptures over the resolution, claiming in a statement: "We positively welcome the Italian parliament choosing not to recognize a Palestinian state and opting to support direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian[s] on the basis of the principal of two states, as the right way to pursue peace."
Proposed by the ruling center-left Democratic Party, the motion vowed to “unconditionally support the goal of establishing a Palestinian state living side by side in peace, security and prosperity next to the state of Israel.”
The Chamber of Deputies voted by 300 to 45 to pass the motion presented by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) "to promote the recognition of Palestine as a democratic state".
"The government considers the parliamentary initiative to promote the recognition of the state of Palestine positively and will make every effort to ensure that negotiations between the parties reopen", said Italian Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni addressing the House moments before the vote.
Overlooking the symbolic significance of the motion, the Israeli embassy in Rome pretended to go into raptures over the resolution, claiming in a statement: "We positively welcome the Italian parliament choosing not to recognize a Palestinian state and opting to support direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian[s] on the basis of the principal of two states, as the right way to pursue peace."
Egyptian strategist Adel Suleiman has warned that the Dead Sea canal project between Jordan and Israel would torpedo the Palestinian cause entirely.
Suleiman, head of the International Center for Future and Strategic Studies, stated on his Twitter page that this project would liquidate the Palestinian cause forever and give Israel a chance to control a lifeline to Jordan and the West Bank.
He said the executive agreement of the canal project would link the interests of Jordan, Israel and Palestine together in the framework of regional arrangements for a new Middle East.
Jordan and Israel on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement to build a desalination plant in the Gulf of Aqaba and a pipeline linking the Red Sea with the Dead Sea.
Regardless of its threat to the Palestinian cause, the Jordanians believe the agreement with Israel is important to provide their country with a source of fresh water and save it from its severe water crisis, and also to revive the receding Dead Sea.
Suleiman, head of the International Center for Future and Strategic Studies, stated on his Twitter page that this project would liquidate the Palestinian cause forever and give Israel a chance to control a lifeline to Jordan and the West Bank.
He said the executive agreement of the canal project would link the interests of Jordan, Israel and Palestine together in the framework of regional arrangements for a new Middle East.
Jordan and Israel on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement to build a desalination plant in the Gulf of Aqaba and a pipeline linking the Red Sea with the Dead Sea.
Regardless of its threat to the Palestinian cause, the Jordanians believe the agreement with Israel is important to provide their country with a source of fresh water and save it from its severe water crisis, and also to revive the receding Dead Sea.
