Gaza City, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Egyptian delegates arrived in Gaza Sunday on the eve of a fresh attempt at reconciliation between the strip’s Hamas rulers and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah movement, an official said. West Bank-based Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah is to make his first visit …
Read More »Hamas chief in Egypt for first visit since election
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories | AFP | The head of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas Ismail Haniya travelled on Saturday to Egypt for his first visit there since his election, the group said. Hamas controls the small Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave and has been seeking to improve relations with neighbouring Egypt …
Read More »UN chief seeks ‘dream’ of Israel-Palestinian peace in first visit
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP |UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres held talks with Israeli leaders Monday on his first visit since taking office, making a forceful argument for a two-state solution with the Palestinians and speaking of his “dream” for peace. Guterres also spoke of what he called obstacles to peace …
Read More »Egypt opens Gaza crossing for hajj pilgrims
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Egypt reopened its border with the Gaza Strip Monday for the first time in months to allow Muslims from the blockaded Palestinian enclave to travel to Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage, authorities said. “The crossing was reopened this morning for four days …
Read More »Netanyahu says he wants to expel Al-Jazeera from Israel
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he wants to expel Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera from Israel amid tensions over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site. “The Al-Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount,” Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post, referring to the …
Read More »Erdogan urges all Muslims to ‘visit’ and ‘protect’ Jerusalem
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged all Muslims to visit and protect Jerusalem after violence broke out over metal detectors that Israel installed and later removed from a sensitive holy site in the city. “From here I make a call to all Muslims. …
Read More »Erdogan’s slams Israel for ‘disregard of law’ in Jerusalem crisis
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused Israel of flouting international law in the crisis over security measures at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, saying the Jewish state was harming itself and the region. Israel installed metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif …
Read More »Netanyahu faces pressure over holy site after violence kills eight
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced mounting pressure Sunday over new security measures at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site after a weekend of violence left eight people dead, with fears more unrest could follow. Israeli officials signalled they may be open to changing the measures …
Read More »Jerusalem holy site closure ‘crime against humanity’: Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey on Monday blasted Israel’s two-day closure of a Jerusalem holy site, following a deadly attack, as a “crime against humanity.” The Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque. It is venerated …
Read More »Netanyahu slams UNESCO Hebron vote, cuts funding
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP |Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed a UNESCO vote Friday declaring old Hebron an endangered world heritage site and announced a $1-million cut in funding to the United Nations. “It is another delusional decision by UNESCO,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew, in a video posted online. “This …
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