Steps to a two state solution: For Israel, for Palestine, for peace Step Twenty: Support free elections in the West Bank and Gaza In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian National Authority with a four-year term. The election, which Abbas won by a landslide, was observed by Read more…
Elections held in Lebanon last weekend appear to have dealt a blow to the biggest bloc, led by the Iran-backed Shia terrorist group Hezbollah, according to provisional results. Meanwhile, reformists appeared to have been boosted in the provisional results. Turnout was low in the Sunday elections, the first since Lebanon Read more…
Palestinians marked “Nakba Day” on Sunday – an annual commemoration of the “catastrophe” of the establishment of the State of Israel – amid high tensions following weeks of clashes at the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa compound and the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh last Wednesday. What happened Thousands Read more…
Steps to a two state solution: For Israel, for Palestine, for peace Step Nineteen: Pressure Egypt to permanently open the Rafah crossing The Rafah Crossing represents a crucial route to the outside world for the people of Gaza and is the only pedestrian crossing between Gaza and Egypt. (The tightly Read more…
Israeli president Isaac Herzog called the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, UAE and Bahrain at the weekend to wish them a happy Eid al-Fitr, his office said in a statement. He spoke with PA president Mahmoud Abbas, UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan and Bahraini king Hamad Read more…
Steps to a two state solution: For Israel, for Palestine, for peace Step Eighteen: Oppose unilateral actions by either side The sole route to a viable, sustainable two-state solution is through a settlement resulting from direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. While Israel was right to withdraw from Read more…
Jerusalem is quiet but tense after further clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at the Temple Mount/ Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Friday. The tensions – a frequent feature of Ramadan in the city, exacerbated this year by the confluence of Passover and Easter – have been long anticipated, but have Read more…
Joe Biden will visit Israel in the coming months, the White House and the Prime Minister’s Office announced in a statement on Sunday. The statement was issued following a call between the president and Naftali Bennett in which they discussed Iran, regional issues and the tensions in Jerusalem. The prime Read more…
Steps to a two state solution: For Israel, for Palestine, for peace Step Seventeen: International action to curb Iran’s malign activities While the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) aimed to rollback Iran’s nuclear programme, it did nothing to address Tehran’s destabilising activities in the region: its expansionist aims, Read more…
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman claimed on Monday that Iran would only re-engage with ongoing talks in Vienna to resurrect the 2015 nuclear deal in order to “finalise the agreement”, not “for new negotiations”. Despite this, the spokesman added that there were still issues that were outstanding. “At the moment, Read more…
Last week’s series of terror attacks against Israel and the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan have collided to raise tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank this week. What happened Following the start of Ramadan last week, Jerusalem’s Old City has seen minor clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police, Read more…
Steps to a two state solution: For Israel, for Palestine, for peace Step Sixteen: Support steps towards a permanent Gaza ceasefire Hamas’ refusal to renounce violence and terrorism, accept Israel’s right to exist within the framework of a two-state solution, and agree to abide by past diplomatic agreements makes the Read more…