Tag: Palestine

Slovenia ready to recognize the state of Palestine: minister

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AFP) — The Slovenian government hopes MPs will vote to recognize the Palestinian state and become only the second country to do so as an EU member-state, Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said Monday. “Everybody (other EU member-states) backs such a Slovenian step that will happen if parliament green lights the proposal for recognizing the Palestinian state,” Erjavec told private channel POP TV. The minister was speaking from Brussels, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met […]

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Pence in Jerusalem pledges embassy move by end of 2019, faces protest

by Mike Smith Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined  –  US Vice President Mike Pence pledged to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by the end of 2019 on Monday in a speech to Israel’s parliament that saw Arab lawmakers expelled after they shouted in protest. As Pence spoke, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived to meet European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, urging them to “swiftly” recognize the state of Palestine. Pence’s speech, filled with biblical references and praise […]

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Philippines to deport Hamas ‘rocket scientist’

  MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The Philippines said Monday it would deport an elderly Iraqi man described as a scientist for Hamas and accused of helping the Palestinian militant group lob missiles at Israel. Iraq tipped off the Philippines about the presence of Taja Mohammad Al Jabori, who was arrested on Sunday, national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa told reporters. However, the arrest was due to visa problems rather than any evidence of militant activity, […]

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Palestinians will not be ‘blackmailed’ by Trump funding threat: senior official

JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) — The Palestinians will not be “blackmailed” by US President Donald Trump, a senior official said Wednesday, after he threatened to cut aid to them worth more than $300 million a year. “We will not be blackmailed,” senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said in a statement. “President Trump has sabotaged our search for peace, freedom and justice. Now he dares to blame the Palestinians for the consequences of his own irresponsible actions!” […]

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PHL mulling moving embassy to Israel, sources say

Asian country among “at least ten countries” Israel is reportedly  “in contact with” for the possible transfer (Jerusalem, Undefined) — The Philippines is considering transferring its embassy to Jerusalem, public radio citing diplomatic sources said, after the United States recognized the city as Israel’s capital. Apart from the Philippines, Honduras, Romania and South Sudan are reportedly among states considering such a move. Deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said the four are among the “at least ten […]

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Trump warns ‘we’re watching’ on eve of UN Jerusalem vote

by Carole Landry with Jerome Cartillier in Washington Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States – President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to cut funding to countries that vote against the United States on a motion at the United Nations condemning Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency session Thursday to vote on a draft resolution that the United States vetoed at the Security Council after all other 14 countries backed […]

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After US veto, UN assembly to vote on Jerusalem resolution

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) –The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency session Thursday to vote on a draft resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital after the United States vetoed the measure at the Security Council. Turkey and Yemen requested the urgent meeting of the 193-nation assembly on behalf of the Arab group of countries and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The two countries circulated a draft resolution on […]

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EU leaders say Jerusalem stance ‘unchanged’ after Trump move

BRUSSELS, Jerusalem (AFP) — European Union leaders on Thursday rejected US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, saying they stuck by their view that the city’s status should be settled by negotiation. Trump’s administration invited widespread criticism earlier this month when it officially recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, effectively ignoring Palestinian claims on the city. “EU leaders reiterate firm commitment to the two-state solution and, in this context, the EU […]

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Amid Trump move to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel, DFA says PHL “has always supported policy of two states”

(Eagle News) — The Philippines does not support US President Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the country “has always supported the policy of two states for two peoples as a long-term solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians…” The DFA said this was “consistent with our vote in favor of the Partition Plan for Palestine in […]

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Fifth day of protests in Middle East over Trump’s Jerusalem move

by Mike Smith Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined – The Middle East saw a fifth day of protests on Monday over US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, while further global condemnation followed the deeply controversial move. While tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met EU foreign ministers in Brussels, declaring that the move he has lauded as historic “makes peace possible.” He also said he expected “all or […]

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Palestinian PM to visit Gaza for reconciliation efforts

by Shatha Yaish Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) – Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah will travel to Gaza on October 2 as part of a fresh push to end a decade-long split between Fatah and Hamas, which runs the enclave, his government said Monday. The visit follows concessions by Islamist group Hamas after discussions with Egypt, which has urged it to take steps towards reconciliation with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah, based in the occupied West Bank. Fatah […]

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Palestinians need Trump two-state pledge before peace: officials

by Nasser Abu Bakr Agence France-Presse RAMALLAH,, Palestinian Territories – Donald Trump’s team must commit to a two-state solution and oppose Israeli settlement construction before the US president’s peace push can move forward, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. Their comments came ahead of talks on Thursday with Trump aides, including special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt and the president’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy Jared Kushner. The visit for meetings with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders comes with […]

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