Palestine – News Stories About Palestine - Page 17

Dec 2, 2007 3:38 PM CST

Olmert: No Peace Likely in '08

Israeli PM downplays chances for Annapolis success

(Newser) - Less than a week after promising to seek peace with the Palestinians by the end of 2008, Ehud Olmert says he doesn’t like the odds. “We will make an effort to hold speedy negotiations,” he said, “but certainly there is no firm timetable.” The remarks...

US Pulls UN Resolution on Mideast Peace

Nov 30, 2007 5:25 PM CST

US Pulls UN Resolution on Mideast Peace

Israeli uneasiness prompts withdrawal of draft document

(Newser) - Reacting to Israeli objections, the US State Department has withdrawn a draft of a UN resolution based on agreements reached at this week's Annapolis conference, Reuters reports. Israeli diplomats apparently were dismayed that the US did not consult them before putting the resolution to the Security Council yesterday, and involving...

Thousands Rally in Gaza

Nov 27, 2007 8:14 PM CST

Thousands Rally in Gaza

Police kill West Bank protester; Israel guns down three in other incidents

(Newser) - Massive crowds demonstrated in Gaza today, condemning the Annapolis conference and chanting "Death to America!" Hamas leaders told tens of thousands of supporters that the peace summit was "doomed to failure" and vowed that "whoever thinks we will recognize a Jewish state are deluding themselves."...

Bush Meets With Olmert, Abbas

Nov 26, 2007 4:01 PM CST

Bush Meets With Olmert, Abbas

Bush jump-starts peace talks a day ahead of Annapolis summit

(Newser) - On the eve of the Mideast peace summit, which begins tomorrow in Annapolis, President Bush held separate talks with Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas today in the Oval Office, reports the Washington Post. Between meetings, Bush thanked both leaders for participating in the talks and said he was “optimistic”...

Computer Game Lets Players Try Virtual Peace

Nov 25, 2007 4:12 PM CST

Computer Game Lets Players Try Virtual Peace

Peace center will distribute games to Israelis, Palestinians during US talks

(Newser) - A computer game that promotes peace in the Middle East will be distributed to Palestinians and Israelis this week while their leaders meet in the US to negotiate, the Associated Press reports. “PeaceMaker” players choose roles as Israeli or Palestinian leaders and respond to attacks from the opposing side....

Syria Headed for Annapolis Talks

Nov 25, 2007 1:53 PM CST

Syria Headed for Annapolis Talks

US gets full wish-list of Arab states to attend Israel-Palestine talks

(Newser) - Syria said today it will attend this week’s Israel-Palestine peace conference in Annapolis, a US victory in convincing every major Arab state—16 in all—to show, the AP reports. The US hopes such broad participation will help these talks succeed where previous efforts failed. Syria wants to discuss...

Bush's Palestine Play Doomed

Nov 25, 2007 8:00 AM CST

Bush's Palestine Play Doomed

Prez's late peace push faces bigger problems than Clinton's failed effort

(Newser) - George Bush, like Bill Clinton before him, is making a last-minute push to broker Arab-Israeli peace, but with much steeper odds, says Reuters' Arshad Mohammed. Bush, Mahmoud Abbas, and Ehud Olmert are all unpopular, especially compared to their 2000 counterparts—Clinton, Yasser Arafat, and Ehud Barak. “When Clinton tried...

Lebanon Picks No Prez Today

Nov 22, 2007 5:40 PM CST

Lebanon Picks No Prez Today

Streets quiet over civil war fears as sides negotiate

(Newser) - Lebanon's parties failed to pick a new president today, leaving them 24 hours to find a replacement before President Emile Lahoud's term ends, the Wall Street Journal reports. Lahoud has said the army chief may take over if sides remain deadlocked tomorrow at midnight—a turn that could spark blocs...

Blair Floats
Palestinian Jobs Plan

Nov 19, 2007 11:00 AM CST

Blair Floats Palestinian Jobs Plan

Mideast envoy offers 'quick impact project' ahead of Annapolis summit

(Newser) - In his first major undertaking as the international community's Mideast envoy, Tony Blair will disclose plans today to provide tens of thousands of jobs for Palestinians, the Guardian reports. The multimillion-dollar projects come in the lead-up to the peace talks in Annapolis next week. "This is part of the...

Olmert Releases 441 Palestinian Prisoners

Nov 19, 2007 9:23 AM CST

Olmert Releases 441 Palestinian Prisoners

Israeli PM courts Arab support ahead of next week's peace talks

(Newser) - Ehud Olmert today requested the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners and promised to stop building new settlements on the West Bank, in the hope of bolstering Arab enthusiasm for upcoming talks on Palestinian statehood. But the gesture was received coolly: Mahmoud Abbas had asked for 2,000 prisoners, and the...

Enemies May Overstate Hamas Split

Nov 10, 2007 10:41 AM CST

Enemies May Overstate Hamas Split

It's a muddle of 'sub-leaderships,' says Economist

(Newser) - Reports of strife within the Palestinian faction Hamas are likely exaggerated, the Economist says. The Islamist party may be splitting under the pressure of sanctions, but reports are hard to judge because “few observers are neutral.” There are “sub-leaderships," though. After seizing Gaza in June, for...

Abbas: Palestinian State Possible by 2009

Nov 5, 2007 9:50 AM CST

Abbas: Palestinian State Possible by 2009

Palestinian president speculates on statehood before Bush leaves office

(Newser) - The Palestinians and the Israelis can broker peace before George Bush leaves office in January 2009, Mahmoud Abbas said today in a press conference with Condoleezza Rice. The Palestinian president parroted a statement last night by Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. Putting the leaders on the same page is an achievement...

Olmert Has Prostate Cancer

Oct 29, 2007 7:07 AM CDT

Olmert Has Prostate Cancer

Diagnosis won't interfere with work, Israeli PM promises, as peace talks loom

(Newser) - Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has prostate cancer, he announced today, and will undergo minor surgery to treat it. He said his medical condition is not life-threatening and would not affect his ability to govern. “From what my doctors have told me, this is a microscopic growth that can be...

Hamas Seeks Talks With Fatah Over Gaza

Oct 11, 2007 4:28 AM CDT

Hamas Seeks Talks With Fatah Over Gaza

Meetings could begin next week, but Fatah leaders skeptical

(Newser) - Hamas officials said yesterday they are prepared to meet with Fatah leaders to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip, and indicated they might give up control of the region they've held since June. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has insisted Hamas hand over Gaza and recognize his authority before talks...

Israel Signals Willingness to Split Jerusalem

Oct 8, 2007 4:50 PM CDT

Israel Signals Willingness to Split Jerusalem

Jordan would assume control in exchange for truce with Palestinians

(Newser) - Israel appears willing to consider splitting Jerusalem to achieve peace with the Palestinians, ahead of a critical November summit in Annapolis, Md. A deputy PM said almost “all Palestinian neighborhoods would be transferred.” The Jewish state reportedly has also considered transferring the city’s holiest site—already partly...

Letter Chides Rice on Summit Planning

Oct 2, 2007 10:46 AM CDT

Letter Chides Rice on Summit Planning

Former diplomats call for more leadership, talks with Hamas

(Newser) - As Condoleezza Rice prepares for next month's Mideast peace summit, a group of former diplomats have warned her that the opportunity may be squandered by poor planning and weak strategy. The Guardian reports on an unprecedented letter to Rice from top former State Department figures, saying that "the chances...

Israel to Release 87
Fatah Prisoners

Oct 1, 2007 8:37 AM CDT

Israel to Release 87 Fatah Prisoners

Fatah supporters to be freed in bid to shore up moderate faction

(Newser) - Israel will free 87 Palestinian prisoners today despite unspecific "technical reasons" that held up their release after they donned civilian clothes and were about to board a bus for home. Most of the prisoners are Fatah supporters, and their freedom is a bid by Israel to shore up the...

Bush Jockeys for Mideast Peace Conference

Sep 25, 2007 8:10 AM CDT

Bush Jockeys for Mideast Peace Conference

Meets with Palestinian leader to bolster support

(Newser) - President Bush yesterday met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Britain's Mideast envoy Tony Blair to build support for an Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in November, reports Reuters. Bush reiterated his support for a Palestinian state, and Abbas expressed a "sense of hope" concerning possible progress at the planned conference.

Syria, Saudis
to be Invited
to Peace Table

Sep 24, 2007 6:02 AM CDT

Syria, Saudis to be Invited to Peace Table

Rice hopes Mideast talks will include Arab neighbors

(Newser) - The US will issue invitations to this fall's Mideast peace conference to Saudi Arabia, Syria and other Arab nations that don't have diplomatic ties to Israel, the Washington Post reports. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested Sunday that attendance would bring with it "certain responsibilities" such as avoiding violence...

Hamas Trade Restrictions Cripple Gaza Economy

Sep 19, 2007 5:16 AM CDT

Hamas Trade Restrictions Cripple Gaza Economy

85% of all factories have shut down

(Newser) - Since Hamas captured Gaza last June, nearly all trade has been cut off, suffocating both legitimate businesses and those that operate outside the law, the New York Times reports. An estimated 85% of factories are shut or operating at less than 20%. Both a clothing manufacturer and a gun smuggler...