Palestine – News Stories About Palestine - Page 18

Sep 13, 2007 2:12 PM CDT

Fatah, Hamas Unite for Ramadan

Despite shared start date for holy month, tensions still run high

(Newser) - Ramadan this year will mark a brief expression of unity for the rival Palestinian governments of Hamas, in Gaza, and Fatah, in the West Bank. The holy month begins today or tomorrow—and deciding the date can cause tension between factions across the Muslim world, the AP reports. And despite...

Israel Delays Prisoner Release

Sep 10, 2007 7:37 AM CDT

Israel Delays Prisoner Release

Negotiations dragged out

(Newser) - Israel is unlikely to release up to 100 prisoners scheduled for release, Yediot Aharonot reports. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are in meetings today in advance of a summit in Washington. Israel normally releases some non-violent prisoners as a goodwill gesture at Ramadan, but officials say...

Palestinian Villagers Win Day in Court

Sep 4, 2007 6:14 PM CDT

Palestinian Villagers Win Day in Court

Israel to reroute barrier that divides people from their land

(Newser) - Palestinian villagers have won their day in court and forced Israel to reroute the building of a disputed security barrier, the Guardian reports. Despite recent rocket attacks, Israel’s supreme court ruled that the barrier did not have to cut through the villagers’ fields over safety concerns. The defense ministry...

Hamas Launches Navy in Gaza

Aug 10, 2007 4:35 PM CDT

Hamas Launches Navy in Gaza

Palestinian faction is recruiting sailors; now all they need is a ship

(Newser) - Hamas, the Palestinian faction that seized power in the Gaza Strip in June, is launching a naval defense force, reports the Times. They're busy recruiting sailors—even though they don't have any ships. “The requirements to join are that you have to be a good soldier, be fit,...

For Palestinian Hamas Faction, Surprise Payday

Aug 9, 2007 2:56 PM CDT

For Palestinian Hamas Faction, Surprise Payday

Fatah accidentally bankrolls rival's security forces

(Newser) - To victors in Palestinian factional fighting went the spoils, if temporarily, the BBC reports. Officers of Hamas' security force, which wrested control of the Gaza Strip from rival Fatah in June, were notified yesterday that Fatah had paid their salaries. The West Bank-based, Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority rushed to correct its...

Jewish Squatters Protest West Bank Evacuation

Aug 7, 2007 4:10 PM CDT

Jewish Squatters Protest West Bank Evacuation

Dissidents hurl rocks, light bulbs at police

(Newser) - As Israel moves closer to an evacuation of the West Bank, hundreds of Jewish protesters barricaded themselves in Hebron's market today, Haaretz reports, using barbed wire, oil drums, and burning tires. Police evicted two families as teenagers on rooftops lobbed rocks, eggs, and light bulbs at forces trying to break...

Olmert, Abbas Talk on Palestinian Soil

Aug 6, 2007 5:11 PM CDT

Olmert, Abbas Talk on Palestinian Soil

Jericho get-together signals progress in stalled peace process

(Newser) - Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas met in the West Bank city of Jericho today, the first time an Israeli head of state has been to the Palestinian territories in 7 years. The meeting was an attempt by both parties to bolster the moderate Fatah party’s standing and to bring...

Rice Pushes Peace Talks
With Olmert, Abbas

Aug 1, 2007 1:12 PM CDT

Rice Pushes Peace Talks With Olmert, Abbas

Takes mission to Jerusalem, West Bank

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice took her diplomatic tour to Jerusalem and the West Bank today, hoping to rekindle peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas. Rice comes bearing a promise from Saudi Arabia to support the peace conference proposed by the White House for later this year, Reuters...

Blair Debuts as Mideast Envoy

Jul 23, 2007 3:12 PM CDT

Blair Debuts as Mideast Envoy

Ex-PM the only one smiling as he tackles plan to build a viable Palestinian state

(Newser) - Less than a month after vacating 10 Downing, Tony Blair jumped into his new role as Mideast peace envoy today, meeting Jordanian and Israeli leaders in Jerusalem. Tomorrow he sits down with Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas, and Wednesday with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. Blair remains upbeat in the face of...

Israel Frees 250 Palestinians

Jul 20, 2007 7:16 AM CDT

Israel Frees 250 Palestinians

Release represents support for Abbas government

(Newser) - Both sides expressed optimism as Israel released more than 250 Palestinian prisoners today, a sign of support for Mahmoud Abbas' government in its struggle with Hamas. Most of the prisoners were Fatah members, the AP reports; in keeping with the country's policy not to release prisoners incarcerated for killing or...

Bee Replaces Martyr Mouse on Hamas TV

Jul 16, 2007 5:22 AM CDT

Bee Replaces Martyr Mouse on Hamas TV

Nahoul the Bee subs for Farfour, vows to continue Islamist extremism

(Newser) - Hamas TV's most Youtubed program has made a casting change that already has bloggers buzzing: A children's show introduced a giant bee named Nahoul to replace Mickey Mouse knockoff Farfour, a cuddly militant who was martyred last month by an Israeli spy. In a spooky falsetto, Nahoul announced himself as...

Hamas Frees Kidnapped Lioness

Jul 10, 2007 4:23 AM CDT

Hamas Frees Kidnapped Lioness

Crime gang stole cub Sabrina from Gaza zoo 20 months ago

(Newser) - Hamas soldiers yesterday freed Sabrina the lioness in a raid on a Palestinian crime gang that kidnapped her 20 months ago. The four-month-old cub and a pair of Arabic-speaking parrots were snatched from the Gaza zoo, and Sabrina was left to languish in a dark cell where curious spectators snapped...

Olmert Gets Assist From Barak, Perez

Jul 3, 2007 10:55 AM CDT

Olmert Gets Assist From Barak, Perez

Old allies pull Israeli prime minister back from brink of disaster

(Newser) - Ehud Olmer's year and a half in office have been a calamity for Israel—the election of Hamas in Palestine, the breakdown of the peace process, the botched war with Hezbollah, the Hamas takeover of Gaza. But the profoundly unpopular PM, whose approval rating sank to 3%, is actually in...

Hamas Brings Peace to Gaza
—at Gunpoint

Jul 3, 2007 7:44 AM CDT

Hamas Brings Peace to Gaza —at Gunpoint

Civil army rules the streets with show of force, but no law

(Newser) - Two weeks of Hamas rule have brought calm to Gaza—beaches are crowded, streets are choked with cars and donkey carts—but it is order delivered at the point of a gun. The Executive Force, Hamas's civil army, has seized control, bringing overwhelming force to bear on drug-dealers and clan...

Hamas Kills Off Farfour, the Cuddly Jihadist

Jun 29, 2007 3:39 PM CDT

Hamas Kills Off Farfour, the Cuddly Jihadist

TV finale has Israeli spy murdering militant Mickey Mouse clone

(Newser) - The lovable Farfour, a Mickey Mouse knockoff who taught Palestinian tots to take up the fight against Israel, has met a bloody end in his series on Hamas frequency Aqsa TV. An Israeli land-grabber characterized as a "terrorist" murdered Farfour in the show's finale, broadcast throughout the Palestinian territories...

Isolated Gaza Goes Hungry

Jun 29, 2007 3:00 PM CDT

Isolated Gaza Goes Hungry

Food is hard to come by for Palestinians in Hamas-controlled region

(Newser) - Fuel shortages have become familiar, and now food staples like flour and sugar are increasingly hard to come by in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Aid agencies are doing their best to forestall an impending humanitarian crisis, the Globe and Mail reports, but with the main commercial crossing from Israel closed...

Blair Tapped as Mideast Envoy

Jun 26, 2007 4:31 AM CDT

Blair Tapped as Mideast Envoy

He'll prepare Palestinians for Israeli talks

(Newser) - Tony Blair will move into a key post as international Mideast peace envoy after wrapping up 10 years as British prime minister tomorrow. President Bush personally mounted an "enormous push" for the appointment, which will be based in Jerusalem and will involve working with the Palestinians to prepare...

Israel to Release 250 Fatah Prisoners

Jun 25, 2007 4:58 PM CDT

Israel to Release 250 Fatah Prisoners

PM Olmert makes pledge at summit with Arab leaders

(Newser) - Israel plans to free 250 Fatah members as part of an international push to shore up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Washington Post reports.The announcement came at the close of a summit at a Red Sea resort, where Mideast leaders gathered to talk about dealing with Hamas in the...

Hamas Releases Audio of
Israeli Soldier

Jun 25, 2007 9:49 AM CDT

Hamas Releases Audio of Israeli Soldier

A year after capture, Cpl. Gilad Shalit says his health is failing

(Newser) - In the first proof that he is alive a year after capture, Hamas militants today released an audio recording of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier seized in a cross-border raid near the Gaza strip. In the message posted on the group's web site, Shalit said a year in prison is...

Lebanese Claim Victory in Camp

Jun 22, 2007 4:38 AM CDT

Lebanese Claim Victory in Camp

Palestinians holding out in rubble

(Newser) - The Lebanese government has declared "mission accomplished" in its month-long battle against al-Qaeda-spawned militants in a Palestinian refugee camp. The siege left 166 dead and destroyed much of the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon, in some of the worst fighting the country has seen since its 15-year-long civil...