Pope Francis on Sunday renewed a call for &quot;wisdom and prudence&quot; over US President Donald Trump&#39;s controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, which has sparked protests and clashes.

&quot;The Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence,&quot; a statement from the Vatican said.

There were fresh protests in the Middle East and elsewhere Sunday over Trump&#39;s declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories.

Noting that Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, the pope reiterated the church&#39;s &quot;well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo&quot;.

&quot;At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognised borders,&quot; the statement added.

'The Holy Father... raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence,' a statement from the Vatican said

Pope Francis on Sunday renewed a call for "wisdom and prudence" over US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which has sparked protests and clashes. "The Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence," a statement from the Vatican said. There were fresh protests in the Middle East and elsewhere Sunday over Trump's declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Noting that Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, the pope reiterated the church's "well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo". "At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognised borders," the statement added.

Pope renews call for 'wisdom and prudence' over Jerusalem

A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem&#39;s main bus station on Sunday, police said, and violence flared near the US&nbsp;Embassy in Beirut over US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital.

Four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over Trump&#39;s announcement on Wednesday have largely died down, but his overturning of long-standing US&nbsp;policy on Jerusalem -- a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians -- drew more Arab warnings of potential damage to prospects for Middle East peace.

&quot;Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence,&quot; Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Army Radio.

But in Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the city&#39;s central bus station, police said. The alleged assailant was taken into custody after a passer-by tackled him.

In Beirut, meanwhile, Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the US Embassy.

Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched US&nbsp;and Israeli flags and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the complex.

Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision on Jerusalem and said the move would spur violence throughout the region.

Echoing that view, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, said the US&nbsp;move &quot;could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground&quot; in the Middle East.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital, while Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.

Gaza tunnel

Along Israel&#39;s tense frontier with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military on Sunday destroyed what it described as a &quot;significant&quot; cross-border attack tunnel dug by the enclave&#39;s dominant Islamist group, Hamas.

There was no immediate comment on the demolition, which came as Palestinian factions tried to meet Sunday&#39;s deadline for an Egyptian-mediated handover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas to Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas after a decade&#39;s schism.

Pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed two Palestinian gunmen after militants fired rockets from the area into Israel on Friday.

In the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday, thousands protested outside the US&nbsp;embassy, many waving banners saying &quot;Palestine is in our hearts&quot;.

Leaders in Indonesia, home to the world&#39;s largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trump&#39;s announcement, including from Western allies.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, said that an approaching meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will complicate Trump&#39;s plans.

&quot;With the roadmap, we will create during the OIC meeting, we will show that the decision will not be easy to implement,&quot; he said on Sunday, adding that Turkey considers Trump&#39;s Jerusalem announcement as void.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday, to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels.

&quot;I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trump&#39;s historic announcement, but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us,&quot; Netanyahu said.

The Trump administration has said it is still committed to reviving Palestinian-Israeli talks that collapsed in 2014.

It said Israel&#39;s capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, adding that it has not taken a position with regard to the city&#39;s borders.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trump&#39;s decision.

The man stabbed was a security guard. His attacker was a 24-year-old man from the occupied West Bank

A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem's main bus station on Sunday, police said, and violence flared near the US Embassy in Beirut over US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over Trump's announcement on Wednesday have largely died down, but his overturning of long-standing US policy on Jerusalem -- a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians -- drew more Arab warnings of potential damage to prospects for Middle East peace. "Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence," Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Army Radio. But in Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the city's central bus station, police said. The alleged assailant was taken into custody after a passer-by tackled him. In Beirut, meanwhile, Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the US Embassy. Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched US and Israeli flags and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the complex. Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision on Jerusalem and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Echoing that view, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, said the US move "could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground" in the Middle East. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital, while Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Gaza tunnel Along Israel's tense frontier with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military on Sunday destroyed what it described as a "significant" cross-border attack tunnel dug by the enclave's dominant Islamist group, Hamas. There was no immediate comment on the demolition, which came as Palestinian factions tried to meet Sunday's deadline for an Egyptian-mediated handover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas to Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas after a decade's schism. Pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed two Palestinian gunmen after militants fired rockets from the area into Israel on Friday. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday, thousands protested outside the US embassy, many waving banners saying "Palestine is in our hearts". Leaders in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trump's announcement, including from Western allies. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, said that an approaching meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will complicate Trump's plans. "With the roadmap, we will create during the OIC meeting, we will show that the decision will not be easy to implement," he said on Sunday, adding that Turkey considers Trump's Jerusalem announcement as void. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday, to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels. "I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trump's historic announcement, but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us," Netanyahu said. The Trump administration has said it is still committed to reviving Palestinian-Israeli talks that collapsed in 2014. It said Israel's capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, adding that it has not taken a position with regard to the city's borders. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trump's decision.

Palestinian stabs Israeli in Jerusalem, anti-Trump protest flares in Beirut

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US&nbsp;recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator.

The European Union and United Nations also voiced alarm at US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to move the US&nbsp;Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and its repercussions for any chances of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

Major US&nbsp;allies came out against Trump&#39;s reversal of decades of US&nbsp;and broad international policy on Jerusalem.

France rejected the &quot;unilateral&quot; decision while appealing for calm in the region. Britain said the move would not help peace efforts and Jerusalem should ultimately be shared by Israel and a future Palestinian state. Germany said Jerusalem&#39;s status could only be resolved on the basis of a two-state solution.

Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump&#39;s move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that it was &quot;an important step towards peace&quot; and it was &quot;our goal from Israel&#39;s first day&quot;.

He added that any peace accord with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital and he urged other countries to follow Trump&#39;s example.

Trump upended decades of US&nbsp;policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risks aggravating conflict in the tinderbox Middle East.

The status of Jerusalem is home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. Its eastern sector was captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of an independent state they seek.

Israel deems Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital dating to antiquity, and its status is one of the thorniest barriers to a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a pre-recorded speech, said Jerusalem was the &quot;eternal capital of the State of Palestine&quot; and that Trump&#39;s move was &quot;tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator.&quot;

The last round of US-brokered talks foundered in 2014 over issues including Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israeli accusations of Palestinian incitement to violence and refusal to recognise it as a Jewish state.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since soon after Israel ended a 38-year occupation in 2005, said Trump had committed a &quot;flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people&quot;. Hamas urged Arabs and Muslims to &quot;undermine US&nbsp;interests in the region&quot; and to &quot;shun Israel&quot;.

Protests broke out in parts of Jordan&#39;s capital Amman inhabited by Palestinian refugees, with youths chanting anti-American slogans. In the Baqaa refugee camp on Amman&#39;s outskirts, hundreds roamed the streets denouncing Trump and urging Jordan to scrap its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. &quot;Down with America...America is the mother of terror,&quot; they chanted.

Angry Palestinians switched off Christmas lights at Jesus&#39; traditional birthplace in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and in Ramallah. A tree adorned with lights outside Bethlehem&#39;s Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, and another in Ramallah, next to the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, were plunged into darkness.

All Palestinian factions called for a general strike and protest rallies at midday on Thursday.

Legally null decision

The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement saying that the kingdom followed &quot;with deep sorrow&quot; Trump&#39;s decision and warned of &quot;dangerous consequences of moving the US&nbsp;Embassy to Jerusalem&quot;.

The statement described the move as &quot;a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process&quot;, and urged the US&nbsp;administration to reverse its decision and adhere to international will.

Egypt, which forged the first Arab peace deal with Israel in 1979, brushed off Trump&#39;s decision and said it did not change Jerusalem&#39;s disputed legal status.

Jordan said Trump&#39;s action was &quot;legally null&quot; because it consolidated Israel&#39;s occupation of East Jerusalem.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Trump&#39;s Jerusalem decision was dangerous and threatened the credibility of the United States as a broker of Middle East peace. He said the move would put back the peace process by decades and threatened regional stability and perhaps global stability.

Qatar&#39;s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said Trump&#39;s undertaking was a &quot;death sentence for all who seek peace&quot; and called it &quot;a dangerous escalation&quot;.

Turkey said Trump&#39;s move was &quot;irresponsible&quot;.

&quot;We call upon the US&nbsp;Administration to reconsider this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes and to avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity and historical status of Jerusalem,&quot; the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

A few hundred protesters gathered outside the US&nbsp;consulate in Istanbul, a Reuters cameraman at the scene said. The protest was largely peaceful, though some of the demonstrators threw coins and other objects at the consulate.

Iran &quot;seriously condemns&quot; Trump&#39;s move as it violates UN&nbsp;resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state media reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier in the day that the United States was trying to destabilize the region and start a war to protect Israel&#39;s security.

In Southeast Asia, the leaders of Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia denounced Trump&#39;s action.

&quot;This can rock global security and stability,&quot; Indonesian President Joko Widodo, leader of the world&#39;s largest Muslim-majority nation, told a news conference in which he called for the United States to reconsider its decision.

British Prime Minister Theresa May disagreed with Trump&#39;s embrace of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital before a final-status agreement as this was unlikely to help nurture peace in the region, her spokesman said.

However, May&#39;s spokesman welcomed Trump&#39;s stated wish to end the conflict and his acknowledgment that the final status of Jerusalem, including boundaries within the city, must be subject to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not support Trump&#39;s &quot;unilateral&quot; move.

&quot;The status of Jerusalem is a question of international security that concerns the entire international community. The status of Jerusalem must be determined by Israelis and Palestinians in the framework of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations,&quot; Macron told reporters in Algiers.

&quot;France and Europe are attached to a two-state solution - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within recognised international borders with Jerusalem the capital of both states,&quot; he said.

&quot;For now, I urge for calm and for everyone to be responsible. We must avoid at all costs avoid violence and foster dialogue,&quot; he said.

UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was no alternative to a two-state solution and Jerusalem was a final-status matter only to be settled through direct talks.

&quot;I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians,&quot; Guterres said. &quot;I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations.&quot;

Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump's move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that it was 'an important step towards peace' and it was 'our goal from Israel's first day'.

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator. The European Union and United Nations also voiced alarm at US President Donald Trump's decision to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and its repercussions for any chances of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. Major US allies came out against Trump's reversal of decades of US and broad international policy on Jerusalem. France rejected the "unilateral" decision while appealing for calm in the region. Britain said the move would not help peace efforts and Jerusalem should ultimately be shared by Israel and a future Palestinian state. Germany said Jerusalem's status could only be resolved on the basis of a two-state solution. Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump's move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that it was "an important step towards peace" and it was "our goal from Israel's first day". He added that any peace accord with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel's capital and he urged other countries to follow Trump's example. Trump upended decades of US policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risks aggravating conflict in the tinderbox Middle East. The status of Jerusalem is home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. Its eastern sector was captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of an independent state they seek. Israel deems Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital dating to antiquity, and its status is one of the thorniest barriers to a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a pre-recorded speech, said Jerusalem was the "eternal capital of the State of Palestine" and that Trump's move was "tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator." The last round of US-brokered talks foundered in 2014 over issues including Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israeli accusations of Palestinian incitement to violence and refusal to recognise it as a Jewish state. The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since soon after Israel ended a 38-year occupation in 2005, said Trump had committed a "flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people". Hamas urged Arabs and Muslims to "undermine US interests in the region" and to "shun Israel". Protests broke out in parts of Jordan's capital Amman inhabited by Palestinian refugees, with youths chanting anti-American slogans. In the Baqaa refugee camp on Amman's outskirts, hundreds roamed the streets denouncing Trump and urging Jordan to scrap its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. "Down with America...America is the mother of terror," they chanted. Angry Palestinians switched off Christmas lights at Jesus' traditional birthplace in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and in Ramallah. A tree adorned with lights outside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, and another in Ramallah, next to the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, were plunged into darkness. All Palestinian factions called for a general strike and protest rallies at midday on Thursday. Legally null decision The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement saying that the kingdom followed "with deep sorrow" Trump's decision and warned of "dangerous consequences of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem". The statement described the move as "a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process", and urged the US administration to reverse its decision and adhere to international will. Egypt, which forged the first Arab peace deal with Israel in 1979, brushed off Trump's decision and said it did not change Jerusalem's disputed legal status. Jordan said Trump's action was "legally null" because it consolidated Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem. Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Trump's Jerusalem decision was dangerous and threatened the credibility of the United States as a broker of Middle East peace. He said the move would put back the peace process by decades and threatened regional stability and perhaps global stability. Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said Trump's undertaking was a "death sentence for all who seek peace" and called it "a dangerous escalation". Turkey said Trump's move was "irresponsible". "We call upon the US Administration to reconsider this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes and to avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity and historical status of Jerusalem," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. A few hundred protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Istanbul, a Reuters cameraman at the scene said. The protest was largely peaceful, though some of the demonstrators threw coins and other objects at the consulate. Iran "seriously condemns" Trump's move as it violates UN resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state media reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier in the day that the United States was trying to destabilize the region and start a war to protect Israel's security. In Southeast Asia, the leaders of Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia denounced Trump's action. "This can rock global security and stability," Indonesian President Joko Widodo, leader of the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, told a news conference in which he called for the United States to reconsider its decision. British Prime Minister Theresa May disagreed with Trump's embrace of Jerusalem as Israel's capital before a final-status agreement as this was unlikely to help nurture peace in the region, her spokesman said. However, May's spokesman welcomed Trump's stated wish to end the conflict and his acknowledgment that the final status of Jerusalem, including boundaries within the city, must be subject to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not support Trump's "unilateral" move. "The status of Jerusalem is a question of international security that concerns the entire international community. The status of Jerusalem must be determined by Israelis and Palestinians in the framework of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations," Macron told reporters in Algiers. "France and Europe are attached to a two-state solution - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within recognised international borders with Jerusalem the capital of both states," he said. "For now, I urge for calm and for everyone to be responsible. We must avoid at all costs avoid violence and foster dialogue," he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was no alternative to a two-state solution and Jerusalem was a final-status matter only to be settled through direct talks. "I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians," Guterres said. "I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations."

Arabs, Europe, UN?reject Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Britain&#39;s Balfour Declaration turns 100 this week, hailed by Israel for helping lead to its founding, but viewed by Palestinians as contributing to a catastrophe that stole their land.

The November 2, 1917 declaration by then British foreign minister Arthur Balfour said his government viewed &quot;with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people&quot;.

It was only one sentence of 67 words, but it was the strongest support yet from a world power for the goals of the Zionist movement&nbsp;Jews, including those facing persecution, resettling in the land of their ancient ancestors.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will commemorate the anniversary in London, where he will attend a dinner in honour of the declaration with his British counterpart Theresa May.

May has said she will mark the date with &quot;pride&quot;, but there is also criticism in Britain over the anniversary because of Israel`s continuing half-century occupation of the West Bank.

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour party has said he cannot attend the dinner without explaining further although shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry will.

Palestinians are planning a demonstration on Thursday in Ramallah as part of their campaign calling on Britain to apologise for the declaration. They have also explored suing Britain over it. Netanyahu said this week that the declaration &quot;advanced the international moves that established the state of Israel&quot;.

&quot;While the state would not have arisen without settlement, sacrifice and a willingness to fight for it, the international impetus was, undoubtedly, the Balfour Declaration,&quot; he said.

For Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah, Britain should apologise for a &quot;historic injustice it committed against our people and to correct it instead of celebrating it&quot;.

&quot;The international community is obliged, while we approach the first centennial of the ominous Balfour Declaration, to end the historic injustice that has been inflicted on our people.&quot;

The declaration came in a letter from Balfour to Lord Walter Rothschild, a leader of the Jewish community in Britain, and had British cabinet approval.

Some argue today that later events conflicting policies from Britain and the Zionists&#39;&nbsp;own efforts to realise their dream diminished the Balfour Declaration&#39;s importance.

But others see it as monumental, having helped lay the groundwork not only for the creation of the modern state of Israel, but also the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.&quot;It&#39;s dramatic,&quot; Jonathan Schneer, an American historian and author of the book &quot;The Balfour Declaration&quot;, told AFP.

&quot;And they&#39;re both right,&quot; he said, referring to the starkly different viewpoints of Israelis and Palestinians.

&quot;The Israelis see it as a foundation stone for the birth of a Jewish state, and the Arabs see it as a foundation stone leading towards their dispossession and misery.&quot;

According to Schneer, the declaration ironically grew to a large degree out of anti-Semitic myths.

British leaders saw the Jewish community as capable of helping them win World War I due to its perceived influence in finance and within Russia, he said.

Others say that Britain was also seeking a firm foothold in the Middle East after the war. But regardless of the motivations that created it, &quot;if someone has to choose five documents that shaped Israel&#39;s history and existence, then the Balfour Declaration has to be one of them&quot;, said Paula Kabalo, director of Israel&#39;s Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism.

For Palestinians, the declaration is colonialist and even racist.

It mentions that &quot;nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine&quot;.

Not only were they left nameless in the document, Palestinians say, but Britain has also failed to ensure the pledge was maintained.It was written &quot;as if the Palestinians did not exist&quot;, said Nabil Shaath, a senior adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

&quot;We were referred to as &#39;others&#39;, others in Palestine who had civilian and religious rights but no political rights whatsoever.&quot;

It would be another 31 years before the state of Israel would be founded in 1948.

The war surrounding its creation saw 750,000 Palestinians either expelled or fleeing from their homes.

In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. It later annexed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.

Hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are greatly diminishing as Israeli settlement building continues in the West Bank.

Britain&#39;s May sought to acknowledge those concerns in her recent comments.

&quot;We are proud of the role that we played in the creation of the state of Israel and we will certainly mark the centenary with pride,&quot; she said.

&quot;We also must be conscious of the sensitivities that some people do have about the Balfour Declaration, and we recognise that there is more work to be done. We remain committed to the two-state solution in relation to Israel and the Palestinians.&quot;

Britain`s Balfour Declaration turns 100 this week, hailed by Israel for helping lead to its founding, but viewed by Palestinians as contributing to a catastrophe that stole their land.

Britain's Balfour Declaration turns 100 this week, hailed by Israel for helping lead to its founding, but viewed by Palestinians as contributing to a catastrophe that stole their land. The November 2, 1917 declaration by then British foreign minister Arthur Balfour said his government viewed "with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people". It was only one sentence of 67 words, but it was the strongest support yet from a world power for the goals of the Zionist movement Jews, including those facing persecution, resettling in the land of their ancient ancestors. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will commemorate the anniversary in London, where he will attend a dinner in honour of the declaration with his British counterpart Theresa May. May has said she will mark the date with "pride", but there is also criticism in Britain over the anniversary because of Israel`s continuing half-century occupation of the West Bank. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour party has said he cannot attend the dinner without explaining further although shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry will. Palestinians are planning a demonstration on Thursday in Ramallah as part of their campaign calling on Britain to apologise for the declaration. They have also explored suing Britain over it. Netanyahu said this week that the declaration "advanced the international moves that established the state of Israel". "While the state would not have arisen without settlement, sacrifice and a willingness to fight for it, the international impetus was, undoubtedly, the Balfour Declaration," he said. For Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah, Britain should apologise for a "historic injustice it committed against our people and to correct it instead of celebrating it". "The international community is obliged, while we approach the first centennial of the ominous Balfour Declaration, to end the historic injustice that has been inflicted on our people." The declaration came in a letter from Balfour to Lord Walter Rothschild, a leader of the Jewish community in Britain, and had British cabinet approval. Some argue today that later events conflicting policies from Britain and the Zionists' own efforts to realise their dream diminished the Balfour Declaration's importance. But others see it as monumental, having helped lay the groundwork not only for the creation of the modern state of Israel, but also the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."It's dramatic," Jonathan Schneer, an American historian and author of the book "The Balfour Declaration", told AFP. "And they're both right," he said, referring to the starkly different viewpoints of Israelis and Palestinians. "The Israelis see it as a foundation stone for the birth of a Jewish state, and the Arabs see it as a foundation stone leading towards their dispossession and misery." According to Schneer, the declaration ironically grew to a large degree out of anti-Semitic myths. British leaders saw the Jewish community as capable of helping them win World War I due to its perceived influence in finance and within Russia, he said. Others say that Britain was also seeking a firm foothold in the Middle East after the war. But regardless of the motivations that created it, "if someone has to choose five documents that shaped Israel's history and existence, then the Balfour Declaration has to be one of them", said Paula Kabalo, director of Israel's Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism. For Palestinians, the declaration is colonialist and even racist. It mentions that "nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine". Not only were they left nameless in the document, Palestinians say, but Britain has also failed to ensure the pledge was maintained.It was written "as if the Palestinians did not exist", said Nabil Shaath, a senior adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. "We were referred to as 'others', others in Palestine who had civilian and religious rights but no political rights whatsoever." It would be another 31 years before the state of Israel would be founded in 1948. The war surrounding its creation saw 750,000 Palestinians either expelled or fleeing from their homes. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. It later annexed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state. Hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are greatly diminishing as Israeli settlement building continues in the West Bank. Britain's May sought to acknowledge those concerns in her recent comments. "We are proud of the role that we played in the creation of the state of Israel and we will certainly mark the centenary with pride," she said. "We also must be conscious of the sensitivities that some people do have about the Balfour Declaration, and we recognise that there is more work to be done. We remain committed to the two-state solution in relation to Israel and the Palestinians."

100 years later, Balfour Declaration divides Israelis, Palestinians

Six people were killed on Friday in the bloodiest spate of Israeli-Palestinian violence for years, prompted by new security Israeli measures at Jerusalem&#39;s holiest site.

Three Israelis were stabbed to death in a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, hours after three Palestinians were killed in violence prompted by Israel&#39;s installation of metal detectors at entry points to the Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem&#39;s walled Old City.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the suspension of all official contact with Israel until it removed the metal detectors. He gave no details, but current contacts are largely limited to security cooperation.

&quot;I declare the suspension of all contacts with the Israeli side on all levels until it cancels its measures at al Aqsa mosque and preserves the status quo,&quot; Abbas said in a brief televised speech.

The three Israelis stabbed to death and a fourth who was wounded were from the fenced-in West Bank settlement of Neve Tsuf. Israeli media said the three dead were all members of the same family, two men aged 60 and 40 and a woman of 40.

The wounded woman, 68, was hospitalised with stab wounds to her back, Israeli media said.

A still photo carried by Israeli television showed a kitchen floor completely red with blood. The family had sat down to a traditional Friday evening meal when the attack occurred, according to Israel Radio.

The Israeli army and media said the assailant slipped into the settlement under cover of darkness to carry out his attack.

Israel Radio identified him as a 19-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Khobar near Ramallah. It said he was shot, but his condition was not initially known.

Earlier, Palestinian worshippers clashed with Israeli security forces. Tensions had mounted for days as Palestinians hurled rocks and Israeli police used stun grenades after the detectors were placed outside the sacred venue, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Mohammed Sharaf, 17, and Mohammad Hassan Abu Ghannam, age unknown, died of gunshot wounds in two neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem somewhat away from the epicentre of tension in the walled Old City. It reported a third Palestinian fatality, Mohammed Lafi, 18, later.

It was not immediately clear who fired the shots, with unconfirmed media reports that an Israeli settler was responsible in Sharaf&#39;s death.

Israel decided to install the metal detectors at the entry point to the shrine in Jerusalem&#39;s walled Old City on Sunday, after the killing of two Israeli policemen on July 14.

The shrine includes the al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the golden Dome of the Rock. It was also the site of an ancient Jewish temple, the holiest place in Judaism.

Despite international pressure to remove the metal detectors, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s security cabinet decided in Friday&#39;s early hours to keep them in place, saying they were needed to prevent arms being smuggled into the shrine.

In protest, thousands of worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at various entrances to the sacred compound, which sits on a marble and stone plateau in the Old City. They refused to enter, preferring to pray outside, in some cases filling the narrow alleyways of the Old City&#39;s Muslim quarter.

&quot;We reject Israeli restrictions at the Aqsa Mosque,&quot; said Jerusalem&#39;s senior Muslim cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammad Hussein.

Muslim leaders and Palestinian political factions had urged the faithful to gather for a &quot;day of rage&quot; on Friday against the new security policies, which they see as changing delicate agreements that have governed the holy site for decades.

Israeli police mobilised extra units and erected barriers to carry out checks at entrances to the Old City. Access to the shrine for Muslims was limited to men over 50 but open to women of all ages. Roadblocks were in place on approach roads to Jerusalem to stop buses carrying Muslims to the site.

At one location near the Old City, stone throwers did try to break through a police line, and police used stun grenades to drive them back.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said four officers were injured in the sporadic clashes and the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service said at least 377 protesters had been hurt, some suffering from tear gas inhalation.

The hilltop compound has long been a source of religious friction. Since Israel captured and annexed the Old City, including the compound, in the 1967 Middle East war, it has also become a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. &quot;This is our place of prayer, we have sovereignty here,&quot; Salaam said.

On Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to press for the removal of the metal detectors. Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East, appealed for calm and the White House called for a resolution. Jordan, the custodian of the holy site, has also been involved in mediation efforts.

But Netanyahu&#39;s 11-member security cabinet opted in a late-night meeting to retain the metal detectors to ensure no weapons were smuggled in, a week after three Arab-Israeli gunmen shot dead two Israeli policemen in the vicinity of the complex.

Three Israelis were stabbed to death in a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, hours after three Palestinians were killed in violence prompted by Israel's installation of metal detectors at entry points to the Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City

Six people were killed on Friday in the bloodiest spate of Israeli-Palestinian violence for years, prompted by new security Israeli measures at Jerusalem's holiest site. Three Israelis were stabbed to death in a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, hours after three Palestinians were killed in violence prompted by Israel's installation of metal detectors at entry points to the Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the suspension of all official contact with Israel until it removed the metal detectors. He gave no details, but current contacts are largely limited to security cooperation. "I declare the suspension of all contacts with the Israeli side on all levels until it cancels its measures at al Aqsa mosque and preserves the status quo," Abbas said in a brief televised speech. The three Israelis stabbed to death and a fourth who was wounded were from the fenced-in West Bank settlement of Neve Tsuf. Israeli media said the three dead were all members of the same family, two men aged 60 and 40 and a woman of 40. The wounded woman, 68, was hospitalised with stab wounds to her back, Israeli media said. A still photo carried by Israeli television showed a kitchen floor completely red with blood. The family had sat down to a traditional Friday evening meal when the attack occurred, according to Israel Radio. The Israeli army and media said the assailant slipped into the settlement under cover of darkness to carry out his attack. Israel Radio identified him as a 19-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Khobar near Ramallah. It said he was shot, but his condition was not initially known. Earlier, Palestinian worshippers clashed with Israeli security forces. Tensions had mounted for days as Palestinians hurled rocks and Israeli police used stun grenades after the detectors were placed outside the sacred venue, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Mohammed Sharaf, 17, and Mohammad Hassan Abu Ghannam, age unknown, died of gunshot wounds in two neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem somewhat away from the epicentre of tension in the walled Old City. It reported a third Palestinian fatality, Mohammed Lafi, 18, later. It was not immediately clear who fired the shots, with unconfirmed media reports that an Israeli settler was responsible in Sharaf's death. Israel decided to install the metal detectors at the entry point to the shrine in Jerusalem's walled Old City on Sunday, after the killing of two Israeli policemen on July 14. The shrine includes the al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the golden Dome of the Rock. It was also the site of an ancient Jewish temple, the holiest place in Judaism. Despite international pressure to remove the metal detectors, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet decided in Friday's early hours to keep them in place, saying they were needed to prevent arms being smuggled into the shrine. In protest, thousands of worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at various entrances to the sacred compound, which sits on a marble and stone plateau in the Old City. They refused to enter, preferring to pray outside, in some cases filling the narrow alleyways of the Old City's Muslim quarter. "We reject Israeli restrictions at the Aqsa Mosque," said Jerusalem's senior Muslim cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammad Hussein. Muslim leaders and Palestinian political factions had urged the faithful to gather for a "day of rage" on Friday against the new security policies, which they see as changing delicate agreements that have governed the holy site for decades. Israeli police mobilised extra units and erected barriers to carry out checks at entrances to the Old City. Access to the shrine for Muslims was limited to men over 50 but open to women of all ages. Roadblocks were in place on approach roads to Jerusalem to stop buses carrying Muslims to the site. At one location near the Old City, stone throwers did try to break through a police line, and police used stun grenades to drive them back. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said four officers were injured in the sporadic clashes and the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service said at least 377 protesters had been hurt, some suffering from tear gas inhalation. The hilltop compound has long been a source of religious friction. Since Israel captured and annexed the Old City, including the compound, in the 1967 Middle East war, it has also become a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. "This is our place of prayer, we have sovereignty here," Salaam said. On Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to press for the removal of the metal detectors. Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East, appealed for calm and the White House called for a resolution. Jordan, the custodian of the holy site, has also been involved in mediation efforts. But Netanyahu's 11-member security cabinet opted in a late-night meeting to retain the metal detectors to ensure no weapons were smuggled in, a week after three Arab-Israeli gunmen shot dead two Israeli policemen in the vicinity of the complex.

Six dead in worst Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed for years

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Friday he was freezing contacts with Israel over new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site, after deadly clashes erupted earlier in the day.

Abbas said in a speech that the freeze would stay in place until Israel lifted the measures at the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount.

&quot;I, on behalf of the Palestinian leadership, announce... a freeze of all contacts with the occupation state on all levels until Israel commits to cancelling all the measures against our Palestinian people in general and Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque in particular,&quot; Abbas said to applause from Palestinian officials.

Abbas called the measures &quot;falsely presented as a security measure to take control over Al-Aqsa mosque&quot;.

It was unclear if the move would apply to the quiet security coordination that exists between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, widely seen as having helped prevent a wider outbreak of violence in recent years.

The two sides have a range of contacts on various other issues, with recent deals announced related to water and electricity.

Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts have however been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in 2014, though US President Donald Trump has been seeking ways to restart talks.

Abbas&#39;s speech came after three Palestinians were killed and several hundred wounded Friday in clashes between protesters and Israeli forces over the new security measures at the holy site.

The unrest followed a decision by Israeli ministers not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the compound, which includes the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City in annexed east Jerusalem for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

Abbas said in a speech that the freeze would stay in place until Israel lifted the measures at the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Friday he was freezing contacts with Israel over new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site, after deadly clashes erupted earlier in the day. Abbas said in a speech that the freeze would stay in place until Israel lifted the measures at the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. "I, on behalf of the Palestinian leadership, announce... a freeze of all contacts with the occupation state on all levels until Israel commits to cancelling all the measures against our Palestinian people in general and Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque in particular," Abbas said to applause from Palestinian officials. Abbas called the measures "falsely presented as a security measure to take control over Al-Aqsa mosque". It was unclear if the move would apply to the quiet security coordination that exists between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, widely seen as having helped prevent a wider outbreak of violence in recent years. The two sides have a range of contacts on various other issues, with recent deals announced related to water and electricity. Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts have however been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in 2014, though US President Donald Trump has been seeking ways to restart talks. Abbas's speech came after three Palestinians were killed and several hundred wounded Friday in clashes between protesters and Israeli forces over the new security measures at the holy site. The unrest followed a decision by Israeli ministers not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the compound, which includes the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen. In anticipation of protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City in annexed east Jerusalem for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

Abbas freezes Israel contact over holy site dispute

An Israeli policewoman was stabbed and killed in an attack outside Jerusalem&#39;s Old City on Friday and security forces shot dead three suspected Palestinian assailants, police said.

The attack took place as Muslims marked the end of the third Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, during which tens of thousands of Palestinians from east Jerusalem and the West Bank attended prayers at the nearby Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam&#39;s third-holiest site.

&quot;Female border policewoman injured critically in attack at Damascus gate,&quot; police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote in a statement. &quot;3 Arab terrorists shot by police units that responded at the scene.&quot;

Police said the three were killed.

The policewoman was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died of her wounds. She was identified as Hadas Malka, 23, a staff sergeant major.

According to police, two perpetrators opened fire at a group of police officers who returned fire, and a third stabbed the border policewoman a short distance away before being shot.

Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevy identified the three attackers as Palestinians from the West Bank.

Ramadan activity

Israel had eased restrictions on the entrance of Palestinians from the West Bank for Ramadan, including permitting daily family visits during Sundays through Thursdays.

&quot;During Ramadan there are large numbers of (Palestinian) youths who enter without permits, they take advantage of Ramadan to be in Jerusalem,&quot; Halevy told media at the scene of the attack.

Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone consultation with the chief of police and public security minister, and decided to cancel the family visits, a police statement read.

Netanyahu, however, did not revoke the permission given to Palestinian men aged over 40 from the West Bank to enter Jerusalem for Friday prayers, police said.

The area around Damascus Gate was sealed off in the hours after the attack, with a few youths throwing fireworks at security forces.

A road leading to Damascus Gate full of stalls opened especially for Ramadan was closed off by police, and a shopkeeper said this would normally be one of the busiest nights of the year.

Inside the Old City shops were open but the atmosphere was subdued and numbers of people much lower than normal.&nbsp;

Large numbers of heavily armed security forces were patrolling throughout the Old City, an AFP reporter said.

&#39;Popular terror activity&#39;&nbsp;

The Shin Bet internal security agency identified the three perpetrators as Braa Salah and Asama Atta, both born in 1998, and Adel Ankush, born the following year.

All three were from Deir Abu Mashal, a village near Ramallah, and had been arrested for or involved in &quot;popular terror activity,&quot; a Shin Bet statement read.

A fourth Palestinian, a Hebron resident who had been identified by Palestinian security as a perpetrator, was in fact a passerby who was wounded by gunshots and taken to hospital, Israeli police said.

Medics said four people besides the officer were wounded in the incident, two of them moderately and two lightly. Two of those wounded were Palestinians from east Jerusalem.

The Islamist movement Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip condemned the shooting of the Palestinians as a &quot;crime by the occupation.&quot;

A spokesman for the movement, Hazem Qassem, said the attack was &quot;proof that the Palestinian people are leading a revolution against the enemy.&quot;&nbsp;

He also said the attack proved the Palestinian Authority&#39;s policy of security coordination with Israel was wrong, calling it &quot;a national crime&quot;.

A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 272 Palestinians, 42 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP tally.

Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.

The Old City in annexed east Jerusalem is one of the focal points of the wave of violence.

An Israeli policewoman was stabbed and killed in an attack outside Jerusalem's Old City on Friday

An Israeli policewoman was stabbed and killed in an attack outside Jerusalem's Old City on Friday and security forces shot dead three suspected Palestinian assailants, police said. The attack took place as Muslims marked the end of the third Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, during which tens of thousands of Palestinians from east Jerusalem and the West Bank attended prayers at the nearby Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest site. "Female border policewoman injured critically in attack at Damascus gate," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote in a statement. "3 Arab terrorists shot by police units that responded at the scene." Police said the three were killed. The policewoman was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died of her wounds. She was identified as Hadas Malka, 23, a staff sergeant major. According to police, two perpetrators opened fire at a group of police officers who returned fire, and a third stabbed the border policewoman a short distance away before being shot. Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevy identified the three attackers as Palestinians from the West Bank. Ramadan activity Israel had eased restrictions on the entrance of Palestinians from the West Bank for Ramadan, including permitting daily family visits during Sundays through Thursdays. "During Ramadan there are large numbers of (Palestinian) youths who enter without permits, they take advantage of Ramadan to be in Jerusalem," Halevy told media at the scene of the attack. Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone consultation with the chief of police and public security minister, and decided to cancel the family visits, a police statement read. Netanyahu, however, did not revoke the permission given to Palestinian men aged over 40 from the West Bank to enter Jerusalem for Friday prayers, police said. The area around Damascus Gate was sealed off in the hours after the attack, with a few youths throwing fireworks at security forces. A road leading to Damascus Gate full of stalls opened especially for Ramadan was closed off by police, and a shopkeeper said this would normally be one of the busiest nights of the year. Inside the Old City shops were open but the atmosphere was subdued and numbers of people much lower than normal. Large numbers of heavily armed security forces were patrolling throughout the Old City, an AFP reporter said. 'Popular terror activity' The Shin Bet internal security agency identified the three perpetrators as Braa Salah and Asama Atta, both born in 1998, and Adel Ankush, born the following year. All three were from Deir Abu Mashal, a village near Ramallah, and had been arrested for or involved in "popular terror activity," a Shin Bet statement read. A fourth Palestinian, a Hebron resident who had been identified by Palestinian security as a perpetrator, was in fact a passerby who was wounded by gunshots and taken to hospital, Israeli police said. Medics said four people besides the officer were wounded in the incident, two of them moderately and two lightly. Two of those wounded were Palestinians from east Jerusalem. The Islamist movement Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip condemned the shooting of the Palestinians as a "crime by the occupation." A spokesman for the movement, Hazem Qassem, said the attack was "proof that the Palestinian people are leading a revolution against the enemy." He also said the attack proved the Palestinian Authority's policy of security coordination with Israel was wrong, calling it "a national crime". A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 272 Palestinians, 42 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP tally. Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks. The Old City in annexed east Jerusalem is one of the focal points of the wave of violence.

Israeli officer killed, three Palestinian attackers shot dead: Police

Mahmud Abbas said Tuesday Donald Trump was expected to visit the Palestinian territories &quot;soon&quot; and that he was ready to meet Israel&#39;s prime minister as part of the US president&#39;s peace efforts.

Trump is expected in Israel later this month as part of his first foreign trip and the Palestinian president said &quot;we are looking forward to his visit soon to Bethlehem&quot; in the occupied West Bank, with speculation it will occur on May 23.

&quot;We told him that we were ready to collaborate with him and meet the Israeli PM (Benjamin Netanyahu) under his auspices to build peace,&quot; Abbas told reporters during talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Abbas met Trump in Washington last week for their first face-to-face talks.

Trump announced last week that his first foreign trip as president will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican -- the spiritual centres of Islam, Judaism and Catholicism.

The stop in Israel is expected on May 22, though it has not been officially confirmed.

A senior Trump aide last week did not rule out the possibility of a presidential visit to the West Bank but said that it was likely to be contingent on security and Abbas taking concrete steps toward peace.

Trump has been seeking ways to restart moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

As he hosted Abbas in Washington, Trump confidently predicted that a peace agreement was within grasp, brushing aside the complexities of a decades-old conflict that has bedevilled successive US leaders.

Embassy move&nbsp;

Abbas said Tuesday that &quot;we told him again of our commitment to a peace based on justice, with international resolutions and the two-state solution as references.&quot;

Trump has however sent mixed signals over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He backed away from the US commitment to the two-state solution -- Israel and an independent Palestinian state side-by-side -- when he met Netanyahu in February.

He said he would support a single state if it led to peace, delighting Israeli right-wingers who want to see their country annexe most of the occupied West Bank.

Trump also vowed during his campaign to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem, a prospect that alarmed Palestinians but which has been put on the back burner for now.

At the same time, he has urged Israel to hold back on settlement building in the West Bank, a longstanding concern of Palestinians and much of the world.

One of Trump&#39;s top advisers, Jason Greenblatt, held wide-ranging talks with both Israelis and Palestinians during a visit in March.

(AFP)

Trump is expected in Israel later this month as part of his first foreign trip and the Palestinian president said 'we are looking forward to his visit soon to Bethlehem'

Mahmud Abbas said Tuesday Donald Trump was expected to visit the Palestinian territories "soon" and that he was ready to meet Israel's prime minister as part of the US president's peace efforts. Trump is expected in Israel later this month as part of his first foreign trip and the Palestinian president said "we are looking forward to his visit soon to Bethlehem" in the occupied West Bank, with speculation it will occur on May 23. "We told him that we were ready to collaborate with him and meet the Israeli PM (Benjamin Netanyahu) under his auspices to build peace," Abbas told reporters during talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Abbas met Trump in Washington last week for their first face-to-face talks. Trump announced last week that his first foreign trip as president will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican -- the spiritual centres of Islam, Judaism and Catholicism. The stop in Israel is expected on May 22, though it has not been officially confirmed. A senior Trump aide last week did not rule out the possibility of a presidential visit to the West Bank but said that it was likely to be contingent on security and Abbas taking concrete steps toward peace. Trump has been seeking ways to restart moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. As he hosted Abbas in Washington, Trump confidently predicted that a peace agreement was within grasp, brushing aside the complexities of a decades-old conflict that has bedevilled successive US leaders. Embassy move Abbas said Tuesday that "we told him again of our commitment to a peace based on justice, with international resolutions and the two-state solution as references." Trump has however sent mixed signals over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He backed away from the US commitment to the two-state solution -- Israel and an independent Palestinian state side-by-side -- when he met Netanyahu in February. He said he would support a single state if it led to peace, delighting Israeli right-wingers who want to see their country annexe most of the occupied West Bank. Trump also vowed during his campaign to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem, a prospect that alarmed Palestinians but which has been put on the back burner for now. At the same time, he has urged Israel to hold back on settlement building in the West Bank, a longstanding concern of Palestinians and much of the world. One of Trump's top advisers, Jason Greenblatt, held wide-ranging talks with both Israelis and Palestinians during a visit in March. (AFP)

Abbas says ready to meet Israel PM as part of Trump peace efforts

Israel is blocking rights activists&#39; access to and from the Gaza Strip, hampering their work in the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

A new report from the rights group &quot;documents how Israel systematically bars human rights workers from travelling into and out of Gaza, even where the Israeli security services make no security claims against them as individuals,&quot; it said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said it had only once since 2008 received permission from Israel for foreign staff to enter Gaza.

Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave and Israel have fought three wars since 2008 and Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years.

The Gaza Strip&#39;s sole crossing with Egypt has also remained largely closed in recent years.

&quot;Neither Human Rights Watch nor Amnesty International has been able to get staff into Gaza via Egypt since 2012,&quot; HRW said.

The New York-based rights watchdog said access to the strip was important to look into allegations of abuses during the devastating 2014 war.

The International Criminal Court&#39;s chief prosecutor has opened an initial probe into alleged war crimes by both sides during the July-August 2014 conflict.

&quot;If Israel wants the ICC prosecutor to take seriously its argument that its criminal investigations are adequate, a good first step would be to allow human rights researchers to bring relevant information to light,&rdquo; said HRW&#39;s Sari Bashi.

&quot;Impeding the work of human rights groups raises questions not just about the willingness of Israel&rsquo;s military authorities to conduct genuine investigations, but also their ability to do so.&quot;

A spokeswoman for the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees permission to travel to Gaza said that &quot;all requests were carefully studied&quot;.

&quot;We coordinate regularly crossings of numerous human rights organisations,&quot; she added, naming such groups as Doctors Without Borders.

Bashi told AFP that while Israel was allowing access for humanitarian workers, it was not permitting rights activists, invoking security concerns.

Human Rights Watch also criticised restrictions recently imposed by Hamas following the assassination of one of its officials in the strip on March 24.

It has blamed Israel for the assassination and restricted passage out of Gaza as it investigates the murder.

(AFP)

HRW said it had only once since 2008 received permission from Israel for foreign staff to enter Gaza

Israel is blocking rights activists' access to and from the Gaza Strip, hampering their work in the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. A new report from the rights group "documents how Israel systematically bars human rights workers from travelling into and out of Gaza, even where the Israeli security services make no security claims against them as individuals," it said in a statement. Human Rights Watch said it had only once since 2008 received permission from Israel for foreign staff to enter Gaza. Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave and Israel have fought three wars since 2008 and Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years. The Gaza Strip's sole crossing with Egypt has also remained largely closed in recent years. "Neither Human Rights Watch nor Amnesty International has been able to get staff into Gaza via Egypt since 2012," HRW said. The New York-based rights watchdog said access to the strip was important to look into allegations of abuses during the devastating 2014 war. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has opened an initial probe into alleged war crimes by both sides during the July-August 2014 conflict. "If Israel wants the ICC prosecutor to take seriously its argument that its criminal investigations are adequate, a good first step would be to allow human rights researchers to bring relevant information to light,” said HRW's Sari Bashi. "Impeding the work of human rights groups raises questions not just about the willingness of Israel’s military authorities to conduct genuine investigations, but also their ability to do so." A spokeswoman for the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees permission to travel to Gaza said that "all requests were carefully studied". "We coordinate regularly crossings of numerous human rights organisations," she added, naming such groups as Doctors Without Borders. Bashi told AFP that while Israel was allowing access for humanitarian workers, it was not permitting rights activists, invoking security concerns. Human Rights Watch also criticised restrictions recently imposed by Hamas following the assassination of one of its officials in the strip on March 24. It has blamed Israel for the assassination and restricted passage out of Gaza as it investigates the murder. (AFP)

Israel blocking rights workers' access to Gaza: Human Rights Watch

As his plane touched down in Washington on Valentine&rsquo;s Day for his first official meeting with President Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu would have had both an old flame and the possibilities of a budding romance on his mind.

After years of tension, the Obama-Netanyahu relationship ended on a bitter note when the US abstained on a UN Security Council motion demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, allowing it to pass.

The US has traditionally shielded Israel against similar moves by the UN with its powers of veto.

To many, it was a parting shot from a president who had pushed Israel on touchy issues like settlements harder than any US leader in recent memory.

But analysts say the personal rancour between the two leaders didn&rsquo;t change the essential dynamic of the longstanding alliance.

&ldquo;Despite all the very public furore between Obama and Netanyahu, key analysts recognise that the relationship between the US and Israel was stronger than ever before during the eight years of the Obama presidency. That was in all the ways that mattered: the amount of military aid, the consistency of protection at the United Nations and the certainty of US diplomatic support,&rdquo; said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.

Instead, the Trump administration could have a much greater impact on the shape of the US-Israel alliance in the long term.

Wednesday&rsquo;s White House joint press conference marked a major shift in US policy, with Donald Trump leaving the door open to a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking at two states and one state&hellip;I&rsquo;m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one,&rdquo; said Trump.

The two-state solution has been at the centre of US foreign policy in the Middle East for decades.

Meanwhile Trump&rsquo;s pick for the new US Ambassador to Israel could also signal a change on another key issue: the location of the US embassy.

David Friedman has repeatedly called for the embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that would send shockwaves through the Arab world.

In a statement after his selection was announced, Friedman said he wants to advance &ldquo;the cause of peace within the region, and look[s] forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel&rsquo;s eternal capital, Jerusalem.&quot;

Trump&rsquo;s comments in the joint press conference with Netanyahu show that he also backs his new envoy on this controversial stance.

&quot;As far as the embassy moving to Jerusalem, I&#39;d love to see that happen,&rdquo; he said.

The single moment of tension in what was otherwise a reaffirmation of close US-Israel ties came on the issue of settlements, with Trump asking his counterpart to &ldquo;hold back on settlements for a little bit&rdquo;.

Israel&rsquo;s government recently approved the construction of 6,000 controversial new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

But even as Trump and Netanyahu shore up the old alliance, analysts in the US say the importance of the partnership could be diminishing in terms of the wider region.

&ldquo;The complications in the region have diminished the strategic value of Israel for US policy. In the context of the Arab Spring and the rise of much more complicated wars across the region, the US is not generally relying on Israel. It&rsquo;s making its own mistakes,&rdquo; said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies.

For now, Trump says he will work hard to deliver a &ldquo;great&rdquo; peace deal between Israel and Palestine in one of the world&rsquo;s longest-running conflicts.

But as history shows, that is far, far easier said than done.

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(WION)

As Israel?s Prime Minister visits the US capital, Donald Trump is rewriting the rulebook on US foreign policy towards its close ally

As his plane touched down in Washington on Valentine’s Day for his first official meeting with President Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu would have had both an old flame and the possibilities of a budding romance on his mind. After years of tension, the Obama-Netanyahu relationship ended on a bitter note when the US abstained on a UN Security Council motion demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, allowing it to pass. The US has traditionally shielded Israel against similar moves by the UN with its powers of veto. To many, it was a parting shot from a president who had pushed Israel on touchy issues like settlements harder than any US leader in recent memory. But analysts say the personal rancour between the two leaders didn’t change the essential dynamic of the longstanding alliance. “Despite all the very public furore between Obama and Netanyahu, key analysts recognise that the relationship between the US and Israel was stronger than ever before during the eight years of the Obama presidency. That was in all the ways that mattered: the amount of military aid, the consistency of protection at the United Nations and the certainty of US diplomatic support,” said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. Instead, the Trump administration could have a much greater impact on the shape of the US-Israel alliance in the long term. Wednesday’s White House joint press conference marked a major shift in US policy, with Donald Trump leaving the door open to a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. “I’m looking at two states and one state…I’m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one,” said Trump. The two-state solution has been at the centre of US foreign policy in the Middle East for decades. Meanwhile Trump’s pick for the new US Ambassador to Israel could also signal a change on another key issue: the location of the US embassy. David Friedman has repeatedly called for the embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that would send shockwaves through the Arab world. In a statement after his selection was announced, Friedman said he wants to advance “the cause of peace within the region, and look[s] forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem." Trump’s comments in the joint press conference with Netanyahu show that he also backs his new envoy on this controversial stance. "As far as the embassy moving to Jerusalem, I'd love to see that happen,” he said. The single moment of tension in what was otherwise a reaffirmation of close US-Israel ties came on the issue of settlements, with Trump asking his counterpart to “hold back on settlements for a little bit”. Israel’s government recently approved the construction of 6,000 controversial new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But even as Trump and Netanyahu shore up the old alliance, analysts in the US say the importance of the partnership could be diminishing in terms of the wider region. “The complications in the region have diminished the strategic value of Israel for US policy. In the context of the Arab Spring and the rise of much more complicated wars across the region, the US is not generally relying on Israel. It’s making its own mistakes,” said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies. For now, Trump says he will work hard to deliver a “great” peace deal between Israel and Palestine in one of the world’s longest-running conflicts. But as history shows, that is far, far easier said than done. (WION)

Netanyahu and Trump reset the US-Israel alliance after frosty Obama years

Israel announced plans on Tuesday for 2,500 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the second such declaration since US&nbsp;President Donald Trump took office signalling he would be less critical of such projects than his predecessor.

A statement from the Defence Ministry, which administers lands Israel captured in a 1967 war, said the move was meant to fulfil the&nbsp;demand for new housing &quot;to maintain regular daily life&quot;.

Most of the construction, it said, would be in existing settlement blocs that Israel intends to keep under any future peace agreement with the Palestinians. However, a breakdown provided by the prime minister&#39;s office showed large portions of the planned homes would be outside existing blocs.

About 350,000 settlers live in the West Bank and a further 200,000 in East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war. Beyond the major blocs, most of which are close to the border with Israel, there are more than 100 settlement outposts scattered across hilltops in the West Bank.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the Israeli announcement and said it would have &quot;consequences&quot;.

&quot;The decision will hinder any attempt to restore security and stability, it will reinforce extremism and terrorism and will place obstacles in the path of any effort to start a peace process that will lead to security and peace,&quot; he said.

They want the West Bank and Gaza Strip, from which Israeli troops and settlers withdrew in 2005, for an independent state, with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Most countries consider settlements illegal and an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace as they reduce and fragment the territory Palestinians need for a viable state.

Israel disagrees, citing biblical, historical and political connections to the land - which the Palestinians also assert - as well as security interests.

During the US election campaign, Trump indicated he would dispense with former President Barack Obama&#39;s opposition to settlement building, a stance that delighted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s government.

On Sunday, two days after Trump&#39;s inauguration, Israel announced plans for hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem, and the right-wing Netanyahu told senior ministers he was lifting restrictions on settlement construction across the board.

&quot;We can build where we want and as much as we want,&quot; an official quoted Netanyahu as telling the ministers.

Following Tuesday&#39;s announcement, the prime minister&#39;s office listed some of the West Bank areas slated for new construction, but not all were in settlement blocs.

&quot;I have agreed with the defence minister to build 2,500 new homes in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) - we are building and will continue to build,&quot; Netanyahu said in a tweet. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman is himself a settler.

The Defence Ministry statement said 100 of the new homes would be in Beit El, a settlement which according to Israeli media has received funding from the family of Trump&#39;s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

David Friedman, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlers who Trump has nominated to be his ambassador to Israel, has served as president of the American Friends of Beit El, a group that raises funds for the settlement.

It was not immediately clear whether Tuesday&#39;s announcement was the first in relation to the new construction. There are several stages involved in approving and building settlement homes and announcements frequently overlap or are reissued.

(Reuters)

This is the second such declaration since Trump took office signalling he would be less critical of such projects than his predecessor

Israel announced plans on Tuesday for 2,500 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the second such declaration since US President Donald Trump took office signalling he would be less critical of such projects than his predecessor. A statement from the Defence Ministry, which administers lands Israel captured in a 1967 war, said the move was meant to fulfil the demand for new housing "to maintain regular daily life". Most of the construction, it said, would be in existing settlement blocs that Israel intends to keep under any future peace agreement with the Palestinians. However, a breakdown provided by the prime minister's office showed large portions of the planned homes would be outside existing blocs. About 350,000 settlers live in the West Bank and a further 200,000 in East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war. Beyond the major blocs, most of which are close to the border with Israel, there are more than 100 settlement outposts scattered across hilltops in the West Bank. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the Israeli announcement and said it would have "consequences". "The decision will hinder any attempt to restore security and stability, it will reinforce extremism and terrorism and will place obstacles in the path of any effort to start a peace process that will lead to security and peace," he said. They want the West Bank and Gaza Strip, from which Israeli troops and settlers withdrew in 2005, for an independent state, with its capital in East Jerusalem. Most countries consider settlements illegal and an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace as they reduce and fragment the territory Palestinians need for a viable state. Israel disagrees, citing biblical, historical and political connections to the land - which the Palestinians also assert - as well as security interests. During the US election campaign, Trump indicated he would dispense with former President Barack Obama's opposition to settlement building, a stance that delighted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. On Sunday, two days after Trump's inauguration, Israel announced plans for hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem, and the right-wing Netanyahu told senior ministers he was lifting restrictions on settlement construction across the board. "We can build where we want and as much as we want," an official quoted Netanyahu as telling the ministers. Following Tuesday's announcement, the prime minister's office listed some of the West Bank areas slated for new construction, but not all were in settlement blocs. "I have agreed with the defence minister to build 2,500 new homes in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) - we are building and will continue to build," Netanyahu said in a tweet. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman is himself a settler. The Defence Ministry statement said 100 of the new homes would be in Beit El, a settlement which according to Israeli media has received funding from the family of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. David Friedman, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlers who Trump has nominated to be his ambassador to Israel, has served as president of the American Friends of Beit El, a group that raises funds for the settlement. It was not immediately clear whether Tuesday's announcement was the first in relation to the new construction. There are several stages involved in approving and building settlement homes and announcements frequently overlap or are reissued. (Reuters)

Israel plans 2,500 new settlement homes in occupied West Bank

In a move that showed bipartisan support for Israel, the US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to condemn the UN Security Council resolution that slammed Israel&#39;s illegal settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem.&nbsp;

The congressional measure passed 342 to 80, with broad bipartisan support.&nbsp;

It noted in particular that the US administration&#39;s refusal to veto the controversial Security Council measure &quot;undermined&quot; Washington&#39;s decades-long position of opposing anti-Israel action at the United Nations.

Incensed US lawmakers have assailed Barack Obama&#39;s outgoing administration for abstaining in the December 23 vote instead of vetoing the UN resolution, essentially clearing the way for its passage.

&quot;I am stunned at what happened last month. This government -- our government -- abandoned our ally Israel when she needed us the most,&quot; House Speaker Paul Ryan told the chamber shortly before the House vote.

&quot;It is time to repair the damage done by this misguided hit job at the UN,&quot; he added. &quot;It&#39;s time to rebuild our partnership&quot; with the Jewish state.

White House aides have said that while Obama is a firm supporter of Israel, he felt that after eight years he had simply run out of ways to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel building on Palestinian land is sabotaging hopes for peace.

The House measure, which is non-binding, calls for the UN resolution &quot;to be repealed or fundamentally altered so that... it is no longer one-sided and anti-Israel&quot; and allows all final status issues toward a two-state solution to be resolved through direct bilateral negotiation.

It also demands that the United States ensures that no action be taken at the Paris Conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict scheduled for January 15, that would impose an agreement on the two sides.

The French-organized talks, to be attended by around 70 countries -- but not by Israeli or Palestinian representatives -- are being held to reiterate international support for a two-state solution to the conflict.

Benjamin Netanyahu had asked his ambassadors to make sure that no further UN resolution that&#39;s critical of Israel&#39;s policies comes up in future especially in the wake of the Paris conference.

(AFP)

The congressional measure passed 342 to 80, with broad bipartisan support.?

In a move that showed bipartisan support for Israel, the US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to condemn the UN Security Council resolution that slammed Israel's illegal settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem. The congressional measure passed 342 to 80, with broad bipartisan support. It noted in particular that the US administration's refusal to veto the controversial Security Council measure "undermined" Washington's decades-long position of opposing anti-Israel action at the United Nations. Incensed US lawmakers have assailed Barack Obama's outgoing administration for abstaining in the December 23 vote instead of vetoing the UN resolution, essentially clearing the way for its passage. "I am stunned at what happened last month. This government -- our government -- abandoned our ally Israel when she needed us the most," House Speaker Paul Ryan told the chamber shortly before the House vote. "It is time to repair the damage done by this misguided hit job at the UN," he added. "It's time to rebuild our partnership" with the Jewish state. White House aides have said that while Obama is a firm supporter of Israel, he felt that after eight years he had simply run out of ways to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel building on Palestinian land is sabotaging hopes for peace. The House measure, which is non-binding, calls for the UN resolution "to be repealed or fundamentally altered so that... it is no longer one-sided and anti-Israel" and allows all final status issues toward a two-state solution to be resolved through direct bilateral negotiation. It also demands that the United States ensures that no action be taken at the Paris Conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict scheduled for January 15, that would impose an agreement on the two sides. The French-organized talks, to be attended by around 70 countries -- but not by Israeli or Palestinian representatives -- are being held to reiterate international support for a two-state solution to the conflict. Benjamin Netanyahu had asked his ambassadors to make sure that no further UN resolution that's critical of Israel's policies comes up in future especially in the wake of the Paris conference. (AFP)

US House votes to condemn UN resolution against Israel's settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he hoped to stave off any possible moves at the UN Security Council against his government&#39;s policies following a Paris conference scheduled for later this month on Middle East peace.

The Security Council on December 23 adopted a resolution that demands an end to Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, despite heavy Israeli pressure against it.

France plans to convene some 70 countries on January 15 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, a conference Netanyahu has rejected in advance as &quot;futile&quot;.

&quot;There are signs that they will try to turn decisions made there into another decision in the Security Council,&quot; Netanyahu said during a meeting with Israeli ambassadors in Jerusalem.

&quot;Therefore our primary effort for now is to prevent another UN decision, another decision by the Security Council. And also to prevent a decision by the Quartet,&quot; he said, referring to the group of peace mediators that comprises the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union.

&quot;We are investing a great diplomatic effort in this,&quot; he said in broadcast remarks, without providing any details.

Netanyahu has said Israel will re-assess its ties with the United Nations following last month&#39;s resolution.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Netanyahu fears another UN decision after Paris conference scheduled later this month

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he hoped to stave off any possible moves at the UN Security Council against his government's policies following a Paris conference scheduled for later this month on Middle East peace. The Security Council on December 23 adopted a resolution that demands an end to Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, despite heavy Israeli pressure against it. France plans to convene some 70 countries on January 15 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, a conference Netanyahu has rejected in advance as "futile". "There are signs that they will try to turn decisions made there into another decision in the Security Council," Netanyahu said during a meeting with Israeli ambassadors in Jerusalem. "Therefore our primary effort for now is to prevent another UN decision, another decision by the Security Council. And also to prevent a decision by the Quartet," he said, referring to the group of peace mediators that comprises the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union. "We are investing a great diplomatic effort in this," he said in broadcast remarks, without providing any details. Netanyahu has said Israel will re-assess its ties with the United Nations following last month's resolution. (Reuters)

Netanyahu to envoys: Prevent another UN decision critical of Israel's policies

US secretary of state John Kerry on Sunday accused right-wing Israelis of deliberately thwarting efforts to broker a peace deal with the Palestinians.

In unusually stark terms, Washington&#39;s top diplomat warned that Israeli settlement building was undermining any hope of an agreement to allow two states to live side-by-side.

At the Saban Forum, an annual gathering of senior Israeli and US policymakers, Kerry said some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s government had made &quot;profoundly disturbing&quot; statements.

&quot;And more than 50 per cent of the ministers in the current government have publicly stated they are opposed to a Palestinian state and that there will be no Palestinian state,&quot; he said.

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu had addressed the forum via video link, arguing that Israeli settlement building was not an obstacle to peace.

Israel was ready for talks with no preconditions, he said, urging Arab governments to recognise the state of Israel.

However, Kerry dismissed the idea that more Arab states would strike peace deals with Israel without any moves towards an agreement with the Palestinians.

&quot;There will be no advance and separate peace with the Arab world without the Palestinian process and Palestinian peace,&quot; he said. &quot;Everybody needs to understand that. That is a hard reality.&quot;

In the US government&#39;s view, Israel&#39;s accelerated building on Palestinian-owned land is not only an obstacle to peace but deliberately so, Kerry added.

&quot;I&#39;m not here to tell you that the settlements are the reason for the conflict, no, they&#39;re not,&quot; Kerry said.

&quot;But I also can not accept the notion that they don&#39;t affect the peace process, that they aren&#39;t a barrier to the capacity to have peace,&quot; he argued.&nbsp;

&quot;And I&#39;ll tell you why I know that: because the left in Israel is telling everybody they are a barrier to peace and the right that supports it openly supports it because they don&#39;t want peace.&quot;

US President Barack Obama&#39;s administration, which comes to an end next month with no prospect of a revived peace process, has been frustrated by the attitude of Netanyahu&#39;s government.

Still, Kerry insisted Israel has no greater friend than Washington.

Since he arrived at the State Department in February 2013, he has spoken to Netanyahu on 375 formally recorded occasions for more than 130 hours of discussions, he said.

Washington has opposed all attempts to pressure Israel through votes on United Nations bodies, he added, and has just signed a 10-year $38 billion military support deal, the biggest in US history.

(AFP)

Kerry said more than 50 per cent of the ministers in the current government have publicly stated they are opposed to a Palestinian state

US secretary of state John Kerry on Sunday accused right-wing Israelis of deliberately thwarting efforts to broker a peace deal with the Palestinians. In unusually stark terms, Washington's top diplomat warned that Israeli settlement building was undermining any hope of an agreement to allow two states to live side-by-side. At the Saban Forum, an annual gathering of senior Israeli and US policymakers, Kerry said some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government had made "profoundly disturbing" statements. "And more than 50 per cent of the ministers in the current government have publicly stated they are opposed to a Palestinian state and that there will be no Palestinian state," he said. Earlier in the day, Netanyahu had addressed the forum via video link, arguing that Israeli settlement building was not an obstacle to peace. Israel was ready for talks with no preconditions, he said, urging Arab governments to recognise the state of Israel. However, Kerry dismissed the idea that more Arab states would strike peace deals with Israel without any moves towards an agreement with the Palestinians. "There will be no advance and separate peace with the Arab world without the Palestinian process and Palestinian peace," he said. "Everybody needs to understand that. That is a hard reality." In the US government's view, Israel's accelerated building on Palestinian-owned land is not only an obstacle to peace but deliberately so, Kerry added. "I'm not here to tell you that the settlements are the reason for the conflict, no, they're not," Kerry said. "But I also can not accept the notion that they don't affect the peace process, that they aren't a barrier to the capacity to have peace," he argued. "And I'll tell you why I know that: because the left in Israel is telling everybody they are a barrier to peace and the right that supports it openly supports it because they don't want peace." US President Barack Obama's administration, which comes to an end next month with no prospect of a revived peace process, has been frustrated by the attitude of Netanyahu's government. Still, Kerry insisted Israel has no greater friend than Washington. Since he arrived at the State Department in February 2013, he has spoken to Netanyahu on 375 formally recorded occasions for more than 130 hours of discussions, he said. Washington has opposed all attempts to pressure Israel through votes on United Nations bodies, he added, and has just signed a 10-year $38 billion military support deal, the biggest in US history. (AFP)

John Kerry accuses right-wing Israelis of sabotaging peace process with Palestine