US President Donald Trump called on &quot;Israel to be reasonable with respect to peace&quot;, spelling out in his own words his administration&#39;s stance that new settlements on Palestinian land may not be helpful in an interview to an Israeli newspaper.

Trump&#39;s comments to newspaper Israel Today come as he tones down his pro-Israel bravado ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s trip to the White House on February 15.&nbsp;

&quot;I want Israel to be reasonable with respect to peace. I want to see peace happen,&quot; Trump said in the interview published on Friday. &quot;I would like to see a level of reasonableness of both parties, and I think we have a good chance of doing that.&quot;

During his 2016 election campaign, Trump signalled his presidency would be a boon for Israel and tough on Palestinians. He talked of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, naming an ambassador who backs Israel&#39;s settlement programme and exerting no pressure on Israel for peace talks.

Now Trump is adopting a more measured stance. Even though the White House did not join the widespread criticism this week of a new Israeli law which retroactively legalises about 4,000 existing settler homes, its pro-Israel approach shows signs of being more nuanced.

&quot;They [settlements] don&#39;t help the process. I can say that,&quot; Trump told the Israeli daily owned by US casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a Netanyahu supporter and Republican party donor.

&quot;Every time you take land for settlements, there is less land left,&quot; Trump said. &quot;I am not somebody that believes that going forward with these settlements is a good thing for peace.&quot;

The president said his administration was &quot;looking at some other options&quot; regarding the settlements.

He also said he was still studying the case for relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem, a move that could anger the Arab world.

&quot;The embassy is not an easy decision. It has obviously been out there for many, many years, and nobody has wanted to make that decision. I&#39;m thinking about it very seriously, and we will see what happens,&quot; Trump said.

Meanwhile, Trump continued his tirade to bring back the travel ban denouncing&nbsp;as &quot;disgraceful&quot; an appellate court&#39;s decision blocking his controversial ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.&nbsp;

Referring to a portion of an article written on the national security blog Lawfare, which highlights a statute that the author says the judges failed to cite, Trump tweeted: &quot;LAWFARE: &#39;Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this (the) statute.&#39; A disgraceful decision!&quot;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
LAWFARE: &quot;Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this (the) statute.&quot; A disgraceful decision!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/830042498806460417">February 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Lawfare is a legal blog that covers the intersection of national security and the legal world. Its website reads that it is published in cooperation with the Brookings Institution, a well-known Washington think tank, Politico reported. 
The post Trump referred to breaks down the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals&#39; ruling upholding a stay on the president&#39;s executive order temporarily banning individuals from certain majority-Muslim nations from entering the US.

The White House has vowed to continue to fight for the orders and has expressed confidence that they will ultimately be upheld in court.

(WION with Reuters, PTI inputs)

President Trump has adopted a more measured stance towards the contentious Israeli settlement on Palestinian land

US President Donald Trump called on "Israel to be reasonable with respect to peace", spelling out in his own words his administration's stance that new settlements on Palestinian land may not be helpful in an interview to an Israeli newspaper. Trump's comments to newspaper Israel Today come as he tones down his pro-Israel bravado ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the White House on February 15. "I want Israel to be reasonable with respect to peace. I want to see peace happen," Trump said in the interview published on Friday. "I would like to see a level of reasonableness of both parties, and I think we have a good chance of doing that." During his 2016 election campaign, Trump signalled his presidency would be a boon for Israel and tough on Palestinians. He talked of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, naming an ambassador who backs Israel's settlement programme and exerting no pressure on Israel for peace talks. Now Trump is adopting a more measured stance. Even though the White House did not join the widespread criticism this week of a new Israeli law which retroactively legalises about 4,000 existing settler homes, its pro-Israel approach shows signs of being more nuanced. "They [settlements] don't help the process. I can say that," Trump told the Israeli daily owned by US casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a Netanyahu supporter and Republican party donor. "Every time you take land for settlements, there is less land left," Trump said. "I am not somebody that believes that going forward with these settlements is a good thing for peace." The president said his administration was "looking at some other options" regarding the settlements. He also said he was still studying the case for relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem, a move that could anger the Arab world. "The embassy is not an easy decision. It has obviously been out there for many, many years, and nobody has wanted to make that decision. I'm thinking about it very seriously, and we will see what happens," Trump said. Meanwhile, Trump continued his tirade to bring back the travel ban denouncing as "disgraceful" an appellate court's decision blocking his controversial ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries. Referring to a portion of an article written on the national security blog Lawfare, which highlights a statute that the author says the judges failed to cite, Trump tweeted: "LAWFARE: 'Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this (the) statute.' A disgraceful decision!" LAWFARE: "Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this (the) statute." A disgraceful decision! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2017 × Lawfare is a legal blog that covers the intersection of national security and the legal world. Its website reads that it is published in cooperation with the Brookings Institution, a well-known Washington think tank, Politico reported. The post Trump referred to breaks down the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling upholding a stay on the president's executive order temporarily banning individuals from certain majority-Muslim nations from entering the US. The White House has vowed to continue to fight for the orders and has expressed confidence that they will ultimately be upheld in court. (WION with Reuters, PTI inputs)

Israeli settlements does not help the peace process: Trump

Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups are to petition the Supreme Court on Wednesday asking it to strike down a new law allowing expropriation of private Palestinian land for Jewish settlers.

Israeli group Adalah said that it and the east Jerusalem-based Legal Aid and Human Rights Center would file the request on Wednesday afternoon to overturn the &quot;dangerous&quot; law, which was approved by the Israeli parliament late on Monday.

It legalises dozens of wildcat outposts and thousands of settler homes in the occupied West Bank&nbsp;and prompted a Palestinian call for the international community to punish Israel.

The United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League strongly criticised the legislation on Tuesday, although the new administration of US President Donald Trump remained silent.

&quot;This sweeping and dangerous law permits the expropriation of vast tracts of private Palestinian land,&quot; Adalah`s lawyer Suhad Bishara said in a statement.

&quot;It violates the property rights both of resident and refugee Palestinians.&quot;

Israel`s attorney general has said the law is unconstitutional and could open the country up to prosecution at the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution in December stating that settlements have &quot;no legal validity&quot; and demanding that Israel stop building in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem.

Bishara said the new law flouted that resolution.

&quot;The transfer of the occupying power`s civilian population into occupied territory is a war crime,&quot; she said.

(AFP)&nbsp;

Israeli group Adalah said that it and the east Jerusalem-based Legal Aid and Human Rights Center would file the request on Wednesday

Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups are to petition the Supreme Court on Wednesday asking it to strike down a new law allowing expropriation of private Palestinian land for Jewish settlers. Israeli group Adalah said that it and the east Jerusalem-based Legal Aid and Human Rights Center would file the request on Wednesday afternoon to overturn the "dangerous" law, which was approved by the Israeli parliament late on Monday. It legalises dozens of wildcat outposts and thousands of settler homes in the occupied West Bank and prompted a Palestinian call for the international community to punish Israel. The United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League strongly criticised the legislation on Tuesday, although the new administration of US President Donald Trump remained silent. "This sweeping and dangerous law permits the expropriation of vast tracts of private Palestinian land," Adalah`s lawyer Suhad Bishara said in a statement. "It violates the property rights both of resident and refugee Palestinians." Israel`s attorney general has said the law is unconstitutional and could open the country up to prosecution at the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague. The UN Security Council passed a resolution in December stating that settlements have "no legal validity" and demanding that Israel stop building in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem. Bishara said the new law flouted that resolution. "The transfer of the occupying power`s civilian population into occupied territory is a war crime," she said. (AFP)

Israeli, Palestinian human rights groups to file petition against law allowing settlement

A Palestinian rocket launched from Gaza struck Israel on Monday, causing no casualties or damage, in a rare attack that drew Israeli airstrikes against Palestinian militant targets.

A 70-year-old Palestinian man was slightly wounded in one of the Israeli strikes, health workers said, identifying him as a passerby. He was the only reported casualty on either side of a frontier that has been largely quiet in recent months.

&quot;In response to the projectile fired towards southern Israeli communities earlier today, the air force targeted three Hamas posts in the northern Gaza Strip,&quot; the Israeli military said in a statement, cautioning it &quot;will not tolerate rocket fire towards civilians&quot;.

Gaza residents said an armed training camp, a security compound and an observation post belonging to Hamas were hit.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Palestinian rocket strike.

Israel has said that Hamas, the Islamist militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, bears overall responsibility for what happens in the enclave.

Hamas has observed a de facto ceasefire with Israel since a 2014 war but small armed cells of Jihadist Salafis have defied the agreement and have continued to occasionally launch rockets at Israel. When those attacks occur, Hamas usually orders its fighters to vacate potential targets for Israeli retaliation.

(Reuters)

In response to the rocket strike, the Israeli military cautioned it 'will not tolerate rocket fire towards civilians'

A Palestinian rocket launched from Gaza struck Israel on Monday, causing no casualties or damage, in a rare attack that drew Israeli airstrikes against Palestinian militant targets. A 70-year-old Palestinian man was slightly wounded in one of the Israeli strikes, health workers said, identifying him as a passerby. He was the only reported casualty on either side of a frontier that has been largely quiet in recent months. "In response to the projectile fired towards southern Israeli communities earlier today, the air force targeted three Hamas posts in the northern Gaza Strip," the Israeli military said in a statement, cautioning it "will not tolerate rocket fire towards civilians". Gaza residents said an armed training camp, a security compound and an observation post belonging to Hamas were hit. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Palestinian rocket strike. Israel has said that Hamas, the Islamist militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, bears overall responsibility for what happens in the enclave. Hamas has observed a de facto ceasefire with Israel since a 2014 war but small armed cells of Jihadist Salafis have defied the agreement and have continued to occasionally launch rockets at Israel. When those attacks occur, Hamas usually orders its fighters to vacate potential targets for Israeli retaliation. (Reuters)

Rocket from Gaza draws Israeli air strikes, one person wounded

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Monday of launching a ballistic missile in what he said constitutes a &quot;flagrant violation&quot; of a UN Security Council resolution.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Netanyahu said he intended to &quot;raise the renewal of sanctions against Iran in this context and in other contexts&quot; in his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The White House said on Monday that Trump will host Netanyahu on February 15.

Israel`s archfoe Iran has carried out a number of missile tests in recent months, which the United States and European governments have said are a breach of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Western powers say the missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and therefore go against the deal, while Iran says its missile programme is &quot;non-negotiable&quot;.

Israel had opposed the deal between Iran and major powers, which lifted a wide range of international sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran`s nuclear programme.

&quot;Iranian aggression must not go unanswered,&quot; Netanyahu wrote on Monday.

(AFP)

Netanyahu, in a social media post, said he intended to bring up the issue of renewal of sanctions against Iran in his meeting with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Monday of launching a ballistic missile in what he said constitutes a "flagrant violation" of a UN Security Council resolution. In a statement on his Facebook page, Netanyahu said he intended to "raise the renewal of sanctions against Iran in this context and in other contexts" in his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump. The White House said on Monday that Trump will host Netanyahu on February 15. Israel`s archfoe Iran has carried out a number of missile tests in recent months, which the United States and European governments have said are a breach of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal. Western powers say the missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and therefore go against the deal, while Iran says its missile programme is "non-negotiable". Israel had opposed the deal between Iran and major powers, which lifted a wide range of international sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran`s nuclear programme. "Iranian aggression must not go unanswered," Netanyahu wrote on Monday. (AFP)

Israel's Netanyahu slams Iran for missile test, says will raise 'renewal of sanctions' in meeting with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for US President Donald Trump to make good on his campaign pledge to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Departing from a long-standing US position, Trump promised he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital and relocate the American mission there, a pledge that drew a fierce rebuke from Palestinian officials and concern from the European Union.

&quot;The US embassy must move here to Jerusalem,&quot; Netanyahu said after his weekly cabinet meeting.

&quot;Jerusalem is Israel&#39;s capital and it would be good if the American embassy wasn&#39;t the only one to move here... I think that with time the majority of embassies will move to Jerusalem,&quot; he was quoted as saying by his office.

The Palestinians regard east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital.

The city&#39;s status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

(AFP)

'The US embassy must move here to Jerusalem,' Netanyahu said after his weekly cabinet meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for US President Donald Trump to make good on his campaign pledge to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Departing from a long-standing US position, Trump promised he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the American mission there, a pledge that drew a fierce rebuke from Palestinian officials and concern from the European Union. "The US embassy must move here to Jerusalem," Netanyahu said after his weekly cabinet meeting. "Jerusalem is Israel's capital and it would be good if the American embassy wasn't the only one to move here... I think that with time the majority of embassies will move to Jerusalem," he was quoted as saying by his office. The Palestinians regard east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital. The city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. (AFP)

Israeli PM Netanyahu presses Trump on US embassy move

By: Anchal Vohra

Jerusalem is the heart of Israel and Palestine and it beats at the Temple Mount, as Jews call it, or Haram esh-sharif, as Muslims refer to it. A confluence of the three biggest monotheistic religions, this is&nbsp;where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Issac before God&#39;s&nbsp;last second intervention. Crusaders turned&nbsp;it into a church. The third-most revered site in Islam, it is here that Allah asked the prophet to look at Kaaba. Hence, jurisdiction over this edifice is a highly sensitive matter. 
&nbsp; 
East Jerusalem is the home of the Dome of the Rock. In possession of the Western part, Israel annexed the East from Jordan in and since then, to keep the peace, Jordan manages Al Aqsa mosque&#39;s affairs through a waqf board. 
&nbsp; 
But now, Donald Trump says he will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which in effect is America&rsquo;s strongest acknowledgment of Jerusalem being Israel&rsquo;s capital.

To find out what the Palestinians are thinking, I travelled to Ramallah, barely a fifteen&nbsp;minute&nbsp;drive from Jerusalem, but an hour-long wait at the check point.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A city within a city, the thick cement wall divides Israel from Palestine, and boards warn Israelis from entering the enemy territory. 
Inside, the wall is decorated with&nbsp;grafitti about&nbsp;the Palestinian movement and sketches of the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation leader, Yasser Arafat.&nbsp;

Jerusalem doesn&#39;t belong to Israel, says Abel Taqz, a member of the Palestinian People&#39;s Party, which played a big role in the first Palestinian intifada. Taqz is furious at Donald Trump for wanting to shift the embassy. He says this would end the peace process and the two-nation solution would lose all meaning. 
&nbsp; 
His room is decorated with revolutionary posters. One of them depicts a tree with long roots. Taqz explains, &quot;This shows our roots are deep.&quot; Taqz&#39;s intention is to let Trump know that Palestinians haven&#39;t forgotten their roots. The threat is a veiled concern. He fears the new American president may bring chaos upon the region. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;If Palestinian people lose hope of a two-state solution...And Israel is not willing to solve the problem and keep building settlements in Palestinian lands, it means there will be no hope for the people. And when people lose hope, anything can happen. Palestinian problem is the core issue of conflict in the Middle East and there is a danger of religious wars in the region. If Donald Trump supports Netanyahu&#39;s plans for a Jewish state, other islamic nations will support an Islamic state in Palestine. This will redirect the whole issue from political to a religious one and this can only result in a violent war, which will affect countries well beyond these two nations&quot;, he said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Of the two parties, Fatah and Hamas, both agree that there will be violence if the US takes this step. But the ruling party, Fatah has a different plan to take on the might of the US. 
&nbsp; 
A party member Amin Shooman says, &quot;In Syria after Russia entered, it ended the war in Aleppo and everything is good now. We hope what happened in Syria, happens in West Bank and Putin stands with the Palestinians and demands from Trump that he doesn&#39;t move the embassy to Jerusalem.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Russia has already been trying to bring the two Palestinian factions,&nbsp;Fatah in Ramallah and Hamas in Gaza Strip,&nbsp;together. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Fayez Warda, a Hamas leader who has been arrested several times both by the Israelis and Fatah, says, &ldquo;Our view of Russia is different from America. We look at Russia as a friend and they are holding reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
It is evident Russia is being seen as a formidable power in the region. After the Syrian success, the Palestinians want Russia to play a much bigger role in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Palestinian parties want Russia to take on Israel and the US on its behalf. Will Russia give in to the dream of regional hegemony or use this as leverage to crack a deal with the United States for economic purposes?&nbsp;

Trump called Netanyahu within days of taking power and even though he held on to the announcement of moving the embassy, soon after the phone call Israel restarted work on settlements in east Jerusalem.

(WION)

Donald Trump says he will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, making Hamas and Fatah very angry

By: Anchal Vohra Jerusalem is the heart of Israel and Palestine and it beats at the Temple Mount, as Jews call it, or Haram esh-sharif, as Muslims refer to it. A confluence of the three biggest monotheistic religions, this is where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Issac before God's last second intervention. Crusaders turned it into a church. The third-most revered site in Islam, it is here that Allah asked the prophet to look at Kaaba. Hence, jurisdiction over this edifice is a highly sensitive matter. East Jerusalem is the home of the Dome of the Rock. In possession of the Western part, Israel annexed the East from Jordan in and since then, to keep the peace, Jordan manages Al Aqsa mosque's affairs through a waqf board. But now, Donald Trump says he will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which in effect is America’s strongest acknowledgment of Jerusalem being Israel’s capital. To find out what the Palestinians are thinking, I travelled to Ramallah, barely a fifteen minute drive from Jerusalem, but an hour-long wait at the check point. A city within a city, the thick cement wall divides Israel from Palestine, and boards warn Israelis from entering the enemy territory. Inside, the wall is decorated with grafitti about the Palestinian movement and sketches of the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation leader, Yasser Arafat. Jerusalem doesn't belong to Israel, says Abel Taqz, a member of the Palestinian People's Party, which played a big role in the first Palestinian intifada. Taqz is furious at Donald Trump for wanting to shift the embassy. He says this would end the peace process and the two-nation solution would lose all meaning. His room is decorated with revolutionary posters. One of them depicts a tree with long roots. Taqz explains, "This shows our roots are deep." Taqz's intention is to let Trump know that Palestinians haven't forgotten their roots. The threat is a veiled concern. He fears the new American president may bring chaos upon the region. "If Palestinian people lose hope of a two-state solution...And Israel is not willing to solve the problem and keep building settlements in Palestinian lands, it means there will be no hope for the people. And when people lose hope, anything can happen. Palestinian problem is the core issue of conflict in the Middle East and there is a danger of religious wars in the region. If Donald Trump supports Netanyahu's plans for a Jewish state, other islamic nations will support an Islamic state in Palestine. This will redirect the whole issue from political to a religious one and this can only result in a violent war, which will affect countries well beyond these two nations", he said. Of the two parties, Fatah and Hamas, both agree that there will be violence if the US takes this step. But the ruling party, Fatah has a different plan to take on the might of the US. A party member Amin Shooman says, "In Syria after Russia entered, it ended the war in Aleppo and everything is good now. We hope what happened in Syria, happens in West Bank and Putin stands with the Palestinians and demands from Trump that he doesn't move the embassy to Jerusalem." Russia has already been trying to bring the two Palestinian factions, Fatah in Ramallah and Hamas in Gaza Strip, together. Fayez Warda, a Hamas leader who has been arrested several times both by the Israelis and Fatah, says, “Our view of Russia is different from America. We look at Russia as a friend and they are holding reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.” It is evident Russia is being seen as a formidable power in the region. After the Syrian success, the Palestinians want Russia to play a much bigger role in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Palestinian parties want Russia to take on Israel and the US on its behalf. Will Russia give in to the dream of regional hegemony or use this as leverage to crack a deal with the United States for economic purposes? Trump called Netanyahu within days of taking power and even though he held on to the announcement of moving the embassy, soon after the phone call Israel restarted work on settlements in east Jerusalem. (WION)

Ramallah warns of a religious war, rakes up Russia

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

Israel approved hundreds of new settler homes in east Jerusalem Sunday, hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to speak to US President Donald Trump for the first time since his inauguration.

But a potentially explosive plan to annex a large West Bank Jewish settlement near Jerusalem unilaterally was shelved until after Netanyahu and Trump meet face-to-face.

&quot;This evening there will be a telephone conversation between President Trump and myself,&quot; Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

&quot;There are many issues between us, including the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the situation in Syria and the Iranian threat.&quot;

The White House confirmed that such a call was scheduled, but did not give further details.

Trump has pledged strong support for Israel and vowed during his campaign to recognise Jerusalem as the country&#39;s capital despite the city&#39;s contested status.

Israeli right-wing politicians have welcomed his election, with hardliners who oppose a Palestinian state hoping it will allow them to move forward with their long-held goal of annexing most of the West Bank.

The United States is Israel&#39;s most important ally, providing it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid, but former president Barack Obama grew frustrated with Israeli settlement building.

He declined to veto a December 23 UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements. Trump had called for the resolution to be vetoed.

&#39;We can finally build&#39;

In an initial move following Trump&#39;s inauguration, Israeli officials on Sunday approved building permits for 566 settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem.

&quot;The rules of the game have changed with Donald Trump&#39;s arrival as president,&quot; Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Meir Turjeman told AFP.

&quot;We no longer have our hands tied as in the time of Barack Obama. Now we can finally build.&quot;

The Palestinian presidency condemned the move, calling it a violation of the UN resolution.

A draft bill to annex the Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank had been on the agenda for approval by a ministerial committee legislation on Sunday.

Such a move could badly damage prospects for a two-state solution.

But the inner circle of senior ministers known as the security cabinet blocked it for the time being, a member said.

&quot;What was decided was to wait for the meeting which will certainly take place within a few weeks,&quot; Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israeli public radio.

&quot;Then we shall have another (ministerial) debate on the matter,&quot; he said.

Annexing Maale Adumim unilaterally would set off alarm bells globally, with many warning that it would be another step towards dividing the occupied West Bank between north and south, making a contiguous Palestinian state difficult to achieve.

But for some Israeli ministers who oppose a Palestinian state, that is precisely the point.

&quot;We have to tell the American administration what we want and not wait for orders from the administration,&quot; Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked told Israel&#39;s army radio.

&#39;Block east Jerusalem&#39;&nbsp;

Maale Adumim, in a strategic location east of Jerusalem, has some 37,000 residents.

Some peace proposals have envisioned it becoming part of Israel in land swaps agreed with the Palestinians, but not unilaterally.

It was unclear whether the annexation proposal would apply to another key area called E1, located between the settlement and east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel views the entire city as its capital.

Settlements watchdog Ir Amim said &quot;the annexation of Maale Adumim and E1 will block east Jerusalem on its eastern side, swallow up its last development reserves and deepen the detachment from the West Bank.

&quot;Given Maale Adumim&#39;s critical location in the heart of the West Bank, the international community has for years been following with special concern all developments in this area, seen as a touchstone for the viability of a two-state solution.&quot;

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967, and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

Settlements in both the West Bank and east Jerusalem are viewed as illegal under international law.

Some 400,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, with another 200,000 in east Jerusalem. In comparison, around 2.9 million Palestinians live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

(AFP)

The approval hours before Prime Minister Netanyahu was to speak to US President Trump for the first time since his inauguration

Israel approved hundreds of new settler homes in east Jerusalem Sunday, hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to speak to US President Donald Trump for the first time since his inauguration. But a potentially explosive plan to annex a large West Bank Jewish settlement near Jerusalem unilaterally was shelved until after Netanyahu and Trump meet face-to-face. "This evening there will be a telephone conversation between President Trump and myself," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "There are many issues between us, including the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the situation in Syria and the Iranian threat." The White House confirmed that such a call was scheduled, but did not give further details. Trump has pledged strong support for Israel and vowed during his campaign to recognise Jerusalem as the country's capital despite the city's contested status. Israeli right-wing politicians have welcomed his election, with hardliners who oppose a Palestinian state hoping it will allow them to move forward with their long-held goal of annexing most of the West Bank. The United States is Israel's most important ally, providing it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid, but former president Barack Obama grew frustrated with Israeli settlement building. He declined to veto a December 23 UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements. Trump had called for the resolution to be vetoed. 'We can finally build' In an initial move following Trump's inauguration, Israeli officials on Sunday approved building permits for 566 settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem. "The rules of the game have changed with Donald Trump's arrival as president," Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Meir Turjeman told AFP. "We no longer have our hands tied as in the time of Barack Obama. Now we can finally build." The Palestinian presidency condemned the move, calling it a violation of the UN resolution. A draft bill to annex the Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank had been on the agenda for approval by a ministerial committee legislation on Sunday. Such a move could badly damage prospects for a two-state solution. But the inner circle of senior ministers known as the security cabinet blocked it for the time being, a member said. "What was decided was to wait for the meeting which will certainly take place within a few weeks," Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israeli public radio. "Then we shall have another (ministerial) debate on the matter," he said. Annexing Maale Adumim unilaterally would set off alarm bells globally, with many warning that it would be another step towards dividing the occupied West Bank between north and south, making a contiguous Palestinian state difficult to achieve. But for some Israeli ministers who oppose a Palestinian state, that is precisely the point. "We have to tell the American administration what we want and not wait for orders from the administration," Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked told Israel's army radio. 'Block east Jerusalem' Maale Adumim, in a strategic location east of Jerusalem, has some 37,000 residents. Some peace proposals have envisioned it becoming part of Israel in land swaps agreed with the Palestinians, but not unilaterally. It was unclear whether the annexation proposal would apply to another key area called E1, located between the settlement and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel views the entire city as its capital. Settlements watchdog Ir Amim said "the annexation of Maale Adumim and E1 will block east Jerusalem on its eastern side, swallow up its last development reserves and deepen the detachment from the West Bank. "Given Maale Adumim's critical location in the heart of the West Bank, the international community has for years been following with special concern all developments in this area, seen as a touchstone for the viability of a two-state solution." Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967, and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Settlements in both the West Bank and east Jerusalem are viewed as illegal under international law. Some 400,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, with another 200,000 in east Jerusalem. In comparison, around 2.9 million Palestinians live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. (AFP)

Israel approves hundreds of new settler homes in east Jerusalem

Some 70 countries reaffirmed on Sunday that only a two-state solution could resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warned against any unilateral steps by either side that could prejudge negotiations.

The final communique of a one-day international Middle East peace conference in Paris shied away from explicitly criticising plans by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to move the U.S Embassy to Jerusalem, although diplomats said the wording sent a &quot;subliminal&quot; message.

Trump has pledged to pursue more pro-Israeli policies and to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel&#39;s capital despite international objections.

Countries including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council were in Paris for the conference, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected as &quot;futile&quot;.

Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians were represented.

However, just five days before Trump is sworn in, the meeting was seen as a platform for countries to send a strong signal to the incoming American president that a two-state solution to the conflict could not be compromised on and that unilateral decisions could exacerbate tensions on the ground.

The participants &quot;call on each side ... to refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of negotiations on final-status issues, including, inter alia, on Jerusalem, borders, security, refugees and which they will not recognise,&quot; the final communique said.

A French diplomatic source said there had been tough negotiations on that paragraph.

&quot;It&#39;s a tortuous and complicated paragraph to pass a subliminal message to the Trump administration,&quot; the diplomat said.

REAFFIRMING RESOLUTION 2334

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters it would have been inappropriate to include the issue of moving the U.S. embassy, it being publicly debated in the United States.

Relations between the United States and Israel have soured during President Barack Obama&#39;s administration, reaching a low point late last month when Washington declined to veto U.N. resolution 2334 demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory.

Paris has said the meeting did not aim to impose anything on Israel or the Palestinians and that only direct negotiations could resolve the conflict.

The final draft did not go into any details other than reaffirming U.N. Security Council resolutions, including 2334. Diplomats said that had been a source of friction in talks.

&quot;When some are questioning this, it&#39;s vital for us to recall the framework of negotiations. That framework is the 1967 borders and the main resolutions of the United Nations,&quot; French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters.

Kerry, who abandoned his efforts to broker peace talks in April 2014, told reporters that the meeting had &quot;moved the ball forward.&quot;

&quot;It underscores this is not just one administration&#39;s point of view, this is shared by the international community broadly,&quot; he said.

France, home to Europe&#39;s largest Muslim and Jewish communities, has tried to breathe new life into the peace process over the past year and argued that it should not play second fiddle to the war in Syria and the fight against Islamic State militants.

FOLLOW-UP MEETING?

The final statement said interested parties would meet again before year-end.

But Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday that &quot;this conference is among the last twitches of the world of yesterday ... Tomorrow will look different and that tomorrow is very close.&quot;

Britain added its criticism on Sunday. A Foreign Office statement said the Paris conference risked &quot;hardening positions&quot; given Israel had objected to it and that the U.S. administration is about to change.

Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a sharp rebuke on Israel last month to its U.S. ally when she scolded Secretary of State John Kerry for describing the Israeli government as the most right-wing in Israeli history. The criticism aligned her more closely with Trump.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who said on Saturday that moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem would kill off the peace process, said the Paris meeting would help at stopping &quot;settlement activities and destroying the two-state solution through dictations and the use of force.&quot;

(Reuters)

The some 70 countries at the Paris Peace Conference reaffirmed that only a two-state solution could resolve the conflict

Some 70 countries reaffirmed on Sunday that only a two-state solution could resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warned against any unilateral steps by either side that could prejudge negotiations. The final communique of a one-day international Middle East peace conference in Paris shied away from explicitly criticising plans by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to move the U.S Embassy to Jerusalem, although diplomats said the wording sent a "subliminal" message. Trump has pledged to pursue more pro-Israeli policies and to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel's capital despite international objections. Countries including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council were in Paris for the conference, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected as "futile". Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians were represented. However, just five days before Trump is sworn in, the meeting was seen as a platform for countries to send a strong signal to the incoming American president that a two-state solution to the conflict could not be compromised on and that unilateral decisions could exacerbate tensions on the ground. The participants "call on each side ... to refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of negotiations on final-status issues, including, inter alia, on Jerusalem, borders, security, refugees and which they will not recognise," the final communique said. A French diplomatic source said there had been tough negotiations on that paragraph. "It's a tortuous and complicated paragraph to pass a subliminal message to the Trump administration," the diplomat said. REAFFIRMING RESOLUTION 2334 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters it would have been inappropriate to include the issue of moving the U.S. embassy, it being publicly debated in the United States. Relations between the United States and Israel have soured during President Barack Obama's administration, reaching a low point late last month when Washington declined to veto U.N. resolution 2334 demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory. Paris has said the meeting did not aim to impose anything on Israel or the Palestinians and that only direct negotiations could resolve the conflict. The final draft did not go into any details other than reaffirming U.N. Security Council resolutions, including 2334. Diplomats said that had been a source of friction in talks. "When some are questioning this, it's vital for us to recall the framework of negotiations. That framework is the 1967 borders and the main resolutions of the United Nations," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters. Kerry, who abandoned his efforts to broker peace talks in April 2014, told reporters that the meeting had "moved the ball forward." "It underscores this is not just one administration's point of view, this is shared by the international community broadly," he said. France, home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities, has tried to breathe new life into the peace process over the past year and argued that it should not play second fiddle to the war in Syria and the fight against Islamic State militants. FOLLOW-UP MEETING? The final statement said interested parties would meet again before year-end. But Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday that "this conference is among the last twitches of the world of yesterday ... Tomorrow will look different and that tomorrow is very close." Britain added its criticism on Sunday. A Foreign Office statement said the Paris conference risked "hardening positions" given Israel had objected to it and that the U.S. administration is about to change. Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a sharp rebuke on Israel last month to its U.S. ally when she scolded Secretary of State John Kerry for describing the Israeli government as the most right-wing in Israeli history. The criticism aligned her more closely with Trump. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who said on Saturday that moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem would kill off the peace process, said the Paris meeting would help at stopping "settlement activities and destroying the two-state solution through dictations and the use of force." (Reuters)

Israel, Palestine warned against solo steps harmful to peace

Major powers will signal to US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday that a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is the only solution, with&nbsp;France&nbsp;warning him that plans to move the US&nbsp;Embassy to Jerusalem could derail peace efforts.

Some 70 countries, including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the UN&nbsp;Security Council, are in Paris for a meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected as &quot;futile&quot;. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will be represented.

But, just five days before Trump is sworn in, the conference provides a platform for countries to send a strong signal to the incoming American president.

Trump has pledged to pursue more pro-Israeli policies and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been for 68 years, to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel&#39;s capital despite international objections.

Calling it a provocation,&nbsp;France&#39;s Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the move would have serious consequences on the ground.

&quot;One cannot have such a clear-cut, unilateral position. You have to create the conditions for peace,&quot; he told&nbsp;France&nbsp;3 television.

Paris has said the meeting will not impose anything on Israel or the Palestinians and that only direct negotiations can resolve the conflict.

A draft communique seen by Reuters reaffirms existing international resolutions, urges both sides to restate their commitment to the two-state solution and disavow officials who reject it. The communique asks the protagonists to &quot;refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations&quot;.

Low point

Diplomats said the communique could be toughened up with an allusion to Trump&#39;s plans for Jerusalem and whether to have a follow-up to the French initiative intensely debated.

&quot;This conference is among the last twitches of the world of yesterday,&quot; Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday. &quot;Tomorrow will look different and that tomorrow is very close.&quot;

Relations between the United States and Israel have soured during President Barack Obama&#39;s administration, reaching a low point late last month when Washington declined to veto a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory.

Obama&#39;s secretary of state, John Kerry, said the settlement programme threatened Middle East peace and the two-state solution.

Palestinian President Authority Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he had told Trump that a move to Jerusalem would kill off the peace process and strip the U.S. of its role as honest broker - and could lead to the Palestinians going back on their recognition of Israel.

Home to Europe&#39;s largest Muslim and Jewish communities,&nbsp;France&nbsp;has tried to breathe new life into the peace process over the past year. It believes that, with the uncertainty surrounding how the next U.S. administration will handle the issue, it is important to push the sides back to talks rather than allowing a fragile status quo to fester.

But with elections coming up this year in&nbsp;France&nbsp;and Germany, and Britain appearing to align itself more closely with the Trump administration on the issue, the prospects of the European Union, the largest economic partner for both Israel and the Palestinians, taking a lead on the matter appear unlikely.

Arab states also have concerns about how Trump&#39;s relationship with them will turn out, and have taken a cautious line. 
 
(Reuters)

They will add, at the Paris Peace Conference, that a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians is the only way forward

Major powers will signal to US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday that a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is the only solution, with France warning him that plans to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem could derail peace efforts. Some 70 countries, including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the UN Security Council, are in Paris for a meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected as "futile". Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will be represented. But, just five days before Trump is sworn in, the conference provides a platform for countries to send a strong signal to the incoming American president. Trump has pledged to pursue more pro-Israeli policies and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been for 68 years, to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel's capital despite international objections. Calling it a provocation, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the move would have serious consequences on the ground. "One cannot have such a clear-cut, unilateral position. You have to create the conditions for peace," he told France 3 television. Paris has said the meeting will not impose anything on Israel or the Palestinians and that only direct negotiations can resolve the conflict. A draft communique seen by Reuters reaffirms existing international resolutions, urges both sides to restate their commitment to the two-state solution and disavow officials who reject it. The communique asks the protagonists to "refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations". Low point Diplomats said the communique could be toughened up with an allusion to Trump's plans for Jerusalem and whether to have a follow-up to the French initiative intensely debated. "This conference is among the last twitches of the world of yesterday," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "Tomorrow will look different and that tomorrow is very close." Relations between the United States and Israel have soured during President Barack Obama's administration, reaching a low point late last month when Washington declined to veto a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory. Obama's secretary of state, John Kerry, said the settlement programme threatened Middle East peace and the two-state solution. Palestinian President Authority Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he had told Trump that a move to Jerusalem would kill off the peace process and strip the U.S. of its role as honest broker - and could lead to the Palestinians going back on their recognition of Israel. Home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities, France has tried to breathe new life into the peace process over the past year. It believes that, with the uncertainty surrounding how the next U.S. administration will handle the issue, it is important to push the sides back to talks rather than allowing a fragile status quo to fester. But with elections coming up this year in France and Germany, and Britain appearing to align itself more closely with the Trump administration on the issue, the prospects of the European Union, the largest economic partner for both Israel and the Palestinians, taking a lead on the matter appear unlikely. Arab states also have concerns about how Trump's relationship with them will turn out, and have taken a cautious line. (Reuters)

World leaders to warn Trump against moving US embassy to Jerusalem

Four people were killed after a Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on a popular tourist promenade in Jerusalem on Sunday.

The Palestinian driver was shot dead at the location, police said.

According to Reuters, police said that the dead included three women and one man. They did not identify the victims further. A medic at the scene, however, said that they were soldiers. Soldiers&#39; deaths are announced in Israel only after families are notified, Reuters said.

The soldiers were attacked when they were disembarking off a bus.

&quot;A lone terrorist drove his truck into a group of soldiers standing on the side of the road,&quot; police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters at the scene, reported AFP.

&quot;They got off the bus, and as they were getting off the bus and getting organised, he took advantage.&quot;

&quot;It is a terrorist attack, a ramming attack,&quot; a police spokeswoman said.

Roni Alsheich, the national police chief, told reporters that the attack could have been inspired by the truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12 people last month.

&quot;It is certainly possible to be influenced by watching TV but it is difficult to get into the head of every individual to determine what prompted him, but there is no doubt that these things do have an effect,&quot; Alsheich told reporters.

Video footage showed the truck driving through the soldiers. The driver then reversed back and ran over them again before the trcu eventually came to a stop.

&quot;In a split second I looked to my left and saw what I can only describe as a speeding truck which sent me flying,&quot; a security guard, who was identified only as &quot;A&quot; told Channel 10.

&quot;It was a miracle that my pistol stayed on me. I shot at a tyre but realised there was no point as he has many wheels, so I ran in front of the cabin and at an angle I shot at him and emptied my magazine. When I finished shooting, some of the officer cadets also took aim and also started firing.&quot;

&quot;I heard my soldiers screaming and shouting,&quot; said one of the tour guides, Lea Schreiber.&nbsp;

&quot;I saw a truck that went on the side of the road. Soldiers starting shooting... There were orders and screaming everywhere. They told them to hide behind the wall because there was fear of another attack.&quot;

At least 37 Israeli&#39;s and two visiting Americans have been killed over the past 15 months in Palestinian street assaults.

Since October 2015, 247 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in a wave of violence, according to an AFP count.

Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, comatose peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause.

(With inputs from Agencies)

The police did not identify the dead but a medic at the scene said that they were soldiers

Four people were killed after a Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on a popular tourist promenade in Jerusalem on Sunday. The Palestinian driver was shot dead at the location, police said. According to Reuters, police said that the dead included three women and one man. They did not identify the victims further. A medic at the scene, however, said that they were soldiers. Soldiers' deaths are announced in Israel only after families are notified, Reuters said. The soldiers were attacked when they were disembarking off a bus. "A lone terrorist drove his truck into a group of soldiers standing on the side of the road," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters at the scene, reported AFP. "They got off the bus, and as they were getting off the bus and getting organised, he took advantage." "It is a terrorist attack, a ramming attack," a police spokeswoman said. Roni Alsheich, the national police chief, told reporters that the attack could have been inspired by the truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12 people last month. "It is certainly possible to be influenced by watching TV but it is difficult to get into the head of every individual to determine what prompted him, but there is no doubt that these things do have an effect," Alsheich told reporters. Video footage showed the truck driving through the soldiers. The driver then reversed back and ran over them again before the trcu eventually came to a stop. "In a split second I looked to my left and saw what I can only describe as a speeding truck which sent me flying," a security guard, who was identified only as "A" told Channel 10. "It was a miracle that my pistol stayed on me. I shot at a tyre but realised there was no point as he has many wheels, so I ran in front of the cabin and at an angle I shot at him and emptied my magazine. When I finished shooting, some of the officer cadets also took aim and also started firing." "I heard my soldiers screaming and shouting," said one of the tour guides, Lea Schreiber. "I saw a truck that went on the side of the road. Soldiers starting shooting... There were orders and screaming everywhere. They told them to hide behind the wall because there was fear of another attack." At least 37 Israeli's and two visiting Americans have been killed over the past 15 months in Palestinian street assaults. Since October 2015, 247 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed in a wave of violence, according to an AFP count. Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, comatose peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest. Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause. (With inputs from Agencies)

Jerusalem attack: 4 dead after truck rams into soldiers, driver shot

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a pardon for a soldier convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian attacker as he lay on the ground.

Elor Azaria, whose military trial since May has deeply divided Israel, was convicted on Wednesday, with right-wing politicians defending him despite top army brass condemning his actions.

He now faces up to 20 years in prison.

Reacting to the conviction, Netanyahu called for the 20-year-old French-Israeli sergeant to be pardoned.

&quot;This has been a hard and painful day for us all -- first and foremost for Elor and his family,&quot; Netanyahu wrote on Facebook.

&quot;I support giving a pardon to Elor Azaria.&quot;

Netanyahu made waves before the trial even began by calling Azaria&#39;s father to express his sympathy.

President Reuven Rivlin&#39;s office had earlier said any talk of a pardon was premature and that an application could only be made after the judicial process had run its course.

No date has yet been announced for sentencing, and Azaria could then appeal.

Judge Colonel Maya Heller spent more than two and a half hours reading out the court decision, criticising the arguments of Azaria&#39;s lawyers.

On behalf of the three-judge panel, Heller said there was no reason for Azaria to open fire since the Palestinian was posing no threat.

She called his testimony &quot;evolving and evasive&quot;.

&quot;His motive for shooting was that he felt the terrorist deserved to die,&quot; she said.

Azaria had entered the courtroom smiling, applauded by family and supporters.

But he looked shaken as the judge spoke, and after the verdict his mother yelled: &quot;You should be ashamed of yourselves.&quot;

Protests and scuffles

Outside Israel&#39;s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where the court announced the verdict, dozens of Azaria supporters scuffled with police.

Shabtay Oz, a retired policeman carrying a large Israeli flag, said he never imagined himself joining a demonstration.

&quot;But when I saw a soldier in cuffs after he shot a terrorist... that was the point of no return.&quot;

Right-wing leaders have called for him to be pardoned in an extraordinary public rift between politicians and the military.

Before he became defence minister in May, Avigdor Lieberman was among Azaria&#39;s supporters.

He has since backed away from his earlier stance, saying after the verdict that while he disagreed with the decision, it must be respected.

The March 24 shooting in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was caught on video and spread widely online.

It showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, lying on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after stabbing and wounding a soldier, according to the army.

Azaria then shoots him again in the head without any apparent provocation.

His lawyers argued the soldier may have thought the Palestinian was wearing explosives, but others said he had already been checked for a suicide belt and no one in the video appears to be acting cautiously.

The Palestinian&#39;s father told reporters in Hebron after the verdict that Azaria should be sentenced to life.

&quot;For me, a just verdict will be one that is similar to the verdicts our sons (in Israeli prisons) get,&quot; Yusri al-Sharif said.

Polarised public

The video was filmed by a Palestinian volunteer for Israeli rights group B&#39;Tselem.

&quot;The fact that one soldier was convicted today does not exonerate the Israeli military law enforcement system from its routine whitewashing of cases in which security forces kill or injure Palestinians with no accountability,&quot; B&#39;Tselem said after the verdict.

The case had been portrayed by some as a test of whether Israel&#39;s military could prosecute one of its own, though many Palestinians argued Azaria was only put on trial because of the video.

The military has said it began investigating before the video&#39;s release.

The last time an Israeli soldier was convicted of manslaughter was in 2005, Israeli media reported.

The shooting came against the backdrop of a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that erupted in October 2015.

Most of the attacks were by lone-wolf assailants, many of them young people. Israel&#39;s military has said it believes a significant number of them were essentially on suicide missions.

The violence has subsided in recent months.

(AFP)

Elor Azaria was convicted for manslaughter for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian attacker as he lay on the ground

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a pardon for a soldier convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian attacker as he lay on the ground. Elor Azaria, whose military trial since May has deeply divided Israel, was convicted on Wednesday, with right-wing politicians defending him despite top army brass condemning his actions. He now faces up to 20 years in prison. Reacting to the conviction, Netanyahu called for the 20-year-old French-Israeli sergeant to be pardoned. "This has been a hard and painful day for us all -- first and foremost for Elor and his family," Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. "I support giving a pardon to Elor Azaria." Netanyahu made waves before the trial even began by calling Azaria's father to express his sympathy. President Reuven Rivlin's office had earlier said any talk of a pardon was premature and that an application could only be made after the judicial process had run its course. No date has yet been announced for sentencing, and Azaria could then appeal. Judge Colonel Maya Heller spent more than two and a half hours reading out the court decision, criticising the arguments of Azaria's lawyers. On behalf of the three-judge panel, Heller said there was no reason for Azaria to open fire since the Palestinian was posing no threat. She called his testimony "evolving and evasive". "His motive for shooting was that he felt the terrorist deserved to die," she said. Azaria had entered the courtroom smiling, applauded by family and supporters. But he looked shaken as the judge spoke, and after the verdict his mother yelled: "You should be ashamed of yourselves." Protests and scuffles Outside Israel's military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where the court announced the verdict, dozens of Azaria supporters scuffled with police. Shabtay Oz, a retired policeman carrying a large Israeli flag, said he never imagined himself joining a demonstration. "But when I saw a soldier in cuffs after he shot a terrorist... that was the point of no return." Right-wing leaders have called for him to be pardoned in an extraordinary public rift between politicians and the military. Before he became defence minister in May, Avigdor Lieberman was among Azaria's supporters. He has since backed away from his earlier stance, saying after the verdict that while he disagreed with the decision, it must be respected. The March 24 shooting in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was caught on video and spread widely online. It showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, lying on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after stabbing and wounding a soldier, according to the army. Azaria then shoots him again in the head without any apparent provocation. His lawyers argued the soldier may have thought the Palestinian was wearing explosives, but others said he had already been checked for a suicide belt and no one in the video appears to be acting cautiously. The Palestinian's father told reporters in Hebron after the verdict that Azaria should be sentenced to life. "For me, a just verdict will be one that is similar to the verdicts our sons (in Israeli prisons) get," Yusri al-Sharif said. Polarised public The video was filmed by a Palestinian volunteer for Israeli rights group B'Tselem. "The fact that one soldier was convicted today does not exonerate the Israeli military law enforcement system from its routine whitewashing of cases in which security forces kill or injure Palestinians with no accountability," B'Tselem said after the verdict. The case had been portrayed by some as a test of whether Israel's military could prosecute one of its own, though many Palestinians argued Azaria was only put on trial because of the video. The military has said it began investigating before the video's release. The last time an Israeli soldier was convicted of manslaughter was in 2005, Israeli media reported. The shooting came against the backdrop of a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that erupted in October 2015. Most of the attacks were by lone-wolf assailants, many of them young people. Israel's military has said it believes a significant number of them were essentially on suicide missions. The violence has subsided in recent months. (AFP)

Israel: Netanyahu urges pardon for soldier who killed Palestinian

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

The police investigators have begun questioning the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over suspicions that he received gifts from businessmen, Reuters reported.

The decision came after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit conducted a prelimnary enquiry and was satisfied that there was enough evidence to question the prime minister.

Israeli newspaper <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.762629">Haaretz </a>reported that the police had deposed several witnesses in the case including Jewish American businessman Ron Lauder who is considered close to Netanyahu.

Israeli media said the questioning which started on Monday evening was expected to last several hours, reported Reuters.&nbsp;

Netanyahu asked his oppnents to &quot;wait with the celebrations, don&#39;t rush. I&#39;ve said it before and I&#39;ll say it once again: there will be nothing because there is nothing&quot;. 
&nbsp; 
Channel 2, a commercial network, said the investigation was one of two cases now open against the prime minister, although it said details of the second remained unclear, a report in the news agency Reuters stated.

Netanyahu is not the first prime minister to be questioned in a criminal case.&nbsp;

Ehud Olmert is currently serving a&nbsp;prison sentence on charges of breach of trust and bribery. Aerial Sharon was also questioned over allegations of bribery and corruption.&nbsp;

Netanyahu will become Israel&#39;s longest serving leader if he stays in office until the end of next year.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Netanyahu is suspected of receiving gifts from businessmen

The police investigators have begun questioning the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over suspicions that he received gifts from businessmen, Reuters reported. The decision came after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit conducted a prelimnary enquiry and was satisfied that there was enough evidence to question the prime minister. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the police had deposed several witnesses in the case including Jewish American businessman Ron Lauder who is considered close to Netanyahu. Israeli media said the questioning which started on Monday evening was expected to last several hours, reported Reuters. Netanyahu asked his oppnents to "wait with the celebrations, don't rush. I've said it before and I'll say it once again: there will be nothing because there is nothing". Channel 2, a commercial network, said the investigation was one of two cases now open against the prime minister, although it said details of the second remained unclear, a report in the news agency Reuters stated. Netanyahu is not the first prime minister to be questioned in a criminal case. Ehud Olmert is currently serving a prison sentence on charges of breach of trust and bribery. Aerial Sharon was also questioned over allegations of bribery and corruption. Netanyahu will become Israel's longest serving leader if he stays in office until the end of next year. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu questioned in graft probe

Israel could advance plans this week for thousands more settlement homes in annexed east Jerusalem in defiance of a landmark UN resolution demanding an end to such activity.

It would mark the first such approvals since Friday&#39;s UN Security Council vote demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory.

The resolution, which was passed after the United States took the rare move of abstaining, infuriated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who lashed out at President Barack Obama and vowed not to abide by it.

On Wednesday, a Jerusalem planning committee is to discuss issuing building permits for 618 housing units in the mainly Palestinian eastern sector of the city, according to the Ir Amim NGO, which monitors settlement building.

Jerusalem deputy mayor Meir Turjeman, who also heads the committee, has reportedly also spoken of seeking to advance plans for some 5,600 other units at earlier stages in the process.

On Tuesday he told AFP there were no plans to call off discussions in response to the UN vote. The hundreds of building permits were on the agenda before the resolution was passed.

&quot;We&#39;ll discuss everything that&#39;s on the table in a serious manner,&quot; he said.

And on his Facebook page Turjeman wrote: &quot;I&#39;m not concerned by the UN or anything else trying to dictate our actions in Jerusalem.

&quot;I hope the government and new US administration will give us the momentum to continue and make up for the shortage created over the eight years of the Obama administration,&quot; he said of settlement construction.

&nbsp;

Diplomatic reprisals&nbsp;

Israel has already taken diplomatic steps in response to what it calls the &quot;shameful&quot; resolution, which passed with support from all the remaining members of the 15-strong Security Council.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministry said it was &quot;temporarily reducing&quot; visits and work with embassies of nations that voted for it.

On Christmas Day it summoned ambassadors of countries that voted for the resolution while Netanyahu met US ambassador Daniel Shapiro on Sunday.

Security Council members such as Russia, China and Britain are the key to Israeli diplomacy or trade and some analysts suggested the measures being taken were more symbolic than substantive.

Washington is Israel&#39;s most important ally and provides it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid.&nbsp;

By declining to use its veto, the US enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

Obama&#39;s administration has been frustrated with settlement building in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967.

Israel later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

Settlements are built on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state and seen as illegal under international law.

Some 430,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as the capital of their future state.

&nbsp;

New &#39;Dreyfus trial&#39;?&nbsp;

The UN resolution demands &quot;Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem&quot;.

It says settlements have &quot;no legal validity&quot; and are &quot;dangerously imperilling the viability of the two-state solution&quot; to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the basis of years of negotiations.

The resolution contains no sanctions but Israeli officials are concerned it could widen the possibility of prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

They are also worried it could encourage some countries to impose sanctions against Israeli settlers and goods produced in the settlements.

Plans by France to hold an international Middle East peace conference on January 15 -- opposed by Israel which has called for direct talks with the Palestinians -- is another point of concern.

Officials fear the conference could be lead to further action against Israel that would then be taken to the Security Council for approval before Donald Trump takes over as US president on January 20.

Palestinian leaders support the conference, saying years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Monday said the UN resolution &quot;paves the way for the success&quot; of the conference. He said he hopes it &quot;comes out with an international mechanism and a timeline to end Israeli occupation of our country&quot;.

Israeli hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman dubbed the conference a new &quot;Dreyfus trial&quot; and urged French Jews to move to Israel.

(AFP)

The UN resolution demands Israel cease all settlement activities 'in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem'

Israel could advance plans this week for thousands more settlement homes in annexed east Jerusalem in defiance of a landmark UN resolution demanding an end to such activity. It would mark the first such approvals since Friday's UN Security Council vote demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory. The resolution, which was passed after the United States took the rare move of abstaining, infuriated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who lashed out at President Barack Obama and vowed not to abide by it. On Wednesday, a Jerusalem planning committee is to discuss issuing building permits for 618 housing units in the mainly Palestinian eastern sector of the city, according to the Ir Amim NGO, which monitors settlement building. Jerusalem deputy mayor Meir Turjeman, who also heads the committee, has reportedly also spoken of seeking to advance plans for some 5,600 other units at earlier stages in the process. On Tuesday he told AFP there were no plans to call off discussions in response to the UN vote. The hundreds of building permits were on the agenda before the resolution was passed. "We'll discuss everything that's on the table in a serious manner," he said. And on his Facebook page Turjeman wrote: "I'm not concerned by the UN or anything else trying to dictate our actions in Jerusalem. "I hope the government and new US administration will give us the momentum to continue and make up for the shortage created over the eight years of the Obama administration," he said of settlement construction. Diplomatic reprisals Israel has already taken diplomatic steps in response to what it calls the "shameful" resolution, which passed with support from all the remaining members of the 15-strong Security Council. On Tuesday, the foreign ministry said it was "temporarily reducing" visits and work with embassies of nations that voted for it. On Christmas Day it summoned ambassadors of countries that voted for the resolution while Netanyahu met US ambassador Daniel Shapiro on Sunday. Security Council members such as Russia, China and Britain are the key to Israeli diplomacy or trade and some analysts suggested the measures being taken were more symbolic than substantive. Washington is Israel's most important ally and provides it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid. By declining to use its veto, the US enabled the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy. Obama's administration has been frustrated with settlement building in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967. Israel later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Settlements are built on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state and seen as illegal under international law. Some 430,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as the capital of their future state. New 'Dreyfus trial'? The UN resolution demands "Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem". It says settlements have "no legal validity" and are "dangerously imperilling the viability of the two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the basis of years of negotiations. The resolution contains no sanctions but Israeli officials are concerned it could widen the possibility of prosecution at the International Criminal Court. They are also worried it could encourage some countries to impose sanctions against Israeli settlers and goods produced in the settlements. Plans by France to hold an international Middle East peace conference on January 15 -- opposed by Israel which has called for direct talks with the Palestinians -- is another point of concern. Officials fear the conference could be lead to further action against Israel that would then be taken to the Security Council for approval before Donald Trump takes over as US president on January 20. Palestinian leaders support the conference, saying years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Monday said the UN resolution "paves the way for the success" of the conference. He said he hopes it "comes out with an international mechanism and a timeline to end Israeli occupation of our country". Israeli hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman dubbed the conference a new "Dreyfus trial" and urged French Jews to move to Israel. (AFP)

Israel may push for more East Jerusalem settlement homes despite UN resolution

Israeli ministers have approved a bill that would allow a court to order sites such as Facebook and YouTube to remove material found to be &quot;incitement&quot;, which they say contributes to Palestinian violence.

A panel of ministers approved the legislation yesterday and it will now be taken up by the country&#39;s parliament.

Government watchdogs have expressed concern such a law could be abused and harm free speech.

The legislation, known as the &quot;Facebook bill&quot; in Israel, would allow the government to petition a court to have online material it considers incitement removed.

It would be removed in cases where it poses &quot;a real risk to the security of a person, the public or the state,&quot; Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said in a statement.

Israel has previously held discussions with Facebook officials to stop what it calls online incitement. In September, Shaked said that the social network giant had removed 95 per cent of the posts Israel had referred to it.

Shaked said Sunday that in 2016, 71 per cent of the 1,755 requests Israel filed to internet companies requesting they remove content were fully complied with. She noted the ongoing collaboration with the internet companies, but stressed that it was &quot;important this cooperation will be obligatory&quot;.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who also pushed for the bill, accused Facebook and other internet companies of not removing &quot;inciting content&quot; every time police ask them, or not doing so swiftly enough &quot;despite the fact that incitement leads to terror&quot;.

&quot;The new law is essential in order to give us the tools to immediately act to remove content that could lead to acts of terror and murder,&quot; Erdan said on Sunday.

But the possibility for error was seen in September, when Facebook apologised after temporarily disabling accounts linked to two Palestinian news sites critical of Israel. The move drew concern over the potential for online censorship.

The Israel Democracy Institute think-tank said the bill was &quot;unprecedented&quot; in its current form when compared to similar legislation in other countries. It said it would be difficult to enforce and would &quot;facilitate a disproportionate amount of censorship&quot;.

&quot;The Facebook bill needs to be substantially revised so as to create a series of tools that can effectively cope with the serious problem of incitement on the internet,&quot; the institute&#39;s Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler said in a position paper to the ministers.

Palestinians say they fear the Israeli campaign will lead to censorship of legitimate information and suspect the closures in September were linked to it.

(AFP)

The 'Facebook bill' would allow Israel to ask a court to remove online material that poses a real security risk. Critics say it's censorship

Israeli ministers have approved a bill that would allow a court to order sites such as Facebook and YouTube to remove material found to be "incitement", which they say contributes to Palestinian violence. A panel of ministers approved the legislation yesterday and it will now be taken up by the country's parliament. Government watchdogs have expressed concern such a law could be abused and harm free speech. The legislation, known as the "Facebook bill" in Israel, would allow the government to petition a court to have online material it considers incitement removed. It would be removed in cases where it poses "a real risk to the security of a person, the public or the state," Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said in a statement. Israel has previously held discussions with Facebook officials to stop what it calls online incitement. In September, Shaked said that the social network giant had removed 95 per cent of the posts Israel had referred to it. Shaked said Sunday that in 2016, 71 per cent of the 1,755 requests Israel filed to internet companies requesting they remove content were fully complied with. She noted the ongoing collaboration with the internet companies, but stressed that it was "important this cooperation will be obligatory". Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who also pushed for the bill, accused Facebook and other internet companies of not removing "inciting content" every time police ask them, or not doing so swiftly enough "despite the fact that incitement leads to terror". "The new law is essential in order to give us the tools to immediately act to remove content that could lead to acts of terror and murder," Erdan said on Sunday. But the possibility for error was seen in September, when Facebook apologised after temporarily disabling accounts linked to two Palestinian news sites critical of Israel. The move drew concern over the potential for online censorship. The Israel Democracy Institute think-tank said the bill was "unprecedented" in its current form when compared to similar legislation in other countries. It said it would be difficult to enforce and would "facilitate a disproportionate amount of censorship". "The Facebook bill needs to be substantially revised so as to create a series of tools that can effectively cope with the serious problem of incitement on the internet," the institute's Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler said in a position paper to the ministers. Palestinians say they fear the Israeli campaign will lead to censorship of legitimate information and suspect the closures in September were linked to it. (AFP)

Israel ministers approves bill to remove online 'incitement'

Israel lashed out at US President Barack Obama over a UN Security Council resolution passed Friday demanding it halt settlements in Palestinian territory, while vowing it would not abide by it.

&quot;Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms,&quot; a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s office said.

&quot;The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the scenes,&quot; it said.

&quot;Israel looks forward to working with President-elect (Donald) Trump and with all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution.&quot;

Israel also announced diplomatic retaliatory steps against Senegal and New Zealand, two of the four countries that pushed for a vote on the resolution. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with the other two, Malaysia and Venezuela.

In a rare and momentous step, the United States abstained from Friday&#39;s vote, enabling the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.

The text was passed with support from all remaining members of the 15-member council.

The landmark move by the Security Council came despite intense lobbying efforts by Israel and Trump to block the resolution.

But the Obama administration has grown increasingly frustrated with settlement building in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied for nearly 50 years.

There have been growing warnings that settlement building is fast eroding the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the basis of years of negotiations.

Settlements are constructed on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state and have long been seen as illegal under international law.

The United States has traditionally served as Israel&#39;s diplomatic protector, shielding it from resolutions it opposes.

It is Israel&#39;s most important ally and provides it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid.

But there had been mounting speculation that Obama would allow such a resolution to pass before he leaves office on January 20.

Trump has signalled he is likely to be far more favourable to Israel.&nbsp;

His nominee for ambassador to the country, David Friedman, favours moving the embassy to Jerusalem and has voiced support for settlement building.

Harsh words for Obama

Obama and Netanyahu have had testy relations, but Israel&#39;s statement after the vote was particularly harsh toward the US administration, as were comments earlier in the day from an anonymous Israeli official.

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli official said that Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry were &quot;behind this shameful move against Israel at the UN&quot;.

After the vote, Netanyahu ordered Israel&#39;s ambassadors in New Zealand and Senegal to return for consultations, a statement from his spokesman said.

Israel also called off a planned visit by the Senegalese foreign minister in three weeks, while all aid programmes to Senegal were cancelled.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called the resolution a &quot;big blow for Israeli policies.&quot;

The move was &quot;an international and unanimous condemnation of settlements and strong support for the two-state solution,&quot; Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.

Saeb Erekat, a former peace negotiator and the number two in the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), spoke of a &quot;historic day&quot;.

&quot;December 23 is a historic day and a victory for international legitimacy, international law and international documents,&quot; said Erekat.

The resolution demands that &quot;Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem.&quot;

It states that Israeli settlements have &quot;no legal validity&quot; and are &quot;dangerously imperilling the viability of the two-state solution&quot; that would see an independent Palestine co-exist alongside Israel.

Some 430,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the occupied West Bank and another 200,000 in annexed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians see as the capital of their future state.

(AFP)

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Obama administration failed to protect Israel

Israel lashed out at US President Barack Obama over a UN Security Council resolution passed Friday demanding it halt settlements in Palestinian territory, while vowing it would not abide by it. "Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms," a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. "The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the scenes," it said. "Israel looks forward to working with President-elect (Donald) Trump and with all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution." Israel also announced diplomatic retaliatory steps against Senegal and New Zealand, two of the four countries that pushed for a vote on the resolution. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with the other two, Malaysia and Venezuela. In a rare and momentous step, the United States abstained from Friday's vote, enabling the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy. The text was passed with support from all remaining members of the 15-member council. The landmark move by the Security Council came despite intense lobbying efforts by Israel and Trump to block the resolution. But the Obama administration has grown increasingly frustrated with settlement building in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied for nearly 50 years. There have been growing warnings that settlement building is fast eroding the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the basis of years of negotiations. Settlements are constructed on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state and have long been seen as illegal under international law. The United States has traditionally served as Israel's diplomatic protector, shielding it from resolutions it opposes. It is Israel's most important ally and provides it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid. But there had been mounting speculation that Obama would allow such a resolution to pass before he leaves office on January 20. Trump has signalled he is likely to be far more favourable to Israel. His nominee for ambassador to the country, David Friedman, favours moving the embassy to Jerusalem and has voiced support for settlement building. Harsh words for Obama Obama and Netanyahu have had testy relations, but Israel's statement after the vote was particularly harsh toward the US administration, as were comments earlier in the day from an anonymous Israeli official. Earlier on Friday, the Israeli official said that Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry were "behind this shameful move against Israel at the UN". After the vote, Netanyahu ordered Israel's ambassadors in New Zealand and Senegal to return for consultations, a statement from his spokesman said. Israel also called off a planned visit by the Senegalese foreign minister in three weeks, while all aid programmes to Senegal were cancelled. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called the resolution a "big blow for Israeli policies." The move was "an international and unanimous condemnation of settlements and strong support for the two-state solution," Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. Saeb Erekat, a former peace negotiator and the number two in the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), spoke of a "historic day". "December 23 is a historic day and a victory for international legitimacy, international law and international documents," said Erekat. The resolution demands that "Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem." It states that Israeli settlements have "no legal validity" and are "dangerously imperilling the viability of the two-state solution" that would see an independent Palestine co-exist alongside Israel. Some 430,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the occupied West Bank and another 200,000 in annexed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians see as the capital of their future state. (AFP)

Israel rejects UN settler vote on Palestine, lashes out at Obama

Israeli soldiers who smoke cannabis have so far been systematically court-martialled and have received prison sentences of up to two months but the army said Wednesday that it would begin to ease up on the policy.&nbsp;

Danny Efroni, the general overseeing the reform, told military radio Wednesday that soldiers caught smoking marijuana (while on leave) would no longer be court-martialled nor sent to prison.&nbsp;

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But that they would after that have to undergo regular tests to ascertain that, after their &quot;misdemeanour&quot;, they are staying away from the drug. &nbsp;

The new policy -- which goes into effect January 1 -- does not apply to soldiers on duty.&nbsp;

&quot;We are offering soldiers the chance to continue their service normally and not be imprisoned and hindered by a criminal record in civilian life,&quot; AFP reported&nbsp;Efroni as saying.

&quot;The army wants to give a second chance to soldiers who want to complete a proper military service and to return to the right path,&quot; AFP reported the military as saying in a statement.&nbsp;

The use of marijuana is illegal in Israel except for medical purposes.

The Haaretz daily reported that 128 soldiers were convicted last year for using narcotics.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Offending soldiers will no longer be systematically court-martialled nor receive prison sentences of up to two months

Israeli soldiers who smoke cannabis have so far been systematically court-martialled and have received prison sentences of up to two months but the army said Wednesday that it would begin to ease up on the policy. Danny Efroni, the general overseeing the reform, told military radio Wednesday that soldiers caught smoking marijuana (while on leave) would no longer be court-martialled nor sent to prison. The pot-smoking soldiers would have to undergo regular tests to ascertain that, after their 'misdemeanour', they are staying away from the drug × But that they would after that have to undergo regular tests to ascertain that, after their "misdemeanour", they are staying away from the drug. The new policy -- which goes into effect January 1 -- does not apply to soldiers on duty. "We are offering soldiers the chance to continue their service normally and not be imprisoned and hindered by a criminal record in civilian life," AFP reported Efroni as saying. "The army wants to give a second chance to soldiers who want to complete a proper military service and to return to the right path," AFP reported the military as saying in a statement. The use of marijuana is illegal in Israel except for medical purposes. The Haaretz daily reported that 128 soldiers were convicted last year for using narcotics. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Israel to go easy on soldiers who smoke pot (while on leave)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes US President-elect Donald Trump will be a good friend to Israel and hopes the two countries can work together to dismantle the international nuclear agreement with Iran.

&quot;I know Donald Trump,&quot; Netanyahu told CBS&#39;s &quot;60 Minutes&quot; in an interview scheduled to air last night. &quot;And I think his attitude, his support for Israel is clear. He feels very warmly about the Jewish state, about the Jewish people. There&#39;s no question about that.&quot;

Netanyahu&#39;s remarks are significant in part because critics have accused Trump of tolerating anti-Semitism among some of his supporters.

While the two countries are close allies, relations were sometimes tense between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama because of their vastly different world views on the Iran deal and other issues. And there is sentiment in the nationalist Israeli right wing that

Trump&#39;s election could usher in a new era of relations with the United States. Netanyahu said in the interview he &quot;had differences of opinion&quot; with Obama and the &quot;most well-known, of course, is Iran&quot;.

The Israeli prime minister has been one of the fiercest critics of the nuclear deal. During the campaign, Trump also spoke harshly about it.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel&#39;s destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Iran&#39;s nuclear program is designed to threaten its existence.

Netanyahu said there are &quot;various ways of undoing&quot; the 2015 deal, in which Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions on its oil industry and finances.

&quot;I have about five things in my mind,&quot; Netanyahu said, declining to go into further detail.

(PTI)

&nbsp;

Netanyahu's remarks are significant in part because critics have accused Trump of tolerating anti-Semitism among some of his supporters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes US President-elect Donald Trump will be a good friend to Israel and hopes the two countries can work together to dismantle the international nuclear agreement with Iran. "I know Donald Trump," Netanyahu told CBS's "60 Minutes" in an interview scheduled to air last night. "And I think his attitude, his support for Israel is clear. He feels very warmly about the Jewish state, about the Jewish people. There's no question about that." Netanyahu's remarks are significant in part because critics have accused Trump of tolerating anti-Semitism among some of his supporters. While the two countries are close allies, relations were sometimes tense between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama because of their vastly different world views on the Iran deal and other issues. And there is sentiment in the nationalist Israeli right wing that Trump's election could usher in a new era of relations with the United States. Netanyahu said in the interview he "had differences of opinion" with Obama and the "most well-known, of course, is Iran". The Israeli prime minister has been one of the fiercest critics of the nuclear deal. During the campaign, Trump also spoke harshly about it. Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel's destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Iran's nuclear program is designed to threaten its existence. Netanyahu said there are "various ways of undoing" the 2015 deal, in which Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions on its oil industry and finances. "I have about five things in my mind," Netanyahu said, declining to go into further detail. (PTI)

Israeli PM says he hopes to work with Trump to undo Iran nuclear deal

Israel&rsquo;s interior ministry has been ordered to grant citizenship to foreign-born same-sex spouses of Israelis under the same terms as traditional couples, the ministry&#39;s lawyer said on Thursday.

Attorney general Avichai Mandelblit issued the instructions to the ministry on November 21 in response to a lawsuit the Israeli Gay Fathers&#39; Association filed before the supreme court.

According to a court transcript sent to AFP, he ordered that the waiting period for naturalisation be reduced to four and a half years, and dropped a requirement that the foreign partner relinquish his or her existing citizenship.

Previously the requirement was seven years for same-sex partners.

Public radio quoted the chairman of the Israeli Gay Fathers&#39; Association, Udi Ledergor, as calling the decision &quot;a great victory which brings to an end the outrageous discrimination against same-sex couples&quot;. &nbsp;

The partners are required to have legally married in a country where, unlike Israel, same-sex marriages are performed.

Israel does however recognise such unions solemnised elsewhere.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(AFP)

&nbsp;

The partners are required to be legally married in a country where, unlike Israel, same-sex marriages are performed

Israel’s interior ministry has been ordered to grant citizenship to foreign-born same-sex spouses of Israelis under the same terms as traditional couples, the ministry's lawyer said on Thursday. Attorney general Avichai Mandelblit issued the instructions to the ministry on November 21 in response to a lawsuit the Israeli Gay Fathers' Association filed before the supreme court. According to a court transcript sent to AFP, he ordered that the waiting period for naturalisation be reduced to four and a half years, and dropped a requirement that the foreign partner relinquish his or her existing citizenship. Previously the requirement was seven years for same-sex partners. Public radio quoted the chairman of the Israeli Gay Fathers' Association, Udi Ledergor, as calling the decision "a great victory which brings to an end the outrageous discrimination against same-sex couples". The partners are required to have legally married in a country where, unlike Israel, same-sex marriages are performed. Israel does however recognise such unions solemnised elsewhere. (AFP)

Israel: Same-sex partners to get citizenship

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 cannot 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)

'More than 50% 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 cannot 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)

Kerry accuses Israeli right of sabotaging peace process

The United States and Israel have agreed on a record $38 billion deal to provide Israel with military aid for 10 years from 2019, the US state department said Tuesday. 
 
Enshrining defence funding for Washington&rsquo;s closest Middle East ally, the countries will sign the memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, it said, that &quot;constitutes the single largest pledge of bilateral military assistance in US history.&quot; 
 
Jacob Nagel,Israel&rsquo;s chief negotiator, and acting head of Netanyahu&rsquo;s national security council, arrived in Washington in preparation for the signing ceremony, and the White House also began briefing members of Congress on the deal. 
 
According to AFP, US military aid to Israel currently stands at $3.1 billion per year although officials did not share a figure.&nbsp; 
 
The deal also includes &nbsp;major concessions by granted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu including Israel&rsquo;s agreement not to seek additional funds from Congress beyond what will be guaranteed annually in the new package, Reuters reported today. 
 
The agreement also includes phasing out a special arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend part of its US aid on its own defence industry instead of on American-made weapons, the officials said.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;Mounting frustration&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Interestingly, the deal comes amid mounting frustration within US President Barack Obama&#39;s administration at Israel&#39;s policy of building settler homes on occupied Palestinian territory. 
 
Washington earlier warned that Netanyahu`s policies, along with Palestinian violence, are putting at risk hopes of an eventual peace deal. 
 
Nearly 10 months of drawn-out aid negotiations have also underscored continuing friction between Obama and Netanyahu over last year&#39;s US-led nuclear deal with Iran, an accord the Israeli leader opposed.&nbsp; 
 
But United States&#39; number one ally in the region remains a big customer for US arms exports.&nbsp; 
 
The 10-year package will help in maintaining Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;qualitative military edge&rdquo; in the region. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The funding for Washington?s closest Middle East ally will represent the biggest pledge of US military assistance made to any country

The United States and Israel have agreed on a record $38 billion deal to provide Israel with military aid for 10 years from 2019, the US state department said Tuesday. Enshrining defence funding for Washington’s closest Middle East ally, the countries will sign the memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, it said, that "constitutes the single largest pledge of bilateral military assistance in US history." Jacob Nagel,Israel’s chief negotiator, and acting head of Netanyahu’s national security council, arrived in Washington in preparation for the signing ceremony, and the White House also began briefing members of Congress on the deal. According to AFP, US military aid to Israel currently stands at $3.1 billion per year although officials did not share a figure. The deal also includes major concessions by granted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu including Israel’s agreement not to seek additional funds from Congress beyond what will be guaranteed annually in the new package, Reuters reported today. The agreement also includes phasing out a special arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend part of its US aid on its own defence industry instead of on American-made weapons, the officials said. 'Mounting frustration' Interestingly, the deal comes amid mounting frustration within US President Barack Obama's administration at Israel's policy of building settler homes on occupied Palestinian territory. Washington earlier warned that Netanyahu`s policies, along with Palestinian violence, are putting at risk hopes of an eventual peace deal. Nearly 10 months of drawn-out aid negotiations have also underscored continuing friction between Obama and Netanyahu over last year's US-led nuclear deal with Iran, an accord the Israeli leader opposed. But United States' number one ally in the region remains a big customer for US arms exports. The 10-year package will help in maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge” in the region. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US to sign record $38 billion defence deal with Israel

Israel&#39;s Supreme Court has ruled that Franz Kafka&#39;s manuscripts are the property of the National Library of Israel, ending a lengthy legal battle, judicial sources said in Monday. 
 
The nation&#39;s top court on Sunday rejected an appeal by the heirs of Max Brod, a friend of Kafka and the executor of his estate to whom he had willed his manuscripts after his death in 1924. 
 
Kafka had instructed Brod to burn the manuscripts after his death but his friend did not honour that request and took them with him when he fled the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and emigrated to Palestine. 
 
On his death in 1968, Brod bequeathed the papers to his secretary Esther Hoffe, with instructions to give them to the &quot;Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the municipal library in Tel Aviv or another organisation in Israel or abroad.&quot; 
 
But Hoffe, who died in 2007, instead kept them and shared them between her two daughters -- sparking multiple legal battles. 
 
In the trial against Hoffe&#39;s heirs, which began in 2009, the state of Israel demanded they hand over all the documents, which included unpublished writings, arguing it was Brod&#39;s last will. 
 
Hoffe&#39;s daughters refused, however, saying the papers -- estimated to be worth millions of dollars -- had been given to their mother by Brod and therefore she could dispose of them any way she wanted. 
 
 
 
Hoffe had during her lifetime sold the original manuscript of &quot;The Trial&quot; -- considered by some to be one of Kafka&#39;s best work -- for $2 million. 
 
The Hoffe family kept the bulk of the collection locked away in bank safety deposit boxes in Israel and Switzerland and over the years sold some papers to collectors. 
 
(AFP)

The top court rejected an appeal by the heirs of Max Brod, a friend of Kafka's whom he had willed his manuscripts to after his death in 1924

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that Franz Kafka's manuscripts are the property of the National Library of Israel, ending a lengthy legal battle, judicial sources said in Monday. The nation's top court on Sunday rejected an appeal by the heirs of Max Brod, a friend of Kafka and the executor of his estate to whom he had willed his manuscripts after his death in 1924. Kafka had instructed Brod to burn the manuscripts after his death but his friend did not honour that request and took them with him when he fled the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and emigrated to Palestine. On his death in 1968, Brod bequeathed the papers to his secretary Esther Hoffe, with instructions to give them to the "Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the municipal library in Tel Aviv or another organisation in Israel or abroad." But Hoffe, who died in 2007, instead kept them and shared them between her two daughters -- sparking multiple legal battles. In the trial against Hoffe's heirs, which began in 2009, the state of Israel demanded they hand over all the documents, which included unpublished writings, arguing it was Brod's last will. Hoffe's daughters refused, however, saying the papers -- estimated to be worth millions of dollars -- had been given to their mother by Brod and therefore she could dispose of them any way she wanted. Hoffe had during her lifetime sold the original manuscript of "The Trial" -- considered by some to be one of Kafka's best work -- for $2 million. The Hoffe family kept the bulk of the collection locked away in bank safety deposit boxes in Israel and Switzerland and over the years sold some papers to collectors. (AFP)

Israeli Supreme Court says Kafka's manuscripts are property of National Library

Israeli lawmakers approved jailing children as young as 12 convicted of &quot;terrorist offences&quot; in the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, parliament said today. 
 
&quot;The &#39;Youth Bill&#39; which will allow the authorities to imprison a minor convicted of serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter, even if he or she is under the age of 14, passed its second and third readings Tuesday night,&quot; an English-language statement said. 
 
It added that the seriousness of attacks in recent months &quot;demands a more aggressive approach, including toward minors&quot;. 
 
The statement quoted Anat Berko, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s right-wing Likud party and the bill&#39;s sponsor, as saying &quot;to those who are murdered with a knife in the heart, it does not matter if the child is 12 or 15&quot;. 
 
Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 218 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. 
 
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.&nbsp;Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces.&nbsp;Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked gave the bill full backing when it came before a ministerial committee last year. 
 
&quot;Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law,&quot; media quoted her as saying. 
 
Manasra, a 14-year-old Palestinian, was convicted in May of the attempted murder of two Israelis in a knife attack last October. He was 13 when he carried out the attack and is yet to be sentenced. 
 
Along with a 15-year-old cousin, he stabbed and seriously wounded a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem.&nbsp;The cousin was shot dead by security forces, while Manasra was hit by a car as they fled. 
 
Manasra, an east Jerusalem resident, was the youngest Palestinian to be convicted by an Israeli civilian court in the current round of violence.&nbsp;Israeli rights group B&#39;Tselem criticised the bill and Israel&#39;s treatment of Palestinian youths. 
 
&quot;Rather than sending them to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school where they could grow up in dignity and freedom, not under occupation,&quot; it said in a statement today.&nbsp;&quot;Imprisoning such young minors denies them the chance of a better future.&quot; 
 
Military law, applied to Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already allows imprisonment of 12-year-olds. 
 
A 12-year-old Palestinian girl from the West Bank, convicted of attempted murder by a military court as part of a plea bargain and sentenced to four months, was released from prison in April. 
 
(AFP)

In the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, 'Youth Bill' will allow a minor convicted of crimes like murder to be imprisoned

Israeli lawmakers approved jailing children as young as 12 convicted of "terrorist offences" in the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, parliament said today. "The 'Youth Bill' which will allow the authorities to imprison a minor convicted of serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter, even if he or she is under the age of 14, passed its second and third readings Tuesday night," an English-language statement said. It added that the seriousness of attacks in recent months "demands a more aggressive approach, including toward minors". The statement quoted Anat Berko, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and the bill's sponsor, as saying "to those who are murdered with a knife in the heart, it does not matter if the child is 12 or 15". Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 218 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces. Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked gave the bill full backing when it came before a ministerial committee last year. "Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law," media quoted her as saying. Manasra, a 14-year-old Palestinian, was convicted in May of the attempted murder of two Israelis in a knife attack last October. He was 13 when he carried out the attack and is yet to be sentenced. Along with a 15-year-old cousin, he stabbed and seriously wounded a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem. The cousin was shot dead by security forces, while Manasra was hit by a car as they fled. Manasra, an east Jerusalem resident, was the youngest Palestinian to be convicted by an Israeli civilian court in the current round of violence. Israeli rights group B'Tselem criticised the bill and Israel's treatment of Palestinian youths. "Rather than sending them to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school where they could grow up in dignity and freedom, not under occupation," it said in a statement today. "Imprisoning such young minors denies them the chance of a better future." Military law, applied to Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already allows imprisonment of 12-year-olds. A 12-year-old Palestinian girl from the West Bank, convicted of attempted murder by a military court as part of a plea bargain and sentenced to four months, was released from prison in April. (AFP)

Israel approves law jailing terrorists aged 12

A Palestinian stabbed two Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Monday before being shot and arrested, the Israeli army said. 
 
&quot;An assailant armed with a knife stabbed two IDF soldiers during routine activity near Al-Arroub,&quot; an army statement said, referring to an area south of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. 
 
&quot;Forces shot and detained the assailant,&quot; it added. 
 
An army spokeswoman confirmed the suspect was a Palestinian and that the two soldiers&#39; wounds were not life-threatening. 
 
Violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October last year has killed at least 215 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. 
 
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out a&nbsp;knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. 
 
Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. 
 
(AFP)

'An assailant armed with a knife stabbed two IDF soldiers during routine activity near Al-Arroub,' an Israeli Army (IDF) statement said

A Palestinian stabbed two Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Monday before being shot and arrested, the Israeli army said. "An assailant armed with a knife stabbed two IDF soldiers during routine activity near Al-Arroub," an army statement said, referring to an area south of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. "Forces shot and detained the assailant," it added. An army spokeswoman confirmed the suspect was a Palestinian and that the two soldiers' wounds were not life-threatening. Violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October last year has killed at least 215 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out a knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)

Palestinian stabs two Israeli soldiers in West Bank, assailant shot and arrested

Turkey aims to develop good relations with Syria and Iraq, and both countries need to be stable for counter-terrorism efforts to succeed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said today.&nbsp; 
 
Turkey has long been one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s staunchest opponents, arguing that only his departure could stabilise Syria. The stance set it at odds with Assad&#39;s ally Russia and distanced it from a US-led coalition more focused on fighting Islamic State. 
 
Since taking office in May, Yildirim has repeatedly said that Turkey needs to &quot;increase its friends and decrease its enemies&quot; -- an apparent tacit admission that past policies have left Ankara sidelined. 
 
&quot;It is our greatest and irrevocable goal: Developing good relations with Syria and Iraq, and all our neighbours that surround the Mediterranean and the Black Sea,&quot; Yildirim said, in comments broadcast live on television. 
 
&quot;We normalised relations with Russia and Israel. I&#39;m sure we will normalise relations with Syria as well. For the fight against terrorism to succeed stability needs to return to Syria and Iraq,&quot; he said. 
 
Turkey last month announced the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel after a six-year rupture and expressed regret to Russia over the downing of a warplane, seeking to mend strained alliances. Officials have insisted those moves do not mark a broader foreign policy shift for Ankara. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

?Since taking office in May, Yildirim has repeatedly said that Turkey needs to "increase its friends and decrease its enemies"

Turkey aims to develop good relations with Syria and Iraq, and both countries need to be stable for counter-terrorism efforts to succeed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said today. Turkey has long been one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest opponents, arguing that only his departure could stabilise Syria. The stance set it at odds with Assad's ally Russia and distanced it from a US-led coalition more focused on fighting Islamic State. Since taking office in May, Yildirim has repeatedly said that Turkey needs to "increase its friends and decrease its enemies" -- an apparent tacit admission that past policies have left Ankara sidelined. "It is our greatest and irrevocable goal: Developing good relations with Syria and Iraq, and all our neighbours that surround the Mediterranean and the Black Sea," Yildirim said, in comments broadcast live on television. "We normalised relations with Russia and Israel. I'm sure we will normalise relations with Syria as well. For the fight against terrorism to succeed stability needs to return to Syria and Iraq," he said. Turkey last month announced the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel after a six-year rupture and expressed regret to Russia over the downing of a warplane, seeking to mend strained alliances. Officials have insisted those moves do not mark a broader foreign policy shift for Ankara. (AFP)

Syria, Iraq need to be stable for fight against terror to succeed: Turkish PM

Israel&#39;s military has nominated a new chief rabbi who seemed to imply in a past religious commentary that its soldiers are allowed to rape non-Jewish women in wartime. 
 
Rabbi Colonel Eyal Karim&#39;s remarks 14 years ago stirred controversy at the time and remain on an Israeli religious website today, along with a link to a clarification he published on the same site in 2012 in which he said his words had been taken out of context and rape is forbidden &quot;in any situation&quot;. 
 
Karim&#39;s appointment, which still has to be approved by the defence minister, drew criticism from women&#39;s groups and female politicians. They pointed to a reply Karim gave in 2002 to a question about the Bible&#39;s attitude towards rape during war, in the &quot;Ask the Rabbi&quot; section of kipa.co.il. 
 
He responded that in the interests of maintaining warriors&#39; morale and fighting fitness during armed conflict, it was permitted to &quot;satisfy the evil inclination by lying with attractive Gentile women against their will&quot;. 
 
His nomination on Monday (July 11) as the military&#39;s head rabbi by its chief of staff revived public debate over Karim. 
 
Issuing a statement on Tuesday (July 12) on Karim&#39;s behalf, the military spokesman&#39;s office said he wanted to clarify that his writings in 2002 came in answer to a theoretical question and did not relate to &quot;practical Jewish law&quot;. 
 
&quot;Rabbi Karim has never written, said or even thought that an Israeli soldier is permitted to sexually assault a woman in war, and anyone who interprets his words otherwise is completely mistaken,&quot; the statement said. 
 
Zahava Galon, leader of the left-wing Meretz party, called on Facebook for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene in the appointment. She described Karim, 59, as morally unsuitable for the post of chief rabbi in a military in which thousands of women serve. 
 
One of her party members, lawmaker Michal Rozin, echoed her remarks on Wednesday (July 13). 
 
&quot;I think the Defence Minister (Avigdor Lieberman) must intervene in this matter and demand that the committee reconvene - the committee appointed by the military chief - and discuss again whether this appointment is appropriate or not and I very much hope that the chief of staff will decide to cancel the appointment,&quot; she told Reuters. 
 
Karim has, according to Israeli media reports, come out in the past against combat roles for women, who like men are drafted into Israel&#39;s military at the age of 18. 
 
The mixing of sexes in Israel&#39;s armed forces is a sensitive issue for Orthodox Jews. Religious men and women can request an exemption from compulsory service. 
 
(Reuters)

Rabbi Colonel Eyal Karim's remarks 14 years ago remain on an Israeli religious website today, along with a link to a clarification

Israel's military has nominated a new chief rabbi who seemed to imply in a past religious commentary that its soldiers are allowed to rape non-Jewish women in wartime. Rabbi Colonel Eyal Karim's remarks 14 years ago stirred controversy at the time and remain on an Israeli religious website today, along with a link to a clarification he published on the same site in 2012 in which he said his words had been taken out of context and rape is forbidden "in any situation". Karim's appointment, which still has to be approved by the defence minister, drew criticism from women's groups and female politicians. They pointed to a reply Karim gave in 2002 to a question about the Bible's attitude towards rape during war, in the "Ask the Rabbi" section of kipa.co.il. He responded that in the interests of maintaining warriors' morale and fighting fitness during armed conflict, it was permitted to "satisfy the evil inclination by lying with attractive Gentile women against their will". His nomination on Monday (July 11) as the military's head rabbi by its chief of staff revived public debate over Karim. Issuing a statement on Tuesday (July 12) on Karim's behalf, the military spokesman's office said he wanted to clarify that his writings in 2002 came in answer to a theoretical question and did not relate to "practical Jewish law". "Rabbi Karim has never written, said or even thought that an Israeli soldier is permitted to sexually assault a woman in war, and anyone who interprets his words otherwise is completely mistaken," the statement said. Zahava Galon, leader of the left-wing Meretz party, called on Facebook for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene in the appointment. She described Karim, 59, as morally unsuitable for the post of chief rabbi in a military in which thousands of women serve. One of her party members, lawmaker Michal Rozin, echoed her remarks on Wednesday (July 13). "I think the Defence Minister (Avigdor Lieberman) must intervene in this matter and demand that the committee reconvene - the committee appointed by the military chief - and discuss again whether this appointment is appropriate or not and I very much hope that the chief of staff will decide to cancel the appointment," she told Reuters. Karim has, according to Israeli media reports, come out in the past against combat roles for women, who like men are drafted into Israel's military at the age of 18. The mixing of sexes in Israel's armed forces is a sensitive issue for Orthodox Jews. Religious men and women can request an exemption from compulsory service. (Reuters)

Israel army names new rabbi chief who had implied soldiers can rape non-Jewish women in war

Israel&nbsp;adopted a law on Monday that critics say targets&nbsp;Israeli rights groups critical of the right-wing government&#39;s policies, and which supporters see as a blow against foreign interference in their country&#39;s affairs.

Israeli Knesset speaker, Yuli Edelstein, during Knesset session called on members to vote and announced the results.

&quot;Members of the Knesset, 57 in favour and 48 against no abstentions,&quot; said Edelstein.

Called a &quot;transparency&nbsp;bill&quot; by its sponsor, far-right Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, it will require NGOs to give details of overseas donations if more than half their funding comes from foreign governments or bodies such as the European Union.

&quot;I think it&#39;s the right of the public to know if a specific country of state wants to fund an&nbsp;NGO&nbsp;more than 50 per cent.&nbsp;In&nbsp;Israel, in general we are not interfering in other country or politics of other country, and I expect countries will respect&nbsp;Israel&nbsp;and will try to influence on&nbsp;Israel&nbsp;in a diplomatic path and not by funding millions of Dollars or Euros to&nbsp;NGOs that usually try to promote their views,&quot; said Shaked.

The United States and European Union have raised their concerns publicly and privately about the legislation, which passed its third and final reading in parliament by a vote of 57-48.

Opponents of the law say it is discriminatory because it is mainly groups that oppose the policies of&nbsp;Israel&#39;s administration towards Palestinians which receive money from foreign governments and the EU.

Private funds from overseas, such as money donated to&nbsp;Israeli groups that support Jewish settlements on occupied land Palestinians seek for a state, were not addressed in the&nbsp;bill.

&quot;This is a&nbsp;bill&nbsp;that is a very wrong&nbsp;bill&nbsp;meant to chase a specific&nbsp;NGOs that allegedly help the left wings, it&#39;s not right.&nbsp;The right wing has a lot of&nbsp;NGOs that helping them.&nbsp;There is a lot of money in the right wing that is going to the prime minister and others. If we want to make a&nbsp;bill&nbsp;that will inspect&nbsp;NGOs we should do it a general&nbsp;bill&nbsp;we should work on it,&quot; said Hilik Bar, deputy speaker, Zionist Union.

The final version of the&nbsp;bill&nbsp;was watered down to remove a clause that would have required lobbyists for&nbsp;NGOs&nbsp;affected by the new rules to wear special name tags during visits to the legislature.

&quot;It&#39;s far from transparency, it&#39;s anti-democratic, it&#39;s triangulation of the left. Mainly they are targeting specific communities and associations. We are talking about B&#39;Tselem, talking about Adalah, keeping the silence.&nbsp;They are acting in a fascist way exactly as what is done in the third world. People should be free in order to act and to resist and to be opponent to the government,&quot; said&nbsp;Israeli-Arab member of Knesset, Ahmad Tibi.

Netanyahu, in defending the&nbsp;bill&nbsp;as &quot;democratic and necessary&quot;, has seemed to allude to foreign monetary support for&nbsp;Israeli groups backing Palestinian statehood.

Addressing members of his conservative Likud party earlier this year, Netanyahu drew parallels with Spain&#39;s Basque country where various separatist groups used peaceful or violent means to further their cause.&nbsp;More than 30,000&nbsp;NGOs are registered in&nbsp;Israel, about half of them active. 
 
Around 70 of those groups deal with the&nbsp;Israeli-Palestinian conflict and receive funds either from the EU as a whole, or individual member governments, including Denmark, Sweden and Belgium, as well as non-member Norway. 
 
(Reuters)

Netanyahu, in defending the?bill, has seemed to allude to foreign monetary support for?Israeli groups backing Palestinian statehood

Israel adopted a law on Monday that critics say targets Israeli rights groups critical of the right-wing government's policies, and which supporters see as a blow against foreign interference in their country's affairs. Israeli Knesset speaker, Yuli Edelstein, during Knesset session called on members to vote and announced the results. "Members of the Knesset, 57 in favour and 48 against no abstentions," said Edelstein. Called a "transparency bill" by its sponsor, far-right Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, it will require NGOs to give details of overseas donations if more than half their funding comes from foreign governments or bodies such as the European Union. "I think it's the right of the public to know if a specific country of state wants to fund an NGO more than 50 per cent. In Israel, in general we are not interfering in other country or politics of other country, and I expect countries will respect Israel and will try to influence on Israel in a diplomatic path and not by funding millions of Dollars or Euros to NGOs that usually try to promote their views," said Shaked. The United States and European Union have raised their concerns publicly and privately about the legislation, which passed its third and final reading in parliament by a vote of 57-48. Opponents of the law say it is discriminatory because it is mainly groups that oppose the policies of Israel's administration towards Palestinians which receive money from foreign governments and the EU. Private funds from overseas, such as money donated to Israeli groups that support Jewish settlements on occupied land Palestinians seek for a state, were not addressed in the bill. "This is a bill that is a very wrong bill meant to chase a specific NGOs that allegedly help the left wings, it's not right. The right wing has a lot of NGOs that helping them. There is a lot of money in the right wing that is going to the prime minister and others. If we want to make a bill that will inspect NGOs we should do it a general bill we should work on it," said Hilik Bar, deputy speaker, Zionist Union. The final version of the bill was watered down to remove a clause that would have required lobbyists for NGOs affected by the new rules to wear special name tags during visits to the legislature. "It's far from transparency, it's anti-democratic, it's triangulation of the left. Mainly they are targeting specific communities and associations. We are talking about B'Tselem, talking about Adalah, keeping the silence. They are acting in a fascist way exactly as what is done in the third world. People should be free in order to act and to resist and to be opponent to the government," said Israeli-Arab member of Knesset, Ahmad Tibi. Netanyahu, in defending the bill as "democratic and necessary", has seemed to allude to foreign monetary support for Israeli groups backing Palestinian statehood. Addressing members of his conservative Likud party earlier this year, Netanyahu drew parallels with Spain's Basque country where various separatist groups used peaceful or violent means to further their cause. More than 30,000 NGOs are registered in Israel, about half of them active. Around 70 of those groups deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and receive funds either from the EU as a whole, or individual member governments, including Denmark, Sweden and Belgium, as well as non-member Norway. (Reuters)

Israel NGO bill seen as targeting left-wing groups becomes law

Israeli government on Sunday approved nearly $13 million in financing for the West Bank settlements of Kiryat Arba and Hebron, officials said, following a wave of Palestinian attacks in the area. 
 
The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s right-wing cabinet will see some $12.8 million allocated to &quot;strengthen&quot; the communities. 
 
&quot;Government offices, I must note, have all been recruited to assist the residents who stand heroically in the face of vicious terrorism,&quot; Netanyahu said, ahead of the approval. 
 
The money will be allocated over three years and be designated to a variety of issues, including social, education and security services, and come from the budgets of the relevant ministries. 
 
Kiryat Arba is a large settlement near Hebron, the largest Palestinian West Bank city, which is also host to several hundred Jewish settlers in a tightly guarded enclave. 
 
The Hebron area settlers have been affected by the recent wave of violence that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since last October. 
 
At least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed. 
 
The army has said that around 80 of the attacks on Israelis have been carried out by Palestinians from the Hebron area. 
 
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians view as part of their future state. 
 
The United States, the European Union and many others in the international community have called for a halt to settlement building. 
 
Netanyahu&#39;s government is considered to be the most right-wing in Israel&#39;s history, and key members of his cabinet are strong supporters of settlement building and opponents of a Palestinian state. 
 
A similar decision, allocating $18 million to a variety of settlements, was announced last month. Two officials said Sunday&#39;s decision was about new monies. 
 
Also on Sunday, hundreds of Israeli settlers marched between the Palestinian village of Tarama and the Israeli settlement of Otniel, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. 
 
The marchers demanded more security for settlements following a wave of deadly attacks carried out by Palestinians in the area during the past week. 
 
(AFP)

The money will be allocated over three years and be used for issues like education and security services

Israeli government on Sunday approved nearly $13 million in financing for the West Bank settlements of Kiryat Arba and Hebron, officials said, following a wave of Palestinian attacks in the area. The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing cabinet will see some $12.8 million allocated to "strengthen" the communities. "Government offices, I must note, have all been recruited to assist the residents who stand heroically in the face of vicious terrorism," Netanyahu said, ahead of the approval. The money will be allocated over three years and be designated to a variety of issues, including social, education and security services, and come from the budgets of the relevant ministries. Kiryat Arba is a large settlement near Hebron, the largest Palestinian West Bank city, which is also host to several hundred Jewish settlers in a tightly guarded enclave. The Hebron area settlers have been affected by the recent wave of violence that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since last October. At least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed. The army has said that around 80 of the attacks on Israelis have been carried out by Palestinians from the Hebron area. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians view as part of their future state. The United States, the European Union and many others in the international community have called for a halt to settlement building. Netanyahu's government is considered to be the most right-wing in Israel's history, and key members of his cabinet are strong supporters of settlement building and opponents of a Palestinian state. A similar decision, allocating $18 million to a variety of settlements, was announced last month. Two officials said Sunday's decision was about new monies. Also on Sunday, hundreds of Israeli settlers marched between the Palestinian village of Tarama and the Israeli settlement of Otniel, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The marchers demanded more security for settlements following a wave of deadly attacks carried out by Palestinians in the area during the past week. (AFP)

Israel okays millions to West Bank settlements after attacks

With an excavation in southern Israel unearthing a Philistine cemetery for the first time, bones of the biblical giant Goliath&#39;s people can finally shed new light on mysteries of their culture. 
 
The cemetery&#39;s discovery marks the &quot;crowning achievement&quot; of some three decades of excavations in the area, the expedition&#39;s organisers say. 
 
Some of the site&#39;s finds were going on display on Sunday at the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem. 
 
Almost three millennia since the Philistines were wiped off the face of the earth by Babylonian armies, a US archaeologist was hard at work crouched in one of their funeral chambers at the excavation in the Mediterranean city of Ashkelon. 
 
Brush in hand he delicately extracted from the sandy soil the complete skeleton of a Philistine buried with a terracotta perfume flask, fused to the skull with the passage of time. 
 
&quot;This discovery is a crowning achievement, the opportunity to finally see them face to face,&quot; said archaeologist Daniel Master, in charge of the site excavated since 1985 under the Leon Levy Expedition, affiliated with Harvard University&#39;s Semitic Museum, among other institutions. 
 
&quot;With these 145 corpses we hope not only to understand their funeral customs, but to collect clues in the bones to understand how they lived, to bring the Philistines to life again,&quot; he told AFP. 
 
Bone samples taken from the site are currently undergoing DNA, radiocarbon and other tests to try to shed fresh light on the Philistines&#39; origin. 
 
The first graves were discovered in Ashkelon in 2013 on the site of its ancient Philistine port city, which had 13,000 inhabitants at its peak. 
 
Today the area lies in a national park popular with Israeli families from modern Ashkelon who come for a stroll along the seaside lawns and paths. Who were the Philistines? The origins of this &quot;sea people&quot;, a term also used to describe their Phoenician contemporaries - remain a mystery. 
 
Their red-and-black pottery suggests they may have come from the Mycenaean civilisation of the Aegean. 
 
&quot;What is certain is that they were strangers in the Semitic region,&quot; where their presence between 1200 and around 600 BC is evident on a thin coastal strip running from present-day Gaza to Tel Aviv, said Master. 
 
Traders and seafarers, they spoke a language of Indo-European origin, did not practice circumcision and ate pork and dog, as proven by bones and marks found on them in the ruins of the other four Philistine cities: Gaza, Gath, Ashdod and Ekron. 
 
Beyond the previously scanty archaeological record, the Philistines are known mostly from the Old Testament account given by their neighbours and bitter enemies, the ancient Israelites. 
 
The book of Samuel describes the capture by Philistine fighters of the Ark of the Covenant and the duel between their giant warrior Goliath felled by a stone from David&#39;s sling. 
 
From these biblical descriptions of savage marauders comes the modern usage of &quot;philistine&quot; to mean a person without culture or manners.A few hundred metres (yards) from the dig, at its outdoor laboratory, anthropologist and pathologist Sherry Fox told the skeletons` story. 
 
&quot;In their teeth, we can see that they did not have an easy life,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;We see these lines that indicate a growth interruption as the teeth are forming. There were problems in childhood with either fever or malnutrition.&quot; 
 
&quot;We also see from their bones that they were hard workers, they practised inbreeding and they used their teeth as tools, probably in the weaving industry,&quot; she said softly, holding up a skull. 
 
She said they were &quot;normal size&quot; with no evidence of any Goliath-sized giants. 
 
Master said that, despite similar-sounding names, there is no connection between the Philistines and today&#39;s Palestinians. 
&quot;The words are similar, but not the people,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;We know here in Ashkelon that these Philistines were completely destroyed by (Babylonian king) Nebuchadnezzar in December of 604 BC,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Everything that came after was very different and a very different group of people.&quot; 
 
The 30 years of excavations at the Ashkelon cemetery come to an end this summer, when the dig will be reburied. 
 
(AFP)

In the Bible, Goliath is a giant Philistine warrior who was defeated by David. An excavation in south Israel unearthed a Philistine cemetery

With an excavation in southern Israel unearthing a Philistine cemetery for the first time, bones of the biblical giant Goliath's people can finally shed new light on mysteries of their culture. The cemetery's discovery marks the "crowning achievement" of some three decades of excavations in the area, the expedition's organisers say. Some of the site's finds were going on display on Sunday at the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem. Almost three millennia since the Philistines were wiped off the face of the earth by Babylonian armies, a US archaeologist was hard at work crouched in one of their funeral chambers at the excavation in the Mediterranean city of Ashkelon. Brush in hand he delicately extracted from the sandy soil the complete skeleton of a Philistine buried with a terracotta perfume flask, fused to the skull with the passage of time. "This discovery is a crowning achievement, the opportunity to finally see them face to face," said archaeologist Daniel Master, in charge of the site excavated since 1985 under the Leon Levy Expedition, affiliated with Harvard University's Semitic Museum, among other institutions. "With these 145 corpses we hope not only to understand their funeral customs, but to collect clues in the bones to understand how they lived, to bring the Philistines to life again," he told AFP. Bone samples taken from the site are currently undergoing DNA, radiocarbon and other tests to try to shed fresh light on the Philistines' origin. The first graves were discovered in Ashkelon in 2013 on the site of its ancient Philistine port city, which had 13,000 inhabitants at its peak. Today the area lies in a national park popular with Israeli families from modern Ashkelon who come for a stroll along the seaside lawns and paths. Who were the Philistines? The origins of this "sea people", a term also used to describe their Phoenician contemporaries - remain a mystery. Their red-and-black pottery suggests they may have come from the Mycenaean civilisation of the Aegean. "What is certain is that they were strangers in the Semitic region," where their presence between 1200 and around 600 BC is evident on a thin coastal strip running from present-day Gaza to Tel Aviv, said Master. Traders and seafarers, they spoke a language of Indo-European origin, did not practice circumcision and ate pork and dog, as proven by bones and marks found on them in the ruins of the other four Philistine cities: Gaza, Gath, Ashdod and Ekron. Beyond the previously scanty archaeological record, the Philistines are known mostly from the Old Testament account given by their neighbours and bitter enemies, the ancient Israelites. The book of Samuel describes the capture by Philistine fighters of the Ark of the Covenant and the duel between their giant warrior Goliath felled by a stone from David's sling. From these biblical descriptions of savage marauders comes the modern usage of "philistine" to mean a person without culture or manners.A few hundred metres (yards) from the dig, at its outdoor laboratory, anthropologist and pathologist Sherry Fox told the skeletons` story. "In their teeth, we can see that they did not have an easy life," she said. "We see these lines that indicate a growth interruption as the teeth are forming. There were problems in childhood with either fever or malnutrition." "We also see from their bones that they were hard workers, they practised inbreeding and they used their teeth as tools, probably in the weaving industry," she said softly, holding up a skull. She said they were "normal size" with no evidence of any Goliath-sized giants. Master said that, despite similar-sounding names, there is no connection between the Philistines and today's Palestinians. "The words are similar, but not the people," he said. "We know here in Ashkelon that these Philistines were completely destroyed by (Babylonian king) Nebuchadnezzar in December of 604 BC," he said. "Everything that came after was very different and a very different group of people." The 30 years of excavations at the Ashkelon cemetery come to an end this summer, when the dig will be reburied. (AFP)

Old bones cast new light on Goliath's people

In what is being termed as first such visit in nearly a decade, Egypt&#39;s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to revive peace efforts with the Palestinians.&nbsp; 
 
The trip came amid talk of renewing an Arab peace initiative and with Israel&#39;s military having recently saluted &quot;unprecedented&quot; intelligence cooperation with Egypt to combat the Islamic State (IS) group. 
 
Speaking to journalists alongside Netanyahu before their meeting in Jerusalem, foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said it was a &quot;crucial and challenging juncture for the Middle East&quot;. 
 
Resolving the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have a &quot;far-reaching and dramatic and positive impact on the overall conditions of the Middle East region,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Egypt remains ready to contribute toward achieving this goal,&quot; Shoukry&nbsp;asserted.&nbsp; 
 
Netanyahu urges Palestinians to engage in direct negotiations&nbsp; 
 
Netanyahu for his part welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi&#39;s &quot;recent offer of Egyptian leadership and efforts to advance peace with the Palestinians and a broader peace in our region.&quot; 
 
He also called on Palestinians to engage in direct negotiations as he has repeatedly done in the past. 
 
Palestinian leaders say years of talks with the Israelis have not ended the occupation and have instead pursued international diplomacy to promote their cause. 
 
Shoukry also held discussions with Palestinian leaders during a visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah on June 29. 
 
Sisi said in May that there was a &quot;real opportunity&quot; for an Israeli-Palestinian deal that could lead to warmer ties between his country and Israel. He urged both sides to seize what he said was a &quot;real opportunity&quot; and hailed Egypt&#39;s peace deal with Israel. 
 
&#39;Laying foundation&#39; for talks 
 
Egypt&#39;s foreign ministry said Shoukry and Netanyahu would discuss &quot;laying the foundation and specifics of confidence-building between Palestinians and Israelis to create a supportive environment to resume direct negotiations between them with the aim of reaching a comprehensive and just solution.&quot; 
 
Israeli public radio said the trip was also partly intended to prepare the groundwork for a possible visit by Netanyahu to Cairo, but officials have yet to comment on the report. 
 
In 1979, Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with neighbouring Israel after years of conflict, and it remains an influential player in the region. 
 
Their ties have however been formally cold over Israel&#39;s policies towards the Palestinians, and relations further soured after the June 2012 election of the Muslim Brotherhood&#39;s Mohamed Morsi as Egyptian president. 
 
After president Hosni Mubarak&#39;s ouster in the 2011 revolution, protesters stormed Israel&#39;s embassy in September that year amid clashes with police. 
 
Morsi was ousted in July 2013 by then army chief Sisi, who was elected Egypt&#39;s president in 2014. 
 
In June, representatives from 28 Arab and Western countries, the Arab League, European Union and the United Nations met in Paris to discuss ways to help advance peace efforts. 
 
Israel strongly opposes that initiative, which is being promoted by France. 
 
Netanyahu has, at the same time, spoken of reviving a long-dormant Arab peace initiative dating to 2002. 
 
The proposal essentially calls for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories and resolve the issue of refugees with the Palestinians, leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, in exchange for normalised relations with Arab countries. 
 
&#39;Existential threat&#39;&nbsp; 
 
But some analysts have questioned whether Netanyahu&#39;s comments were a bid to fend off international critics over his appointment of hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his opposition to the French plan. 
 
He has said he would seek changes to the Arab proposal. The Arab League has said the terms cannot be changed. 
 
There have been repeated warnings that Israeli settlement building and Palestinian attacks are eroding the possibility of a two-state solution, especially with peace efforts at a standstill since April 2014. 
 
Violence since October has killed at least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. 
 
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. 
 
Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. 
 
Egypt and Israel have cooperated in other areas, particularly with jihadists in Egypt&#39;s Sinai Peninsula having pledged allegiance in November 2014 to the Islamic State group. 
 
In April, the Israeli military&#39;s deputy chief of staff spoke of an &quot;unprecedented level of cooperation&quot; with Egypt, mainly regarding intelligence. 
 
Shoukry said the situation in the Middle East was &quot;becoming ever more volatile and dangerous, particularly as the phenomenon of terrorism continues to grow and proliferate, representing an existential threat to the peoples of the region and the world at large.&quot; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

In 1979, Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with neighbouring Israel after years of conflict

In what is being termed as first such visit in nearly a decade, Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to revive peace efforts with the Palestinians. The trip came amid talk of renewing an Arab peace initiative and with Israel's military having recently saluted "unprecedented" intelligence cooperation with Egypt to combat the Islamic State (IS) group. Speaking to journalists alongside Netanyahu before their meeting in Jerusalem, foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said it was a "crucial and challenging juncture for the Middle East". Resolving the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have a "far-reaching and dramatic and positive impact on the overall conditions of the Middle East region," he said. "Egypt remains ready to contribute toward achieving this goal," Shoukry asserted. Netanyahu urges Palestinians to engage in direct negotiations Netanyahu for his part welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's "recent offer of Egyptian leadership and efforts to advance peace with the Palestinians and a broader peace in our region." He also called on Palestinians to engage in direct negotiations as he has repeatedly done in the past. Palestinian leaders say years of talks with the Israelis have not ended the occupation and have instead pursued international diplomacy to promote their cause. Shoukry also held discussions with Palestinian leaders during a visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah on June 29. Sisi said in May that there was a "real opportunity" for an Israeli-Palestinian deal that could lead to warmer ties between his country and Israel. He urged both sides to seize what he said was a "real opportunity" and hailed Egypt's peace deal with Israel. 'Laying foundation' for talks Egypt's foreign ministry said Shoukry and Netanyahu would discuss "laying the foundation and specifics of confidence-building between Palestinians and Israelis to create a supportive environment to resume direct negotiations between them with the aim of reaching a comprehensive and just solution." Israeli public radio said the trip was also partly intended to prepare the groundwork for a possible visit by Netanyahu to Cairo, but officials have yet to comment on the report. In 1979, Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with neighbouring Israel after years of conflict, and it remains an influential player in the region. Their ties have however been formally cold over Israel's policies towards the Palestinians, and relations further soured after the June 2012 election of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi as Egyptian president. After president Hosni Mubarak's ouster in the 2011 revolution, protesters stormed Israel's embassy in September that year amid clashes with police. Morsi was ousted in July 2013 by then army chief Sisi, who was elected Egypt's president in 2014. In June, representatives from 28 Arab and Western countries, the Arab League, European Union and the United Nations met in Paris to discuss ways to help advance peace efforts. Israel strongly opposes that initiative, which is being promoted by France. Netanyahu has, at the same time, spoken of reviving a long-dormant Arab peace initiative dating to 2002. The proposal essentially calls for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories and resolve the issue of refugees with the Palestinians, leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, in exchange for normalised relations with Arab countries. 'Existential threat' But some analysts have questioned whether Netanyahu's comments were a bid to fend off international critics over his appointment of hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his opposition to the French plan. He has said he would seek changes to the Arab proposal. The Arab League has said the terms cannot be changed. There have been repeated warnings that Israeli settlement building and Palestinian attacks are eroding the possibility of a two-state solution, especially with peace efforts at a standstill since April 2014. Violence since October has killed at least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. Egypt and Israel have cooperated in other areas, particularly with jihadists in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula having pledged allegiance in November 2014 to the Islamic State group. In April, the Israeli military's deputy chief of staff spoke of an "unprecedented level of cooperation" with Egypt, mainly regarding intelligence. Shoukry said the situation in the Middle East was "becoming ever more volatile and dangerous, particularly as the phenomenon of terrorism continues to grow and proliferate, representing an existential threat to the peoples of the region and the world at large." (AFP)

Egypt foreign minister on rare Israel visit to revive peace talks

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