Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in New Delhi on Sunday&nbsp;on a four-day visit during which he will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Middle East peace process.

Ahead of Abbas&#39; visit, India reiterated its &quot;political support&quot; to the Palestinian cause and had said it continued to assist developmental projects there.

The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues, external affairs ministry said.

Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit, the ministry added.

A delegation-level discussion between President Abbas and Prime Minister Modi will be held on May 16.

&quot;India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance,&quot; the ministry had said in a release on Saturday.&nbsp;

The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhi&#39;s relations with Palestine.

In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so.

During his trip to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida tomorrow to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park, being built by India in Palestine, and the Indian IT industry.

(PTI)

Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are expected to be signed during the visit,

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on a four-day visit during which he will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Middle East peace process. Ahead of Abbas' visit, India reiterated its "political support" to the Palestinian cause and had said it continued to assist developmental projects there. The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues, external affairs ministry said. Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit, the ministry added. A delegation-level discussion between President Abbas and Prime Minister Modi will be held on May 16. "India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance," the ministry had said in a release on Saturday. The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhi's relations with Palestine. In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so. During his trip to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida tomorrow to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park, being built by India in Palestine, and the Indian IT industry. (PTI)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in India on four-day visit

The Israeli military said a car driven by a Palestinian deliberately rammed two Israeli soldiers, killing one and injuring the other, in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.

The death brings to 39 the number of Israelis killed in a wave of Palestinian street attacks that began in October 2015, while at least 242 Palestinians have been killed in Israel and the Palestinian Territories over the past 18 months.

The driver was detained after the incident near the Jewish settlement of Ofra, the army said in a statement. Witnesses told Israeli media that as he approached a bus stop, he accelerated and directed the vehicle at two soldiers waiting there.

Israeli government development of settlements in the West Bank has been a focus of friction with Palestinians and contributed to the breakdown of peace talks. Israel disputes the view that the settlements are illegal, and argues it has biblical and historical ties to the land.

Israel says at least 162 of the Palestinians killed had launched stabbing, shooting or ramming attacks. Others died during clashes and protests.

Israel has accused the Palestinian leadership of inciting the violence. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, denies incitement and charges that in many cases, Israel has used excessive force in thwarting attackers armed with rudimentary weapons.

Photos from the scene of Thursday&#39;s incident showed the driver, bound, blindfolded and guarded by a soldier, seated next to his damaged car, in the undergrowth behind the bus stop. The vehicle had Palestinian licence plates.

Five days ago, Israeli paramilitary police officers shot dead a Palestinian after he stabbed three Israelis in Jerusalem&#39;s Old City.

(Reuters)

Witnesses told Israeli media that as the driver approached a bus stop, he accelerated and directed the vehicle at two soldiers waiting there

The Israeli military said a car driven by a Palestinian deliberately rammed two Israeli soldiers, killing one and injuring the other, in the occupied West Bank on Thursday. The death brings to 39 the number of Israelis killed in a wave of Palestinian street attacks that began in October 2015, while at least 242 Palestinians have been killed in Israel and the Palestinian Territories over the past 18 months. The driver was detained after the incident near the Jewish settlement of Ofra, the army said in a statement. Witnesses told Israeli media that as he approached a bus stop, he accelerated and directed the vehicle at two soldiers waiting there. Israeli government development of settlements in the West Bank has been a focus of friction with Palestinians and contributed to the breakdown of peace talks. Israel disputes the view that the settlements are illegal, and argues it has biblical and historical ties to the land. Israel says at least 162 of the Palestinians killed had launched stabbing, shooting or ramming attacks. Others died during clashes and protests. Israel has accused the Palestinian leadership of inciting the violence. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, denies incitement and charges that in many cases, Israel has used excessive force in thwarting attackers armed with rudimentary weapons. Photos from the scene of Thursday's incident showed the driver, bound, blindfolded and guarded by a soldier, seated next to his damaged car, in the undergrowth behind the bus stop. The vehicle had Palestinian licence plates. Five days ago, Israeli paramilitary police officers shot dead a Palestinian after he stabbed three Israelis in Jerusalem's Old City. (Reuters)

Israeli soldier killed in Palestinian car ramming in West Bank: Army

The Palestinians reacted angrily on Friday after the Israeli cabinet approved the building of the first officially sanctioned new settlement in the occupied West Bank in more than 20 years.&nbsp;

The security cabinet gave its unanimous backing to the new settlement late on Thursday as what is widely seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history presses ahead with settlement expansion in defiance of international criticism.&nbsp;

Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said the move showed &quot;blatant disregard for Palestinian human rights&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;Israel is more committed to appeasing its illegal settler population than to abiding by the requirements for stability and a just peace,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

The new settlement will be constructed near the former wildcat Jewish outpost known as Amona, which was razed in February in accordance with an Israeli High Court order.&nbsp;

It will be the first entirely new settlement that an Israeli government has approved in more than 20 years.

In recent years, construction had focused instead on expanding existing settlements.

The international community regards all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal and the biggest obstacle to Middle East peace, and the former US administration of Barack Obama had put up serious opposition to their expansion.

But right-wing Israeli leaders have been emboldened by the far less critical stance of US President Donal Trump.

The anti-settlement NGO Peace Now said the announcement of the new settlement showed that the government was leading Israelis and Palestinians towards &quot;apartheid&quot;.&nbsp;

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been in discussions with the Trump administration on how to move ahead with further settlement construction.&nbsp;

Trump has pledged unstinting support for Israel but has also urged Netanyahu to &quot;hold back on settlements for a little bit&quot; while his administration looks for ways to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks.&nbsp;

Netanyahu had previously pledged to build a new settlement for the Amona residents evicted in February.

&quot;I promised to create a new community and we are going to respect that commitment and create it today,&quot; he said ahead of Thursday`s security cabinet meeting.

(AFP)

Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said the move showed 'blatant disregard for Palestinian human rights'

The Palestinians reacted angrily on Friday after the Israeli cabinet approved the building of the first officially sanctioned new settlement in the occupied West Bank in more than 20 years. The security cabinet gave its unanimous backing to the new settlement late on Thursday as what is widely seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history presses ahead with settlement expansion in defiance of international criticism. Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said the move showed "blatant disregard for Palestinian human rights". "Israel is more committed to appeasing its illegal settler population than to abiding by the requirements for stability and a just peace," she said. The new settlement will be constructed near the former wildcat Jewish outpost known as Amona, which was razed in February in accordance with an Israeli High Court order. It will be the first entirely new settlement that an Israeli government has approved in more than 20 years. In recent years, construction had focused instead on expanding existing settlements. The international community regards all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal and the biggest obstacle to Middle East peace, and the former US administration of Barack Obama had put up serious opposition to their expansion. But right-wing Israeli leaders have been emboldened by the far less critical stance of US President Donal Trump. The anti-settlement NGO Peace Now said the announcement of the new settlement showed that the government was leading Israelis and Palestinians towards "apartheid". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been in discussions with the Trump administration on how to move ahead with further settlement construction. Trump has pledged unstinting support for Israel but has also urged Netanyahu to "hold back on settlements for a little bit" while his administration looks for ways to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks. Netanyahu had previously pledged to build a new settlement for the Amona residents evicted in February. "I promised to create a new community and we are going to respect that commitment and create it today," he said ahead of Thursday`s security cabinet meeting. (AFP)

Palestinians angry at Israel's new settlement plan in occupied West Bank

The head of the United Nation&#39;s West Asia commission, Rima Khalaf,&nbsp;resigned on Friday&nbsp;after what she described as pressure from the secretary general Antonio Guterres to withdraw a report accusing Israel of imposing an &quot;apartheid regime&quot; on Palestinians, Reuters reports.

The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which comprises 18 Arab states, published the report on Wednesday and said it was the first time a UN&nbsp;body had clearly made the charge, Reuters reports.

They add that UN&nbsp;Under-Secretary General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf announced her resignation at a news conference in Beirut.

The Israeli news site <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4936865,00.html" target="_blank">Ynet news</a>&nbsp;reports that UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday&nbsp;that the report was published without consulting the UN secreteriat first.

They also report that Israel&#39;s foreign minister spokesman liekened the report to a Nazi propoganda publication, describing it as &quot;despicable and a blatant lie&quot;, and&nbsp;adds that the US, a staunch Israeli ally, expressed outrage at the report.

(Reuters)

The report accused Israel of imposing an 'apartheid regime' on Palestinians, the first time this charge has ever been levelled by a UN body

The head of the United Nation's West Asia commission, Rima Khalaf, resigned on Friday after what she described as pressure from the secretary general Antonio Guterres to withdraw a report accusing Israel of imposing an "apartheid regime" on Palestinians, Reuters reports. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which comprises 18 Arab states, published the report on Wednesday and said it was the first time a UN body had clearly made the charge, Reuters reports. They add that UN Under-Secretary General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf announced her resignation at a news conference in Beirut. The Israeli news site Ynet news reports that UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday that the report was published without consulting the UN secreteriat first. They also report that Israel's foreign minister spokesman liekened the report to a Nazi propoganda publication, describing it as "despicable and a blatant lie", and adds that the US, a staunch Israeli ally, expressed outrage at the report. (Reuters)

Head of UN West Asia commission resigns over report on 'apartheid' Israel

A young Israeli soldier who killed a wounded and incapacitated Palestinian assailant was sentenced to 18 months&#39; imprisonment on Tuesday, in a show of leniency that drew Palestinian outrage after one of the most divisive trials in Israel&#39;s history.

Eleven months ago, Sergeant Elor Azaria was serving as an army medic in the town of Hebron in the occupied West Bank when two Palestinians stabbed and wounded another soldier.

One of the assailants was shot dead by troops. The other was shot and wounded. Eleven minutes later, as the wounded man, Abd Elfatah Ashareef, 21, lay on the ground unable to move, Azaria, then 19, took aim with his rifle and put a bullet in his head.

With the 50th anniversary of Israel&#39;s wartime capture of the West Bank approaching, the trial generated debate about whether the military, in accusing Azaria of violating open-fire rules and its ethical code, was out of touch with a public that has shifted to the right in its attitudes towards the Palestinians.

In one poll, nearly half of Israeli Jews said any Palestinian attacker should be killed on the spot.

A three-judge military court convicted Azaria of manslaughter last month, a crime that carries a maximum 20-year term. Prosecutors had asked for a three-to-five year sentence, noting the soldier had shot an assailant who had carried out an attack only minutes earlier.

Passing an 18-month sentence, the court said Azaria had &quot;taken upon himself to be both judge and executioner&quot; and had not expressed regret for his crime.

But it said it was passing a lighter sentence than requested partly because it had been Azaria&#39;s first combat experience and his record had been unblemished up until then.

&quot;They are laughing at us,&quot; Ashareef&#39;s father, Yusri, told Reuters after the sentence was announced. The Palestinian government said the decision gave Israeli soldiers a &quot;green light&quot; to carry out &quot;executions&quot; without fear of real punishment.

It seemed unlikely that the sentence would lead to any significant outbreak of anti-Israeli violence, which has largely waned since a flurry of street attacks that began in October 2015. Palestinians have long accused Israel of using excessive force against lightly armed attackers, and harbour few expectations soldiers will be held accountable.

At his trial, Azaria said he believed the Palestinian, though motionless, still posed a danger because his knife was nearby, and that he might have been carrying explosives. &quot;He deserves to die,&quot; Azaria was quoted in the verdict as telling another soldier after pulling the trigger.

It was not immediately clear if Azaria&#39;s lawyers, one of whom described the sentence as light in remarks to reporters, would opt to appeal.

There was no immediate comment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on an official visit to Singapore and Australia. Shortly after Azaria&#39;s arrest, the right-wing leader took the unusual step of calling the soldier&#39;s family to express his sympathy.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, commenting on Facebook after the sentencing, said the &quot;terrorist had come to kill Jews and everyone must take this into account&quot;.

Rallies for Azaria, some backed by rightist politicians and pop singers, gathered momentum as the trial progressed. &quot;Israel&#39;s Hero&quot;, read one sign at a demonstration attended by dozens of supporters near the courtroom as the sentence was read out.

In the courtroom, in a military base in central Tel Aviv, Azaria&#39;s family and friends sang Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem, after the judges left. Azaria, confined to his camp during the trial, was ordered to begin serving his sentence on March 5.

(Reuters)

The Palestinian government said the decision gave Israeli soldiers a 'green light' to carry out 'executions' without fear of real punishment

A young Israeli soldier who killed a wounded and incapacitated Palestinian assailant was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment on Tuesday, in a show of leniency that drew Palestinian outrage after one of the most divisive trials in Israel's history. Eleven months ago, Sergeant Elor Azaria was serving as an army medic in the town of Hebron in the occupied West Bank when two Palestinians stabbed and wounded another soldier. One of the assailants was shot dead by troops. The other was shot and wounded. Eleven minutes later, as the wounded man, Abd Elfatah Ashareef, 21, lay on the ground unable to move, Azaria, then 19, took aim with his rifle and put a bullet in his head. With the 50th anniversary of Israel's wartime capture of the West Bank approaching, the trial generated debate about whether the military, in accusing Azaria of violating open-fire rules and its ethical code, was out of touch with a public that has shifted to the right in its attitudes towards the Palestinians. In one poll, nearly half of Israeli Jews said any Palestinian attacker should be killed on the spot. A three-judge military court convicted Azaria of manslaughter last month, a crime that carries a maximum 20-year term. Prosecutors had asked for a three-to-five year sentence, noting the soldier had shot an assailant who had carried out an attack only minutes earlier. Passing an 18-month sentence, the court said Azaria had "taken upon himself to be both judge and executioner" and had not expressed regret for his crime. But it said it was passing a lighter sentence than requested partly because it had been Azaria's first combat experience and his record had been unblemished up until then. "They are laughing at us," Ashareef's father, Yusri, told Reuters after the sentence was announced. The Palestinian government said the decision gave Israeli soldiers a "green light" to carry out "executions" without fear of real punishment. It seemed unlikely that the sentence would lead to any significant outbreak of anti-Israeli violence, which has largely waned since a flurry of street attacks that began in October 2015. Palestinians have long accused Israel of using excessive force against lightly armed attackers, and harbour few expectations soldiers will be held accountable. At his trial, Azaria said he believed the Palestinian, though motionless, still posed a danger because his knife was nearby, and that he might have been carrying explosives. "He deserves to die," Azaria was quoted in the verdict as telling another soldier after pulling the trigger. It was not immediately clear if Azaria's lawyers, one of whom described the sentence as light in remarks to reporters, would opt to appeal. There was no immediate comment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on an official visit to Singapore and Australia. Shortly after Azaria's arrest, the right-wing leader took the unusual step of calling the soldier's family to express his sympathy. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, commenting on Facebook after the sentencing, said the "terrorist had come to kill Jews and everyone must take this into account". Rallies for Azaria, some backed by rightist politicians and pop singers, gathered momentum as the trial progressed. "Israel's Hero", read one sign at a demonstration attended by dozens of supporters near the courtroom as the sentence was read out. In the courtroom, in a military base in central Tel Aviv, Azaria's family and friends sang Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem, after the judges left. Azaria, confined to his camp during the trial, was ordered to begin serving his sentence on March 5. (Reuters)

Israeli soldier gets 18 months for killing wounded, incapacitated Palestinian assailant

Iran&rsquo;s Supreme Leader called on Palestinians on Tuesday to pursue an uprising against Israel, suggesting the Israeli government was a &quot;cancerous tumour&quot; that should be confronted until Palestinians were completely liberated.

&quot;... by Allah&rsquo;s permission, we will see that this intifada will begin a very important chapter in the history of fighting and that it will inflict another defeat on that usurping regime,&quot; Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to his website.

The Supreme Leader&rsquo;s bellicose comments, made during a two-day conference in Tehran focused on its support for the Palestinians, come at a time of increasingly heated rhetoric between Iran, Israel and the United States.

While on a visit to Washington last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel and the United States had a &quot;grand mission&quot; to confront the threat of a nuclear Iran.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump has already been highly critical of a deal hammered out between Iran and world powers, including the United States, in 2015 intended to partially lift sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Iran says its programme is for purely peaceful means.

When Iran carried out a ballistic missile test in late January, Trump&rsquo;s then national security adviser Mike Flynn said the administration was putting Iran &quot;on notice&quot;.

Ordinary Iranians have been posting their concerns about a possible military confrontation between Iran and the United States on social media.

Khamenei did not mention any Iranian military attack against Israel in his comments on Tuesday and was focused on gains that Palestinians could make in any confrontation with Israel, which he described as tumour developing into &quot;the current disaster&quot;. &nbsp;

&quot;The Palestinian intifada continues to gallop forward in a thunderous manner so that it can achieve its other goals until the complete liberation of Palestine,&quot; he said, according to the transcript of the speech posted on his website.

(Reuters)

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments?come at a time of increasingly heated rhetoric between Iran, Israel and the United States

Iran’s Supreme Leader called on Palestinians on Tuesday to pursue an uprising against Israel, suggesting the Israeli government was a "cancerous tumour" that should be confronted until Palestinians were completely liberated. "... by Allah’s permission, we will see that this intifada will begin a very important chapter in the history of fighting and that it will inflict another defeat on that usurping regime," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to his website. The Supreme Leader’s bellicose comments, made during a two-day conference in Tehran focused on its support for the Palestinians, come at a time of increasingly heated rhetoric between Iran, Israel and the United States. While on a visit to Washington last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel and the United States had a "grand mission" to confront the threat of a nuclear Iran. US President Donald Trump has already been highly critical of a deal hammered out between Iran and world powers, including the United States, in 2015 intended to partially lift sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. Iran says its programme is for purely peaceful means. When Iran carried out a ballistic missile test in late January, Trump’s then national security adviser Mike Flynn said the administration was putting Iran "on notice". Ordinary Iranians have been posting their concerns about a possible military confrontation between Iran and the United States on social media. Khamenei did not mention any Iranian military attack against Israel in his comments on Tuesday and was focused on gains that Palestinians could make in any confrontation with Israel, which he described as tumour developing into "the current disaster". "The Palestinian intifada continues to gallop forward in a thunderous manner so that it can achieve its other goals until the complete liberation of Palestine," he said, according to the transcript of the speech posted on his website. (Reuters)

Iran Supreme Leader calls on Palestinians to pursue uprising against Israel

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 new Israeli law legalizing dozens of Jewish settler outposts in the Palestinian West Bank is in violation of international law, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday.

Guterres said he &quot;deeply regrets&quot; the adoption of the bill which many governments worldwide see as the latest bid to erode the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

&quot;This bill is in contravention of international law and will have far reaching legal consequences for Israel,&quot; Guterres said in a statement.

The UN chief again stressed the need to avoid &quot;any actions that would derail the two-state solution&quot; and said such issues must be resolved through negotiations.

Settlements in both the West Bank and east Jerusalem are viewed as illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians want for their own state.

The new law passed by the Israeli parliament late Monday allows the appropriation of private Palestinian land for Jewish settler outposts, a move the Palestinians said was a means to &quot;legalise theft&quot;.

Guterres joined an international outcry over the parliament&#39;s decision, but the new US administration of President Donald Trump has refused to comment.

The law is expected to be challenged in court, with some Israeli officials expecting it to be struck down by the Supreme Court.

It would protect settlers against eviction from outposts discovered to have been built on private Palestinian lands.

Palestinian owners will be compensated financially or with other land.

It would apply to around 53 outposts as well as some houses within existing settlements, potentially legalizing more than 3,800 homes, according to anti-settlement NGO Peace Now.

The UN Security Council will discuss the dispute over Israeli settlements during a meeting on February 15.

(AFP)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he 'deeply regrets' the legislation that risks rupturing the peace process in the region

A new Israeli law legalizing dozens of Jewish settler outposts in the Palestinian West Bank is in violation of international law, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday. Guterres said he "deeply regrets" the adoption of the bill which many governments worldwide see as the latest bid to erode the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "This bill is in contravention of international law and will have far reaching legal consequences for Israel," Guterres said in a statement. The UN chief again stressed the need to avoid "any actions that would derail the two-state solution" and said such issues must be resolved through negotiations. Settlements in both the West Bank and east Jerusalem are viewed as illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians want for their own state. The new law passed by the Israeli parliament late Monday allows the appropriation of private Palestinian land for Jewish settler outposts, a move the Palestinians said was a means to "legalise theft". Guterres joined an international outcry over the parliament's decision, but the new US administration of President Donald Trump has refused to comment. The law is expected to be challenged in court, with some Israeli officials expecting it to be struck down by the Supreme Court. It would protect settlers against eviction from outposts discovered to have been built on private Palestinian lands. Palestinian owners will be compensated financially or with other land. It would apply to around 53 outposts as well as some houses within existing settlements, potentially legalizing more than 3,800 homes, according to anti-settlement NGO Peace Now. The UN Security Council will discuss the dispute over Israeli settlements during a meeting on February 15. (AFP)

New Israeli settler outposts in West Bank violates international law: UN

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

The Palestinians may consider &quot;reversing recognition&quot; of Israel&nbsp;if Donald Trump moves the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has said in an interview in&nbsp;French daily Le Figaro.

&quot;I wrote to president-elect Trump to ask him not to do it. Not only would this move deprive the United States of all legitimacy in playing a role in conflict resolution, it would also destroy the two-state solution,&quot; Abbas told the French daily.

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Trump - who takes office next Friday - has said he plans to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move is bitterly opposed by Palestinians, who see it as a destructive and unilateral action as the status of the city is still contested. The United States and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, and the city&#39;s status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel supports Trump&#39;s plan and has encouraged previous US presidents to take similar steps but to no avail.

&quot;If the embassy transfer takes place, there would be several options for us, and we would discuss them with Arab countries,&quot; Abbas said.&nbsp;&quot;Reversing our recognition of the State of Israel is one of them. But we hope that it doesn&#39;t reach that point, and that, on the contrary, we will be able to work with the next American administration,&quot; he added.

Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) recognised each other under the 1993 Oslo agreements. But the process which was supposed to deliver a lasting peace still hasn&#39;t happened so far. More than 70 countries meet in Paris on Sunday at a conference expected to reaffirm support for the &quot;two-state solution&quot; in which Palestinian and Israeli states would live side-by-side in peace and security.

The Paris meeting &quot;may be the last chance for implementing&quot; the two-state solution, Abbas warned.

On Monday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said Abbas had written to Trump, warning an embassy move would have a &quot;disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region.&quot;

(AFP)

Trump has said he plans to acknowledge Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv

The Palestinians may consider "reversing recognition" of Israel if Donald Trump moves the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has said in an interview in French daily Le Figaro. "I wrote to president-elect Trump to ask him not to do it. Not only would this move deprive the United States of all legitimacy in playing a role in conflict resolution, it would also destroy the two-state solution," Abbas told the French daily. Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) recognised each other under the 1993 Oslo agreements. But the process which was supposed to deliver a lasting peace still hasn't happened so far × Trump - who takes office next Friday - has said he plans to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move is bitterly opposed by Palestinians, who see it as a destructive and unilateral action as the status of the city is still contested. The United States and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and the city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel supports Trump's plan and has encouraged previous US presidents to take similar steps but to no avail. "If the embassy transfer takes place, there would be several options for us, and we would discuss them with Arab countries," Abbas said. "Reversing our recognition of the State of Israel is one of them. But we hope that it doesn't reach that point, and that, on the contrary, we will be able to work with the next American administration," he added. Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) recognised each other under the 1993 Oslo agreements. But the process which was supposed to deliver a lasting peace still hasn't happened so far. More than 70 countries meet in Paris on Sunday at a conference expected to reaffirm support for the "two-state solution" in which Palestinian and Israeli states would live side-by-side in peace and security. The Paris meeting "may be the last chance for implementing" the two-state solution, Abbas warned. On Monday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said Abbas had written to Trump, warning an embassy move would have a "disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region." (AFP)

May reverse Israel recognition if Trump moves embassy: Abbas

The Palestinians may consider &quot;reversing recognition&quot; of Israel if Donald Trump moves the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said in an interview released by the French daily Le Figaro on Friday.

&quot;I wrote to president(-elect) Trump to ask him not to do it. Not only would this move deprive the United States of all legitimacy in playing a role in conflict resolution, it would also destroy the two-state solution,&quot; Abbas was quoted as saying.

Trump,&nbsp;who takes office next Friday,&nbsp;has said he plans to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

The move is bitterly opposed by Palestinians, who see it as a destructive and unilateral action as the status of the city is still contested.

The United States and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, and the city&#39;s status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel supports Trump&#39;s plan and has encouraged previous US presidents to take similar steps but to no avail.

If the embassy transfer takes place, &quot;there would be several options for us, and we would discuss them with Arab countries,&quot; Abbas said.

&quot;Reversing our recognition of the State of Israel is one of them. But we hope that it doesn&#39;t reach that point, and that, on the contrary, we will be able to work with the next American administration,&quot; he added.

Israel and the&nbsp;Palestine&nbsp;Liberation Organisation (PLO) recognised each other under the 1993 Oslo agreements. But the process which was supposed to deliver a lasting peace is moribund.

More than 70 countries meet in Paris on Sunday at a conference expected to reaffirm support for the &quot;two-state solution&quot; in which Palestinian and Israeli states would live side-by-side in peace and security.

The Paris meeting &quot;may be the last chance for implementing&quot; the two-state solution, Abbas warned.

On Monday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said Abbas had written to Trump, warning an embassy move would have a &quot;disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region.&quot;

&nbsp;

(AFP)

Donald Trump has said he plans to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv

The Palestinians may consider "reversing recognition" of Israel if Donald Trump moves the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said in an interview released by the French daily Le Figaro on Friday. "I wrote to president(-elect) Trump to ask him not to do it. Not only would this move deprive the United States of all legitimacy in playing a role in conflict resolution, it would also destroy the two-state solution," Abbas was quoted as saying. Trump, who takes office next Friday, has said he plans to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move is bitterly opposed by Palestinians, who see it as a destructive and unilateral action as the status of the city is still contested. The United States and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and the city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel supports Trump's plan and has encouraged previous US presidents to take similar steps but to no avail. If the embassy transfer takes place, "there would be several options for us, and we would discuss them with Arab countries," Abbas said. "Reversing our recognition of the State of Israel is one of them. But we hope that it doesn't reach that point, and that, on the contrary, we will be able to work with the next American administration," he added. Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) recognised each other under the 1993 Oslo agreements. But the process which was supposed to deliver a lasting peace is moribund. More than 70 countries meet in Paris on Sunday at a conference expected to reaffirm support for the "two-state solution" in which Palestinian and Israeli states would live side-by-side in peace and security. The Paris meeting "may be the last chance for implementing" the two-state solution, Abbas warned. On Monday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said Abbas had written to Trump, warning an embassy move would have a "disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region." (AFP)

May 'reverse' Israel recognition if Trump moves embassy: Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas

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

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'

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

Imagine a child without any toys to play with, regular schooling or a daily dose of cartoons. Sounds like a disturbed childhood, right? This is the reality for about 14.4 million refugees (2014 UNHCR figures) in the world&nbsp;who lead a different life than an average kid living in their own homeland.

World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20.&nbsp;

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World Refugee Day (WION)
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&nbsp;

Living under difficult circumstances, refugees deal with several issues at hand. Displaced from their place of belonging here is a list of things that refugee kids miss out on a daily basis:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Their home:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Usually relocated, refugee children miss out on growing up in their own homeland, among friends and family. Unlike children who are raised under normal state of affairs, these kids are not exposed to their culture and surroundings that are vital for a holistic development.&nbsp;

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A refugee camp (AFP)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Regular education:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Most refugee children have no or negligible access to regular schools. Some are pulled out of schools because of war-like situations or have to discontinue so as to fend for the family.&nbsp;

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A makeshift refugee school (AFP)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Food:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Leading a disturbed lifestyle, refugee children have no access to everyday food that we munch on. Most of them survive on minimum basics or go without food for several days. In several countries they are given food vouchers, so you can imagine they don&#39;t eat anything that we fancy on as kids -&nbsp;ice creams, burgers, pizzas or other junk food items.&nbsp;

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Displaced kids eating (AFP)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Lose their childhood too early:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Reeling under physical and psychological pressure, refugee kids mature much early than their counterparts. It is reported by the&nbsp;UN&#39;s refugee agency that countries like Syria have reported grave dangers for refugee kids. Girls are married to much older men vying for safety while the boys are forced into labour so as to sustain a family.&nbsp;

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A kid at work in a refugee camp (AFP)
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&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Source of entertainment:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

As a child refugee, the&nbsp;kids are always striving for safety and have no&nbsp;source of entertainment like movies, cartoons, leisure activities or even access to toys sometimes.&nbsp;

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A child plays with makeshift tricycle (AFP)
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&nbsp;

Every year, war adds on to the number of refugees worldwide. Facing danger to life and other basic human rights, they need to be provided with a closer-to home environment for growth. Many organisations around the world like UNHCR, World Food Programs are working towards improving their living standards.

&nbsp;

(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Owing to pressure, these kids mature faster than those living in their homes

Imagine a child without any toys to play with, regular schooling or a daily dose of cartoons. Sounds like a disturbed childhood, right? This is the reality for about 14.4 million refugees (2014 UNHCR figures) in the world who lead a different life than an average kid living in their own homeland. World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20. World Refugee Day (WION) × Living under difficult circumstances, refugees deal with several issues at hand. Displaced from their place of belonging here is a list of things that refugee kids miss out on a daily basis: Their home: Usually relocated, refugee children miss out on growing up in their own homeland, among friends and family. Unlike children who are raised under normal state of affairs, these kids are not exposed to their culture and surroundings that are vital for a holistic development. A refugee camp (AFP) × Regular education: Most refugee children have no or negligible access to regular schools. Some are pulled out of schools because of war-like situations or have to discontinue so as to fend for the family. A makeshift refugee school (AFP) × Food: Leading a disturbed lifestyle, refugee children have no access to everyday food that we munch on. Most of them survive on minimum basics or go without food for several days. In several countries they are given food vouchers, so you can imagine they don't eat anything that we fancy on as kids - ice creams, burgers, pizzas or other junk food items. Displaced kids eating (AFP) × Lose their childhood too early: Reeling under physical and psychological pressure, refugee kids mature much early than their counterparts. It is reported by the UN's refugee agency that countries like Syria have reported grave dangers for refugee kids. Girls are married to much older men vying for safety while the boys are forced into labour so as to sustain a family. A kid at work in a refugee camp (AFP) × Source of entertainment: As a child refugee, the kids are always striving for safety and have no source of entertainment like movies, cartoons, leisure activities or even access to toys sometimes. A child plays with makeshift tricycle (AFP) × Every year, war adds on to the number of refugees worldwide. Facing danger to life and other basic human rights, they need to be provided with a closer-to home environment for growth. Many organisations around the world like UNHCR, World Food Programs are working towards improving their living standards. (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

A refugee child misses out on things your average kid takes for granted

Rami Kashou&#39;s designs are worn by Hollywood stars and royalty but for the past few days he has been back home in the occupied West Bank rather than London, Paris or New York. 
 
As on most days, Yasser Arafat Square in central Ramallah was crowded with pedestrians, taxis with screaming horns and fruit sellers lugging their goods on carts. 
 
But tucked behind a nondescript door another world beckoned: one of burgundy walls and floor-length mirrors, as Kashou hosted a three-day pop-up fashion shop. 
 
A handful of women of all ages browsed the elegant designs, occasionally trying on clothes under the watchful eyes of Kashou, who rushed to dispense fashion advice when needed. 
 
The US-based fashion designer has a list of celebrity clients including Hollywood actress Jessica Alba, reality TV star Kim Kardashian and Queen Rania of Jordan.&nbsp; 
 
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A single Rami Kashou dress can cost several thousand dollars. In photo: Palestinian women try on dresses designed by Kashou at a pop-up shop in West Bank city of Ramallah.
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But Kashou, who is 40 and was born in Jerusalem, has now made copies for Palestinian women of his creations that they would otherwise only see in magazines. 
 
He left for the United States in 1996 and now lives in New York. 
 
&quot;I was away for a long time,&quot; the bearded, shaven-headed Kashou, dressed in black, told AFP in the store. 
 
&quot;I usually come to visit my family, (but) this is the first time I brought my designs here.&quot; 
 
Kashou shot to fame with &#39;Project Runway&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Kashou shot to fame in 2008 when he appeared on the fourth season of the &quot;Project Runway&quot; reality television. 
 
He reached the finals, coming second to Christian Siriano, who designed the dress worn by US First Lady Michelle Obama as she addressed the Democratic National Convention last week. 
 
Kashou said the show opened doors for him in America and elsewhere. 
 
&quot;I benefited a lot. It was a big advert, especially for me as a Palestinian designer,&quot; he said. &quot;And the Arab world became aware of me.&quot; 
 
He is now developing his brand in Arab countries. 
 
In Ramallah, the Palestinian political capital in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, he showed off his unique style of dresses, including one resembling a bouquet of flowers with a pink and red collar, which he said was inspired by a trip to Puerto Rico. 
 
The garments, including a magenta cocktail dress designed for supermodel Heidi Klum, feature a range of exquisite fabrics such as chiffon, georgette, lame and silk. 
 
Suha Hussein, 32, inspected herself in the mirror as she tried on a sleek black Moroccan-style dress with beads engraved around the neck, based on an original made for Queen Rania. 
 
&quot;I feel proud because we have such a talent and he is still interested in returning to his country,&quot; she said. 
 
Turning to the dress, she smiled: &quot;I hope it isn&#39;t too expensive, so I can buy it.&quot; 
 
A single Rami Kashou dress can cost several thousand dollars, a sum impossible to imagine for the vast majority of Palestinians, where the unemployment rate is around 27 per cent and one in five of those in work makes less than $380 a month. 
 
Does the designer who has made it big in America really see opportunities in the Palestinian territories? 
 
&quot;There is an important market here,&quot; he said. &quot;It is extremely important to study the market to know the customers and their needs.&quot; 
 
&quot;And it is wedding season, women here want glamour.&quot; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Rami Kashou has made copies for Palestinian women of his creations that they would otherwise only see in magazines

Rami Kashou's designs are worn by Hollywood stars and royalty but for the past few days he has been back home in the occupied West Bank rather than London, Paris or New York. As on most days, Yasser Arafat Square in central Ramallah was crowded with pedestrians, taxis with screaming horns and fruit sellers lugging their goods on carts. But tucked behind a nondescript door another world beckoned: one of burgundy walls and floor-length mirrors, as Kashou hosted a three-day pop-up fashion shop. A handful of women of all ages browsed the elegant designs, occasionally trying on clothes under the watchful eyes of Kashou, who rushed to dispense fashion advice when needed. The US-based fashion designer has a list of celebrity clients including Hollywood actress Jessica Alba, reality TV star Kim Kardashian and Queen Rania of Jordan. A single Rami Kashou dress can cost several thousand dollars. In photo: Palestinian women try on dresses designed by Kashou at a pop-up shop in West Bank city of Ramallah. But Kashou, who is 40 and was born in Jerusalem, has now made copies for Palestinian women of his creations that they would otherwise only see in magazines. He left for the United States in 1996 and now lives in New York. "I was away for a long time," the bearded, shaven-headed Kashou, dressed in black, told AFP in the store. "I usually come to visit my family, (but) this is the first time I brought my designs here." Kashou shot to fame with 'Project Runway' Kashou shot to fame in 2008 when he appeared on the fourth season of the "Project Runway" reality television. He reached the finals, coming second to Christian Siriano, who designed the dress worn by US First Lady Michelle Obama as she addressed the Democratic National Convention last week. Kashou said the show opened doors for him in America and elsewhere. "I benefited a lot. It was a big advert, especially for me as a Palestinian designer," he said. "And the Arab world became aware of me." He is now developing his brand in Arab countries. In Ramallah, the Palestinian political capital in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, he showed off his unique style of dresses, including one resembling a bouquet of flowers with a pink and red collar, which he said was inspired by a trip to Puerto Rico. The garments, including a magenta cocktail dress designed for supermodel Heidi Klum, feature a range of exquisite fabrics such as chiffon, georgette, lame and silk. Suha Hussein, 32, inspected herself in the mirror as she tried on a sleek black Moroccan-style dress with beads engraved around the neck, based on an original made for Queen Rania. "I feel proud because we have such a talent and he is still interested in returning to his country," she said. Turning to the dress, she smiled: "I hope it isn't too expensive, so I can buy it." A single Rami Kashou dress can cost several thousand dollars, a sum impossible to imagine for the vast majority of Palestinians, where the unemployment rate is around 27 per cent and one in five of those in work makes less than $380 a month. Does the designer who has made it big in America really see opportunities in the Palestinian territories? "There is an important market here," he said. "It is extremely important to study the market to know the customers and their needs." "And it is wedding season, women here want glamour." (AFP)

Palestinian designer for rich and famous pops up in West Bank

&nbsp;A Palestinian child aged 12 was killed by Israeli soldiers who fired rubber-coated bullets near Jerusalem today, said the Palestinian health ministry. 
 
&quot;Mohiyeh al-Tabakhi, 12, was killed by shots fired by occupation soldiers in the Al-Ram area near Jerusalem,&quot; it said in a statement. 
 
The Palestinian suburb in the occupied West Bank near Jerusalem is cut off from the Holy City by the &quot;separation wall&quot; built by Israel. 
 
The boy was hit in the chest by a rubber-coated bullet which caused cardiac arrest, medical sources were quoted by the Palestinian news agency WAFA as saying. 
 
Israeli police said tear gas grenades and sound bombs had been used against demonstrators in the area. 
 
&quot;After being pelted with Molotov cocktails, police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters,&quot; police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP. 
 
&quot;There was no live fire,&quot; she added. 
 
Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since last October has killed at least 217 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. 
 
Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Islamist-controlled Gaza Strip. 
 
(AFP)

The 12-year-old boy was reportedly hit in the chest by a rubber-coated bullet which caused cardiac arrest

A Palestinian child aged 12 was killed by Israeli soldiers who fired rubber-coated bullets near Jerusalem today, said the Palestinian health ministry. "Mohiyeh al-Tabakhi, 12, was killed by shots fired by occupation soldiers in the Al-Ram area near Jerusalem," it said in a statement. The Palestinian suburb in the occupied West Bank near Jerusalem is cut off from the Holy City by the "separation wall" built by Israel. The boy was hit in the chest by a rubber-coated bullet which caused cardiac arrest, medical sources were quoted by the Palestinian news agency WAFA as saying. Israeli police said tear gas grenades and sound bombs had been used against demonstrators in the area. "After being pelted with Molotov cocktails, police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP. "There was no live fire," she added. Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since last October has killed at least 217 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. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Islamist-controlled Gaza Strip. (AFP)

Israeli soldiers shoot dead Palestinian child, says Palestinian ministry

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

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas called on the United Nations (UN) Security Council today to reject a key report by the diplomatic Quartet that condemned both Israeli settlement building and Palestinian incitement to violence. 
 
The report published last Friday by the European Union (EU), Russia, the United Nations and the United States (US) was criticised by both Israel and the Palestinians as being unfair. 
 
The report is due to be presented for discussion at the UN Security Council in the coming weeks, though a date has not yet been set. 
 
In a statement, however, Abbas said that the report &quot;does not further the cause for peace.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We hope that the Security Council does not support this report,&quot; he added. 
 
Palestine Liberation Organisation secretary general Saeb Erekat has condemned what he called an &quot;attempt to equalise the responsibilities between people under occupation and the foreign military occupier.&quot; 
 
Quartet report aims to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace process 
&nbsp; 
The report findings and recommendations are supposed to serve as the basis for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process that has been comatose since a US initiative collapsed in April 2014. 
 
But&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also rejected the report, calling it a &quot;myth&quot; that settlement building in the occupied West Bank is an obstacle to peace. There was no formal response from the Quartet but a source involved with the report said Wednesday there were positives to be drawn from the responses. 
 
&quot;If both president Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu find the report disturbing, then the report must contain some truths that both are uncomfortable with,&quot; he said. 
 
A Palestinian official said they would no longer deal with the Quartet as a body, but would continue to work with its four members individually. &quot;It is not only about the report, it is more than that -- but the report confirms how useless (the Quartet) is,&quot; the official said. 
 
There has been a growing alarm that ongoing violence and the construction of Jewish settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state are killing off prospects for a deal. 
 
There are currently at least 570,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to make the capital of their future state. The United Nations has said settlements are illegal. 
 
In the recent wave of violence since October, there have been more than 250 attacks and attempted attacks by Palestinians that have killed at least 30 Israelis, the report said. 
 
(AFP)

The report is due to be presented for discussion at the UN Security Council in the coming weeks, though a date has not yet been set

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas called on the United Nations (UN) Security Council today to reject a key report by the diplomatic Quartet that condemned both Israeli settlement building and Palestinian incitement to violence. The report published last Friday by the European Union (EU), Russia, the United Nations and the United States (US) was criticised by both Israel and the Palestinians as being unfair. The report is due to be presented for discussion at the UN Security Council in the coming weeks, though a date has not yet been set. In a statement, however, Abbas said that the report "does not further the cause for peace." "We hope that the Security Council does not support this report," he added. Palestine Liberation Organisation secretary general Saeb Erekat has condemned what he called an "attempt to equalise the responsibilities between people under occupation and the foreign military occupier." Quartet report aims to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace process The report findings and recommendations are supposed to serve as the basis for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process that has been comatose since a US initiative collapsed in April 2014. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also rejected the report, calling it a "myth" that settlement building in the occupied West Bank is an obstacle to peace. There was no formal response from the Quartet but a source involved with the report said Wednesday there were positives to be drawn from the responses. "If both president Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu find the report disturbing, then the report must contain some truths that both are uncomfortable with," he said. A Palestinian official said they would no longer deal with the Quartet as a body, but would continue to work with its four members individually. "It is not only about the report, it is more than that -- but the report confirms how useless (the Quartet) is," the official said. There has been a growing alarm that ongoing violence and the construction of Jewish settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state are killing off prospects for a deal. There are currently at least 570,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to make the capital of their future state. The United Nations has said settlements are illegal. In the recent wave of violence since October, there have been more than 250 attacks and attempted attacks by Palestinians that have killed at least 30 Israelis, the report said. (AFP)

Palestinian President calls on UN Security Council to reject Quartet report

Ahead of the release last week of a report on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the Quartet of Middle East mediators, the word from diplomats was that it would be hard-hitting, especially on Israel and its settlement building. 
 
The United States, the European Union and the United Nations were fed up with Israel&#39;s consistent violation of international law, which views all settlements on occupied land as illegal, diplomats said. While Russia, the fourth Quartet member, might be more restrained, Israel was set for a serious ticking off. 
 
Those concerns reached Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s office. Officials briefed that he was determined to talk the Quartet down. He flew to Moscow to see President Vladimir Putin, and met US Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU&#39;s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, in Rome. 
 
In the end, after weeks of delay, the report was mild in the extreme. Israeli settlement-building was criticised but not called illegal. The prime focus was on Palestinian incitement. One regional analyst described the overall impact as &quot;banal&quot;. 
 
Palestinians were outraged. Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Quartet had attempted to &quot;equalize the responsibilities between a people under occupation and a foreign military occupier&quot;. The international community had given in, he said. 
 
Among a number of American, European and UN diplomats, there is a fair degree of sympathy with that view. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s just no appetite to go toe-to-toe with Israel and deliver a really harsh indictment,&quot; said one European ambassador. &quot;No one sees the upside to it.&quot; 
 
Privately, diplomats raise a host of concerns about Israel&#39;s actions: its restrictions on Palestinian movement, security clampdowns they say amount to collective punishment, the demolition of attackers&#39; homes, the blockade on Gaza, and settlements. But in public, there is far more restraint. 
 
Statements from European Union foreign ministers and US officials often express concern about all those issues, but they fall short of threatening action or concrete censure. It is usually much more about carrots than sticks. 
 
Growing allegiances 
 
While the European Commission has taken steps to more clearly delineate between Israel and the territories it has occupied since 1967, issuing guidelines on the labelling of settlement goods, officials say Mogherini does not want to go further, favouring a similar approach to her predecessor. 
 
Many EU member states have good and growing relations with Israel. Like Turkey, which last week agreed to restore diplomatic ties with Israel after a six-year hiatus, they see a future of expanding business, trade and energy ties. 
 
Whereas a few years ago Israel mostly had to rely on Germany, Britain and the Czech Republic to defend its interests in the EU, now it can count Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Hungary and a handful of others among potential allies. 
 
At the same time, Netanyahu has bolstered relations with Russia, talks regularly about a &quot;new horizon&quot; with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, especially when it comes to confronting Iran, and plays up Israel&#39;s high-tech links to China, India and Africa, where Netanyahu is on a four-day visit. 
 
&quot;Israel is effective at pulling the strings,&quot; said an American official who has worked on Palestinian issues for the past three years. &quot;However much frustration you feel on the ground, it doesn&#39;t lead to action from the top.&quot; 
 
Late last year, looking for ways to apply pressure on Israel over settlements, officials in the US State Department examined the possibility of suspending loan guarantees, a step last taken by the first Bush administration in the early 1990s. 
 
But they realised pulling the guarantees offered little leverage -- because of low interest rates and Israel&#39;s increased economic strength, the country wouldn&#39;t have a problem raising funds cheaply on international markets. 
 
It&#39;s not only better diplomatic ties and economic levers that have helped Israel counter criticism. The Palestinians have done little to win friends and influence opinion at a time of rising Islamist insurgency across much of the Middle East. 
 
With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 81, now 11 years into a four-year term and showing no sign of holding elections, there is frustration over the democratic deficit. Polls show 60 percent of Palestinians want Abbas gone. 
 
There are also stark divisions between Abbas&#39;s Fatah party and the Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza. As long as Palestinians are unreconciled, talk of negotiating a two-state solution with Israel will remain remote at best. 
 
France&#39;s plan to hold a Middle East peace conference later this year has irritated Israel, which argues such efforts relieve the Palestinians of responsibility to negotiate directly, but the initiative is not expected to lead to change. 
 
The European Union, via funds from individual member states and the Commission&#39;s budget, continues to be the largest donor to the Palestinians, plugging holes in their deficit and providing development. But overall, support is being cut, and USAID has reduced funding, too. 
 
The Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and Turkey contribute large amounts of aid, but it is mostly aimed at keeping the idea of Palestine afloat, it does not come with diplomatic influence that shapes decisions in major capitals. Palestinians themselves tell pollsters they feel abandoned by their Arab allies. 
 
The most outspoken voice left is the United Nations, a body Israel constantly criticises yet one that can only really bring pressure to bear if the Security Council decides to act. 
 
In an op-ed sent out immediately after the Quartet report, the UN&#39;s special coordinator for the Middle East, Nikolay Mladenov, appeared to express frustration that the Quartet&#39;s report had not been harder hitting. 
 
&quot;Most Palestinians have lived with the humiliation of occupation all their lives,&quot; he wrote. &quot;They do not need the Quartet to tell them about the devastating impact of the illegal settlement enterprise on their lives, their economy and their legitimate aspirations for an independent, sovereign state.&quot; 
 
Notably, Mladenov&#39;s passionately argued piece was not widely picked up, appearing on the UN website and a handful of regional newspapers. 
 
(Reuters)

Israel can count Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Hungary and a handful of others among potential allies

Ahead of the release last week of a report on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the Quartet of Middle East mediators, the word from diplomats was that it would be hard-hitting, especially on Israel and its settlement building. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations were fed up with Israel's consistent violation of international law, which views all settlements on occupied land as illegal, diplomats said. While Russia, the fourth Quartet member, might be more restrained, Israel was set for a serious ticking off. Those concerns reached Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Officials briefed that he was determined to talk the Quartet down. He flew to Moscow to see President Vladimir Putin, and met US Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, in Rome. In the end, after weeks of delay, the report was mild in the extreme. Israeli settlement-building was criticised but not called illegal. The prime focus was on Palestinian incitement. One regional analyst described the overall impact as "banal". Palestinians were outraged. Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Quartet had attempted to "equalize the responsibilities between a people under occupation and a foreign military occupier". The international community had given in, he said. Among a number of American, European and UN diplomats, there is a fair degree of sympathy with that view. "There's just no appetite to go toe-to-toe with Israel and deliver a really harsh indictment," said one European ambassador. "No one sees the upside to it." Privately, diplomats raise a host of concerns about Israel's actions: its restrictions on Palestinian movement, security clampdowns they say amount to collective punishment, the demolition of attackers' homes, the blockade on Gaza, and settlements. But in public, there is far more restraint. Statements from European Union foreign ministers and US officials often express concern about all those issues, but they fall short of threatening action or concrete censure. It is usually much more about carrots than sticks. Growing allegiances While the European Commission has taken steps to more clearly delineate between Israel and the territories it has occupied since 1967, issuing guidelines on the labelling of settlement goods, officials say Mogherini does not want to go further, favouring a similar approach to her predecessor. Many EU member states have good and growing relations with Israel. Like Turkey, which last week agreed to restore diplomatic ties with Israel after a six-year hiatus, they see a future of expanding business, trade and energy ties. Whereas a few years ago Israel mostly had to rely on Germany, Britain and the Czech Republic to defend its interests in the EU, now it can count Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Hungary and a handful of others among potential allies. At the same time, Netanyahu has bolstered relations with Russia, talks regularly about a "new horizon" with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, especially when it comes to confronting Iran, and plays up Israel's high-tech links to China, India and Africa, where Netanyahu is on a four-day visit. "Israel is effective at pulling the strings," said an American official who has worked on Palestinian issues for the past three years. "However much frustration you feel on the ground, it doesn't lead to action from the top." Late last year, looking for ways to apply pressure on Israel over settlements, officials in the US State Department examined the possibility of suspending loan guarantees, a step last taken by the first Bush administration in the early 1990s. But they realised pulling the guarantees offered little leverage -- because of low interest rates and Israel's increased economic strength, the country wouldn't have a problem raising funds cheaply on international markets. It's not only better diplomatic ties and economic levers that have helped Israel counter criticism. The Palestinians have done little to win friends and influence opinion at a time of rising Islamist insurgency across much of the Middle East. With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 81, now 11 years into a four-year term and showing no sign of holding elections, there is frustration over the democratic deficit. Polls show 60 percent of Palestinians want Abbas gone. There are also stark divisions between Abbas's Fatah party and the Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza. As long as Palestinians are unreconciled, talk of negotiating a two-state solution with Israel will remain remote at best. France's plan to hold a Middle East peace conference later this year has irritated Israel, which argues such efforts relieve the Palestinians of responsibility to negotiate directly, but the initiative is not expected to lead to change. The European Union, via funds from individual member states and the Commission's budget, continues to be the largest donor to the Palestinians, plugging holes in their deficit and providing development. But overall, support is being cut, and USAID has reduced funding, too. The Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and Turkey contribute large amounts of aid, but it is mostly aimed at keeping the idea of Palestine afloat, it does not come with diplomatic influence that shapes decisions in major capitals. Palestinians themselves tell pollsters they feel abandoned by their Arab allies. The most outspoken voice left is the United Nations, a body Israel constantly criticises yet one that can only really bring pressure to bear if the Security Council decides to act. In an op-ed sent out immediately after the Quartet report, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East, Nikolay Mladenov, appeared to express frustration that the Quartet's report had not been harder hitting. "Most Palestinians have lived with the humiliation of occupation all their lives," he wrote. "They do not need the Quartet to tell them about the devastating impact of the illegal settlement enterprise on their lives, their economy and their legitimate aspirations for an independent, sovereign state." Notably, Mladenov's passionately argued piece was not widely picked up, appearing on the UN website and a handful of regional newspapers. (Reuters)

Diplomatic ties help Israel defang international criticism

Israel on Sunday barred the Hebron governor from entering its territory after he visited the family of a Palestinian who killed a US-Israeli teenage girl in her sleep, officials said. 
 
On Thursday, 19-year-old Mohammed Nasser Tarayra broke into the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba in the West Bank on the outskirts of Hebron and killed 13-year-old Israeli-American Hallel Yaffa Ariel before being shot dead by a security guard. 
 
The murder sparked outrage and prompted Israel to lock down Hebron, a flashpoint city in the occupied Palestinian territory.&nbsp; 
 
The decision to bar mayor Kamal Humeid from Israel was taken by the coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT), the Israeli defence ministry unit which manages civilian affairs for Palestinians in the West Bank and liaises with Gaza. 
 
A statement said Humeid had paid a condolence visit to Tarayra`s family and was therefore &quot;barred from entering Israel&quot; and that he had been stripped of &quot;his privileges&quot;, without elaborating. 
 
Humeid said on Facebook he does not enjoy any special privileges and has &quot;no business in Israel&quot; that would lead him to enter the Jewish state. 
 
A day after Thursday&#39;s attack, 48-year-old Israeli Michael Mark was killed after his car was fired on by a suspected Palestinian gunman south of Hebron. 
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet on Sunday that a series of measures had been taken &quot;including aggressive ones which had not been used in the past&quot; to respond to such attacks. 
 
&quot;This includes the lockdown of the entire Hebron district,&quot; home to 700,000 people, he said. 
 
Netanyahu said the army had also revoked the Israeli work permits of residents of Beni Naim, the home village of Palestinian assailants. 
 
Other measures, he said, include a &quot;massive&quot; bolstering of Israeli troops and an investigation into family members of Palestinian assailants &quot;and their arrest if they were involved&quot; in attacks. 
 
On Friday a relative of Tarayra, 27-year-old Sarah Tarayra, was shot dead after drawing a knife on Israeli forces in Hebron. 
 
Hebron has been one of the main focuses of a wave of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since October, with the army saying 80 of the attacks on Israelis were carried out by Palestinians from the Hebron area. 
 
Several hundred Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. 
 
At least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed since October. 
 
(AFP)

Kamal Humeid visited the family of the slain 19-year-old Palestinian boy who killed a US-Israeli teenage girl.

Israel on Sunday barred the Hebron governor from entering its territory after he visited the family of a Palestinian who killed a US-Israeli teenage girl in her sleep, officials said. On Thursday, 19-year-old Mohammed Nasser Tarayra broke into the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba in the West Bank on the outskirts of Hebron and killed 13-year-old Israeli-American Hallel Yaffa Ariel before being shot dead by a security guard. The murder sparked outrage and prompted Israel to lock down Hebron, a flashpoint city in the occupied Palestinian territory. The decision to bar mayor Kamal Humeid from Israel was taken by the coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT), the Israeli defence ministry unit which manages civilian affairs for Palestinians in the West Bank and liaises with Gaza. A statement said Humeid had paid a condolence visit to Tarayra`s family and was therefore "barred from entering Israel" and that he had been stripped of "his privileges", without elaborating. Humeid said on Facebook he does not enjoy any special privileges and has "no business in Israel" that would lead him to enter the Jewish state. A day after Thursday's attack, 48-year-old Israeli Michael Mark was killed after his car was fired on by a suspected Palestinian gunman south of Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet on Sunday that a series of measures had been taken "including aggressive ones which had not been used in the past" to respond to such attacks. "This includes the lockdown of the entire Hebron district," home to 700,000 people, he said. Netanyahu said the army had also revoked the Israeli work permits of residents of Beni Naim, the home village of Palestinian assailants. Other measures, he said, include a "massive" bolstering of Israeli troops and an investigation into family members of Palestinian assailants "and their arrest if they were involved" in attacks. On Friday a relative of Tarayra, 27-year-old Sarah Tarayra, was shot dead after drawing a knife on Israeli forces in Hebron. Hebron has been one of the main focuses of a wave of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since October, with the army saying 80 of the attacks on Israelis were carried out by Palestinians from the Hebron area. Several hundred Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. At least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed since October. (AFP)

Israel bars Hebron mayor over condolence visit

Israeli troops locked down the occupied West Bank&#39;s most populous city Hebron and surrounding villages on Saturday after two Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks nearby. 
 
The crackdown comes amid a flare-up in nine months of deadly violence as the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan looms, and after the major diplomatic players called for urgent steps by both sides to revive the moribund peace process. 
 
Troops closed all exit roads from Hebron except for the main northern one through the town of Halhul towards Jerusalem, an AFP correspondent reported. 
 
The army announced on Friday that it would close off the flashpoint city and deploy two additional battalions to the area. 
 
The measures were described as the &quot;most substantial steps on the ground&quot; since 2014, when Israeli forces carried out a huge search operation in the southern West Bank for three young hitchhikers abducted and later found murdered by Palestinian militants. 
 
Hebron has been one of the main focuses of the wave of deadly unrest 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. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Troops closed all exit roads from Hebron except for the main northern one through the town of Halhul towards Jerusalem

Israeli troops locked down the occupied West Bank's most populous city Hebron and surrounding villages on Saturday after two Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks nearby. The crackdown comes amid a flare-up in nine months of deadly violence as the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan looms, and after the major diplomatic players called for urgent steps by both sides to revive the moribund peace process. Troops closed all exit roads from Hebron except for the main northern one through the town of Halhul towards Jerusalem, an AFP correspondent reported. The army announced on Friday that it would close off the flashpoint city and deploy two additional battalions to the area. The measures were described as the "most substantial steps on the ground" since 2014, when Israeli forces carried out a huge search operation in the southern West Bank for three young hitchhikers abducted and later found murdered by Palestinian militants. Hebron has been one of the main focuses of the wave of deadly unrest 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. (AFP)

Israel locks down West Bank city of Hebron

A Palestinian attacker fatally stabbed a US-Israeli teenager in her home at a Jewish settlement in the West Bank before being shot dead by security guards on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
The Israeli army said the young Palestinian killed the 13-year-old in her bed after breaking into her home in the Kiryat Arba settlement outside the flashpoint city of Hebron. 
 
Security personnel rushed to the house and fired on the attacker, who wounded a guard before being shot dead, it said. 
 
Girl also held US citizenship&nbsp; 
 
The girl was taken to hospital in Jerusalem in critical condition and died of her wounds.&nbsp; 
 
The State Department said later that she also held US citizenship. 
 
The attacker was identified by the Palestinian health ministry as Mohammed Nasser Tarayra, 19, from the village of Bani Naim, just outside the city, in the south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. 
 
Hallel Yaffa Ariel&#39;s family said she was attacked in her sleep, and the military released a photograph of her blood-spattered bedroom. 
 
As mourners visited the family home, the girl&#39;s father said she had been sleeping late after a dance performance the night before and that he had been on his way to the house to wake her for work when he heard of the attack. 
 
She worked in his winery during the summer vacation which just started, he told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;At the first moment I thought everything was well, but I knew deep in my heart she was not alive,&quot; said Amichai Ariel, 59 and added, &quot;I shouted at her.&quot; 
 
Assailaint&rsquo;s home village sealed off after attack&nbsp; 
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman after the attack, and the home village of the assailant was sealed off. 
 
Israeli work permits for members of Tarayra&#39;s extended family were also to be revoked and authorities began procedures aimed at demolishing his home, a measure often taken against attackers. 
 
&quot;I expect the Palestinian leadership to clearly and unequivocally condemn this vicious murder and take immediate action to stop the incitement,&quot; Netanyahu said. 
 
&quot;The entire world needs to condemn this murder just as it condemned the terrorist attacks in Orlando (Florida) and Brussels,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
The European Union (EU) also expressed its &quot;deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim.&quot; 
 
&quot;Hallel Yaffa Ariel was brutally murdered in her home in Kiryat Arba,&quot; it said. &quot;There can be no justification for such acts of terror.&quot; 
 
Hours later in the town of Netanya, on the Mediterranean coast north of Tel Aviv, a Palestinian from the northern West Bank stabbed a man and woman, both Israelis, before being shot dead by a passing civilian, police said. 
 
 
A flashpoint city- Hebron 
 
Hebron has been a flashpoint in a spate of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since last October. 
 
Hundreds of Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. 
 
In New York on Thursday, the UN envoy on Middle East peace said that a report by the diplomatic Quartet, expected to be release on Friday, demands Israel take urgent steps to halt the expansion of settlements. 
 
Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that ongoing Israeli construction in the West Bank was one of three &quot;negative trends&quot; that must be quickly reversed to keep the hope of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal alive. 
 
Palestinian incitement to violence and the Palestinian authority&#39;s lack of control over the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip also &quot;severely undermine hopes for peace&quot;, Mladenov said. 
 
Violence since October has killed at least 212 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. 
 
Most of the Palestinians were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. 
 
Others were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. 
 
Negotiations between Israel, Palestine at a standstill since 2014&nbsp; 
 
Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. 
 
Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of the violence. 
 
On a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories this week, UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the recent wave of attacks as &quot;terrorism&quot;. 
 
But he urged Israel to address the &quot;key underlying causes of violence&quot; including &quot;growing Palestinian anger, the paralysis of the peace process, the nearly a half-century of occupation&quot;. 
 
Negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014. 
 
France, however, is planning to hold an international conference before the end of the year in a bid to restart the peace process. 
 
Israel opposes the French initiative, calling instead for bilateral negotiations, while Palestinian leaders have expressed support for it. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

She was a settler. The boy broke into her home in the West Bank, stabbed her while she was in bed

A Palestinian attacker fatally stabbed a US-Israeli teenager in her home at a Jewish settlement in the West Bank before being shot dead by security guards on Thursday. The Israeli army said the young Palestinian killed the 13-year-old in her bed after breaking into her home in the Kiryat Arba settlement outside the flashpoint city of Hebron. Security personnel rushed to the house and fired on the attacker, who wounded a guard before being shot dead, it said. Girl also held US citizenship The girl was taken to hospital in Jerusalem in critical condition and died of her wounds. The State Department said later that she also held US citizenship. The attacker was identified by the Palestinian health ministry as Mohammed Nasser Tarayra, 19, from the village of Bani Naim, just outside the city, in the south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hallel Yaffa Ariel's family said she was attacked in her sleep, and the military released a photograph of her blood-spattered bedroom. As mourners visited the family home, the girl's father said she had been sleeping late after a dance performance the night before and that he had been on his way to the house to wake her for work when he heard of the attack. She worked in his winery during the summer vacation which just started, he told AFP. "At the first moment I thought everything was well, but I knew deep in my heart she was not alive," said Amichai Ariel, 59 and added, "I shouted at her." Assailaint’s home village sealed off after attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman after the attack, and the home village of the assailant was sealed off. Israeli work permits for members of Tarayra's extended family were also to be revoked and authorities began procedures aimed at demolishing his home, a measure often taken against attackers. "I expect the Palestinian leadership to clearly and unequivocally condemn this vicious murder and take immediate action to stop the incitement," Netanyahu said. "The entire world needs to condemn this murder just as it condemned the terrorist attacks in Orlando (Florida) and Brussels," he added. The European Union (EU) also expressed its "deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim." "Hallel Yaffa Ariel was brutally murdered in her home in Kiryat Arba," it said. "There can be no justification for such acts of terror." Hours later in the town of Netanya, on the Mediterranean coast north of Tel Aviv, a Palestinian from the northern West Bank stabbed a man and woman, both Israelis, before being shot dead by a passing civilian, police said. A flashpoint city- Hebron Hebron has been a flashpoint in a spate of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since last October. Hundreds of Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. In New York on Thursday, the UN envoy on Middle East peace said that a report by the diplomatic Quartet, expected to be release on Friday, demands Israel take urgent steps to halt the expansion of settlements. Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that ongoing Israeli construction in the West Bank was one of three "negative trends" that must be quickly reversed to keep the hope of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal alive. Palestinian incitement to violence and the Palestinian authority's lack of control over the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip also "severely undermine hopes for peace", Mladenov said. Violence since October has killed at least 212 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. Negotiations between Israel, Palestine at a standstill since 2014 Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of the violence. On a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories this week, UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the recent wave of attacks as "terrorism". But he urged Israel to address the "key underlying causes of violence" including "growing Palestinian anger, the paralysis of the peace process, the nearly a half-century of occupation". Negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014. France, however, is planning to hold an international conference before the end of the year in a bid to restart the peace process. Israel opposes the French initiative, calling instead for bilateral negotiations, while Palestinian leaders have expressed support for it. (AFP)

19-year-old Palestinian boy kills 13-year-old US-Israeli girl

A Palestinian attacker stabbed a 13-year-old girl to death at her home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Thursday before being shot dead by security guards, the Israeli army said. 
 
The army said the Palestinian killed the girl in her bed after breaking into her house in the Kiryat Arba settlement outside the city of Hebron. 
 
Security personnel rushed to the house and fired on the attacker, who wounded a guard before being shot dead, said the army. 
 
The Palestinian health ministry identified the attacker as Mohammed Nasser Tarayra, 19, from the village of Bani Naim, just outside the city. 
 
Hebron has been a flashpoint in a spate of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since October last year. 
 
Several hundred Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. 
 
The violence since October has killed at least 211 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. 
 
Most of the Palestinians were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. 
 
Others were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. 
 
Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. 
 
Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of the violence. 
 
The number of attacks has declined in recent months but the deadliest yet hit Tel Aviv earlier this month when Palestinian gunmen shot dead four people at a popular nightspot. 
 
The two attackers, cousins from the Hebron area, were arrested. 
 
(AFP)

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of such violence

A Palestinian attacker stabbed a 13-year-old girl to death at her home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Thursday before being shot dead by security guards, the Israeli army said. The army said the Palestinian killed the girl in her bed after breaking into her house in the Kiryat Arba settlement outside the city of Hebron. Security personnel rushed to the house and fired on the attacker, who wounded a guard before being shot dead, said the army. The Palestinian health ministry identified the attacker as Mohammed Nasser Tarayra, 19, from the village of Bani Naim, just outside the city. Hebron has been a flashpoint in a spate of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since October last year. Several hundred Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. The violence since October has killed at least 211 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of the violence. The number of attacks has declined in recent months but the deadliest yet hit Tel Aviv earlier this month when Palestinian gunmen shot dead four people at a popular nightspot. The two attackers, cousins from the Hebron area, were arrested. (AFP)

Palestinian kills teen in West Bank home, shot dead: Army

Six years after a deadly raid on an aid flotilla soured relations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday lauded a highly anticipated deal reached the previous day to restore ties with Turkey. 
 
Netanyahu, speaking after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome, said the agreement would have major implications for the Israeli economy, with his country seeking export partners for its natural gas. &nbsp;&quot;I think it&#39;s an important step here to normalise relations,&quot; Netanyahu told reporters. 
 
He described it as having &quot;immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I use that word advisedly&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I mean positive, immense implications,&quot; he said. 
 
Kerry also hailed the deal as a &quot;positive step&quot;. 
 
&#39;The deal represents a diplomatic victory for Turkey&#39; &nbsp; 
Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim were scheduled to hold separate press conferences in Rome and Ankara on the deal at 1000 GMT.&nbsp; 
 
A senior Turkish official also confirmed the agreement, saying in a reference to the Israeli raid that it &quot;represents a diplomatic victory for Turkey, which assumed a principled and determined stance after the Mavi Marmara attack.&quot; 
 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke on phone last night, with the Turkish leader explaining the agreement`s main points, a statement from the Palestinian presidency said. 
 
Erdogan also met with Doha-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on Friday in anticipation of the agreement. 
 
Both Israel, Turkey were pushing to complete the deal &nbsp; 
Both sides have been pushing to complete the deal in recent months, with Israel in search of a potential customer for its offshore gas exports and NATO member Turkey wanting to restore its regional clout, analysts say. 
 
The United States has also pushed for the two countries to resolve the dispute as it seeks cooperation in the fight against extremists from the Islamic State group.&nbsp; 
 
Previously close relations between Israel and Turkey were significantly downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a botched pre-dawn raid on the six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on the Gaza Strip. 
 
Nine activists aboard the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara ferry were killed, with a 10th person later dying of his wounds. All of those killed were Turkish nationals. 
 
 
Deal evokes mixed responses in Israel 
Within Israel, the deal was given a mixed response, with one newspaper quoting a soldier from the Mavi Marmara raid as saying &quot;it&#39;s nothing less than spitting in our face.&quot; 
 
The deal includes Israel paying some $20 million into a fund for compensation for the Turkish victims&#39; families.&nbsp;&quot;We were sent to stop a terrorist flotilla. That was the mission,&quot; Maariv quoted the anonymous soldier as saying. 
 
&quot;How is it possible today to pay compensation to terrorists who tried to murder us on board the ship? What message does that send to the rest of the troops?&quot; The deal is to result in the restoration of ambassadors, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity. 
 
The talking point: Hamas and Gaza&nbsp; 
Two of Turkey&#39;s key conditions for normalisation &ndash; &nbsp;an apology and compensation &ndash; were largely met earlier, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, the main obstacle.Reports in recent days described a compromise on the issue.&nbsp; 
 
Under the reported terms of the deal, Israel will allow the completion of a much-needed hospital in Gaza, as well as the construction of a new power station and a desalination plant for drinking water. 
 
Turkey&#39;s aid to Gaza would also be channelled through the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than sending it directly to the Palestinian enclave, the reports said. 
 
Turkey has also committed to keeping Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, from carrying out activities against Israel from its country, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Sunday. 
 
Hamas would continue to be able to operate from Turkey for diplomatic purposes, the paper said. 
 
Netanyahu has also come under pressure within Israel not to agree to the deal if it does not include provisions for Hamas to hand over four missing Israelis, including the remains of two soldiers presumed dead and two civilians believed held alive by Hamas in Gaza.&nbsp; 
 
The Israeli official said Erdogan agreed to instruct &quot;all relevant Turkish agencies to help resolve the issue of Israel`s missing citizens.&quot; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The US also pushed the two countries to resolve the dispute as it seeks cooperation from both in the fight against Islamic State

Six years after a deadly raid on an aid flotilla soured relations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday lauded a highly anticipated deal reached the previous day to restore ties with Turkey. Netanyahu, speaking after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome, said the agreement would have major implications for the Israeli economy, with his country seeking export partners for its natural gas. "I think it's an important step here to normalise relations," Netanyahu told reporters. He described it as having "immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I use that word advisedly". "I mean positive, immense implications," he said. Kerry also hailed the deal as a "positive step". 'The deal represents a diplomatic victory for Turkey' Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim were scheduled to hold separate press conferences in Rome and Ankara on the deal at 1000 GMT. A senior Turkish official also confirmed the agreement, saying in a reference to the Israeli raid that it "represents a diplomatic victory for Turkey, which assumed a principled and determined stance after the Mavi Marmara attack." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke on phone last night, with the Turkish leader explaining the agreement`s main points, a statement from the Palestinian presidency said. Erdogan also met with Doha-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on Friday in anticipation of the agreement. Both Israel, Turkey were pushing to complete the deal Both sides have been pushing to complete the deal in recent months, with Israel in search of a potential customer for its offshore gas exports and NATO member Turkey wanting to restore its regional clout, analysts say. The United States has also pushed for the two countries to resolve the dispute as it seeks cooperation in the fight against extremists from the Islamic State group. Previously close relations between Israel and Turkey were significantly downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a botched pre-dawn raid on the six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on the Gaza Strip. Nine activists aboard the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara ferry were killed, with a 10th person later dying of his wounds. All of those killed were Turkish nationals. Deal evokes mixed responses in Israel Within Israel, the deal was given a mixed response, with one newspaper quoting a soldier from the Mavi Marmara raid as saying "it's nothing less than spitting in our face." The deal includes Israel paying some $20 million into a fund for compensation for the Turkish victims' families. "We were sent to stop a terrorist flotilla. That was the mission," Maariv quoted the anonymous soldier as saying. "How is it possible today to pay compensation to terrorists who tried to murder us on board the ship? What message does that send to the rest of the troops?" The deal is to result in the restoration of ambassadors, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity. The talking point: Hamas and Gaza Two of Turkey's key conditions for normalisation – an apology and compensation – were largely met earlier, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, the main obstacle.Reports in recent days described a compromise on the issue. Under the reported terms of the deal, Israel will allow the completion of a much-needed hospital in Gaza, as well as the construction of a new power station and a desalination plant for drinking water. Turkey's aid to Gaza would also be channelled through the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than sending it directly to the Palestinian enclave, the reports said. Turkey has also committed to keeping Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, from carrying out activities against Israel from its country, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Sunday. Hamas would continue to be able to operate from Turkey for diplomatic purposes, the paper said. Netanyahu has also come under pressure within Israel not to agree to the deal if it does not include provisions for Hamas to hand over four missing Israelis, including the remains of two soldiers presumed dead and two civilians believed held alive by Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli official said Erdogan agreed to instruct "all relevant Turkish agencies to help resolve the issue of Israel`s missing citizens." (AFP)

Restoration of ties with Turkey to have positive implications on Israel's economy: Netanyahu

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;met the leader of the radical Palestinian group Hamas for unscheduled talks following reports that Ankara was close to agreeing a deal on normalising ties with Israel. 
 
Erdogan received the Doha-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, whose group rules the Gaza Strip, at the Ottoman-era Yildiz Palace in Istanbul, the official Anadolu Agency reported, quoting presidential sources. 
 
Turkish press reports have said Israel and Turkey could hold final talks on normalising ties&nbsp;on Sunday&nbsp;but this is yet to be confirmed. 
 
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said&nbsp;on Thursday&nbsp;there was a &quot;large possibility&quot; the negotiations would take place by the end of this month. 
 
Anadolu said Erdogan and Meshaal discussed how to ease the humanitarian problems of the Palestinians and how to bridge the differences between Hamas and the other main Palestinian group Fatah. 
 
The report made no reference to the Turkish talks with Israel. 
 
Previously tight relations between Israel and key NATO member Turkey were significantly downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a deadly pre-dawn raid on a six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on Gaza. 
 
Two of Turkey&#39;s key conditions for normalisation,an apology and compensation, were largely met, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle. 
 
According to the Hurriyet daily, a compromise has been reached with Turkey set to send aid for Palestinians via the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than sending it directly to Gaza. 
 
(AFP)

Relations were downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a deadly pre-dawn raid on a Turkish flotilla trying to run the Gaza blockad

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday met the leader of the radical Palestinian group Hamas for unscheduled talks following reports that Ankara was close to agreeing a deal on normalising ties with Israel. Erdogan received the Doha-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, whose group rules the Gaza Strip, at the Ottoman-era Yildiz Palace in Istanbul, the official Anadolu Agency reported, quoting presidential sources. Turkish press reports have said Israel and Turkey could hold final talks on normalising ties on Sunday but this is yet to be confirmed. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday there was a "large possibility" the negotiations would take place by the end of this month. Anadolu said Erdogan and Meshaal discussed how to ease the humanitarian problems of the Palestinians and how to bridge the differences between Hamas and the other main Palestinian group Fatah. The report made no reference to the Turkish talks with Israel. Previously tight relations between Israel and key NATO member Turkey were significantly downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a deadly pre-dawn raid on a six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on Gaza. Two of Turkey's key conditions for normalisation,an apology and compensation, were largely met, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle. According to the Hurriyet daily, a compromise has been reached with Turkey set to send aid for Palestinians via the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than sending it directly to Gaza. (AFP)

Erdogan meets Hamas leader Meshaal amidst reports of Turkey normalising ties with Israel

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian woman who rammed a vehicle into a parked car near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank today, injuring two people sitting inside, the army said. 
 
&quot;Forces on site responded and fired toward the attacker, resulting in her death,&quot; a military spokeswoman said. 
 
Palestinian officials had no immediate comment. 
 
Knife attacks, shooting and car ramming attacks by Palestinians have killed 32 Israelis and two visiting US citizens over the past eight months. Israeli forces have shot dead at least 198 Palestinians, 135 of whom Israel has said were assailants. Others were killed in clashes and protests. 
 
Religious and political tensions over a Jerusalem site sacred to both Muslims and Jews have fuelled the worst wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence since the 2014 Gaza war. 
 
Confrontations have been exacerbated by Palestinians&#39; frustration over Israel&#39;s 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state, and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. 
 
(Reuters)

Two people sitting inside the car were injured. The vehicle was parked near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian woman who rammed a vehicle into a parked car near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank today, injuring two people sitting inside, the army said. "Forces on site responded and fired toward the attacker, resulting in her death," a military spokeswoman said. Palestinian officials had no immediate comment. Knife attacks, shooting and car ramming attacks by Palestinians have killed 32 Israelis and two visiting US citizens over the past eight months. Israeli forces have shot dead at least 198 Palestinians, 135 of whom Israel has said were assailants. Others were killed in clashes and protests. Religious and political tensions over a Jerusalem site sacred to both Muslims and Jews have fuelled the worst wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence since the 2014 Gaza war. Confrontations have been exacerbated by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state, and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. (Reuters)

Israeli troops kill Palestinian woman for ramming vehicle into parked car

Hamas-ruled Gaza might soon be reconnected with the rest of the world, Israel&rsquo;s transportation said Monday proposing an artificial island.&nbsp; 
 
Asserting that the island will alleviate economic hardship in the blockaded coastal strip, Yisrael Katz said that the eight kilometre island would be linked to Gaza with a five-kilometre bridge.&nbsp; 
 
Aiming to lift the economic blockade it imposed on Palestinian enclave nearly a decade ago, the USD 5-billion artificial island would be set up with a seaport, hotels and airport off the Gaza strip. Israel is actively seeking investors while Katz insisted that the project will not be funded by Israel.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I do not think it is right to lock up two million people without any connection to the world,&rdquo; Katz told the foreign reporters adding, &ldquo;Israel has no interest to make life harder for the population there. But because of security concerns we can&#39;t build an airport or seaport in Gaza.&rdquo; 
 
The proposal, however, has been dubbed as &lsquo;dubious&rsquo; and politically motivated by the Palestinian authority.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Israel is actively looking for foreign investors for the proposed project

Hamas-ruled Gaza might soon be reconnected with the rest of the world, Israel’s transportation said Monday proposing an artificial island. Asserting that the island will alleviate economic hardship in the blockaded coastal strip, Yisrael Katz said that the eight kilometre island would be linked to Gaza with a five-kilometre bridge. Aiming to lift the economic blockade it imposed on Palestinian enclave nearly a decade ago, the USD 5-billion artificial island would be set up with a seaport, hotels and airport off the Gaza strip. Israel is actively seeking investors while Katz insisted that the project will not be funded by Israel. "I do not think it is right to lock up two million people without any connection to the world,” Katz told the foreign reporters adding, “Israel has no interest to make life harder for the population there. But because of security concerns we can't build an airport or seaport in Gaza.” The proposal, however, has been dubbed as ‘dubious’ and politically motivated by the Palestinian authority.

Offshore seaport to soon reconnect Gaza with world

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