Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
Public sector employees in the Gaza Strip have recently encountered difficulties collecting their salaries due to the severe cash shortage faced by area banks. The shortage is in part a result of the Israeli blockade that has prevented many from traveling freely to and from Gaza – a detrimental effect on business, especially with regard [...]
Early Monday morning, December 15, more than 220 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israeli authorities arrived in the West Bank. They were greeted by a crowd that seemed to be overjoyed with the release, a move that Israel has termed a gesture of goodwill towards Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority. However, comments made by [...]
Twenty Palestinian prisoners were removed from the list of prisoners to be released from Israeli custody, Tuesday, December 9. In what they described as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli government had stated that it would release 250 Palestinian prisoners – the list is now down to 230. The move to release these [...]
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has garnered little support for his rumored plan to extend his term in office by an additional year. A recent poll conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research indicates that almost two-thirds of Palestinians believe that Abbas’s term should end in January, rather than be extended without new [...]
Two Palestinians were killed in an airstrike in southern Gazan town of Rafah, while a third Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank. The Israeli army said six mortar bombs had been launched by militants in Gaza. The man killed in the West Bank had been pardoned by Israel as part of [...]
Abdel Aziz Dweik, the Speaker of the Palestinian parliament, has been convicted by an Israeli military court of being a member and an officer of an illegal organization, Hamas. He has been in prison since his arrest in 2006 and is awaiting sentencing. He and many other Palestinian legislators were detained after Hamas-allied militants captured [...]
Several Palestinians were injured as Jewish settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron rioted for several hours. The riots started as rumors spread that Israeli forces were going to evict the settlers from a building in the mainly Palestinian city. Settlers and supporters threw stones at Palestinians and Israeli police, causing damage to [...]
Palestinian figures have urged Lebanon to be cautious in dealing with fugitive militant Abdel-Rahman Awad. Awad is thought to be hiding in Ain al-Hilweh, on the outskirts of Sidon, Lebanon. A PLO official in Lebanon and a Fatah official warned against actions that may “destabilize the volatile camp.”
Awad is a senior member of the radical [...]
As noted recently, the government of Lebanon has announced plans to officially recognize a “state of Palestine.” The move would establish full diplomatic relations and make the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Beirut an embassy. As of yet, however, the decision has not been approved by the cabinet, and no date has been set for its implementation. [...]
King Abdullah II of Jordan has strongly recommended that Israel stop its raids on the Gaza Strip to prevent an escalating military operation. This was discussed when the King spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Abdullah is concerned that any major action or operation taking place in Gaza will have significant effects on Jordan. [...]
