June 6, 2012

GAZA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of Palestinian factions agreed Tuesday on the electoral system of the National Council, the parliament of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The agreement opens the door for factions like Hamas and the Islamic jihad to join the PLO, which represents all Palestinians, including those in Diaspora, or exile.

The factions reached the deal during two days of discussions in Amman, Jordan, a statement said.

Israeli airstrike injures 2 in Gaza City

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli warplanes fired on a naval police base in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, injuring two Palestinians.

Medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said two people were evacuated to Shifa hospital, one of whom was in a critical condition.

The dawn airstrike hit a naval police post in the Sudaniyya neighborhood of Gaza City, a Ma'an correspondent said.

Witnesses also said Israeli fighter jets fired at a poultry farm in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning. No injuries have been reported.

Knesset votes down bill to sanction illegal West Bank outposts

Israel's Knesset on Wednesday voted down a bill that aimed at legalizing homes on the Ulpana Hill neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, which were built on privately owned Palestinian land.

In a preliminary reading, 69 Knesset members voted against the bill, while 22 voted for it.

PM to head ministerial committee on settlement affairs

In a move meant to placate right-wing ministers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [14] said Wednesday that he will head a new ministerial committee that would deal with settlement affairs.

The announcement was made hours before the Knesset convened to vote on a bill aiming to legalize homes built on contested land in the West Bank.

Obama worried PA not interested in peace

WASHINGTON -- US President Barack Obama is worried that Palestinian leadership was no longer as interested in advancing toward peace, he said in a conversation with Orthodox Jewish leaders on Tuesday.

Abbas to Israelis: Don't turn your backs on peace

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday called on Israel “not to turn [its] back to the prospects of peace” and cautioned that the chances to achieve peace may not remain for too long.

Germany and Israel's 'special relationship' in spotlight

If ever there were two countries with a truly "special relationship", they are Germany and Israel.

For obvious reasons of history, they are bound together. The genocidal madness of a previous generation of the one and the suffering of the victims of a previous generation of the other make them intertwined in a way no other two countries are.

But is the relationship changing? There are certainly signs that it is being re-examined in Germany. What was taken as a given in the past is now up for questioning.

Palestinian Athlete Heads to the Olympics, Makes History

Palestinian sports just made history: 28-year-old Maher Abu Ramila from Jerusalem’s Old City, met the Olympic qualifications and earned a trip to compete in the 2012 London Olympic games next month. Thus he has become the first Palestinian athlete to compete in the games on his own merit, and not as a “solidarity gesture” — awarded by the Olympic committee as a mark of identification.

Learning from the Nakba

I do not need anyone to teach me about the Palestinian Nakba. It is the defining moment of my existence. During the war in 1948, my family had already fled our home in Talpiot in southeast Jerusalem and taken shelter in a monastery. We quickly gathered some possessions and climbed down and up the mountain to Bethany, and then to Jericho.

A Glimmer?

There is a plenty of blame to be shared for why peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians are going nowhere. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem are a big part of the problem. There may be some glimmer of hope in Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to support an Israeli Supreme Court order to close an illegal neighborhood, known as Ulpana, in the West Bank settlement of Beit El.

Six days in Israel, 45 years ago

In early June 1967, as I cowered with my mother and sisters in the "safest" room of our house near Jerusalem [22] — the downstairs bathroom — we feared the worst. None of us imagined that the war that had just begun would end in six days.

The Netanyahu government and the Arab stereotype

Article Author(s): 

Carlo Strenger

Media Outlet: 

Haaretz

Article Type: 

Blog

Date: 

June 6, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/strenger-than-fiction/the-netanyahu-government-and-... [23]

It used to be an old Jewish habit to try to understand our surroundings. One reason was curiosity; the other was to figure out whether current events are good for the Jews or not – because this allowed Jews to survive under often very difficult circumstances. The first motivation is certainly laudable; the second reflects good old prudence.

Invest in Palestine

Article Author(s): 

Allison Good

Media Outlet: 

The Daily Beast

Article Type: 

Opinion

Date: 

June 5, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/05/invest-in-palestine.html [24]

Israel's top brass made much ado about the peace process during the International Institute for Security Studies conference last week. “This is an opportunity to advance the peace process, an opportunity which may not repeat itself, in my opinion, in the next ten years,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said about his 94-member Knesset coalition. Netanyahu can invoke historic conditions all he wants, but the numbers are in, and a Palestinian state, if declared in the near future, would be economically unsustainable.

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