Abbas rejigs Palestinian govt as emergency ends
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejigged his government on Friday at the end of a month-long state of emergency declared when Hamas Islamists seized control of the Gaza Strip. Responding to a constitutional limit on any state of emergency of 30 days that ends at midnight (2100 GMT), Abbas swore in three new ministers and Salam Fayyad was preparing to resign and be reappointed as prime minister, presidential aides said.
Rafah closingThe Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border remains closed for the fourth week in a row, leaving the Gaza Strip's 1.3 million inhabitants effectively cut off from the rest of the world. According to the Egyptian government, the closure has left up to 5,000 Palestinians stranded on the Egyptian side of the border, including Palestinian students at Egyptian universities, those injured during inter-Palestinian clashes and Israeli raids, as well as visitors from other Arab countries seeking to return home.
Month after rift, few signs of reform under Abbas
Fatah remains torn by internal divisions a month after it lost control of Gaza to Hamas and some believe Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could also lose power in the West Bank if his faction does not reform.
P.A security forces release Students' Council leader in Bir Ziet University
Palestinian security Forces release on Thursday afternoon Fadi Hamad, the head of the Students Council at Bir Zeit University, near the northern West Bank city of Ramallah. Hamad and the coordinator of the Islamic Bloc at the University, Ziad Abu Arqoub, were freed after mediation efforts carried by both Hamas and Fateh leaders.
World Bank: Gaza Strip may face 'irreversible' economic collapse
The World Bank said on Thursday the prolonged closure of Israel's border crossings with Hamas-controlled Gaza could lead to the coastal strip's "irreversible" economic collapse.
Hezbollah envoys to attend French conference on Lebanon Hezbollah had threatened not to participate in the conference following a statement French President Nicolas Sarkozy made during a meeting with the families of two abducted Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, in which he described the militant Shi'ite group as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and his ally, General Michel Aoun, demanded clarifications from France, which issued a statement saying that "Hezbollah is an important political player in Lebanese politics."
Analysis: French Lebanon talks are kowtowing to Hezbollah
It appears that the Israeli dilemma of whether Hezbollah emerged from the Second Lebanon War strengthened or weakened has been resolved by France. This weekend, Hezbollah figures will arrive in the French town of St. Cloud to conduct a "national Lebanese dialog" under French supervision. This is the first time Hezbollah has been invited to France as a political entity equal to the other factions, for a meeting intended to find a solution to Lebanon's political future.
Israeli soldiers attack detainees in Huwwara prison
The Media department of the Nafha Society, which is active in defending human rights and the Rights of Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention facilities, stated on Thursday that Israeli soldiers attacked and severely punched 25 detainees in Huwwara detention camp.
PM Fayad draws up plan to bolster PA's economy, security
The head of the Palestinian Authority's emergency government, Prime Minister Salam Fayad, is developing an overall reform plan that will tackle security, the economy and welfare in an effort to "rescue" the West Bank from a fate similar to that of the Gaza Strip, where Hamas ousted Fatah and took control.
PM: Assad wants talks, but only with Bush
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Wednesday in Tel Aviv with ambassadors of European Union countries to Israel, a gathering that in great part focused on Syria and the possibility of a renewal of peace talks.
Fateh media spokesperson, Fahmi Za'areer, stated on Thursday that Hamas gunmen opened fire at protestors in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, as hundreds of residents marched in support of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The Palestinians' Purgatory In Lebanon
Media reports in the last few days have been focused on alleged Iranian support of various radical Shia factions in Iraq and elsewhere. The same mainstream media have been, with few exceptions such as the New Yorker magazine that publishes investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, deafeningly silent on reports of U.S. and U.S. allies' involvement in supporting various radical Sunni groups, including in Lebanon.
Iran's Jews reject cash offer to move to Israel
"The identity of Iranian Jews is not tradeable for any amount of money," the society said in a statement. "Iranian Jews are among the most ancient Iranians. Iran's Jews love their Iranian identity and their culture, so threats and this immature political enticement will not achieve their aim of wiping out the identity of Iranian Jews."
Fading U.S. democracy agenda evokes Arab scorn:
Western backing for the legally disputed emergency government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demolished any lingering Arab belief that U.S. President George W. Bush's "freedom agenda" is going anywhere.
World Bank blames Israel for Gaza situation
Ignoring Hamas' open refusal to allow Jewish-grown food into the Gaza Strip, the World Bank on Thursday blamed Israel for the looming humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in the terrorist-ruled territory.
Israeli PM in secret visit to Jordan: reports
Israeli PM in secret visit to Jordan: reports
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert paid a secret visit this week to Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II, local media reported on Friday. The discussions centred on last month's takeover of the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, and on relations between Israel and Jordan, which signed a peace deal with the Jewish state in 1994, the Haaretz daily said.
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