Palestinian official calls Netanyahu’s speech a declaration of war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s parameters for a peace deal, outlined in a speech to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, fell far short of what is needed to resume negotiations, Palestinian officials said. (more…)

Clashes break out near Jerusalem

Israeli soldiers have used tear gas against Palestinian women protesting at the Qalandiya crossing in the occupied West Bank near Jerusalem.

Scuffles broke out on Saturday when dozens of women tried to push through one of the crossing’s gates.

The women had gathered at the crossing chanting “Jerusalem is Arab, our eternal capital”, briefly planting a Palestinian flag on one of its gates.

Israel has imposed a 48-hour closure of the West Bank, not letting anyone in or out before Sunday dawn. (more…)

Israeli DM calls for ending the occupation

Speaking at the tenth annual Herzliya Conference at the Interdisciplinary Center, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned of the dangers of apartheid, should Israel refrain from withdrawing from Judea and Samaria to create a Palestinian State.
As long as west of the Jordan River there is only one political entity called Israel, it will not be Jewish or democratic, he explained.
The former Prime Minister was speaking in a panel entitled Prospects of Peace: the Israeli-Palestinian Track, together with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
“If we don’t give Arabs the vote it is apartheid and is not compatible with the Zionist dream. Giving the Arabs the vote would destroy Israel as a Jewish state,” Barak stated. Accordingly, he told a packed hall, the only solution must be an end to what he termed the occupation. 5tjt