Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Reinforcements to Egypt's Sinai after police camp hit

Agence France-PresseMay 20, 2013 21:01

Egypt sent police reinforcements to the Sinai after an attack on a police camp on Monday in the wake of the kidnapping of security personnel, officials said. In Cairo, the presidency said all options were on the table to secure the release of the three policemen and four soldiers held last week in the lawless peninsula. Eighty Central Security (riot police) units and 26 armoured personnel carriers were deployed in north Sinai hours after a police camp came under fire with heavy weapons at dawn, security officials said.

Israel backs Kerry peace moves despite internal debate

Agence France-PresseMay 20, 2013 13:45

Israel's centre-right government will support US efforts to revive peace talks with the Palestinians, despite hardline positions held by ministers and coalition parties, a prominent MP said on Monday. "If (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu goes on the path that US Secretary of State Kerry is encouraging... he will have the full support of... the majority of the parliament," Ofer Shelah, a member of the powerful Yesh Atid party told army radio.

Israel calls off UNESCO Jerusalem tour, blaming Palestinians

Thomson ReutersMay 20, 2013 12:15

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Monday it had canceled a visit by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to Jerusalem's Old City, saying the Palestinians had sought to politicize a conservation mission. No one was immediately available for comment at UNESCO's Paris headquarters. A month ago, it announced it would send experts to Jerusalem in mid-May to examine the state of conservation of the walled Old City, a World Heritage site.

Israel cancels UNESCO mission to Jerusalem

Agence France-PresseMay 20, 2013 07:30

Israel on Monday announced it was cancelling a United Nations delegation scheduled to begin an investigative mission in Jerusalem's Old City, due to Palestinian "politicisation" of the mission. "The Palestinians were not respecting the understandings. The visit was supposed to be professional, (but) they were taking measures that showed they were politicising the event and not letting the delegation focus on professional sides of it," a foreign ministry official told AFP. jjm/jad/dv

Gaza tunnel collapse kills Palestinian

Agence France-PresseMay 18, 2013 10:30

A Palestinian youth was killed when a tunnel linking Egypt to the Gaza Strip collapsed on Saturday, Palestinian medical sources said. "Mussa Ghonaim, 26 years old, was killed in the tunnel collapse south of the town of Rafah," the sources said. In February, the Islamist movement Hamas, which governs Gaza, closed hundreds of tunnels used for smuggling in Rafah, which straddles the border between Egypt and the coastal enclave.

High hopes for Palestinian 3D animated 'Scarecrow' film

Agence France-PresseMay 17, 2013 00:15

Filmmakers in Gaza have finished making what is believed to be the first Palestinian animated feature in 3D in a bid to show a fresh perspective on life through a child's eyes. Called "The Scarecrow", the 40-minute production tells the story of a nine-year-old orphan named Rima and the scarecrow she was given by her parents who died in a car crash. One day, the scarecrow -- who represents the guardian of Palestinian land -- is taken away by an Israeli soldier from the family's land near the border, and Rima sets off with her school friends on a mission to find it.

Ban presses Netanyahu over Jerusalem holy sites

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 13:45

UN leader Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over restricting access to holy sites in East Jerusalem, a UN spokesman said Thursday. Ban spoke with Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on efforts to relaunch the deadlocked peace process, said deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey. Ban pressed Netanyahu after several days of troubles in East Jerusalem. Police on Thursday closed the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound to non-Muslim visitors in what they said was an effort to end recent Palestinian unrest.

Israel police limit non-Muslim visits to Jerusalem mosque

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 06:15

Jerusalem police closed the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound to non-Muslim visitors on Thursday, in what they said was an effort to avoid a repetition of recent Palestinian unrest. The decision followed disturbances on Wednesday in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem where police used stun grenades, water cannons and mounted officers against Palestinians who hurled rocks during protests marking the anniversary of Israel's foundation in 1948.

Beware the 'birds': Palestinians decry jailhouse informers

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 23:30

Former Palestinian prisoners are speaking out to warn those still held in Israeli jails about a group of undercover informers seeking to trip them up, who are known as "birds." The network apparently stretches far and wide, with these "birds" tasked with wheedling out confessions that lead to convictions through a mixture of charm, camaraderie and favours. Often these Palestinians pose as militants jailed for anti-Israeli attacks. Ahmed Azzam, 30, says his first exposure to the "birds" was after several unsuccessful Israeli attempts at interrogating him.

Thousands of Palestinians mark 65 years since displacement

Thomson ReutersMay 15, 2013 15:30

By Noah Browning RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when Israel's creation caused many to lose their homes and become refugees. A shell fired from Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas, exploded in an open area of Israel but caused no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from militants in Gaza.