Search Result in All

Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas has called for an international investigation to determine who was behind the death of former PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Abbas\'s remarks came days after Palestinian investigators accepted reports issued by Swiss scientists, who said they found high levels of the radioactive element polonium in the remains of Arafat\'s body. Palestinian investigators say Israel is the prime suspect in the case. However, Tel Aviv has denied the allegations. Arafat died in November 2004, a month after going into a coma following symptoms of abdominal pains, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad says he will never negotiate with Israel in the so-called peace process initiated by the United States. Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah says Tel Aviv has no intention of giving anything to the Palestinians in the talks and that the only way ahead for Palestinians is resistance. He also says under the pretext of the talks Israelis have been building illegal settler units and undermining Islamic sanctities for decades. Shallah say under the circumstances Palestinians have been left with no other option but to resist Israel\'s expansionist policies in order to ensure their own statehood.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington intends to negotiate in good faith to try to reach a deal with Iran over the country\'s nuclear energy program in the upcoming talks in Geneva. Kerry made the comments in a meeting with Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Washington. Kerry also reassured Israel about Washington\'s commitment to the security of Tel Aviv and said a possible deal with Iran would reduce security risks for Israel. The comments come just days before a second round of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in Geneva.

A Hezbollah lawmaker says Israel and Saudi Arabia could be behind the terrorist attacks outside Iran\'s embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut. This, as Iran has also blamed Israel for the twin bombings in Beirut. Iran\'s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham described the terrorist attacks as an inhumane crime by the Israeli regime and its mercenaries. Meanwhile, the Secretary of Iran\'s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani has condemned the attacks, saying they show the frustration of Tel Aviv and its like-minded terrorist groups. The two blasts outside Iran\'s diplomatic mission in Beirut have left at least 23 people dead. Informed sources say six security guards of the embassy have also been killed. Over a hundred and 40 others were injured as well. Lebanese officials say Iran\'s cultural attaché Ibrahim Ansari has also been killed. An al-Qaeda-linked group, known as Abdullah Azzam, has claimed responsibilty for the attacks.

Top Israeli officials have been quick to voice their anger at Iran\'s nuclear deal reached in Geneva. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has called the deal Tehran\'s greatest diplomatic victory as the country has gained recognition for its right to enrich uranium. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also dismissed the agreement as QUOTE a bad deal, saying Tehran has obtained what it wanted. On his official Twitter, Netanyahu has denounced the agreement as a historic mistake. And Israel\'s Economy Minister Naftali Bennett has said that Tel Aviv will not be bound by the agreement. In the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have been attempting to block any deal with Iran.

Despite global condemnation, Israelis approve the construction of hundreds more new settler units on occupied Palestinian land. Ha\'aretz newspaper says Tel Aviv\'s Civil Administration has approved 799 new settler units be built in the West Bank. The new units will be built in the Givat Ze\'ev settlement north of Jerusalem al-Quds, and in Nofei Prat, near Jericho, and in Shiloh, also in northern Jerusalem. The move comes a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Housing Ministry to suspend plans to build more than 20,000 units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Britain calls on israel to avoid taking any action that would disrupt the nuclear deal with Iran. Hague urged Tel Aviv and others opposing the deal to confine their criticism to rhetoric. He told parliament he hoped a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Tehran could be reached within a year. His remarks come after Israel denounced the agreement as a historic mistake.

A top Hollywood producer says he\'s been spying for Israel\'s nuclear weapons program through a worldwide network of companies. Arnon Milchan revealed in an interview how he helped Tel Aviv purchase technologies it needed to operate nuclear bombs. He confirmed that he\'s performed dozens of clandestine missions for Israel. Milchan, who\'s produced more than 120 films, says he\'s been running 30 companies in more than 17 countries on behalf of Israel. The 68-year-old director added that he was recruited by Israel\'s President, Shimon Peres in the 19-60s. Israel is widely believed to be the sole possessor of nuclear arms in the Middle East.

Protests have been staged in occupied Palestinian territories against israel\'s Prawer Bill, which would lead to the relocation of tens of thousands of Palestinian Bedouins. The protesters call the bill racist and an attempt by Tel Aviv to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians. Israel says it will go ahead with the bill. More from Press TV\'s Nel Burden in Ramallah.

Israeli soldiers have killed yet another Palestinian in the south of the besieged Gaza Strip. The Israeli army says soldiers opened fire at the Palestinian man, after he entered a forbidden security zone in the east of Khan Yunis. According to Palestinian Health Ministry sources, he was hit by Israeli tank fire. The military often targets Palestinians in the area. Tel Aviv has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, which has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The American Studies Association has endorsed a boycott of Israeli academic institutions over violation of international law and UN resolutions. In an election that attracted more than 12-hundred voters, 66 percent said yes to the boycott. The resolution is in solidarity with Palestinian scholars and students deprived of their academic freedom. The ASA cites the documented impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian scholars and students for the boycott. The organization also says Israeli institutions of higher education are a party to Tel Aviv\'s policies that violate human rights in occupied Palestinian lands.

Another U-S group joins two other scholarly organizations in boycotting Israel\'s academic institutions. The Native American and Indigenous Studies Association-- NAISA-- has urged its members to boycott Israeli academia, over Tel Aviv\'s violation of international law and U-N resolutions. The organization\'s president says the NAISA council has reached a consensus to support the boycott. This just days after the American Studies Association endorsed the boycott in a referendum. The Association for Asian American Studies had made the same decision in April. NAISA is now the third academic association to support the boycott. Israeli officials say they\'re concerned other academic groups could also take similar actions.

Israel announced on Tuesday that it had officially confiscated about 4 dunums of private Palestinian land belonging to the villagers of Qusra, South of Nablus, a move that will restrict access of Palestinians to over 500 more dunums of land in the area. Tel Aviv annexed the confiscated land for the favor of one of the illegal Israeli settler outposts erected on village lands. According to the villagers of Qusra, Israeli settlers have attacked the village at least once in a week since late October of 2010.

Syria\'s deputy foreign minister has blasted foreign supporters of insurgency in his country. Faisal Mekdad says the US and France are providing lethal weapons to militants. Mekdad says Saudi Arabia and Israel are playing a lethal role in the conflict. He says Riyadh and Tel Aviv are closely coordinating their actions and funneling cash and weapons to insurgents. He also pointed out that the determination of the Syrian people and army are defusing plots hatched by supporters of the militants.

The UN is asking for 95 million dollars in food aid for almost a million Gazans, suffering under an Israeli blockade since 2006. Scores of UN projects have been shut down and thousands made jobless since Israel refused to allow in construction material in the besieged Gaza Strip. Palestinians are facing severe electricity shortages and reeling from devastating floods amid the cold winter weather. Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister has said Tel Aviv will not stop even for a moment settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land despite the fact that U-N Resolution 4-4-6 and a ruling by the International Court of Justice conclude the Israeli settlements violate international law. Is Israel enjoying immunity from prosecution for its violations? On this edition of the Debate, we\'re discussing how a growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign is affecting the global discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian problem.

More than a quarter of the US Senate introduces a new bill to impose fresh sanction on Iran. The bill is sponsored by 13 Democrats and 13 Republicans. They say the sanctions will be slapped against Iran if the country breaches the terms of last month\'s Geneva deal. The draft also forces the US administration to support Israel militarily, diplomatically and economically in case Tel Aviv decides to launch an attack against Iran\'s nuclear energy program. Congress has recently tripled the US government\'s requested aid for Israel. Meanwhile, the White House has highlighted the use of diplomacy as a suitable approach for resolving Iran\'s nuclear issue.

Syria\'s deputy foreign minister has blasted foreign supporters of insurgency in his country. Faisal Mekdad says the US and France are providing lethal weapons to militants. Mekdad says Saudi Arabia and Israel are playing a lethal role in the conflict. He says Riyadh and Tel Aviv are closely coordinating their actions and funneling cash and weapons to insurgents. He also pointed out that the determination of the Syrian people and army are defusing plots hatched by supporters of the militants.

More than a quarter of the US Senate introduces a new bill to impose fresh sanction on Iran. The bill is sponsored by 13 Democrats and 13 Republicans. They say the sanctions will be slapped against Iran if the country breaches the terms of last month\'s Geneva deal. The draft also forces the U-S administration to support Israel militarily, diplomatically and economically in case Tel Aviv decides to launch an attack against Iran\'s nuclear energy program. Congress has recently tripled the US government\'s requested aid for Israel. Meanwhile, the White House has highlighted the use of diplomacy as a suitable approach for resolving Iran\'s nuclear issue.

U-S President Barack Obama has told Congress his country should not impose new sanctions on Iran if it is serious in negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear energy program. Obama-- who has been speaking to reporters in his last press briefing of the year-- has refreshed his warnings that any new sanctions against Iran could derail the current diplomatic efforts to resolve the differences with Iran. Obama says he understands why some U-S lawmakers want to \\\"look tough\\\" on Iran. But he says the U-S must give diplomacy a chance. Obama has further repeated threats that the U-S keeps all options on the table regarding Iran if it fails to comply to the terms of the nuclear deal that Tehran signed with the permanent members of the U-N Security Council plus Germany last month. Obama says any alternative to the path of diplomacy toward Iran would have unintended consequences for the US. And he added that it would be in the interests of the American people to resolve the Iran issue diplomatically. Obama\\\'s remarks come a day after Congress put a bill on the floor to slap new sanctions on Iran if it breaches the terms of the nuclear deal reached in Geneva last month. The new sanctions would also force the U-S administration to support Israel militarily, diplomatically, and economically in the event Tel Aviv decided to launch an attack on Iran\\\'s nuclear sites.

The European Union\'s envoy to the Middle East has warned Israel against the failure of the so-called peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. Andreas Reinicke says support in Europe for sanctioning Israel over its settlement policies is growing and could intensify IF the talks with Palestinians fail. Reinicke, who is leaving his post next week, said he has been in touch with US mediators. The campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel has been gaining momentum for some time. The EU envoy says over a dozen of states are now in support of the idea of labeling the Israeli goods from the occupied territories. This over Israeli violations - including its settlement expansions. Several academic bodies in the US have already decided to boycott Israeli academia over Tel Aviv\'s violation of international law.

Israel has once again violated international law by illegally drawing up a line between the occupied Palestine territories and neighboring Lebanon. The move gives Tel Aviv access to more areas which are very rich in oil.

Iran has condemned Israel\'s airstrikes on the Gaza Strip as a heinous crime against Palestinians. Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkhamm, says Tel Aviv carries out such attacks out of fear of the emergence of a third Intifada across the Israeli occupied territories. She has also urged the international community to put an end to QUOTE Israeli atrocities.

Now the territory\\\'s one-point-seven-million population are once more left to deal with the winter cold. This, after Israel shut down its only crossing to Gaza, known as Kerem Shalom. Gaza\\\'s power plant was on for only 12 days following a seven-week shutdown. The Israeli siege of the enclave has caused a lot of hardships for Palestinians there. The blockade has been in place since 2007 after Hamas took power in a democratic election. Tel Aviv has been defying international calls to lift its blockade, which is seen by many rights groups as illegal.

What is behind the surprise Saudi decision to provide 3 billion dollars worth of military aid to the Lebanese army? The announcement of this decision was recently made by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman, after Saudi King Abdullah and French president Francois Hollande apparently agreed on the issue during their summit in Riyadh. The deal says Paris is to play the role of the military supplier, while Riyadh will take care of the financing. No one has so far mentioned that the military aid could be used to deter Israel. Tel Aviv has launched wars on Lebanon ever since its existence but no such military aid has ever been granted to Lebanon. Moreover Israeli officials have not made any objections to this announcement. Hence the logical, widespread conclusion is that this step targets Hezbollah. In a recent visit by Suleiman to Riyadh, the Saudi Monarch reportedly called for the Lebanese army to stop Hezbollah from joining the fight in Syria. Many experts believe that this is a Saudi reaction to the role Hezbollah has played in thwarting Riyadh\\\'s agenda of toppling Syrian president Bashar Assad. Saudi Arabia\\\'s Lebanese allies in the March 14 movement appeared to confirm this view, with members of the movement describing this declaration as a blow to Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the designated supplier of the military aid, France, is believed to be the main force behind the recent E-U decision to blacklist the military wing of Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia is eager to escalate its campaign against Hezbollah, perhaps showing Washington that it can seek support elsewhere. France meanwhile welcomes the 3 billion dollar package, as it\\\'s trying to find ways to boost its austerity-hit economy. Now the main question is whether the deal could possibly change the Lebanese\\\'s anti-Israeli doctrine into an anti-Hezbollah stance?

Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas has once again warned against Israel\\\'s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Abbas has threatened to take diplomatic and legal action against what he calls the cancer of Israeli settlement building. He said that Palestine will use its rights as a UN observer to stop Israel\\\'s expansionist agenda. The statements came ahead of a visit to the Middle East by US Secretary of State John Kerry, which begins on Wednesday. Kerry is making the trip in order to try to convince Israel and the Palestinian Authority to agree on a framework for the so-called peace talks. Tel Aviv\\\'s refusal to stop building settlements is one of the stumbling blocks for the US-brokered direct talks. The international community has long viewed Israeli settlements as illegal.

The Israeli interior minister says a settlement in the strategic Jordan Valley must not be given to Palestinians. Gideon Saar said the settlement along the Jordanian border must belong to Israel forever. The area is a main focus of a new round of talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. This, as US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Israel to mediate the so-called peace negotiations. The top US diplomat had given both sides a nine-month deadline to reach a deal, but they\'re now four months into the deadline, with little progress. Meanwhile, people of the Gaza city have held a rally against the resumption of the direct talks. The Palestinians have slammed Tel Aviv\'s settlement constructions as one of the main obstacles to peace.

Israel says it\'s carried out a second successful test of its upgraded Arrow missile system. The test, carried out over the Mediterranean, was the second flight of the missile system. But it did not intercept any target. Israel deployed the previous version, named Arrow Two, more than a decade ago. Tel Aviv says it has scored an almost 90-percent success rate in live trials. Israeli officials have predicted that Arrow Three could be deployed by next year. The Pentagon and US firm Boeing are partners in the project. Arrow is the long-range part in Israel\'s three-layer missile systems that include the so-called Iron Dome and David\'s Sling.

Doctors for former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who\\\'s been in a coma for nearly eight years now, say his vital body organs have failed, and he\\\'s close to death. The former premier has been on life support at a medical center near Tel Aviv. He suffered a massive stroke in January 2006, and has been in a coma ever since. He was Israel\\\'s prime minister from 2001 until 2006. Sharon was also the minister of military affairs during the massacre at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in 19-82. Back then, the Israeli army invaded Lebanon and allowed the Lebanese militiamen, known as Phalangists, to go on a killing spree in the camps. Reports say between 8-hundred and 35-hundred civilians, mostly Palestinians, were killed in the massacre.