All Stories Archive

The PLO factions in Syria have condemned the killing of a number of young Palestinians from the refugee camps around Aleppo. They were murdered after being kidnapped on their way to the camps from the Palestinian Liberation Army training centre in Masyaf. In a press statement issued on Thursday,...

The acting head of the Freedom and Justice Party, Essam Al-Erian, has said that Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi is seeking to form a technocrat government that will be able to implement his programme and polices. In a press statement made on Thursday, Al-Erian added that Morsi is facing obstacles...

The head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), has praised the revolution of the Tunisian people which, he said, "paved the way for the Arab Spring". Speaking to the participants of the Al-Nahda Party conference in Tunis, Khaled Meshaal thanked the Tunisian people, "who embraced...

The Israeli Wall in the occupied West Bank has reduced access for thousands of Palestinians living in communities located behind the barrier to workplaces and essential services, a UN report claims. Around 7,500 Palestinians reside in areas between the 1949 Armistice (Green) Line and the Wall in the West...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, gave a warm welcome on Friday to a South African solidarity delegation, led by Waleed al-Sa'di from Durban. The delegation brought humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza in an attempt to ease the effects of the Israeli siege...

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has chosen the members of its High Leadership Committee inside Israel's jails through a democratic process. Details have been provided by the Ahrar Centre for Prisoners' Affairs. Researcher Adnan Al-Khefish said that Adnan al-Sayyed was elected chairman of the Committee; his vice-chairman will be...

Media sources claim that the Israeli government is studying the possibility of "punishing" the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied West Bank by hindering its work. The pretext is that the UN has, alleges Israel, "committed violations of the law, and issued reports...

There were no economic, commercial, military or political ties between Turkey and the Gaza Strip before 2006. It seems that the ongoing humanitarian crisis has encouraged Turkey to put the beleaguered territory at the centre of its interests in the area since the start of Israel's siege. In 2006,...

The administration of Israel's Hasharon Prison detained minors and their legal representatives for three hours under the hot sun a few days ago. The incident took place after units of Special Forces broke into one of the sections of the prison, searched a room and destroyed its contents without...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES A solidarity delegation from Yemen has arrived in the Gaza Strip carrying symbolic support to show the country's concern for the Palestinians. The spokesman of the delegation said that despite their struggle with the Yemeni regime to obtain their freedom, the people of Yemen will not forget...

Sources close to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, claim that he is angry with the failure of Arabic and Islamic states to support his plan to seek non-state membership at the UN for Palestine. The Palestinian delegation to the UN said that it has failed to...

The Israeli court in Ofer has decided to release the President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Aziz Dweik, next Thursday. According to Baha' Farah, the director of Mr Dweik's office, the Israeli authorities informed his lawyer about the court's decision not to extend his administrative detention order beyond Thursday....

Tunisia's new President, Moncef Marzouki, has arrived in France for a 3-day official visit, his first since his election last December. Marzouki will meet French President Francois Hollande and the two leaders will hold a joint press conference to be followed by dinner at the Élysée Palace. During the...

The Egyptian ambassador to Palestine, Yasser Othman, confirmed on Monday that Egypt's intention to lift the Gaza siege completely is still on the new President's agenda. "It is an Egyptian duty," he said. Speaking about facilitating the movement of Gaza residents and the soft entrance of solidarity delegations through...

Sheikh Rashid Al-Ghannouchi was re-elected as the leader of Tunisia's ruling Al-Nahda Party on Monday during the 9th Convention of the party's General Committee. The convention was the first to be held in Tunis since 1988. Sheikh Al-Ghannouchi was declared to be the winner of the leadership election, with...

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), has warned the Israelis not to provoke Arabs and Muslims by distorting the facts about Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. A spokesman for Hamas also called on the Palestinian resistance to defend the Islamic sites in the occupied territories. The call was made in response...

The French Ministry of Defence is to cancel an arms deal with Israel signed by the former Defence Minister, Israeli media sources have claimed. Through the deal, France would have got unmanned spy planes from Israel worth around €400m. Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian supports the decision. The...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Ministry of Education and Higher Education for Gaza and the West Bank has announced a 62.2 per cent overall pass rate in General Secondary Education examinations for 2011/2012. In a joint press conference between Gaza and the West Bank, the Ministry's deputy assistant in Ramallah, Jihad...

The Palestinian Authority's Minister for Prisoners' Affairs, Issa Qaraqe, has claimed that the Israelis arrest 700 Palestinian minors on an annual basis, including some as young as 12 and 13. In a press statement, Mr Qaraqe said that 90 per cent of the children who are detained by Israel...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Palestinian Ministry of Health has held a workshop to look into the need for a National Cancer Centre. The Ministry currently suffers from shortages in cancer staff and specialists, and there are very low rates and possibilities for the receipt of specialist cancer treatment. This lack...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Central Elections Committee held a graduation ceremony on Thursday for representatives of political parties and mass media personnel in the West Bank after their completion of its training course. Representative of the Committee, Hanna Nasser, confirmed that the course was intended to build the capabilities of...

The Israeli occupation authorities have demolished an agricultural project funded by the European Union near the village of Al-Khedr in the occupied West Bank. Israeli bulldozers smashed a well which was essential for watering the villagers' crops. Ahmed Salah, coordinator of the popular campaign against the occupation in Al-Khedr,...

The head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), has said that his recent meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi covered many issues concerning the Palestinian portfolio, particularly the reconciliation process. Speaking at a press conference, Khaled Meshaal added that "all the files allow for proceeding...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Israeli occupation authorities have released the Chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr Aziz Dweik. Dr. Dweik was handed over yesterday (Thursday) at the Beit Sira Checkpoint west of Ramallah following six months in administrative detention. The organisation for the defence of Dr Dwiek had submitted...

The former head of Israeli National Security, Uzi Arad, has confirmed for the first time his country's responsibility for the assassination of the Lebanese Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh four years ago. He was speaking in the wake of the attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. The Israeli government...

A new law passed by Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has been criticised for making it impossible for Palestinians to take legal action against members of the Israeli security forces. Knesset member Mohammed Baraka of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality said that the new law "legitimises crimes committed...

The Iranian nuclear issue and the possible collapse of the Syrian regime are the main obstacles for Israel's response to the suicide attack against Israelis in Bulgaria, an Israeli military analyst said on Thursday. According to Ron Ben-Yishai, instability in Egypt and the sensitive situation in Jordan are also...

Kadima party chairman Shaul Mofaz, who is leaving the Benjamin Netanyahu-led coalition cabinet, has pledged to run for prime minister in the next election and claimed that he will revive his party's glory. Mofaz's statements come at a time when opinion polls do not rate him more popular than...

Diplomatic sources in Egypt have denied Israeli reports promoting a meeting between the President Mohammed Morsi and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that there is "no reason" for such a get-together to take place. Speculation about a meeting increased when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited...

Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage has revealed that Israel has stepped-up its plans to destroy the Umayyad Caliphate palaces south of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israelis have also extended a network of bridges and stairs around the archaeological area adjacent to Al-Aqsa, aiming at the transformation of the entire...

An Israeli psychological health centre has warned of increasing rates of self-immolation by Israelis because of the "bad" economic situation. A spokesman for the centre claimed that hundreds of calls have been received from Israelis who threaten to set themselves alight in protest at their poor economic situation and...

Israeli occupation forces have deployed "Iron Dome" anti-missile batteries in the greater Eilat area near to the border with Egypt. An Israeli official told the local media that the batteries have been deployed as a precaution against rocket attacks by "terror groups" based in Sinai. Israeli personnel have been...

Media reports say that Israel's Minister of Defence has ordered the demolition of eight Palestinian villages in the South Hebron Hills in the occupied West Bank. Ehud Barak said that the land will be transformed into a military training area for the Israel Defence Forces. According to the English...

The split in Israel's ruling coalition which saw the Kadima Party leave government was sought after by the Prime Minister, it has been disclosed. Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to be able to guarantee a majority in the "forum of eight ministers" which support an attack on Iran, media reports claimed...

The International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights (ISFHR) has revealed that the Israeli military authorities have decreed that the Islamic Representatives bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council is a "banned organisation". The bloc used to be called "Change and Reform" before that too was "banned" in 2006 by the...

A Palestinian human rights group has condemned Israel's policy of destroying Muslim graves in the occupied West Bank and inside Israel itself. The aim, claims Al-Tadamun Human Rights Organisation, is part of an attempt to change the Islamic history and identity of Palestine. Researcher Ahmed Tobasi said that his...

A senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Executive Committee has called on the European Union to reconsider its relations with Israel in the light of its actions as an occupying power. Dr. Hanan Ashrawi said that the EU should not give Israel preferential treatment which overlooks its deliberate,...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Palestinian government in Gaza has overseen the unveiling of the largest map of historic Palestine in the world which, by all accounts, should be registered with Guinness World Records. Work on the map has been ongoing for the last three years. It was supervised by senior...

The Tunisian government has rejected a statement by the US Ambassador in Tunis concerning a judgement against a privately-owned television station, and called it "interference in the judicial affairs of Tunisia". Ambassador Gordon Gray has said that he was "disappointed" by the ruling in the Nessma TV case. A statement...

The global investment credit rating agency, Moody's, has announced that it is reducing the rating for Israeli banks from "stable" to "negative". Moody's explained that the security challenges faced by the Zionist state at this time are having a dramatic impact on the Israeli economy. The agency also expected...

Tel Aviv University has imposed policies and procedures intended to restrict those Arab students who wish to organise Nakba commemorative events on campus. Palestinians remember the Nakba (Catastrophe) on 15th May every year, the date on which the state of Israel was created on their land. According to a...

The military police in Israel have launched a widespread campaign for the arrest of thousands of soldiers who are fleeing from military service. The campaign, explained a senior officer, has come about in response to the dramatic increase in the number of deserters from the army in recent years;...

Dr. Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party candidate for the Egyptian presidency has said that the time of the dictators has ended "and will never return". The people of Egypt will make their own decisions without interference from outside influences, he claimed. Addressing the nation through...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES Palestinians throughout the occupied territories have condemned the response of the United Nations and International Red Cross to the life-threatening dangers facing thousands of prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails. Protesters staged vigils in front of the headquarters of the UNDP, UNESCO and Red Cross in...

The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to provide clear answers to the issues which are disrupting the peace process. Netanyahu sent a response to a letter from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month. The main issues, noted the...

The political adviser to the Tunisian Prime Minister has stressed that the strategy of the government is to support all political work within the country's legal framework. Lotfi Zitoun pointed out that the recognition of parties with a strict Salafi background falls within this framework. In an exclusive statement...

Israel destroyed dozens of EU-funded development projects across the occupied West Bank in 2011. The details of the extent of Israeli destruction have been given in a report issued by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), which monitored the...

The Office for Refugees' Affairs of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has reaffirmed the organisation's belief that the principles of the Palestinian people are a "single, linked unit" which does not lend itself to being split-up. The Palestinian people, said Hamas, are united behind them, particularly in respect of...

According to senior Egyptian sources, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has confirmed that an agreement has been signed between the leadership of the prisoners' hunger strike and the Israeli prison authorities; the deal was brokered by Egyptian mediators. The deal means that the open hunger strike, which lasted for...

A report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz claims that the prominent historian Professor Shlomo Sand of Tel Aviv University has received a number of death threats through the post. Prof. Sand, who is well known for his anti-Zionist stance and the author of "The Invention of the Jewish People",...