West Bank – News Stories About West Bank - Page 8

Apr 18, 2008 1:47 PM CDT

Carter Meets With Hamas Chief

Ex-president draws widespread criticism for talks with Palestinian group

(Newser) - Jimmy Carter met today with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal despite protests from the US State Department and the Israeli government. A Hamas deputy told the AP the agenda would include strategies to calm tensions between Israel and Hamas, as well as the fate of a kidnapped Israeli soldier. Carter has...

Carter Meets With Former Hamas Minister

Apr 15, 2008 12:35 PM CDT

Carter Meets With Former Hamas Minister

Ex-prez defies Israel, Bush, and lays wreath on Arafat's grave

(Newser) - Jimmy Carter traveled to the West Bank today to meet a former Hamas minister, ignoring strenuous objections by Israeli leaders. Carter also laid a wreath on Yasser Arafat’s tomb, a customary gesture of respect President Bush pointedly avoided on his last visit, Reuters reports.

Israeli Hostage Alive: Hamas

Mar 31, 2008 7:52 AM CDT

Israeli Hostage Alive: Hamas

Offer to avoid civilian targets

(Newser) - Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is alive, Hamas leader Khalid Meshaal tells Britain's Sky News. "Gilad is alive and we are treating him well but Israel is treating the Palestinian prisoners they hold very badly," he said in an interview in Damascus, offering the first word in almost...

Israel Pledges to Pull 50
West Bank Roadblocks

Mar 30, 2008 7:33 PM CDT

Israel Pledges to Pull 50 West Bank Roadblocks

Rice hails deal, but Palestine officials are skeptical

(Newser) - Pressured by Condoleezza Rice to kickstart flagging peace talks, Israel pledged to remove about 50 roadblocks from the West Bank—the first in a series of “concrete steps” to finalize a deal, Al Jazeera reports. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad hailed the news despite skepticism from other officials. “...

Rice Returns to Middle East

Mar 29, 2008 4:47 PM CDT

Rice Returns to Middle East

Secretary of State wants to see 'real progress on the ground'

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice returned to Jerusalem today to push for progress on Israeli/Palestinian peace talks, al Jazeera reports. Rice says she plans to focus on improving movement through the West Bank. “I would like to see real, concrete progress on the ground,” she said. Palestinians say Israeli checkpoints are...

Fatah and Hamas Sign Deal, But Feuding Continues

Mar 23, 2008 8:02 PM CDT

Fatah and Hamas Sign Deal, But Feuding Continues

Rival Palestinian factions bicker over control of Gaza

(Newser) - In a second attempt to mend fences, rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas agreed to resume direct talks today to resolve disputes and revive their failed coalition. A Hamas official called the deal “a new beginning and the start of a new stage,” but just hours after signing...

US 'Will Never Pressure Israel' on Security: VP

Mar 22, 2008 7:24 PM CDT

US 'Will Never Pressure Israel' on Security: VP

Hamas calls Cheney 'biased' during Jerusalem visit

(Newser) - The US supports recent Israeli strikes on Palestine and "will never pressure Israel to take steps that threaten its security," Dick Cheney said in Jerusalem today. On a trip to spur stalled peace talks, Cheney is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leaders this weekend. A...

Mideast Strife Spills Onto Facebook

Mar 20, 2008 11:37 AM CDT

Mideast Strife Spills Onto Facebook

Israeli, Palestinian networkers squabble over country names

(Newser) - Facebook has now had to take on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the Guardian reports, on account of its standard IDing of members by country. Jewish settlers in the West Bank were fuming when the site told them they lived in Palestine; Palestinians in East Jerusalem in turn protested that their turf...

US Set to Deliver $150M in Aid
to Palestinians

Mar 19, 2008 6:47 PM CDT

US Set to Deliver $150M in Aid to Palestinians

First installment of $550M for strapped Palestinian Authority

(Newser) - The US promised today to transfer $150 million in aid to the economically ailing Palestinian Authority, marking the first installment of $550 million the US pledged at a donors' conference in December, Reuters reports. The contribution will be the largest single donation since the Authority was launched in 1994, Prime...

Jihad Rockets Hit
Israel After Raid

Mar 13, 2008 7:44 AM CDT

Jihad Rockets Hit Israel After Raid

Moratorium collapses

(Newser) - A week-long moratorium on rocket attacks in Israel exploded today when the militant group Islamic Jihad fired two rockets into the town of Sderot on the Gaza border. Nobody was injured in the attack. The radical Palestinian group claims its rocket launch was in retaliation for a raid by the...

Israel Approves New
West Bank Homes

Mar 10, 2008 4:05 AM CDT

Israel Approves New West Bank Homes

Construction will 'undermine peace talks,' Palestinians warn

(Newser) - Israel has approved plans to begin or complete 750 new homes in the occupied West Bank, posing yet another hurdle to the success of US-brokered Mideast peace talks, Reuters reports. Palestinian leaders immediately condemned the new construction in the Jewish settlement of Givat Ze'ev near Jerusalem. "This will undermine...

Rice Tries to Salvage Mideast Peace Plan

Mar 4, 2008 8:16 AM CST

Rice Tries to Salvage Mideast Peace Plan

Blames Hamas for sabotaging talks with violence

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice made stops in both Cairo and Israel today in her effort to restart stalled peace talks, telling reporters that she understood "Israel's need to defend itself" against Hamas rockets, but was concerned about "the loss of innocent life" in Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza. Rice blamed...

Peace Talks Snag
on Jerusalem

Feb 19, 2008 6:14 AM CST

Peace Talks Snag on Jerusalem

Palestinians want to discuss issue Israelis say isn't on the table

(Newser) - Peace talks between Israel and Palestinians were set to resume today as leaders were already entangled in a first major clash: over whether or not they agreed that Jerusalem would be part of the discussion. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has claimed the Palestinians agreed to put off discussing Jerusalem....

A Peaceful Xmas in Bethlehem

Dec 25, 2007 6:09 AM CST

A Peaceful Xmas in Bethlehem

West Bank town sees its first calm Christmas in years; tourism rebounds

(Newser) - This Christmas a huge number of tourists and pilgrims have made their way to Bethlehem, five miles south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The mayor of the town of Jesus' birth predicted at least 65,000 visitors this Christmas, quadruple the figure just two years ago, CTV reports. The...

Gaza's Few Christians
Are Fleeing

Dec 24, 2007 7:16 AM CST

Gaza's Few Christians Are Fleeing

After murder, religious minority fearful under Hamas rule

(Newser) - It's a grim Christmas for Gaza's tiny Christian population of about 3,000, with celebrations muted in the Hamas-controlled territory, the AP says. Instead of decorating trees, many of the faithful are packing to leave the strip for good. After the murder of a prominent Baptist activist, many Christians say...

Israel Plans
to Expand Settlements

Dec 23, 2007 9:28 PM CST

Israel Plans to Expand Settlements

West Bank building plans do not help peace talks with Palestinians

(Newser) - The road to Arab-Israeli peace could take yet another detour, the New York Times says, after Israel announced plans today to seek funding for the expansion of two Jewish settlements in areas Palestinians hope to claim for a future state. The two sides are expected to meet tomorrow, but Palestine’...

Palestinians Seek $5.6B in Talks

Dec 17, 2007 2:50 AM CST

Palestinians Seek $5.6B in Talks

60 nations meet in Paris to bankroll the Palestinian Authority

(Newser) - Representatives of more than 60 nations meet in Paris today to discuss providing aid to the Palestinians. Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, locked in a power struggle with Hamas in Gaza, is hoping to secure $5.6 billion in aid over the next three years. The US has promised $550 million....

Christmas Opens in Bethlehem

Dec 16, 2007 5:07 PM CST

Christmas Opens in Bethlehem

Resumed peace talks give holiday tourism a bump to 65K tourists

(Newser) - The lighting of a four-story tree yesterday in Bethlehem kicked off a joyous season of increased tourism, reports the AP, amid a backdrop of resumed Mideast peace talks. Some 65,000 foreigners are expected to visit the West Bank town this season, the AP reports; only 16,000 visited the...

Fatah Official Kidnapped in Gaza

Dec 14, 2007 9:32 AM CST

Fatah Official Kidnapped in Gaza

Senior Fatah official kidnapped, explosion kills 3 at funeral

(Newser) - A top Fatah official was kidnapped by 30 gunmen of rival Palestinian faction Hamas, who ransacked his family home in Gaza early this morning and accused him of collaborating with Israel. Omar Al-Ghoul, adviser to the Palestinian prime minister appointed after Hamas seized control of the Strip, was in Gaza...

Thousands Rally in Gaza

Nov 27, 2007 8:14 PM CST

Thousands Rally in Gaza

Police kill West Bank protester; Israel guns down three in other incidents

(Newser) - Massive crowds demonstrated in Gaza today, condemning the Annapolis conference and chanting "Death to America!" Hamas leaders told tens of thousands of supporters that the peace summit was "doomed to failure" and vowed that "whoever thinks we will recognize a Jewish state are deluding themselves."...