Israeli-Palestinian peace

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian camping in an ancient cave near Jerusalem says he has been told by Israeli authorities to get out because the hillside is slated for a housing development and his "illegal" home will be demolished. The predicament of Abdel Fattah Abed Rabbo, a 48-year-old father of 10, highlights the dispute between Israel and Palestinians living in the steep hills between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, on land the Israelis annexed in 1980. Abed Rabbo says he was actually brought up in the cave by his parents but occupies it now simply as a way of upholding his claim to 5 acres of ... Read Full Story

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday he will not seek re-election in January because of his frustration with the US position on Israeli settlements, officials said. However, it was not immediately clear if Abbas, who was due to speak later on Thursday, would follow through with his intentions as a top Palestinian body urged him to reconsider. "President Abbas told the PLO executive committee that he will not run in the next presidential election, and the executive committee unanimously told him that they reject the decision," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which Abbas heads. Abed ... Read Full Story

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday he will not seek re-election in January amid frustration with the US position on Israeli settlements, a senior PLO official said. "President Abbas told the PLO executive committee that he will not run in the next presidential election, and the executive committee unanimously told him that they reject the decision," said Yasser Abed Rabbo. The Palestine Liberation Organisation's top body "announced they will still support him as the nominee in the elections," which the Palestinian leader has called for January 24 alongside a parliamentary poll. "President Abbas has said more than once that he does not want ... Read Full Story

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday ruled out renewing peace negotiations with Israel without a freeze of Jewish settlement activity. "The return to negotiations depends on Israel adhering to the terms of reference of peace and that includes halting all settlements, including natural growth and including Jerusalem," Abbas told tens of thousands of people gathered in Ramallah to mark the fifth anniversary of iconic leader Yasser Arafat's death. The embattled Abbas also demanded the removal of all Jewish settlements, which today are home to nearly half a million Israelis. "It is our right to demand the removal of all settlements from our land because ... Read Full Story

Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada At the height of the global anti-apartheid movement, in 1989, a bus in London displays a message calling for boycott of South Africa. (Rahul D'Lucca) Anyone who rejects the two-state solution, won’t bring a one-state solution. They will instead bring one war, not one state. A bloody war with no end. — Israeli President Shimon Peres, 7 November 2009. O ne of the most commonly voiced objections to a one-state solution for Palestine/Israel stems from the accurate observation that the vast majority of Israeli Jews reject it, and fear being “swamped” by a Palestinian majority. Across the political spectrum, ... Read Full Story