By ISRAEL HAYOM— Following Channel 2 interview in which Abbas implies he would be willing to abandon the Palestinian demand for a “right of return,” Israeli leaders warn that the Palestinian Authority president is trying to influence the coming Israeli elections. It is only through direct peace negotiations that Israel would ever learn the true…
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, GATESTONE— Fatah leaders were quick to declare victory in the October 20 local elections in the West Bank. But the results of the vote for 93 municipal and village councils show that the vote was anything but a victory. True, in some cities and villages, Fatah did win a majority of…
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, GATESTONE— The U.S. Administration has sought to downplay the significance of this week’s visit to the Gaza Strip by the Emir of Qatar, Hamad al-Thani. “We have seen the reports that Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa visits Gaza today on a humanitarian mission,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “We share Qatar’s…
By DEBKAFILE— Defense minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz decided Wednesday, Oct. 24, that the heavy Palestinian missile assault from the Gaza Strip, which escalated to 60 rockets on Israeli civilian locations, in a few hours, must be stopped. The bulk of the personnel taking part in the joint Israeli-US…
By CHANA YA’AR, ARUTZ 7— The IDF retaliated — again — against Gaza terrorist rocket and mortar attacks Wednesday morning with tank fire and air strikes, as Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed to “return the quiet to the south.” Two explosions struck Gaza City, according to Palestinian Authority Arab witnesses in the area quoted by…
By ANNIE LUBIN, ARUTZ 7— The people of Gaza rejoiced Thursday, as they commemorated the one year anniversary of what they perceive as a victory — Israel’s freeing of 1,027 prisoners in exchange for the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, held captive by terrorists for five years. As part of the celebration, Hamas’s…
By JOSEPH PUDER, FRONTPAGMAG— The U.S., along with the European Union and Israel, considers the Palestinian Hamas regime ensconced in Gaza a terrorist organization primarily because of its use of suicide bombers and its covenant which vows to replace Israel with a Palestinian Islamist state by force of arms. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel’s right…
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, GATESTONE— If the Egyptian army succeeds in demolishing the underground smuggling tunnels that keep Hamas running, it could mark the end of the Islamists’ rule over the Gaza Strip. But if Egypt’s new president, Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood tie the hands of the Egyptian army’s generals and keep them…
BY AVIEL MAGNEZI, YNET— American activists set sail from Greece on Friday aboard a boat set to take part in a pro-Palestinian flotilla to Gaza, defying calls from Israel to cancel it and a ban by Athens. The vessel was stopped by the Greek Coast Guard some 25 minutes after its unauthorized departure. It was…
BY JPOST— Hundreds of people began gathering at the Schalit family tent set up outside the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem Saturday afternoon to offer their support to the family’s demand that their son, Gilad, be released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip. Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of Gilad Schalit’s kidnapping by Hamas…