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Breaking with years of courting the U.S., Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday for the United Nations to replace Washington as a Mideast mediator and suggested he might not cooperate with the Trump administration’s much-anticipated effort to hammer out an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. At a summit in Turkey, Arab and Muslim leaders “rejected and condemned” President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital — the trigger for Abbas’ sharp policy pivot — but stopped short of backing his more combative approach toward Washington. A possible Palestinian refusal to engage with the U.S. and growing backlash against Trump’s shift on...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the European Union on Monday to back a new U.S. peace initiative in the Middle East, after President Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital met with widespread condemnation and triggered clashes in the Palestinian territories. Netanyahu, making the first official visit by an Israeli premier to the EU’s Brussels headquarters in 22 years, told reporters that recognizing Jerusalem merely stated the reality on the ground. He said he expected many European countries to follow Trump’s lead. But EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired talks between Netanyahu and EU...

"I strongly condemn any attack on Jews anywhere in the world and on Israeli citizens," the EU foreign minister said...

..... "We will continue not to decide on the status of Jerusalem until it is determined in negotiations."

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Chrystia Freeland, refrained on Wednesday from supporting U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, but also did not harshly criticize the move as other countries had done. “Canada is a steadfast ally and friend of Israel and friend to the Palestinian people. Canada’s longstanding position is that the status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of a general settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute,” she said in a statement. “We are strongly committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East,...

Donald Trump's formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing some seven decades of American policy, is arguably the most unnecessary decision of his time in office and one that will have consequences lingering far past his tenure. The decision may yield some domestic political advantage among Jewish and evangelical Christian voters for the president, but at irrationally high expense globally. Jerusalem is where Israel's president presides, and where the parliament, supreme court, and most government ministries are located. In practical terms, it is the capital. However, unlike in nearly every other nation, the United States maintains its...

The recognition by the US of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is “an obstacle to a fair and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on a negotiated two-state solution”, the Swiss government said. Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, the Swiss foreign office said any solution in the Middle East must be based on “a comprehensive negotiated agreement on the final status of Jerusalem that respects the rights and aspirations of all interested parties”. “Switzerland does not recognize the authority of Israel beyond the 1967 borders and will work towards the establishment of a viable,...

French president Emmanuel Macron has made it clear he is against Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as France warns its citizens of likely unrest in the region. […] Addressing a press conference during a state visit to Algeria, Macron affirmed “the attachment of France and Europe to the two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within internationally-recognized borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of the two states.” He called for “calm” and “responsibility” on all sides. “We must avoid violence at all costs and prioritize dialogue,” he said....

President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's official capital and his announcement that he would move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to that city has not only sparked outrage in the Middle East but also in Europe. One European leader who has condemned Trump's announcement is Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. Although you'd expect her to tread extremely carefully when talking about the Jewish nation-state -- considering her country's horrible record regarding the treatment of Jews -- nothing could be further from the truth. "The federal government doesn't understand this decision because the status of Jerusalem must be negotiated...

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Tuesday warned the US about the dangers of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel does not calm a conflict; rather, it fuels it even more,” Gabriel said. “It’s in everyone’s interest that this does not happen.” Despite widespread international opposition to the move, Trump is expected to recognize the city as Israel’s capital on Wednesday. A senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity told AFP news agency that the president would make the announcement during a speech slated for 1 p.m. local...

The European Union rebuked Israel on Friday, condemning the Jewish state for the demolition of illegal Arab buildings and demanding Israel refrain from further demolitions. In a statement released by the local Office of the European Union Representative, the EU slammed Israel over the planned eviction of Bedouin squatters who established illegal settlements in the northern Jordan Valley in eastern Israel over the past decade. Ein al-Hilweh and Umm Jamal, home to an estimated 400 Bedouin squatters, were first established in the mid-2000s. The two illegal settlements, which have sprawled around roads and intersections, have hindered traffic in the area,...

Palestinian leaders use teenagers to commit acts of terror, knowing the Israeli legal system treats children more leniently than adults. Now 10 Congressional Progressive Caucus Democrats are trying to give terrorist leaders another reason for using children to murder more Israeli civilians. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., introduced legislation co-sponsored by nine other Democrats to “prevent US tax dollars from supporting the Israeli military’s detention and mistreatment of Palestinian children.” “This legislation highlights Israel’s system of military detention of Palestinian children and ensures that no American assistance to Israel supports human rights violations …. Congress must not turn a blind eye...

Nick Cave, the dark poet of rock, on Sunday accused the anti-Israel boycott movement of trying to bully musicians and said he was taking a “principled stand” by performing in the country. The Australian artist, known for music that can be both melancholic and uplifting, is popular in Israel and is set to perform a pair of nearly sold-out shows. At a news conference, Cave spoke about the pressure on artists by the international movement that seeks to ostracize Israel by lobbying corporations, performers and academic institutions to sever ties with the Jewish state. He said record producer Brian Eno...

The presence at the European Parliament this week of a Palestinian who hijacked planes in Europe last century — and whose organization is on the E.U.’s terrorist list — continues to make waves, with some lawmakers and others calling for an investigation. Leila Khaled, a leading figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was a guest speaker at an event at the parliament complex in Brussels on Tuesday night. In 1969 and 1970, Khaled hijacked two aircraft — one Israeli, one American — in European airspace. She was arrested during the second attempt, but was soon...

Heckler & Koch, the German weapons manufacturer whose guns are estimated to have killed more than 2 million people since the company was founded in 1949, has quietly adopted the most ethical sales policy of any gunmaker in the world. The company has pledged no longer to sell arms into warzones or to countries that violate corruption and democracy standards, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, or any African countries. [Emphasis Mine]

Human rights groups have denounced attempts by the Israeli government to shutter Al-Jazeera’s operations in the country. Israeli officials have accused the Qatari-owned broadcaster of “supporting terrorism.” Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has criticized the Israeli government for attempting to shut down the Al-Jazeera bureau in Jerusalem. “This is a brazen attack on media freedom in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The move sends a chilling message that the Israeli authorities will not tolerate critical coverage,” Amnesty said in a statement on Monday. On Sunday, Israeli Communications Minister Ayoob Kara announced the government’s intention to shutter the Qatari-owned broadcaster’s...

After spending 72 hours looking specifically at the motives of those pushing almost identical paragraphs including the catchphrases: “holdovers”, “purging loyalists“, “unfettered access” and “Caroline Glick“; it comes as no surprise to hear the administration perceives the anti-McMasters crowd as having “jumped the shark”… “reached too far”, and “exposed their agenda” etc. Ironically HR McMaster appears to be safer than ever in his position as National Security Adviser not specifically because of anything he has done, but as an actual outcome of the piranha approach taken by his detractors. The severity of his opposition’s group-think actually exposed the common denominator....

It’s not a coincidence that national security adviser H.R. McMaster has chosen to eliminate the pro-Israel voices at the National Security Council, three West Wing and defense officials (who chose to speak on background for diplomatic sensitivity reasons) told Conservative Review. In interviews with several current and former members of President Trump’s inner circle, a profile of McMaster has emerged as a man fiercely opposed to strengthening the U.S. alliance with the Jewish state. On Wednesday, American-born Israeli journalist Caroline Glick detailed explosive allegations concerning McMaster’s views on Israel. Glick is a well-known pro-Israel columnist and has established connections with...

The island country of Cape Verde announced on Wednesday that it will no longer be voting against Israel in the United Nations. The decision came following a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Cape Verde’s President Jorge Carlos Fonseca, who then instructed his envoy at the UN that the island in West Africa would no longer be voting against Israel. Netanyahu welcomed the decision on Wednesday evening. …

There was a spate of headlines last week claiming that new scientific discoveries disproved the historical narrative of the Bible. Headlines included, "DNA vs the Bible: Israelites did not wipe out the Canaanites" and "Study disproves the Bible's suggestion that the ancient Canaanites were wiped out." The problem is that the reverse is actually true: The discoveries confirm what the Scriptures explicitly state.Not surprisingly, these headlines didn't come from obscure, Bible-bashing websites. Instead, they came from Cosmos Magazine, Yahoo.com, New Scientist (claiming that the discovery helped unravel the "true fate" of the Canaanites), and others. As stated in the New York...