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As Israelis mourn the passing of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian leaders from both the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and the Islamist Hamas movement celebrated his death, with a senior official labeling him a “criminal” and accusing him of being responsible for the death in 2004 of former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. “Sharon was a criminal, responsible for the assassination of Arafat, and we would have hoped to see him appear before the International Criminal Court as a war criminal,” said Jibril Rajub, a senior official of the Fatah party. […] “We have become more confident in victory with the...

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a defiant message to Israel’s leadership and U.S. mediators Saturday, telling cheering supporters that the Palestinians “won’t kneel” and won’t drop demands for a capital in east Jerusalem. Abbas’ unusually fiery speech highlighted the wide gaps between him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the outlines of a peace deal. It also raised new doubts about the chances of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to bridge those gaps in coming weeks and come up with a framework for an agreement. Abbas adopted tough positions in the wide-ranging speech, saying that “there will be...

“In every aspect, it seems the world is losing its patience for us,” Finance Minister Yair Lapid told Ynet on Friday, following reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued tenders for 1,400 new settlement homes. […] Lapid said he believed the world’s impatience with Israel is manifested in many aspects. “In the case of Horizon 2020, we’ve managed to prevent the damage, and then we were suddenly faced with the ASA boycott. We couldn’t generate any effect around the Iranian deal, because we weren’t loud enough, and that is due to the fact that our status is not as it...

After weeks of diplomatic activity, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected in the coming days to present what is expected to be at least a temporary agreement or framework for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but senior Israeli officials are already dismissing the plan as “unsophisticated” and “unusable.” The officials, quoted in Yisrael Hayom, said that Kerry had been rushing hither and fro in and attempt to hammer out details of what is expected to be the framework of what he would like to see implemented in order to pave the way for a final-status agreement....

As US-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) continue, amid pressure for further territorial concessions by Israel, a senior Palestinian Authority official has told Syrian TV that any agreement will simply be the “first stage” in eradicating Israel altogether. Abbas Zaki posted a clip of the interview—which was promptly translated and circulated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW)—onto his Facebook page. In response to concern expressed by the interviewer that any US-imposed deal would be “deficient”, insofar as it would “only” require Israel to cede Judea and Samaria, a smiling Zaki urges calm. “You can relax. We find ourselves...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is being mocked in a new video, part of a campaign by nationalists warning against Kerry’s plans to impose an agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Israel. The campaign is being co-sponsored by the Yisrael Sheli (My Israel) movement, along with the Yesha Council and the Binyamin Regional Council. The video which was produced as part of the campaign mocks Kerry for his “creative” but useless solutions to Israel’s security problems. Kerry is presented as running a company called “John Kerry Solutions Ltd.”, the motto of which is, “We don’t have good solutions,...

A majority of Israeli Jews believe the schools should present the Palestinian narrative about the conflict, according to a Tel Aviv University survey. The results, announced on Thursday, reignited the longstanding controversy over the content of school curricula on both sides, and drew sharp criticism from a senior government official. […] More than 64 percent of respondents said Israeli schools should teach the “Palestinian narrative.” Respondents in the Center and Left overwhelmingly supported the idea—70.9% and 89.6%, respectively. Those on the Right were split within the margin of error, with 53% supporting teaching the Palestinian view. …

Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, the misnamed occupied territories, are not the obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. They are the acid test of peace. To argue that peace is conceivable unless the bulk of the settlements remain in place constitutes stupidity or hypocrisy. Leave aside the issue of whether Jews have the right to live in the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Ignore the fact that the settlers live overwhelmingly on what was waste land and turned into gardens, vineyards, and industries which have uplifted the lives of Palestinian Arabs more than all the aid that has...

A large, illegal weapons stockpile was found Thursday at the home of the Palestinian ambassador in Prague, Jamel al-Jamal, Czech media reported, a day after al-Jamal was killed in an explosion there. Respekt, a Czech weekly newspaper, reported that the arsenal was enough to arm a unit of ten men. […] Channel 2 News reported that the stockpile included heavy firearms, that it was held illegally, and that its existence had not been previously known to the Czech authorities. …

A majority of both Israelis and Palestinians support a peace agreement based on the two-state solution formula, a Hebrew University poll found, though many respondents reported that they were skeptical as to the sustainability of such an agreement in the long term. The study, conducted jointly by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, found that 63 percent of Israelis and 53% of Palestinians support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, the university said in a statement...

Arab Knesset members reacted angrily on Wednesday to a report in the Maariv daily newspaper, which stated that Israel has suggested to the United States a plan to transfer to the Palestinian Authority (PA) areas with a dense Arab population currently inside Israel. The report specifically referred to an area known as the Triangle, located in east-central Israel, including the cities of Tayibe and Tira, in which about 300,000 Arabs live. …

As US Secretary John Kerry prepares to resume his efforts to achieve an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, a PLO official announced Wednesday that the Palestinians would reject any framework accord that is presented by the Americans. The top US diplomat was due to arrive to the region Thursday. “Kerry will try to market a mysterious and nonconstructive framework agreement to the Palestinian Authority during his new tour,” said PLO Executive Committee member Tayseer Khaled. Khaled accused the US of turning a blind eye to Israel’s practices on the ground in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. He...

The United States has increased its financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, but linked this aid to progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Wednesday. The American aid will be increased from $426 million in 2013 to $440 million in 2014, said Maen Rashid Areikat, the head of the PLO delegation in Washington DC. Despite the increase, the 2014 US aid is significantly lower than previous years. In 2011, the US provided the PA $545 million in aid money, and $495 in 2012. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides funding for economic projects,...

The US financial aid designated for the Palestinian Authority (PA) is set to grow considerably in 2014 to $440 million, up from $426 million in 2013. The aid aims to bail out the PA, which in June was revealed to owe $4.2 billion in internal and external debt. Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) representative in Washington DC, Maen Erekat, reported the figure, saying the transfer was already agreed upon by Congress, but will be influenced by progress in the peace talks with Israel. The PA recently declared the talks have failed, and threatened diplomatic action against Israel. …

An upgraded ballistic rocket was reportedly launched Tuesday from the Gaza Strip into the Mediterranean sea, presumably to test the weapon’s capabilities and range. The test caused loud explosion sounds that were audible in Israeli towns and cities adjacent to the Gaza border, Channel 2 reported. The rocket was an improved version of the M-75 missile with a slightly longer range and a larger warhead, the report said. Other Israeli news outlets, citing the army, attributed the explosion sounds to ultrasonic booms caused by Israeli jets that were participating in a drill.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will offer Israeli and Palestinian negotiators a political trade-off: Israeli recognition of the 1967 lines as a basis for the future Palestinian state, in return for Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, Palestinian sources told the Saudi daily Al-Watan on Sunday. According to the sources, the mutual recognition will constitute the core of a framework agreement to be signed by the end of January, and negotiated in greater detail during the following months. "The coming weeks will be difficult for the Palestinian and Israeli sides, since they will need...

A historic site in the Binyamin region north of Jerusalem may be destroyed if Israel’s courts do not intervene, the Regavim organization has warned. The ancient structure of Khan Lubin is located near the Israeli town of Maaleh Levona. Residents of the town and other nearby communities have made an effort to preserve the site over the years. However, in recent months Palestinian Arabs have increasingly been coming to the site, and, Regavim warns, have been doing damage to the ancient structure. …

US Secretary of State John Kerry will offer Israeli and Palestinian negotiators a political trade-off: Israeli recognition of the 1967 lines as a basis for the future Palestinian state, in return for Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, Palestinian sources told the Saudi daily Al-Watan on Sunday. According to the sources, the mutual recognition will constitute the core of a framework agreement to be signed by the end of January, and negotiated in greater detail during the following months. “The coming weeks will be difficult for the Palestinian and Israeli sides, since they will need...

A newly published study shows that the Arab population in Israel’s region is constantly shrinking, especially in the Gaza Strip, which is in contrast to a constant increase in the Jewish population. The study, authored by Dr. Yaakov Feitelson and published by the Institute for Zionist Strategies, claims that the widely perceived beliefs about demography in Israel are misconceived. …

A report compiled by security sources in the Palestinian Authority indicates a high chance for an “intifada” terror war in 2014. The PA report was published by Kol Yisrael (Voice of Israel) radio. […] United States Secretary of State John Kerry has used threats of a “third Intifada” to pressure Israeli leaders to accept America’s proposals regarding an Israel-PA diplomatic deal. …