Free Republic

Vatican City (AFP) - The Vatican's first accord with the Palestinians -- an agreement that Israel has attacked as counter-productive to the Middle East peace process -- has come into force, the Holy See announced Saturday. The accord was signed in June, just over two years after the Roman Catholic Church recognised the Palestinian territories as a sovereign state in February 2013. The accord covers the operation of the Church in areas of the Holy Land under Palestinian control but its significance has been seen in broader terms as a symbol of growing international backing for a Palestinian state. "With...

Incitement against the Jewish State is directly related to the stabbings, raping and killing of Jews inside and outside of Israel. But doing something to stop it requires confronting a very troubling fact: the global epicenter for incitement is the “human rights” leviathan, the United Nations. From November 24, 2014 until December 5, 2014, UN human rights headquarters in Geneva mounted a public exhibit that was pure incitement. UN-driven antisemitism that takes the form of seeking to demonize, disable and ultimately destroy the Jewish state...

LONDON (AP) — Middle East envoy Tony Blair says Barack Obama launched his peace initiative because he's concerned about what might happen to Israel if Palestinians unilaterally declare statehood. Blair told an audience of business leaders gathered in central London on Thursday that Obama is "frankly worried about the position that Israel is in." The ex-prime minister says that Obama's initiative — rejected by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu — is "an attempt to fill a vacuum which he sees as dangerous, particularly dangerous for Israel in the run-up to September." Mideast watchers have speculated that Washington launched its peace initiative...

JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Barack Obama has criticized Israel construction plans in East Jerusalem, saying they're unhelpful to the pursuit of peace. The president said he was concerned Israel and Palestinian were not making enough of an effort to advance peace negotiations. Obama's caution came as the Israeli government moved ahead with plans to build nearly 1,300 apartments in that disputed part of th