Skip to main content

Israeli occupier attacks threaten historic Christian presence in West Bank town

In Taybeh, one of the few Palestinian communities with a Christian majority in the occupied West Bank, fears are growing that Israeli occupier attacks on farmland and property could push more families to emigrate, threatening the town’s demographic character and historic Christian presence. Local officials and clergy warned of the impact of rising violence by Israeli occupiers, which has coincided with worsening living and economic conditions in the town. Taybeh, east of Ramallah, is one of the few Palestinian towns in the West Bank that still has a Christian majority, according to church and local accounts. Residents say the town’s Christian roots go back thousands of years. Residents say the attacks have deepened fears in the town, even as they stress their determination to remain on their land. Also Read: Pakistan raises red flag over illegal settlements in West Bank, calls for Israel accountability In recent years, Israeli occupiers have established several ill...

Netanyahu 'apologises' to Qatar's emir over Israeli attack on Doha

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Qatar's prime minister from the White House on Monday, apologized for strikes against Hamas in the Gulf country and promised not to do so again, the United States said. Netanyahu, who had until now been defiant since ordering the strikes on September 9 in Qatar, placed the call as he was meeting with US President Donald Trump about a ceasefire in Gaza. "As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel's missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman," a White House statement said. "He further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future," it said. Israel did not immediately give an account of the call, although Netanyahu was expected later to hold a news conference with Trump. The White House statement said that Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also agreed to set up a three-way group to "enhance coordination, improve communication, resolve mutual grievances and strengthen collective efforts to prevent threats." Netanyahu had for weeks been defiant and derided Qatar, the home to the largest US air base in the region, for providing a base for Hamas. The arrangement with Hamas was long done with the tacit agreement of Israel as it kept the militant group in a US-friendly country and not Iran. But Netanyahu had said that calculations had changed since the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Israel has also struck Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen in recent months. Trump, who has been wooed by Qatar -- including with a gift of a luxury plane -- had earlier said he was unhappy with Israel's strike in Qatar. The attack occurred just as Hamas leaders were discussing a US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. UAE urges Israel to accept Gaza deal The United Arab Emirates is also pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace proposal and to abandon any plan to annex the West Bank, a delegate with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Read More: Shehbaz backs Trump's Gaza peace plan, calls two-state solution key to lasting stability The UAE, the most prominent Arab country to normalise ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, warned Netanyahu that annexation would shut the door to further Israeli normalization with leading Arab and Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, the delegate said. 'Do not sabotage the deal,' say Israelis Israelis gathered outside the US embassy branch in Tel Aviv on Monday, calling on President Donald Trump to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept his plan to end the Gaza war. “Now, now,” the crowd chanted, an AFP correspondent reported from outside the mission, as Trump and Netanyahu were meeting at the White House. “Do not allow any attempt to sabotage (the deal),” said a demonstrator addressing the crowd. Protesters held a banner that read: “President Trump, make history. Bring them home now.” For the latest updates on the Israel-Palestine conflict, visit our dedicated page. Also Read: Trump pushes Netanyahu to accept Gaza peace plan in White House meeting In an open letter written to Trump on Sunday, the families of Israeli hostages urged him to deliver on his proposed deal to end the Gaza war. “The stakes are too high and our families have waited too long for any interference to derail this progress,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main organization representing relatives of the hostages held in Gaza, wrote in the letter to Trump. Their appeal followed Trump’s remarks that a breakthrough in ceasefire negotiations was imminent, citing a 21-point plan he gave to Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/S9uUNRh

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...

Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism's holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. The construction of the temple, which began after the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus in 2019 more than two decades after a Hindu mob razed a mosque there, triggering deadly riots, fulfils a key campaign promise of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Read BJP-promised temple transforms Ayodhya: Muslims, locals feel neglected The opening ceremony, organised by the trust that built the temple, comes months before a national election which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to w...

Indian opposition supporters detained ahead of protest at Modi's home

Police in the Indian capital detained dozens of opposition supporters on Tuesday as they attempted to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence to protest against last week's arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal, a key opposition leader whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has governed the national capital territory for a decade, was arrested by the financial crime-fighting agency on corruption charges relating to the city's liquor policy, weeks before India begins voting in general elections on April 19. He was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate until March 28, with the lawyer for the agency arguing he was the "kingpin" in the case and needed to be interrogated. Kejriwal's party, all of whose main leaders are now imprisoned in connection with the case, says he has been "falsely arrested" in a "fabricated case". The federal government and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political interfere...