Israel starts building barrier on Egypt border
November 22, 2010
Work is beginning in Israel on a barrier along the border with Egypt, aimed at stemming the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.
The barrier, including an electric fence and surveillance technology, will run for 250km (155 miles).
Israel ‘risks chaos if no peace’
November 15, 2010
The Palestinian leadership could fall apart without significant progress towards peace with Israel, which would be a major setback for Israel, a senior Israeli intelligence official has said.
The situation in the West Bank was the best in over a decade, he said - but warned it could lurch back into chaos.
Iraq: Deadly car bombing hits Karbala
November 8, 2010
A car bomb has exploded in the city of Karbala in central Iraq, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens more, officials say.
Police said the target for the blast was a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims.
Many killed in Iraq cafe suicide blast
October 31, 2010
A suicide bomber has killed at least 25 people and injured dozens in a town north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials say.
The attacker is believed to have detonated an explosives vest in a cafe in the town of Balad Ruz, in Diyala province.
Iran loads fuel into the Bushehr nuclear reactor
October 26, 2010
Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant, state television has reported.
It marks a key stage in the firing-up of the Bushehr plant, which is set to produce electricity from 2011.
Pope Benedict urges Mid-East sides to reach peace
October 25, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI has urged Israelis and Palestinians to push for peace in the Middle East and not to give up hope of a settlement.
He spoke at the Vatican at the end of a two-week meeting of Catholic bishops from around the world.
Peace would be the best way to stem the emigration of Christians from the Middle East, the Pope said.
Separately, Israel’s prime minister has called on Palestinians not pursue independence without peace talks.
Frustrated that direct talks with Israel have stalled over the issue of Jewish settlement construction, Palestinians have suggested they could ask the United Nations to recognise an independent state beyond the Green Line - territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.
Speaking before the start of Israel’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said face-to-face talks were the best option.
“I think any attempt to circumvent it by going to international bodies isn’t realistic and won’t advance true peacemaking in any way. Peace will be achieved only through direct talks.”
In Rome, Pope Benedict used clear language in his Sunday homily: “Peace is possible. Peace is urgent.
“Peace is also the best remedy to avoid the emigration from the Middle East.”
His words came after a declaration by the conference that said the international community should take “the necessary legal steps to put an end to the occupation of the different Arab territories”.
Palestinians seized on the declaration as evidence of the “moral and legal” justification for an independent Palestinian state.
“We join the synod in their call to the international community to uphold the universal values of freedom, dignity and justice,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
He said Christians were “an integral part” of the Palestinian people and blamed Israel for their emigration from the region, AFP news agency reported.
Source: thedailystar.net
Huge Wikileaks release shows US ‘ignored Iraq torture’
October 23, 2010
Wikileaks has released almost 400,000 secret US military logs, which suggest US commanders ignored evidence of torture by the Iraqi authorities.
The documents also suggest “hundreds” of civilians were killed at US military checkpoints after the invasion in 2003.
Settlers start 600 new homes after ban ends: watchdog
October 21, 2010
Jewish settlers have started building more than 600 homes in the West Bank since a building freeze expired last month, an Israeli pressure group says.
The pace of building is four times faster than before the ban was put in place, Peace Now says.
Iraq’s Maliki in Iran as election deadlock continues
October 18, 2010
The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is in Iran, on one of several visits to neighbouring countries as he tries to secure a second term.
Mr Maliki is struggling to keep his job after inconclusive general elections in March.
He is expected to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other members of the Iranian leadership.
Mr Maliki’s chief rival Ayad Allawi has accused Iran of interfering and trying to impose its will on Iraq.
The visit is bound to be overshadowed by the political struggle back home to form a new government, our Baghdad correspondent Jim Muir says.
Earlier this month the political parties broke the world record for the amount of time taken to form a new administration.
As the deadlock continues, many of the main political figures have been out and about in the region trying to solicit support and help tilt the balance their way.
Mr Maliki himself has been in Syria and Jordan, and he is expected to go to Egypt and Turkey after Iran.
Our correspondent says the Iranians are widely perceived as having strengthened his hand by persuading the militant young Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr - who has been living in the Iranian city of Qom for several years - to back him with the 40 seats he commands in parliament.
It is not clear if Mr Maliki’s visit to Iran will include a meeting with Moqtada Sadr.
But the visit is sure to provide Ayad Allawi with more ammunition to accuse Iran of interfering and Mr Maliki of being an Iranian stooge, our correspondent adds.
- Al-Iraqiyya (Iraqi National Movement): Nationalist bloc led by former PM Iyad Allawi, a secular Shia. Includes Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab, and senior Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq
- State of Law: Led by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and his Shia Islamist Daawa Party, the alliance purportedly cuts across religious and tribal lines. Includes some Sunni tribal leaders, Shia Kurds, Christians and independents
- Iraqi National Alliance (INA): Shia-led bloc includes followers of the radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), and the Fadhilah Party, along with ex-PM Ibrahim Jaafari and Ahmad Chalabi
- Kurdistan Alliance: Coalition dominated by the two parties administering Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by President Jalal Talabani
Source: bbc.co.uk/
Palestinians reject Israeli offer on settlement freeze
October 12, 2010
Palestinian officials have rejected an offer by the Israeli government to halt settlement construction if they recognise Israel as a “Jewish state”.
The Palestinians said they already recognised the state of Israel, and that the real issue threatening peace talks was illegal settlement activity.