FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly has agreed in principle to hold indirect peace negotiations with Israel brokered by the United States.
An unnamed senior Palestinian official confirmed the talks, which are expected to begin Feb. 20, the French news agency AFP reported Monday.
The official told AFP that the talks brokered by U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell “will be aimed at creating a better climate and reaching an understanding on the borders of the Palestinian state, and they will begin on Feb. 20.”
“They will last three months, with the Americans negotiating directly with the two sides after determining a timetable and agreed-upon mechanisms for implementation,” AFP quoted the source as saying.
Abbas has not yet given his final approval to the deal. He will consult with Arab leaders and get some clarifications from the United States before responding, AFP reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes the shuttle diplomacy will lead to direct negotiations, according to reports.
Also Monday, Abbas’ Cabinet announced plans to hold municipal elections on July 17, according to The Associated Press. They would be the first Palestinian elections since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007.
The Cabinet statement said elections also would be held in Gaza, according to the AP.
Presidential and legislative elections were supposed to have taken place in January. They have not been rescheduled.
Silwan Jewish House Evacuation Orders Stalled
The residents of a Jewish building in eastern Jerusalem were given a reprieve when the municipality canceled distribution of evacuation orders.
The Jerusalem municipality canceled the distribution Monday for the eviction notice for the seven-story Beit Yonatan, in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, at the direction of the police, Haaretz reported. The police said such an action requires coordination with local police, according to reports.
The order gives the eight families living in the building a seven-day notice before the actual evacuation.
Several right-wing activists, including Knesset members, arrived at the home Monday in advance of the expected notification.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said last week that he would enforce an order to seal off the home, which was built without a permit five years ago by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim. He said in a letter to state Prosecutor Moshe Lador that “the municipality will start to enforce the principle of the rule of law in the spirit of a uniform enforcement policy and without prejudice.”
Israel’s High Court Frees Pro-Palestinian Activists on Bail
Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the release on bail of two pro-Palestinian activists who were arrested in Ramallah.
Israeli soldiers reportedly entered the city, which is under Palestinian control, on Sunday and arrested the two women, members of the International Solidarity Movement, for staying in the area with invalid visas. The women—a Spaniard and an Australian—were turned over to the Interior Ministry’s Oz unit in charge of deporting illegal immigrants to Israel.
On Monday, the court ordered their release on a much-lowered bail, saying the two should not have been transferred to the Oz unit. The women were ordered not to return to the West Bank and can file an appeal over the deportation orders.
The activists reportedly have demonstrated in protests against the West Bank security fence.
They were “involved in illegal activity, including riots and jeopardizing IDF soldiers and public property,” an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told Ynet.