Semaine 51 / 2009

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri told Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday that he sought to improve the relations between their countries to better defend Lebanon against Israel, the Syrian news agency Champress reported. During a meeting in Damascus, Hariri also accused Israel of violating and denying Arab rights, according to the agency. The leaders met to end nearly five years of animosity between Damascus and a broad political alliance led by Hariri. Syria's official SANA news agency said the pair discussed how to turn... [Lire la suite]

           The German mediator overseeing talks between Hamas and Israel over the release of captured IDF soldier St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit has given the two sides 2-3 weeks to come to an agreement, Al-Ahram quoted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as saying on Saturday. According to the report, Abbas stated that if a deal was not secured within two to three weeks, the mediator would resign from his post. The PA president stressed that he supported the prisoner exchange deal. The... [Lire la suite]

Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri landed in Damascus on Saturday afternoon and began his first official visit to the Syrian capital. Hariri's office said Saturday he will discuss bilateral relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad. The meeting Saturday will be the first since the massive 2005 truck bombing in Beirut that killed Hariri's father, the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The 39-year-old Hariri and his supporters blamed Syria for the assassination, a charge Syria has denied. Several Lebanese military men... [Lire la suite]

          The European Union on Friday afternoon condemned the government's decision to include West Bank settlements in the the national priority map, saying that such a move contradicted Israel's 10-month building moratorium in Judea and Samaria. "This decision runs counter to the spirit of the settlement freeze," the Swedish EU presidency was quoted as saying by Reuters. "It also prevents the creation of an atmosphere conducive to resuming negotiations on a two-state solution," the... [Lire la suite]

President Shimon Peres and Turkish President Abdullah Gul said following their official meeting on Friday that they have agreed to resume positive and stable diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two leaders met at the sidelines of the Copenhagen climate summit on Friday, in the first official meeting between Israeli and Turkish leaders since a crisis erupted between the two countries in September. Tensions between Israel and Turkey escalated last September, after Turkey banned Israel from taking part in a NATO air force... [Lire la suite]

           Lawmakers, officials and Holocaust survivors expressed their profound shock and outrage on Friday after the infamous iron sign over the gate to the Auschwitz memorial site with the cynical phrase "Arbeit Macht Frei" - German for "Work Sets You Free" - was stolen. Police spokeswoman Katarzyna Padlo said police believe it was stolen between 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday morning, when museum guards noticed that it was missing and alerted police. Padlo also said that the iron... [Lire la suite]

Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is reportedly furious at Hamas leaders and the political head of the movement, Khaled Mashaal, for breaking every agreement signed on reconciliation with Fatah. A report on the Al Jazeera web site quoted Palestinian sources as saying that Suleiman said the actions of the Hamas leadership had embarrassed Cairo. Suleiman stressed that Egypt will not amend the reconciliation document that it presented to both sides and Hamas has no option but to sign it. The Egyptian intelligence chief... [Lire la suite]

US President Barack Obama and his wife hosted a Hannuka candle-lighting ceremony at the White House on Wednesday night. During the ceremony, attended by Jewish community leaders, friends and White House staff, the president promoted ideals of freedom, tolerance and justice. Emphasizing the historical story of Jewish revolt, the president said, "It was more than 2,000 years ago, in the ancient city of Jerusalem, that a small band of believers led by Judah Maccabee rose up and defeated their foreign oppressors - liberating... [Lire la suite]

In an apparent sign that both countries are interested in tamping down recent tensions, Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Thursday that he had accepted an invitation to visit Turkey in January. Barak's announcement came just two months after Turkey prevented Israeli involvement in a military maneuver, and just a week after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Ankara's reaction would resemble an "earthquake" if Israel violated Turkish airspace to conduct reconnaissance on Iran. Barak received the invitation... [Lire la suite]

          Hamas is leaning toward accepting Israel's latest offer on a deal for the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, the pan-Arab newspaper A-Sharq Al-Awset reported Thursday. According to the paper, the proposal does not include the release of hardened Palestinian terrorists from Israeli custody. There are still divisions within Hamas over the matter, A-Sharq Al-Awset reported, between those who back accepting the current offer, and those who want the Islamist militant group to insist on... [Lire la suite]