Semaine 12 / 2010

         U.S. Vice President Joe Biden made an appearance at Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner in Washington upon his return from the Middle East this week, taking the opportunity to describe his disappointing visit to the audience. "I just got back from five days in the Middle East," Biden said. "I love to travel, but it's great to be back to a place where a boom in housing construction is actually a good thing," he said. Israel announced during Biden's visit that it had... [Lire la suite]

           U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged Russia Thursday to delay launching Iran's nuclear plant until Tehran proves that it's not pursuing atomic weapons. Russia said on Thursday it would start up the reactor it is building at Iran's first atomic power plant in mid-2010, prompting immediate criticism from visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced the startup, but Clinton said such a decision would be "premature" without... [Lire la suite]

         A rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Thursday killed a migrant worker in the northern Negev. Paramedics brought the man to the infirmary at Moshav Nativ Ha'asara, but declared him dead shortly after. This was the third rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in less than 24 hours, according to the Israel Defense Forces. One rocket hit an open area in the south Wednesday night. There were no casualties in the incident, but two women were treated for shock after hearing the Color... [Lire la suite]

            President Shimon Peres told visiting European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Thursday that Israel reserved the right to build in Jerusalem, adding that its construction policy in the capital has not changed in 40 years. Peres told Ashton that Israel allowed construction in Jewish areas of the capital, but not in neighborhoods heavily populated by Arabs ? a policy held by all previous government, he said, This policy was carried out in accordance with all relevant... [Lire la suite]

          The United States had previously described as an "insult" Israel's decision to build 1,600 Jewish homes in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, announced during a visit to Israel last week by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Obama said in the interview that he had sent Biden to the region at a moment when the United States was trying to restart talks between Israelis and the Palestinians. "I specifically sent Vice President Biden to Israel to send a message of support... [Lire la suite]

        The demands made by the U.S. and other world powers regarding the cessation of Israel's building projects in East Jerusalem is unreasonable, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday, adding that he felt preventing Jews from buying lands anywhere in the capital is a form of discrimination. Lieberman, speaking at a joint press conference with the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton in Jerusalem, said that the demand represented,... [Lire la suite]

               Tensions ran high in Jerusalem on Tuesday while Washington waits for Israel's response to demands raised by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that could help defuse the diplomatic crisis with the United States. Clinton's demands include the cancellation of the Ramat Shlomo construction project in East Jerusalem, which was announced during U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region last week. She also wants goodwill gestures toward the Palestinians and a public... [Lire la suite]

            The European Union's top diplomat Tuesday called on Syria and Israel to resume indirect peace talks, which have been stalled since last year. Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said resuming the Syrian-Israeli negotiations was "extremely important" for the EU. "The most important issue for the EU is to push the two sides to activate their talks," Ashton said,... [Lire la suite]

           The Red Crescent in Jerusalem reported that 49 Arabs were injured around the Old City and in east Jerusalem as of noon Tuesday, including 14 people injured from rubber bullets, 16 who suffered from teargas inhalation, and the rest, from being beaten. Thirty-one demonstrators were arrested. Speaking at a conference in southern Israel, Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen commented on the situation in Jerusalem, saying, "The Temple Mount is a national challenge for the police, and an... [Lire la suite]

        Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger sent a calming message to the Muslim world Monday, amid tensions over the inauguration of the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem. Metzger and Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz both set the mezuzah at the synagogue jambs earlier in the afternoon. "Pay no attention to malicious slander. All we are doing is resurrecting the 'Hurva,' which was destroyed 60 years ago. We have no intention of rebuilding the temple, not this week – unless the Almighty God descends it from... [Lire la suite]