Jordan, Saudi Arabia support efforts to prevent a nuclear Iran
Jordan and Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that they support international efforts aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Holy Sites
Abbas tells US he aims to “get rid of the occupation”
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has told the US that his goal is to “get rid of the occupation,” and that East Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of the State of Palestine, Israel Hayom reports. Abbas made his declarations Saturday while hosting a delegation of US officials led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf.
Lebanon Hezbollah Chief Says Attacks on Jerusalem Mean Regional War
Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday any aggression against Jerusalem or its holy sites would mean regional war.
Dozens arrested in night of chaos and clashes in Jerusalem
The Israel Police said 44 people were arrested and 20 officers were wounded in a night of chaos in Jerusalem, where security forces separately clashed with Palestinians angry about Ramadan restrictions and Jewish extremists who held an anti-Arab march nearby.
Gantz: There is room in Jerusalem for a Palestinian capital
Jerusalem must remain a united city, but there will be a place for a Palestinian capital within its boundaries, Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a rare interview published on Thursday with the London-based Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.
On 33rd anniversary, Hamas vows to free Palestine ‘from sea to river’
Hamas vowed on Monday to continue the fight against Israel “until the liberation of Palestine, from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River.”
Iran:’Arson Attack At Tomb Esther and Mordechai’
Iranian officials have admitted that fire broke out at an ancient shrine viewed by Iran’s Jewish community as the resting place of the Biblical Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai. The announcement published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) came after activists reported an overnight arson attack at the site.
Hamas calls for new uprising against Israel, leading to three terror attacks
Israel has seen a rash of terror attacks since Wednesday, with three isolated incidents occurring over a period of just 12 hours that left soldiers and police wounded, in the wake of Hamas’ call for a new Palestinian uprising.
PA tells Palestinians: The Western Wall belongs only to Muslims
The Western Wall belongs only to Muslims and must be defended even to the death, Palestinians living in the West Bank were told during a filler piece between programs on official Palestinian Authority TV and in a news article in the official PA newspaper.
Putin pledges to ‘do everything to protect Christians in the Middle East’
Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to protect Christians threatened by the conflict in Syria, appealing to the plight of religious minorities as justification for Russia’s involvement.
UAE Becomes World’s First Country to Restore Iraqi Churches Destroyed by ISIS
The United Arab Emirates is teaming up with UNESCO to rebuild two Christian churches in Mosul, Iraq that were destroyed by ISIS in 2014.
Waqf rejects Israeli court order to shutter Temple Mount’s Gate of Mercy
The Islamic authority that oversees Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem rejected Tuesday an Israeli court order to close a contested religious area that has ignited tension between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police in recent weeks.
Palestinians, Jordanians expand alliance to torpedo Trump’s peace plan
The Palestinians and the Jordanians have set up a joint council for the administration of the Temple Mount and other Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem in an effort to preemptively torpedo the advancement of US President Donald Trump’s regional peace plan.
Netanyahu holds rare meet with Jordan king ahead of US peace push
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman Monday, ahead of an expected visit by top White House officials seeking to lay the groundwork for the release of an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.
Israel girds for first Friday of Ramadan amid heightened tensions
Israeli police were gearing up for another possible day of mass Palestinian protests Friday, with officials saying that the points of friction may move from the Gaza border to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Jerusalem church leaders in Jordan condemn ‘Judaization’ of city
A delegation of church leaders from Jerusalem who met with Jordanian King Abdullah II reiterated their opposition to US recognition of the city as the capital of Israel and censured ‘attempts to Judaize’ it, Jordanian state media said Sunday.
Poll: 90% of Palestinians oppose Trump’s Jerusalem declaration
The Palestinians overwhelmingly oppose U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and have little faith in the U.S. or its Arab allies, according to a poll released Tuesday.
UN Passes Wave of Anti-Israel Resolutions, Disavows Israeli Ties to Jerusalem
The United Nations General Assembly passed six anti-Israel resolutions on Thursday, including a measure disavowing Israeli ties to Jerusalem and its holy sites.
In unsubtle critique, Israel gifts UNESCO Arch of Titus replica
Israel handed a replica of a frieze from the Arch of Titus to the head of UNESCO, using the monument commemorating Rome’s victory over Jerusalem for a not-so-subtle critique of the organization’s resolutions that ignore Jewish links to the holy city.
World Council of Churches Endorses Palestinian Protests Over Temple Mount Security Measures
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has declared its support for the Palestinian campaign against Israeli control of Jerusalem’s holy sites, describing new Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount as a “corrosive act in the midst of an already-fragile peace.”