PROFILE
FROM Nidal Al-Mughrabi
Israel and the Palestinians: Trump says it's time for peace President Trump took office with no experience in foreign affairs. Now, he's addressing one of the world's most intractable land disputes of recent decades in an interview with Reuters last week, "But I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians, There's no reason there's not peace between Israel and the Palestinians." Palestinians step on posters depicting President Donald Trump during a protest against the blockade on Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip May 2, 2017. The poster reads, "Abbas does not represent me." Photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters Even if Israel were pushing hard for a "two-state solution," the Palestinians are still divided among themselves. On his way to a White House meeting tomorrow, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas cut off power to Gaza, ruled by the militant group, Hamas. Meantime, Hamas has announced a new charter, less hostile to Israel but closer to the Authority than it's been before. Trump's first foreign visit since taking office may be to Israel — and the Territories. Will enough have changed that he can make a difference?
Israel Strikes Gaza for Third Day Israel's three days of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip is its most ferocious attack on Palestinians in decades, leaving some three hundred dead and more than six hundred wounded. Questions are being raised about whether Israel intends to launch a ground offensive as well. Israel is targeting Hamas strongholds to stop the Islamic Palestinian group from launching rockets into southern Israel. But the Gaza Strip is a tiny, densely crowded area, and civilians who live and work close to Hamas institutions have been caught in the fire. The International Red Cross has appealed that urgent humanitarian assistance be allowed to enter Gaza and tens of thousands of people have protested in the streets of Arab capitals. What role do upcoming parliamentary elections play in timing of Israel's military actions? How are Arab nations responding? What impact will the strikes have on the way President-elect Obama shapes his foreign policy agenda?
Israel Strikes Gaza for Third Day Israel's three days of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip is its most ferocious attack on Palestinians in decades, leaving some three hundred dead and more than six hundred wounded. Questions are being raised about whether Israel intends to launch a ground offensive as well. Israel is targeting Hamas strongholds to stop the Islamic Palestinian group from launching rockets into southern Israel. But the Gaza Strip is a tiny, densely crowded area, and civilians who live and work close to Hamas institutions have been caught in the fire. The International Red Cross has appealed that urgent humanitarian assistance be allowed to enter Gaza and tens of thousands of people have protested in the streets of Arab capitals. What role do upcoming parliamentary elections play in timing of Israel's military actions? How are Arab nations responding? What impact will the strikes have on the way President-elect Obama shapes his foreign policy agenda?
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