Word: ramallah
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Although France relinquished the rotating presidency of the European Union with the New Year, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is showing no signs of surrendering diplomatic center stage. As Israel's offensive on Gaza continues, Sarkozy announced on Thursday that he will visit both Israel and the Palestinian capital of Ramallah on Jan. 5 in an effort to broker a halt to the violence. So far, there are few indications that Sarkozy's signature take-charge moves will produce a quick result. But Sarkozy will be hoping that his controversial resumption of relations with Syria last year will translate into diplomatic...
...relations with Syria, the regional player with the most influence over Hamas. In the power struggle that pits Egypt and the Palestinian Authority against Hamas and its regional backers, the Islamists may be betting that the backlash sparked by the Israeli raids will weaken the resolve of Cairo and Ramallah to keep Hamas' hands off Rafah. But Cairo and Ramallah may be hoping that the punishment inflicted on Gaza by Israel will prompt Palestinians to turn on Hamas. So far, the smart money says that Abbas is paying the higher political price. By contrast, Israel's current leaders may have...
With reporting by Jamil Hamad / Ramallah, Aaron J. Klein / Sderot and Mark Thompson / Washington...
...With reporting by Massimo Calabresi / Washington; Jamil Hamad / Ramallah; and Aaron J. Klein / Jerusalem...
...Many of East Jerusalem's 250,000 Arabs are entitled to vote, but few did. Most heeded warnings from Palestinian leaders in Ramallah who said that voting in municipal elections is tantamount to recognizing Israel's "illegal" claim on East Jerusalem. Militants tried to set fire to ballot boxes in one neighborhood, and throughout East Jerusalem, only 2% of Arabs, mainly city workers and their families, turned out to vote. "The election boycott was a success," crowed one activist, who supports Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement...