Articles by "Jerusalem"
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Hello Jammu News at 10:12:00 PM 0


Jerusalem, Feb 5 :  Israeli aircraft struck Hamas positions in Gaza early Wednesday, the military said, after Palestinians in the enclave launched projectiles and explosive balloons at the Jewish state.

The "fighter jets targeted Hamas terror targets in the southern Gaza Strip" including "a weapons manufacturing site", the army said in a statement.

There were no immediate reports from Gaza of casualties.

Prior to the Israeli attack, militants in Gaza launched three projectiles and a number of "explosive balloons" at southern Israel, the army said, with neither medics nor police reporting casualties or damage.

Since US President Donald Trump's announcement last week of his plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rockets, mortar shells and explosive balloons have been launched almost daily from Gaza into southern Israel, provoking Israeli retaliation.

Palestinians strongly reject the US plan, seen as heavily favouring Israel.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008 but over the past year the Islamists have gradually shaped an informal truce with Israel, under which the Jewish state has eased its crippling blockade of Gaza.
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Hello Jammu News at 9:57:00 PM 0
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu


Jerusalem, Jan 28 :  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday announced that he was withdrawing his request for parliamentary immunity in the three graft cases against him to stop the "dirty game" over the issue, paving the way for legal proceedings against him to go forward.

The Israeli leader made his decision public through a Facebook Post from Washington, where he is on a visit to meet US President Donald Trump before the latter announces his plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, was indicted on counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in November in three separate cases. He has denied any wrongdoing.

During this fateful time for the people of Israel, while I am in the US on a historic mission to shape Israel's permanent borders and ensure our security for future generations, another Knesset episode is expected to begin in the immunity circus, Netanyahu wrote.

Since I was not given due process, because all the rules of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) were trampled on, and since the results of the procedure were pre-dictated without proper discussion, I decided not to allow this dirty game to continue, the 70-year-old leader stressed.

The indictment is now expected to be filed with the Jerusalem District Court by the end of the week, less than five weeks before the unprecedented third round of parliamentary elections within a year slated for March 2.

The date for Tuesday's Knesset discussion was set before Netanyahu announced that he would travel to Washington for the unveiling of Trump's long awaited peace plan. The timing of the announcement of the peace plan has been criticised by many analysts in Israel as an attempt to rescue Netanyahu from the immunity proceedings.

The Israeli Prime Minister's main political rival, Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party, who also met Trump in Washington on Monday said that Netanyahu cannot run the country while standing trial in the three three cases against him.

Netanyahu is going to trial. We must move forward. Israel's citizens have a clear choice: A Prime Minister who will work for them or a Prime Minister working for himself," Gantz, a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces, said in a statement.

"No one can run a state and at the same time manage three serious criminal cases for bribery, fraud and breach of trust, he emphasised.

Netanyahu, who rejects all the charges, may have withdrawn his request to avoid the embarrassment of a certain defeat at the floor of the Knesset with almost 65 out of 120 parliament members reportedly likely to vote against it, according to reports.

His move to seek for immunity was also seen as contrary to his pleadings that he was innocent and nothing would come out of these cases.

Despite that he announced in January that he would ask the Knesset for parliamentary immunity, as he faced a legal deadline to do so following Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's decision to charge him.

Mandelblit couldn't officially indict Netanyahu so long as his immunity request was pending and the Knesset hadn't voted on it.

The Attorney General announced in November that he would indict Netanyahu in all the three corruption investigations against him. The Prime Minister is charged with fraud and breach of trust in all three cases, as well as bribery in one of them.

He has all through denied wrongdoing and has accused police and state prosecutors of participating in an attempted coup against him, orchestrated by the Left and a hostile media.

The first case, dubbed Case 1000, involves accusations that Netanyahu received gifts and benefits from billionaire benefactors including Israeli-born Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan in exchange for favours.

In Case 2000, involving accusations that Netanyahu agreed with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper publisher Arnon Mozes to weaken a rival daily in return for more favourable coverage from Yedioth, the Premier is charged with fraud and breach of trust, while Mozes has been charged with bribery.

In the so called Case 4000, widely seen as the most serious, Netanyahu is accused of having advanced regulatory decisions that benefited Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder in the Bezeq telecom giant, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, in exchange for positive coverage from the Elovitch-owned Walla news site.

Mandelblit has charged both Netanyahu and Elovitch with bribery in the case.
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Hello Jammu News at 1:51:00 PM 0

Jerusalem, Sep 3: Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte has apologised to former US president Barack Obama for calling him a "son of a whore" in 2016, which sparked a new low in their nations' long alliance.

Duterte lobbed the insult in response to steady criticism from the United States over his violent drug crackdown, which has been a target for international condemnation.

However, the Philippine president said his nation's relationship with America has since improved under President Donald Trump, who he described as a "good friend" who "speaks my language".

"It would be appropriate also to say at this time to Mr. Obama that you are now a civilian and I am sorry for uttering those words," Duterte said Sunday in a speech before Filipinos in Israel.

Duterte landed in Israel on Sunday for a four-day stay as the Philippines seeks to develop new sources of military hardware and nail down protections for its overseas workers.

"If it is (in) your heart to forgive, you forgive. I have forgiven you, just like my girlfriends when I was still a bachelor... I have forgiven them also," the Philippine leader said in the same speech.

After his election in mid-2016, Duterte quickly earned a reputation for using vulgar language against critics which his aides have tried to minimise or explain away.

He branded Pope Francis and the then US ambassador to Manila "sons of whores". He also fired expletives at the United Nations and during a speech in the Philippines raised his middle finger in defiance to the European parliament.

Duterte often rails at critics of his campaign to rid the Philippines of narcotics, which police say has killed 4,410 alleged drug dealers or users.

Rights groups say the actual number of dead is triple that and could amount to crimes against humanity.

Duterte cursed Obama ahead of a regional summit in Laos two years ago prompting the US to cancel a meeting between the two leaders there.

Obama later described Duterte as "a colourful guy" as he urged him to conduct his anti-narcotics campaign "the right way".

Duterte sparked new criticism ahead of his departure for Israel, blaming the high number of rapes in his hometown of Davao on the large number of beautiful women there.

"They say there are many rape cases in Davao," Duterte said in a speech on Thursday. "For as long as there are many beautiful women, there will be many rape cases, too." Duterte has on several occasions made rape jokes in public since his presidential campaign.

The latest comment was denounced by women's rights defenders.

"Beauty doesn't cause rape, rapists do," said Philippine lawmaker Risa Hontiveros, a Duterte critic. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 7:22:00 PM 0

Jerusalem, Aug 17: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went through a new round of questioning today over one of several graft cases that have threatened to topple him, media reports said.

Investigators arrived at the premier's Jerusalem residence in the morning to interview him over allegations of corruption involving local telecoms giant Bezeq and its largest shareholder, Shaul Elovitch, according to Israeli media reports.

Israeli police and Netanyahu's office do not confirm that such hearings have taken place until they are over.

It would be the 12th time Netanyahu has been questioned in various cases, either as a suspect or a witness.

In the Bezeq case, Netanyahu is alleged to have sought favourable coverage from another Elovitch company, the Walla news site, in exchange for government policies that could have benefited the mogul's interests to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

After a previous round of questioning in July, Netanyahu's office said there was no such trade-off.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu has never made a deal with Elovitch in exchange for supportive coverage," it said, adding that the Walla site had consistently covered the premier "in a hostile manner."

Elovitch was arrested in February along with six other people including Nir Hefetz, a former media adviser to the Netanyahu family.

In addition to the premiership, Netanyahu also held the communications portfolio between November 2014 and February 2017, covering the run-up to the March 2015 elections, when he is alleged to have made the deal with Elovitch.

Netanyahu was interrogated for more than five hours in July, reportedly over the same affair.

In a separate case, his wife Sara was charged in June with misusing state funds to buy catered meals costing USD 100,000 (85,000 euros) by falsely declaring there were no cooks available at the premier's official residence.

In February, police recommended the premier be indicted in two cases, though the attorney general has yet to decide whether to do so.

Netanyahu, prime minister for around 12 years in total, has maintained his innocence in all of the cases, talking of a "witch hunt" and saying he was determined to stay in his job.

He would not be legally obliged to resign if charged.

So far his coalition partners have stood by him despite the allegations, but the investigations have gradually ratcheted up speculation over whether he will eventually be forced from office. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:07:00 PM 0
Jerusalem, Jun 20 : Israeli fighter jets hit 25 targets in the Gaza Strip early today in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian territory, the army said.

Around 30 projectiles, including rockets, were fired overnight from Gaza towards Israel, the army said in a statement.

The fresh hostilities come with tensions high in Gaza after mass protests and clashes broke out along the border on March 30. At least 132 Palestinians have been killed. There have been no Israeli fatalities.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and other international stakeholders have warned that Gaza is close to the brink of war.

"The Hamas terror organisation targeted Israeli civilians throughout the night with a severe rocket attack and is dragging the Gaza Strip and its civilians down a deteriorating path," the Israeli army said.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and observe a tense ceasefire that is regularly shaken by hostile acts. (AFP) CPS. 

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Hello Jammu News at 2:03:00 PM 0
Jerusalem, May 29 (AFP) :  Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a barrage of mortar shells at southern Israel today, the army said, as tensions in the border area simmered.

A statement from the Israeli army said that "25 mortar shells were launched towards several sites in Israeli territory." 

"Most of the launches were intercepted by the IDF's Iron Dome aerial defence system," the army said.

Police said that "a number of the mortars landed in open areas inside Israel," with no injuries reported.

Yesterday, a Palestinian who approached the border fence with what the Israeli army said an "intention of carrying out an attack" was killed by tank fire. A day earlier, a tank targeted an Islamic Jihad observation point in response to an explosive device being placed on the border fence.

Three members of the militant group were killed, and Israeli media said today's projectiles were Islamic Jihad's response to the attack.

At least 121 Palestinians have been killed during weeks of unrest since March 30, when Palestinians began calling to be allowed to return to their historic homelands inside Israel.

The majority were killed during protests along the border, including at least 61 on May 14. Others have been killed in air strikes.

Israel says it is merely defending its borders and accuses Hamas of encouraging thousands of Palestinians to break through the border and attack Israelis.

Also today, a group of activist Palestinians were due to set sail to breach Israel's naval blockade by boat. The destination of the boat, carrying patients needing medical care, students and job-seeking university graduates, was not announced.

The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli blockade for more than a decade, with Israel saying it is necessary to prevent the Palestinian enclave's militant Hamas rulers from obtaining means to attack the Jewish state.
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Hello Jammu News at 7:36:00 PM 0



Jerusalem, Mar 30: A Palestinian farmer has been killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza, Palestinian officials say, hours before a major protest by Palestinians along the border was due to start, the BBC News report said on Friday.
The strike happened near the town of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza.
The Israeli military said a tank had fired at two suspects after suspicious activity near a security fence.
Palestinians have pitched tents on the border for a six-week protest dubbed the Great March of Return.
Palestinian sources say several Palestinians have now also been wounded by Israeli military fire near Jabaliya in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military oversees a no-go zone along the Gaza border, citing security concerns. It has warned Palestinians not to approach security fences.
Hamas, the militant group which dominates the Gaza Strip, has accused Israel of trying to intimidate Palestinians by killing the farmer and by urging them not to participate in the protests.
The Israeli foreign ministry has said the protest is a "deliberate attempt to provoke a confrontation with Israel" and that "responsibility for any clashes lies solely with Hamas and other participating Palestinian organisations".
Palestinian health officials named the dead man as 27-year-old Omar Samour and said a second man had been injured in the incident.
Witnesses say the two men were hit by tank fire while collecting parsley in a field, BBC Gaza producer Rushdi Abualouf reports.
Palestinians have erected five main camp areas along the Israel border for the protest, from Erez in the north to Rafah near the Egyptian border in the south.
The Great March of Return protests are starting on Friday, as 30 March marks Land Day, which commemorates the killing of six protesters by Israeli security forces.
The protest is scheduled to end on 15 May, which Palestinians call Nakba (catastrophe) and which marks the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the conflict surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948.
Tents have been pitched by Palestinians in five locations on the edge of the buffer zone near the border. It is a sign that the protest, which has been dubbed the Great March of Return, is in it for the long haul.
Palestinian organisers -- Hamas foremost among them -- have urged tens of thousands of people to take part in the first protest.
Israel is wary, as tensions have once again been rising along the border with Gaza. The military has deployed more than 100 sharpshooters, while the foreign ministry has made clear it does not believe that Hamas intends the protest to remain peaceful.
All of this is happening in the shadow of the upcoming inauguration of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, which is set to happen in May - a development that may well help fuel the protest. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 3:18:00 PM 0


Washington, Dec 8: The US has warned Palestinians against cancelling talks with Vice-President Mike Pence, after Washington recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the BBC News reported Friday.
It would be "counterproductive" to scrap talks between Mr Pence and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas planned later this month, the US said.
A senior Palestinian official earlier said Mr Pence would not be welcome.
President Donald Trump's announcement on Jerusalem this week reversed decades of US policy on Jerusalem's status.
On Thursday, at least 31 Palestinians were wounded in clashes in the Gaza Strip and across the occupied West Bank. The clashes were triggered by Mr Trump's policy shift. More protests are expected in Palestinian territories on Friday.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has already called for a new intifada, or uprising.
Israel has deployed hundreds of extra troops in the West Bank.
Many of Washington's closest allies have said they disagree with the US policy shift, and both the UN Security Council and the Arab League will meet in the coming days to decide their response.
On Thursday, the White House said the vice-president planned to hold the meeting as planned.
Mr Pence "still intends to meet Mr Abbas and Palestinian leaders and thinks any decision to pull out of the meeting would be counterproductive," a White House official said.
During his visit -- scheduled for the second half of December -- Mr Pence will also visit Israel and Egypt.
Earlier in the day, Jibril Rajoub, a senior official in Mr Abbas' Fatah party, said Mr Pence was "not welcome" in the Palestinian territories. Mr Rajoub added that the meeting with the Palestinian leader would not take place.
Mr Abbas has not personally commented on the issue.
Mr Trump announced the move on Wednesday. The US president said: "I've judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians."
He said he was directing the US state department to begin preparations to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Despite warnings of regional unrest over any such move, the decision fulfils a campaign promise and appeals to Mr Trump's right-wing base.
Recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital was "nothing more or less than a recognition of reality", he added. "It is also the right thing to do."
Mr Trump said the US would support a two-state solution -- shorthand for a final settlement that would see the creation of an independent Palestinian state within pre-1967 ceasefire lines in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, living peacefully alongside Israel -- "if agreed to by both sides".
The president also refrained from using Israel's description of Jerusalem as its "eternal and undivided capital". The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of any future Palestinian state.
What has been the reaction?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was profoundly grateful to Mr Trump, who had "bound himself forever with the history of the capital".
He also said Israel was "in touch with other countries to follow suit". He did not name any of these countries, although the Philippines and the Czech Republic have been mentioned in Israeli media.
The White House said it was not aware of any countries planning to follow Mr Trump's lead.
The mood has been very different on the Palestinian side.
The leader of Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, has called for a "day of rage" on Friday and said it should "be the first day of the intifada against the occupier".
Hamas members would be "fully ready" to "confront this strategic danger", Ismail Haniya said in a speech in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Fatah party is seeking to protest through diplomatic means, by filing a complaint to the UN Security Council and pushing for a strong stance by the Arab League.
"We are going to declare the United States disqualified as co-sponsor of any peace process or political process," spokesman Dr Nasser Al-Kidwa said. "In our mind, it has lost its ability to do or perform any efforts in this regard."
There has also been widespread condemnation across the Arab and wider Muslim world, with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning Mr Trump that he was "throwing the region into a ring of fire".
The leaders of the UK, France and Germany have all said they disagree with the US announcement.
Why is the announcement significant?
Jerusalem is of huge importance to both Israel and the Palestinians. It contains sites sacred to the three major monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally, and all countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv.
East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, was annexed by Israel after the Six Day War of 1967, but before now it has not been internationally recognised as part of Israel.
According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks. UNI
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