Palestina

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday it was time to consider offering compensation to Jewish settlers who volunteer to leave parts of the West Bank that Israel would hand to the Palestinians in a statehood deal.

JERUSALEM, Sept 5, (Agencies): Ninety thousand Muslims attended the first prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday amid tight security, police said. The Israeli authorities deployed thousands of police but reported no incidents in the Holy City.

GAZA, Egypt and the Arab League (AL) will not allow Palestinian political crisis to go on beyond October, Palestinian sources said on Saturday.

AVIGNON, France: France is looking at the possibility of sending a European Union (EU) mission to help security in the Palestinian territories, diplomats said yesterday before a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.

DAMASCUS, Syria – A Hamas official has confirmed that the Damascus-based leader of the militant Palestinian group has promised to deliver to captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit a letter from his father.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as saying on Friday that he doubted a full peace deal with Israel could be reached this year and urged the next U.S. administration to continue negotiations.

Israeli police beef up presence for Ramadan prayers in occupied Arab Jerusalem.

NABLUS, West Bank: Two investment conferences will be held later this year to try to boost the Palestinian economy and US-backed peace talks, Palestinian and Western officials involved in the preparations said yesterday.

BEIT IBA, West Bank (AP) Tony Blair toured a Palestinian aluminum factory Thursday and was told it runs at one-third capacity because of Israeli import restrictions. He promised he’ll take it up with Israeli authorities.

RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY: A senior Palestinian official yesterday rejected a proposal by Israeli Defense Minster Ehud Barak to give the Palestinians some neighborhoods in East Jerusalem to be the capital of the Palestinian state.