PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. decision to pull out of UNESCO (all times local): 3:30 p.m. The director of UNESCO is expressing “profound regret” at the U.S. government’s decision to pull out of the U.N. cultural agency because of what’s seen as longstanding anti-Israel bias. Director-general Irina Bokova said in a statement … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump says achieving peace between the Israelis and Palestinians may be the “toughest deal of all” he’s tried to negotiate. Trump says his administration nonetheless is working “very hard” for peace in the region. He says there’s a “pretty good shot” it can be achieved. Trump commented during a … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli banks are contributing to the proliferation of West Bank settlements by providing loans and mortgages for construction there, violating their human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said in a report Wednesday. The report said that Israeli law does not require banks to provide such services to the settlements, and urged them … Continue reading
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A young Palestinian author is stranded in Qatar after Palestinian authorities in the West Bank confiscated all copies of his latest novel and issued an arrest warrant for him — accusing him of including “sexual terms” in a provocative work that takes aim at taboo issues such as fanaticism, religious … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, a day after the U.N. cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem. UNESCO’s draft resolution, titled “Occupied Palestine” and sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The latest on the high-level U.N. General Assembly meetings (all times local): 3:40 p.m. The leaders of small Pacific nations are giving emotional tributes to Ban Ki-moon for becoming the first U.N. chief to visit their part of the world in seven decades. Their speeches have been tinged with concern about … Continue reading
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A pair of Palestinian clowns is offering some laughs and relief to children with chronic illnesses at pediatric wards in hospitals in the Gaza Strip. With no circus or fair in Gaza to offer employment, Majed Kaloub and Alaa Miqdad began reaching out to kids in kindergartens and schools. … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel demolished the homes of two Palestinians who committed separate attacks against Israelis that killed five people, the military said Tuesday. The West Bank homes of the attackers, identified as Raid Halil and Mahmoud Harub, were demolished as a five month-long wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence is roiling the region. The assailants carried … Continue reading
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Nearly a year after a devastating war, Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers appear to have formed an unspoken alliance in a common battle against the shared threat of jihadis aligned with the Islamic State group. While Israel and Hamas remain arch-enemies, both have an interest in preserving an uneasy … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 