Week in Review: Middle East peace process
Israel today tightened security in Jerusalem and sealed off the West Bank for 48 hours to prevent a repeat of last Friday's clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, but there were nonetheless more scuffles. To discuss the tension in the region, Daljit Dhaliwal speaks with James Rubin and Ian Bremmer in our weekly roundtable.
Tentative talks resume in the Middle East
After 14 months of silence, Israeli and Palestinian leaders are set to hold indirect peace talks. For more, Daljit Dhaliwal speaks to Ghassan Shabaneh, assistant professor of international studies at Marymount Manhattan College, and Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Bumpy road ahead for renewed Middle East peace talks
Palestinian leaders have agreed to a further round of indirect negotiations with Israel more than a year after the last attempt to reach a settlement broke down in December 2008. Analysts and bloggers weigh in on the decision.
Arab League gives Abbas green light for indirect talks
Arab foreign ministers from 14 nations meeting in Cairo gave Palestinian President Abbas four months to pursue indirect negotiations with Israel. An Israeli government spokesman welcomed the news, saying he hoped Israeli-Palestinian peace talks would resume soon. For more, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Daniel Levy.
Weekly W. Bank protest in Bil’in celebrates 5th anniversary
Every Friday since 2005, Palestinian protesters have rallied in the town of Bil’in against the barrier erected by the Israeli government that effectively cuts off Palestinians there from their agricultural land. Last Friday, the fifth anniversary of the Bil'in demonstrations, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad joined 1,000 marchers. Read different perspectives on the protests.
Talk about war ripples through the Middle East
Talk of war is widespread in the Middle Eastern press recently, with many speculating about a possible outbreak of hostilities not only between Israel and Hamas, but Israel and Syria, or Iran and a host of adversaries. Worldfocus producer Mohammad Al-Kassim offers a roundup from around the region.
News from the Middle East: Obama, football, and intifada
Worldfocus' Mohammad Al-Kassim looks at headlines from Middle East news outlets, including: a talk-show host's critical assessment of President Obama's first year in office; a legendary football rivalry; and a prediction about a third intifada.
In turbulent Israel-Palestine, Samaritans strive to do good
The Samaritan community, numbering around 740 people, is split between Holon, Israel, and Kiryat Luza, near Nablus in the West Bank. Neither Muslim nor Jewish, they have been in the Holy Land for over three millennia. Worldfocus spoke with Benyamin Tsedaka, editor of the Samaritan newspaper and chairman of the Samaritan Medal project.
Developer builds Palestinian West Bank’s first planned city
There's an ambitious $500 million invested in homes for tens of thousands of Palestinians, 6 miles north of Ramallah -- in the West Bank's first planned Palestinian city: Rawabi. Project managers still need approval from Israel for access roads, but they went ahead anyway with the groundbreaking earlier this month. Felice Friedson of The Media Line reports.
Renewed momentum for the Middle East peace process
One of President Obama's first major initiatives was to revive the Middle East peace process. A year later there is some movement toward a resumption of talks. To take a deeper look at the issues, Alon Ben-Meir, a senior fellow at New York University's School of Global Affairs, joins Daljit Dhaliwal.
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