Palestine

Palestine Israel Conflict Timeline
The Palestine-Israel conflict is one among the unresolved and bloodiest conflicts of the world. Several attempts were made to enforce peace but the conflict still festers. Read on to know about its history.

UN and Palestine
When the Israeli Cabinet decided on September 12, 2003 to remove the Palestinian leader, Mr. Yasser Arafat, it sent shock waves around the Arab World since the options suggested included assassinating Mr. Arafat or expelling him from the Palestinian territories.

U.S. aid to Palestinian Authority
For the first time in the history of U.S.-Palestinian relationship, the U.S. has directly given the Palestinian Authority chaired by Yassar Arafat, over $20 million on July 16, 2004. This is part of multi-million dollar package of aid to Palestinian communities to be used for repairing and maintaining roads, public buildings, and power, water and sewage lines damaged in years of fighting with Israel.

Peace at last between Israel and Palestine
At last there will be peace and Israel and Palestine will stop fighting each other. Under the stewardship of the United States, leaders of the two countries have decided to revive their stalled peace process.

Gaza: Mahmoud Abbas Seeks Deal With Hamas
Palestinian president urges pro-western Arab governments to promote reconciliation with Hamas

Gaza's Children Suffer As Conflict Enters the Classroom
The Israeli blockade and years of fighting have taken their toll on Gaza's schools, where failure rates are rapidly rising

'Everyone is Thinking for Themselves'
In the cramped three-room home she shares with her 10 children, Etedal Zanati faces a daily battle to keep them fed and clothed. Rory McCarthy reports

Siege of Gaza Squeezes Life Out of the Land
Abid Razzaq Ouda faces intimidation by Palestinian militants, the Israeli authorities, and the economic blockade of Gaza. His future looks grim, reports Rory McCarthy

Sea Blockade Sees Dry Patch for Gaza's Fishermen
Gaza's fishing industry is drying up as high fuel costs and an Israeli navy blockade makes finding profitable catches almost impossible

Authors Launch Literary Festival in Cities of the West Bank
Roddy Doyle and David Hare amongst seventeen British, American, Indian and Arab authors participating in the inaugural Palestinian Festival of Literature

Mother and Her Four Children Killed During Israeli Incursion
Gaza death toll higher so far than previous three years, with 197 unarmed civilians killed

Mother and Her Four Children Killed During Israeli Raid
A Palestinian mother and her four children were killed today as they ate breakfast at home during an Israeli military attack in the Gaza Strip

Fuel Crisis Threatens Gaza Food Aid
More than a million people in the Gaza Strip have begun a fourth day with no deliveries of food by the UN

Palestinians Pledge Fuel for Aid Agency Amid Shortages
Fuel distributors in the Gaza Strip agree to provide emergency shipment to a UN agency that had warned it would have to halt food distribution

Fuel Shortage Forces Un to Halt Food Handouts in Gaza
Up to 800,000 Palestinians lose UN food handouts due to Israeli economic blockade

Fuel Shortage Forces Un to Halt Gaza Food Aid
UN is to halt food handouts for up to 800,000 Palestinians because of severe fuel shortage brought on by Israeli economic blockade

The Role of the Media in Dialogue between the Arabs and the West
Step one. In the midst of the war in Iraq, the battle against ‘Al-Qaeda’ and the on-going Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the Al-Babtain Foundation for Dialogue...

Israel Plans 100 Houses in West Bank Settlements
Plans by Israel's housing ministry draw swift criticism from Palestinian officials

Area C Strikes Fear Into the Heart of Palestinians As Homes Are Destroyed
Israelis defend rules that reject 94% of non-Jewish building applications

Israel-Palestine Dispute Moves on to Facebook
Jewish settlers campaign on Facebook against being identified as living in Palestine

'He Was Very Enthusiastic About Getting Married'
Palestinian believed to have carried out seminary attack worked as a minibus driver and was engaged

Peace Process in Peril After Seminary Bloodbath
Israel vows to maintain contact with Palestinian leaders but both sides recognize negotiations are faltering

'Guys Lay Dead, With Holy Books Around Them'
Medics dodge bullets as lone gunman, a Palestinian reportedly from East Jerusalem, kills eight young Jewish religious students in 10 minutes

For Palestinians, the Power of Mass Non-violence Would Be Undeniable
Jonathan Freedland: An unarmed resistance modeled on Martin Luther King's civil rights movement could be the way to wake the world

Freedom at a Price
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been released by Israel amid recent peace moves. But for many, freedom is just the start of their difficulties, writes Rory McCarthy in Beit Jala

Egyptian Troops Unable to Push Back Palestinians
Egyptian soldiers in riot gear using water cannon and rolls of barbed wire unable to stop hundreds of Palestinians from rushing into Egypt after a bulldozer tore down another section of the border fence

Gazans Foil Egyptian Moves to Close Border
Egyptian soldiers in riot gear deployed water cannon and rolls of barbed wire yesterday as they started to close the Gaza/Egypt border, turning back the thousands of Palestinians who have flooded across

Egyptian Troops Toughen Stance at Gaza Border
Egyptian troops continue to reassert control of border with Gaza by using water cannon and laying down barbed wire to block Palestinians

Palestinians Pour Into Egypt After Militants Blow Hole in Border Barrier
Tens of thousands take chance to stock up on supplies as Israeli closure of crossings deepens crisis

Palestinians Flood Into Egypt After Blowing Up Border Wall
Palestinians pour into Egypt from Gaza after militants blew up part of border wall in protest at Israeli blockade

Desperate Palestinians Explode Wall and Flood Into Egypt
Palestinians pour into Egypt from Gaza after militants blew up part of border wall in protest at Israeli blockade

This Brutal Siege of Gaza Can Only Breed Violence
Karen Koning AbuZayd: Palestinian suffering has reached new depths. Peace cannot be built by reducing 1.5m people to a state of abject destitution

Olmert Loses Rightwing Coalition Partner
Rightwing party walks out of ruling Israeli coalition in protest at a effort to start peace talks with Palestinians

Rightwingers Quit, Weakening Olmert Majority
A right wing party walked out of the ruling Israeli coalition yesterday in protest at a new effort to start peace talks with the Palestinians

Blair 'optimistic' on Middle East Peace Deal
Tony Blair 'cautiously optimistic' that peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians will be struck by end of the year

Welcome, Mr President, to the Misery You've Created
Jonathan Steele: In eight years Palestinians have seen the bald eagle of enlightened US power degenerate into a phony, biased, cynical lame duck

Paris Donor Nations Pledge Billions for Palestinians
Palestinians today won a powerful signal of international and Arab support for an independent state, with billions of dollars of aid pledges to revive their economy and help boost renewed but still badly faltering peace negotiations with Israel.

Palestinians Want Help More Than Handouts in Paris
· Donors' aid conference ready to pledge $5.6bn· Farmers say problems lie with politics not crops

Palestinians Demand Halt to Settlements As Peace Talks Begin
The first formal Middle East peace negotiations in seven years got off to a tense start today with the Palestinian Authority demanding a halt to Israeli plans to build settlements on disputed territory

Frantic Bid to Bridge Middle East Divide
The United States was making frantic efforts to close gaps between Israelis and Palestinians last night on the eve of an ambitious and high-risk gamble to "relaunch" final peace negotiations after seven years of bloodshed and stalemate

Peace is Possible
The Palestinian philosopher Sari Nusseibeh tells Ian Black that despite widespread pessimism surrounding talks in Annapolis a change of focus could go on to yield spectacular results

Israel and Palestine Fail to Agree Before Conference
A meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders has failed to produce a joint declaration for a Middle East summit due next week in the United States, after they could not resolve key differences

Peace is Possible
The Palestinian philosopher Sari Nusseibeh tells Ian Black that despite widespread pessimism surrounding talks in Annapolis a change of focus could go on to yield spectacular results

The Palestinian Path to Peace Does Not Go Via Annapolis
Jonathan Steele: World opinion is still on the side of the people of the occupied territories. But as long as they are divided, talks are futile

PLO Disputes Jerusalem Rail Plan
The Palestinians have begun legal action against two prominent French companies in an attempt to stop work on a contested light-railway project in Jerusalem.

Images That Shock
Leader: Gaza is a wound that is being left to fester. Fatah, Israel, the US and the international community have different motives for leaving half of the Palestinian people to rot in this prison, but they are all, for the moment, united in their attempt to isolate Hamas.

Fresh Violence Feared If Peace Talks Collapse
Failure at Annapolis will undermine Palestinian moderates, say analysts.

UN Envoy Attacks Middle East Quartet 'failures'
The UN human rights envoy, John Dugard, has called on the UN to withdraw from the quartet of Middle East mediators unless the group addresses Palestinian human rights.

Abbas Lays Out Territorial Demand
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, insisted yesterday that Israel must give up 2,400 square miles of territory under its control for a Palestinian state, as he set out his demands before a US-sponsored peace conference next month.

Abbas Spells Out Land Demand
Palestinian president insists Israel gives up 2,400 square miles for a Palestinian state.

Fresh Violence Casts Shadow Over Middle East Peace Talks
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, will meet today to map out their vision for a Middle East peace deal.

Divided and Voiceless
Sami Abdel-Shafi: Any progress in the Middle East must begin with building a peace among Palestinians.

A Borderless State is No Solution
Leader: Without pinning Israel to specifics, a putative state would be a Palestinian nightmare, leaving vital questions unanswered and no timetable for answering them.

Olmert Travels to Jericho for First Talks in Palestine in Seven Years
For the first time in seven years Israeli and Palestinian leaders met for talks in the Palestinian territories yesterday, the latest round in a wave of Middle East diplomacy.

Scepticism Hangs Over Blair's Appointment As Quartet Envoy
Former PM to help build Palestinian institutions - No formal role in finding permanent solution

'Disaster for Palestinians'
It is unlikely that Tony Blair will get a warm welcome in Gaza City or anywhere in the Palestinian territories if he is confirmed as the Quartet's new Middle East peace envoy.

From No 10 to the Middle East: Blair Gets a New Job
Support from Bush leads to role as international envoy helping Palestinians.

Israel Reaches Out to Abbas on Palestine
Ehud Olmert said today he is willing to discuss the creation of a Palestinian state if the new government headed by president Mahmoud Abbas pledges to combat terrorism.

Western Powers Lift Gaza Embargo
Both the EU and the US promised to lift their boycott of the Palestinians today and pledged support to president Mahmoud Abbas and his new emergency government in the occupied West Bank.

Chaos at Gaza Crossing As Fatah Forces Flee
One Palestinian died and at least 10 others were wounded as Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen exchanged fire at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza.

Trapped Families Caught in Gaza Firefight
One man was killed and 10 wounded when Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen exchanged fire at a main border crossing between Israel and Gaza yesterday.

Washington Rallies Behind Abbas With End to Palestinian Boycott
Emergency government meets in Ramallah - Immediate US aid for West Bank and Gaza

How Hamas Turned on Palestine's 'traitors'
It started as a well-planned settling of scores between rival political factions. But by the end of last week Palestinians seemed on the brink of civil war as two conflicting governments vowed to defeat each other.

Hamas Hints at Talks As Chaos Reigns in Divided Palestine
Islamists strengthen grip in Gaza but western governments, including US, side with Palestinian president in the West Bank.

Gaza Hospitals Turned Into Battlefields
With snipers on their rooftops and doctors and nurses afraid to come to work, Gaza's hospitals are finding themselves on the frontline in the Palestinians' increasingly bloody internal fight.

UN Was Pummelled Into Submission, Says Outgoing Middle East Special Envoy
Negotiators 'lost impartiality' says report - Palestinians also criticized over violence

Grenade Hits Palestinian Pm's Home
Prime Minister Ismail Haniya escapes unharmed in attack on Gaza home as factional fighting continues.

Fresh Gaza Violence Leaves Seven Dead
Seven Palestinians were killed in Gaza today during fighting between rival armed factions, including a gun battle inside a hospital, which left three dead and several more injured.

Thirteen Killed in Gaza Battles
At least 13 Palestinians were killed in Gaza yesterday during fighting between rival armed factions, including a gun battle inside a hospital that left three people dead and several injured.

Palestinian Civilian Shot Dead in Raid on Family Home
Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man and seriously injured his wife yesterday in a night-time raid on a house in Hebron.

Saadeddin Malley
A Palestinian-American businessman based in Chicago...

Six-day War: View of Palestinian Living Near Nablus
Rory McCarthy speaks to soldiers, settlers, activists, Israeli Palestinians and refugees about how the war changed their lives.

Six-day War: View of Daniella Weiss, 62, Mayor of the Jewish Settlement of Kedumim
Rory McCarthy speaks to soldiers, settlers, activists, Israeli Palestinians and refugees about how the war changed their lives.

Six-day War: View of Senan Abdelqader, 44, Architect in Beit Safafa
Rory McCarthy speaks to soldiers, settlers, activists, Israeli Palestinians and refugees about how the war changed their lives.

Six-day War: View of Ahmad Shalabi, 51, Palestinian Refugee in Jordan
Rory McCarthy speaks to soldiers, settlers, activists, Israeli Palestinians and refugees about how the war changed their lives.

Six Days of War, 40 Years of Failure
The world was gripped by Israel's swift triumph in 1967. But today the bitter conflict with the Palestinians seems more intractable than ever.

Envoy Suggests Un Force for Gaza
Israel, the Palestinians and the UN should consider an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, the UN's new special envoy to the Middle East said today.

Abbas Appeals for Us Help
Palestinian president urges Washington to ask Israel to halt military escalation.

Resigned to Violence
The departure of the Palestinian interior minister shows just how little has been achieved in pacifying Gaza's streets, writes Rory McCarthy.

Olmert Gives Cautious Welcome to Arab Peace Plan
Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, today gave a cautious welcome to the renewed Arab peace initiative and said it would be possible to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians within five years.

Olmert Says Peace Deal Possible Within Five Years
Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, yesterday cautiously welcomed the renewed Arab peace initiative and said it would be possible to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians within five years.

Time to Call the Bluff of the Land of Missed Opportunities
The Arab League should bypass Ehud Olmert and go directly to the Israeli people with its offer for a Palestinian settlement. By Jonathan Freedland

'I Try to Forget - But i Can't'
She was the 12-year-old girl filmed crying alongside her father and siblings as they lay dying - victims of an explosion at a family picnic. But what happened to Huda Ghalia next? Rory McCarthy meets the shy, teased girl who became a symbol of Palestinian despair.

Palestinian, 11, Says Army Used Her As Shield
The Israeli army is investigating whether its troops used two Palestinian children as human shields during a house search operation in the West Bank, after claims by the Israeli human rights organisation BTselem.

Anti-wall Protests Hit Second Anniversary
Israelis and Palestinians will gather today for a demonstration to mark the two-year anniversary of their most high-profile joint campaign against Israel's barrier in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian Ministers Face Blanket Us Ban
Blow to unity cabinet in run up to three-way talks - Fatah and independents to be treated 'same as Hamas'

We Are Being Suffocated
The outside world has to grasp that Palestinian infighting is the product of an intolerable blockade. By Sami Abdel-Shafi

Rival Palestinian Factions Agree to Form Coalition Government
President Abbas proclaims new era after Mecca deal - Hamas and Fatah factions ordered to end clashes

Saudis Put Their Status on the Line in Bid to End Palestinian Crisis
King brings Hamas and Fatah to holy city of Mecca - Peace drive aims to halt growing Iranian influence

US Bid to Revive Peace Process Falters on Gaza Streets
17 die in clashes between rival Palestinian factions - Rice tries to strengthen Abbas presid

25 Killed in Gaza Violence As Factions Abandon Talks
Gun battles continued in Gaza yesterday after 25 people were killed in the worst Palestinian internecine violence since Hamas won legislative elections a year ago.

Disillusion Sets in Amid Poverty and Factional Conflict
Palestinians are turning their back on party elected on promise of reform.

Palestinian Leaders Fail to Agree to Unity Cabinet
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president last night failed to win acceptance for his plans for a national unity government from the Hamas leadership in Damascus. Mr Abbas has said that he is willing to give one final chance for a national unity government before he calls legislative and presidential elections.

Surprise Gaza Talks Raise Hope for Peace
Meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders boosts prospects of full negotiations.

Old Allegiances Crumble in Battle for Palestinian Hearts and Minds
Anger and frustration drive territories towards faction-ridden chaos.

'We Are Facing the Hardest Christmas Yet'
Israeli road obstacles rise by 40% in a year, strangling the Palestinians, says UN.

Fighters Withdraw From Gaza Streets
Rival forces loyal to Hamas and Fatah withdrew from the streets of Gaza City today as a new Palestinian ceasefire tentatively held.

Border Clash Prompts Claim of Assassination Attempt on Palestinian Pm Ismail Haniyeh
Violence between rival Palestinian groups continued today, after the ruling Hamas organisation accused forces allied to Fatah of trying to assassinate the Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh.

Saudi Plan Offers a Lifeline
World Briefing: Fearful that the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority could collapse under the weight of its violent contradictions, Israeli leaders are refocusing on the 2002 Saudi peace plan as a way of inducing the Palestinians back into substantive negotiations. By Simon Tisdall

UN Plea for Millions in Palestinian Aid Amid Fears of Economic Collapse
Half of population going short of food, agencies say - Senior officials warn of breakdown of government

US-educated Professor Likely to Be Nominated Palestinian Leader
An American-educated professor has emerged as the most likely candidate to be nominated as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority to replace the existing Hamas premier, Ismail Haniyeh, in an attempt to break the political deadlock with Israel and the west.

Blair Urges White House to Shift Focus to Israel-palestine Conflict
· Palestinian peace process 'central to Iraq solution' · Syria and Iran also have a role to play, says PM

Billionaire Businessman Munib Al-masri Touted As Man to Lead Palestinian Authority Out of Crisis
The billionaire businessman Munib al-Masri is being touted as the man to lead the Palestinian Authority out of crisis. Conal Urquhart talks to him.

A Brutal Taste of the Future
The assault on Beit Hanoun is a terrifying example of what lies in store for Palestinians. By Sami Abdel-Shafi

Spanish Photographer Abducted at Gunpoint in Gaza City
A Spanish photographer working for the Associated Press agency was kidnapped in Gaza yesterday, the latest victim of lawlessness in the Palestinian territory.

Attempt at Palestinian Unification Fails
A Qatari initiative to broker agreement between the two main Palestinian political groups, possibly paving the way for a restoration of foreign aid to the beleaguered Palestinian government, has ended in failure, officials said today.

US Free Speech Row Grows As Author Says Jewish Complaints Stopped Launch Party
· Row over postscript on Palestinians' plight · British-born academic claims lectures cancelled

Palestinian Coalition Talks Fail As Rice Arrives for Visit
· Parties deadlocked over joint policy programme · US secretary of state aims to kickstart peace process

Breakthrough in Palestinian Government Talks
The Palestinian Authority has struck a deal on a unity government designed to lift sanctions on the Palestinian government and open new hopes of peace with Israel, it was announced today.

'We Know What We Want'
The Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, talks to Rory McCarthy about his hopes for a national unity government.

Adams to 'share Experience'
Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Féin, is due to fly to the Middle East today to meet Hamas representatives and lend his support to the search for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Freed Fox Pair Tell of Kidnap Torment Before Forced Conversion to Islam
· Journalists speak of relief after Gaza abduction · Palestinian PM denies captors linked to al-Qaida

Wife of Kidnapped Fox Journalist Appeals for Release
The wife of one of the Fox News journalists kidnapped in Gaza today appealed for their release and said they should not be punished for the suffering in Palestine. By Chris Tryhorn.

Uneasy Truce Raises Yet More Questions
Will the truce hold? | So who won this round? | What will happen next? | Will the two sides go back to war? | Is there any long-term solution? | What impact will this war have on the Palestinians?

For Palestinians' Sake, Olmert Must Emerge With His People's Respect
Many outsiders would like to see Israel's prime minister ousted, but if he were his successor would be more hawkish still. By Jonathan Freedland

10 Dead After Fighting in Gaza
Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen fought throughout today in the biggest outbreak of violence since the abduction of an Israeli soldier almost two weeks ago.

Europe's Response to the Siege of Gaza is Shameful
The Palestinians have no partner for peace. They will only have one if Israel agrees to recognise Palestine's right to function. By Jonathan Steele

Olmert Rejects Palestinian Ultimatum
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, rejected an ultimatum from the Palestinian captors of an Israeli soldier on Monday that ordered Israel to begin releasing prisoners or "bear all the consequences".

Camp Swelters With Little Power or Water
For the 58,000 residents of Nuseirat, a refugee camp south of Gaza City, life has got very much tougher over recent days as Israel squeezes ordinary Palestinians in an effort to win the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was captured a week ago by Palestinian militias and is thought to be held in a Gaza refugee camp.

Palestine 'ready to Trade' Captured Israeli Soldier
Secret talks over prisoners are 'close to deal' as negotiators race against time to prevent bloodbath.

Soldier's Capture Touches Nerve in a Military Society
When 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit was carried off by Palestinian militiamen into the maze of Gaza refugee camps his fate touched a nerve in a society where the military holds an almost mystical place.

A Wake Without a Body As Fears of Reprisal Grow
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict could catapult into a new and bloody downward spiral as the body of Muhammad Farwana remains in Israel where he died during Sunday's attack on Israeli positions.

Middle East Relief Groups Join Red Cross
The Israeli and Palestinian humanitarian relief societies finally joined the international Red Cross and Red Crescent movements today, after a majority of delegates from close to 200 countries accepted a fiercely fought compromise.

Abbas and Olmert Set for Jordan Meeting
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, will attend a meeting in Jordan this week, officials said today.

Two Children Among 11 Killed in Missile Strike on Gaza City
An Israeli air strike on a busy Gaza City street killed 11 people yesterday, including two young children and their father, after Palestinians who ran to help those wounded by the first missile were caught by the blast from a second rocket.

Sympathy Short-lived As Rockets Hit Sderot
Sympathy for Huda Ghalia had largely evaporated from the streets of Sderot yesterday after the Israeli town endured a weekend pounding by scores of Palestinian missiles, and the army attempted to cast doubt on its responsibility for wiping out most of the Palestinian child's family.

Web of Betrayal, Blackmail and Sex That Killed Two Lovers Who Turned Informer
Palestinian confesses on video to helping Israel before he and lover are shot.

Punishment of Palestinians Will Create a Crucible of Trouble for the World
George Bush's policies helped build Hamas; now a dangerous linkage with Iran and Iraq threatens a mega-crisis...By David Hirst

Palestinian Delegation Attacked By Congressman
A New York congressman is declaring partial victory in his campaign to force the Palestinian delegation to the UN to leave the US.

Assassination Attempt Ignites Gaza
Rival Palestinian factions clash in gun battles. An assassination attempt on the Palestinian intelligence chief ignited an already tense situation in Gaza yesterday, with gun...

US Opens the Door for Europe to Save Palestinians From Funding Disaster
· Change follows pressure from EU and Russia · Mechanism suggested for cash to bypass Hamas

EU Plans to Go It Alone With Aid for Palestinians
· Humanitarian crisis could deepen, report warns · Quartet seeks to bypass Hamas in providing funds

Suicide Bomber Kills 8 in Tel Aviv
· Two Palestinian groups claim responsibility · Hamas describes the bombing as self-defence · Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for attack

Tehran Offers £30m for Palestinian Crisis
Iran has offered to donate more than £30m to the Palestinian Authority to help it deal with a budget crisis caused by the withdrawal of aid by western nations.

Gaza on Brink of Implosion As Aid Cut-off Starts to Bite
The end of Western funding and Israel's crossing closure sharpen Palestinian divisions, reports Conal Urquhart in Gaza City.

Kadima's Push for Separation Blurs the Old Political Dividing Lines Between Rival Cities
Kadima's plan to pull out of parts of the West Bank and separate from the Palestinians using the West Bank barrier has found favour - but not universal acceptance.

Israel's Colonisation of Palestine Blocking Peace, Says Jimmy Carter
· Actions will perpetuate violence across region · Future for West Bank and Gaza Strip 'dismal'

'It Was Like Beau Geste'
British monitors keeping an eye on jailed Palestinian militants in Jericho were on to a fairly cushy number - while it lasted, writes Ewen MacAskill.

Britain Accused After Day of Chaos and Kidnaps in Gaza
Violence as Israelis storm Palestinian prison after UK monitors pull out.

Israel-Palestine Conflict Engulfs Rogers's $1.7bn New York Project
Much will be at stake this morning when Lord Rogers appears at a summit of Jewish leaders to explain his connections to a British architects' group that opposes the barrier Israel is building in the West Bank, and supports a boycott of Israeli construction firms.

Lord Rogers Fights to Save Us Project in Jewish Row
One of Britain's leading architects was fighting for the survival of his billion dollar redesign of a New York convention centre yesterday after his connections to a Palestinian support group outraged Jewish organisations and local politicians.

EU to Pay £94.5m to Avert Collapse of Palestinian Authority
· Cash to fund utility bills, wages, health and schools · No direct payments after Hamas assumes power

Arab Democracy is Exposing the Blind Spot of Us Policy
The resurgent Palestinian rejectionism of Hamas can only be halted by checking the persistent rejectionism of Israel. By David Hirst

Palestine on Brink As Hamas Takes Over
The militant group's government is beseiged by threats of boycotts from home and abroad.

Africa's Forgotten Crises
In Africa everything is bigger. Since the second intifada began in 2000 approximately 4,480 Palestinians and Israelis have died ...By Simon Tisdall

All Sides Now Look to the Past to Find a Way Forward
Paralysed by the shock result of the Palestinian election, all sides are now looking to the past to find a way forward. By Jonathan Freedland

Abbas Urges Continued Aid to Palestinians
The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, today urged the international community today not to cut aid to his people following last week's election victory by Hamas.

INDIAN WARS IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM: From Wounded Knee to Palestine
The people of Palestine have spoken, just as the people of Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have spoken, and they have delivered a common message: A stern repudiation of occupation and American influence.

Euphoria Turns to Shock As Palestinians Ask 'what Now?'
The West Bank city of Ramallah, Fatah's political headquarters, went to sleep on Wednesday night to the sound of celebratory gunfire as the party's young supporters drove through the streets cheering exit polls which suggested victory. By yesterday morning the euphoria had turned to shock as Palestinians tried to assess the effects of Hamas's victory.

The Palestinians' Democratic Choice Must Be Respected
The excuses given for refusing to deal with Hamas will not wash. This is a chance for Europe to have an independent role. By Jonathan Steele

Palestinian Elections
Leader: The right response to this result is to insist that Hamas make clear that it is committed to negotiations with Israel.

Palestinian Pm and Cabinet Resign
The Palestinian prime minister and cabinet today resigned following what appeared to be a dramatic election win for Hamas.

Palestinians Go to the Polls
Palestinians were today going to the polls in the first Palestinian parliamentary election for a decade, with the vote expected to break the ruling Fatah movement's 40-year domination of the Palestinian cause.

World Dispatch
The stunning electoral rise of the Palestinian group Hamas is set to break the mould of Middle East peacemaking, writes Ian Black.

22 Injured in Tel Aviv Suicide Bombing
A Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and injured 22 others yesterday when he detonated his explosives in a busy restaurant in Tel Aviv, six days before Palestinian elections.

Palestinian Director Hany Abu-assad
As the Palestinian director of a film that humanises two suicide bombers, Hany Abu-Assad was the most surprised winner of a gong at this week's Golden Globe awards. He talks to Dan Glaister.

15 Injured in Tel Aviv Suicide Bombing
A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in Tel Aviv today, injuring at least 15 people and casting a shadow over the Palestinian parliamentary elections next week.

Suicide Bomber Hits Central Tel Aviv
A suicide bomber blew himself up in Tel Aviv today, injuring at least 15 people and casting a shadow over the Palestinian parliamentary elections next week. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Israelis and Palestinians not to let terrorism acts such as the bombing...

Two Egyptian Soldiers Killed After Palestinians Breach Border Wall With Bulldozer
Two Egyptian guards were shot dead at the border with Gaza yesterday after armed Palestinians made a hole in the border wall with a bulldozer.

Kidnap Briton to Go on Working for Palestinians
The British aid worker kidnapped with her parents in Gaza last week has vowed to stay on to help the Palestinian people despite her ordeal.

Muslims welcoming Third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount
The best way to obtain ultimate peace is to let religious leaders discuss and negotiate. If there has to be a Palestinian state in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, the Muslims have to accept the erection of the Third Jewish Temple on Temple Mount.

Palestinians May Delay Poll Over Voting Ban
Israeli officials object to ballot boxes in East Jerusalem due to alleged involvement of Hamas in the election.

Election Revolt Against Fatah's 'old Guard' Splits Party in Two
The split, which mirrors events in Israel, is the culmination of a long running crisis in Fatah which is headed by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority.

Sharon 'plans to Share Jerusalem With Palestinians'
· Leader forced to deny plan to make concessions · Netanyahu seizes on reports to bolster Likud

The Observer Book Aid Appeal
In the third week of our appeal, Conal Urquhart reports on the Palestinian institute making sure children don't grow up illiterate.

Life Under Siege in a Divided City
Palestinian families driven from homes by settlers in 'cleansing' of Hebron in the West Bank.

Sharon Alters Political Landscape By Leaving Likud
· Polls show public support for breakaway party · Palestinians suspicious of PM's ultimate intentions

In Praise of ... Yitzhak Rabin
Leader: Israel's gruff, bluff prime minister spent his life fighting Arabs from the 1948 war until the Palestinian intifada 30 years later. But he was also the first Israeli leader to have the courage to deal directly with the PLO.

Qur'an Competition Tests Participants' Memories
With senior militant leaders looking on, Palestinian officials opened an international competition yesterday testing participants' knowledge of the Qur'an.

The New Game of Sequential Unilateralism
In the new game of sequential unilateralism, the Palestinian leaders are being outplayed by Israel's prime minister.

Abbas Told to Form New Government
The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, was today ordered to form a new government amid concerns over mounting militant violence.

Glittering Sea is the Most Precious Treasure for Many in Regained Land
· Armed Palestinians raise flags over ruined towns · Attempts to destroy synagogues 'barbaric'

Palestinian Shot Dead at Gaza-egypt Border
Egyptian border guards shot and killed a Palestinian along the Gaza-Egypt border only hours after Israeli troops had left the area, Palestinian security officals said today.

Jubilant Palestinians Enter Gaza Settlements
Ecstatic crowds of Palestinians flooded into empty Jewish settlements today, setting abandoned synagogues on fire and looting ruined buildings in a celebration of the end of 38 years of Israeli military rule over the Gaza Strip.

Homes Razed in Mob Fury at Couple's 'affair'
The only brewery in the Palestinian territories escaped an attack yesterday by a mob that razed a dozen homes over an alleged affair between a Christian man whose family owns the beer factory and a Muslim woman from a neighbouring village who was then murdered by her own family.

In Gaza Love is in the Air, and Peace is Within Reach
A double wedding on the Gaza beachfront - of two brothers to two sisters - heralds a new dawn, but Palestinians remain cautious, report Sandra Jordan and Azmi Keshawi.

Soldiers Evict Gaza Settlers
· Anger and grief as Jews depart · Sharon calls evacuation 'heartbreaking' · Israeli gunman kills three Palestinians

Emotions Run High As Army Enforces Gaza Pullout
Thousands of Israeli troops moved into the Gaza settlements overnight for the start of a historic operation to remove the remaining Jewish families from their homes and transfer the territory to Palestinian control.

Settlers Defiant As Gaza Evictions Begin
Israeli troops today began handing out eviction notices in Gaza settlements, as the process of removing settlers from Jewish enclaves on Palestinian territory got under way.

Troops Enter Gaza Settlements
Israeli troops encountered resistance today when they handed eviction notices to Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip as the historic removal of Jewish enclaves from Palestinian territory began.

Gaza Missiles and Airstrikes Shatter Ceasefire
The five-month Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire was in tatters last night after Israel responded to missile attacks from Gaza with airstrikes that killed six Hamas militants.

Palestinian Civilians Have Been Killed
Palestinian civilians have been killed by the army with impunity. Chris Mcgreal

Jerusalem Orders Palestinian Homes to Be Razed
Jerusalem's city council has ordered one of the largest mass demolitions in the city's recent history, with plans to raze the homes of about 1,000 Palestinians in a neighbourhood claimed by Jewish settlers. The council says about 90 buildings served with demolition orders were built...

Grief of Mother Over Gaza Pullout
The cemetery at Gush Katif is a sensitive problem. A mother faces the agony of leaving her dead son behind when, this summer, she and her family are forced to leave their homes on Palestinian land.

Pressure Grows on Palestinian Leader to Delay Parliamentary Elections
Mahmoud Abbas under growing pressure to postpone parliamentary elections scheduled for July, despite threats from Hamas to call off four-month ceasefire if he does so.

From Prison to Power in the West Bank
Wajia Nazal has spent the past three years in Israeli military detention without trial for membership of Hamas. But next week he will be appointed, in absentia, as Qalqilya's mayor after his party won all 15 seats on the town council in Palestinian local elections.

Peace canal deal for thirsty Middle East
Ministers from Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority will today sign an agreement to pave the way for the construction of a canal that will link the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.

Nye Said. Ideas, Not Armies, Eventu
The Israeli army yesterday suspended the officer of a unit that shot dead two Palestinian boys protesting against a barrier fence at the West Bank village Beit Lakia.

Guns of Gaza Stay Loaded But Silent As Talks Go on
· Palestinian militants keep ceasefire as they await peace deal
· Pressure for jobs and end to corruption grows in run up to polls

US Dressing Down for Sharon
Bush insists he will not permit settlement blocking off a Palestinian East Jerusalem.

Palestinians Take Control of West Bank City
Checkpoint comes down in Jericho, but troops remain.

Abbas Says He Expects Full Ceasefire By Armed Groups
Palestinian leader calls for talks to start on statehood.

Palestinian Leader Expects Militia Ceasefire
The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, said today that he expects Palestinian militant groups to declare a formal ceasefire next week in Cairo, ending their four-year intifada against Israel.

Israel and Palestine Condemn Bombing
Abbas says suicide attack on nightclub was bid to sabotage peace process.

New Palestinian Cabinet Approved
The Palestinian parliament today approved a 24-member cabinet, dominated by professional appointees, in what analysts have described as a significant government reform.

Cabinet Crisis Threat to Abbas
The Palestinian government was facing collapse yesterday after Ahmed Qureia, the prime minister, failed again to win parliament's approval for a cabinet denounced by MPs as tainted by corruption and incompetence.

MPs Force Qureia to Purge Ministers
Palestinian MPs have forced the prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, to make sweeping changes to his cabinet, criticised for being dominated by corrupt and incompetent ministers too closely associated with the late Yasser Arafat.

500 Prisoners Freed, But Palestinians Await the Rest
Relatives greet latest step on road to peace with wary relief.

Sharon Firm on West Bank Sites
Israel will not give up the main Jewish settlements on the West Bank as part of a final peace deal with the Palestinians, the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, said yesterday.

Handshake Halts the Violence
Ariel Sharon announced an unqualified end to all Israeli military attacks on the Palestinians yesterday as part of a historic ceasefire that formally ends more than four years of brutal intifada, suicide bombings and the destruction of occupied towns.

Sharon and Abbas Agree Ceasefire
The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, today pledged to end violence, agreeing a ceasefire after more than four years of bloody intifada.

Deal to End Palestinian Uprising
Israel and the Palestinians are to announce a deal to end more than four years of bloody intifada that has claimed 5,000 lives.

Middle East Truce Announced
Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed a truce to end more than four years of fighting, both sides confirmed today.

Palestinians Threaten to End Truce
Hamas and seven other Palestinian groups threatened yesterday to call off a truce and return to "all-out martyrdom attacks" - suicide bombings - unless Israel commits itself to ending army raids and killings in the occupied territories.

Girl's Killing Puts Truce at Risk
The killing of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl, shot dead in the playground of her school in southern Gaza yesterday, threatened to undermine a tentative truce after Hamas blamed the Israeli army and retaliated by firing mortars into a Jewish settlement.

Security to Be Handed Over in West Bank Towns
Israel says it is prepared to transfer responsibility for security in several West Bank towns to the new Palestinian leadership this week in the latest measure aimed at securing a permanent ceasefire.

Abbas Stresses Need for Swift Ceasefire
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has appealed to Israel to agree swiftly to a joint ceasefire that would halt more than four years of bloodshed, warning that delay could undermine its chances of success.

US envoy to meet Abbas for truce talks on ceasefire
William Burns to discuss appeal by new Palestinian leadership for American support in securing Israeli respect for a ceasefire.

Rising UK anti-semitism blamed on media
Britain suffered the sharpest rise in anti-semitic attacks of any country last year, and British press coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a leading cause, according to an Israeli government report.

Baptism of Fire
The new Palestinian president is already facing pressures brought about by Israel and militant attacks, writes Ian Black.

Palestine: New Meaning Behind the Same Old Violence
Peter Beaumont on the impossible balancing act faced by the new Palestinian chief, Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas Views Sharon As Partner in Peace Talks
The favourite to win the Palestinian presidential election, Mahmoud Abbas, yesterday declared that he hoped peace negotiations with Israel could resume soon after the winner is declared on Monday.

Palestinian Aid Groups' Accounts Closed
Two British organisations set up to help the Palestinian people have had their bank accounts abruptly closed without explanation, the Guardian has learned. Neither is proscribed by the government, and both claim that their targeting is political.

Arafat Ally Backs 'negotiations'
The front-running candidate to succeed Yasser Arafat as leader of the Palestinians pledged a commitment to 'the path of negotiation' in the opening speech of his campaign yesterday.

Barghouti Exits Presidential Race
· Jailed leader comes out in support of Abbas
· Palestinian guerrillas kill four Israeli soldiers.

Palestinian Poll Race Tight
Two of the first opinion polls since nominations closed for the Palestinian presidential election show a tight race between the establishment candidate, Mahmoud Abbas, and the imprisoned military commander, Marwan Barghouti. A third poll gives Mr Abbas a clear lead.

Barghouti's Natural Constituents Show Doubts
Images of Mr Barghouti, shackled and defiant after his conviction, helped make him the most popular Palestinian leader after the late Yasser Arafat. Yesterday, however, the most popular candidate among the young men in Ramallah was the former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas.

Middle East Upheaval As Sharon Provokes Crisis
Jailed Palestinian reverses decision not to challenge for Arafat succession.

Soldiers 'did Not Force Violinist to Play'
An Israeli army investigation has concluded that a Palestinian filmed playing his violin at an army checkpoint, prompting outrage among Israelis who said it diminished the Holocaust, was not forced to do so by soldiers.

Conductor Brings Harmony to Arabs
Daniel Barenboim, the acclaimed Israeli conductor, yesterday unveiled his latest initiative to help the Middle East peace process - a music kindergarten for Palestinian refugee children.

Barghouti Pulls Out of Fatah Race
The popular Palestinian militant Marwan Barghouti backed away from challenging for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority last night after days of speculation that he would run for the post left open by the death of Yasser Arafat.

Abbas Pledge to End Violence
Mahmoud Abbas, who has emerged as the principal Palestinian leader following the death of Yasser Arafat, yesterday said he intends to bring a complete and unconditional end to Palestinian violence.

Press Review: What They Said About Palestinian Elections
... Palestinian elections. "Less than two weeks after the passing away of Yasser Arafat, a new impetus has been injected into peace efforts - and the results have been surprising at times and remarkable at others," said Arab News on Monday.

Shooting Protest As Palestinians Set Poll Date
Critics denounce favourite to succeed Arafat at mourning tent.

Palestinians Confront Life After Arafat
Jason Burke reports from Ramallah on the many challenges now facing the Palestinian leadership - including a January election.

'A New Opportunity for Peace'
Bush and Blair promise to back Palestinian state - but new leadership must build democracy.

Arafat's Final Journey
Palestinian leader's body to be flown to West Bank for burial.

There is Little to Suggest Sharon Will Seize This Chance
There is little to suggest Sharon will seize this chance. There are two basic scenarios for what will happen to the Palestinians in the post-Arafat era: the optimistic and the pessimistic.

Arafat Begins Final Journey
· Egypt prepares funeral
· Palestinians mourn Arafat's death
· World leaders pay tribute

Palestinians Mourn Arafat's Death
· World leaders pay tribute
· Caretaker president sworn in
· Israeli troops on high alert

A Tragedy and an Opportunity
Arafat proved that attempts to fix the Palestinian leadership will fail. In the days when Britain was being forced to give up one colony after another, the phrase "father of the nation" was much in vogue.

Three Killed By Tel Aviv Bomber
At least three people were killed and many more injured yesterday when a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded food market in Tel Aviv. The attack - the first of its kind in the city since the beginning of the year - was condemned by the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat,...

Four Dead in Tel Aviv Blast
A Palestinian with five kilos of explosives strapped to his body blew himself up in a crowded outdoor market in Tel Aviv today, killing three Israelis and wounding 32 in the first such attack since Yasser Arafat left the region for medical treatment last week. The Popular Front for the...

Palestinians Look to Life After Arafat
Hospital statement fails to prevent war of succession.

Frail Arafat in French Hospital
Unable to walk, Palestinian leader begins treatment.

I'm Backing Sharon
Yesterday's emphatic win for the Israeli prime minister offers renewed hope to progressives and the Palestinians.

14 Die As Gaza Debate Opens
The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has opened a controversial parliamentary debate on the withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza strip, hours after a major Israeli army raid on the Khan Younis refugee camp today left 14 Palestinians dead and 72 wounded. "This is a fateful hour...

Army Pulls Back From Gaza Leaving 100 Palestinians Dead
The Israeli army last night began withdrawing from Palestinian areas of the northern Gaza strip, winding down the largest assault on the territory in recent years and leaving more than 100 Palestinians dead and widespread destruction of homes. Palestinians looked on as the 200 tanks and...

Officer Suspended Over Gaza Shooting
The Israeli army yesterday suspended an officer who is accused of firing up to 20 bullets into a 13-year-old Palestinian as she lay on the ground after having been shot from an army outpost. Another schoolgirl died yesterday after being shot while sitting at her school desk. The...

Is It the End of the Road for Arafat?
Imprisoned in his compound, facing assassination and internationally isolated, the Palestinian leader says he has been in worse trouble.

Dead Palestinian Girl 'riddled With Bullets'
The Israeli army has begun investigating the death of a 13-year-old Palestinian girl said to have been shot dead by soldiers then riddled with bullets by their commander. On television and in newspapers soldiers claimed that the officer shot her in the head and emptied a magazine of...

Row Erupts As Top Sharon Aide Says There Will Be No Palestinian State
Ariel Sharon's chief aide caused a political storm yesterday by claiming that the real purpose of the Israeli prime minister's "disengagement plan" was to freeze the peace process and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, all with the blessing of the US. Dov Weisglass, Mr...

Two Girls, Two Shots to the Head
Palestinian 15-year-olds among growing number of children hit by Israeli snipers during 'Days of Penitence'.

Palestinian Gunmen Free Cnn Journalist
Palestinian gunmen yesterday released a CNN journalist abducted in Gaza City apparently to pressure members of an Arab minority group not to serve in the Israeli army. Riad Ali, an Arab Israeli who is a member of the Druze minority, was snatched on Monday by gunmen who stopped a car...

Palestinians Threaten Revenge for Rocket Attack
Palestinians threaten revenge for rocket attack on militants in Gaza.

The Death and Disorientation of the Children of Gaza
In their homes, in the street, in UN-run schools, Palestinian youth are not safe from Israeli bullets

Britain in Split With Us on West Bank Homes
A significant gap opened up between the British and US governments on Middle East policy yesterday when Downing Street expressed its continued opposition to any expansion of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian West Bank. Fuelling the controversy, the Israeli government announced plans...

US Deal 'wrecks Middle East Peace'
The US was yesterday accused by Palestinian leaders of destroying hopes for peace in the Middle East by giving its covert support to Israel's expansion of controversial settlements in the West Bank. American officials are privately admitting they have abandoned their demands that Israel...

Palestinian Collaborators Killed in Hospital
Two Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel were executed by gunmen in their hospital beds yesterday, soon after being wounded in a grenade attack on a prison. A third alleged informant was fatally injured in the blast. Palestinian militants tossed the grenade into a wing of...

Arafat 'ruining His People' Says Protege
Former protege accuses leader of 'sitting on the corpses of Palestinians' and warns of massive demonstrations unless reforms begin.

Alarm at Us Drift Over Middle East
UK report reveals fears for future of Palestinians.

Moment of Crisis Nears for Arafat
Violence, demonstrations and kidnappings in Gaza as Palestinians express their anger at authority - and prime minister tries to resign.

West Bank Lynching
Palestinian militants execute man in public for spying for Israel's security forces.

Chris Mcgreal: Sharon Surrenders to the Will of the People
Little more than a year ago the Israeli Labour opposition offered to join Ariel Sharon's government if he agreed to dismantle just one settlement, to show that the Jewish towns dotted across the Palestinian territories were not untouchable in the pursuit of peace.

Another Child Dies As Rafah Mourns
According to Palestinians, Rawan Mohammed Abu Zaed, aged three and a half, was the 11th child to be killed by Israeli Defence Force since Operation Rainbow began last week.

Bulldozers Crush Hope in Rafah Camp
Palestinians scramble to safety as Israeli attack flattens homes.

'There Were Rockets, Shells. It Was War. Then Bulldozers Destroyed Everything'
Chris McGreal in Rafah reports on Palestinians preparing to flee Israel's onslaught. Um Hisham Qishta stood at the spot where she cradled a dying Israeli soldier in her arms a few days ago and said she was going nowhere.

American U-turn on Talks With Palestinians
The Bush administration yesterday attempted further damage control in the Middle East, ending a months-long boycott of the Palestinian leadership to offer surprise talks with the prime minister. President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, will meet Ahmed Qureia, commonly...

Sharon Vows to Control West Bank Settlements
Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, vowed to hang on to the five biggest Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank "for eternity" yesterday, hoping to assuage far-right critics of his plan to disengage from the Palestinians, in advance of his visit to Washington. "Only Israeli political...

Sharon Seeks Us Backing to Go It Alone
Bush expected to reward pledge to withdraw settlers by allowing Israel to unilaterally set borders of emasculated Palestinian state.

Jonathan Cook @ Beit Fagi: E-mail
Yesterday a procession of pilgrims made their way up the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives from the Palestinian village of Eizariya.

Palestinians Urge Restraint Not Revenge
Arafat echoes call by politicians and intellectuals.

Britain Steps Up Aid to Palestinians
Britain has embarked on a new initiative to kick-start the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The government is working behind the scenes to help the Palestinian Authority reform its security apparatus in the West Bank and Gaza, a key demand of Israel and its main ally, the US...

Gunmen Evict Family at Dawn From Home in King David's City
Israeli settlers use force to take over homes belonging to Palestinians in east Jerusalem.

Palestinian Pm Urges Action to End Conflict
Qureia warns UK that time is running out for peace process.

Wounded Palestinian Boy's Family Plead for Peace
Chris McGreal in Gaza reports on a family's battle to hold on to their home despite the shooting of a son.

Palestinians Turn on Each Other in West Bank
Palestinian factions turn on each other in West Bank city.

Palestinians Shocked at Use of Suicide Mother
Hamas has defied widespread criticism among Palestinians for using a young mother as a suicide bomber by publishing photographs of Reem Riyashi and her two small children posing with weapons. Mrs Riyashi, 22, blew herself up and killed four Israelis at a Gaza border crossing a fortnight...

Simon Jeffery on an Extreme Peace Mission
A team of Israeli and Palestinian peace campaigners have achieved their goal of scaling a previously unclimbed Antarctic mountain. Simon Jeffery reports.

Palestinians Attack Egyptian Foreign Minister at Holy Site
Palestinians vented their frustration for the perceived lack of support by Arab countries in their quest for nationhood by attacking the Egyptian foreign minister when he arrived to pray at Islam's third holiest site in Jerusalem yesterday. The confrontation began when one of Ahmed...

A Regional Peace Forecast
Palestinians and Israelis are weary of conflict but in Iraq it could be just beginning, writes Brian Whitaker.

'We're Air Force Pilots, Not Mafia. We Don't Take Revenge'
Israel's F-16 and Black Hawk refuseniks say why they could not obey illegal orders and kill innocent Palestinians.

Bitter Harvest in West Bank's Olive Groves
Jewish settlers wreck fruit of centuries of toil to force out Palestinian villagers.

Arafat Resumes Security Control
Israel rejects president's deal with PM as 'a sad day for Palestinian reforms' as Washington insists he must cede his strongest grip on power.

Permits Ordered for Palestinians
The Israeli military has ordered thousands of Palestinians living near the steel and concrete "security fence" through the West Bank to obtain special permits to live in their own homes. Palestinian officials said the order breached a pledge by Israel to the UN security council a...

Palestinians Bomb Us Convoy
Attack on envoys a 'political disaster'.

Sharon Attacks Palestinian Solidarity
Until Hamas is drawn into a political role there can be no peace. Not long after Bush's big speech last summer, in which he called for two states, Israeli and Palestinian, living side by side in peace, important negotiations began.

Bomber kills 20 in holiday horror
· Palestinian woman launches suicide attack on crowded Haifa restaurant
· Israel hits back with missile strikes on Gaza after Yom Kippur atrocity

3,000 Dead Yet Peace Remains Elusive
It is three years since the intifada reignited in Israel. Chris McGreal reports on how the violence has affected ordinary people, and a desire among both Israelis and Palestinians to see the other side suffer.

Scholar Edward Said Dies
Edward Said - scholar, literary critic and the most eloquent supporter of the Palestinian cause - died in New York yesterday after a long battle against leukaemia. He was 67. Born in 1935 in Jerusalem, then part of British-ruled Palestine, he spent almost all his adult life in the United...

UN Surges to Arafat's Defence
The UN demanded that Israel drop its threat to remove the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, by an overwhelmingly majority yesterday, thus isolating Israel and the US. The general assembly voted 133-4 the day after President Bush blamed Mr Arafat for undermining the current round of peace...

US Vetoes Un Call to Protect Arafat
The United States last night vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding that Israel neither harm nor expel the Palestinian authority president, Yasser Arafat. The US veto flew in the face of the security council, which voted overwhelmingly in favour of the motion. Eleven members gave...

Enough of War, Enough of Bloodshed
Israelis and Palestinians are ready to do a peace deal - what a pity their leaders are not. In a week of grim anniversaries, today's should stand out as a rare light in the dark. It was on September 13 1993 that Bill Clinton stood on the White House lawn, held out his big, bear arms and pushed Yitzhak Rabin...

Cornered: but will he end up as exiled martyr or deal maker?
Expulsion would prove a gift to the Palestinian president, critics warn Israeli hardliners. Most of Ariel Sharon's ministers went into last night's emergency cabinet meeting, called in the wake of the suicide bombers' latest carnage, clear about who they blame and what they want to do with him.

The road to peace seems to stretch for generations
At almost every break for coffee and a smoke during a two-day London conference, which ended last night, the participants, Israeli and Palestinian journalists, reached for their mobiles, anxious for the news from the Middle East.

Seasoned politico who can stand his ground
The single issue dominating discussion about the man tipped to be the next Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, is whether Yasser Arafat will be pulling his strings.

Arafat's Nominee Sets Out His Demands
Yasser Arafat's nominee for prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, demanded guarantees from Washington and Europe yesterday that they will force a major shift in Israel's treatment of the Palestinians before he accepts the post.

Ridiculed and betrayed: why Abbas blames Arafat
Prime minister felt undermined in struggle with Israel. Mahmoud Abbas threatened to quit so often during his four months as Palestinian prime minister that when he finally dispatched a resignation letter to Yasser Arafat at the weekend it was widely assumed to be a tactical move to strengthen his hand and hang on to power.

Arafat Backs New Palestine Leader
Yasser Arafat last night nominated the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Ahmed Qureia, to be prime minister and oversee a crumbling peace process further jeopardised by pledges by Ariel Sharon and Hamas to destroy each other.

Road map to peace in crisis as Palestinian leader quits
The Middle East peace process appeared on the brink of collapse last night as Israeli and Palestinian hardliners readied themselves for bitter violence in the days to come.

Back Me or Lose Me, Warns Abbas
The Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, yesterday told parliament to back him in a power struggle with Yasser Arafat or sack his government.

Day of Decision in Abbas Feud With Arafat
America and Britain fight to save Palestinian PM facing key debate.

Palestinian Pm Fights for Political Survival
Abbas may stake his future on vote of confidence in parliament as Arafat backs his attempts to revive ceasefire.

Children's author faces Jewish wrath
Tale of boy's life in West Bank prompts pressure groups to call for withdrawal. Jewish pressure groups are calling on a publisher to withdraw a children's book about a Palestinian boy growing up amid the intifada on the West Bank.

Palestinian Suicide Bomber Kills 20 and Shatters Peace Process
A Palestinian suicide bomber blew apart a bus in the heart of Jerusalem last night as it carried religious Jews from a visit to the Wailing Wall, killing at least 20 people, including children, wounding more than 100 and inflicting the most serious blow yet to the six-week-old ceasefire...

Peace Talks Held Up By Roadblocks
Efforts to keep the Middle East road map peace process on track hit a snag last night when an agreement to transfer control of four West Bank cities to the Palestinian Authority fell apart at the last minute. Despite vigorous US pressure to ensure that the recent increase in violence does...

US Irons Out Wrinkles in the Road Map
Israel will hand control of two West Bank cities to the Palestinian Authority today after a flurry of negotiations and American pressure on both sides to prevent the collapse of the six week-old ceasefire. Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, has also agreed to let the authority's president,...

Rabbi Yitzhak Kolitz
Powerful conservative mediator in Israel's religious quandaries. Many of the flock of the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Yitzhak Kolitz, who has died aged 81, are descended from European Jews who emigrated to Ottoman Palestine before the predominantly secular Zionist influx of the 20th century.

Addition and Long Division
The readers' editor on... fact, figures and terms of reference in the Middle East. The Guardian's coverage of the Middle East has been questioned on two particular points this week. One is its reporting of the release by Israel of 339 Palestinian prisoners (the Israeli figure as I write is 334).

A Road to Peace That's Paved With the Worst Intentions
If the cheaters can be cheated, a deal in the Middle East is possible. The question of whether or not the road map for peace between Israelis and Palestinians will allow the two peoples to reach that destination is best investigated by asking another question.

Ceasefire is at Risk, Sharon Told
The Palestinian government said yesterday that Ariel Sharon had jeopardised last month's ceasefire by rejecting President Bush's plea to stop building his security fence through the West Bank. The information minister, Nabil Amr, said the Israeli prime minister had given "no single...

Death zone puts family life in limbo
From her backyard Khadija Bdarat can point out the roof of her children's school a few hundred metres up the hill in the Palestinian village of Ras.

Sharon Sways Cabinet Into Freeing Prisoners
Release of 540 Palestinians may still not save ceasefire.

Palestinian Pm's Leadership at Stake When He Pleads With Bush to Help Free Detainees
The Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, will urge President George Bush today to rescue the US-led "road map" to peace by pressuring Israel to release thousands of political prisoners and halt the expropriation of Palestinian land to build a security fence. Mr Abbas's meeting at...

Palestinians angry after Sharon blocks progress at talks
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, almost walked out of a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, yesterday over Israel's refusal to carry out its commitments under the "road map" peace process.

Isolated Arafat calls for help - but is anybody still listening?
In his ruined compound, a weary Palestinian president sees opportunities melting away. He sits like a schoolteacher, peering through thick glasses at documents on a lectern, occasionally marking them with a red pen before passing them to an aide.

Manhunt for Real IRA's bomb expert in West Bank
A huge manhunt was underway last night for an Irish republican bomb-maker who is believed to be training Palestinian terrorists in Israel.

Sharon: I'll Solve the Palestinian Problem in Four Years
The Israeli leader, who flies into London tonight, is the last man standing from the 1948 generation who assisted at the country's bloody birth. He spoke to Peter Beaumont in a rare interview.

Suffering By Comparison
Although lessons drawn from Northern Ireland cannot easily be applied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are, nonetheless, interesting parallels between the two situations, writes Derek Brown.

Sharon and Abbas Warm to Road Map
The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers made an unusually enthusiastic public display of faith in the peace process yesterday before wrangling in private over Israel's demand that Hamas should be disarmed. Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas met hours before the Israeli army was due to...

Palestinians Back Trial Ceasefire
Militants agree to temporary peace settlement as Condoleezza Rice arrives in Middle East.

From suicide bombs to ceasefire hopes
Key facts in the history of Hamas. Hamas was formed in 1987 as the PLO moved away from its position that Palestine could only be liberated by an "armed struggle".

Something is being born, but let's not call it empire
American power is immense, but it is built on collaboration. Responding this week to a suggestion that it must be humiliating for the fate of his people to hang on US intervention, the Palestinian negotiator Saab Erekat said with a wry smile:

US 'must Move Fast' on Peace Road Map
Relations between Israelis and Palestinians have reached their lowest point ever, and the US needs to move fast to implement the road map for peace, the former Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said today. The peace plan, drawn up by the US, EU, Russia and the UN, represents a...

Negotiations Fail to Broker Middle East Truce
Egyptian negotiators today appeared to have failed in their bid to convince Palestinian militia groups to end attacks on Israelis - as the US and the EU stepped up their efforts to reinvigorate the peace process. After two days of Egyptian-sponsored talks in Gaza aimed at establishing an...

Missiles Hit Gaza Again Despite Us Efforts to Keep Lid on Crisis
Israel fired missiles into Gaza again last night as the White House tried to forestall the escalation of its war with Hamas at the end of one of the bloodiest weeks of recent times. One man died and 32 Palestinians, including 10 children, were reported injured, when a helicopter gunship...

Road map in reverse
The latest upsurge in violence between Israel and Palestine is particularly dismaying, coming so soon after the Aqaba summit seemed to promise a new beginning.

'Total War' Engulfs Middle East As Road Map is Torn to Shreds
Israel declared total war on Hamas yesterday, with the Islamic resistance movement responding by ordering all its fighters to immediately mobilise and "blow up the Zionist entity". The threat of escalation in an already bloody week for Palestinians and Israelis alike came hours before the...

A lease of life for Fatah's inside man
He is the latest Palestinian celebrity: a 67-year-old man with flowing grey hair who has swapped an Israeli prison for the Park Hotel, the closest Ramallah has to the Ritz.

Settlers ready to give up homes
A trip to the shop is a 37-mile round journey and part of it in an army convoy. Every excursion carries the risk of ambush by Palestinian militants.

Sharon's Offer is Not Enough, Arafat Says
Israeli leader feels squeeze from Palestinians and settlers, while doubts still surround US president's position.

Sharon Endorses Palestinian State
Against the backdrop of the royal palace palms in Aqaba, Jordan, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers today pledged to support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. At the end of a meeting with the US president, George Bush, the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud...

The Conflict Will Never End, But the Violence Might
Bush's road map may lead to a messy but workable hybrid solution. There is one truth about Israelis and Palestinians which holds out some hope for the future.

Abbas Pulls Out of 'road Map' Meeting
The Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, has pulled out of Israeli-Palestinian talks on the US-driven "road map" announced earlier today by his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon. Mr Abbas cited "scheduling difficulties", but the cancellation of the meeting, which was to be held...

Snubbed Abu Mazen aide quits
The Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has resigned after being excluded from tonight's talks between the new Palestinian prime minister and Ariel Sharon, the first such high-level discussions in nearly two years.

Villagers fear being forced out by being locked in
The mayor of Azzun Atma, a Palestinian village on the West Bank, traced his finger through the air to outline the path of the barrier which will encircle his village - around the school and carving through the olive groves. He said it was a strange thing to try to force people out by shutting them in.

Sharon Rejects Us Pressure on Settlements
Israel will not surrender sovereignty of Jewish towns to Palestinian state, PM warns before Washington talks on Middle East peace deal.

Sharon set to frustrate US
Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, is expected to be told that Israel is willing to dismantle up to 12 illegal outposts and ease some travel restrictions on Palestinians when he meets Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today.

Road to Nowhere
The 'road map' for peace between Israel and the Palestinians stands little chance of success unless the international community is willing to enforce compliance, writes Brian Whitaker.

Peace map unites families at war
David Metzer thought he had bought a dream home in the summer of 2000. Large and comfortable, it has beautiful views over terraced valleys and the Palestinian towns of Beit Jala and Bethlehem.

US releases 'road map' amid underlying tensions
The United States yesterday released the long-awaited "road map" towards a Middle East peace settlement with the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state within three years.

EU redirects aid in effort to stimulate economy
The European Union is to refocus the way it dispenses millions of euros of aid to the Palestinians to help prevent economic collapse and support reform efforts.

Both Sides Out of Step on Long Road to Peace
Palestinians demand an Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories. Israel demands an end to violence first. Can the deadlock be broken?

Middle East Leaders Await Peace 'road Map'
Palestinian and Israeli leaders are to receive the US-backed "road map" to peace today, just hours after a suicide bomber killed himself and three bystanders in Tel Aviv. The attack in Tel Aviv came as a United Nations envoy announced the delivery of the long-awaited road map, after the...

Suicide bomber kills two in Tel Aviv
A suicide bomber wrecked a Tel Aviv bar early today, killing at least two and wounding dozens more, just hours after the Palestinian parliament approved the government of Mahmoud Abbas and he spoke against violence.

New Palestinian Pm Pledges End to 'chaos'
Palestinian prime minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas today pledged to end "armed chaos" as he urged MPs to approve his cabinet and open the way to a lasting peace. "There is no room for weapons except in the hands of the government," Mr Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, told a milestone...

I won't travel until Arafat can, says PM-to-be
The Palestinian prime minster designate, Mahmoud Abbas, has said he will turn down invitations to Washington DC and other foreign cities until Yasser Arafat is given freedom of movement by the Israelis.

Peace Among Palestinians is the First Step on the Road
The split between Arafat and Abu Mazen is not the only faultline that must be overcome. Not for the first time, the Palestinians have been forgotten. All the international angst over the road map to Middle East peace has focused on the other players in the drama, with diplomats and commentators frantically looking for clues in Washington and Jerusalem.

The Road Map to Peace
Sally Bolton and Simon Jeffery explain how a last minute agreement on the Palestinian cabinet could spell peace in Israel.

Bomb challenge for Palestinian PM to be
Palestinian militants yesterday delivered a direct challenge to the new Palestinian government when a suicide bomber killed a security guard at an Israeli train station.

Suicide Bomber Hits Rush Hour Station
A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at a crowded train station in central Israel today, killing a security guard who tried to prevent him from entering the station. The bomb wounded 13 bystanders during the busy morning rush hour in the town of Kfar Saba. Medics said that at...

Arafat yields in battle over new cabinet
The Palestinian prime minister designate declared a new era for his people yesterday after he triumphed in a power struggle with Yasser Arafat.

Breakthrough As Palestinian Cabinet Agreed
The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, and the prime minister-designate, Mahmoud Abbas, today overcame an impasse over the composition of the new Palestinian cabinet in a potential breakthrough for the Middle East peace process. A senior Palestinian aide, Tayeb Abdul-Rahim, said that Mr...

Arafat proves to be a hard act to follow - and to negotiate with
The future of the Middle East peace process hung in the balance yesterday after the Palestinian prime minister designate stormed out of a discussion with Yasser Arafat and threatened to abandon the premiership before even taking up the post.

Tank captain admits firing on media hotel
A US army captain has admitted that an Abrams tank under his command fired on the Palestine hotel in Baghdad, killing two journalists, but said he had not been told that the hotel was home to the international press.

Palestinian Minister Demands Abbas Release
The Palestinian Authority today demanded that the US release a Palestinian faction leader reportedly seized by its special forces in Baghdad last night. Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said that Abu Abbas, who masterminded the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro, was...

US neglect casts dark shadow over a city without light or much love for the invaders
In the darkness of unelectrified Baghdad at night, one of the brightest spots is the Palestine Hotel, where, from generator-powered floodlit marquees on the roof, the American TV networks report around the clock on their military forces' operations in the Iraqi capital.

Don't Hold Your Breath
Hopes for Middle East peacemaking are premature. Neither Sharon nor Bush is going to deliver what's needed. For once the outlook seems almost sunny. In a conflict where a change in prospects is usually from bleak to bleaker, the Israeli-Palestinian struggle has suddenly begun sprouting apparent green shoots of possibility.

Arafat jeopardises peace by rejecting new cabinet
Yasser Arafat has angrily rejected his prime minister's proposed cabinet, a reaction which endangers the whole process of Palestinian reform demanded by the international community.

Sharon Softens Stance on Palestine
Leader suggests Israel will trade settlements for peace.

Playground bombing injures 20 Palestinians
A bomb, which may have been planted by Jewish extremists, exploded in a West Bank school playground yesterday, injuring 20 Palestinian children.

Sanctioning Sharon
As the pro-war and anti-war camps are holding their summits, a consensus is emerging in Europe - including Britain - that the "road map" for peace in the Middle East would be a futile exercise without some "teeth". Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation may prove to be the glue that reunites the fractious Euro-Atlantic structures.

Jews Settle in Palestinian Jerusalem
Ariel Sharon has brushed aside an appeal by the White House to stop an unprecedented move by Jewish settlers into a Palestinian district of Jersualem which his critics say will further hinder a political settlement. After more than two years of legal and political wrangling, Mr Sharon's...

Sharon Made Safe By Belgian Vote on War Crime Law
The attempt by Palestinians to have the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, tried in Belgium for war crimes seems to have been finally ruled out by a Belgian parliamentary vote to water down the contentious legislation involved. The law, which gives judges the right to hear cases of war...

Weary defiance on West Bank
He may be facing his last desperate days in Baghdad, weakened, beleaguered and isolated as American and British forces close in, but Saddam Hussein remains as much a hero to Palestinians as he ever was. They celebrated every Scud missile that streaked across the West Bank sky en route for Tel Aviv in 1991 and they long for a repeat performance.

Activist's Memorial Service Disrupted
Israeli forces fired teargas and stun grenades yesterday in an attempt to break up a memorial service for Rachel Corrie, the American peace activist killed by an army bulldozer in Gaza on Sunday. Witnesses including several dozen foreigners and Palestinian supporters say Israeli armoured...

Arafat Forced to Give Up Most Powers to New Pm
PLO leader takes back seat. Now pressure is on Bush to release 'road map' that will lead to Palestinian statehood.

Israeli Wall to Encircle Palestine
Sharon accused of turning territories into huge prison.

Concessions of a Dangerous Mind
While Tony Blair may believe he has transformed President Bush's thinking on the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, Ariel Sharon can remain confident that nothing has really changed, says Brian Whitaker.

No independent Palestine, Sharon insists
Israel is to press George Bush to eliminate all reference to an "independent" Palestinian state from the US "road map" to a political settlement, which he promised on Friday to release soon.

International roundup
Israeli soldiers and a helicopter killed two Jewish guards in a botched ambush laid for Palestinian gunmen near the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday.

Violence in the Shadows
What impact will the coming war in Iraq have on the long-running one between Israel and Palestine? We're all so fixated with the Middle East war that's about to begin, we've stopped looking at the one that never seems to end.

4pm Update
The Palestinian parliament is meeting today to create the new position of prime minister although officials said the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, will retain the final word on security and peace negotiations. Mahmoud Abbas, Mr Arafat's longtime deputy, will be appointed as prime...

Arafat names Oslo peace pact architect as PM
Yasser Arafat bowed to international pressure yesterday by appointing a credible prime minister, nominating his deputy in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Mahmoud Abbas.

Neglect of the Palestinian plight is risky and wrong
What price a new American-Israeli primacy in the Middle East? So anxious are we about the coming war in the Middle East that we sometimes overlook the one that is already going on.

The only question was when revenge would come. At dawn, it came to Jabaliya
Naji Abu Jalila paid a high price for the murders in Haifa. The young Palestinian fireman had no hand in the suicide bombing hundreds of miles away that prompted Israeli forces to tear into a Gaza refugee camp in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Revenge Comes to Jabaliya
Three young boys among the dead after Israeli tanks enter Palestinian refugee camp

Controversy Over Gaza Raid Deaths
An Israeli raid on a refugee camp in Gaza that followed a suicide bomb attack today left 11 Palestinians dead and more than 110 injured. Eight of those killed in the Palestinian camp of Jabalya, Gaza - among them three Palestinian boys aged 12, 13 and 14 - died in disputed circumstances...

Misleading or misled?
Either George Bush is being deliberately duplicitous on the Palestinian question or he is very badly informed, says Simon Tisdall

Billionaire in frame for top PLO post
A Palestinian billionaire with a home in St John's Wood, London, has emerged as the latest candidate to be the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.

Is This the End for a Palestinian State?
Sharon's new coalition may kill two-state solution.

Foreigners bring in the harvest and the wounded
Among the most active groups organising foreign volunteers in the Palestinian territories is the International Solidarity Movement, which brings hundreds to the region every year.

Welsh Pensioner Turns Freedom Fighter
Ex-bank manager defends Palestinian suicide bombers.

Sharon in Palestine State U-turn
Ariel Sharon yesterday virtually ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state under his hawkish new government just a day after President Bush pledged to broker a peace deal once he has dealt with Iraq. Hours before his cabinet was sworn in, the prime minister revealed to the knesset...

Sharon sacks Netanyahu to smooth US ties
Ariel Sharon sacked his arch rival, Benjamin Netanyahu, as foreign minister yesterday in a move apparently aimed at reassuring the United States that the hawkish new government being sworn in today is serious about reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

US Pledges Fresh Middle East Peace Push
President Bush last night promised a new US effort to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement after the fall of Saddam Hussein. He gave a "personal commitment" to implementing a "road map" to peace and he argued the fall of President Saddam's regime would provide an opportunity for...

Peace Hopes Sink As Sharon Rules Out Jerusalem Deal
The Israeli prime minster, Ariel Sharon, last night further entrenched his obstacles to a peace settlement by ruling out the division of Jerusalem or the return of Palestinian refugees from negotiations. His public objections came hours after it was revealed that Israel is demanding more...

Palestinians Head for Uk Talks After Travel Ban is Lifted
Israel has lifted its ban on Palestinian leaders travelling abroad before of a series of meetings beginning in London today aimed at nudging forward reform and the peace process. Under pressure from Europe and the US, the Palestinians will arrive armed with a pledge by Yasser Arafat to...

Arafat bows to pressure to appoint PM
Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, said yesterday that he would appoint a prime minister, after negotiations with international envoys.

Food Running Out in Gaza As Aid Appeal Fails
UN warns that warehouses feeding a million Palestinians will be bare in weeks because donations have dried up.

Patten Faces Battle Over Eu Funds for Palestinians
MEPs claim Brussels is paying for terrorist acts against Israel.

Sharon Calls for Unity Government
The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, today called for a national unity government against what he described as the "murderous hatred" of Palestinian militants. The call came after his Likud party had secured a resounding election victory. However, Mr Sharon's efforts to form a...

Sharon anxious for Labour support
Ariel Sharon is to appeal to the defeated Labour party leader, Amram Mitzna, to join a national unity government by pledging its commitment to the American plan for a Palestinian state, following yesterday's general election.

Secular party touches nerve
The biggest winner of the Israeli elections is most likely to be Tommy Lapid and his aggress