Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, enters the Security Council Chambers prior to the Security Council Meeting on the bombings in Gaza at the United Nations in New York on January 6, 2009. (UPI Photo/Laura Cavanaugh)
Mahmoud Abbas is the subject or is mentioned in the following stories:
Hamas is Playing With Fire
Hamas -- the Islamic Resistance Movement -- is playing a dangerous game that could provoke a massive Israeli reaction and plunge the Middle East into a new round of crisis.
Shoe-Throwing Journalist Inspires Arab Jokes
AMMAN -- An Iraqi journalist's unique "farewell kiss" to U.S. President George W. Bush by throwing a pair of shoes at him in Baghdad last weekend has not only turned this television reporter into an instant national hero in much of the Arab world, but it has inspired a storm of political humor - some clean, others unpolished - but all badly needed in a turbulent and grim Middle East.
Vestigial Appendage
Gaza was and is an anomaly of sorts. Gaza is a piece of land left over from the calamity of history, seemingly created in a moment of distraction. It was once Egyptian, then Ottoman, then British, then Israeli and now Palestinian. In truth no one quite knows what to do with Gaza. The Israelis were only too happy to leave it. And the Egyptians just as glad to be rid of it.
Palestinian Prisoner Release to Make Little Impact
AMMAN – An Israeli plan to release a batch of Palestinian prisoners as a "goodwill gesture" and "confidence-building measure" to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, does not signal the end of detention of thousands of other prisoners, but it could bring the outgoing Israeli government closer to securing the release of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas.
Foreign Media Takes Israel to Court as Israeli Military Weighs Gaza Invasion
JERUSALEM -- The Israeli Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents foreign journalists in Israel, is taking the Israeli government to court. Israel has refused to allow the foreign media into Gaza to report first hand on the escalating humanitarian crisis there as Israel continues to keep the coastal territory sealed from the outside world for the third consecutive week.
Boom Times for West Bank Economy
NABLUS, West Bank -- Palestinian businessmen concluded their one-day Palestine Investment Conference "north forum" in the West Bank city of Nablus with a package of seven investment projects with a total value of $510 million.
Abbas Launches Unusual Peace Campaign
AMMAN -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has launched an unusual kind of peace campaign, by targeting the Israeli public with paid advertisements in major Hebrew-language newspapers to promote the Arab peace initiative.
Israel Should Know Better
Israel is once again trying to teach the Palestinians, especially Hamas, the Islamist group in control of the Gaza Strip, a lesson that it has repeatedly failed to do despite its overpowering military arsenal. One would think that the Israeli establishment, now in a state of disarray thanks to the discredited leadership of the outgoing prime minister, Ehud Olmert, would realize that a new approach is needed if it wants to live side by side in peace with the Palestinians.
Israel to Release 250 Palestinian Prisoners as Gaza Tension Mounts
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised on Monday to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel would release 250 Palestinian prisoners next month ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
Gaza: The Calm Before the Storm
The minor escalation of hostilities this past week between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip did manage to make some noise amid the epochal cacophony of the global financial crisis. The headlines in the international media, however, had less to do with the limited border skirmishes, rocket launches, air strikes, and border closures which transpired, than with the fact that the nearly five-month ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group and the Jewish state appeared to be unraveling.
