Thursday, January 24, 2008

01/24/08

* UN rights council condemns Israel's actions in Gaza, W. Bank The UN's top human rights body on Thursday passed a resolution condemning Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank.

* PM completely freezes new construction in West Bank settlements Israel has completely frozen all new construction in West Bank settlements.

* Egypt refuses to take control of Gaza A top Egyptian official said Thursday that Egypt's border with Gaza will go back to normal.

* Arab League chief: Israeli policy is destroying peace process Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa on Thursday accused Israel of taking steps destined toward destroying the peace process.

* Abbas to MKs: Jerusalem is on the table Jerusalem is on the table in talks between Israel and the Palestinians but it has not yet been negotiated.

* MK Shteinitz: Solution in Gaza Remains the Same - Conquer it! Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz says that with the breakdown of the border between Gaza and Egypt, Israel's lone option remains the same: "We must take over Gaza."

* Dutch FM to lobby for Israeli membership in EU Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen has pledged to lobby the EU member states to admit Israel to its ranks.

* Kosovo's independence 'in days' Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has said a declaration of independence is "an issue of days".

* 'Holland dominated by fear of Islam' A Dutch politician cautioned that the government of the Netherlands was dominated by a "fear of Islam."

* Davos switches focus to Mideast Fears of world recession briefly took a back seat Thursday at the World Economic Forum, where leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq focused on how to establish security in their volatile regions.