The Arab League has given its blessing for the Palestinian Authority to open direct talks with Israel, although the 'timing' is left in Abbas's hands. Yesterday both the PA and Hamas restated their position, objecting to any such talks while settlements continued to expand. Abbas obviously has to tread carefully following the Goldstone debacle when he initially sided with the US by calling for a suspension of judgment by the UN human rights council inquiry. CAIRO (Reuters) – The Arab League said on Thursday it would back face-to-face peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel when the Palestinians believe the time is right. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, facing U.S. pressure to agree to such talks, has said he first wants progress in U.S.-mediated, indirect negotiations that began two months ago with the Arab League's blessing. Abbas briefed the Arab League's peace process committee in Cairo on Thursday about the indirect talks, which will end in Septe
Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of the novel coronavirus spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with some joking that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario. But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned. "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible