Diplomatic Cross

Emboldened by the American embassy’s recent relocation to occupied Jerusalem al-Quds, Tel Aviv is now pressing the US administration to recognize the occupied side of Syria’s Golan Heights as Israeli territory. In an exclusive interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Yisrael Katz, Israel’s intelligence minister, said the subject is “topping the agenda” in talks with Washington, which has already recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied Palestinian city. He also claimed that America’s recognition of Israel’s annexation of occupied Golan would serve as a message of warning to Iran and bolster the latest wave of anti-Iran efforts by the US administration under President Donald Trump. Israel is deeply angered by Iran’s military advisory assistance to Syrian armed forces in their operations against the terrorist groups, which have the backing of Tel Aviv and its allies. “This is the perfect time to make...

Palestinian Muslims pray during the first Friday Prayer of Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque after Israeli authorities allowed Palestinians only those who above 40 years of age men and all women, in Jerusalem on 18 May, 2018 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency] In an attempt to counter Israel’s policy of depriving them of their right to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinians banned from doing so by the occupation authorities are resorting to standing at the nearest access points to the Noble Sanctuary gates, Quds Press has revealed. The Israelis want to keep Palestinian visitors away from the Sanctuary as part of their Judaisation plan for the occupied city of Jerusalem. Those prevented from having access to Al-Aqsa include not only Palestinians from across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, but also natives of Jerusalem itself. Men and women alike are affected. Hanadi Halawani — Umm Mahmood — recalled to Quds Press the atmosphere in Al-Aqsa Mosque during th...

On Monday, May 14, the US officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and many Israelis and Americans celebrated; meanwhile, Israeli soldiers shot and killed more than 60 Palestinian protesters on the Gaza-Israel border and wounded thousands of others. In the aftermath, the international community strongly condemned Israel for its response, while the US has backed Israel’s use of force. The clear majority of protesters who participated in Monday and Tuesday’s events were unarmed, though the Israeli military claimed that some of the protesters threw Molotov cocktails and said that they shot three people dead who were trying to plant a bomb. On Wednesday, an official with Hamas said that several of the protesters who died were affiliated with them, though this has been disputed. No Israelis were injured. Palestinians are in their seventh week of protests at the Gaza-Israel border. They’re protesting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which is sufferi...

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned Israel as a “brutal and rogue apartheid regime” for its recent massacre of the Palestinian people, urging a "transparent and independent" international probe into the Zionists' crimes in the Gaza Strip . Zarif made the remarks in an address to a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers on Palestine in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday following the recent massacre of tens of Palestinians during anti-occupation protest rallies along the border between the Gaza Strip and occupied territories. “In light of the massacre in Gaza, the international community is entitled to demand an end to the impunity of this brutal and rogue apartheid regime,” the Iranian minister said. He added that the OIC should "reinforce the call for bringing the perpetrators to justice." "We need to take concrete action in the United Nations system, including by pushing for a transpare...