From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Rubio: Conditions do not exist today for two-state solution
(JTA) — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a candidate for the Republican nomination for president, said he would not pursue a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestinian conflict right now.
“I don’t think the conditions exist for that today,” Rubio said Wednesday during a question-and-answer session hosted by PBS’s Charlie Rose at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “That’s the ideal outcome, but the conditions for a two-state solution at this moment do not exist.”
Rubio, a hawk on Israel-related issues, blamed the Palestinian Authority, the official government of the Palestinians, for the current situation, as well as the lack of unity among the Palestinians. He also pointed out that the Palestinians had rejected two previous peace offers from Israel.
“I think the most we can hope for in the short term is that the Palestinian Authority will be able to provide a level of stability in that territory. And ultimately, the conditions will rise up with new leadership that will allow something like that to happen,” he said, according to Haaretz.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WATCH: JTA’s Ron Kampeas breaks down Netanyahu’s complicated coalition
Watch JTA’s Washington bureau chief Ron Kampeas discuss Israel’s new governing coalition on CCTV America:
From PressTV
Israeli soldiers attack Palestinian woman
An elderly Palestinian woman has sustained a broken hand as well as multiple bruises and cuts after Israeli military forces attacked and beat her in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian medical sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 60-year-old woman, identified as Yosra Mohammad Qatesh, was detained for nearly 24 hours at al-Karamah border crossing with Jordan, while on her way back home in the town of Azzoun, located 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) west of Qalqilya.
Israeli soldiers repeatedly attacked the elderly and broke her wrist and hand while violently pushing her into their vehicle.
“We were surprised to hear that the soldiers detained my mother, they held her from noon Tuesday until midnight,” her son, Mohammad Abdul-Aziz Kharfan, said.
“They later transferred her to the Ma’ale Adumim police station, where she remained until 6 in the morning (Wednesday),” he added.
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From PressTV
Palestinians welcome Vatican’s recognition
Palestinian officials have welcomed a recent decision by the Vatican to officially recognize Palestine as an independent state in a new treaty.
Palestinians are “extremely encouraged” by the agreement, said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
She described the move by the Vatican as a “very positive development, not just politically but in moral terms, human terms, in legal terms.”
The treaty, which is the first legal document to be negotiated between the Vatican and the Palestinians, was finalized on May 13 and is expected to be signed in the near future.
The Vatican’s Under Secretary for Relations with States and Holy See deputy Foreign Minister Antoine Camilleri said the treaty “aims to enhance the life and activities of the Catholic Church and its recognition at the judicial level.”
“Both Parties agreed that the work of the Commission on the text of the agreement has been concluded, and that the agreement will be submitted to the respective authorities for approval ahead of setting a date in the near future for the signing,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has expressed disappointment over the Vatican’s decision, saying the move would not help negotiations between the two sides.
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