Keyword: Palestine

The organisers of a demonstration planned for this weekend in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Gaza military conflict said they will go ahead with their march despite an official ban on the gathering which, authorities argue, carried the threat of public disturbance.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert held a meeting in Paris on Friday with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas when the two men, who have previously met dozens of times, were in France on separate trips.

Delegates from 70 nations are expected to reaffirm support in Paris for a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict.

US secretary of state John Kerry and UN chief Ban ki-Moon were among those who attended conference aiming for peace process talks by year's end.

Israeli PM said France's initiative for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks was overshadowed by support Paris gave to Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Paris will host a meeting of foreign ministers at the end of May to set the stage for a peace conference later in the summer.

Foreign minister Laurent Fabius says Paris is trying to convene an international peace summit to work towards a two-state solution.

Monique Canto-Sperber banned Palestinian rights group meetings at the Ecole Normale Supérieur, one featuring 'Time for Outrage' author.

Paris aims to use resolution to spur talks between Israel and the Palestinians, a step that the United States resisted last year.

The narrow vote in France's upper house follows a similar move by MPs in the National Assembly earlier this month.

MPs in National Assembly will take part in 'symbolic' vote on Palestine but French government itself will not 'act alone' and recognise state.

March in Paris attracted up to 20,000 with demonstrations too in Marseille and Lyon as protestors voiced anger at French stance over Israel. 

From his alignment with the Israeli far-right to the banning of demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and the suggestion that this show of solidarity is in fact anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism, French President François Hollande has lost his way, writes Mediapart editor-in-chief Edwy Plenel. In this opinion article presented as an open letter to the head of state, he argues that Hollande has adopted a position of incoherence and hypocrisy that will bring him no political gain and which ignores the lessons of history.

Police arrested 18 people after rioting broke out in Sarcelles during a banned Sunday afternoon protest against Israel’s offensive in Gaza.