Mideast

Peace pacts are not solving Mideast dilemma, Ahmadinejad tells Annan

Peace pacts are not solving Mideast dilemma, Ahmadinejad tells Annan Tehran - Middle East peace pacts will not solve the dilemma in the Middle East, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Monday told former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and several former heads of Western states.

Annan and the Western dignitaries were in Tehran for attending a religious conference initiated by Ahmadinejad's opponent and ex- president Mohammad Khatami.

Jordan premier urges Israel to stop all settlement activity

Jordan premier urges Israel to stop all settlement activity Amman - Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi on Monday urged Israel to stop all settlement activity in the Palestinian territories, saying such practices "do not serve the quest of peace".

Dahabi was speaking at a meeting with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Robert Serry. He also urged a continuation of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians "regardless of political developments".

Ehud Olmert: Police to show "zero tolerance" to rioters

Israel Prime Minister Ehud OlmertJerusalem - Israeli police have been ordered to show "zero tolerance" toward rioters in the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Acre, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday, after recent violence between the two communities in the northern coastal city.

On Sunday, as unrest in Acre entered its fifth day, police patrolled the city in large numbers but were unable to prevent an Arab-owned home from being torched Saturday night or a Jewish-owned car from being set ablaze early Sunday.

By Sunday, some 54 people had been arrested in the intermittent rioting.

Israel to seal off West Bank ahead of Sukkot holiday

Tel Aviv - Israel to seal off West Bank ahead of Sukkot holiday Israel will seal off the West Bank for Palestinian movement early Monday ahead of the first day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday.

The closure will be in effect until midnight October 21, according to a security assessment, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.

Sukkot, also known as the Holiday of Tabernacles, lasts seven days.

Secret talks between Palestinian rivals Fatah, Hamas confirmed

Secret talks between Palestinian rivals Fatah, Hamas confirmed Ramallah - A senior official with the Palestinian Fatah movement in the West Bank confirmed on Thursday that his organization has been holding secret talks with its rival, the Islamic Hamas movement, in the past few weeks.

Jibril Rajoub, a member of the Fatah revolutionary council and a security adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that he met with Hamas leaders at Hamas's behest.

Hamas, Fatah to meet this month in Cairo

Cairo - Hamas, Fatah to meet this month in CairoA Cairo-hosted mee

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