Israel Said To Be Willing To Conduct Limited Settlement Freeze - International Middle East Media

Source : International Middle East Media Center

The alleged “acts of goodwill” include a freeze on settlement activities in certain non-vital parts of the occupied West Bank, and the release of some Palestinian political prisoners.

Israeli Maariv reported that the Netanyahu government is trying to avoid a tension with the U.S. Administration, and wants to avoid being pressured into “making concessions”.

The New York Times reported that Israel will be releasing some Palestinian detainees, and also intends to grant the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank “full control” over certain cities and towns, in addition to the claimed limited freeze on settlement activities.

The paper also said that political analysts and officials do not really expect Obama’s visit to achieve a real breakthrough in the stalled peace talks.

It added that American and Israeli officials are trying to reach an agreement where Israel freezes its settlement activities, and in return, the Palestinians do not sue Israel at the International Criminal Court for its settlement activities.

American Middle East Envoy, Dennis Ross, stated that Ramallah and Tel Aviv should be serious in trying to resume the peace process, and should stop blaming each other.

The White House said that Obama does not intend to present a new initiative, and that his two-day visit will also include separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials, in addition to visiting the Holocaust Memorial, the Hebrew University, and will likely speak at the Israeli Knesset.

Obama will also be heading to the central West Bank city of Ramallah to meet Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

In related news, head of the Negotiations Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Saeb Erekat, told the Palestine News Network (PNN) that no date was set for a trilateral summit between Obama, Netanyahu and Abbas

Feature: Gazans celebrate cease-fire with massive rallies

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

GAZA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sirens of ambulances and fire engines were howling over Gaza streets late Wednesday, but at this time, they were not rushing to rescue victims, but celebrating the end of Israel's aggression which has left 162 Palestinians killed.

Egypt declared that a cease-fire was reached between Israel and Gaza's Palestinians. As soon as clock indicator pointed at 9:00 p. m. local time (1900 GMT), ambulance crews and firefighters in the Gaza Strip firstly started the rallies, apparently because they can have a respite after eight days of nonstop work.

"It's time to go home, I will see my family," said an ambulance driver amid crowds of cars and people dancing on the streets, who are waving flags, firing in the air and chanting slogans commending the "Palestinian resistance." However, the driver said he would keep his mobile on and keep alert.

People are also hugging each other and congratulating each other for surviving the eight-day violence.

Yousef Zahar, the general chief of the civil defense, was celebrating outside Gaza's al-Shifa hospital, with his florescent red jacket.

"I was confident that this day will come," he said, adding that "They (Israel) lost the war... Our next battle will be in Jerusalem," he shouted loudly.

For him, Hamas has made a notable progress in lifting the blockade that Israel imposed on Gaza, though the implementation of the agreement is still unclear.

Not far from al-Shifa hospitals, families which took shelter in school were packing stuff and some of them who have cars or donkey carts started to return their homes with their mattresses on the roofs of their vehicles.

But inside the hospital, exactly outside the morgue, some sad people didn't join the celebrations. They were the relatives of the victims who were killed in the last day of the Israeli attacks.