Embassy of the State of Palestine

BETHLEHEM, May 25, 2014 (WAFA) – Received in an official ceremony by President Mahmoud Abbas, Pope Francis I of the Catholic Church said in his statement:
“In expressing my closeness to those who suffer most from this conflict, I wish to state my heartfelt conviction that the time has come to put an end to this situation which has become increasingly unacceptable. For the good of all, there is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating the conditions for a stable peace based on justice, on the recognition of the rights of every individual, and on mutual security.”

B'TSelem in a press release issued May 20th, reported that findings refute the military's claim that no live ammunition was fired in the incident

PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, stated: “In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the deliberate execution of two Palestinian teenagers (Mohammad Mahmoud Odeh and Nadeem Siam Nawara) who were fatally shot with live ammunition outside Ofer Prison last week. Both boys were unarmed and posed no direct or immediate threat.”
“Israel’s use of excessive and indiscriminate violence and live ammunition at non-violent Palestinian demonstrations constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.”

The chief Palestinian negotiator has delivered a stinging rebuke to Australia for possible ''complicity in ongoing Israeli violations'' of international law, after the Australian ambassador met a senior Israeli minister in East Jerusalem.

Saeb Erakat, head of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's negotiation arm, has warned Foreign Minister Julie Bishop that the meeting may be deemed as ''aiding and abetting … illegal Israeli policies''.

"We will lay the responsibility for the hunger strikers on the ambassadors and consuls and we will call upon them to urgently take measures before the situation reaches an explosive level both inside and outside the prisons," Minister Issa Qaraqe said on Sunday.

Speaking to the Palestinian local news agency Quds Net, Qaraqe said that about 150 Palestinian prisoners are in an open-ended hunger strike; most of them are administrative detainees. He expected more prisoners to join the strike.

Palestine will urge delegates at next month's FIFA Congress to take sanctions against Israel while it continues to act "like the neighbourhood bully", FA president Jibril Rajoub said on Tuesday.

Rajoub, speaking at the Soccerex Asian Forum being held on the banks of the Dead Sea, said the relationship between the two Middle East neighbours had seriously deteriorated following the recent arrest of a Palestine footballer and the shooting of two other players.

The top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land said on Sunday a spate of attacks against the Church had poisoned the atmosphere ahead of this month's visit by Pope Francis, and urged Israel to crack down on the perpetrators.
Fourteen attacks by suspected far-right Israelis have been reported in the past year. Several have been carried out over the last month, including a death threat daubed in Hebrew at the Assembly of Bishops at the Notre Dame Centre in East Jerusalem.
The attacks have become known as "price tags" - a reference by ultranationalist Jews to making the Israeli government "pay" for any curbs on Jewish settlement on Palestinian land.

BRUSSELS--The European Union, largely relegated to the sidelines during recent Middle East peace talks, sought to pressure Israelis and Palestinians to resume negotiations by deploying a combination of threats and incentives Monday.

EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels warned Israel of potential consequences if it continues to expand settlements in the territories it captured in 1967.

According to (PCBS) Palestinian population has increased 8-fold since the Nakba. The Palestinian population was 1.4 million in 1948 but by the end of 2013, the estimated world population of Palestinians totaled 11.8 million. This indicates that the number of Palestinians worldwide has multiplied more than eight-fold in the 66 years since the Nakba. According to statistics, the total number of Palestinians living in historic Palestine (between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean) by the end of 2013 was 5.9 million and this number is expected to rise to 7.2 million by the end of 2020 based on current growth rates. Statistical data also show that refugees constitute 44.2% of the total Palestinian population in Palestine. UNRWA records showed that there were 5.35 million Palestinian refugees registered in mid-2013. Around 29.0% of Palestinian registered refugees live in 58 refugee camps, of which 10 are in Jordan, 9 in Syria, 12 in Lebanon, 19 in the West Bank, and 8 in Gaza Strip.

Brussels, May 12, 2014 (WAFA) - The EU foreign affairs ministers’ meeting, held in Brussels on Monday, adopted Conclusions on the Middle East Peace process, stressing that all sides must exercise maximum restraint and avoid any unilateral action which may further undermine peace efforts and the viability of a two-state-solution.