Indicators are in the red, entrepreneurs are operating at a loss, and families are resorting to loans even to pay for weddings. High fuel costs are leading to illegal logging, and people are increasingly forced to forgo necessities. Despite warnings from the IMF, the banking lobby holds 90 per cent of account holders in a stranglehold.
Mahmoud Abbas asked the UN Assembly to vote for the "birth certificate" of the Palestinian state. The resolution was passed with 138 votes in favor, 9 against, 41 abstentions. Israel is increasingly isolated in the international community. The possible recourse to the International Court against the illegal settlements; the possible retaliation of the Israeli government. Celebration in Ramallah and Bethlehem.
Declaration of the Holy See: the UN vote should be viewed within the framework of the attempts to give a definitive answer, with the support of international community. The Vatican recalled the agreement with the PLO for "a special internationally guaranteed status for the city of Jerusalem."
For Ron Pundak, the UN vote will help the international community and Israel move towards the solution of 'Two peoples, two states'. Israel needs a change in government. Netanyahu and Lieberman take a hard-line. "We need people like Rabin or Olmert".
Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian Muslim obstetrician and gynecologist, famous throughout the world for his book I Shall Not Hate, written after the death of three daughters and a niece during Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009). Talking to AsiaNews, the man emphasized the desire of the Palestinian population for a true peace with Israel. However, it can only be done with a full recognition of Palestine, which is a right and not a mere concession by the international community. Without a concrete action, peace is an abstract word. For the doctor, the Palestinian issue is a message for the whole world, divided by war and hatred.
During the celebrations for the feast of Saint Andrew, patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Bartholomew said we must work for and practice dialogue, trying to focus more on what unites us than on what divides us. The preparatory work for the upcoming pan-Orthodox synod has ended.
In the message for the feast of St. Andrew sent to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Benedict XVI emphasizes the common task to which the two Churches are called. Communion, though imperfect and the victim of divisions, is the fruit of a common faith. Continue on the path of unity, comforted by the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Father, 'that they may be one in us: that the world may believe'".
Art. 2 of the new constitution voted in record time, it subordinates the law to the exact dictates of the dictates of the Koran. The House voted despite the boycott of the liberal parties, the Coptic Orthodox Church and other realities of civil society. The session was attended by only 85 members out of 100.
The UN General Assembly is expected to vote at 6 pm (EDT). At least 60 Israeli peace groups plan to celebrate the event in Tel Aviv. For Netanyahu and Lieberman, the UN vote "lacks all significance." They threaten to cancel the Oslo Accords, stop transferring tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and ban Palestinian workers from Israel. For Uri Avneri, an independent Palestinian state "would open to the State of Israel the gateway to a life of peace with its neighbors and to integration in the region".
The vote in the General Assembly is set for tomorrow. European countries like France, Spain, Denmark, Austria, Portugal and Switzerland are in favour. Great Britain, Germany and Italy should abstain. The Palestinians are still concerned about US and Israeli pressures.
Tens of thousands of people have been thronging the streets for days. The results of the first clashes with the police is already two dead and one seriously injured. The demonstrators: "A revolution to save the revolution." André Azzam, an Egyptian journalist, explains to AsiaNews the climate these days in the capital, which after a year is back in the hands of pro-democracy movements. More than 50% of the population is tired of Islamists accused of having brought the country to the brink of civil war. The eerie silence of the military leadership which has passed into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood. Islamists warn the democrats: "Do not play with fire."
His tomb was opened this morning at dawn. The investigation into his possible poisoning from polonium has been entrusted to a group of experts from France, Switzerland and Russia.
For Msgr. Mario Zenari, the conflict is likely to fall into oblivion. The dead are no longer news. Yesterday 10 children were killed in a neighborhood south of the capital. The Church is the only remaining institution offering hope and help to the people affected by the bombings, starvation and kidnappings. The invitation to say a prayer for the Syrians in view of Christmas.
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