Israelis, Palestinians Clash at Jerusalem's Holiest Site

(NEWSER) - Amid intense US-Israeli negotiations over settlements, Israel today brushed off Washington’s request to stop an American millionaire's housing project in East Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post reports. Palestinians have complained that it would change demographics in the Arab-dominated area. But Obama "had crossed a red line" in asking Israel to cease building in Jerusalem, said sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. More»

Israeli PM apparently trying to jumpstart peace talks

(NEWSER) - Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to head back to the negotiating table with Mahmoud Abbas—and stay there until a deal is struck, reports the AP. Seeking to jumpstart Mideast peace talks that stalled in September, Netanyahu said today that he's "ready to immediately sit down for continuous, direct, one-on-one negotiations until white smoke wafts." More»

Israelis already celebrating end of settlement slowdown

(NEWSER) - With Palestinians threatening to walk away from Mideast peace talks, officials in Washington are scrambling to rescue the negotiations just hours before a slowdown on West Bank settlement construction expires. "They are talking. Intense efforts are ongoing," said one anonymous official. PM Benjamin Netanyahu has called for "restraint" as the slowdown expires. More»

Private security guard fatally shoots Palestinian man

(NEWSER) - Unrest rippled through East Jerusalem today after the fatal shooting of a Palestinian man, the LA Times reports. It comes amid stalled progress on the new round of peace talks. The shooting by a private security guard employed by Jewish residents in a majority-Arab area provided the spark for clashes between youths and Israeli police. At least 12 people were injured. More»

Maryland college student hit by tear gas canister

(AP) - An American woman lost her eye yesterday during a demonstration in Jerusalem against Israel's naval raid on a Gaza aid flotilla. Maryland college student Emily Henochowicz, 21, was hit in the face by a tear gas canister shot by an Israeli border policeman and underwent surgery in a local hospital, where she is now recuperating. More»