Kerry to meet Abbas as new Israeli settlements fan tensions

[Jefferson23]

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- US Secretary of State John Kerry is set for talks Thursday with the Palestinian leader on easing regional tensions, after Israel approved new settler homes in east Jerusalem despite mounting unrest.

The new settlement construction was announced on Wednesday just hours after suspected Jewish extremists torched a West Bank mosque, in another development likely to inflame tempers in an already heated atmosphere.

Months of unrest have escalated in recent days, spreading from annexed East Jerusalem to the West Bank and Palestinian communities across Israel, raising fears of a new Palestinian uprising.

Kerry was due to hold talks with President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman on Thursday, after arriving in Jordan late Wednesday to discuss the situation in East Jerusalem and other regional issues at a private dinner with King Abdullah II.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=739678

[Jefferson23]

1. Clashes as Israeli forces detain 27 across Jerusalem and West Bank

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces arrested 27 Palestinians across East Jerusalem and the West Bank overnight, while clashes erupted again in the flashpoint Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Issawiya.

Israeli authorities conducted detention raids in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan, al-Tur, al-Suwwana, and Jabal al-Mukabbir early Thursday, arresting nine Palestinians.

A lawyer for the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Muhammad Mahmoud, identified the detainees as Hiba Makiyyeh, Muhammad Abu Lafi, Muammar Abu al-Hawa, Ramzi Ibrahim, Fadi Nasser Eweisat and his brother Shadi Nasser Eweisat, Muayyad Eweisat, Musallam Odeh, Hamza Ahmad Abbasi, and ex-prisoner Ihab Hamdan.

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society, meanwhile, said that Wajih Makih was also detained in the raids.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=739665

[Jefferson23]

2. Netanyahu to meet Kerry, Abdullah in Amman, US State Department says

The US State Department said Wednesday that US Secretary of State John Kerry would be meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah in Amman on Thursday.

http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Netanyahu-to-meet-Kerry-Abbas-in-Amman-US-State-Department-says-381725

[Jefferson23]

3. Kerry: Israel, Palestinians, Jordan agree to act on Temple Mount crisis

Following tripartite meet in Amman, U.S. secretary of state says it is not the right moment' for Israel and the Palestinians to come together for peace talks right now.

By Barak Ravid | Nov. 13, 2014 |

Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan have agreed to take steps to de-escalate the crisis over the Temple Mount, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday.

Kerry was speaking after his tripartite meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian monarch King Abdullah II in Amman, which focused on defusing the tensions over the holy site, and putting a stop to the violence that has flared up recently in East Jerusalem. In the past few weeks, the city has seen riots, terror attacks and an assassination attempt.

In the meeting, Israel and Jordan agreed to make sure they reduce tensions around the site, which is holy to Jews and Muslims, and restore confidence that the status quo there is upheld, Kerry said.

He also told reporters that Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel's commitment to the status quo and to implement measures to restore calm during the meet.

Referring to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, Kerry said "it is not the right moment for the two sides to come together right now."

Also speaking after the meeting, Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said that Israel had given its commitment to respect Jordan's role in Jerusalem, as stated in the 1994 peace treatybetween the two countries.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.626387

[Jefferson23]

4. What exactly, did Netanyhu say he would do?

Israel moves to destroy terrorists' homes

Family's of terrorists behind the recent wave of terror attacks in Israel were sent demolition notices on Thursday after Netanyahu's approves move at emergency cabinet meeting.

Elior Levy
Published: 11.13.14

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4591861,00.html

[Jefferson23]

5. Israel lifts age restrictions from flashpoint Temple Mount

Israel police said restrictions on the age of worshippers at the Temple Mount would be lifted for Friday prayer. Furthermore, the barricades blocking the path from the Arab neighborhood of Isawiya in Jerusalem to the French Hill were lifted following a meeting between Secretary Kerry, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and King Abdullah in Amman on Thursday evening.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4591897,00.html