Afghanistan’s Resistance Leader Vows Not To Surrender After Taliban’s Claimed Victory
The leader of the last remaining resistance in Afghanistan said Wednesday he would never surrender to Afghanistan’s Islamist Taliban rulers.
Peace Talks
Biblical Euphrates River Drying Threatening Humanitarian Disaster In Syria
Aid groups have warned of a looming humanitarian disaster in northeast Syria as one of the Bible’s most famous rivers is drying up fast. The Euphrates, which is believed to have flown through the Biblical ‘Garden of Eden,’ now barely runs for almost 2,800 kilometers (1,700 miles) across Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
Afghanistan Military Massively Surrenders To Taliban As US Withdraws
Many Afghan military units surrender to the Islamist militant Taliban group as American troops withdraw, a report said Thursday.
Clashes After Palestinian-Israeli Ceasefire
Clashes have erupted between Palestinians and Israeli security hours, including in Jerusalem injuring more than a dozen people just hours after a ceasefire was supposed to come into effect.
Deadlock in US-Afghanistan peace plans, despite troops withdrawal announcement
Plans for a route to peace between the United States and the Afghan Islamist Taliban have become deadlocked amid canceled talks in Turkey, and despite President Joe Biden’s announcement earlier this month that US and NATO troops will unconditionally withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, NPR reports.
Biden seeks face-to-face meeting with Putin, urges Russia to ‘de-escalate tensions’
NATO leaders and Russia traded sharp threats Tuesday over a military standoff in Ukraine, with President Biden pressing the Kremlin to de-escalate the situation and suggesting it was time for him and Russian President Vladimir Putin to have a face-to-face talk about Russian provocations.
US To Withdraw All Troops From Afghanistan By Sept. 11
U.S. President Joe Biden will announce that all American troops will leave war-torn Afghanistan by September 11, officials said.
Mideast quartet discusses reviving Israel, Palestinian peace talks
The Middle East quartet of mediators – the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations – discussed on Tuesday reviving “meaningful negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians with the aim of a two-state solution.
European, Arab diplomats try to revive Mideast peace efforts
Leading European and Arab world diplomats announced potential “small steps” Thursday toward reviving Mideast peace efforts after upcoming Israeli and Palestinian elections.
UN Security Council fail to agree joint declaration on Syria
The United Nations Security Council was unable to reach agreement on a joint declaration about the devastating war in Syria after yet another round of UN peace talks on Tuesday, i24News reports. It was hoped a new declaration would revive the grid-locked peace talks.
Egypt, Germany, France, Jordan discuss Israeli-Palestinian talks ahead of Biden inauguration
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Germany, France, and Jordan met in Cairo Monday to discuss reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as US President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on January 20, the Times of Israel reports.
PA, Jordan and Egypt call for resumption of peace talks
The Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan on Saturday stressed the need to urge Israel to return to negotiations in order to reach a final settlement on the basis of a two-state solution to ensure the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines, with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Gantz welcomes renewed Palestinian security ties, calls for peace talks
Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday praised the Palestinian Authority’s decision to resume security cooperation with Israel, saying the move benefited both Israelis and Palestinians.
Trump to cut troop levels in Afghanistan but stops short of full withdrawal
President Donald Trump will sharply reduce the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday, stopping short of a threatened full withdrawal from America’s longest war after fierce opposition from allies at home and abroad.
Russia, France and the U.S. call for an immediate cease-fire in Armenian-Azerbaijani clashes
Russia, France, and the U.S. on Thursday issued calls for an immediate cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan as clashes between the two rivals sparked recently over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh killing dozens of people and threatening to drag nearby Turkey and Russia into a direct military confrontation.
Ukraine, Pro-Russian Rebels Launch Tense Ceasefire
Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists began a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine on Monday as part of efforts to end their six-year conflict.
Serbia’s Populists Expected To Win Vote
Serbia’s ruling populists were due to tighten their grip on power in the first European national election since the coronavirus pandemic. Voting began Sunday in the, heavily Orthodox, Balkan nation despite concerns about ongoing COVID-19 cases and what critics view as the autocratic style of the current president.
Israel Builds New Road Linking Jewish Settlements in West Bank to Jerusalem
Israel has started construction of a major ring road that will connect Jewish settlements in the West Bank to Jerusalem, Reuters reported exclusively Monday. Israeli officials say the road will ease traffic congestion and will benefit Palestinian West Bank residents as well as Israelis. Palestinians have criticized the road as a hindrance to making East Jerusalem the capital of a future state and for cutting Palestinian neighborhoods off from each other.
EU urges US to join new Israeli-Palestinian peace push, rejects Trump plan
European Union foreign ministers on Monday urged the United States to join a new effort to breathe life into long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but they rejected US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan as the basis for any international process.
Russia said pushing ‘mini-summit’ to mend ties between US, Palestinians
Russia is reportedly seeking to arrange a meeting in the coming weeks between US and Palestinian officials to help renew ties between Washington and Ramallah, which have frayed during US President Donald Trump’s presidency.