Latest update: 13/09/2010 

- Israel - Israeli settlements - Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Palestinian Territories


Israeli settlements in the West Bank: a Gordian knot

No Flash warning
To take advantage of all the features on FRANCE24.COM, please click here to download the latest version of Flash Player.

After a 20-month hiatus, talks have restarted in Washington between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Both have their demands: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants his country recognised as a Jewish state, while Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to walk out if construction resumes in the West Bank after the settlement freeze expires on September 26th.

FOCUS
By Gallagher Fenwick

After a 20 month hiatus, direct talks are restarting in Washington on September 2nd, but Palestinians are already threatening to walk out if construction resumes in the West Bank after the settlement freeze expires on September 26th. So far, the Israeli Prime Minister has carefully avoided mentioning that hot topic in his speeches at the White House, choosing instead to focus on the issue of security arrangements for Israelis on the ground. For its part, the White House plays it safe by stating that US officials have repeatedly asked both sides to create conditions that will allow them to reach a comprehensive peace agreement within the one year timeframe.

Guest :

  • Ofer Bronchtein, President, Forum for Peace and Reconciliation In the Middle East.
Seven days in Tibet
20/05/2013 - CHINA

Seven days in Tibet

Tibet has been off limits to journalists since the Chinese government brutally suppressed riots in the region five years ago. France 24 correspondent Cyril Payen managed to get a seven-day visa to enter the region. What he saw lends weight to the complaints of the Dalai Lama and human rights organisations, who say Tibetan culture is being erased.
Building collapse casts glare on working conditions
17/05/2013 - BANGLADESH

Building collapse casts glare on working conditions

More than 1100 people were killed when the Rana Plaza collapsed on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. The accident has raised questions over the future of the country's garment industry, a vital sector for Bangladesh's economy. Many in the country are calling on stakeholders like factory owners and western retailers to do more to avert similar catastophes in the future.
Libyans fight for property rights
17/05/2013 - LIBYA

Libyans fight for property rights

Property rights in post-Gaddafi Libya are among the many causes of friction following the end of the former dictator’s 42-year rule. A law in 1978 prevented Libyans from owning more than one house, meaning those without a home could take from Libyans who had several properties. Now, former owners are coming back to claim the properties from their occupants, and some are using force to do so. Our team in Tripoli, Marine Casalis and Huda Abuzeid, report.
France probes Swiss bank over tax cheats
16/05/2013 - FRANCE

France probes Swiss bank over tax cheats

In another instance of governments cracking down on tax evaders in hard economic times, France has asked Swiss authorities for help determining whether 353 French clients of the Swiss bank, UBS, were trying to cheat the taxman by having undeclared assets in Switzerland. On Wednesday May 15, official figures from the EU's statistics office showed the French economy had contracted by 0.2% in the first quarter of this year, officially entering a recession.
Investigating paedophilia scandals in Poland's Catholic Church
16/05/2013 - POLAND

Investigating paedophilia scandals in Poland's Catholic Church

Paedophilia scandals have rocked the Catholic Church across the world in recent years. Yet Poland, the most Catholic country in Europe, appeared to have been largely spared. But as increasing numbers of alleged victims of sexual abuse begin to speak out, it looks as if the problem may have simply been better covered up in Poland. France 24's Gulliver Cragg and Tomasz Lubik went to investigate the allegations and got a dramatically hostile reception.

React to the article
Comment this article typing your message in the above text zone. Please note that this is limited to 1500 characters or less.
(0) Reactions
Read more
Close