Palestinian president demands two-state map from Israel; Tensions rise in Gaza as UNRWA shuts down offices
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    • ISRAEL/PALESTINE

    According to reports, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that any return to negotiations on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will require a map for a future Palestinian state, according to an aide of the president. The remarks came days ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to the region to help revive stalled peace talks. Abbas has said that participation in any peace talks be conditioned by a halt to Israeli settlement building in the Palestinian territories, and using red lines as existed prior to the 1967 war as basis for negotiating future borders. 1

    In another development, according to reports, the Hamas government in Gaza has urged the main UN humanitarian agency operating in Gaza to resume its operations following the shutting down of its offices in the territory after protesters stormed its headquarters. The protesters were demanding that the UNRWA reverse its decision to cut an annual $40 handout that was given to the poorest residents in Gaza. The past week also witnessed violent clashes between youth and Israeli security forces, leading to the death of at least two Palestinian teenagers, and raising concerns that a new ‘intifada’ may be brewing. UNRWA serves at least five million Palestinians across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza, and the West Bank; it has said that it will not resume operations until it receives assurances of safety for its staff from the Hamas government. 2

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