International Features

Population parity in historic Palestine raises hard questions for Israel

By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) – While Israel remains predominantly Jewish, Arab numbers within the area of historic Palestine are now close to eclipsing the Jewish population, creating a dilemma for supporters of a "one-state solution" to the region's conflict. Long-term demographic trends mean that those who want Jews and Palestinians to live together in a single, enlarged Israeli state …

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Jewish groups protest cancellation of U.S. musician’s Spanish concert

MADRID (Reuters) – Jewish groups protested on Monday after a Spanish reggae festival canceled a concert by an American Jewish musician when he failed to reply to a demand to clarify his position on Palestinian statehood. Matisyahu, who fuses reggae, hip-hop and rock with Jewish influences in his songs, had been due to perform next Saturday at the week-long Rototom …

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Prophet dome removal reports rubbished

The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has strongly denied reports that surfaced in Western media outlets claiming that the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Madinah may be removed. “This is the personal opinion of a researcher, who had expressed his views in a study, and it does not reflect the views of the presidency …

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Palestinian shift brings war crimes case closer to Israel

BY: ANTHONY DEUTSCH AND DAN WILLIAMS THE HAGUE/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The possibility of a war crimes investigation into the conduct of Israeli forces in Gaza, until recently unthinkable, has grown after the Palestinians said this week they wanted to become a party to the International Criminal Court. The world's permanent war crimes court in The Hague declined two years ago …

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Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem Denounce Israeli ‘Genocide’ in Open Letter

Dozens of Spanish film stars, directors, musicians and writers, led by Oscar winners Penelope Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem have denounced Israeli incursion into Gaza. In an open letter published on Tuesday, they described Israel’s actions as "genocide." They also called on the European Union to "condemn the bombing by land, sea and air against the Palestinian civilian population …

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