Mideast Conflict

BEIRUT (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's visit to Beirut on Monday casts the spotlight on the plight of nearly 300,000 Palestinians in Lebanon who fear they are doomed to be refugees for life. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed that Israel would resume building in settlements in the occupied West Bank when a 10-month moratorium expires next year. Full Story »

CAIRO - Saudi Arabia's oil minister said current global oil prices are "perfect," as several key OPEC members indicated the group was unlikely to change output levels when it meets later this month. Full Story »

Gaza City - The population of the Gaza Strip is facing an acute cooking gas shortage this winter, after a unilateral Israeli decision in October to permanently close the sole oil and gas terminal between the coastal Palestinian territory and the Jewish state. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The FBI on Thursday updated its "Most Wanted Terrorist List" with the names of four Palestinians suspected of taking part in a 1989 hijacking of a Pan Am airliner that left 20 dead in Pakistan. Full Story »

AMMAN (AFP) - Jordan summoned Israeli ambassador Nevo Dani on Thursday to demand a halt to "unilateral" work carried out by the Jewish state on the outer walls of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Full Story »

BEIRUT (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will make a brief visit to Lebanon next week for talks with President Michel Sleiman on relations and the plight of Palestinian refugees, officials said on Thursday. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (AFP) - In a confidential report obtained by AFP on Thursday, the European Union accused Israel of actively pursuing the annexation of Arab east Jerusalem and undermining hopes for peace with Palestinians. Full Story »

PARIS (AFP) - Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni said Thursday she had discussed the need for a quick resumption of Middle East peace talks during her meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A proposal before the European Union to endorse the division of Jerusalem would risk closing off half the city to non-Muslims, according to a think tank close to the Israeli government. Full Story »

AMSTERDAM - The newly elected chemical weapons chief says he will pursue the last seven holdouts — including Israel, Egypt and Syria — to get them to sign a disarmament treaty and submit weapons stockpiles for inspection. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel's ultra-nationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday ruled out freeing one of the Palestinians' most popular leaders in exchange for captive soldier Gilad Shalit. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel last year stripped a record number of Palestinians of their Jerusalem residency status, and the accompanying freedom of movement and insurance benefits, government figures revealed on Wednesday. Full Story »

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon's cabinet on Wednesday adopted a policy statement granting Hezbollah the right to use its arms against Israel, despite the reservations of Christian ministers in the Western-backed majority. Full Story »

JERUSALEM - An American convicted of spying for Israel is reportedly proposing that Israel kill Hamas prisoners rather than swap them for a captive Israeli soldier. Full Story »

GAZA CITY (AFP) - The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Wednesday it was facing an "unprecedented" budget deficit that could force it to cut back on services to more than 4.7 million people. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel stripped Palestinians of Jerusalem residency status last year at a faster rate than at any time in the history of the Jewish state, an Israeli rights group said on Wednesday, citing official Israeli statistics. Full Story »

JERUSALEM - The brother of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has knocked an Israeli sports reporter unconscious. Full Story »