Police rule out terrorism after West Bank vehicle accident

According to the Israeli military, the Palestinian attacker opened fire as the family was driving near the West Bank city of Hebron, killing the father, who was in his 40s, and his 18-years-old son.

Israel has demolished hundreds of Palestinian houses since 1967, the year in which it occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories, mainly as a punitive measure aimed at deterring Palestinians from carrying out attacks against Israelis in the future.

In Nablus in the north, troops destroyed the homes of three Palestinians accused of killing an Israeli settler couple on October 1 at the start of the latest flare-up of violence, the army said. And earlier Friday, a Palestinian died of wounds sustained in clashes the day before. Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency later arrested five Palestinians it said were part of a Hamas cell that had carried out the attack. “The lives and futures of two peoples are at stake, and we can not afford to resort to shallow responses such as accusing Palestinians of not wanting peace, or divesting from Israel”.

The Quartet, which comprises the European Union, Russia, United Nations, United States, appointed Blair to support the economy and Palestinian institutions in preparation for statehood.

Blair said his new role allowed him added freedom to hold frank discussions with all sides. “And since I have the relationships, people are maybe prepared in a few way to be more forthcoming”, he said.

ISRAEL’S acting ambassador to London has hit back at cultural and academic boycotts of his country – and at the EU’s new labelling guidelines for West Bank products – saying they could fuel anti-semitism.

The army operation came after the High Court ruled in favor of the demolitions on Thursday. The Syrian civil war and rise of the Islamic State militant group have largely pushed the Palestinian issue off the worldwide agenda.

Israel’s justice ministry said an indictment was filed Friday against an Israeli teenager who attacked a human rights activist last month.