RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian premier called on his people Sunday to boycott Israeli products, the latest step in an economic battle between Palestinians and Israelis spurred by the Palestinians’ status upgrade last month at the United Nations.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad, a US-educated economist, told reporters the call for a boycott is a protest against Israel’s withholding of funds to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.

Israel is holding $100 million in taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinians, based on an interim peace accord. It cut off the funds to protest the Palestinians’ successful bid last month at the United Nations, which granted the Palestinians non-state observer status. Israel said the Palestinian move was an attempt to bypass peace negotiations. Palestinians deny that.

Israel has briefly withheld tax transfers on previous occasions to pressure the Palestinians.

MORE...

http://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-pm-calls-for-boycott-of-israeli-goods/

The Associated Press
CAIRO — Egypt's Foreign Ministry says that Cairo has more evacuated more than 4,000 of its nationals and their family members from Syria over the past several months.

The Sunday statement did not provide a more specific time frame for the evacuations. It cited one recent instance of 90 people, including Egyptian nationals and their Syrian spouses and children, who were given special passage through the Syria-Lebanon border before being taken to Beirut airport.

MORE...

http://www.wpxi.com/news/ap/top-news/egypt-evacuates-4000-people-from-syria/nTX2s/

-Muslim Brotherhood claims to be in lead with 56 per cent of 'yes' votes

-Rights groups call for repeat of votes as counting 'took place in darkness'

-120,000 army troops deployed to help the police protect polling stations

Egyptians voted narrowly in favour of a controversial new constitution yesterday amid accusations of widespread ballot box violations.

Rights groups today called for a repeat of the first round of the two-part referendum as Islamists, who back the disputed charter, claimed they were in the lead with a 56 per cent majority of ‘yes’ votes.

Representatives of the seven groups charged that there was insufficient supervision by judges in Saturday's vote in 10 of Egypt's 27 provinces and independent monitors were prevented from witnessing vote counts.

The representatives told a news conference that they had reports of individuals falsely identifying themselves as judges, of women prevented from voting and that members of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood were allowed inside polling stations.

MORE...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2249048/Egypt-narrowly-votes-new-constitution-favoured-President-Mohammed-Morsi-amid-widespread-claims-ballot-box-fraud.html

By KATIE GLUECK | 12/14/12 9:44 AM EST Updated: 12/14/12 11:59 AM EST
Some Jews and supporters of Israel voiced major concerns about the possible nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel to lead the Defense Department, taking to Twitter and the blogosphere this week to slam the Nebraska Republican.

“Send us Hagel and we will make sure every American knows he is an anti-Semite,” a senior Republican Senate aide told the Weekly Standard. The aide continued, “Hagel has made clear he believes in the existence of a nefarious Jewish lobby that secretly controls U.S. foreign policy. This is the worst kind of anti-Semitism there is.”

The Times of Israel reported that “The nomination of Hagel would likely worry Israel supporters, who have criticized the former Republican senator for what they see as a chilly stance toward the Jewish state.”

The English-language Israeli publication cited Hagel’s past positions on issues including the second Lebanon War in 2006 and Israel’s dealings with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/jews-israel-backers-fear-hagel-85088.html#ixzz2F31Vsx2P

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Where is Nelson Mandela?

As the 94-year-old patriarch of South Africa's democracy entered his seventh day of hospitalization Friday for a recurring lung infection, confusion grew as government officials appeared to contradict themselves over where he is being treated.

With the government refusing to say where Mandela is, concern grew across this nation of 50 million people about the health of the anti-apartheid icon.

Mandela, admitted Saturday to a hospital, was thought to have been at 1 Military Hospital near South Africa's capital, Pretoria, after Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said she visited the leader there Monday. But when local media reported that Mandela wasn't at that hospital Thursday night, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj declined to give the whereabouts of the ailing politician.

"President Mandela is being treated at a Pretoria hospital as said from the first statement we issued," Maharaj said. "We have refrained from disclosing the hospital in order to ensure privacy and also to allow doctors space to do their work of caring for (him) without interruptions or undue pressure."

MORE...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_SOUTH_AFRICA_MANDELA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-14-11-27-03

Source: Associated Press

VIENNA — A senior U.N. official announced progress Friday in long-stalled efforts to resume a probe of suspicions that Iran may have worked to develop nuclear arms, saying the investigation could be restarted by early next year.

Herman Nackaerts of the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke of headway after returning from talks with Iranian officials in Tehran, saying his team was “able to make progress” and the IAEA expects to “start implementing” an agreement on the probe shortly after new talks in Tehran on Jan. 16

He acknowledged that a key IAEA request — a visit to a site linked to suspected nuclear weapons research — was again denied. But he told reporters at Vienna airport that he expected IAEA experts to be allowed to go to Parchin, a military base southeast of Tehran, and follow up on suspicions it might have been used as part of secret arms-related experiments once the probe is resumed.

In Tehran, Iran’s state TV also reported that there was no agreement on visiting Parchin. But in comments to state TV, Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh called the talks “constructive,” adding that “good progress was made.” He also said a new meeting was set for Jan. 16.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121214/NEWS05/121219655/u-n-nuke-agency-progress-on-iran-nuclear-program

Source: BBC

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has resigned after prosecutors decided to charge him with breach of trust.

Mr Lieberman has also resigned as deputy prime minister, and said he would fight to clear his name of the charges.

The case against him relates to a financial scandal dating back more than a decade.

His resignation comes five weeks before Israel's general election.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20731396

HEBRON, WEST BANK — Israeli soldiers punched two Reuters cameramen and forced them to strip in the street, before letting off a tear gas canister in front of them, leaving one of them needing hospital treatment.

Israel’s military said on Thursday it took the allegations seriously, but offered no explanation for the assault that occurred on Wednesday evening in the heart of Hebron.

“The regional brigade commander was ordered to open an investigation,” Israeli Defense Forces spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said in an email. No further information will be provided until the investigation is complete.

Yousri Al Jamal and Ma’amoun Wazwaz said a foot patrol stopped them as they were driving to a nearby checkpoint where a Palestinian teenager had just been shot dead by an Israeli border guard.

Their car was clearly marked ‘TV’ and they were both wearing blue flak jackets with ‘Press’ emblazoned on the front.


Read more: http://forward.com/articles/167681/israeli-soldiers-beat-reuters-photographers/#ixzz2Ezup8vdy

Source: Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS | 5 minutes ago in

The White House "fiscal cliff" meeting between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner has ended with no immediate indication of progress from either side.

The two leaders met at the White House Thursday night for about an hour. They made no public comments following the sit-down, their second face-to-face meeting of the week.

Read more: http://www.newser.com/article/da35684g0/obama-boehner-hold-hour-long-white-house-meeting-no-immediate-indication-of-progress.html

JERUSALEM | Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:29pm EST
Dec 13 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday he did not have to resign after being charged with fraud and breach of trust, but added he would further study the indictment against him.

"I do not have to resign," Lieberman said in a speech a few hours after the Justice Ministry announced its decision not to pursue more serious corruption charges. "A final decision will be made after consultation with my lawyers and in the consideration of not hurting the voting public."

MORE...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/13/israel-lieberman-decision-idUSL5E8NDEBT20121213