Trump proposed the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements, creating Israeli enclave communities in the heart of the West Bank while promising the possibility of a future independent Palestinian state under certain conditions.
Israel Palestine
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Key points in Trump’s Mideast peace plan
The peace plan would leave most of annexed east Jerusalem, including its Old City and holy sites, under Israeli control while allowing the Palestinians to establish a capital on the outskirts of the city outside Israel’s separation barrier.
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Holy Land Catholic leaders: Trump’s peace plan needed Palestinian input
The church leaders said Trump’s plan endorses “almost all” the demands and the political agenda of the Israelis while ignoring the demands of the Palestinian side.
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Netanyahu to push West Bank annexation plan on Sunday
Thousands of Palestinians protested in Gaza City ahead of the announcement, burning pictures of Trump and Netanyahu and raising a banner reading “Palestine is not for sale.”
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International bishops visiting Holy Land get look at complexities of Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip has been under an air, land and sea blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007.
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Thousands mark Christmas in West Bank town of Bethlehem
Visitors converged on the town’s large Christmas tree in Manger Square, near the spot believed to mark Jesus’ birthplace.
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Israel to grant Gaza Christians holiday travel permits
It had been unclear whether Israel would grant permits to members of Gaza’s tiny Christian community to leave the Hamas-ruled coastal territory.
Posted inFaith, News
Vatican official brings Christmas cheer to Gaza Catholics
Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa said he wanted to bring some holiday cheer to Gaza’s Christians because it remains unclear whether they will be able to travel to Bethlehem in the West Bank for the holiday.
Posted inFaith, News
Bethlehem family feels draw of living in the town of Jesus’ birth
Unlike many other Christian families in the Bethlehem area, none of the Hosh siblings have moved abroad.
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Palestinians in Bethlehem look beyond religious tourism
For decades, the people of Bethlehem have watched tour buses drive up to the Church of the Nativity, disgorge their passengers for a few hours at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, and then return to Israel.