Google has decided Palestine is a nation state. The declaration was made by the Internet search engine Wednesday, as Google changed its Palestinian edition from “Palestinian territories” to “Palestine.” Google hosts a unique platform for each country it serves. "We're changing the name 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine' across our products. We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries,” Google spokesman Nathan Tyler said. "In this case, we are …More

Jewish leaders are already expressing concern over Guatemala’s decision to officially recognize Palestine as a nation state. A Guatemala statement on the decision claims the move was made to “gain new momentum” in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. "The decision in no way alters Guatemala's long tradition of friendship and cooperation with the State of Israel, a relationship the Guatemalan government highly values," the statement said. Several other Latin American nations have made the …More

A group of Birthright alumni were denied entry to this year’s United Nation’s Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, where the General Assembly was to vote on an elevated status bid for Palestine. The alums, who had also planned to attend a General Assembly debate on “The Question of Palestine” as well, found themselves uninvited at the last minute to the November 29th event. The decision to rescind the day’s passes came after the UN Division for Palestinian Rights sent a …More

Canada is temporarily recalling its ambassadors in Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as delegates to the United Nations, in protest of yesterday’s decision to elevate Palestine’s UN status. “Our government’s position is clear: The only way to achieve a just and lasting peace is through negotiations, not unilateral actions,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. He added: “To that end, Canada is bringing its heads of missions in Israel and Ramallah and its permanent …More

With yesterday’s United Nations vote upgrading Palestine’s member status, Israeli officials are now faced with how to move forward in potential peace negotiations. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the General Assembly ahead of the vote, accusing the Jewish state of “aggression” and “occupation.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the remarks, slamming what he called a ”venomous” address. “The world watched a defamatory …More

The Jewish connection to Israel cannot be severed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today. The remarks came as the UN General Assembly prepares to vote on an elevated status bid for Palestine, which is expected to pass today. “Israel is prepared to live in peace with a Palestinian state, but for peace to endure, Israel’s security must be protected,” Bibi said at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. “The Palestinians must recognize the Jewish state and they must be prepared to end the …More

Palestine rejects an 11th hour bid from the US to stop its elevated status motion at the UN tomorrow. [Times of Israel] Meanwhile, a poll shows most Americans oppose unilateral Palestinian UN bids without direct talks with Israel to form peace. [Algemeiner] A Jewish woman is brutally murdered in Iran over a property dispute. [Times of Israel] An annual latkes-vs-hamentashen debate has been canceled, as feuding scholars get into a "food fight." [Forward] Is Israel going vegan? [Tablet] An Israel advocacy …More

Israel's Foreign Ministry has instructed its diplomats to refuse to accept any official mail that uses "problematic terminology" such as the "state of Palestine." The instructions come ahead of Thursday's scheduled vote in the United Nations General Assembly on the Palestinians' request to elevate their status to non-member observer state, Ynet reported. Other problematic terms include "occupied Palestine," "occupied Jerusalem" and "occupied territories." Palestinian Authority territories is an acceptable term, …More

Palestine submitted its final draft proposal for an elevated position in the UN, ahead of the General Assembly vote on the matter Thursday. The draft was handed in today as the US and Israel continued to warn against such an action. In the final days, the US worked closely with Palestinian aides, pushing for an amendment to the bill that would ensure Palestine does not bring war crime complaints against the Jewish state to the Hague. Palestine refused the addition. As it stands, the Palestinian Authority enjoys …More

The United States reportedly warned European governments in a memorandum not to support a Palestinian bid for increased status at the United Nations. The memorandum, which was seen by the British newspaper The Guardian, called giving the Palestinians enhanced non-member state status "extremely counterproductive" and threatened "significant negative consequences" for the Palestinian Authority, including financial sanctions, the newspaper reported on October 1. The memorandum, sent by US officials to …More

Israeli officials blamed Palestine for the lack of negotiations between the two sides, responding to comments made by United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Friday. "To our regret the Palestinians are the ones who decided to boycott the negotiations," Mark Regev, the spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement. “We would like to see direct negotiations with no preconditions, and we stand ready to resume them. But the Palestinians must renounce their attitude of …More

The Israeli government decided to hand over $100 million in tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday while maintaining that the tax money could be frozen again in the future if Palestine continues to seek statehood at the United Nations. A senior official told Haaretz that Israel will track the money from October and November’s tax collection, and whatever amount is given to terrorists will be deducted from future transactions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet were under …More