Palestinian leader says Israel ‘deliberately seeking unrest’February 25, 2013 - 17:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Monday, Feb 25, that Israel was deliberately seeking to stoke unrest in the occupied West Bank but that Palestinians would not be provoked, AFP reported. "The Israelis want chaos and we know it but we won't let them," Abbas said in comments at his West Bank headquarters, seemingly in response to an Israeli demand on Sunday that he calm a wave of protest in the territory. "We want peace and freedom for our prisoners and no matter how hard they try to drag us into their schemes, we will not be dragged," he said. Protests in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons have been building and gained new momentum with the sudden death in his cell on Saturday of 30-year-old Arafat Jaradat, a former militant of Abbas's Fatah movement. Palestinian officials accuse Israel of torturing him to death. "We lost Arafat Jaradat who was arrested and came back in a coffin and this cannot pass lightly," Abbas said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday that "Israel passed an unequivocal demand to the Palestinian Authority to calm down the (West Bank) territory." Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Turkey condemns Uruguay’s recognition of Armenian Genocide Turkey has condemned a newly passed law in Uruguay that recognizes the Armenian Genocide, TRT reports. For the first time, Armenia votes in favor of Georgia resolution in UN Armenia on Tuesday, June 4 voted for the first time in favor a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. Moscow warns Armenia against leaving Russian-led defense bloc Armenia could ruin its military ties with Russia if it continues drifting towards the West, according to a senior official in Moscow. Moscow says ready to support Yerevan-Baku reconciliation Moscow has confirmed its readiness to support the reconciliation of Yerevan and Baku. |