Nov 01 U.S. Withholds Funding to UNESCO Based on Palestinian Membership By Larisa Epatko A new chapter is unfolding in the Palestinian bid to gain statehood in the United Nations. Momentarily thwarted in their attempts to get official recognition in the U.N. Security Council, Palestinians have gone to a smaller agency to start the… Continue reading
Sep 27 Palestinians’ U.N. Statehood Bid: What Comes Next? By Larisa Epatko Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both returned to their homelands as heroes after championing their causes at the U.N. General Assembly last week. But the euphoria has petered out. Continue reading
Sep 26 World Week Ahead: U.N. Discusses Palestinians’ Bid; Gadhafi’s Hometown Under Siege By Larisa Epatko Palestinians handed the United Nations a bid for full membership on Friday, which the world body is expected to start discussing this week, while fighting continues in Libya and tensions escalate in Yemen after President Ali Abdullah Saleh's return. Continue reading
Sep 23 Abbas: ‘Palestine Is Waiting to Be Born’; Netanyahu: ‘Israel Wants Peace’ By Larisa Epatko Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas submitted a formal request for U.N. membership Friday, saying negotiations with Israel had repeatedly broken down without results. Continue reading
Sep 21 Obama: Israelis, Palestinians ‘Must Reach Agreement on the Issues that Divide Them’ By Larisa Epatko NEW YORK CITY | In an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York Wednesday, President Obama said that the Palestinian Authority's bid for statehood would circumvent the Israel-Palestinian peace process and urged the resumption of direct negotiations. Continue reading
May 24 Lands Swaps Key to 1967 Israeli-Palestinian Border Issue By Larisa Epatko The notion of going back to pre-1967 borders with land swaps as a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian territories elicited instant resistance after President Obama's speech last week, but further emphasis on land exchanges showed some wiggle room… Continue reading
Apr 19 Watch 2:35 ‘Where Children Sleep’: An Intimate Portrayal of How Children Live By Larisa Epatko In "Where Children Sleep", James Mollison photographs children around the world. Continue watching
Sep 23 Obama’s U.N. Remarks Cover Economy, Mideast Peace By Larisa Epatko President Obama addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday on a wide range of issues, including reinstating Iran's need to demonstrate the peaceful intent of its nuclear program and calling for international support of Israeli and Palestinian peace efforts. Continue reading
Sep 01 Watch Jumpstarting Mideast Peace Talks: Will It Work? Gwen Ifill talks to the former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former National Security Adviser Steven Hadley about the issues at stake in a new round of direct peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Continue watching
Mar 16 Watch Tensions Build Around New Israeli Settlements U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell canceled his trip to Jerusalem as a dispute between Israelis and Palestinians over Israel's authorization of new homes on East Jerusalem has intensified. Jeffrey Brown reports. Continue watching