Palestine
Final numbers won't be released in the near future, but incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming victory following Tuesday's Israeli election.
U.S. authorities at Los Angeles International Airport briefly detained Emad Burnat, the first Palestinian filmmaker nominated for an Oscar, after questioning the validity of his Academy Awards invitation, his publicist told reporters on Wednesday.
At the 25th Anniversary celebration of Hamas, chief Khaled Marshaal rejected compromise with Israel, and asserted that open conflict was the only path to Palestine's liberation.
On January 22, Israelis will elect their Prime Minister at the polls.
The fissure between Fatah, the Palestinian faction led by Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas which controls the West Bank, and Hamas, the militant organization which claims the Gaza strip, has long haunted the state's bid for national unity.
Shortly after Palestine was declared a non-member observer state by the United Nations, Israel announced plans to construct 3,000 new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
When Israel was birthed in 1948, neighboring Arab States went to war with the fledgling nation, resulting in 750,000 displaced Palestinian refugees, according to the UN
Only a day after the United Nations overwhelmingly recognized Palestine as a sovereign state, Israel approved the building of settlements in a contested area east of Jerusalem.
The United Nations voted overwhelmingly to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state.
Palestine is officially recognized in the Untied Nations.
The United Nations could see a landmark day in terms of the relationship between Israel and Palestine.
A Palestinian bid to upgrade its status at the United Nations will go up for vote later this week.
