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WORLD NEWSThursday 22 October 2015

Israel’s Netanyahu heads to Berlin to meet with Kerry

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks into binoculars as he visits a military outpost on able to succeed. The Israeli Judaism and home to the
the outskirts of the Gaza Strip. With no end in sight to weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence, Prime and Palestinian leaders biblical Temples. Muslims
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to Germany on Wednesday as part of a high-profile diplo- have vast differences over call it the Noble Sanctuary,
matic push to restore calm. the causes of the violence. and today it houses the
It also is unclear whether Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s
(Haim Horenstein/Pool Photo via AP) anyone can rein in the at- third-holiest site and an im-
tackers, who have been portant Palestinian national
JOSEF FEDERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel said a Palestinian motorist young “lone-wolf” Pales- symbol.
Associated Press and talks with U.S. Secre- wounded four Israelis in a tinians, often in their teens, Israel captured the site,
JERUSALEM (AP) — With no tary state John Kerry on hit and run in the southern acting on their own. along with the rest of east
end in sight to weeks of Is- Thursday, came on a day West Bank. Meanwhile, At a news conference with Jerusalem and the West
raeli-Palestinian violence, of new Palestinian attacks Israeli troops shot and Merkel, Netanyahu reiter- Bank, from Jordan in the
Prime Minister Benjamin Ne- in the West Bank. wounded a 14-year-old ated his belief that Palestin- 1967 Middle East war. Un-
tanyahu headed to Ger- Israeli officials said a female Palestinian girl whom they ian incitement has fueled der a “status quo” arrange-
many on Wednesday as Israeli soldier was stabbed said was carrying a knife the unrest. He pointed to ment, Jews are permitted
part of a high-profile diplo- and seriously wounded and trying to infiltrate a Palestinian President Mah- to visit but not pray in the
matic push to restore calm. by a Palestinian man who Jewish settlement. moud Abbas’ refusal to compound. While Netan-
The trip, which included was shot dead, while late It remains unclear whether condemn attacks on Israe- yahu says Israel is commit-
a meeting with German Wednesday, the army the diplomatic push will be lis and accusations that Is- ted to preserving the status
rael is changing delicate quo, Palestinians point to
prayer arrangements at Je- a growing number of Jew-
rusalem’s holiest site. ish visitors, including Israeli
Netanyahu called the officials, who seek prayer
claims false. “It is very clear rights and an expanded
to us that incitement leads presence on the mount
to terror,” he said. “The inter- as evidence of Israeli en-
national community must croachment.
demand that President During the past month, 10
Abbas stop the incitement Israelis have been killed by
and stop spreading the lies Palestinian assailants, most-
about the Jewish state and ly in knife attacks, while at
about Israel’s policies.” The least 47 Palestinians have
unrest began last month been killed by Israeli fire.
after clashes erupted at Twenty-six of the Palestin-
the holy site — a hilltop Old ians have been labeled by
City compound revered by Israel as attackers, with the
Jews and Muslims. Jews call remainder killed in clashes
the compound the Temple between Israeli forces and
Mount, the holiest site in Palestinian protesters. q

Syrian Kurds form new administration in semi-autonomous area

SARAH EL DEEB part of the umbrella group by the Kurdish fighters in 23,000 people who fled the region for now, but Alloush
Associated Press administering the Kurdish June, expelling the Islamic fighting to Turkey. Amnesty said if the experiment was
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s Kurds semi-autonomous region. State group. The expulsion International accused the successful, it could be-
have expanded their semi- Syria’s Kurds, the coun- dealt a major blow to the IS Kurdish authorities of inten- come its own fourth semi-
autonomous region in try’s largest ethnic minor- group’s abilities, cutting off tionally displacing thou- autonomous region.
northern Syria, announcing ity group long ostracized a vital supply line to its self- sands of Arab residents “The importance of this
Wednesday a new admin- under the central govern- proclaimed capital, Raqqa later, some in retaliation step is that Tal Abyad has
istration in a majority Sunni- ment, declared a semi- and depriving it of a strate- for perceived support to IS agreed to be part of the
Arab town they seized from autonomous administration gic avenue for cross-border — charges that the Kurds project of self-administra-
the Islamic State group this in 2013 made up of three smuggling. denied. tion, the political project in
summer. largely Kurdish regions, or But many, including rights Alloush said the new ad- Rojava,” Alloush told The
The announcement falls cantons, in Afrin, Jazeera groups, accused the Kurds ministration of Tal Abyad is Associated Press.
short of declaring Tal Aby- and Kobani. They refer to of displacing the town’s largely made up of Arabs; He said the area doesn’t
ad a separate region, but their overall autonomous majority Arab population. the ruling council will con- yet qualify as a separate
prepares it for such a step region as Rojava, meaning The U.N. refugee agency sist of six Arabs, two Kurds fourth region because it
if the current experiment is “west” in Kurdish. at the time said the Kurd- and one Turkman. lacks the resources and
successful, said Kurdish of- The Arab majority town ish advance caused the an independent police
ficial Omar Alloush, who is Tal Abyad was captured displacement of about Tal Abyad will fall under force.q
the Kobani administrative