Palestinians to send peace letter to IsraelJanuary 23, 2013 - 18:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An activist says the Palestinians plan to reassure Israel's public that they are partners for peace, after a strong showing of Israeli moderates in parliament elections ended the domination of hawkish parties, The Associated Press reports. The activist said Wednesday, Jan 23, that a letter with such a message will be sent to Israeli legislators and the media in coming days. He spoke on condition of anonymity because Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not yet approved the text. Palestinian officials say they are pleasantly surprised by the surge of centrist parties but doubt this will fundamentally alter Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line policies. Netanyahu is likely to retain his job, though it's not a certainty because of the draw between Israel's hawkish and center-left camps. He'll have to bring moderate parties into his new coalition. Top stories 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". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |