Palestine ends contact with Israel amid tension in West Bank

STORY: Palestine ends contact with Israel amid tension in West Bank DATELINE: July 4, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: RAMALLAH, Palestine CATEGORY: MILITARY SHOTLIST: 1. various of smoke rising from the West Bank city of Jenin 2. various of Israeli army troops staying ready in the border with the West Bank city of Jenin 3. various of Israeli army troops preparing to enter Jenin with armored vehicles STORYLINE: Palestine on Monday decided to stop all contacts, meetings and security coordination with the Israeli government in protest against the latter's brutal raids in the West Bank that had killed eight Palestinians and wounded 80 others. The decision was made during an emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership chaired by President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to an official statement. During the meeting, Abbas called on the Palestinians "to stand firm and steadfast, to unite and defend the land and sanctities," the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Egypt deeply condemns burning of copy of Munificent Quran in Stockholm by extremist

STORY: Egypt deeply condemns burning of copy of Munificent Quran in Stockholm by extremist DATELINE: June 30, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:08 LOCATION: Cairo CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Egypt's Foreign Ministry headquarters in Cairo 2. various of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaking in a press conference 3. various of Al Azhar headquarters STORYLINE: The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the recent Quran-burning incident in Sweden during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, emphasizing the responsibility of states to prevent incitement and hate crimes. In a statement, the ministry called the incident "a shameful act that ignites the feelings of Muslims around the world." The ministry stressed the importance of upholding the values of respecting others and their sanctities, as well as fostering tolerance, acceptance, and peaceful coexistence between peoples. It also voiced concerns over the rise of Islamophobia in some European states and called on countries to address the issue and p