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Arab League Backs Palestinian Plan to Upgrade U.N. Status

Arab foreign ministers have backed Palestinian plans to seek an upgrade to their status at the United Nations to that of a non-member state, Palestinian officials said.

But no decision was taken on when the application would be made, with the Arab League postponing such a decision until its next meeting in Cairo on September 5, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told Agence France Presse late on Sunday.

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U.N. Agency Fears for Palestinian Refugees in Syria

UNRWA on Sunday expressed concern over the fate of some half a million Palestinian refugees living in war-torn Syria, particularly those residing in the Yarmouk neighborhood of Damascus.

"UNRWA views with increasingly grave concern the situation in Syria, particularly as regards the implications for the stability and protection of 500,000 Palestine refugees across the country," the agency said.

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Israel Again Seeks Delay to Evacuate Migron Outpost

Israel on Sunday again asked the Supreme Court for more time to evacuate the Migron settlement outpost, which the same court has ordered razed by August 1.

The request for a one-month extension to August 30, a copy of which was seen by Agence France Presse, was backed by the regional military commander who said the need to maintain order in the West Bank during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan justified the delay.

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Two Rockets Fired from Gaza Hit Southern Israel

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets into southern Israel on Friday where they hit without causing casualties or damage, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.

"Two rockets hit the Eshkol region in southern Israel, at two in the morning and three in the afternoon. Neither caused casualties or damage," she told Agence France Presse.

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Israel Arrests Man for Peace Activist Death Threats

Israeli police said they have arrested a Jewish man suspected of spray painting death threats outside the Jerusalem home of a prominent Israeli anti-settlement activist working for Peace Now.

"A 21-year-old man suspected of spraying the graffiti on Hagit Ofran's home was arrested on Monday evening, following the incident earlier that day," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Agence France Presse.

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Israel to Free Hamas Parliament Speaker

Israel has agreed not to renew its detention order for Palestinian parliament speaker Aziz Dweik and will free the Hamas member on Thursday, his lawyer told Agence France Presse on Monday.

Fadi Qawasmi said Israel had agreed to his request that Dweik's six-month administrative detention order not be renewed. "That means that Dweik will be released on Thursday," he said.

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Death Threats Sprayed on Israel Peace Activist Home

Death threats were spray painted outside the Jerusalem home of a prominent Israeli anti-settlement activist working for Peace Now, police said on Monday, in the third attack on her home in 10 months.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the attack, believed to be the work of right-wing extremists, targeted the home of Peace Now's Hagit Ofran.

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Palestinian ex-Officer Dies after 'Fall' in Police Custody

A retired Palestinian security officer died on Sunday of injuries sustained after falling from a window while in Palestinian custody, security sources told Agence France Presse.

Osama Aql Mansour, 49, was pronounced dead at a Ramallah hospital, where he was transported suffering serious injuries. His brother told AFP he believed Mansur had been murdered.

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Palestinian PM Hails $100 Million in Saudi Aid

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Sunday hailed an emergency $100 million donation received from Saudi Arabia after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the kingdom last week.

"Prime minister Salam Fayyad and the Palestinian people thank... King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz after he instructed the Saudi finance ministry to transfer $100 million to the Palestinian Authority treasury at the request of president Mahmud Abbas," Fayyad's office said.

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Israel Still Holding 5 Foreign Women Activists

Israel was still holding five foreign women activists on Saturday who were arrested in the West Bank after a demonstration a day earlier, a police spokeswoman said.

"Five European activists arrested Friday during a demonstration in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) remain in detention," Luba Samri told Agence France Presse.

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