The boycott, divest and sanction campaign, known as the BDS campaign, is a global civil movement that strongly opposes Israel’s occupation of Palestine. It says it hopes to promote a message of impunity of Israel in its serial breaches of international law and internal humanitarian law. The BDS movement is spreading in Australia with one of the country’s leading academic institutions, the University... 

An Israeli bulldozer sits at a construction site in East of Jerusalem. The Israeli prime minister has vowed to continue building settlements in the “Israeli capital of Jerusalem,” defying near-unanimous international criticism of the illegal activity in retaliation for Palestine’s upgraded UN status. ­In an interview with Israeli Channel 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw internationally-recognized... 

The Israeli government’s decision to expand settlements is “a slap in the face for [the] US president,” according to former PM Ehud Olmert. He is the latest to join both domestic and foreign criticism of Israel’s punitive actions against Palestine. ­The Israeli government is unfreezing a controversial construction project in the occupied territories in retaliation for the Palestinian success... 

Palestinians celebrate in Ramallah on November 29, 2012 after the upgrade of Palestine’s status at the United Nations by the UN General Assembly. The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “observer entity” to “observer non-member state” despite strong opposition by Israel and the US. On Thursday, the 193-member assembly voted... 

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has come under heavy pressure from Jewish and pro-Israeli groups after announcing that Canberra would abstain from a vote for the upgrading of the status of Palestine at the UN. Australia’s Jewish groups have demanded a meeting with the premier to express their anger over her decision and to urge her to vote against the bid which would upgrade Palestine’s... 

Southern Israeli town of Sderot smoke billowing from a spot targeted by an Israeli air strike inside the Gaza strip on November 15, 2012. A rocket has hit Tel Aviv. The sound of an explosion and air raid sirens were heard throughout the city. There are no reports of injuries or damage. It was the second rocket to land in the greater Tel Aviv area on Thursday. A siren warning residents of incoming rockets... 

Palestinians hold candles and pictures of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during the seventh anniversary of his death in Gaza City, November 13, 2011. Scientists of a Swiss institute say they have evidence that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with polonium. According to the findings of laboratory research conducted at the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland,... 

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland The US says it is cutting funding to UNESCO in response to the UN cultural organization’s decision to admit Palestine as a full member. Describing the decision as “regrettable and premature”, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters on Monday that Washington would stop all financial contributions to the UN Educational,... 

Delegates cheer after they approved the membership of Palestine during the session of UNESCO's 36th General Conference, in Paris, Oct. 31, 2011. Palestine has been admitted as a full member of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) despite strong opposition from Washington. Palestinians won the UNESCO seat in a Paris vote on Monday. The membership bid required two-thirds... 

The flag of Palestine The United States has threatened to cut off its funds to UNESCO, if the UN organization recognizes Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland gave the warning on Wednesday, adding that there would be serious repercussions for the UN body, AFP reported. “We’ve made the point that there are very clear red lines in US... 

Mahmoud Abbas In the whirr of diplomacy taking place at the United Nations, the case for and against statehood recognition for the Palestinians has become almost an afterthought. Rather, two countries, the United States and Israel, are going to great lengths to avert the embarrassing consequences of an expected application. Great pressure is being placed on the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas,... 

China on Tuesday said it backs Palestine’s efforts to seek recognition by the United Nations. “China understands, respects and supports Palestine’s bid for UN membership,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said at a daily press briefing on Tuesday. Hong’s comments came after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday that he will formally apply... 

Russia put its growing ties with Israel to the test on Monday by announcing plans to back a controversial Palestinian bid to win UN statehood despite strong resistance from the Jewish state. The decision does not come as an outright surprise but still underscores the growing diplomatic isolation Israel finds itself in following a violent new flare-up in relations with regional powers Egypt and Turkey. Russia’s... 

The statement, aired on Hamas-controlled radio on early Saturday, said “There is no more truce with an enemy”. Hamas has called off its truce with Tel-Aviv as Israel and Palestine continue hostilities into a third day. The Gaza Strip has been targeted by the Israeli air force in overnight raids. ­“Aircraft targeted two terror tunnels and a weapons storage facility in the southern Gaza Strip,... 

Australia is almost certain to vote against a Palestinian state next month, despite an apparent push by Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd for Canberra to abstain from any such vote. Leaders of the Jewish community reacted angrily yesterday to a report that Mr Rudd had written to Julia Gillard recommending that Australia abstain from the vote at the UN. The diplomatic row came as Victorian Labor leader Daniel...