talk to mahmoud abbas but we don't achieve anything by that. that only brings us more cast is. we need a -- more disaster. we need someone strong or the arabs will walk all over us. the criticism that netanyahu allowed hamas through recent doing to gain strength isn't being talked of. >> he says it's like we're living on a small island. it's only 30,000 kilometers and we have to fight for it every hour of every day. i worry about what will happen to my grandchildren in 30 years. if we don't find a solution, it's only going to get worse. i keep hearing the opinion that israel has too stay strong in a region that is changing rapidly. some put it in stronger terms than that. i've come to the he brew university of jerusalem to look at the platforms. one is bennett who shot to prominence during the campaign. he heads the jewish home party. he's drawn some voters away and polls show hoe could end up with a 1/3 end of the share vote. the momentum is a hard-liner when it comes to palestine. >> i believe time only one and our peter is the only party on this podium that opposes sounding

mahmoud abbas is chairman of the plo. he said recently that 2013 would be the year in which palestine would achieve full statehood. whether that is wishful thinking, to get there, reconciliation between the two factions is needed. that's why we are seeing hundreds of thousands of fatah supporters being allowed to exercise their voices and to protest and to celebrate the anniversary on the streets of gaza. >> thanks very much. venezuelan government says president hugo chavez is in a severe -- battling a severe lung infection in three weeks after his cancer operation in cuba. plenty of speculation about his health, following sunday's announcement of further complications. the opposition have been demanding the government provide confirmation on his condition. now this report from cuba. >> it's now more than three weeks since hugo chavez putin alabama for his fourth operation for cancer. this normally a ever present president has not been seen or heard from ever since. opposition politicians have been accusing the venezuelan

in a televised address, the palestinian president, mahmoud abbas, said palestinian unification was antant step on the way to ending israeli occupation. >> we should work together in unity. there is no better choice than unity to reach our national goals and achieve victory. >> hamas gave permission for the rally after the deadlock in peace talks between baasbbas' administration and israel narrowed the distance between factions. >> the holiday season may be over for many humans, but for some zoo animals, christmas began on friday. elephants in the berlin's zoo were served as mistry's for lunch -- elephants in berlin's zoo were served christmas trees for lunch. zookeepers say they relish the treat. that concludes our review of the week'

conflict with israel despite the heavy cost for fatah who's claiming victory after its president mahmoud abbas successfully upgraded palestinian status at the united nations as hamas and fatah move closer together the irony is that they getting help from israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu in his right wing policies and rhetoric are winning the palestinian support and sympathy on the international stage it was on that on yahoo's watch that as the recent united nations palestinian statehood bid demonstrated european unfailing support for israel has floundered it was also an attorney on whose watch that u.s. is revelations reached their lowest ebb and now it's on his watch again that palestinian unity seems plausible for. for her it's a long term interest of of for us to think of as a cooperate again because otherwise they're running the risk. that the west bank will in the end along be part of the same political structure which de facto right now is the case leaders from both sides have a new day course for the conciliation if you think that of course. between hamas and the catastrophe it

need in these are the steps that will work you were a former advisor to the palestinian president mahmoud abbas did you quit because you lost faith in the goetia asians absolutely absolutely it was a. i went through a very deep crisis of faith when i began to see that the only strategy that was being adopted was one of negotiations in the face of countless countless. announcements of settlement expansion in the face of israel's construction of the wall. and the only position that the palestinian authority continued to adopt was to go back to more and more negotiations without any visions without without any sort of idea of what would happen if those negotiations failed i couldn't be part of that process any longer what the terms for peace be different now than they were when you were negotiating back in two thousand two thousand and five no they're precisely the same and one of the problems that we faced during the negotiations was that israel was unwilling to recognize the pluck ability of international law meaning that all of the territory that it occupied in one nine hundred sixty seven does

president mahmoud abbas has officially changed the name of the palestinian ministration to the state of palestine move follows a successful initiative at the u.n. that has given palestine nonmember observer state status but despite this the nation is still a long way from unity as artie's fall asleep reports thousands of families are torn in two by barriers put up by israel. this is the erez crossing one of five land crossings between israel and gaza getting through here is tough you need the right permission and papers but this crossing does not just separate israel from gaza it also divides families who are trapped on either side of the border these are the tears of a boy who hasn't seen his father in three years mohammed live to gaza in search of a bit of a life for his family but what he found on the other side of the border was loneliness and despair and what he left behind destress and fear. i miss my father a lot and i want to see him i'm afraid i'm not my father must come back here we must go and live with him but he can't come and we can't go. all they have now to remind him

live pictures for you right now are scenes from gaza where thousands of supporters of president mahmoud abbas is. celebrating its anniversary arrival party hamas which governs gaza has given its permission to hold the event for the first time since five years ago president abbas has addressed a rally on a big screen from his west bank headquarters in ramallah the hamas leader khaled mashal urged reconciliation and national unity he did so during his own rallying. now nearly one hundred people in tibet have set themselves on fire in the last nine months in protest over the chinese rule of the territory of beijing has been increasingly criticized by human rights organizations for its handling of protests in the rest of region and now china is turning to economic luers to try and integrate the area by pouring in tens of billions of dollars. of examines whether or not china can expect a return on these investments. basham we love to look at i mean it's quality of china a slogan so widespread in tibet it's even displayed on taxis here everything is an ambiguous mix of modern technology and traditi

to hold to its position that there is no partner on the palestinian side that the leadership of mahmoud abbas is not a leadership which wants peace in the eyes of the israeli government and therefore the israeli government will attempt to keep the status quo in place which has been rather comfortable for israel we have had no real terrorism there's no uprising taking place in the palestinian territories the separation of the west bank and gaza has played into israel's interest and i think that the government of israel will seek to preserve the status quo for as long as possible the question is whether or not the international community will move beyond words in its isolation policies of israel if there will be economic sanctions or other political sanctions that we've yet to seen but i think that an increasingly hardline israeli government will push the international community toward more isolationist policies toward israel. well one of the most pressing and divisive issues is this election's been settlement's a theme that the writers campaigned on tirelessly indeed but what my own perspectiv

the head of fattah mahmoud abbas and his hamas counterpart are in egypt for talks that could lead to reconciliation between the two palestinian groups president morsi has met with both leaders calling on them to form a unity government with a view to holding them a fighting elections further down the track hamas and fattah of been involved since hamas took control of the gaza strip five years ago. of course in the u.k. for more to be done to protect the public from dangerous dogs but political inaction is having horrific consequences of first met one family struggling to come in terms of the cost of letting vicious dogs roam the streets it was a nightmarish attack that lasted just a few minutes but one which these parents wake up every day earlier this year and near state t.v. year old son kiran with this italy set upon by a neighbor's dog distraught. so does the minister it's been six months now and still is ongoing in surgery. it's not going on with staying at his granddad's house when he managed to slip. what happened next very nearly cost the child's life we were looking for him.

to hold to its position that there is no partner on the palestinian side that the leadership of mahmoud abbas is not a leadership which wants peace in the eyes of the israeli government and therefore the israeli government will attempt to keep the status quo in place which has been rather comfortable for israel we have had no real terrorism there's no uprising taking place in the palestinian territories the separation of the west bank and gaza has played into israel's interest and i think that the government of israel will seek to preserve the status quo for as long as possible the question is how long is it possible for that to continue. i want to talk a little bit more about jewish helmets one of the parties that is being predicted to win relatively big during an election like you said it's still early but it's an ultra right pro settler party how large is the support for settlements among israelis in general. well this party is expected in the polls this morning to get about fifteen seats out of the hundred twenty so together with supporters from the likud we probably have twenty five perc

thousands of supporters of president mahmoud abbas fatah party are celebrating its anniversary rival party a mass which governs gaza has given it permission to hold the event for the first time since the thought of five years ago president abbas addressed the rally on a big screen from his west bank headquarters in ramallah mostly to how that michele urged reconciliation and national unity during his own rally in gaza last month a little analyst on a nearly i spoke to middle earlier he says it's time for the chief factions to landside their differences hamas will have to look in to the hand they are in fact that will have to look into the hamas in the eye and both sides have to agree on only one thing we don't need more of the consolation we don't need more the conciliation agreements because there were so many agreements signed between the two parties but not one of them has been honored or implemented but hamas cannot take over palestine because the concerns of netanyahu are baseless and groundless he's the only israeli leader who has been giving support to hamas or not only to ham

live here in the news continues now thousands of supporters of president mahmoud abbas's fattah party are celebrating its anniversary rival party her mass which governs gaza has given its permission to hold the event for the first time since it ousted fattah five years ago live now to political analyst at last on the neary he joins me now live from ramallah it's the biggest rally all of the fattah party since came to power why are we seeing this happening. well first of all let me correct you it's not the first rally since hamas came to power but in fact it's the largest rally in palestinian history in modern history and if you look at the figures the morning estimate spoke of half a million palestinians who took to the streets of gaza this morning but later in the day the figure or the estimate went up to one point two million out of a population of one point seven million palestinians who are living out they could just figure out exactly how big the masses where who came today to celebrate and to mark the forty eighth anniversary of that automation back on the first of january ninet