Een pragmatische stem binnen de Hamas?

 

Zie hier een gematigd en realitisch geluid uit de gelederen van Hamas:

 

"The important question is how to defeat Israel. We all desire, and long with all our hearts, to see Israel beaten, destroyed, and humiliated. We all want the nightmare removed - but the important question (that has bedeviled us for 60 years) is - how? It makes no sense for us to continue to entertain ourselves with hopes of endless future victories..."

 

Steeds meer mensen, ook in Nederland, lijken dit een legitiem doel te vinden.

 

RP

---------------

 

Voice of pragmatism in Hamas?

 

Hamas Official: We Should Learn Lessons - Not Delude Ourselves That We Won the War

Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, who in the past has not been reticent in criticizing his movement, wrote in a July 1, 2009 article on paltoday.com that the Arabs and Palestinians must stop depicting their defeats as victories - referring primarily to Hamas's claim that it won the December 2008 Gaza war. Hamad also called on the Arabs to establish investigative commissions like Israel does. 1

The following are excerpts from his article:

"We Act out of a Partisan Strategy"

"It is always important to call things by their name, so that we do not blindly follow pompous slogans, fall victim to illusions, and then be shocked by reality. We really want victory over Israel. [We want] to defeat this hateful occupation and see it in retreat, under siege, and obliterated - but we want the facts and figures to speak for themselves.

"We do not want emotions and pompous slogans to push aside and take the place of facts, robbing them of their power to persuade [us] and to change the painful reality. Emotion and excitement, slogans, raucous voices, and rallies cannot create real victory - [only] an illusory victory.

"[We should remember] that Israel is not a weak state, but a state with material means, intelligence apparatuses, and international support, and it can handle many challenges. Thus, dealing with it demands immense effort, precise planning, and persistent activity, proportionate to the degree of danger [it poses].

"The need is not for improvisation or for [mere] reaction, because this path gives Israel supremacy in most arenas of the military and political conflict. It is clear that since its establishment, Israel has taken a permanent strategy (about which there is no dispute among Israel's political parties, despite the differences in their [political] inclinations). We, in contrast, act out of a partisan strategy, the main point of which is contradiction and bitter quarrels, not reconciliation or cooperation.

"For many decades, the Arabs have consistently made the mistake of falling for illusions. They deceived themselves and blindly followed nationalist slogans, raucous voices, and false justifications - until every claim to unity and steadfastness collapsed, and then all their strongholds and citadels collapsed [as well]."

We Called Our Defeats Victories

"...For years, we have been in a state of loss, living a life of illusory victory, until the small young state [Israel] dared to occupy Palestine, from the sea to the river. Then it bit off all of the Sinai, stole the Golan Heights from Syria, stole Lebanon's south, and stole part of Jordan's territory. Then, it destroyed the nuclear reactor in Iraq, and even infiltrated Tunisia by sea in order to harm the PLO leaders. Israel is still sowing mayhem and carrying out evil deeds.

"[All this time], we boasted of our glory and listened to raucous songs and revolutionary speeches that intoxicated us with the ecstasy of victory. Even when we sobered up and tasted the bitterness of reality, we became drunk on the song 'Where Are the Millions' [about the Arabs' failure to help the Palestinians].

"When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, reaching into the depth of the capital Beirut, and afterwards expelling the PLO, down to the last of its soldiers (as the entire world watched the ships carrying the fighters into exile) - we called it victory and steadfastness of mythological [proportions].

"When [Israel] impudently and arrogantly dared to invade Lebanon once again, in 2006, and destroyed infrastructure and forced Hizbullah to sign an agreement undertaking not to fire missiles into northern Israel (which it has also honored) - we [again] called this victory, and sounded the slogan, 'The era of defeat is past and the time of victory has arrived.'

"When [Israel] challenged the entire world and razed Gaza to the ground, committing grave crimes and then invading it by land and sowing in it destruction and ruin (just like in the 2006 Lebanon war), we called it victory.

"I don't want to get into numerical comparisons of the casualties on both sides (even though [the numbers] are significant), so as not to start an argument over the criteria for victory. The question that we must deal with is: What kind of victory do we want? Do we want real, tangible victory that will defeat the occupation with facts and figures? Or are we settling for a victory that strokes our [egos], quenches our thirsty souls, and provides us with wild ecstasy that fills our hearts, [so that] the walls are covered with pompous slogans and our streets are filled with raucous rallies...[?]"

Unlike Israel, We Haven't the Courage to Establish an Investigative Commission

"Oddly, we rejoiced greatly when we saw Israel establishing investigative commissions following every one of its wars in order to learn from its mistakes. The commissions summoned the prime minister, defense minister, and chief of staff and officers, to question them and to hold them to account. Moreover, Israel publicly acknowledges its mistakes and its failures - while we rejoice [its] 'failures'...

"We, [in contrast,] haven't the courage to establish such a commission - not a single one - to extract the naked truth from the fog of emotion and slogans, or to talk about it openly with the public. We haven't the real courage to acknowledge our mistakes; we cover them up with a sound and light [show]. Where is credibility, if truth is concealed or wrapped in cellophane?!

"When will we have the courage to be honest with this tormented people that yearns for it - particularly when its history is rife with pain, suffering and partisan and tribal schisms?

"The important question is how to defeat Israel. We all desire, and long with all our hearts, to see Israel beaten, destroyed, and humiliated. We all want the nightmare removed - but the important question (that has bedeviled us for 60 years) is - how? It makes no sense for us to continue to entertain ourselves with hopes of endless future victories..."

We Cannot Win When We're Divided

"It is true that we have stood fast and not waved a white flag; we have not broken in the face of Israel's might. But it is important to call things by their name, and not to float off into the realms of the imagination.

"Let's differentiate between victory and steadfastness or force of resistance. The many questions that always stir us up, keep us awake at night, and tear down our curtain of silence are: Can victory be won in a situation of hateful division and deep rifts? Anyone who thinks so is kidding himself. Anyone who thinks that victory is possible when partisan disputes overcome the national spirit will wait another 100 years. Anyone who thinks that victory can be attained by accusing others of treason, heresy, and [serving] a foreign agenda is like someone who weaves his home from spiders' webs...

"Victory over Israel will be won first of all by means of strong national unity that is cohesive and sincere (rather than contrived), and by means of a national vision of liberation and a clear plan (that combines resistance and political activity), in which everyone participates. It will be won by building the citizen and the society based on coexistence and tolerance, and on rejecting violence, hatred, partisan fanaticism, and incitement in the media - or else we will be spinning our wheels. We will spend the rest of our lives in illusion...

"We all know that our steadfastness, our strength, and our clinging to our land are a crushing blow to the Zionist enterprise that seeks to eradicate our identity and destroy our cause. We all know that the long and glorious history of the Palestinian resistance has greatly contributed to weakening and limiting the occupation - but we must use expressions that will increase our strength and our steadfastness, and will bring us to live in reality, not [in the realm of] exaggeration."

We Palestinians Cannot Win by Ourselves - We Need the Arab Peoples' Help

"We do not want the Arab peoples to live in illusion either. We do not want them to let the Palestinians fight and their blood be spilled [so that they can] then flood us with speeches, marches, rallies and humanitarian aid. Nor do we want to deceive them that everything is well with us in Palestine and that we can fight in their stead (as some ignorant people claim)... [The Arabs] must support us with greater force and boldness, going beyond marches, rallies, and funds.

"Unfortunately, some raucous and unacceptable speeches have misled the Arabs, exaggerating the victory that we [Hamas] achieved and lulling them to sleep with thoughts that [solving] the problem in Gaza requires only money, aid, rallies, and conferences. This is a grave mistake... because it has kept us in the same cycle now for 60 years."

---

[1] www.paltoday.com, July 1, 2009.

Netanjahoe in Engeland: vooruitgang maar geen doorbraak verwacht

 

In een eerder bericht werd de verwachting uitgesproken dat Israel en de VS tot een compromis zouden komen, bijvoorbeeld een 9 tot 12 maanden lange bouwstop maar met uitzondering van Jeruzalem. Dit bericht is minder optimistisch. Hoe sneller hierover een compromis wordt bereikt, hoe beter, want dan kan de VS haar aandacht eindelijk eens op de Arabische wereld gaan richten. Bovendien is er al een de facto bouwstop van kracht sinds 4 maanden, dus voor Israel verandert er niet veel.

 

RP

------------

'Israel won't give up J'lem sovereignty'
By Herb Keinon, traveling with the prime minister

THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 24, 2009
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418685029&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

LONDON - Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu arrived in London on Monday for two days of meetings with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US Mideast mediator George Mitchell, making clear that he will not allow anyone to question Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem.

Britain, along with the rest of the EU and the US, was highly critical recently of both the approval of plans to build a compound of Jewish homes at the site of the Shepherd Hotel in Sheikh Jarrah, and also the eviction of two Palestinian families from Jewish-owned property in the same east Jerusalem neighborhood.

This issue is expected to come up both in Netanyahu's talks with Brown on Tuesday, and in his meeting with Mitchell on Wednesday morning.

A senior source in the Prime Minister's Office said on Netanyahu's plane before taking off that Israel would not accept any limitations on its sovereignty in the capital.

Likewise, the official said the prime minister would continue to insist in his talks with Mitchell - in a meeting that will deal with how to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiation table - that normal life in the settlements continue to be accommodated.

In Israel's diplomatic lexicon, "normal life in the settlements" has replaced "natural growth" to refer to the type of building Israel wants to continue beyond the Green Line.

Officials in Netanyahu's entourage continued to lower expectations in advance of the Mitchell encounter, saying that although there has been a degree of progress in the discussions leading up to the meeting, a "breakthrough" was not expected.

The US and Israel have been wrangling for weeks about the nature of a settlement freeze that US President Barack Obama called for in the early days of his presidency, and which the Palestinians have now made a condition for restarting negotiations.

In addition to trying to get Israel to announce some kind of moratorium on the settlements, the US has also been trying - so far to no avail - to win normalization gestures from the Arab world.

In Washington, the State Department said on Monday that Mitchell is getting closer to winning agreement by the Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks.

Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters that Wednesday's talks between Mitchell and Netanyahu will not necessarily produce a breakthrough.

But Kelly said the process of laying the groundwork for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks was moving closer to fruition. Pressed to explain what had moved the process forward, he declined to offer any details.

Netanyahu said at Sunday's cabinet meeting that he expected that talks with the Palestinians would begin again at the end of September. Officials in his office, however, would not reveal the source of his optimism - regarding either the details of a possible settlement freeze, or what gestures the Arab world was considering.

While the Mitchell meeting and the Palestinian issue has dominated the discussion in the media prior to the prime minister's visit, Iran is likely to take up as much time during his meetings with Brown on Tuesday and with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu would tell both leaders that there was now a need to apply "maximum" pressure on Iran to get it to stop its nuclear program. On Sunday evening, prior to flying to London, he spoke with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and relayed a similar message.

This is Netanyahu's third visit overseas since taking office on March 31, following visits to the US, and then to France and Italy. He has also made day trips to meet with President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and King Abdullah in Jordan.

Immediately after landing, Netanyahu went for a meeting with a number of senior members of the British press. On Tuesday, before meeting Brown, he is scheduled to speak with leaders of the Jewish community. A joint press conference is scheduled after the Brown meeting.

Netanyahu is accompanied by his wife, Sarah, as well as his senior staff: National Security Adviser Uzi Arad, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser, Director of Policy Planning Ron Dermer, Military Attache Meir Kalifi, Chief of Staff Natan Eshel and spokesman Nir Hefetz.

AP contributed to this report..

De radicalisering van Fatah op de Bethlehem conferentie

De pessimistische verwachtingen die Toameh vooraf had van de Fatah conferentie zijn helaas uitgekomen.

 

Andere berichten hierover:

Fatah congres stelt dubbele agenda op betreffende Israel

Fatah stelt 14 voorwaarden aan hervatten vredesonderhandelingen met Israel

 

------------------------------

 

 

The Radicalization of Fatah

by Khaled Abu Toameh

 

Many in Washington and some European capitals are hoping that the Fatah faction, which controls the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, is headed toward moderation and reforms as it holds its sixth general assembly in Bethlehem this week.

 

But on the eve of the conference, which is being held for the first time in two decades, there are growing indications that Fatah is actually headed in the opposite direction. Perhaps one of the most disturbing signs of the growing radicalization of Fatah can be seen in calls by top representatives for a "strategic alliance" with Iran's dictatorial and fundamental regime.

 

In January 2006, Fatah lost the parliamentary election in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Hamas largely because of its leaders' involvement in financial and moral corruption. Since then, not a single Fatah official has been held responsible for the humiliating defeat. Nor has Fatah drawn the conclusions from its expulsion from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007.

 

Hopes that the conference would pave the way for the emergence of a new and younger leadership have faded as old guard officials of Fatah appear determined to hold on to their positions regardless of the price.

 

Fatah is therefore unlikely to emerge stronger and younger from its sixth general assembly. By adopting a hard-line approach toward the conflict and blocking reforms, Fatah is sending a message both to the Palestinians and the world that it's still not ready for any form of compromise or reforms. As such, Fatah remains part of the problem, and not part of the solution.

 

During the three-day conference, about 2,200 delegates would be required to vote for new members of Fatah's two most important decision-making bodies: the Central Committee [21 seats] and the Revolutionary Council [120 seats].

 

The Central Committee has long been dominated by old timers and former cronies of Yasser Arafat who over the past four decades have stubbornly resisted attempts to inject fresh blood into the committee. The Revolutionary Council, on the other hand, consists of representatives of both the old guard and the new guard. But this council has never been taken seriously and its decisions are regarded by the Fatah leadership as nothing but mere recommendations. Days before the conference was opened in Bethlehem, Fatah members were surprised to discover that Mahmoud Abbas and his old guard colleagues had selected more than half of the delegates who were invited to the meeting.

 

In protest, young guard representatives decided to drop their candidacy for the prestigious Central Committee after realizing that their chances of beating the old guard members were slim, if not impossible. This means that the committee will continue to be controlled by former Arafat cronies, some of whom are even publicly opposed to the Oslo Accords with Israel.

 

To further strengthen the old guard camp, Abbas sought and received permission from Israel to allow Mohammed Ghnaim, a hard-line Fatah leader, to move from Tunisia to the West Bank. Ghnaim is one of a handful of senior Fatah leaders who remain strongly opposed to the Oslo Accords, insisting that the "armed struggle" against Israel is the only way to "liberate Palestine."

 

Ghnaim is now being touted as Abbas's successor as head of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority as to ensure the continuity of the old guard hegemony over the affairs of the Palestinians in the West Bank. Many Fatah operatives, including some of Abbas's closest allies in Ramallah, have made it known that they would oppose any move to abandon the "armed struggle" option during the Bethlehem assembly. Their statements came in response to reports according to which the Fatah conference is set to endorse a more moderate and pragmatic approach toward the conflict with Israel.

 

Moreover, a majority of Fatah members appear to be vehemently opposed to the idea of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. A draft plan of Fatah's political platform that was leaked to some Arab media outlets last week clearly states that Fatah will remain strongly opposed to Israel's demand that the Palestinians recognize the state as a homeland for the Jewish people.

 

In other signs of continued intransigence, the political platform opposes any concessions regarding the "right of return" of Palestinians to their original homes inside Israel.

 

Khaled Abu Toameh

 

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

 

For more information about Israel and the Middle East please enter the blog "Middle and Terrorisme" : http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/

 

"Middle East and Terrorisme" analyses for you the situation in the Middle East since more than 100 years. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists. Most of these articles seldomly appear in the press.

 

 

Fatah congres stelt dubbele agenda op betreffende Israel

 

Fatah heeft op haar congres afgelopen week twee documenten opgesteld, een voor extern gebruik met relatief gematigde taal en een voor intern gebruik waarin onder andere staat:

 

"The armed struggle is a strategy and not just a tactic and the armed revolution of the Arab Palestinian people is a decisive factor in the war of liberation and the elimination of the Zionist existence, and the struggle will not end until the elimination of the Zionist entity and the liberation of Palestine."

 

Dat lijkt me duidelijke taal.

 

RP

-------------------

 

Fatah prepares two different stories - retains goal of elimination of Israel

http://zionism-israel.com/israel_news/2009/08/fatah-prepares-two-different-stories.html

The big story about the Fatah congress is not whether or not it will give up the "right" of armed struggle. Rather, the problem seems to be, as related below, that Fatah is preparing two documents. A document for external use that calls for a two state solution, and an internal document that reportedly calls for elimination of Israel and implementation of a so-called "One State Solution" as its real and only goal. Here is what Fatah plans:

Article 22 calls for: "objection by force to all political solutions that are offered as an alternative to the extermination of the occupying Zionist entity in Palestine and all the projects that aim for the elimination of the Palestinian problem, or seek to internationalize it or put an outside custodian on its people from any possible party."⁴ This article is in contradiction to the call in the Political Program for greater international involvement in the problem and its welcome for the involvement of international forces in Palestine. 

Article 9 states clearly that "the liberation of the Holy Land and the defense of its holy sites (that are forbidden to infidels) is an Arab, Muslim, and humanitarian duty."⁵

...

Article 13 calls for "establishing a sovereign democratic Palestinian state on the entire Palestinian territory that will preserve the legitimate rights of the citizens on the basis of justice and equality without discrimination on the basis of race, religion and belief, and Jerusalem will be its capital."⁷ While the Political Program lists the "one-state solution" as an option in case the "two-state solution" fails, the Internal Order document mentions the "one-state solution" as the only solution.  
Article 17 says: "The armed popular revolution is the only inevitable way to the liberation of Palestine."⁸

Finally, Article 19 notes: "The armed struggle is a strategy and not just a tactic and the armed revolution of the Arab Palestinian people is a decisive factor in the war of liberation and the elimination of the Zionist existence, and the struggle will not end until the elimination of the Zionist entity and the liberation of Palestine."⁹ 

Read the whole thing below, and think about whether peace is really possible if this report is correct. [A.I.]

=====================

 

 

Will Fatah Give Up the Armed Struggle at Its Sixth General Congress?
04/08/2009 Pinhas Inbari -  Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

The Sixth Fatah General Congress, convening for the first time in twenty years, will be judged mainly by two factors: its decisions and the composition of its new leadership. Here we will examine the nature of its expected decisions and leave the evaluation of the new leadership for future examination.

There is great international interest in the Fatah Congress since so much of the international community perceives the Palestinian problem as the key to the entire spectrum of conflicts in the Middle East. Many observers are watching to see to what extent the congress will advance or retard the prospects for re-launching the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and even launching a regional peace process based on the Israeli-Palestinian bilateral track.

In this regard, the crucial question is: Is Fatah going to waive its historical principle of "armed struggle" - muqawama - and devote itself to peace negotiations based on compromise, as was discussed extensively between the former Kadima-led Israeli government and Palestinian negotiators - led by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and former Prime Minister Abu Ala?

  Two Documents: One for International Consumption and the Other for Internal Use

The two relevant documents to be discussed and approved by the Fatah Congress are the Political Program¹ and Fatah's "Internal Order."² The Political Program might be seen by many as reflecting progress in terms of accepting a political solution and rejecting violence - but it falls short of waiving the principle of armed struggle. The document endorses the Arab Initiative, talks in vague expressions of the "right of return" - using a formula "based on UN Resolution 181" and not on fulfillment of this resolution, and offers the model of the "Intifada of the Stones" (the first intifada) as preferred over the model of military struggle.

The principle of the "armed struggle" is mentioned as an option of the past that must be re-examined in comparison to other options of struggle. The model seen to fit our times is the anti-wall campaigns in Nil'in and Bil'in, but "10,000 times as fierce." The political program uses the term "the struggle" (not quite describing it as the "armed struggle") and even the "peaceful struggle." However, there is more than one reference to the term "the struggle of all options," that includes the armed struggle as well. In an interview with Maan News, the Fatah leader in Lebanon, Sultan Abu al-Einein, made it clear that the "struggle of all options" includes the armed struggle as well.

Fatah's Internal Order Presents a Different Face

Developing the Nil'in-Bil'in model of struggle is problematic because it can easily deteriorate into violence, as past experience shows, but the real problem lies in the Internal Order document. All of the phrases that were omitted in the Political Program are present in this would-be "bureaucratic" document. The term "armed popular struggle" appears at the very beginning. While the Political Program sought to subordinate the struggle to the need for "international legitimacy," the Internal Order is very clear in rejecting all international peace initiatives: "The projects, agreements, and resolutions that were issued or will be issued by the UN or group of states or any separate state on the Palestinian problem that waives the rights of the Palestinians on their homeland is null and void."³

Furthermore, Article 22 calls for: "objection by force to all political solutions that are offered as an alternative to the extermination of the occupying Zionist entity in Palestine and all the projects that aim for the elimination of the Palestinian problem, or seek to internationalize it or put an outside custodian on its people from any possible party."⁴ This article is in contradiction to the call in the Political Program for greater international involvement in the problem and its welcome for the involvement of international forces in Palestine. 

Article 9 states clearly that "the liberation of the Holy Land and the defense of its holy sites (that are forbidden to infidels) is an Arab, Muslim, and humanitarian duty."⁵

Fatah Retains the Strategy of the Armed Struggle

And here we come to the essence: Fatah retains the armed struggle as a strategy in order to liberate the whole of Palestine and eliminate Israel. Article 12 calls for "the liberation of Palestine completely and the elimination of the state of the Zionist occupation economically, politically, militarily, and culturally."⁶ (Indeed, one of the methods mentioned in the Political Program for the "peaceful intifada" is an economic boycott of Israel.) 

Article 13 calls for "establishing a sovereign democratic Palestinian state on the entire Palestinian territory that will preserve the legitimate rights of the citizens on the basis of justice and equality without discrimination on the basis of race, religion and belief, and Jerusalem will be its capital."⁷ While the Political Program lists the "one-state solution" as an option in case the "two-state solution" fails, the Internal Order document mentions the "one-state solution" as the only solution.  
Article 17 says: "The armed popular revolution is the only inevitable way to the liberation of Palestine."⁸

Finally, Article 19 notes: "The armed struggle is a strategy and not just a tactic and the armed revolution of the Arab Palestinian people is a decisive factor in the war of liberation and the elimination of the Zionist existence, and the struggle will not end until the elimination of the Zionist entity and the liberation of Palestine."⁹

While Fatah's Political Program tries to accommodate international expectations and seems designed to mobilize international legitimacy for the re-launching of a "peaceful intifada," Fatah's "Internal Order" reminds us how deeply ingrained in Fatah is its ideology from the 1960s and 1970s.

*     *     *
Notes
1 http://www.e-fateh.org/paper_full_1.aspx.
2 http://www.e-fateh.org/paper_full_3.aspx.

3 المشاريع والاتفاقات والقرارات التي صدرت او تصدر عن هيئة الامم المتحدة او اية مجموعة من الدول او اي دولة منفردة بشأن قضية فلسطين والتي تهدر حق الشعب الفلسطيني في وطنه باطلة ومرفوضه.

4 لمادة (22) - مقاومة كل الحلول السياسية المطروحة كبديل عن تصفية الكيان الصهيوني المحتل في فلسطين، وكل المشاريع الرامية الى تصفية القضية الفلسطينية او تدويلها او الوصاية على شعبها من اية جهة.

5 لمادة (9) - تحرير الديار المقدسة والدفاع عن حرماتها واجب عربي واسلامي وانساني.

6 المادة (12) - تحرير فلسطين تحريراً كاملاً وتصفية دولة الاحتلال الصهيوني اقتصادياً وسياسياً وعسكرياً وثقافياً.

7 المادة (13) - اقامة دولة فلسطينيه ديمقراطية مستقلة ذات سيادة على كامل التراب الفلسطيني تحفظ للمواطنين حقوقهم الشرعية على اساس العدل والمساواة دون تمييزفي العنصر او الدين والعقيده وتكون القدس عاصمة لها.

8 المادة (17) - الثورة الشعبية المسلحة هي الطريق الحتمي الوحيد لتحرير فلســطين.

9 المادة (19) -الكفاح المسلح استراتيجية وليس تكتيكاً والثورة المسلحة للشعب العربي الفلسطيني عامل حاسم في معركة التحرير وتصفية الوجود الصهيوني ولن يتوقف هذا الكفاح الا بالقضاء على الكيان الصهيوني وتحرير فلسطين.

Pinhas Inbari is a senior policy analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He is also a veteran Palestinian affairs correspondent who formerly reported for Israel Radio and Al Hamishmar newspaper, and currently reports for several foreign media outlets. He is the author of a number of books on the Palestinians including The Palestinians: Between Terrorism and Statehood.

Palestijnse Authoriteit wil financiële steun aan Gazastrook stopzetten

Een deel van de Fatah leden kon niet bij dit belangrijke congres aanwezig zijn, omdat Hamas hen verhinderde van de Gazastrook naar de Westoever te reizen. Misschien dat Meulenbelt en Van Agt c.s. deze ontoelaatbare schending van de bewegingsvrijheid eens kunnen veroordelen, of is zoiets alleen erg wanneer Israel het doet?

Volgens onderstaand bericht zal Fatah haar financiële steun aan de Gazastrook stopzetten, omdat die door Hamas wordt gebruikt voor haar eigen politieke doeleinden en niet bij de bevolking van Gaza terechtkomt. Als dat zo is, geldt dat naar ik aanneem ook voor de financiele steun van de EU en andere landen en organisaties? Het is nou eenmaal erg moeilijk om de bevolking te helpen zonder dat het regime ervan meeprofiteert. Wanneer Fatah een dergelijke beslissing neemt, zou dat (EU) landen die contacten met Hamas hebben of die willen aangaan, aan het denken moeten zetten.

 

RP

------------------


Palestinian Authority to Stop Financing Gaza Strip
By Kifah Zaboun Asharq Al-Awsat

05/08/2009
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=17668

 

Bethlehem, Asharq Al-Awsat- Authoritative sources in the Fatah movement have asserted to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Palestinian leadership has decided to stop all the funds it pays to the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority's [PA] budget apart from the salaries of its own employees.

According to the sources, this decision was taken the night before yesterday at an extraordinary meeting of the Palestinian leadership that President Mahmud Abbas called for holding. They said the PA is financing the coup in the Strip and paying the electricity, water, and fuel bills to the Israelis while the Hamas leadership waits for these supplies to reach it.

Fatah movement leaders tried to keep these decisions secret and when Asharq Al-Awsat asked some of them in Bethlehem's hotels they said such decisions would be announced at the end of the movement 6th Congress. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the political department in the Legislative Council, replied: "Measures will be taken at the highest levels which Hamas does not expect and we will be keen not to let the Gazan citizen pay the price."

Abbas Zaki, the PA's ambassador in Beirut who is a candidate for Fatah's Central Committee, hinted that such a decision would be taken by telling the official Palestinian television that "the PA might have naively financed the coup. Do not forget that we pay the salaries of 77,000 employees and give 58 percent of the PA budget to the Strip. This will not remain since Hamas does not understand the rules of the game and national action" and added" I tell Hamas if you see the lion's baring its teeth do not think it is smiling."

The sources went on to say: "We are paying a heavy price to the Israelis for everything that enters Gaza and Hamas seizes them and then we are accused of participating in the blockade. We believe this farce should end and Hamas must shoulder its responsibility toward the people over whom it has installed itself." The PA's response is expected at the end of the Fatah Congress -- which starts today and lasts until Thursday and will elect a new leadership for the movement whose tasks will include dealing with Hamas's control of Gaza - and will be in response to the Hamas measures that prevented the Fatah congress members from leaving the Strip to Bethlehem to take part in it. Among the other measures that the PA might take will be the arrest and trial of the Hamas political leadership in the West Bank. The Fatah movement's Revolutionary Council was supposed to have met late last night after having postponed its meeting from Sunday so as to give the Syrian mediation efforts a chance but Fatah officially announced the failure of these efforts. Fatah's Official Spokesman Ahmad Abdul-Rahman asserted that the council's meeting would put the final touches and approve the mechanisms for holding the congress.

The most important issue on the agenda is that of the ban on the travel of Gaza's members. Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the Central Committee authorized the Revolutionary Council to find the mechanisms for solving the Gaza problem. One of the most discussed proposals is to keep the Strip's quota of six members in the Central Committee and 30 in the Revolutionary Council without election and to have them elected later as conditions permit. This was what the Gaza leadership proposed to the Palestinian president as a compromise after threatening to boycott the congress. Fahmi al-Za'arir, the Fatah spokesman, asserted to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Revolutionary Council would decide this among other issues it would be discussing, among them membership of the congress. Ibrahim Abu-al-Naja, the Fatah leader and member of the Revolutionary Council, returned to the Gaza Strip from Ramallah yesterday in solidarity with the Fatah leaders in the Strip who were prevented by Hamas from taking part in the congress. Abu-al-Naja said he would not participate in the 6th Congress without the participation of 400 Fatah members from the Strip, adding that he was expecting the majority of the movement members from the Strip who are in the West Bank to take the same decision.

 

Hamas had insisted on the release of all political detainees and giving Gaza its share of passports in return for allowing the Gaza members to travel. Abdullah said "they want legitimacy for their coup by giving them passports that are recognized. This will never happen."

Informed sources in Fatah and in the presidency office disclosed to Asharq Al-Awsat" that US Envoy George Mitchell interceded with the Syrians to persuade Hamas to allow the Fatah members to leave following a request from [Palestinian President] Abu-Mazin. The sources said: Mitchell did in fact intercede and the Syrian president responded positively. Khalid Mishal promised the Syrians to allow the Fatah members to travel. We received a message to this effect. But we learned later that Mishal was unable to fulfill his promise because the hard-line Hamas leadership inside [the territories] refused to obey his orders. The sources added: "(Ahmad) Al-Jabari (official in charge of Al-Qassam Brigades) told Khalid Mishal he would shoot the Fatah members as they were leaving and he should not embarrass himself by making promises."

Fatah stelt 14 voorwaarden aan hervatten vredesonderhandelingen met Israel

 

Het belangrijkste dat is gebeurd terwijl we ruim een week met vakantie waren, is het congres van Fatah dat sinds dinsdag in Bethlehem wordt gehouden. Het laat zien dat de vrede in die anderhalve week niet echt dichterbij is gekomen, in tegendeel. Het congres heeft een resolutie aangenomen die liefst 14 voorwaarden stelt om de onderhandelingen met Israel weer te hervatten. Zo moet Israel niet alleen stoppen met het bouwen in nederzettingen, waaronder ook huizenbouw in de Joodse wijk in de oude stad van Jeruzalem valt, maar ook alle gevangenen vrijlaten.

 

RP

-------------

 

'No talks unless Israel frees prisoners'

Aug. 6, 2009
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

The Fatah General Assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution, Israel Radio reported, according to which the negotiations with Jerusalem will not renewed until Israel releases all the Palestinian prisoners held in its jails.

However, citing a Palestinian report, Israel Radio also included a more moderate wording of the decision, according to which an agreement on a timeframe for the release of all Palestinian prisoners is a condition for the renewal of peace talks.

Senior Fatah official Nabil Sha'ath said that the committee in charge of determining the movement's policy approved 14 conditions for the renewal of negotiations with Israel, including lifting the blockade on the Gaza Strip and halting settlement construction.

In an interview with a Web site linked with the Islamic Jihad, Sha'ath added that Fatah had not denounced the armed resistance, though it had not yet lost faith in the negotiations.

The decision came amid mounting tensions between rival camps in the movement at the Bethlehem conference.

On Tuesday, the first day of the conference, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told delegates that peace talks with Israel should continue "as long as there is still a little bit of hope."

Israel has released some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in a number of goodwill gestures since the summer of 2007. Some 9,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently in Israeli jails.

 

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418545003&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

 

Netanjahoe wil gaan bouwen in omstreden E1 gebied

 

Volgens het VN delingsplan van 1947 zou Israel in 3 delen en de Palestijnse staat zelfs in 4 delen gesplitst zijn, naast een status aparte voor Jeruzalem. Tegenwoordig gaat men uit van territoriale continuiteit, wat zeker wenselijker is maar niet makkelijk uitvoerbaar. De bevolkingsgroepen zitten her en der dicht op elkaar en door elkaar gehuisvest. Vooral 'Jeruzalem' is omringd door Arabische en Joodse wijken waartussen nauwelijks nog een landsgrens te trekken valt.

 

Dat het E-1 gebied samen met Maaleh Adumim de Westoever in tweeën verdeelt klopt niet helemaal, er is ten oosten daarvan nog genoeg ruimte. Behalve het verbinden van de grote nederzettingen die Israel niet wil opgeven, lijkt het Netanjahoe vooral te gaan om de claim op Jeruzalem. De Palestijnen zouden nauwelijks nog directe toegangswegen tot hun gedroomde hoofdstad overhouden.

 

Wouter

______________

 

U.S. warns Israel not to build up West Bank corridor
By Aluf Benn - Haaretz

Last update - 06:43 24/07/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1102567.html

 

The U.S. administration has issued a stiff warning to Israel not to build in the area known as E-1, which lies between Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim. Any change in the status quo in E-1 would be "extremely damaging," even "corrosive," the message said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed in the past to finally build the controversial E-1 housing project - as have several premiers before him, though none has done so due to American pressure. He opened his recent election campaign with a visit to Ma'aleh Adumim in which he declared: "I will link Jerusalem to Ma'aleh Adumim via the Mevasseret Adumim neighborhood, E-1. I want to see one continuous string of built-up Jewish neighborhoods."

He has also warned in the past that failure to build in E-1 would allow the Palestinians to create territorial contiguity around Jerusalem.

Just before his government was installed this spring, the media reported that Netanyahu had reached an agreement with his largest coalition partner, Yisrael Beiteinu, to unfreeze construction in E-1. However, that clause was ultimately not included in the coalition agreement.

The plans for E-1 call for building 3,500 housing units, along with commercial areas and tourism sites, to create a single urban expanse stretching from Jerusalem to Ma'aleh Adumim and strengthen Israel's hold on East Jerusalem, which would then be completely surrounded by Jewish neighborhoods.

The United States has always vehemently opposed this plan, fearing it would deprive a future Palestinian state of territorial contiguity, cut the West Bank in two and sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank - all of which would thwart any hope of signing a final-status agreement and establishing a Palestinian state.

President Barack Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, vigorously opposed building in E-1 during the terms of prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. Sharon did approve construction of a police station in E-1, and under Olmert, infrastructure work in the area continued. But neither ever approved construction of either the residential units or the commercial buildings, for fear of a confrontation with the United States.

Four years ago, after resigning from Sharon's government, Netanyahu attacked him for giving in to American pressure on E-1. "A sovereign government must build in its eternal capital," he said. "Sharon set a precedent that will lead to the division of Jerusalem."

The Obama's administration - which opposes all construction in East Jerusalem, even of a few houses - would be even more outraged by a large-scale project such as E-1.

It is demanding a moratorium on Jewish building in East Jerusalem until an agreement is reached on the city's legal status, arguing that the cumulative effect of even small-scale projects would destroy any chance of a peace agreement and arouse fierce opposition in the Arab world, especially among East Jerusalem Arabs. Small projects include the construction of 20 apartments in the Shepherd Hotel in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood or plans to build new Jewish housing in Silwan.

At Sunday's cabinet meeting, however, Netanyahu rejected this American stance. "United Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Our sovereignty in it is not subject to appeal, and among other things, this means that Jerusalem residents can buy apartments anywhere in the city," he said. "We cannot accept the idea that Jews should not have the right to live and buy anywhere in Jerusalem."

Next week, three senior American officials will visit Israel: special envoy George Mitchell, National Security Advisor James Jones and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Mitchell will continue his efforts to reach agreement on a settlement freeze, including in East Jerusalem, while the other two will focus on the Iranian threat.

Abbas weigert Netanjahoe te ontmoeten

Terwijl Netanjahoe al meermaals heeft gezegd Abbas te willen ontmoeten, blijft deze weigeren en voorwaarden stellen. Toch wordt Netanjahoe, die al de nodige concessies heeft gedaan zoals het opheffen van tientallen checkpoints, als de havik gezien en Abbas, die vast blijft houden aan zaken als de 'terugkeer' van miljoenen nakomelingen van de vluchtelingen, als gematigd. Hoe komt dat?

Dit is het gevolg van een sluwe mediacampagne en het opzetten van allerlei 'spontane' pro-Palestina groeperingen, het standpunt van de VN en mensenrechtenorganisaties die het steevast voor de Palestijnen opnemen, een disastreuze PR van Israel en het feit dat er een diepverankerde overtuiging is dat de Joden, sorry, zionisten zo sluw zijn en zoveel macht hebben achter de schermen. Dit laatste wordt ook wel antisemitisme genoemd maar dat mag je tegenwoordig niet meer zeggen want alom heeft de idee post gevat dat sympathisanten van Israel deze term alleen maar gebruiken om kritiek op Israel verdacht te maken en critici de mond te snoeren.

Zoals uit onderstaand bericht blijkt brengt een en ander de vrede niet dichterbij. Wat meer druk op, en een kritischer houding jegens de Palestijnen, zou wat dat betreft heilzaam zijn.

RP

--------------

Abbas says he won't meet Netanyahu
KHALED ABU TOAMEH and HAVIV RETTIG GUR , THE JERUSALEM POST

Jul. 12, 2009
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443784450&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

 

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated on Sunday his refusal to resume peace talks with Israel unless Binyamin Netanyahu's government accepted the two-state solution and agreed to freeze all construction in the settlements in the West Bank.

Abbas's remarks came in response to an appeal from Netanyahu made during the Sunday cabinet meeting in which the Israeli prime minister called for the two leaders to revive the stalled peace process.

Abbas was speaking to reporters in Ramallah after meeting with visiting Romanian President Traian Basescu.

"Israel must recognize the two-state solution and stop all settlement activities in order to resume peace talks over final status issues," Abbas said. "The final status issues are settlements, Jerusalem, borders, refugees, water, security and prisoners."

Abbas said that both the Palestinians and the Israelis were required to fulfill their obligations in accordance with the road map plan for peace in the Middle East.

"We care very much about the peace process," he added. "We are demanding that Israel fulfill its commitments under the terms of the road map, first and foremost recognizing the two-state solution and halting settlement construction." He said that only then would the way be paved for the resumption of the negotiations with Israel over the final status issues.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the PA would not make any compromises regarding settlements.

"There can be no half-solutions with regards to the settlements, including so-called natural growth there," he said, referring to unconfirmed reports that the US and Israel have reached agreement on building new homes in some of the settlements.

Erekat said that the continued construction in the settlements would sabotage the international community's efforts to persuade the Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace talks in the near future.

He said that Abbas sent a message to the US administration over the weekend reiterating his stance on the settlements and making clear that the Palestinians would not compromise regarding this issue.

"If the US administration can't force Israel to stop the settlements, how will it force Israel to abide by any agreement regarding final status issues such as Jerusalem, borders, refugees, water, security and settlements?"

The cabinet meeting was held in Beersheba Sunday, just over 30 years after the May 1979 meeting of former prime minister Menachem Begin and former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.

"Let's make peace, both diplomatic and economic," Netanyahu said at the start of the meeting, which was also meant as an act of solidarity with the Negev city.

"There is no reason why we can't meet anywhere in Israel," he said of himself and Abbas, "and since we are in Beersheba, I say, let's meet here."

Netanyahu stressed the Palestinians' "basic right to live in peace, security and prosperity," and said the government had "made great efforts in recent weeks to ease their lives. We've removed many roadblocks; we decided to increase the operating hours of the Allenby Bridge for more goods; and I've decided to advance a series of projects with the Palestinians to promote peace. But all these efforts can only bring us to a certain point, and the results will be multiplied a dozen-fold if there is cooperation from the other side."

The prime minister called "on the leaders of the Palestinians and the Arab states: Let's meet and cooperate. We can bring many players on board."

Later in the day, at a ceremony on Mount Herzl marking 105 years since the death of the founder of political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, Netanyahu insisted the Palestinians "must abandon their demand to settle the descendents of Palestinian refugees in Israel and gradually 'eat away' at the State of Israel after a peace agreement is signed."

The Palestinian Authority leadership has refused to relinquish this demand while successive Israeli governments have rejected it outright.

At the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu also announced the resumption of planning work for construction of an Eilat-Beersheba train line that would connect Israel's southernmost city to the country's center, thereby creating a rail link between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. He said the line would be a "trade route between Asia and Europe and will open the entire South for [Israeli] travelers."

Ministers used the meeting to discuss infrastructure projects in Beersheba and the South.

 

Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.

 

Fatah's doel blijft de bevrijding van heel Palestina

 

Terwijl de kranten maar blijven schrijven over de bouw in de nederzettingen, en de EU Israel maar blijft veroordelen alsof er niet twee partijen zijn in dit conflict, gaat Fatah rustig door met het opeisen van geheel 'historisch Palestina'. In de zekerheid dat Europese politici en journalisten het toch niet zullen opmerken omdat alle aandacht naar de nederzettingen gaat, kan Fatah zeggen wat het wil, zonder dat het haar imago als 'gematigd' en 'vredelievend' ook maar enigzins zal aantasten.

 

"It doesn't mean that we don't want the 1948 borders [all of Israel]...but our current political program is to say that we want the 1967 borders." [PA TV, Aug. 25 2008].

 

"It has been said that we are negotiating for peace, but our goal has never been peace. Peace is a means; the goal is Palestine."  

 

"I want to say for the thousandth time, in my own name and in the name of all of my fellow members of the Fatah movement: We do not demand that the Hamas movement recognize Israel. On the contrary, we demand of the Hamas movement not to recognize Israel, because the Fatah movement does not recognize Israel, even today."

 

RP

----------------

 

Palestinian Media Watch

Fatah official: "Our goal has never been peace. Peace is a means; the goal is Palestine."
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

 

The PA will resume violence and terror against Israel when Fatah is "capable," and "according to what seems right," Fatah activist Kifah Radaydeh says in a PA TV interview. She states openly that peace is not a goal for Fatah: 

"It has been said that we are negotiating for peace, but our goal has never been peace. Peace is a means; the goal is Palestine."  

Radaydeh says that "armed struggle" has not been ruled out and will continue, depending on how "capable" the PA forces are. 
 
Click here to see the PATV interview with Fatah official, Kifah Radaydeh

 

Transcript:

"Fatah is facing a challenge, because [Fatah] says that we perceive peace as one of the strategies, but we say that all forms of the struggle exist, and we do not rule out the possibility of the armed struggle or any other struggle. The struggle exists in all its forms, on the basis of what we are capable of at a given time, and according to what seems right...
What exactly do we want? It has been said that we are negotiating for peace, but our goal has never been peace. Peace is a means; and the goal is Palestine. I do not negotiate in order to achieve peace. I negotiate for Palestine, in order to achieve a state." 
[PA TV July 7, 2009] 

It should be noted that when Fatah refers to "Palestine", it is routinely referring to all of Israel.

Some examples:
 
1. The Fatah flag still shows the map of Israel under rifles. The same symbol appears on the Fatah website (http://www.fateh.ps) and other official Fatah publications.
  
2. Fatah MP Najat Abu-Bakr said in a PA TV interview last year that Fatah's goal remains the destruction of Israel, but that their political plan is to focus on the West Bank and Gaza Strip: 

 "It doesn't mean that we don't want the 1948 borders [all of Israel]...but our current political program is to say that we want the 1967 borders." [PA TV, Aug. 25 2008]. Click to view

 

3. A PA TV educational documentary broadcast monthly since 2007 includes the following words denying the existence of Israel:

"Another section in Palestine which is the Palestinian coast that spreads along the [Mediterranean] sea, from... Ashkelon in the south, until Haifa, in the Carmel Mountains. Haifa is a well-known Palestinian port. [Haifa] enjoyed a high status among Arabs and Palestinians especially before it fell to the 'occupation' [Israel] in 1948. To its north, we find Acre. East of Acre, we reach a city with history and importance, the city of Tiberias, near a famous lake, the lake of Tiberias [Kinneret- Sea of Galilee]. Jaffa, an ancient coastal city, is the bride of the sea, and Palestine's gateway to the world." [PA TV, August 2007-June 7, 2009, dozens of times] Click to view

4. Muhammad Dahlan, senior PA official, recently stressed that Fatah adamantly refuses to recognize Israel, and that even Palestinian Authority recognition is to have better standing internationally in order to receive foreign aid: 

"I want to say for the thousandth time, in my own name and in the name of all of my fellow members of the Fatah movement: We do not demand that the Hamas movement recognize Israel. On the contrary, we demand of the Hamas movement not to recognize Israel, because the Fatah movement does not recognize Israel, even today... It's required of the government but not of Hamas; it's required of the government but not of the Fatah, so that this government will be able to offer the necessary assistance, to carry out the necessary reconstruction, to offer assistance to the sick, to bring relief to needy families... This can be dealt with [only] by a government that has relations with the international community, one that is acceptable to the international community, in order that we can work together and benefit from the international community."  [PA TV March 17, 2009]
Click to view

Palestijnen boycotten Netanjahoe's plan voor 'economische vrede'

 

Voor vrede zijn twee partijen nodig, dat geldt ook voor 'economische vrede'. Het is niet verbazend dat de Palestijnen wantrouwig staan tegenover de economische vredesplannen van Netanjahoe, die worden gezien als een zoethoudertje om de politieke onderhandelingen op de lange baan te kunnen schuiven. In zijn verkiezingscampagne bracht Netanjahoe het zelf zo, en de PA heeft hem op zijn woord genomen, zo blijkt.

 

Wouter

_________________

Palestinians reject Netanyahu's 'economic peace' plan
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Last update - 08:40 09/07/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098858.html

 

Prior to the elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his program for "economic peace," which he said would improved the quality of life for Palestinians in the West Bank. However, 100 days after having formed his coalition government, there is no practical progress on economic projects.

The main reason for this is the refusal of senior Palestinian Authority officials to cooperate with Netanyahu and Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, who has been assigned the task of promoting the "economic peace" initiative.

The ministerial committee handling the matter met again Wednesday, deciding to open the Allenby Bridge to traffic 24 hours a day to encourage Palestinian imports and exports to Jordan.

Shalom also presented a list of projects that had been delayed for years due to various bureaucratic difficulties. These include an industrial zone in Bethlehem, (funded by France), as well as one near Jenin (funded by Germany) and another near Jericho (paid for by Japan). Netanyahu had instructed all ministries to further his "economic peace" efforts by getting rid of red tape.

Palestinians block progress

The committee also discussed the PA's role in blocking progress. In essence, its senior officials are boycotting their Israeli counterparts.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas refuses to meet Netanyahu, and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will not meet with Silvan Shalom, while Palestinian officials are not permitted to meet their Israeli counterparts.

"Israel wants to promote economic peace, and I am calling for increased cooperation from the Palestinians," Shalom said during the meeting.

According to a senior political source, all contacts on economic issues with Palestinian officials are carried out through the Quartet's special envoy, Tony Blair. Even though the former British prime minister is pressing the Palestinians to meet with the Israelis, he has been unsuccessful.

"The Palestinians are concerned that if they cooperate on economic peace, Israel will be able to avoid the political process," the source said.

The Palestinian refusal to meet senior Israeli officials resulted in the cancellation of a joint conference scheduled to take place in Tokyo on the Jericho industrial zone.

It was to be attended by senior Japanese, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian officials, but the Palestinians announced that at this stage they would not participate, saying this stemmed from the lack of progress on the peace process with Israel.

 

VS krijgt Arabieren nog niet in beweging voor gebaar richting Israel

 

Achter de schermen is Obama wel degelijk bezig om ook van de Arabische staten dingen gedaan te krijgen, al lijkt de toon wat minder dwingend en eisend te zijn dan naar Israel toe. Sowieso spreekt de VS zich publiekelijk nauwelijks uit over wat de Arabische staten en de Palestijnen moeten doen, en lijkt alleen Israel van alles te moeten. Hopelijk is haar beleid achter de schermen evenwichtiger, wat ook het draagvlak in Israel voor concessies zal vergroten.

 

RP

-----------

 

Israeli source: U.S. can't get Arabs to commit to normalizing Israel ties
By Barak Ravid and Cnaan Liphshiz - Haaretz

Last update - 08:26 02/07/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097224.html

 

The U.S. administration has not been successful in securing commitments from Arab countries to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, a senior source in Jerusalem said Wednesday.

The source said U.S. President Barack Obama's recent meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia did not produce a commitment to encourage the other Arab states to begin normalization.

"In such a situation, the Americans can't continue demanding gestures only from Israel, such as the demand that Israel freeze settlement construction," the source said.

In response, a senior White House source said talks with the Arab states are continuing with the aim of obtaining a commitment to make gestures toward Israel, and there is still hope for progress.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak returned to Israel on Wednesday from a meeting with U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell. A senior White House official confirmed reports that progress was made on the issue of settlements, though no agreement had been reached. He added that similar progress had been made in contacts with Arab countries.

Haaretz has learned that the talks with Mitchell included discussions of a package deal to include a curb on settlement construction. Barak reportedly argued that any steps taken by Israel would have to be accompanied by assurances that the Arab states would also move forward. This would lay the groundwork for resumed talks on a final regional peace agreement.

Within the next two weeks or so, Mitchell is expected to visit Israel to continue talks.

A senior diplomatic source said that even if a meeting between Mitchell and the prime minister doesn't resolve the settlement issue, it will narrow the gap, and the prime minister may request a meeting with Obama in Washington in the coming months to seal an agreement.

Barak noted that if a package deal is reached, Israel might agree to a temporary construction freeze in the settlements, but this would not apply to more than 2,000 housing units already being built.

Also yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the traditional Independence Day reception at the residence of the American ambassador, James Cunningham. Netanyahu spoke of shared values with the United States but did not address the settlement issue. Although many senior Israeli politicians attended the event, turnout was lighter than usual.

By attending, Knesset members ignored the call by Likud MK Danny Danon, who wrote a letter to his parliamentary colleagues this week urging them to boycott the event. He said America "was trying to call into question the State of Israel's independence" by pressuring it to halt construction in the West Bank and agree to territorial concessions to the Palestinians.

A senior diplomat said he was puzzled by the logic behind Danon's proposal. He said that despite any disagreements, the event was meant to honor the American people, not any administration.

In his address, Netanyahu highlighted the democratic traditions of Israel and the United States, which he said united them in the face of tyranny. Referring to Obama's recent speech in Cairo, he noted the president's reference to the unbreakable bond between Israel and the United States.

Bassem Eid over het corruptie probleem in de Palestijnse Autoriteit

 

Een ondergesneeuwd onderwerp vanwege de eenzijdige aandacht voor de Israelische nederzettingen: de corruptie in de Palestijnse Autoriteit is nog steeds een groot probleem, en is een van de redenen dat veel Palestijnen geen eigen staat onder dit gezag willen. Voor een functionerende Palestijnse staat is meer nodig dan dat Israel bereid is gebied over te dragen.

 

RP
-----------

The cost of corruption
Jul. 1, 2009
bassem eid , THE JERUSALEM POST
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443695537&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

 

The Palestinian Authority, formed in 1994 in collaboration between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the government of Israel as a result of the Oslo Accords, controlled the entire area of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip until June 2007. Then Hamas forces took over the Strip, seizing the military facilities controlled by Fatah under Mahmoud Abbas's management, and proceeded to execute officers in the security forces. In response, Abbas dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council and declared a state of emergency.

Despite this body blow, the corruption of the PA remains as strong as ever, with more new layers constantly revealing themselves to the population at large.

A close friend who recently moved from Gaza City to Ramallah with his wife and two young children told me that the cost of each passport for a Gazan citizen is almost NIS 1,200, as opposed to NIS 235 prior to the Hamas takeover - just one of the consequences of the political disputes between the governments of Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in Ramallah.

After the takeover, several administrative offices had been formed in Gaza whose duties included the distribution of passports to civilians. I can't fathom how these offices transfer the passport requests from Gaza to Ramallah. I do not rule out the possibility that they are in fact smuggled through the tunnels and sent via Egyptian mail to Ramallah.

Today there is a serious passport shortage in the Gaza Strip. The PA, to help remedy that problem, is supposed to pass out about 5,000 new passports every month to citizens in the Gaza Strip. Hamas uses passports by selectively distributing them to the people within its government instead of making them available to anyone applying for them. The lack of passports in Gaza has brought a major increase in demand and even 10,000 new passports issued a month would not be enough to relieve the deficit.

The PA doesn't want to provide the necessary number of passports to the Gaza Strip, since it sees the dearth of passports as a useful tool with which to pressure the Hamas government into returning what it acquired in the takeover.

Hamas, however, is far more worried about regional politics than in the life of the Gaza Strip population.

I WOULD like to add another anecdote to this story: My brother, Hatem Abdulqader, was appointed 40 days ago to be the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs in the Salaam Fayad government. However, his new employer wasn't able to provide him with an office. No one in the government was able to tell my brother to his face that every minister needs a chair, a table and coffee utensils to serve the people who come to his office to congratulate him. When I heard about this, I lent my brother NIS 10,000 to find an office.

Eventually, he had to build one for himself. He had approached the Ministry of Finance many times requesting an office, a chair and a desk, but was told time again that the PA's cash register was empty.

This episode enraged me. Why is it necessity to appoint so many ministers to form a government? Why is the PA in need of $100 million each month for salaries? Where does all this money go? What do all these ministers do for their people?

In the television broadcast showing my brother being sworn in as minister, he raised his hand and swore by the Koran to be loyal to his people and country. If I were him, I would refuse to take this vow in front of Abbas or Fayad. I would be willing to take the oath only when the people standing in front of me are responsible enough to uphold this vow themselves.

The Fayad government actually wanted to use my brother to commit perjury, to swear in front of the entire Palestinian nation in the name of a useless government.

 

The writer is the founder and director of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group based in east Jerusalem.

Israelisch-Palestijnse onderhandelingen via Facebook en Twitter

 

"Do you know how hard it is for Arabs and Jews to insult each other in only 35 words?"

 

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Is Facebook an Israeli plot to control the world?

Jun. 30, 2009
ray hanania , THE JERUSALEM POST

Why would the Israelis want to control the world when they are having a hard enough time trying to control themselves? Still, it's a question worth pondering especially in the age of the Internet and the rise of the Zionist conspiracy called "Facebook." Let's "faceit," Facebook has a very strong Israeli face. Well, that's if you assume all Jews are Israelis and all Israelis are Jews. The evidence suggests a link.

The founder, Mark Zuckerberg, was born on May 14, 1984. Coincidence? (Hint, Israel's birthday!) And 1984 - the subject of George Orwell's book about the battle to control the world! Zuckerberg is from New York, or, little Israel as Osama bin Laden refers to it. He launched Facebook from his dorm room at Harvard, a scholarly institution controlled by, you know who. No! Not Jews. Presbyterians. (Jews think they control the media, the Arabs believe the Jews control the media and the Presbyterians do control the media. And Presbyterians are not sure who they dislike more, Jews or Arabs.)

Palestinians complain they have an extremely difficult time on Facebook. Do they join the Zionist entity and engage in "normalization" or do they go to the Arab alternative, Berqabook?

I HAVE my own tribulations with Facebook. I have been booted from the worldwide entity twice! Coincidence? The first time, I was writing criticism of the Israeli government. The second time, just this past week, I was writing criticism of the Israeli government. (Actually, I always write criticism of the Israeli government, but so what?) Immediately after and without notice, Facebook shut my account and my 1,363 "friends" vanished off my computer "facescreen" like "born again Christians" scooped up in the rapture. (That's where Evangelical Christian supporters of Israel turn on the Jewish state and read the fine print that if Jews don't convert to Christianity, they get punished like the Muslims.)

I am slowly working my way back from "Ground Zero" and no friends to recovery. I know have 124 "friends as of this writing." What I am learning is that I now have 1,363 people who were once "friends" and who are now angry at me, thinking that I "de-friended" them. Oops! (De-friending someone to a Facebook-nick is like anti-Semitism to a Jew.) About 911 of those former "friends" are Arabs, mostly relatives. (Yes, "Hanania is my last name" has a group on Facebook.) It includes the 15 Saudis whom I don't know but who asked to be my "friend" using a library computer at Guantanamo.

But de-friending 896 relatives and Arabs is the quintessential definition of Jeeeehad! I'll never make my "fourth wife" goal at this rate.

SO I HAVE to slowly re-friend people, one-by-one, cursing my Zionist entity nemesis, "Maaaark Zuuckerberg!" Worse in all this is the jolt to my ego. I went from 1,363 "friends" to zero friends, reminding me that no matter where I live, I am little more than a Palestinian refugee in a harsh and insensitive world of YouTube videos, Twitter and podcasting.

There is something nice about not having people to argue with, though. Yes. In making "friends" on Facebook, you are actually setting yourself up for conflict, which is the dark side of the Facebook experience. The worst thing to do on Facebook is to let your heart do the talking. I've gotten into so many mini-Suez Canal wars with Israelis, but into even more "Black September" battles with Arabs.

The Americans are like "duh!" They friend me, read that I am "Arab" and then say good-bye, explaining they thought I was Puerto Rican. Americans are the most educated people in the world but the least educated about the world. They can't tell the difference between a Palestinian and a Pakistani, an Indian and an Iranian. And a good president and a moron. Well, that was before President Obama, who I love! "Yalla habeeby Barack Hussein! Luuu luuuu luuuu luuuu luuuu!" Give me a gun and I can do that celebratory dance Vanessa Redgrave did so salaciously years ago.

Maybe, though, we should use Facebook as a new forum for negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. And make them post their views using Twitter, which forces each side to limit their disparaging comments about each side to only 140 characters, including spaces, which comes to about 35 words.

Do you know how hard it is for Arabs and Jews to insult each other in only 35 words? We can only hope. Hey Bibi. Do you want to be my friend?

The writer is a Palestinian American comedian, columnist and Chicago radio talk show host. www.RadioChicagoland.com

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