deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on Apr 27, 2011 22:35:34 GMT -5
To Readers of this thread, I am doing the same here as I have done on other threads, adding articles to the threads dealing with the original topic of the original thread, changing the header to reflect the latest post and any article posted. This way the zone is not clogged with similar threads and all the information on the topics discussed and posted are together as much as feasible. To read the article and comments regarding the header, just scroll to the end, last post, header will be the same as the one posted in the header of the thread, and the rest of the articles on the topic are here to in case some missed them and are interested in reading them. ==================================== Latest is that the two feuding Palestinian political sides have settled their differences in secret meetings held in Egypt. Since Israel will have nothing to do with Hamas, terrorist organization by most accounts and do not recognize Israel as a State..seems we are back to square one in that area. Will have elections in both the West bank and Gaza before September and assume who ever wins, wins the whole shebang possible. What the whole thing means in Israeli /Palestinian relations, haven't a clue. ------------------------------------------------------------- english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011427152119845721.html------------------------------------------------------------- [Click on Link to tread article] -------------------------------------------------------- Middle East Fatah and Hamas sign reconciliation deal Palestinian factions agree to form interim government and fix general election date following talks in Cairo. 27 Apr 2011 21:43 Abbas, the president of the PA, had called for presidential and legislative elections before September [AFP] Fatah, the Palestinian political organization, has reached an agreement with its rival Hamas on forming an interim government and fixing a date for a general election, Egyptian intelligence has said. In February, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority and a member of Fatah, called for presidential and legislative elections before September, in a move which was rejected by Hamas at the time. "The consultations resulted in full understandings over all points of discussions, including setting up an interim agreement with specific tasks and to set a date for election," Egyptian intelligence said in a statement on Wednesday. The deal, which took many officials by surprise, was thrashed out in Egypt and followed a series of secret meetings. "The two sides signed initial letters on an agreement. All points of differences have been overcome," Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas government spokesman in Gaza, told the Reuters news agency. He said that Cairo would shortly invite both sides to a signing ceremony. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaza, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, said: I think we are optimistic because ... there is [an] official agreement between Hamas and Fatah, and I think we now have [an] impressive jump to the Palestinian unity. "Maybe it does not come as one shock because I think it came as a fruit for long talks and discussion. "I think that today we became very close to this agreement, we have finished some points. It is like [an] outline draft and I think it will be a good beginning. "Maybe after that we will start how we can implement this agreement to be translated and practised on the ground."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2011 22:54:20 GMT -5
With Iran seeming to be sneaking in to the rebellions, it is in the best interest of all that hate Israel to just be calm and bide their time. Could be they have reason to think the time is coming soon.
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Post by ed1066 on Apr 27, 2011 23:16:45 GMT -5
Both Hamas and Fatah are terrorist organizations with a common goal, the destruction of Israel. I'm only surprised that they were able to stop acting like savages long enough to team up...
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hello fromWarsaw
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Hiya! Wake UP!!
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Post by hello fromWarsaw on Apr 28, 2011 0:18:49 GMT -5
There have been large protests in the Palestinian territories demanding both parties try to find solutions for the area, rather than just feathering their own nests and getting profit out of an everlasting deadlock. The whole "Arab Spring" movement is huge. Obamahhh, Pubs NOT!.
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on Apr 28, 2011 0:23:20 GMT -5
Both Hamas and Fatah are terrorist organizations with a common goal, the destruction of Israel. I'm only surprised that they were able to stop acting like savages long enough to team up... Fatah , under Abbas was trying to come to a agreement with the Israelis, but for what ever reason, Natanahu just felt it was not time, to many unanswered questions and concerns. Possible Abbas felt it was not going anywhere , also with wanting and needing elections, he has been in a office that he was really out of for a few years now, term had expired as had the Parliment, he's getting older , and while the West Bank has made great strides on business, employment , it still is not a free and democratic place, Fatah is as strict on their security, control of the populace, and secret reporting as Fatah in Gaza, and the young on both sides have benn demanding the feud be ended. How this is going to affect the relations with the Israelis I don't know, what really would throw a monkey wrench into the equation is if Fetah did a quaisi recognition of Israel , stiop the rockets and clamp down on those independent little anti israel groups who are sending rockets and attacks into Israel. Then how does Israel respond and after these new elections, if countries start recognizing the state of Palastinians , even with out a peace with Israel and borders, where does that leave the Israelis . Nothing like the Middle East to always have smooth sailing.
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on Apr 28, 2011 18:19:22 GMT -5
As expected Israelis say no agreement with Hamas and Fetah raching a agreement to end their split...whether this is as it will be will be seen. Abbas, President of the Fatah{PA} says he will be in charge of foreign affairs, no active Hamas leaders will be involved and any Hamas people in negotiations with the Israeli's if they ever talk again will be technocrats only, the nuts and bolts people, logistics, infrastructure, not the political types. Still a lot to be worked out yet and UN also leary till they to talk to Abbas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ english.aljazeera.net/----------------------------------------------- [Click on link to read article] ------------------------------------------------ Israeli leaders have ruled out negotiations with any Palestinian government that includes Hamas following a Palestinian unity deal between rivals Hamas and Fatah. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, convened his security cabinet on Thursday, while Israeli President Shimon Peres called the rapprochement a "grave mistake that will prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and will sabotage chances of peace and stability in the region". Al Jazeera speaks to Khaleda Jarrar, a member of the PFLP, about what the unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas might actually mean. In an interview with Israeli military radio, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's foreign minister, said the Palestinian deal had "crossed a red line" for Israel. The comments come a day after Hamas and Fatah reached an initial unity deal in Cairo to end a four-year-old dispute that left Fatah controlling the West Bank and Hamas controlling Gaza. The Palestinians claim both territories for a future independent state. The Egyptian-brokered deal, which took many by surprise, has revived hopes of ending bitter infighting that weakened the Palestinians politically and killed dozens in violent clashes and crackdowns. The Palestinian plan calls for the formation of a joint caretaker government to prepare the way for elections next year. The Palestinians say the move is a step toward independence."
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on Apr 28, 2011 21:44:39 GMT -5
Us Aid to Fetah, $400 million per, at risk with the unity deal of Hamas and Fatah, due to Hamas being on the list of terrorist groups, US aid by law not allowed to go to such groups. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=218355------------------------------------------------------------------------------ {click on links to go to article} --------------------------------------------------------- Reuters US to reconsider PA funding following unity deal 04/29/2011 00:08 Palestinian gov't remains in place despite a reconciliation deal, State Department says; however US lawmakers say after meeting Netanyahu that "US funding can't flow to gov't with group still on foreign terrorist list." The Palestinian government remains in place despite a reconciliation deal between the two main Palestinian factions and US aid continues to flow to it, US State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke-Fulton said on Thursday, saying it would review aid if a new one is formed. However, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers said on Thursday after a meeting in Tel Aviv with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that "the Palestinian Authority has chosen an alliance with violence and extremism over the democratic values that Israel represents." Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Washington warned US funding could not flow to a government that includes a group still on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the powerful Republican chairwoman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and a staunch defender of Israel, said US law required a halt to support for the Palestinian Authority." ---------------------------------------------------- Related to the unity of Hamas and Fatah, US, Obama cool toward the agreement, no judgement but had the following to say. "After Fatah-Hamas reconciliation, US plays it cool By DEBRA KAMIN 04/27/2011 21:46 If merged Palestinian government wishes to be a true player on international stage, US official says, they must act on the side of peace. The United States responded on Wednesday to an announced reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, releasing a short and tepid statement that withheld judgment and bordered on skepticism. "The United States supports Palestinian reconciliation on terms which promote the cause of peace. Hamas, however, is a terrorist organization which targets civilians," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement. "To play a constructive role in achieving peace, any Palestinian government must accept the Quartet principles and renounce violence, abide by past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist," he said. Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reacted to the news, saying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had two choices: peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. "Hamas aspires to destroy Israel and fires rockets at our cities," he said in a televised statement. "There is no possibility for peace with both." -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on Apr 28, 2011 22:00:52 GMT -5
A interesting article on why this unity of Fatah and Hamas came about, how for a while both Natanyahu and Hamas were on the same page, bopth not wanting the unity to happen , but now from the Israeli side, it looks like it's back to the black board.. For those interested in the politics of the region and why things seem to come about, a short but good read. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Article.aspx?id=218327----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magazine The enemy Israel and Hamas once shared 04/28/2011 21:40 By DAVID HARRIS-GERSHON Until now, the one goal Israel and Hamas shared was preventing a Hamas-PA reconciliation. Wednesday’s reunification announcement indicates that Hamas has changed its game plan. The question is, will Netanyahu change his? Here’s one definition of tragic irony: in March and April, Hamas fired rockets at Israeli civilians as a way to counter the will of its own citizens in Gaza, who have increasingly been calling for governmental reforms and unity with the West Bank. Welcome to the Arab Spring in Israel and the Palestinian territories, where disaffected Gazans clamoring for Palestinian unity have unwittingly driven Hamas – itching for a fight from without rather than from within – to unconscionably target Israeli school children. And welcome to the entire region’s Arab Spring, where Israel – interested in preventing Palestinian unity – obliged Hamas by shelling the Gaza Strip. The escalation of violence in recent months arrived suddenly after two years of relative calm, in which only sporadic skirmishes broke out between Hamas and Israeli forces. However, March and April of this year saw a precipitous increase in rocket attacks launched by Hamas militants into Israel. The tipping point was reached when, on Thursday, April 7, militants fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, injuring several students. Israel responded with fierce, targeted air strikes, and both sides for a time threatened further escalation. Why did this occur without warning? Why, according to the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), did the month of March see “more rocket and mortar attacks fired into Israel” than at any point since the Gaza War ended in 2009? The answer: in the past month, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been trying to bridge the rift between Gaza and the West Bank that has existed since 2007, when Abbas’s PA loyalists were expelled from the strip by Hamas. He has been pressing for Palestinian reconciliation with an eye toward September, when the UN is scheduled to discuss recognition of a unilaterally-declared Palestinian state. Abbas knows that, unless Hamas is on board with such a declaration – unless there is unity between the ruling factions in the West Bank and Gaza – unilateral moves approved by the UN will carry little practical weight. During this push for reconciliation by Abbas, protesters in Gaza have been loudly demanding that Hamas form a unity government with the PA. The only problem: it is a reconciliation Hamas does not truly desire, having no interest in ceding its power over the entirety of Gaza. So it turned its missiles loose on Israel as a strategic misdirection, a bait and switch. The goal? To transform protestors’ calls for reform into raised fists of resistance. Remarkably, as Israel shelled Gaza in response, the protesters in Gaza remained vigilant, their calls for reconciliation unwavering as bombs fell around them. Now, Hamas – implicitly acknowledging that the diversion has failed –appears on the cusp of a historic reconciliation with the PA. (This despite deep rifts that remain within Hamas, particularly in its military wing, about the wisdom of such a move.) Israel, in a bizarre twist, has long shared Hamas’s opposition to reconciliation. On the surface, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has publicly presented his reason for opposing PA unity efforts with Hamas. Namely, the terror organization’s refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Recently, upon learning of Abbas’s plans, Netanyahu publicly told the Palestinian President, “You can't have peace with both Israel and Hamas,” effectively warning him to break off unity talks. However, there is another reason Israel fears Palestinian reconciliation: the same UN September date upon which Abbas is so focused. Since 2009, Netanyahu has been leaning heavily on Palestinian disunity – it is one of the principal elements that has allowed him to invest so lightly in peace negotiations with Abbas. Netanyahu understands that without unity on the Palestinian side, a brokered two-state solution would mean nothing. Palestinian reconciliation, though, would change everything. Which is why Netanyahu recently threatened that Israel would counter any unilateral declarations with unilateral moves of its own. This partially explains the speed and strength of Israel’s recent retaliation against Hamas, for it too would benefit from drawing Hamas out into a protracted fight, thus minimizing the chance for unity between Hamas and the PA. To be clear, Israel has a right – a requirement – to defend its citizens. When a school bus is intentionally hit by an anti-tank missile, nobody (including Hamas) expects Israel to stand down. And organizations, such as ICT, argue that targeted strikes against terror cells in the Gaza Strip are the most effective way to prevent future terror strikes in the short term. However, it would be a mistake to view Israeli air strikes in early April as a simple matter of defense, for Netanyahu has a vested interest in preventing Palestinian unity. Tragically, it is an interest Hamas has long shared. Amazingly, despite this fact, it appears both the popular will of the Gazan people as well as movement from Abbas may have finally pushed Hamas leaders to the brink of a reconciliation agreement. If such a unity holds, Israel will stand in isolation, carrying the banner against Palestinian reconciliation without a plan or vision for how to proceed. But at least it will no longer share the banner with Hamas. The writer is the author of Shrapnel: A Memoir.
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on Apr 28, 2011 22:09:10 GMT -5
Along with the unity of the two partys " Unity Government will not take part in peace talks ---------------------------------------------------- www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=218157------------------------------------------------------------------- [Click on link to read article ----------------------------------------------------------------- News 02:56 Super_ JPost.comMiddle East 'Unity gov't won't take part in peace talks' By KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND JPOST.COM STAFF 04/28/2011 03:14 The establishment of a Palestinian national unity government does not mean that Hamas will recognize Israel or will participate in peace negotiations, senior Hamas official and a member of the Hamas delegation to the Cairo discussions Mahmoud Zahar said overnight Wednesday in Cairo. "Our plan does not involve negotiations with Israel or recognizing it," Zahar said. "It will be impossible for an interim government to take part in the peace process with Israel." Earlier, following a series of secret meetings in Cairo and Damascus over the past few weeks, Hamas and Fatah announced that they struck a deal to form a “national unity” government, and hold elections within a year. The agreement, which has been hailed by both sides as “historic,” was reached under the auspices of Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and General Intelligence Force. Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby said the agreement was aimed at paving the way for the Palestinians to seek UN recognition in September of an independent state on the 1967 lines. “Palestinian divisions can’t continue while efforts are being made to ensure recognition of a Palestinian state,” Elaraby said, adding that he planned to visit Ramallah soon for talks with Palestinian Authority officials on this and other matters."
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on Apr 28, 2011 22:19:39 GMT -5
The unity agreement between the two Palastinian partys is getting some Israeli lawmakers rambunctiouse in their ideas of how to counter and protect Israel interests and stave off Europeon talks on Palastinian State Hood in September. Remeber Israel is a full vibrant democracy, they have legislatures as we do and there is suppport for many of these bills presented. This lawmaker is suggesting doing away with the oslo accords and annexing hugh parts of the west bank as was done with Jeruselum and the Golon Heights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=217969----------------------------------------------------------------------- {Click on link to read article} ------------------------------------------------------------- MK Danon preparing bills to annex West Bank, repeal Oslo Accords; move intended to convince EU to stop UN vote on Palestinian statehood. Ideas about annexing parts of the West Bank that until recently were considered extreme have been gaining traction in the Knesset in recent weeks as the Palestinian Authority continues threatening to declare a state unilaterally in September. National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau raised the idea at Israel Beiteinu’s convention in Jerusalem two weeks ago and then spoke about it at length in an interview with The Jerusalem Post’s web site last week. RELATED: 'If Palestinians declare state, Israel weighing annexation' Only four MKs vote to annex West Bank “We’ll have to protect ourselves,” he said. “If [the Palestinians declare a state], I’m going to suggest to my government to extend our sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and over the highly populated blocs we have in Judea and Samaria, just to start with.” The idea has already attracted the attention of the international media, including CNN, which approached Landau to discuss the matter on Tuesday. Landau and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein will be featured speakers at a rally in favor of annexing Judea and Samaria at the Knesset next month. Top right-wing academics and former foreign minister Moshe Arens are also expected to speak at the event, which is being organized by Likud MK Danny Danon. “A Palestinian declaration of statehood would officially bury the Oslo Accords, which state that final borders will be decided via negotiations and that unilateral actions constitute violation of the accords,” Danon said. “The Palestinians declaring a state would free us of all the diplomatic, security, and economic commitments we made in the Oslo Accords.” Danon favors responding to a Palestinian declaration of statehood by annexing all of Area C, which includes all the West Bank’s Jewish settlements and empty land. He said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should follow the example of his predecessors Levi Eshkol, who annexed eastern Jerusalem, and Menachem Begin, who annexed the Golan Heights"
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 1, 2011 8:14:26 GMT -5
Found a interesting article on a new media source about a Arab ebntrerpreneur active and prospering onn the West Bank. I found interesting because when one thinks of Gazam West Bank, ones mind thinks of no emoployment, refugee camps, which are there, but also what is therre is bustling commerce, growth, especially on the West Bank, not sure much happening in Gaza, and even great wealth. That's what this article is about, and gives we who really know little a glimpse iinto what is really happening there in certain quarters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=29989------------------------------------------------------------- [Click on link to read article} -------------------------------------------------------------- Dream Of A Palestinian Tiger - Boom Times In The West Bank 2011-04-28 03:58:22 (3 days ago) Posted By: Intellpuke With five-star hotels, booming high-tech companies and a modern, new city under construction near Ramallah, the West Bank is preparing for the future. Local entrepreneurs speculate that if the Palestinians ever gain independence, their country could become a leader in the region. Bashar Masri is sitting behind a yellow desk in Ramallah with two Israeli newspapers open in front of him. A large photo of Masri is featured in one of the dailies and his wife Jane is pictured in the other. As he speaks, he plugs the text into Google for a translation. "Palestinian tycoon," he reads, shaking his head. He doesn't like the word. He prefers the headline of the piece next to it: "We Need Peace, or We'll Face an Economic Catastrophe." The editorial was written by Idan Ofer, one of Israel's wealthiest businessmen. Masri smiles and then reaches for the phone and calls Ofer. "Great article," he says. They have a short conversation and then Masri hangs up. Ofer and Masri, the tycoons of Tel Aviv and Ramallah, are friends. Masri is possibly the most unusual businessman in the Palestinian Territories. The 50-year-old is a frequent guest in the homes of Israel's wealthiest citizens, his wife runs the largest advertising agency in the Palestinian Territories and studies in Tel Aviv, and his uncle is a billionaire from Nablus. Masri went to the United States at 17 to attend college, and afterward he worked there and married an American woman, until returning home in 1994. He founded Massar International and began building a small empire. He already had dreams of building a Palestinian city in those days, but then came the second Intifada, so he built in Morocco initially instead. But he never lost sight of his goal to establish the first modern city in the Palestinian Territories -- and he began building it in the West Bank near Ramallah more than a year ago. The new city, called Rawabi, comes at a price tag of more than $850 million (€586 million). Masri's most important investor is the government of Qatar. In addition to 5,000 residential units, Masri is building a sewage treatment plant and a mosque, supermarkets and an administration complex. When the new city reaches its target population of 40,000 people, it will be larger even than Ramallah." {story continues..click on link }
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 2, 2011 22:21:41 GMT -5
This article from Debka media , deals with hezballah , Lebonan , being worried that assad may not be long for this world, as far as ciontinuing to control Syria , and fears that the long range missles that the Syrians are holding for them in safe keeping , may be moved to lenonan. The thinking is they, Israeli's would not attack them while still on Syrian soil, afraid of being accused of interferring in the Syrian rebellion, but my thinking is , these missles are such a threat against all areas of Israel, they would make a move to destroy them , especially if they didn't get into any more then those actions against Syrian military. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ www.debka.com/article/20891/----------------------------------------------------------- Hizballah prepares to pull its heavy missiles from Syrian safekeeping DEBKAfile Exclusive Report May 1, 2011, 9:30 PM (GMT+02:00) "Hizballah has obviously decided the Assad regime is sinking. debkafile's military sources report the organization is preparing to pull its heavy, long-range weapons out of storage in Syrian military facilities – no longer sure they are safe there – and risk transporting them to Lebanon. Last year, Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed to store Hizballah's incoming Iran-made Fatah-110 surface missiles and its Syrian equivalent the M-600 and the mobile SA-8 (Gecko) anti-air battery which holds 18 warheads with a maximum range of 12 kilometers. Tehran paid for the upkeep of the Hizballah hardware on Syrian side of the border after Israel threatened to bomb these potential game-changers if they crossed over. Deployed at Hizballah bases in Lebanon, the Fatah-110 and M-600 would place almost every corner of Israel within range of bombardment, while the SA-8 would seriously restrict Israeli Air Force operations over southern Lebanon and Galilee. However, as the uprising against Assad rolls ever closer to Damascus, Hizballah see a very real threat of it infecting the Syrian army and has decided that now might be its last chance to get hold of the core arsenal it has standing by for war with Israel before events get out of hand in Syria. Hizballah's headquarters in Dahya, Beirut, became alarmed when they heard about strong resentment building up in the Syrian 11th Division over the Assad crackdown against the dissidents – among officers as well as other ranks. The 11th Division, which is camped outside Aleppo, is the best trained and organized of all Syrian army units, equipped as its strategic reserve with the most advanced weaponry. If the unrest has reached this elite unit, Hizballah reckons there is no time to losing for pulling its missiles out of Syrian military safekeeping. Meanwhile, top Hizballah and Iranian offices in Tehran are working on the best way to transport the missiles into Lebanon without exposing them to Israeli attack, debkafile's Iranian sources report. Some of them calculate that Israel would not venture to strike them while still on Syrian soil because it would lay itself open to interfering, or even getting in the way of, the revolt against President Assad and playing into his hands. A security emergency might well take the wind out of protest movement's sails. But already, Tehran's Lebanese surrogate is beginning to distance itself from Bashar Assad, its longtime strategic partner and arms supplier, having decided he has his back to the wall. April 28, the Hizballah-controlled Lebanese Al Akhbar newspaper started criticizing the Assad regime on its op-ed pages."
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 3, 2011 8:11:53 GMT -5
Hamas, Fatah sign their concilatory agreement in Egypt.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/201153111651752111.html-------------------------------------------------- Middle East Palestinian factions sign reconciliation deal Representatives of factions including Fatah and its rival Hamas ink deal following talks in Egypt. Last Modified: 03 May 2011 12:13 "Palestinian factions have signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year, AFP news agency reports. Representatives of factions including Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party and its rival Hamas inked the deal following talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Tuesday. "We signed the deal despite several reservations. But we insisted on working for the higher national interest," Walid al-Awad, a politburo member of the leftist Palestine People's Party, said. "We have discussed all the reservations. Everyone has agreed to take these points into consideration," he told Egyptian state television without elaborating. "Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will be celebrating this agreement... We must now work to implement what was agreed in the deal." A formal signing ceremony is scheduled to take place in Cairo on Wednesday. The deal, which was announced last week, comes after 18 months of fruitless talks and envisions the formation of an interim government of independents that will pave the way for presidential and legislative elections within a year. Israel has heavily criticised the agreement, refusing to deal with a government that includes Hamas, which it and the United States brand a terrorist organisation. But Palestinian officials say the new government's role will be to manage affairs in the Palestinian territories, while the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) will remain in charge of peace talks with Israel. Fatah and Hamas have been bitterly divided since June 2007 when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, routing Fatah loyalists in bloody confrontations that effectively split the Palestinian territories into two separate entities with separate governments."
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 3, 2011 8:18:02 GMT -5
Israel with holds payment of $89 million, taxes collected, other dollers due Fatah, under concerns $b will also be sent to Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization, calls for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish State . Wants assurances that any of the $ given to Fatah, does not end up in Hamas hands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/20115182147504313.html------------------------------------------------------- Middle East Israel withholds Palestinian cash transfer Israel suspends transfer of $89m to Palestinian Authority in view of recent unity deal between Fatah and Hamas. Last Modified: 01 May 2011 10:36 Israel will hold up an $89 million cash transfer to the Palestinian Authority [PA] planned for this week because of a new unity deal between rival Palestinian factions. Israel threatened to impose sanctions last week in response to the surprise announcement of a unity deal between the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. "Israel wants assurances that any money transferred to the Palestinians will not reach the militant Hamas organisation, which is set to become part of the Palestinian government," Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli finance minister, said on Sunday. "I think the burden of proof is on the Palestinians, to make it certain, to give us guarantees that money delivered by Israel is not going to the Hamas, is not going to a terrorist organisation, is not going to finance terror operations against Israeli citizens." According to a report in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli officials would also cancel talks with the PA aimed at updating the tax transfer mechanism which provides it with $1bn to $1.4bn annually - two-thirds of PA's budget. Israel collects some tax and customs fees for the Palestinians under the peace agreements of the 1990s. Israel has held up cash transfers several times in the past decade, citing concerns that the money was being used to fund attacks against Israelis. Deal raises concern There was no immediate Palestinian reaction to the Israeli move. The deal signed between Fatah, the party of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Hamas is meant to lead immediately to a transitional government and new elections within one year. The Israeli government said the deal rules out the renewal of deadlocked peace talks and threatens Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation in the West Bank. The agreement "should worry not only all Israeli citizens but all those across the world who want to see peace between us and our Palestinian neighbours", Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister said on Sunday. Israel has also expressed its concern to the UN about the deal. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, on Saturday told Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, of "Israel's concern" over the unity accord struck on Wednesday between Hamas and Fatah, according to a statement."
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cme1201
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Post by cme1201 on May 3, 2011 8:20:34 GMT -5
Israel with holds payment of $89 million, taxes collected, other dollers due Fatah, under concerns $b will also be sent to Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization, calls for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish State . Wants assurances that any of the $ given to Fatah, does not end up in Hamas hands.
Can you blame them?
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 3, 2011 8:54:56 GMT -5
Israel with holds payment of $89 million, taxes collected, other dollers due Fatah, under concerns $b will also be sent to Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization, calls for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish State . Wants assurances that any of the $ given to Fatah, does not end up in Hamas hands. Can you blame them? Not at all, but before dismissing Fatah as the bargaining end of the alliance, I hope they sit down and thrash this out and find what this agreement is all bout. Even if they had come to a agreement earlier, West bank...The PA, as far as a almost agreement regarding a State for the Palestinians, Hamas would still have been in Gaza, and to expect the West Bank Palastinians to forget about 1.5 million of their brothers and sisters, was not going to happen, so that problem would have to been faced. Now if Natanahu{How do you spell his name already } is NOT interested in settling the problem with the PA[fatah] , Palastinians, that is another thing, a excuse to just stall and not get serious, but in September, they , the Palestinians, after the election, will be going to Western Nations for recognition of the Palestinian State , even with out a agreement with the Israelis, and it seems there are over a 100 nations ready to give that recognition, and once embassy's, consulates are established and recognition given, the Israeli's are even more isolated AND if Hamas stops their attacks on Israel and the new government, that will be formed and Abba's says he will not run as president, so you will have new leadership, it will be tricky. If the new government that is elected, does rein in Hamas as a rogue party, or if they act up, then goes after them as any nation would if there was a party who was acting against the good of the all, against the policies of the governing and elected government, it would tie the Israeli's hands. A lot will be happening in the next five months. It isn't the first time these two parties have tried to get together, but it has always fallen apart because of fundamental disagreements. It may happen again, possible what the Israeli's are hoping for , but with the new emphasis of working together by the young people, the majority of the Palestinians, of coming together, that , the breaking of the agreement of the two parties, might be harder to do, being forced to cooperate and stay together. This is why they have gotten together, the pressure to do so by the young people in both Gaza and the West bank. Forced them, leadership of both parties , to end the split.
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 4, 2011 1:20:31 GMT -5
While Hamas and Fatah seem to be getting together , it seems politics is also being played out here so that may doom the reconciliation, and it is all internal. The President of the PA, Abbas, [Fatah }his followers, meaning Abbas himself , are not really intersted in keeping the PM of Fatah around, Salaam Fayyad. The reason is, Fayyad , is to populer and over shadows the President according tio Abbas backers, and Hamas feels he is to Western Leaning , a tool of the West, and incidentally , in Hamas reading of it, it would be a slap in the face of the Hamas PM if he remained. The Hamas PM is likely to lose his job in the merging of the two parties. The problem is Fayyad is a western educated, non violent PM, who has been instrumental in building the West bank up to it's present prosperiouse level , modernized the military and police branches of Fatah, even the Israeli's marvel at the cooperaion to stop violence and professionalism of the force, and is respected by the Western Powers who give the PA $1 Billion in aid a year that would be in jeoperdy if he was not kept on. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- www.washingtonpost.com/world/rival_palestinian_factions_unite_in_efforts_to_oust_popular_prime_minister/2011/05/03/AFpRmydF_story.html?wprss=rss_world--------------------------------------------------------------- [Click on link to read ..this is a two page article so if reading make sure you click on second page when finished with the 1st page] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are growing signs that Fayyad could be on his way out as the rival Fatah and Hamas movements prepare to sign a reconciliation deal this week and form a new “unity government.” Published: May 3 RAMALLAH, West Bank — "There are growing signs that the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, could be on his way out, as the rival Fatah and Hamas movements prepare to sign a reconciliation deal this week and form a new “unity government.” An ouster of the internationally respected economist could cost the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars in Western aid, spell the end of critical U.S. training for Palestinian security forces and endanger an effort to win support for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations. .But Hamas’ perception that he’s a tool of the West and a belief in Fatah that his popularity outstrips even the president’s could spell Fayyad’s political demise. “Both Fatah and Hamas don’t want Fayyad as prime minister,” said Hani Masri, a Palestinian independent who has been mediating between the factions. “Nothing is impossible in politics, but so far Fayyad is not the preference of either side.” Fayyad, 59, has won fans both at home and abroad for his opposition to violence and efforts to lay the groundwork for Palestinian independence. A former International Monetary Fund official with a Ph.D in economics from the University of Texas in Austin, he is credited with rooting out the waste and corruption prevalent during the reign of the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. A new poll released Sunday also shows that Fayyad is immensely popular with the Palestinian public. Pollster Faysal Awartani said 58 percent of respondents said they want Fayyad to be head of the new government. He said the telephone poll called 420 people in the West Bank and Gaza and had a margin of error of 5 percentage points. A political independent, Fayyad took over as prime minister in 2007 after a short-lived unity government between Fatah and Hamas collapsed into civil war. Since then, he has led a Western-leaning administration in the West Bank, while Hamas, an Iranian-backed militant group committed to Israel’s destruction, governed the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians hope to unify both territories, located on opposite sides of Israel, into an independent state. The deep division between the rival governments has been a major obstacle to that happening. But last week, with unrest and mass demonstrations sweeping the Arab world, the rival factions announced plans to join in a caretaker government until new elections can be held next year. The plan is to be formally signed on Wednesday and has raised key questions such as who will be the next prime minister. Officials say names won’t be discussed until after the signing. With Hamas considered a terrorist group by Israel and the West, any overt connection to the Islamic group could jeopardize everything the Palestinians have gained in recent years. Fayyad is in the final stages of a two-year “state-building” plan meant to show the world that the Palestinians are ready for independence. He has overseen a U.S.-backed effort to streamline the Palestinian security forces. Long torn by rivalries and bedeviled by lack of discipline, these reconstituted units have restored law and order in the West Bank and even win praise from Israel for coordinating with its military to help prevent violence. Fayyad’s government has built new schools, supervised road and public works projects and promoted economic development." Remember to click on the second page of the article to finish article
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 5, 2011 2:44:22 GMT -5
New article relating to Egypt brokering the unity of Hamas and Fatah, holding the key and the possibilities of what may come with in the next year as far as Palestinian statehood and peace between the Palestinians and the Israeli's. Not the first time they have tries to merge but now with Mubarak gone from Egypt and the prop and support for Fatah from Syria disintegrating because of the upheavels in Syria, , the Arab Spring and the demand of the the young Palestinians to stop the split and merge , they will turn a united front toward dealing with Israel. It is even suggested that the recognition of Hamas of Israel , as a Jewish State, and the forsaking of violence against that State is not a obstacle if there are true negotiations on the table. Naturally the article is weighted all on the side of the Palestinians with little thought given to Israeli concerns and needs, and suggests it could be a slam dunk if Israel would just do this that and the other thing, but it is a plan, a idea , and with a united Palestinian stand, which I always felt was the way anything here would be accomplished, at least there might be a chance after all the parties get the blustering and rhetoric out of the way. ---------------------------------------------------------------- english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/05/201154141251179755.html-------------------------------------------------------------------- [click on link to read article] ---------------------------------------------------------- Opinion Egypt holds the keys to Palestinian peace A more receptive, post-'Arab Spring' Egypt can help push the peace process forward after Palestinian factions unify. Youth in Palestine finally feel as though their voices are being heard as Hamas and Fatah reconcile. The region has a real chance for peace, so long as a more receptive Egypt helps it along [EPA] The long-awaited unity deal between Fatah and Hamas is a statement of intent from both parties, and from the deal's sponsor - Egypt. By excluding Israel, they are finally speaking to Israel, and you can tell from the alarmed reactions that the message is being heard loud and clear. Israeli foreign minister (and noted diplomat) Avigdor Lieberman speculated about "hundreds of terrorists" flooding the West Bank. Defence minister Ehud Barak said Israel must use an "iron fist" against this "threat". Tin hats and dark muttering are the order of the day. Before last week's announcement, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged president Abbas to choose Israel, and "peace", over Hamas. But Abbas is already familiar with Israeli peace. His last trip to Egypt for negotiations was with his opposite number, a visit every bit as insincere as the whole sorry process, and ended with a whimper and a new rash of settlements. A new Abbas This time he returns, wreathed in the glow of a genuine achievement that has shocked his own people as much as the Israelis. For once, the Palestinian Authority has put the interests of Palestinians first, and the youth movements who campaigned for national unity finally feel they are being heard. That the rival factions of Fatah and Hamas were able to reach agreement shows their confidence in a new political landscape. To incur the wrath of Israel and the USA may cripple the embryonic economy of the West Bank, and bring fresh misery to besieged Gaza. They are placing their faith in the Arab Spring, and particularly Egypt, to deliver a just peace. It is a gamble, but to pursue US-mediated talks with Israel any longer would have been delusional and self-defeating. Riding the crest of its own wave, Egypt is a good ally to have at the moment. Their status is restored as the Arab world's most powerful voice, and the Palestinian issue has assumed priority status surprisingly quickly after the revolution. A new attitude to the conflict is developing, exemplified by new foreign minister Nabil el-Arabi's recent statement: "It is time to stop managing the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict, it's time to end it." That commitment has already been demonstrated by successfully bringing the Palestinian factions together after years of hostility. The agreement is more symbolic than practical, yet it still required Hamas to tacitly endorse engagement with Israel, and Egyptian involvement with Gaza's internal security. Egyptian mediators recognised the unique opportunity granted by the wave of Arab uprisings; with Hamas weakened by the deterioration in Syria, and Abbas down an ally with the loss of Mubarak, the middlemen in Cairo were shrewd enough to exploit the shared need for new direction. Egypt has its own reasons to pressure Israel. To implement the reforms demanded by the revolution, it must revise its relations with the Jewish state. Under Sadat and Mubarak, Israel enjoyed preferential trade agreements that include gas deals worth US$700million more than the current contract. Egyptian politicians have been publicly asserting that they are under no obligation to maintain this disadvantageous agreement, and with the urgent need to introduce a minimum wage, welfare and greater social equality, the country cannot afford it. Should Israel's most essential imports be threatened, that vulnerability will strengthen the Palestinians' hand."
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burnsattornincan
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Post by burnsattornincan on May 5, 2011 7:11:39 GMT -5
ZZZZZZZzzzzzz...... ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz.... zzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ.... ZZZZZZZZzzzzzz.... ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz.... zzzzzZZZZZZZ..... zzzzzzzZZZZZZ..... zZZZZZZzzzzz.... zzzZZZZZZzzzz... ZZZZZzzzzzz... zzzzZZZzzzz.... ZZZzzzzz..... zzzzZZZ... zzzZZ.. zzzZ..
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 5, 2011 14:24:50 GMT -5
Another new article regarding the Hamas /Fatah merger and making nice to consider. There will be a lot more going on on this over the next year and i am sure will be discussed and new policies toward the partys also Egypt may be in the works. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/2011558547182776.html------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Click on Links to read the article] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Features Egypt's new diplomacy worries Washington By brokering a unity deal between Palestinian factions, Egypt's interim government has raised ire from US politicians. Jim Lobe Last Modified: 05 May 2011 09:33 "Some US commentators warn that Egypt's new diplomacy, including warming relations with Iran and a more assertive position on Palestine, represents an 'unsettling preview' of what could emerge from the Arab Spring [Reuters] With US lawmakers threatening this week to cut aid to Pakistan over its alleged harbouring of the late Osama bin Laden, concern is growing steadily here over the future of ties with another key predominantly Muslim ally heavily dependent on US aid: Egypt. Washington has supplied an average of two billion dollars a year – about two-thirds of which have gone to the Egyptian military – since Cairo signed the Camp David Accords with Israel in 1979. It has also encouraged other countries and international financial institutions to be generous in dealing with Egypt, whose de facto - if often sour - acquiescence under former President Hosni Mubarak in Israel's more controversial actions against its other neighbours and the Palestinians was considered indispensable to maintaining an acceptable status quo. But the foreign policy independence displayed by the new regime since Mubarak was swept from power nearly three months ago has elicited nervous reactions from key sectors here, particularly in Congress, where the influence of the so-called "Israel lobby" is especially strong. The most recent action was Egypt's mediation of the reconciliation agreement signed Wednesday in Cairo by the leaders of Hamas and Fatah, an agreement that has been strongly denounced by leading lawmakers, as well as by the administration of President Barack Obama itself. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and the Committee's ranking Democrat, Howard Berman, have already said that all US aid will be cut off to any government that includes Hamas unless it agrees to renounce violence, recognise Israel's right to exist, and uphold all previous agreements signed by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). An 'unsettling preview' And while Congressional leaders have not yet rallied behind such a far-reaching sanction against Egypt itself, the idea of threatening to slash aid to Egypt's powerful military as leverage to rein in Cairo's newfound independence has been quickly gaining currency in recent weeks on Capitol Hill. "If Cairo's desire for a more 'independent' foreign policy translates into warmer ties with terrorists, America's own long-standing support for the Egyptian military may eventually need to be reconsidered," wrote the neo-conservative Wall Street Journal Tuesday in an editorial that called Egypt's latest moves "an unsettling preview of what could emerge" from the so-called "Arab Spring". The growing unease began shortly after Mubarak's ouster when Egypt permitted Iranian warships to sail through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, an action which Israel and its supporters here insisted was unprecedented since the 1979 Islamic Revolution when ties between the two Middle Eastern giants were effectively frozen. But under new foreign minister Nabil Elaraby, Egypt's assertion of independence from both Israel and the United States has gained speed, even as he has repeatedly insisted that Cairo has no intention of renouncing the Camp David Accords."
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Post by marshabar1 on May 5, 2011 14:37:25 GMT -5
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 5, 2011 14:59:43 GMT -5
------------------------------------------ Thanks for the post Marsha, will check out the magazine for articles, not familiar with it, and yes..a lot is going on here, some notice on the media but not sure, except by parties who are concerned, a lot of attention placed on the events, they are major ones and will be even more important in the news and actions of in the near future. With in a year I believe, September , if the Palestinians do have a new election, nothing is set in stone here till it happens, could be a break down between the two parties as they finalize all the particulars. For example, will the PM of Fatah be shunted aside, Abbas and Hamas want it, even though the populace support and like him and the western countries who now give over a billion a year believe he is only one who is trustworthy in seeing funds used correctly. {Remember how many millions Arafat had squirreled away in his own accounts, not sure if they were ever turned over to the new PA that took over from the PLA}. Good post and article. ----------------------------------------------- israel today Magazine Thursday, May 05, 2011 | Ryan Jones Share | "Britain and France on Wednesday played right into the hands of Israel's enemies by threatening to recognize a Palestinian Arab state on ancient Jewish lands if Israel fails to advance the peace process with the Palestinian Authority in the coming months. That's right, both Britain and France are now saying that the stagnation of the Middle East peace process is the fault of Israel, not the Palestinian Authority that for well over a year has refused to hold direct negotiations. When US President Barack Obama tried to get Israel and the Palestinians to the negotiating table in September of last year, Israel agreed and the Palestinians refused. At the time, Obama and his counterparts in London and Paris slammed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as the obstacle to peace. But it is a tried and tested Palestinian strategy to just keep hanging on, making demands Israel cannot possibly meet, until the international community shifts course and starts blaming Israel. And that's precisely what happened when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday." {read links to read article]
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moon/Laura
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Post by moon/Laura on May 6, 2011 14:39:42 GMT -5
ZZZZZZZzzzzzz...... ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz.... zzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ.... ZZZZZZZZzzzzzz.... ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz.... zzzzzZZZZZZZ..... zzzzzzzZZZZZZ..... zZZZZZZzzzzz.... zzzZZZZZZzzzz... ZZZZZzzzzzz... zzzzZZZzzzz.... ZZZzzzzz..... zzzzZZZ... zzzZZ.. zzzZ.. burns, if you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing at all. i don't care if YOU find people's posts boring. you don't need to comment in that case. just move along.
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 7, 2011 3:34:45 GMT -5
Latest , UN Sec General tells Israel to release Funds collected on taxes and tariffs for Palestinians that have been held up since the nmerger of the two Palastinian parties. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Middle East UN urges Israel to unfreeze Palestinian funds Israel blocked transfer of $105m in customs duties and other levies it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Last Modified: 06 May 2011 23:03 Israel blocked the transfer on Sunday after president Abbas, L, signed a reconciliation deal with Hamas group which controls Gaza [AFP]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should not withhold tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority following its unity deal with Hamas.
In telephone talks with Netanyahu on Friday, Ban reaffirmed UN support for Palestinian unity under the leadership of Abbas and called on the Israeli prime minister to give the deal a chance to lead to an historic peace accord.
"The Secretary-General ... noted that Palestinian unity is a process which is just beginning now, and thus, it would be best to assess it as it moves forward," the UN press office said in a statement summarising Ban's telephone call with Netanyahu.
"He also urged Israel not to stop transferring tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority," it said.
Israel on Sunday blocked the transfer of $105 million in customs duties and other levies it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, following a deal to reunite the two rival wings of the Palestinian independence movement.
Palestinians see reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas as crucial for their drive for an independent state in territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Israel has condemned the unity pact as a "tremendous blow to peace."
Ban told Netanyahu "he hoped Israel will make decisive moves towards a historic agreement with the Palestinians," said Nesirky.
"The secretary general said it was urgent to overcome the impasse in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Continued drifting will not serve the interests of both parties."
"(Ban) said he was convinced that realizing a negotiated two-state solution as soon as possible is in the best interest of both the Israeli and Palestinian people," the statement added
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 16, 2011 9:29:07 GMT -5
Latest article, Israel is releasing the funds due the Palestinian Authority, $86 million that they have collected that are due them of collected, fees, taxes and other charges of merchandise and shipments into the West Bank. english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/201151610649153885.html------------------------------------------------------------------- Middle East Israel unblocks Palestinian funds Palestinian Authority set to receive $86m in taxes, withheld by Israel following unity deal between Fatah and Hamas. Last Modified: 16 May 2011 11:03 The Palestinian Authority is due to receive tax revenue funds withheld by Israel since Palestinian factions agreed a unity deal earlier this month, according to Israeli officials. Approximately $86m in tax and customs revenues from ports and border was held after Fatah and Hamas agreed the deal. Israel justified the freeze on the grounds that some of the money would go to Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organisation. The money adds up to about a third of the PA's budget, and the freeze meant Palestinian government workers had gone without salaries . Monday's announcement came after a weekend of deadly clashes on the 63rd anniversary of the founding of Israel in 1948, dubbed the 'catastrophe' or 'Nakba' by Palestinians. The freeze was originally justified by Israel's finance minister, Yuval Steinitz, who had suggested that "communal fund would finance the terrorist activities of Hamas, and we want it established that there will be two separate funds", although a separate fund was not created. On Monday, Israeli strategic affairs minister Moshe Yaalon explained: "We have unblocked the funds because we have established that the agreement between Fatah and Hamas has had no effect." But Yaalon, also a member of Israel's security cabinet, said the freeze could happen again. "We will continue to verify that the money is not going into the accounts of terrorist organisations. If we believe that is the case, we will stop the transfers again," he said. The freeze was widely criticised, drawing objections from UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and European leaders, as well as some members of Israel's government, who called it a violation of the 1994 Paris accords, which require Palestinian tax and custom revenues to be handed over. Fatah and Hamas delegations are to meet in Cairo on Monday to discuss the formation of a new government, a senior Egyptian official said, quoted by Egypt's MENA news agency. The two factions are to "put in place a mechanism for immediate reconciliation, in particular the formation of a government of independent Palestinians," he said. "Egypt will help the two sides come to an agreement," over the choice of prime minister and the composition of the cabinet, the unnamed official said."
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 17, 2011 18:48:24 GMT -5
Palestinian elections rescheduled for October by Abbas. They were first scheduled for July, when Ham,as and Fatah were still in separate modes, then after the get together tentatively for September, now to allow a better meeting of the mind and calmer time of reconciliation, for October. This article seems on first reading of the same old, same old from both sides, "we want , they won't and then yadda. However, as you re read it, for some reason I see and feel a different tone, still at odds. however... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110517/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians_40------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tue May 17, 8:20 am ET RAMALLAH, West Bank – "The government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to postpone municipal elections by three months until October to make sure they can be held in both the West Bank and Gaza. Municipal elections were initially scheduled for July 9. The new date is October 22. When the initial date was set, the Palestinians were split into two camps, with Hamas militants running Gaza and Abbas in charge in the West Bank. Since then, the two sides have pledged to reconcile, but are still working on a unity government. Abbas' West Bank government said Tuesday it decided to put off the elections "to provide the proper atmosphere to hold the elections in the entire Palestinian territories." The last general election was held in January 2006. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinians are seeking U.N. recognition of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem this fall in hopes it will give them more leverage in negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian president wrote in a newspaper opinion article published Tuesday. With such recognition, "Palestine would be negotiating from the position of one United Nations member whose territory is militarily occupied by another ... and not as a vanquished people ready to accept whatever terms are put in front of us," Mahmoud Abbas wrote in The New York Times, presenting his most detailed explanation yet of his reasons for the U.N. bid. A U.N. admission would also "pave the way for the internationalization of the conflict as a legal matter, not only a political one," Abbas wrote, saying this could lead to legal claims against Israel, including at the International Court of Justice. Although international recognition wouldn't immediately change the situation on the ground, it would isolate Israel and put additional pressure on it to withdraw from occupied territories. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano told Abbas during a visit Monday that Italy would join several other European countries in upgrading Palestinian representation to a diplomatic mission, just short of a full-fledged embassy. A former Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Gabriela Shalev, told Army Radio on Tuesday that she foresaw "an apocalyptic scenario" of increasing diplomatic isolation, and possible cultural, political and economic sanctions of the kind exercised against apartheid South Africa, should the Palestinians go through with their unilateral declaration. Israel, she said, has to "show that we candidly want to return to direct negotiations with the Palestinians and do what the prime minister himself spoke about, make painful concessions," Shalev said, without elaborating. The Palestinian leader has repeatedly said reaching statehood through negotiations with Israel remains his first choice. However, he has said he cannot resume talks as long as Israel continues to expand settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, thus establishing facts on the ground and pre-empting the outcome of negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slowed West Bank construction for 10 months last year, but rejected international demands for a complete freeze. Netanyahu has accused Abbas of setting preconditions by refusing to return to talks without a construction stop. About half a million Israelis have moved to lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Underlying the settlement argument are wide gaps over the shape of a final deal. Netanyahu insists on keeping east Jerusalem — the Palestinians' hoped-for capital — and has not said how much of the West Bank he is willing to relinquish. The Palestinians insist on a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, but are willing to accept minor adjustments. Netanyahu also assailed Monday the unity government Abbas is attempting to form with the Islamic militant Hamas, following a four-year split. "Those who want to destroy us are not partners in peace," Netanyahu said, referring to Hamas, which controls Gaza. Netanyahu reiterated a willingness to agree to a Palestinian state under certain conditions but made clear he did not believe it was possible if Hamas does not recognize Israel. "I want to make peace with a Palestinian state that wants to end the conflict. I am not willing to accept a Palestinian state that wants to continue it," he said. President Barack Obama is to deliver a Mideast speech on Thursday and meet with Netanyahu in Washington a day later."
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deziloooooo
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Post by deziloooooo on May 18, 2011 12:56:21 GMT -5
A Interesting article . The author explains why he feels for now there will be no initiative from the POTUS regarding a change in direction regarding Israeli /Palestinian initiative toward talks between the two. Not that he isn't interested, but the realities of the moment and how he is not getting enough out puring of feelings on the issue from the other side, just more from the hard liners in rhetoric..basically, "I can't hear you ", because most rhetoric is coming from just one side. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --Opinion Obama gives up, AIPAC wins Supporters of justice in the Middle East need to raise their voices, lest president hears only Israel's shouting.
MJ Rosenberg Last Modified: 18 May 2011 10:55 The pro-Israeli lobby drowns out any pro-Palestinian calls for change in American foreign policy [GALLO/GETTY]
"On the surface it appears that president Obama has given up on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and, frankly, given the evidence, it is difficult imagining that there is something different beneath the surface. To wit:
Special Envoy George Mitchell resigned, clearly angry at the lack of support his peace efforts received from the White House - and his resignation letter was about as curt and cold as any in recent memory. The announcement of his resignation followed reports that the president's Thursday speech on the Middle East will, amazingly, say virtually nothing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A day after Mitchell's resignation came news that the president had decided that he will speak at this month's AIPAC conference, the traditional setting for pandering to the Israeli government and, more significantly, to Israel-centred political donors.
The most significant sign that the president has abandoned any pretence of being an "honest broker" in favour of gung-ho support for the status quo came in February, when Obama instructed UN ambassador Susan Rice to veto a Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion.
The resolution incorporated Obama's own policy on settlements, so the decision to veto it - the US cast the only no vote - sent a clear signal that, at least until after November 2012, the Obama administration intends to avoid deviation from the AIPAC/Netanyahu blueprint.
This seeming decision to go "all AIPAC, all the time" would be jarring even if 2011 were not the year of the Arab Spring. Just weeks ago, the administration was celebrating Arab democracy and even the fall of our long time ally, Hosni Mubarak. Now it is blatantly adopting a policy that deeply grieves the very Arab democrats it supposedly champions.
The lobby's (and, apparently, the administration's) response to that would be that the Arab Spring was not about Israel/Palestine, that not one demonstrator took to the streets to protest Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as the de facto occupation (and blockade) of Gaza.
Palestine: The ultimate non-democracy
And that is true. All the Arab revolutions were local. But, as the administration surely knows, the one non-local issue that all Arab democrats care about is the continued occupation. And why not?
After all, the ultimate in non-democracy is having one's life controlled, not by a domestic despot, but by a foreign government.
The president knows that hatred for the occupation is common to all Muslims - Iranian, Indonesian, Egyptian, Iraqi, whatever, and with good reason (add to that list Israeli moderates, who hate what the occupation is doing, not only to Palestinians, but to their country).
Beyond all that, any US president has to consider what the US military thinks about the occupation. It's not just general Petraeus who believes that the occupation is a threat to US national security or that it endangers our personnel throughout the Muslim world and our energy supplies. That is a common view among the brass and the civilians alike.
In short, there is nothing good about perpetuating the occupation, and president Obama knows it. On the contrary, the occupation (and the illegal settlements that are its symbol) is a dangerous blight on Arabs, Israelis, and the United States.
So what accounts for president Obama's seeming policy of indifference?
That is a question that doesn't need any answer beyond the fact that at the very moment, the White House is abandoning peacemaking - the president is rushing to AIPAC to deliver the news in person. America's Middle East policy is all about appeasing a few dozen AIPAC-connected donors (no, it is not about the "Jewish vote", which is consistently Democratic - average 75 per cent - based around domestic issues, not the Middle East).
The president seems to be going out of his way to make sure everyone understands that. It is as if he were saying, "With AIPAC donors - and Democrats in Congress who get their marching orders from AIPAC - what choice do I have? I'm boxed in."
But why would he do that?
"I can't hear you"
Why would he want to send the message that he can't implement the policies he wants to because he is trapped by special interests? Just maybe, he wants our help.
In 2007, the day after Obama declared his candidacy for president, I met with him in his office (I was then working for Israel Policy Forum). Obama listened carefully while I explained why it was critical that he be an "honest broker" on Israel-Palestinian issues. Nothing I said, including my opinions of AIPAC's influence, would surprise anyone who reads my columns.
The bottom line was that the occupation was terrible for the United States, for Israel, and most of all for the Palestinians, and that he should understand that the status quo lobbyists who defend everything Israel does are not representative of the Jewish community or anyone else.
Obama listened, cupped his ear, and said, "I can't hear you."
I didn't understand; I was sitting right next to him.
He then said: "No, not literally. I mean that I don't hear from people like you. But I hear from AIPAC [he then named the local AIPAC leader in Chicago] every week. I'm going to be president and, when I am, it is your job - you and all the people who feel the way you do - to make sure I hear that message. You cannot simply rely on the belief that you are right. You need to raise your voice so that I hear you and not just them."
So maybe, just maybe, the president wants us to shout and holler about what appears to be a sell-out to AIPAC. After all, he is making no attempt to cover up what he's doing or why he's doing it. He only hears one voice.
Maybe Obama's latest actions are a cry for help.
Yes, it's just a theory. But it is infinitely better than thinking Obama actually believes that AIPAC's status quo is in America's interest. It just is not possible that this president could believe that.
It's time to raise our voices so Obama can hear us, whether he still wants us to or not."
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Post by ed1066 on May 18, 2011 13:18:50 GMT -5
These Jewish "journalists" who support the Palestinian "cause" should be shot for treason...
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burnsattornincan
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 23:05:21 GMT -5
Posts: 1,398
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Post by burnsattornincan on May 18, 2011 13:30:02 GMT -5
burns, if you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing at all. i don't care if YOU find people's posts boring. you don't need to comment in that case. just move along.
Whew, almost happened again! Good thing Mr. ed1066 chimed in with his very lucid post. I would have been a goner.
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deziloooooo
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 16:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 10,723
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Post by deziloooooo on May 18, 2011 13:42:30 GMT -5
These Jewish "journalists" who support the Palestinian "cause" should be shot for treason... I am thinking, hoping , it's just the frustrations of being unhappy with the message posted ed..shooting of, very messy, think it's against one of our amendments too. Mmm which one again, got to think. Seriously, to not post a article because it may be uncomfortable to one who has certain feelings on a topic, while un comfortable, to me , it just isn't fair to those few who read these posts. It is another view, in this case, there is true facts involved and another side to consider , and while at times , I might not be comfortable with what is written, to dismiss it out of hand, if one is really interested in a fair settlement in this area, I am, one has to listen to the other side to. The more familiar one is with both sides of a issue, the better chance there is that the parties might finally come to a meeting of the minds, and to not post articles that are uncomfortable, I don't feel that is the way to do it, thus if I see , come across, a interesting idea put up, as uncomfortable as it might be, I will post it. Hopefully, for the few who read these posts , the majority feel as I do. The better informed we are on both sides ideas and thoughts, the more informed and knowlegable we will be on the topic.
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