25 july 2013
The civil administration of the Israeli army sanctioned a plan to establish a railway network throughout the West Bank, ignoring all Palestinian objections in this regard. According to Haaretz newspaper, this railway plan ignores all political borders and will limit future Palestinian building projects.
The railway will spread like a web all around the West Bank, further disconnecting Palestinian localities and devouring more Palestinian land.
The plan contains 473 kilometers of rail with 30 stations on 11 lines. Its final purpose is to connect all settlements within the West Bank. The plan will include dozens of bridges and tunnels according to the geographical terrain.
Israel Planning West Bank Settlement Railway
Despite PA rejection of the Israeli railway plan that would construct a 473 km long railway system running through most of the occupied West Bank, Israel pushes forward with the plan having already spent one million NIS on research and preparation.
The Israeli railway plan for the West Bank was proposed in 2012, and drew wide criticism.
The planned railway system would ignore all international borders; it is more than 473 km long, and consists of 11 separate tracks.
The PA strongly opposes to the plan as it would impose Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian territories, and affirmed that the revival of the plan highlights Israel’s lack of interest in a two state solution.
The system is also seen as problematic since it foremost focuses on connecting the Israeli illegal settlements in the West Bank, and not the Palestinian cities.
The planning of the rail-system, described on Wednesday by Israeli newspaper Haaretz as “grandiose”, is on going, while Israel's Transportation Minister, Yisrael Katz estimates that by 2035 there will be as many as 30 million train rides a year.
International Law and various Human Rights resolutions prohibit occupying powers from changing the geography and demography of occupied territories.
Israel's settlements in occupied Palestine, and all constructions, including roads and railways, conducted by the occupying power are illegal.
Israel's ongoing settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and occupied Jerusalem as of he main obstacles to peace in the region.
Settlements and the illegal Annexation Wall are transforming the Palestinian territories into isolated ghettos separated from each other, and isolated the Palestinians from their lands.
The railway will spread like a web all around the West Bank, further disconnecting Palestinian localities and devouring more Palestinian land.
The plan contains 473 kilometers of rail with 30 stations on 11 lines. Its final purpose is to connect all settlements within the West Bank. The plan will include dozens of bridges and tunnels according to the geographical terrain.
Israel Planning West Bank Settlement Railway
Despite PA rejection of the Israeli railway plan that would construct a 473 km long railway system running through most of the occupied West Bank, Israel pushes forward with the plan having already spent one million NIS on research and preparation.
The Israeli railway plan for the West Bank was proposed in 2012, and drew wide criticism.
The planned railway system would ignore all international borders; it is more than 473 km long, and consists of 11 separate tracks.
The PA strongly opposes to the plan as it would impose Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian territories, and affirmed that the revival of the plan highlights Israel’s lack of interest in a two state solution.
The system is also seen as problematic since it foremost focuses on connecting the Israeli illegal settlements in the West Bank, and not the Palestinian cities.
The planning of the rail-system, described on Wednesday by Israeli newspaper Haaretz as “grandiose”, is on going, while Israel's Transportation Minister, Yisrael Katz estimates that by 2035 there will be as many as 30 million train rides a year.
International Law and various Human Rights resolutions prohibit occupying powers from changing the geography and demography of occupied territories.
Israel's settlements in occupied Palestine, and all constructions, including roads and railways, conducted by the occupying power are illegal.
Israel's ongoing settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and occupied Jerusalem as of he main obstacles to peace in the region.
Settlements and the illegal Annexation Wall are transforming the Palestinian territories into isolated ghettos separated from each other, and isolated the Palestinians from their lands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday evening, that peace is only made "between the strong," especially in the "Middle East and the brutal world in which we live".
He also said that Israel will not entrust its national security to others, but it will always defend itself by itself against any threat.
His statements were made during a graduation ceremony for cadets from the National Defense College held on Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem.
Earlier in the day, before a meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister, Netanyahu referred to the peace talks, but continued to remain vague about when exactly they would begin.
He said, "We both want to see peace between Israel and the Palestinians. I hope that soon we will be able to see the beginning of peace talks. Our team is ready – we've always been ready."
Israel, PA talks may begin next week: Israeli minister
An Israeli official says talks between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Tel Aviv regime may begin in Washington next week.
“Things haven't been settled in a definite matter but the direction is renewing the talks on Tuesday,” Israeli Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom said in a Thursday press conference.
Former Israeli minister for foreign affairs and chief negotiator, Tzipi Livini, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s envoy, Itzhak Molcho, are reportedly expected to travel to Washington to meet with Saeb Erekat, the top PA negotiator
The Palestinian-Israeli talks were halted in September 2010 over disagreements on Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.
The PA had previously demanded that Israel cease all settlement activities before talks can be resumed. Israel has refused to do so and says it will to re-launch talks without any preconditions.
On July 19, US Secretary of State John Kerry said if everything goes as expected, Israel-Palestine negotiations will resume soon.
On the same day, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas rejected Kerry’s proposal for the resumption of talks between Israel and the PA, saying it “considers the Palestinian Authority’s return to negotiations with the occupation to be at odds with the national consensus.”
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem), and the Gaza Strip and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the Palestinian territories occupied in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.
He also said that Israel will not entrust its national security to others, but it will always defend itself by itself against any threat.
His statements were made during a graduation ceremony for cadets from the National Defense College held on Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem.
Earlier in the day, before a meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister, Netanyahu referred to the peace talks, but continued to remain vague about when exactly they would begin.
He said, "We both want to see peace between Israel and the Palestinians. I hope that soon we will be able to see the beginning of peace talks. Our team is ready – we've always been ready."
Israel, PA talks may begin next week: Israeli minister
An Israeli official says talks between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Tel Aviv regime may begin in Washington next week.
“Things haven't been settled in a definite matter but the direction is renewing the talks on Tuesday,” Israeli Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom said in a Thursday press conference.
Former Israeli minister for foreign affairs and chief negotiator, Tzipi Livini, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s envoy, Itzhak Molcho, are reportedly expected to travel to Washington to meet with Saeb Erekat, the top PA negotiator
The Palestinian-Israeli talks were halted in September 2010 over disagreements on Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.
The PA had previously demanded that Israel cease all settlement activities before talks can be resumed. Israel has refused to do so and says it will to re-launch talks without any preconditions.
On July 19, US Secretary of State John Kerry said if everything goes as expected, Israel-Palestine negotiations will resume soon.
On the same day, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas rejected Kerry’s proposal for the resumption of talks between Israel and the PA, saying it “considers the Palestinian Authority’s return to negotiations with the occupation to be at odds with the national consensus.”
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem), and the Gaza Strip and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the Palestinian territories occupied in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.
24 july 2013
The game-of-make believe surrounding the rumored near resumption of the so-called peace process is raising many eye-brows among Palestinians.
The reason is simple. Only a few weeks ago, the PLO leadership in Ramallah was swearing it wouldn't return to the negotiating table with Israel unless Israel met two key conditions: The first, an Israeli undertaking that the talks would be conducted on the basis of the 4th of June, 1967 borders, meaning a Palestinian state on 100% of the West Bank, including 100% of East Jerusalem, and 100% of the Gaza Strip. The second condition is a total cessation of all Jewish settlement activities.
Well, it seems sufficiently clear now that neither of these two conditions has been met. Which means that the PA-PLO leadership is effectively capitulating to Israel, as there has been no Israeli "concession" whatsoever, not even a "gesture" that would help Abbas, et al, keep face in front of disillusioned Palestinians who no longer believe the hogwash coming out of the Muqataa.
Unfortunately, the shocking absence of PLO-PA credibility forces many Palestinians to turn to Israeli media to find out what is going on. True, the Israeli media, as is well- known, is not a paragon of honesty and accuracy. However, it is widely believed that many PA-PLO officials tend to voice their real positions when talking to Israeli media outlets, while only communicating lies or half truths or experimenting with "balloon tests" when talking to the Palestinian media.
In any case, one would have to be extremely intoxicated or hopelessly gullible to believe that a breakthrough in the moribund peace process is in the offing. This is because nothing has changed or about to change at the Israeli arena.
Indeed, Israel continues to build settler units by the thousands all over the West Bank. Israel continues to confiscate Palestinian land all over occupied Palestine. Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes. Israel continues to Judaize Jerusalem. Israel continues to narrow Palestinian horizons and round up Palestinian activists without charge or trial. And at the top of all of this, Israeli government officials continue to stress day and night that they won't return to the 1967 borders or allow for the creation of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state. And what makes Israeli statements more credible in comparison to Palestinian statements is the fact that the Israeli statements are already translated into facts on the ground.
Today, many Palestinians are worried that the PLO leadership will make the same stupid blunders it did when it signed the disgraceful Oslo Accords more than 20 years ago. As we all remember, the PLO then hastily, if not enthusiastically, recognized Israel rather unconditionally and without any reciprocal Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state.
The PLO then received vague, nebulous and disingenuous American assurances which the PLO used to deceive and delude the Palestinian people. Eventually, all these assurances evaporated into nothing.
Now, the same PLO is being force-fed similar vague, nebulous and disingenuous assurances from the United States, Israel's guardian-ally, mainly for the purpose of luring the Palestinian leadership to return to open-ended but futile talks with Israel.
And like the previous assurances, the new assurances will evaporate into nothing because the US government won't be able, even if willing, to force a dignified peace deal on Israel, given the tight stranglehold Zionist circles have on the American government, Congress and media.
Needless to say, the Palestinian people have an absolute right to know the truth about what is happening with regard to the so-called peace talks. After all, this vacuous process is being done in the Palestinian people's name. And the Palestinians are the main people who are going to lose and suffer as a result of this sham process.
Unfortunately, and as we mentioned earlier, PLO officials can't be entrusted to tell the truth about the notoriously futile process. In the near past, these officials set up red lines and national constants they swore they won't violate.
Now, they are returning to the same futile talks in utter disregard of every conceivable red line and national constant they used to invoke-from the paramount right of return to Jerusalem.
Some PLO officials, including PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, are now trying to alleviate the anger and frustration of the Palestinian public by pledging to hold a referendum on any peace deal with Israel.
Well, who says that our legitimate and inalienable rights are subject to referenda? Is the right of Muslims to al-Aqsa Mosque subject to a referendum? Is the right of return for five million refugees, uprooted from their ancestral homeland at the hands of Zionist invaders from overseas, subject to a referendum?
In fact, invoking referendums in such circumstances, amounts to a shocking trivialization of the Palestinian cause.
A last word. The bankrupt PA leadership is trying to shield itself from historical responsibility by letting despotic Arab rulers, who don't even represent their own peoples, to bless what could be a looming sell-out of Palestinian rights.
Abbas hopes that an Arab capitulation to American-Zionist hegemony would enable him to get away with a treacherous deal with the Zionist entity on the ground that "I can't oppose Arab consensus."
Really? but what consensus do these ignorant and unelected tyrants and colonels represent? The truth is that these little men don't even represent their own families let alone their masses.
In the final analysis, those who have usurped the will of their own peoples and who don't hesitate to order their ignorant soldiers and paid-thugs to open fire rather indiscriminately on worshipers performing dawn prayers in their capitals are not fit to decide for the Palestinians or even offer advice to them.
We Palestinians are not a herd of meek sheep that we need the likes of Sisi or this or that corrupt king or sheikh or decadent emir to tell us to surrender to Israel. Let these impotent little men go to hell.
We won't surrender to Israel and America even if we have to keep up the fight for two hundred years to come.
So let the conflict linger and linger for as long as it takes to get the slate thoroughly clean. In the final analysis, our role model is Salahuddin, not Mahmoud Abbas or Abdul Fattah Sisi or other little men.
The reason is simple. Only a few weeks ago, the PLO leadership in Ramallah was swearing it wouldn't return to the negotiating table with Israel unless Israel met two key conditions: The first, an Israeli undertaking that the talks would be conducted on the basis of the 4th of June, 1967 borders, meaning a Palestinian state on 100% of the West Bank, including 100% of East Jerusalem, and 100% of the Gaza Strip. The second condition is a total cessation of all Jewish settlement activities.
Well, it seems sufficiently clear now that neither of these two conditions has been met. Which means that the PA-PLO leadership is effectively capitulating to Israel, as there has been no Israeli "concession" whatsoever, not even a "gesture" that would help Abbas, et al, keep face in front of disillusioned Palestinians who no longer believe the hogwash coming out of the Muqataa.
Unfortunately, the shocking absence of PLO-PA credibility forces many Palestinians to turn to Israeli media to find out what is going on. True, the Israeli media, as is well- known, is not a paragon of honesty and accuracy. However, it is widely believed that many PA-PLO officials tend to voice their real positions when talking to Israeli media outlets, while only communicating lies or half truths or experimenting with "balloon tests" when talking to the Palestinian media.
In any case, one would have to be extremely intoxicated or hopelessly gullible to believe that a breakthrough in the moribund peace process is in the offing. This is because nothing has changed or about to change at the Israeli arena.
Indeed, Israel continues to build settler units by the thousands all over the West Bank. Israel continues to confiscate Palestinian land all over occupied Palestine. Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes. Israel continues to Judaize Jerusalem. Israel continues to narrow Palestinian horizons and round up Palestinian activists without charge or trial. And at the top of all of this, Israeli government officials continue to stress day and night that they won't return to the 1967 borders or allow for the creation of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state. And what makes Israeli statements more credible in comparison to Palestinian statements is the fact that the Israeli statements are already translated into facts on the ground.
Today, many Palestinians are worried that the PLO leadership will make the same stupid blunders it did when it signed the disgraceful Oslo Accords more than 20 years ago. As we all remember, the PLO then hastily, if not enthusiastically, recognized Israel rather unconditionally and without any reciprocal Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state.
The PLO then received vague, nebulous and disingenuous American assurances which the PLO used to deceive and delude the Palestinian people. Eventually, all these assurances evaporated into nothing.
Now, the same PLO is being force-fed similar vague, nebulous and disingenuous assurances from the United States, Israel's guardian-ally, mainly for the purpose of luring the Palestinian leadership to return to open-ended but futile talks with Israel.
And like the previous assurances, the new assurances will evaporate into nothing because the US government won't be able, even if willing, to force a dignified peace deal on Israel, given the tight stranglehold Zionist circles have on the American government, Congress and media.
Needless to say, the Palestinian people have an absolute right to know the truth about what is happening with regard to the so-called peace talks. After all, this vacuous process is being done in the Palestinian people's name. And the Palestinians are the main people who are going to lose and suffer as a result of this sham process.
Unfortunately, and as we mentioned earlier, PLO officials can't be entrusted to tell the truth about the notoriously futile process. In the near past, these officials set up red lines and national constants they swore they won't violate.
Now, they are returning to the same futile talks in utter disregard of every conceivable red line and national constant they used to invoke-from the paramount right of return to Jerusalem.
Some PLO officials, including PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, are now trying to alleviate the anger and frustration of the Palestinian public by pledging to hold a referendum on any peace deal with Israel.
Well, who says that our legitimate and inalienable rights are subject to referenda? Is the right of Muslims to al-Aqsa Mosque subject to a referendum? Is the right of return for five million refugees, uprooted from their ancestral homeland at the hands of Zionist invaders from overseas, subject to a referendum?
In fact, invoking referendums in such circumstances, amounts to a shocking trivialization of the Palestinian cause.
A last word. The bankrupt PA leadership is trying to shield itself from historical responsibility by letting despotic Arab rulers, who don't even represent their own peoples, to bless what could be a looming sell-out of Palestinian rights.
Abbas hopes that an Arab capitulation to American-Zionist hegemony would enable him to get away with a treacherous deal with the Zionist entity on the ground that "I can't oppose Arab consensus."
Really? but what consensus do these ignorant and unelected tyrants and colonels represent? The truth is that these little men don't even represent their own families let alone their masses.
In the final analysis, those who have usurped the will of their own peoples and who don't hesitate to order their ignorant soldiers and paid-thugs to open fire rather indiscriminately on worshipers performing dawn prayers in their capitals are not fit to decide for the Palestinians or even offer advice to them.
We Palestinians are not a herd of meek sheep that we need the likes of Sisi or this or that corrupt king or sheikh or decadent emir to tell us to surrender to Israel. Let these impotent little men go to hell.
We won't surrender to Israel and America even if we have to keep up the fight for two hundred years to come.
So let the conflict linger and linger for as long as it takes to get the slate thoroughly clean. In the final analysis, our role model is Salahuddin, not Mahmoud Abbas or Abdul Fattah Sisi or other little men.
Palestinian prisoners from inside Israel must be included in any political agreement, their families said Wednesday.
At a meeting of the Arab Association for Prisoners, families of prisoners from inside Israel said a peace deal must include the unconditional release of their relatives, particularly those who have spent several decades in Israeli jails.
Some 103 Palestinians are considered veteran prisoners, including 14 from inside Israel.
Israel will release 80 Palestinians detained before the 1993 Oslo Accords as part of an agreement to renew peace negotiations, an Israeli official said Monday.
The association said it was not confident about Israeli intentions to release prisoners, despite verbal assurances from President Mahmoud Abbas.
"In the last two decades of negotiations, we have heard news and confirmation about releasing veteran prisoners," the association said in a statement.
"We call on the Palestinian leadership to give us a clear and honest information about this matter."
At a meeting of the Arab Association for Prisoners, families of prisoners from inside Israel said a peace deal must include the unconditional release of their relatives, particularly those who have spent several decades in Israeli jails.
Some 103 Palestinians are considered veteran prisoners, including 14 from inside Israel.
Israel will release 80 Palestinians detained before the 1993 Oslo Accords as part of an agreement to renew peace negotiations, an Israeli official said Monday.
The association said it was not confident about Israeli intentions to release prisoners, despite verbal assurances from President Mahmoud Abbas.
"In the last two decades of negotiations, we have heard news and confirmation about releasing veteran prisoners," the association said in a statement.
"We call on the Palestinian leadership to give us a clear and honest information about this matter."
Hamas movement has called on PA to choose between reconciliation with the occupation or the Palestinian people. Commenting on Fatah leader Amin Maqbul who said that 14 August would be a deadline for the relationship between Hamas and Fatah movement, Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the movement, said that such statements aim to cover the PA scandal with the resumption of talks amid wide popular rejection.
Fatah has to bear its responsibility for such hostile decisions before the Palestinian people, he added.
Saadat: Return to negotiations violation of national consensus
Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine captive Ahmad Saadat said the return to negotiations represents violation of national consensus, and would undermine reconciliation efforts. Lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq, head of Mandela Foundation for human rights, quoted Saadat as saying: "It is wrong to return to negotiations under the initiative of Kerry. At least, Palestinian consensus should have been adhered to."
Saadat called on the leadership of the Palestinian Authority to stop negotiating with Israel, stressing that negotiation with the occupation forms a major threat to the cause and national reconciliation.
He said that the decision of Palestinian consensus was "not to return to the negotiations without the release of detainees and the stop of settlement activity," and that the negotiating team skipped these conditions and violated the national consensus depending on American guarantees which did not succeeded earlier in forcing Israel to abide by international law.
Palestinian leader Saadat demanded moving the file to the United Nations and called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to compel Israel to respect the resolutions of international legitimacy.
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Dr. Aziz Dweik denounced Fatah movement's decision to return to negotiations after twenty years of failure, at a time when Israel continues settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and continues to detain thousands of Palestinians.
Dweik told PIC that the Palestinian negotiator will be wasting time and not achieve any results in light of the occupation's repeated announcements to build new housing units in different areas in the West Bank.
Concerning the Palestinian reconciliation, Dweik said the return to negotiations with the occupation adds a new obstacle to the Palestinian reconciliation process.
Fatah has to bear its responsibility for such hostile decisions before the Palestinian people, he added.
Saadat: Return to negotiations violation of national consensus
Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine captive Ahmad Saadat said the return to negotiations represents violation of national consensus, and would undermine reconciliation efforts. Lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq, head of Mandela Foundation for human rights, quoted Saadat as saying: "It is wrong to return to negotiations under the initiative of Kerry. At least, Palestinian consensus should have been adhered to."
Saadat called on the leadership of the Palestinian Authority to stop negotiating with Israel, stressing that negotiation with the occupation forms a major threat to the cause and national reconciliation.
He said that the decision of Palestinian consensus was "not to return to the negotiations without the release of detainees and the stop of settlement activity," and that the negotiating team skipped these conditions and violated the national consensus depending on American guarantees which did not succeeded earlier in forcing Israel to abide by international law.
Palestinian leader Saadat demanded moving the file to the United Nations and called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to compel Israel to respect the resolutions of international legitimacy.
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Dr. Aziz Dweik denounced Fatah movement's decision to return to negotiations after twenty years of failure, at a time when Israel continues settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and continues to detain thousands of Palestinians.
Dweik told PIC that the Palestinian negotiator will be wasting time and not achieve any results in light of the occupation's repeated announcements to build new housing units in different areas in the West Bank.
Concerning the Palestinian reconciliation, Dweik said the return to negotiations with the occupation adds a new obstacle to the Palestinian reconciliation process.
The Israeli government has published a new tender to build a settlement neighborhood in Bethel settlement built on occupied Palestinian land east of Ramallah in West Bank, Walla Hebrew website said. The Hebrew website confirmed that the Israeli authorities on Monday put out to tender the construction of a new settlement neighborhood in Bethel after the declaration to resume peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
The source said that the new tender includes the construction of five 3-storey buildings each consisting of 30 housing units.
Walla Hebrew newspaper stated that the Jewish settlers will enjoy privileges including the construction of new neighborhood includes 297 housing units and the extension of the settlement.
This is the first tender put out for expanding settlements after the announcement of the resumption of “peace talks” between the PA and Israeli occupation.
The source said that the new tender includes the construction of five 3-storey buildings each consisting of 30 housing units.
Walla Hebrew newspaper stated that the Jewish settlers will enjoy privileges including the construction of new neighborhood includes 297 housing units and the extension of the settlement.
This is the first tender put out for expanding settlements after the announcement of the resumption of “peace talks” between the PA and Israeli occupation.
By Ramzy Baroud
The political peddlers, think-tank experts and media professionals are all back in full force. They want us to believe that US Secretary of State John Kerry has done what others have failed to do.
On his sixth trip to the Middle East during his post, and following intense shuttle diplomacy likened to that of Henry Kissinger, Kerry managed to create a modest common space between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, thus securing their agreement to resume the so-called peace process.
The media is focusing a great deal on how the 'breakthrough' happened, not on why or whether or not it was really a 'breakthrough' in the first place. It is typical in these 'breaking news' dramas that the media inundates itself with excessive superfluous details, while paying little heed to the underlying logic behind the entire story.
For now, we know this: Kerry announced from Amman on July 19 that Palestinian and Israeli negotiators had put the groundwork in place to resume frozen peace talks. They have been frozen since 2010 because Israel refuses to stop illegal settlement construction in occupied Palestinian land.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue slicing up the West Bank, fully control and isolate occupied East Jerusalem, build illegal settlements, erect walls and cut down trees, while wining and dining in some fancy Washington retreat, talking about peace and such.
But why would Kerry even bother poking a stick in Netanyahu's beehive in the first place?
One must consider the very tumultuous events that are currently shattering the Middle East region – a military coup in Egypt, a civil war in Syria, a return to major violence in Iraq, instability in Lebanon, and a sectarian divide that has turned a wide chasm into a bottomless abyss.
Isn't it better for the US to place its diplomatic energies elsewhere? Abbas and Netanyahu are struggling with their own problems, so why are they playing along in a game that will surely fail?
The answer is not simple and cannot be readily expressed through catch phrases and sound bites, although, some commentators are doing just that.
Speaking on Israeli public radio, Chico Menashe, said the return to negotiations is like "a half-baked cake Kerry removed from the stove. Kerry convinced the Israelis and Palestinians it was edible, and both sides agreed to eat it."
Natan Sachs, a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute, was quoted in the Jerusalem Post saying, both parties "basically agreed to disagree, and to talk about that."
And so the commentary teeters between cautious optimism, high hopes, cynicism and creative metaphors. In the final analysis, few truly understand this latest jump start of the 'peace process', the political risks it entails, and why the show is likely to go on for a while longer.
Predictably, it will come to an abrupt ending followed by a protracted blame game. Knowing how mainstream western media operates, Palestinians will likely be the party responsible for the failure of the talks that are yet to start.
But here are some interesting points that must be considered firstly concerning the Americans. The Middle East region is in a constant flux, between revolutions, counter revolutions and war. Neither the US, nor its traditional allies are able to sway the outcomes in their favor.
Neither money, nor arms, nor any political grand scheme is achieving much.
Since the US withdrawal from Iraq in 2010, the US has suffered many blows. Its status as the uncontested superpower is in shambles, and its allies have been caught in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring.
Despite attempts at meddling, enticing some parties with money, and inciting violence against others, there are no tangible outcomes that promise to take the region back to an era of ‘political stability’, as in the same old status quo, that of political stagnation under US stewardship.
To repair its image, the US has to get reengaged in the Middle East. President Barack Obama’s administration, besieged by a dysfunctional Congress at home, is barely relevant in the Middle East anymore, with Russia, France, Britain, Turkey, and even China making headway.
Resuming the 'peace process' is necessary to give the US a chance to claim leadership in a leaderless region.
Second, concerning the Israelis, Netanyahu's right wing-dominated coalition government might have looked as the ideal scenario for a right-wing politician who based his career on his love affair with armed settlers and his unmitigated detestation of the United Nations and international law, which he never thinks should apply to Israel.
However, being firmly positioned in the right-wing circle has proven to be a public relations disaster.
Even his ever-supportive and malleable European allies are now turning against him. Europe can no longer be seen as an unconditional Israeli backer while pacifying its own populations, the majority of whom don't tolerate Israel’s occupation, sieges and violent behavior.
If Netanyahu has his domestic audiences to appease, EU countries do too. The writing on the wall became even clearer on July 16, when the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on the publication of an EU directive that paves the road for complete boycott of Israel's illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The directive, which will become effective Jan 1, 2014, is binding. It forbids any EU funding or cooperating with any entity that operates in "the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 (which) comprise the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."
Although grossly belated, the EU move is truly unprecedented and deserving of the 'earthquake' depiction made by a senior Israeli official.
The EU directive was described by Economy Minister Naftali Bennett with palpable hysteria as an "economic terror attack."
Israel is in desperate need to remold its scruffy image which has resulted from too many bombs, damming evidence of war crimes, and arrogant speeches made by numerous politicians. Any 'peace process' at this time would indeed do Israel's image some good, although it will make no lasting difference.
Lastly, the Palestinian Authority, an entity that was created with Israeli consent, and funded by US-led donor countries, cannot operate outside the US political sphere.
According to a reading of the just published annual report by the Palestinian Monetary Authority, the West Bank economic indicators for 2012 were terrible, and prospects for the next two years are even worse.
The PA has no political vision, and even if it did, it is too overwhelmed by economic dependency to act as a self-respecting political entity.
The PA has to play the game, fully knowing that the game has been rigged from the very start.
All three parties know this very well, but they are willing to return to the negotiations table. Any table will do while they pause for photos, smile and shake hands over and over.
By doing so, a media circus made of experts will resume, are ready with metaphors, clichés and sound bites, as long as they are crammed into 30 seconds or less.
Ramzy Baroud is the editor of Palestine Chronicle.
The political peddlers, think-tank experts and media professionals are all back in full force. They want us to believe that US Secretary of State John Kerry has done what others have failed to do.
On his sixth trip to the Middle East during his post, and following intense shuttle diplomacy likened to that of Henry Kissinger, Kerry managed to create a modest common space between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, thus securing their agreement to resume the so-called peace process.
The media is focusing a great deal on how the 'breakthrough' happened, not on why or whether or not it was really a 'breakthrough' in the first place. It is typical in these 'breaking news' dramas that the media inundates itself with excessive superfluous details, while paying little heed to the underlying logic behind the entire story.
For now, we know this: Kerry announced from Amman on July 19 that Palestinian and Israeli negotiators had put the groundwork in place to resume frozen peace talks. They have been frozen since 2010 because Israel refuses to stop illegal settlement construction in occupied Palestinian land.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue slicing up the West Bank, fully control and isolate occupied East Jerusalem, build illegal settlements, erect walls and cut down trees, while wining and dining in some fancy Washington retreat, talking about peace and such.
But why would Kerry even bother poking a stick in Netanyahu's beehive in the first place?
One must consider the very tumultuous events that are currently shattering the Middle East region – a military coup in Egypt, a civil war in Syria, a return to major violence in Iraq, instability in Lebanon, and a sectarian divide that has turned a wide chasm into a bottomless abyss.
Isn't it better for the US to place its diplomatic energies elsewhere? Abbas and Netanyahu are struggling with their own problems, so why are they playing along in a game that will surely fail?
The answer is not simple and cannot be readily expressed through catch phrases and sound bites, although, some commentators are doing just that.
Speaking on Israeli public radio, Chico Menashe, said the return to negotiations is like "a half-baked cake Kerry removed from the stove. Kerry convinced the Israelis and Palestinians it was edible, and both sides agreed to eat it."
Natan Sachs, a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute, was quoted in the Jerusalem Post saying, both parties "basically agreed to disagree, and to talk about that."
And so the commentary teeters between cautious optimism, high hopes, cynicism and creative metaphors. In the final analysis, few truly understand this latest jump start of the 'peace process', the political risks it entails, and why the show is likely to go on for a while longer.
Predictably, it will come to an abrupt ending followed by a protracted blame game. Knowing how mainstream western media operates, Palestinians will likely be the party responsible for the failure of the talks that are yet to start.
But here are some interesting points that must be considered firstly concerning the Americans. The Middle East region is in a constant flux, between revolutions, counter revolutions and war. Neither the US, nor its traditional allies are able to sway the outcomes in their favor.
Neither money, nor arms, nor any political grand scheme is achieving much.
Since the US withdrawal from Iraq in 2010, the US has suffered many blows. Its status as the uncontested superpower is in shambles, and its allies have been caught in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring.
Despite attempts at meddling, enticing some parties with money, and inciting violence against others, there are no tangible outcomes that promise to take the region back to an era of ‘political stability’, as in the same old status quo, that of political stagnation under US stewardship.
To repair its image, the US has to get reengaged in the Middle East. President Barack Obama’s administration, besieged by a dysfunctional Congress at home, is barely relevant in the Middle East anymore, with Russia, France, Britain, Turkey, and even China making headway.
Resuming the 'peace process' is necessary to give the US a chance to claim leadership in a leaderless region.
Second, concerning the Israelis, Netanyahu's right wing-dominated coalition government might have looked as the ideal scenario for a right-wing politician who based his career on his love affair with armed settlers and his unmitigated detestation of the United Nations and international law, which he never thinks should apply to Israel.
However, being firmly positioned in the right-wing circle has proven to be a public relations disaster.
Even his ever-supportive and malleable European allies are now turning against him. Europe can no longer be seen as an unconditional Israeli backer while pacifying its own populations, the majority of whom don't tolerate Israel’s occupation, sieges and violent behavior.
If Netanyahu has his domestic audiences to appease, EU countries do too. The writing on the wall became even clearer on July 16, when the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on the publication of an EU directive that paves the road for complete boycott of Israel's illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The directive, which will become effective Jan 1, 2014, is binding. It forbids any EU funding or cooperating with any entity that operates in "the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 (which) comprise the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."
Although grossly belated, the EU move is truly unprecedented and deserving of the 'earthquake' depiction made by a senior Israeli official.
The EU directive was described by Economy Minister Naftali Bennett with palpable hysteria as an "economic terror attack."
Israel is in desperate need to remold its scruffy image which has resulted from too many bombs, damming evidence of war crimes, and arrogant speeches made by numerous politicians. Any 'peace process' at this time would indeed do Israel's image some good, although it will make no lasting difference.
Lastly, the Palestinian Authority, an entity that was created with Israeli consent, and funded by US-led donor countries, cannot operate outside the US political sphere.
According to a reading of the just published annual report by the Palestinian Monetary Authority, the West Bank economic indicators for 2012 were terrible, and prospects for the next two years are even worse.
The PA has no political vision, and even if it did, it is too overwhelmed by economic dependency to act as a self-respecting political entity.
The PA has to play the game, fully knowing that the game has been rigged from the very start.
All three parties know this very well, but they are willing to return to the negotiations table. Any table will do while they pause for photos, smile and shake hands over and over.
By doing so, a media circus made of experts will resume, are ready with metaphors, clichés and sound bites, as long as they are crammed into 30 seconds or less.
Ramzy Baroud is the editor of Palestine Chronicle.
By Mick Krever, CNN
Israel and the Palestinians need "to move fast with genuine commitment, not with P.R. statements," a top Palestinian politician told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.
The possibility of direct negotiations now looks more real than it has in years, thanks to the old-fashioned shuttle diplomacy of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Hanan Ashrawi, a long-time Palestinian peace negotiator and a senior member of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), told Amanpour that they were awaiting an invitation from Kerry.
On Monday, the top Israeli negotiator, Tzipi Livni, told Amanpour that she "deeply" supported negotiations and an end to conflict.
"It's not a favor to the Palestinians nor to the E.U. and not even to the President of the United States," Livni said. "It is our own interest."
Past talks have often fallen apart over "preconditions" set by negotiators – among them that Israel freeze settlement building or that the Palestinians be granted a "right of return" to their erstwhile houses now within Israeli territory.
"This term 'conditions' has been used constantly to discredit the Palestinians as though we're doing something wrong," Ashrawi contended. "When you enter negotiations, you do not enter by relinquishing your people's rights and destroying your credibility with your own people. These are rights that are enshrined in international law."
Ashrawi said that any future negotiations should be based on the framework that has been built up over decades of talks between the two sides.
"We cannot reinvent the wheel," she said, "every time a new government comes and wants to negate the agreed-upon basis of negotiations."
Israel and the Palestinians need "to move fast with genuine commitment, not with P.R. statements," a top Palestinian politician told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.
The possibility of direct negotiations now looks more real than it has in years, thanks to the old-fashioned shuttle diplomacy of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Hanan Ashrawi, a long-time Palestinian peace negotiator and a senior member of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), told Amanpour that they were awaiting an invitation from Kerry.
On Monday, the top Israeli negotiator, Tzipi Livni, told Amanpour that she "deeply" supported negotiations and an end to conflict.
"It's not a favor to the Palestinians nor to the E.U. and not even to the President of the United States," Livni said. "It is our own interest."
Past talks have often fallen apart over "preconditions" set by negotiators – among them that Israel freeze settlement building or that the Palestinians be granted a "right of return" to their erstwhile houses now within Israeli territory.
"This term 'conditions' has been used constantly to discredit the Palestinians as though we're doing something wrong," Ashrawi contended. "When you enter negotiations, you do not enter by relinquishing your people's rights and destroying your credibility with your own people. These are rights that are enshrined in international law."
Ashrawi said that any future negotiations should be based on the framework that has been built up over decades of talks between the two sides.
"We cannot reinvent the wheel," she said, "every time a new government comes and wants to negate the agreed-upon basis of negotiations."
A Knesset lobby calling itself “Land of Israel Caucus” held a special session after the formal decision to resume direct peace talks with the Palestinians, and reiterated Israel’s interest in continuing the illegal settlement construction and expansion activities in occupied Palestine. The group said that peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are fruitless, and will never lead to any positive outcome.
Several members of Knesset and heads of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestine participated in the session.
Head of the Caucus, MK Yariv Levin, stated that the government on Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the release of Palestinian political prisoners before resuming direct talks, and claimed that this decision violates the fundamentalist Israeli condition that peace talks should resume without preconditions.
Furthermore, MK Nissan Slomiansky of the Jewish Home Party stated that Israel should not hold talks with the Palestinians, claiming that both Israel and the Palestinians are not ready for direct talks, therefore, talks would not lead to any breakthrough.
Slomiansky added that Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed to the Jewish Home Parliamentary Bloc that he did grant any commitment to freezing Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
Several members of Knesset and heads of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestine participated in the session.
Head of the Caucus, MK Yariv Levin, stated that the government on Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the release of Palestinian political prisoners before resuming direct talks, and claimed that this decision violates the fundamentalist Israeli condition that peace talks should resume without preconditions.
Furthermore, MK Nissan Slomiansky of the Jewish Home Party stated that Israel should not hold talks with the Palestinians, claiming that both Israel and the Palestinians are not ready for direct talks, therefore, talks would not lead to any breakthrough.
Slomiansky added that Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed to the Jewish Home Parliamentary Bloc that he did grant any commitment to freezing Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
23 july 2013
Member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Khalida Jarrar said the decision of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to return to negotiations with the Israeli state was "unjustified." Jarrar condemned in remarks to the Palestinian local Radio Sawt al-Sha'b on Monday the resumption of negotiations, and stressed that "the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine refuses the direct negotiations sponsored by America."
She pointed out that the Popular Front had earlier supported the step to go to the United Nations for boycotting and prosecuting the Israeli occupation for its crimes and for enabling the Palestinian people to regain its right to self-determination.
Jarrar added that the PFLP during the recent leadership meeting called for dismissing those who "do not represent the people in any way", as Yasser Abed Rabbo and others who have normalized relationships with Israel
The PFLP official also demanded halting the negotiations with the state of Israel and conducting a series of reforms and changes within the PLO.
Secretary-General of the Ahrar Movement Khaled Abu Hilal demanded the Palestinian people and factions to lift the cover of legitimacy from the President of Ramallah authority, Mahmoud Abbas, stressing that Abbas does not represent the Palestinians.
Abu Hilal said in a statement to Al-Aqsa TV: "Abbas does not have the right to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people. The return to direct negotiations serves only the occupation."
"The Rights and national constants of the Palestinian people are not subject to a referendum or compromises," Secretary-General of the Ahrar also asserted.
He pointed that many Palestinian factions and leaders have unanimously agreed that the decision made by Abbas and the Authority to return to negotiations represents political suicide.
She pointed out that the Popular Front had earlier supported the step to go to the United Nations for boycotting and prosecuting the Israeli occupation for its crimes and for enabling the Palestinian people to regain its right to self-determination.
Jarrar added that the PFLP during the recent leadership meeting called for dismissing those who "do not represent the people in any way", as Yasser Abed Rabbo and others who have normalized relationships with Israel
The PFLP official also demanded halting the negotiations with the state of Israel and conducting a series of reforms and changes within the PLO.
Secretary-General of the Ahrar Movement Khaled Abu Hilal demanded the Palestinian people and factions to lift the cover of legitimacy from the President of Ramallah authority, Mahmoud Abbas, stressing that Abbas does not represent the Palestinians.
Abu Hilal said in a statement to Al-Aqsa TV: "Abbas does not have the right to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people. The return to direct negotiations serves only the occupation."
"The Rights and national constants of the Palestinian people are not subject to a referendum or compromises," Secretary-General of the Ahrar also asserted.
He pointed that many Palestinian factions and leaders have unanimously agreed that the decision made by Abbas and the Authority to return to negotiations represents political suicide.
The European Union warmly welcomed in a council meeting that was held in Brussels on Monday 22nd July 2013, the announcement by Secretary of State John Kerry on 19 July 2013 that an agreement has been reached establishing a basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
In a press statement, the European Union said that this is a crucial step towards achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict. It also commends Secretary Kerry's dedication and the personal commitment demonstrated by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The European Union also praised the significant efforts made by the League of Arab States confirming the strategic importance of the Arab Peace Initiative for all parties.
It added, in the light of the challenging negotiations ahead and difficult decisions to be taken, continued bold leadership by President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and their sustained willingness to engage in good faith will be crucial to success. Once negotiations resume, they should lead to tangible and timely progress. The European Union urged all parties to refrain from actions which could undermine the negotiation process and the prospects of peace.
The European Union recalled previous Council conclusions which laid down its vision for the two-state-solution resulting in an agreement on all final status issues, ending all claims, and fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of both parties with the state of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition, both states enjoying normal relations with all the countries of the region. It also recalled previous conclusions and will continue to address all issues that put the viability of the two-state solution at risk.
The European Union assured that it will remain fully engaged with both parties and will also continue to contribute together with other regional and international partners, including within the Quartet, to a negotiated solution on all final status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, security, water and refugees. The European Union will give active and concrete support to help ensure negotiations between the parties are successful, including through support to any international arrangements aimed at underpinning a peace agreement.
The European Union concluded, if an agreement to finally end this conflict were reached, the door would open to deepened and enhanced cooperation between the European Union and all the countries of the region, contributing to the prospect of a new era of peace, security and prosperity.
In a press statement, the European Union said that this is a crucial step towards achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict. It also commends Secretary Kerry's dedication and the personal commitment demonstrated by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The European Union also praised the significant efforts made by the League of Arab States confirming the strategic importance of the Arab Peace Initiative for all parties.
It added, in the light of the challenging negotiations ahead and difficult decisions to be taken, continued bold leadership by President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and their sustained willingness to engage in good faith will be crucial to success. Once negotiations resume, they should lead to tangible and timely progress. The European Union urged all parties to refrain from actions which could undermine the negotiation process and the prospects of peace.
The European Union recalled previous Council conclusions which laid down its vision for the two-state-solution resulting in an agreement on all final status issues, ending all claims, and fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of both parties with the state of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition, both states enjoying normal relations with all the countries of the region. It also recalled previous conclusions and will continue to address all issues that put the viability of the two-state solution at risk.
The European Union assured that it will remain fully engaged with both parties and will also continue to contribute together with other regional and international partners, including within the Quartet, to a negotiated solution on all final status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, security, water and refugees. The European Union will give active and concrete support to help ensure negotiations between the parties are successful, including through support to any international arrangements aimed at underpinning a peace agreement.
The European Union concluded, if an agreement to finally end this conflict were reached, the door would open to deepened and enhanced cooperation between the European Union and all the countries of the region, contributing to the prospect of a new era of peace, security and prosperity.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat hasn't received the American invitation to attend Washington meeting with the Israeli side, said Nabil Abu Rudeneh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
He also said that Erekat is due to meet with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's envoy Yitzhak Molho early next week in the American capital to discuss the terms for renewing talks.
According to the daily newspaper Al-Hayat, Erekat will not depart for preliminary peace talks in Washington until his government receives assurances regarding Israel's readiness to negotiate a deal based on the 1967 lines and a commitment to release prisoners who have been jailed before the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Israeli officials also have low expectations regarding the resumption of peace talks. Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction of the Likud-Beiteinu party, said that the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks remains uncertain.
Lieberman said in a meeting held Tuesday in Washington that all political parties are trying to put an agenda for the peace talks' resumption.
He stressed that the only solution is a long-term agreement and warned that " if Israel agreed to return to the 1967 borders, the Palestinians will not be satisfied and will not consider it a solution and an end to the conflict."
He also said that Erekat is due to meet with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's envoy Yitzhak Molho early next week in the American capital to discuss the terms for renewing talks.
According to the daily newspaper Al-Hayat, Erekat will not depart for preliminary peace talks in Washington until his government receives assurances regarding Israel's readiness to negotiate a deal based on the 1967 lines and a commitment to release prisoners who have been jailed before the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Israeli officials also have low expectations regarding the resumption of peace talks. Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction of the Likud-Beiteinu party, said that the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks remains uncertain.
Lieberman said in a meeting held Tuesday in Washington that all political parties are trying to put an agenda for the peace talks' resumption.
He stressed that the only solution is a long-term agreement and warned that " if Israel agreed to return to the 1967 borders, the Palestinians will not be satisfied and will not consider it a solution and an end to the conflict."
22 july 2013
Peace Now organization stated that the Israeli authorities are set to approve five thousand new housing units in West Bank in a record time, Yediot Ahronot Hebrew newspaper said. The Israeli government talks about the two-state solution, while it practices the opposite on the ground," said Yariv Oppenheimer, secretary general of the left-wing Peace Now movement.
The newspaper quoted the Settlements Council as saying that all Israeli left parties' attempts to halt settlement construction have failed.
There were 120 thousand Jewish settlers in West Bank during Oslo Accords, while their number has now reached 370 thousand settlers, he pointed out.
The newspaper quoted the Settlements Council as saying that all Israeli left parties' attempts to halt settlement construction have failed.
There were 120 thousand Jewish settlers in West Bank during Oslo Accords, while their number has now reached 370 thousand settlers, he pointed out.
Arab-Israeli lawmaker senses 'bottled-up rage on the Palestinian street over the occupation'; says Netanyahu government 'not a partner for peace'
The collapse of the upcoming round of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians may lead to the eruption of another intifada, Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) warned on Monday.
Tibi, who served as an advisor to deceased Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat and remains close to the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, said he has sensed the "bottled-up rage on the Palestinian street over the occupation and the missing of the opportunity."
In an interview with Ynet, the Arab-Israeli lawmaker also addressed the expected release of Palestinian prisoners as gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the peace talks. He claimed the reports that Israel will release some 80 prisoners who have been held for more than 20 years are inaccurate.
Tibi urged the government to release all 104 Palestinian prisoners who were incarcerated before the signing of the Oslo Accords, saying its refusal to do so would "jeopardize at this early stage the first meeting in Washington."
The MK told Ynet he was "very skeptical regarding the chances of the process, as is the Palestinian leadership, which consented to the international efforts, particularly after the European Union reached a historic decision" to ban the funding of Israeli entities operating beyond the 1967 lines.
"I still believe the current Israeli government is not a partner for a diplomatic agreement and I doubt (the next round of talks) will succeed," he said.
The collapse of the upcoming round of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians may lead to the eruption of another intifada, Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) warned on Monday.
Tibi, who served as an advisor to deceased Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat and remains close to the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, said he has sensed the "bottled-up rage on the Palestinian street over the occupation and the missing of the opportunity."
In an interview with Ynet, the Arab-Israeli lawmaker also addressed the expected release of Palestinian prisoners as gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the peace talks. He claimed the reports that Israel will release some 80 prisoners who have been held for more than 20 years are inaccurate.
Tibi urged the government to release all 104 Palestinian prisoners who were incarcerated before the signing of the Oslo Accords, saying its refusal to do so would "jeopardize at this early stage the first meeting in Washington."
The MK told Ynet he was "very skeptical regarding the chances of the process, as is the Palestinian leadership, which consented to the international efforts, particularly after the European Union reached a historic decision" to ban the funding of Israeli entities operating beyond the 1967 lines.
"I still believe the current Israeli government is not a partner for a diplomatic agreement and I doubt (the next round of talks) will succeed," he said.
Peace talks have yet to resume, but disagreements already surfacing in coalition. After Livni, Lieberman say they oppose referendum on any deal with Palestinians, Habayit Hayehudi chairman says won't support budget unless Referendum Bill passed 'to prevent rupture in nation'
Ahead of the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett said his party would not support the State Budget unless the government passes a bill requiring a referendum on any peace agreement in which Israel gives up land, a senior party source said Monday.
Bennett set the ultimatum due to the fact that senior coalition partners such as Minister Tzipi Livni and Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman oppose the Referendum Bill, which was recently submitted by Habayit Hayehudi MK Ayelet Shaked.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid has yet to reveal his position on the matter, and his party Yesh Atid is scheduled to convene soon to determine its stance. The party is against bringing the Referendum Bill to a vote as a basic law.
Habayit Hayehudi lawmakers are demanding that the Referendum Bill be passed in a first reading as soon as possible, noting that it appears in the coalition agreements with the ruling Likud-Beiteinu faction.
Meanwhile, coalition officials are working on a way to start voting on the Referendum Bill as soon as possible and hope to call an emergency meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation as soon as Monday.
Economy Minister Bennett told a senior party source earlier Monday that "this is a moral, principled demand. Our first goal is to prevent a rupture in the nation."
MK Shaked said a referendum is customary "all over the world in situations where sovereignty is being dissolved. In our country it will prevent a rift in the nation and the selling of part of our homeland through shady deals. Those who oppose a referendum do not believe in their people."
Another Habayit Hayehudi official said the Referendum Bill is a "moral obligation. Let's not be naïve; the agreement, if there will be one, will be a T-intersection in the path of Zionism. No less.
It will have repercussions on our security situation in the coming years and on the ideological and moral DNA of the State of Israel." Bennett is expected to address the issue during a faction meeting later in the day. On Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any agreement with the Palestinians should be put to a referendum. "I believe that this is necessary. I do not think that such decisions can be made, if indeed an agreement is achieved, by this or that coalition process; it must be put to the people for a decision," the PM said.
Ahead of the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett said his party would not support the State Budget unless the government passes a bill requiring a referendum on any peace agreement in which Israel gives up land, a senior party source said Monday.
Bennett set the ultimatum due to the fact that senior coalition partners such as Minister Tzipi Livni and Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman oppose the Referendum Bill, which was recently submitted by Habayit Hayehudi MK Ayelet Shaked.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid has yet to reveal his position on the matter, and his party Yesh Atid is scheduled to convene soon to determine its stance. The party is against bringing the Referendum Bill to a vote as a basic law.
Habayit Hayehudi lawmakers are demanding that the Referendum Bill be passed in a first reading as soon as possible, noting that it appears in the coalition agreements with the ruling Likud-Beiteinu faction.
Meanwhile, coalition officials are working on a way to start voting on the Referendum Bill as soon as possible and hope to call an emergency meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation as soon as Monday.
Economy Minister Bennett told a senior party source earlier Monday that "this is a moral, principled demand. Our first goal is to prevent a rupture in the nation."
MK Shaked said a referendum is customary "all over the world in situations where sovereignty is being dissolved. In our country it will prevent a rift in the nation and the selling of part of our homeland through shady deals. Those who oppose a referendum do not believe in their people."
Another Habayit Hayehudi official said the Referendum Bill is a "moral obligation. Let's not be naïve; the agreement, if there will be one, will be a T-intersection in the path of Zionism. No less.
It will have repercussions on our security situation in the coming years and on the ideological and moral DNA of the State of Israel." Bennett is expected to address the issue during a faction meeting later in the day. On Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any agreement with the Palestinians should be put to a referendum. "I believe that this is necessary. I do not think that such decisions can be made, if indeed an agreement is achieved, by this or that coalition process; it must be put to the people for a decision," the PM said.
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Palestinian fighters deported to Europe in 2002 following an Israeli invasion of Bethlehem have urged President Abbas to include their case in peace talks.
Spokesman for Palestinian deportees Fahmi Kanaan told Ma'an that the Palestinian Authority should include the case of deportees as a precondition for returning to negotiations. "We have been demanding to return to Bethlehem for 12 years. We were deported upon an agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, sponsored by the United States," Kanaan said. Kanaan's daughter, Isra, said that she has the right to live in the city where she was raised and to be with her extended family. |
In April 2002, during a major Israeli incursion into the West Bank Israel named Operation Defensive Shield, Israeli forces besieged the Nativity Church in Bethlehem after dozens of fighters took refuge in the church.
After 40 days, the negotiations involving international organizations ended the siege with the deportation of 13 fighters to European countries and 26 others to the Gaza Strip.
Israel agreed to let the fighters return to their homes after two years, but 11 years on the deportees remain in exile.
After 40 days, the negotiations involving international organizations ended the siege with the deportation of 13 fighters to European countries and 26 others to the Gaza Strip.
Israel agreed to let the fighters return to their homes after two years, but 11 years on the deportees remain in exile.
Iran on Sunday voiced opposition to a US-mediated resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, predicting that Israel would never agree to withdraw from occupied Arab lands.
Tehran "along with Palestinian groups expresses its opposition to the proposed plan and it's certain that the occupying Zionist regime will utterly not agree to withdraw from the occupied lands," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, quoted by Iranian media.
"Past experience shows that the occupying Zionist regime is basically not ready to pay the price for peace since war mongering and occupation lie at its very core," he added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had agreed to meet to prepare a resumption of direct peace talks, stalled since 2010. The exact basis for Kerry's plan remains unknown.
The last round of direct talks between the two sides nearly three years ago broke down over the issue of Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned ministers on Sunday that renewed peace talks with the Palestinians would be tough, and he said any draft treaty would be put to a referendum.
President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly stressed that his demands for a freeze to Israeli settlement building and the release of prisoners held by Israel must be met before talks can resume.
The Iran-backed Islamist movement Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip rejected a return to talks, saying Abbas had no legitimate right to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people.
Iran rules out a two-state solution and has its own vision of how to resolve the six-decade-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
"The end of occupation ... self-determination for the Palestinians, the return of all refugees to their ancestral land, and the creation of an integrated Palestine with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital," Araqchi reiterated.
Tehran "along with Palestinian groups expresses its opposition to the proposed plan and it's certain that the occupying Zionist regime will utterly not agree to withdraw from the occupied lands," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, quoted by Iranian media.
"Past experience shows that the occupying Zionist regime is basically not ready to pay the price for peace since war mongering and occupation lie at its very core," he added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had agreed to meet to prepare a resumption of direct peace talks, stalled since 2010. The exact basis for Kerry's plan remains unknown.
The last round of direct talks between the two sides nearly three years ago broke down over the issue of Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned ministers on Sunday that renewed peace talks with the Palestinians would be tough, and he said any draft treaty would be put to a referendum.
President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly stressed that his demands for a freeze to Israeli settlement building and the release of prisoners held by Israel must be met before talks can resume.
The Iran-backed Islamist movement Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip rejected a return to talks, saying Abbas had no legitimate right to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people.
Iran rules out a two-state solution and has its own vision of how to resolve the six-decade-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
"The end of occupation ... self-determination for the Palestinians, the return of all refugees to their ancestral land, and the creation of an integrated Palestine with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital," Araqchi reiterated.
The Arab League said on Sunday it supported the Palestinian stance on the announcement of resumed peace talks with Israel, but that it was skeptical of Israeli intentions.
The League "is forming a political support network for the Palestinian side in case it accepts to go to the negotiations with the Israeli side," Mohammed Sabih, deputy secretary general for Palestinian affairs and occupied Arab territories, told reporters.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet in Washington within "the next week or so" after an agreement on the basis to resume peace talks.
Both Israel and the Palestinian presidency welcomed the development, but the Hamas movement rejected a return to talks.
The Arab League had its doubts about Israel's position on the resumption of peace talks, Sabih said.
"Many in the Israeli government do not want an Arab peace initiative."
Sabih added that the Arab League was monitoring Israel's stance so the talks were not simply "negotiations for the sake of negotiations, going round in a vicious circle".
"This could be the last chance to revive the stalled peace process," he noted.
Talks have stuttered and started for decades in the elusive bid to reach a final peace deal between the Arab world and Israel.
But they collapsed completely in September 2010 when Israel refused to keep up a freeze on settlement building in Palestinian territories.
The League "is forming a political support network for the Palestinian side in case it accepts to go to the negotiations with the Israeli side," Mohammed Sabih, deputy secretary general for Palestinian affairs and occupied Arab territories, told reporters.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet in Washington within "the next week or so" after an agreement on the basis to resume peace talks.
Both Israel and the Palestinian presidency welcomed the development, but the Hamas movement rejected a return to talks.
The Arab League had its doubts about Israel's position on the resumption of peace talks, Sabih said.
"Many in the Israeli government do not want an Arab peace initiative."
Sabih added that the Arab League was monitoring Israel's stance so the talks were not simply "negotiations for the sake of negotiations, going round in a vicious circle".
"This could be the last chance to revive the stalled peace process," he noted.
Talks have stuttered and started for decades in the elusive bid to reach a final peace deal between the Arab world and Israel.
But they collapsed completely in September 2010 when Israel refused to keep up a freeze on settlement building in Palestinian territories.
Israel is set to decide on the release of around 80 long-serving Palestinian prisoners ahead of renewed peace talks, an Israeli official said on Monday.
US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had agreed to meet to prepare a resumption of direct peace talks, stalled since 2010.
"The prisoner releases will start when talks commence," the Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We're talking about releasing them in stages."
There were "some 80 prisoners" set to be released, all of them "pre-Oslo," the official added, referring to Palestinians imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo peace accords.
The official would not say when a decision on their release would be made, and by whom -- whether the issue would go before the government, ministers or just Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli radio said Netanyahu would present the issue to his cabinet "in the next few days" ahead of the first meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators scheduled for early next week.
The official could not confirm the report.
The last round of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2010 over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Kerry on Friday gave away very little about the initial agreement.
Israeli officials have hailed it as a "success" as it did not entail the Palestinian "preconditions" of a freeze on settlement construction or the pre-1967 borders as a basis for negotiations.
But president Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly stressed his demands for a freeze on settlement building on occupied land and release of prisoners held by Israel must be met before the talks can resume.
Sawalma: Prisoners' release is a legitimate right, not a precondition for talks
The leader in Hamas movement Ghanem Sawalma, who was released Sunday after serving two years in administrative detention, stated that the prisoners suffer very difficult detention conditions in Israeli jails amid international and local silence. The 47-year-old stated that the prisoners demand their issue to be highlighted and popular support for their plight to be activated.
Concerning the resumption of the twenty-year old “peace process”, the liberated prisoner said that the prisoners' issue should not be used as an excuse to re-start negotiations at the expense of the Palestinian fateful issues particularly the right of return.
He called on the PA to work for the release of all prisoners especially the old and patient captives as a legitimate right and not a precondition for negotiations.
Meanwhile, Palestine center for prisoners' studies considered the Israeli news concerning the release of a small number of old prisoners as per Palestinian condition to restart negotiations as a manipulation of the feelings of prisoners' families.
The center pointed out that the sole source for this news is the Israeli media that have published different Israeli official statements aiming to create a state of tension among the prisoners and their families to pressure the Palestinian party for more concessions.
Some Israeli officials stated that only limited number of prisoners will be released, while others declared that only elderly prisoners will be liberated. For its part, Walla Israeli website stated that 80 prisoners most of them imprisoned prior to the Oslo accord will be released, the center noted.
The Palestinian human rights center called on PA to guard against Israeli lies and manipulations, pointing out to the previous failed negotiation.
Fatah official says return to talks subject to conditions
Senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath said Sunday that a return to direct negotiations is subject to several conditions.
"We are waiting. Returning back to negotiations depends on two steps we asked the American side to agree on," the official told Ma'an.
"If they agree, we will go to the next step which is preliminary negotiations in Washington to discuss the rules and the terms of direct negotiations."
"We will not go back to negotiations unless we get what we asked for," Shaath said, without providing further details.
The EU's recent position on Israeli settlements contributed to the return to negotiations and had a positive impact on the US position, Shaath added.
President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly stressed that his demands of a freeze to Israeli settlement building on occupied land and release of prisoners held by Israel must be met before talks can resume.
Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz on Saturday announced that there would be the release a "limited" number of Palestinian prisoners as a "gesture" for the peace talks.
Israeli media have said that while there will be no formal declaration of a settlement freeze, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will quietly halt building for the time being.
High-ranking Israeli officials have openly rebuffed both conditions, with Transport Minister Yisrael Katz, a member of Netanyahu's own Likud party, telling AFP: "I am against a Palestinian state."
Commenting on the proposed prisoner release, an editorial in Israeli daily Maariv said "veteran terrorists will go home."
US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Friday that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had agreed to meet to prepare a resumption of direct peace talks, stalled since 2010.
"The prisoner releases will start when talks commence," the Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We're talking about releasing them in stages."
There were "some 80 prisoners" set to be released, all of them "pre-Oslo," the official added, referring to Palestinians imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo peace accords.
The official would not say when a decision on their release would be made, and by whom -- whether the issue would go before the government, ministers or just Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli radio said Netanyahu would present the issue to his cabinet "in the next few days" ahead of the first meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators scheduled for early next week.
The official could not confirm the report.
The last round of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2010 over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Kerry on Friday gave away very little about the initial agreement.
Israeli officials have hailed it as a "success" as it did not entail the Palestinian "preconditions" of a freeze on settlement construction or the pre-1967 borders as a basis for negotiations.
But president Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly stressed his demands for a freeze on settlement building on occupied land and release of prisoners held by Israel must be met before the talks can resume.
Sawalma: Prisoners' release is a legitimate right, not a precondition for talks
The leader in Hamas movement Ghanem Sawalma, who was released Sunday after serving two years in administrative detention, stated that the prisoners suffer very difficult detention conditions in Israeli jails amid international and local silence. The 47-year-old stated that the prisoners demand their issue to be highlighted and popular support for their plight to be activated.
Concerning the resumption of the twenty-year old “peace process”, the liberated prisoner said that the prisoners' issue should not be used as an excuse to re-start negotiations at the expense of the Palestinian fateful issues particularly the right of return.
He called on the PA to work for the release of all prisoners especially the old and patient captives as a legitimate right and not a precondition for negotiations.
Meanwhile, Palestine center for prisoners' studies considered the Israeli news concerning the release of a small number of old prisoners as per Palestinian condition to restart negotiations as a manipulation of the feelings of prisoners' families.
The center pointed out that the sole source for this news is the Israeli media that have published different Israeli official statements aiming to create a state of tension among the prisoners and their families to pressure the Palestinian party for more concessions.
Some Israeli officials stated that only limited number of prisoners will be released, while others declared that only elderly prisoners will be liberated. For its part, Walla Israeli website stated that 80 prisoners most of them imprisoned prior to the Oslo accord will be released, the center noted.
The Palestinian human rights center called on PA to guard against Israeli lies and manipulations, pointing out to the previous failed negotiation.
Fatah official says return to talks subject to conditions
Senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath said Sunday that a return to direct negotiations is subject to several conditions.
"We are waiting. Returning back to negotiations depends on two steps we asked the American side to agree on," the official told Ma'an.
"If they agree, we will go to the next step which is preliminary negotiations in Washington to discuss the rules and the terms of direct negotiations."
"We will not go back to negotiations unless we get what we asked for," Shaath said, without providing further details.
The EU's recent position on Israeli settlements contributed to the return to negotiations and had a positive impact on the US position, Shaath added.
President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly stressed that his demands of a freeze to Israeli settlement building on occupied land and release of prisoners held by Israel must be met before talks can resume.
Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz on Saturday announced that there would be the release a "limited" number of Palestinian prisoners as a "gesture" for the peace talks.
Israeli media have said that while there will be no formal declaration of a settlement freeze, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will quietly halt building for the time being.
High-ranking Israeli officials have openly rebuffed both conditions, with Transport Minister Yisrael Katz, a member of Netanyahu's own Likud party, telling AFP: "I am against a Palestinian state."
Commenting on the proposed prisoner release, an editorial in Israeli daily Maariv said "veteran terrorists will go home."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Jordanian newspaper Al Rai that "any agreement reached with the Israelis will be brought to a referendum." In the report, released Monday, Abbas added: "The United States is serious in formulating a solution to the Palestinian issue, through introducing a Palestinian state within the 1967 lines with east Jerusalem as its capital.
According to the Jordanian paper, the interview with Abbas was conducted last Friday in his Ramallah office, immediately after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abbas further added that "the debate on the refugee issue will be part of the Arab Peace Initiative, in addition to agreements on security, borders and prisoners. Any security solution must remove Israel permanently from the Palestinian land, together with allowing Israel the right to defend its security within its borders, with accordance with the neighboring countries."
During the interview, the Palestinian President said that "we want to reach a two-state solution, and that is the prevalent view among the American administration, but as of now we have not achieved anything." Abbas also revealed that "we were close to an agreement with Ehud Olmert, but he stumbled in the political arena, and then came Benjamin Netanyahu and the peace process stalled."
In regards to the possibility of the talks failing, Abbas said that "Kerry took our proposals in regards to the resumption of negotiations, and if there will be no agreement that gets the wheels of peace in motion, all options are open. Our first option is to have an independent state through negotiating the borders and security, and setting a schedule for that negotiation process." He once again stressed the PA's stance on settlements, saying "they are illegal since 1967."
Meanwhile, Abbas' aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the path to formal negotiations with Israel is still blocked. He said that for actual peace talks to resume, Israel must first accept its pre-1967 war frontier as a baseline and halt settlement building. In a statement released Sunday night, Abu Radeneh noted that Abbas agreed to send a delegate to Washington to continue lower-level preliminary talks with an Israeli counterpart about the terms for negotiations.
According to the Jordanian paper, the interview with Abbas was conducted last Friday in his Ramallah office, immediately after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abbas further added that "the debate on the refugee issue will be part of the Arab Peace Initiative, in addition to agreements on security, borders and prisoners. Any security solution must remove Israel permanently from the Palestinian land, together with allowing Israel the right to defend its security within its borders, with accordance with the neighboring countries."
During the interview, the Palestinian President said that "we want to reach a two-state solution, and that is the prevalent view among the American administration, but as of now we have not achieved anything." Abbas also revealed that "we were close to an agreement with Ehud Olmert, but he stumbled in the political arena, and then came Benjamin Netanyahu and the peace process stalled."
In regards to the possibility of the talks failing, Abbas said that "Kerry took our proposals in regards to the resumption of negotiations, and if there will be no agreement that gets the wheels of peace in motion, all options are open. Our first option is to have an independent state through negotiating the borders and security, and setting a schedule for that negotiation process." He once again stressed the PA's stance on settlements, saying "they are illegal since 1967."
Meanwhile, Abbas' aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the path to formal negotiations with Israel is still blocked. He said that for actual peace talks to resume, Israel must first accept its pre-1967 war frontier as a baseline and halt settlement building. In a statement released Sunday night, Abu Radeneh noted that Abbas agreed to send a delegate to Washington to continue lower-level preliminary talks with an Israeli counterpart about the terms for negotiations.
