22 apr 2014
Violence continues in West Bank
Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi said, Tuesday, the UN Secretary Council adopts double standards when handling resolutions involving Israel.
Al-Arabi referred to the US’ veto on resolutions obliging Israel to withdraw from the Arab lands occupied since 1967.
According to WAFA, he said that the Arab countries have decided to change the way of dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; to work on ending the conflict instead of just managing it through managing the current negotiations slated to end on April 29. He added that talks are underway to examine extending the negotiations based on clear grounds to be set by the Palestinian leadership, which “will very soon take serious decisions in this regard.”
Al-Arabi made these comments in response to Arab parliamentarians’ questions on the latest political developments of the Palestinian cause, and the human rights situations in the Arab World, during the first hearing session of the Arab Parliament at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.
According to Kuwait News Agency, speaker of the Arab parliament Ahmad Al-Jarwan stressed that, 'the Arab Parliament will not stop supporting or exerting efforts to find a just and comprehensive solution to [the Palestinian cause].'
Assessing Israel's current policies towards Palestinians, he said that its recent practices were 'illegal' and 'an aggression on the Palestinian people and territories, particularly on Muslim and Christian holy sites in the occupied East Jerusalem.'
These acts violate relevant UN resolutions and international laws, he said, urging the international community to take action.
He also expressed solidarity with Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, calling on global human rights organizations 'to do their best to defend them.'
Israeli forces, on Tuesday, prevented shepherds from entering the village of Um al-Khair, to the east of Yatta in Hebron district, said Rateb Jubur, of the anti-settlement committee.
He said army forces prevented the shepherds from returning home to their village after grazing their livestock.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli forces abducted two people from Beit Ummar, located to the north of Hebron, as well as raided and searched several Palestinian-owned houses, in addition to a stone-cutting factory in the Bethlehem area, according to statements by a local activist.
Spokesperson of the anti-wall and settlement popular committee Mohammad ‘Awad said that forces stormed Beit Ummar and arrested two people, aged 20 and 21 years, after breaking into and searching their houses.
Forces served one 20-year-old person with a notice to appear before Israeli Intelligence, after breaking into and searching his family’s house in the town.
Meanwhile, WAFA further reports that forces set up a military checkpoint at the entrance of Idhna, a town located to the west of Hebron, and stormed many neighborhoods in the city of Hebron.
In the Bethlehem district, forces stormed and thoroughly searched a house and a stone-cutting factory in Taqouʻ and Beit Fajjar, located respectively to the east and south of Bethlehem.
They also set up a military checkpoint near Dair Salah village, located to the east of Bethlehem, where they stopped and inspected Palestinian vehicles travelling along the way and examined passengers’ ID cards.
Furthermore, a Palestinian student and a journalist were injured on Tuesday, during clashes which erupted after the Israeli army patrolled their military vehicles, near the vicinity of a university in Hebron, in a provocative manner which spurred confrontations, according to witnesses.
Army soldiers fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades towards the students, who responded by pelting stones at the soldiers, injuring a female student with a tear gas canister in her arm, and a journalist with a stun grenade in his leg.
Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi said, Tuesday, the UN Secretary Council adopts double standards when handling resolutions involving Israel.
Al-Arabi referred to the US’ veto on resolutions obliging Israel to withdraw from the Arab lands occupied since 1967.
According to WAFA, he said that the Arab countries have decided to change the way of dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; to work on ending the conflict instead of just managing it through managing the current negotiations slated to end on April 29. He added that talks are underway to examine extending the negotiations based on clear grounds to be set by the Palestinian leadership, which “will very soon take serious decisions in this regard.”
Al-Arabi made these comments in response to Arab parliamentarians’ questions on the latest political developments of the Palestinian cause, and the human rights situations in the Arab World, during the first hearing session of the Arab Parliament at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.
According to Kuwait News Agency, speaker of the Arab parliament Ahmad Al-Jarwan stressed that, 'the Arab Parliament will not stop supporting or exerting efforts to find a just and comprehensive solution to [the Palestinian cause].'
Assessing Israel's current policies towards Palestinians, he said that its recent practices were 'illegal' and 'an aggression on the Palestinian people and territories, particularly on Muslim and Christian holy sites in the occupied East Jerusalem.'
These acts violate relevant UN resolutions and international laws, he said, urging the international community to take action.
He also expressed solidarity with Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, calling on global human rights organizations 'to do their best to defend them.'
Israeli forces, on Tuesday, prevented shepherds from entering the village of Um al-Khair, to the east of Yatta in Hebron district, said Rateb Jubur, of the anti-settlement committee.
He said army forces prevented the shepherds from returning home to their village after grazing their livestock.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli forces abducted two people from Beit Ummar, located to the north of Hebron, as well as raided and searched several Palestinian-owned houses, in addition to a stone-cutting factory in the Bethlehem area, according to statements by a local activist.
Spokesperson of the anti-wall and settlement popular committee Mohammad ‘Awad said that forces stormed Beit Ummar and arrested two people, aged 20 and 21 years, after breaking into and searching their houses.
Forces served one 20-year-old person with a notice to appear before Israeli Intelligence, after breaking into and searching his family’s house in the town.
Meanwhile, WAFA further reports that forces set up a military checkpoint at the entrance of Idhna, a town located to the west of Hebron, and stormed many neighborhoods in the city of Hebron.
In the Bethlehem district, forces stormed and thoroughly searched a house and a stone-cutting factory in Taqouʻ and Beit Fajjar, located respectively to the east and south of Bethlehem.
They also set up a military checkpoint near Dair Salah village, located to the east of Bethlehem, where they stopped and inspected Palestinian vehicles travelling along the way and examined passengers’ ID cards.
Furthermore, a Palestinian student and a journalist were injured on Tuesday, during clashes which erupted after the Israeli army patrolled their military vehicles, near the vicinity of a university in Hebron, in a provocative manner which spurred confrontations, according to witnesses.
Army soldiers fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades towards the students, who responded by pelting stones at the soldiers, injuring a female student with a tear gas canister in her arm, and a journalist with a stun grenade in his leg.
A Palestinian child gestures towards a member of the Israeli security forces as he stands guard in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud, on April 18, 2014
President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that he would extend faltering peace talks with Israel only if it agreed to conditions, including a settlement freeze, which it promptly rejected.
Abbas listed his demands during a meeting with Israeli journalists at his headquarters in Ramallah just a week before a nine-month target for a peace deal.
His comments came as US envoy Martin Indyk went into a new meeting with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in a bid to save the US-sponsored talks from collapse.
Abbas said he would agree to an extension of negotiations beyond the April 29 deadline if Israel frees a group of prisoners as previously earmarked for release and discusses the borders of a future Palestinian state.
"There must be a total freeze of settlements," by Israel in the occupied West Bank including annexed East Jerusalem, Abbas said.
"The borders between Israel and the state of Palestine must also be defined within a month, two or three," if the talks are to be extended, he said.
The PLO and the international community have long viewed Israeli settlement construction as a major obstacle to peace talks.
The peace process was engulfed by crisis last month after Israel refused to free a fourth and final group of 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners which would have completed an agreement that brought the sides back to negotiations last July.
"He who makes such conditions does not want peace," a senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The official said that settlement building in Jerusalem would not be frozen and that Israel had never agreed to discuss the border issue separately from other core issues.
These include Palestinians refugees, the fate of Jerusalem, security and mutual recognition.
"It is impossible to define borders before an agreement on the other issues," the Israeli official said.
He also reiterated that Israel planned on expelling to the Gaza Strip, or abroad, some of the last batch of prisoners that Abbas wants freed.
"This has been clearly explained to the Palestinians. Never has Israel committed not to carry out expulsions," he said.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of illegal settler homes in the occupied West Bank and killed over 60 Palestinians since peace talks began in July.
Israeli officials have also refused to discuss withdrawing Israeli soldiers and settlers from the occupied Jordan Valley, which forms around a third of the West Bank.
President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that he would extend faltering peace talks with Israel only if it agreed to conditions, including a settlement freeze, which it promptly rejected.
Abbas listed his demands during a meeting with Israeli journalists at his headquarters in Ramallah just a week before a nine-month target for a peace deal.
His comments came as US envoy Martin Indyk went into a new meeting with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in a bid to save the US-sponsored talks from collapse.
Abbas said he would agree to an extension of negotiations beyond the April 29 deadline if Israel frees a group of prisoners as previously earmarked for release and discusses the borders of a future Palestinian state.
"There must be a total freeze of settlements," by Israel in the occupied West Bank including annexed East Jerusalem, Abbas said.
"The borders between Israel and the state of Palestine must also be defined within a month, two or three," if the talks are to be extended, he said.
The PLO and the international community have long viewed Israeli settlement construction as a major obstacle to peace talks.
The peace process was engulfed by crisis last month after Israel refused to free a fourth and final group of 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners which would have completed an agreement that brought the sides back to negotiations last July.
"He who makes such conditions does not want peace," a senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The official said that settlement building in Jerusalem would not be frozen and that Israel had never agreed to discuss the border issue separately from other core issues.
These include Palestinians refugees, the fate of Jerusalem, security and mutual recognition.
"It is impossible to define borders before an agreement on the other issues," the Israeli official said.
He also reiterated that Israel planned on expelling to the Gaza Strip, or abroad, some of the last batch of prisoners that Abbas wants freed.
"This has been clearly explained to the Palestinians. Never has Israel committed not to carry out expulsions," he said.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of illegal settler homes in the occupied West Bank and killed over 60 Palestinians since peace talks began in July.
Israeli officials have also refused to discuss withdrawing Israeli soldiers and settlers from the occupied Jordan Valley, which forms around a third of the West Bank.
The US warned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority, and described it as an "extreme step" which could fundamentally alter relations between Washington and Ramallah.
US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington that such a move would have "grave implications" on the relationship between the United States and the Palestinians, including American assistance, the Palestinian News Network has reported.
She added, "A great deal of effort has gone into building Palestinian institutions, by Palestinians as well as the international community, and it would certainly not be in the interests of the Palestinian people for all of that to be lost. We — the United States have put millions of dollars into this effort. It would obviously have very serious implications for our relationship, including our assistance going forward."
Psaki expressed hope that the Palestinian and Israeli parties would agree to extend the negotiations.
Psaki emphasized that the US Secretary of State John Kerry is willing to return to the region to continue with the efforts to salvage the peace talks.
US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington that such a move would have "grave implications" on the relationship between the United States and the Palestinians, including American assistance, the Palestinian News Network has reported.
She added, "A great deal of effort has gone into building Palestinian institutions, by Palestinians as well as the international community, and it would certainly not be in the interests of the Palestinian people for all of that to be lost. We — the United States have put millions of dollars into this effort. It would obviously have very serious implications for our relationship, including our assistance going forward."
Psaki expressed hope that the Palestinian and Israeli parties would agree to extend the negotiations.
Psaki emphasized that the US Secretary of State John Kerry is willing to return to the region to continue with the efforts to salvage the peace talks.
Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, headed a meeting of the Central Committee of his Fateh Movement at the presidential headquarter, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and said the Palestinians cannot extend talks with Tel Aviv unless they are based on solid and clear foundations.
Abbas and various Fateh officials discussed Arab and international efforts aiming at the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, especially after talks hit another deadlock due to ongoing Israeli violations and settlement activities.
The central committee expressed full support for Abbas in his international moves aimed at joining more international institutions and conventions.
Committee members said direct peace talks with Tel Aviv can only be extended if they are fully based on international legitimacy resolutions, with the clear aim of establishing an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
They added that peace talks should guarantee the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, based on resolution #194, and should also be based on the Arab Peace Initiative.
Furthermore, the committee said Israel must stop all of its violations and unilateral moves, especially its ongoing illegitimate settlement construction and expansion activities.
As for the Palestinian reconciliation file, the Committee expressed support to Fateh delegates heading to Gaza to hold meetings with Hamas officials with the hope of reaching an understanding that would lead to implementing all unity agreements, the Doha Declaration and the Egyptian initiative, before forming a transitional unity government.
Abbas and various Fateh officials discussed Arab and international efforts aiming at the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, especially after talks hit another deadlock due to ongoing Israeli violations and settlement activities.
The central committee expressed full support for Abbas in his international moves aimed at joining more international institutions and conventions.
Committee members said direct peace talks with Tel Aviv can only be extended if they are fully based on international legitimacy resolutions, with the clear aim of establishing an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
They added that peace talks should guarantee the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, based on resolution #194, and should also be based on the Arab Peace Initiative.
Furthermore, the committee said Israel must stop all of its violations and unilateral moves, especially its ongoing illegitimate settlement construction and expansion activities.
As for the Palestinian reconciliation file, the Committee expressed support to Fateh delegates heading to Gaza to hold meetings with Hamas officials with the hope of reaching an understanding that would lead to implementing all unity agreements, the Doha Declaration and the Egyptian initiative, before forming a transitional unity government.
A man holds up national flags supporting a new attempt to reconcile Hamas and the PLO on April 22, 2014 in Gaza City
Palestinian officials have relaunched efforts to reconcile their rival leaderships in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as US-brokered peace talks with Israel teeter on the edge of collapse.
A week before a nine-month target originally set for an Israeli-Palestinian deal, a PLO delegation was expected in Gaza City on Tuesday to try to revive long-stagnant unity efforts.
The team is being led by Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior figure in the Fatah movement.
Independent MP Mustafa Barghouti and figures from two leftist parties, the Palestinian People's Party and the Palestinian Arab Front, are also in the delegation.
They were to meet Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of Hamas, and the number two in the movement, Mousa Abu Marzouq, who arrived from Cairo on Monday.
Fatah, the PLO's main component, and Hamas signed a reconciliation accord in Cairo in 2011 aimed at ending the political divide between Gaza and the PA.
But deadlines have come and gone without any progress in implementing provisions of the accord.
According to Barghouti, the two sides will discuss "forming a national consensus government and holding elections," among other issues.
At the same time, US peace envoy Martin Indyk held a new meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in a fresh attempt to salvage the peace process.
As the meeting got underway Abbas told Israeli journalists he was willing to extend the negotiations beyond their April 29 if Israel releases a batch of prisoners as previously agreed, freezes its settlement building and agrees to discuss the borders of a future Palestinian state.
Palestinian officials have relaunched efforts to reconcile their rival leaderships in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as US-brokered peace talks with Israel teeter on the edge of collapse.
A week before a nine-month target originally set for an Israeli-Palestinian deal, a PLO delegation was expected in Gaza City on Tuesday to try to revive long-stagnant unity efforts.
The team is being led by Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior figure in the Fatah movement.
Independent MP Mustafa Barghouti and figures from two leftist parties, the Palestinian People's Party and the Palestinian Arab Front, are also in the delegation.
They were to meet Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of Hamas, and the number two in the movement, Mousa Abu Marzouq, who arrived from Cairo on Monday.
Fatah, the PLO's main component, and Hamas signed a reconciliation accord in Cairo in 2011 aimed at ending the political divide between Gaza and the PA.
But deadlines have come and gone without any progress in implementing provisions of the accord.
According to Barghouti, the two sides will discuss "forming a national consensus government and holding elections," among other issues.
At the same time, US peace envoy Martin Indyk held a new meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in a fresh attempt to salvage the peace process.
As the meeting got underway Abbas told Israeli journalists he was willing to extend the negotiations beyond their April 29 if Israel releases a batch of prisoners as previously agreed, freezes its settlement building and agrees to discuss the borders of a future Palestinian state.
The PLO on Tuesday played down a threat to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which is Israel's interlocutor, if US-sponsored peace talks remain deadlocked.
"No Palestinian is speaking of an initiative to dismantle the Palestinian Authority," chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP.
"But Israel's actions have annulled all the legal, political, security, economic and operational aspects of the prerogatives of the Palestinian Authority."
Palestinian negotiators had warned that they may hand responsibility for governing the occupied territories back to Israel if peace talks remain stalled, a senior Palestinian official said Sunday.
He said the Palestinians had told US peace envoy Martin Indyk that unless Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as agreed and freezes settlement building, they could dismantle the Authority, which was set up following the Oslo peace accords in the 1990s and was intended to pave the way towards the establishment of an independent state.
US State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki criticized the threat as "extreme" and warned that any such move would affect American aid to the Palestinians.
Indyk is to take part in a fresh attempt to salvage the peace talks at a meeting in Jerusalem later on Tuesday with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, according to a Palestinian source.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of illegal settler homes in the occupied West Bank and killed over 60 Palestinians since peace talks began in July.
Israeli officials have also refused to discuss withdrawing Israeli soldiers and settlers from the occupied Jordan Valley, which forms around a third of the West Bank.
"No Palestinian is speaking of an initiative to dismantle the Palestinian Authority," chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP.
"But Israel's actions have annulled all the legal, political, security, economic and operational aspects of the prerogatives of the Palestinian Authority."
Palestinian negotiators had warned that they may hand responsibility for governing the occupied territories back to Israel if peace talks remain stalled, a senior Palestinian official said Sunday.
He said the Palestinians had told US peace envoy Martin Indyk that unless Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as agreed and freezes settlement building, they could dismantle the Authority, which was set up following the Oslo peace accords in the 1990s and was intended to pave the way towards the establishment of an independent state.
US State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki criticized the threat as "extreme" and warned that any such move would affect American aid to the Palestinians.
Indyk is to take part in a fresh attempt to salvage the peace talks at a meeting in Jerusalem later on Tuesday with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, according to a Palestinian source.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of illegal settler homes in the occupied West Bank and killed over 60 Palestinians since peace talks began in July.
Israeli officials have also refused to discuss withdrawing Israeli soldiers and settlers from the occupied Jordan Valley, which forms around a third of the West Bank.
The Prime minister of Israeli occupation Benjamin Netanyahu attacked The Palestinian authority (PA), Monday evening over Abbas threaten of dissolving the PA and reconciliation talks with Hamas. Netanyahu said during the celebrations of Jewish holidays in the settlement " Or Akiva "which built on Barrat Qisarya ,Palestinian town near occupied Haifa, " When they want peace, they should let us know.
Because we want a lasting peace. " he went on saying that their policy is clear regarding their enemies which is - respond with immediacy and intensity," claiming that they are subjected to rocket attacks on their holiday.
Netanyahu alleged that "The army will continue to hit Israel's enemies strongly in order to secure the people of "Israel".
Israeli military minister Moshe Yaalon warned Hamas and other factions in the Gaza Strip, saying that "they should maintain the truce unless they will see Israeli retaliation."
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who participated in Bayit Yehudi's Mimuna celebrations in Yavne, also lashed out the upcoming reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas. "We will not be extorted and we will not be threatened. Against the brotherhood of terrorism between Fatah and Hamas we have our own brotherhood, the nation of Israel."
The peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has taken shape over the years despite the ongoing violence which has prevailed since the beginning of the conflict. Since the 1970s there has been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which peace can be agreed to in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.
Direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians began on July 29, 2013 following an attempt by United States Secretary of State John Kerry to restart the peace process.
Because we want a lasting peace. " he went on saying that their policy is clear regarding their enemies which is - respond with immediacy and intensity," claiming that they are subjected to rocket attacks on their holiday.
Netanyahu alleged that "The army will continue to hit Israel's enemies strongly in order to secure the people of "Israel".
Israeli military minister Moshe Yaalon warned Hamas and other factions in the Gaza Strip, saying that "they should maintain the truce unless they will see Israeli retaliation."
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who participated in Bayit Yehudi's Mimuna celebrations in Yavne, also lashed out the upcoming reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas. "We will not be extorted and we will not be threatened. Against the brotherhood of terrorism between Fatah and Hamas we have our own brotherhood, the nation of Israel."
The peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has taken shape over the years despite the ongoing violence which has prevailed since the beginning of the conflict. Since the 1970s there has been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which peace can be agreed to in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.
Direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians began on July 29, 2013 following an attempt by United States Secretary of State John Kerry to restart the peace process.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has renewed his proposal that Umm al-Faham city in 1948 occupied Palestine would be part of a future Palestinian state in any future agreement with the Palestinians. Lieberman said that he would do all in his power to ensure that the Arab town of Umm al-Faham would no longer be “part of Israel”.
“Umm al-Faham, currently the third biggest Arab town in Israel with a population of 50,000, would be part of a future Palestinian state”, he wrote on his Facebook page.
He also continued incitement against Arab figures, saying that Sheikh Raed Salah and MP Jamal Zahalka “have become a fifth column whose only aim is to destroy the state in which they live".
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his rejection to any reconciliation agreement between PA in Ramallah and Hamas movement.
Ofir Gendelman, Netanyahu's spokesman, quoted Netanyahu as saying that “Today we see the Palestinian Authority, which yesterday spoke about disbanding, talking with Hamas about unity. They should decide whether they want to disband or have unity, and when they want peace, they should let us know.”
“Umm al-Faham, currently the third biggest Arab town in Israel with a population of 50,000, would be part of a future Palestinian state”, he wrote on his Facebook page.
He also continued incitement against Arab figures, saying that Sheikh Raed Salah and MP Jamal Zahalka “have become a fifth column whose only aim is to destroy the state in which they live".
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his rejection to any reconciliation agreement between PA in Ramallah and Hamas movement.
Ofir Gendelman, Netanyahu's spokesman, quoted Netanyahu as saying that “Today we see the Palestinian Authority, which yesterday spoke about disbanding, talking with Hamas about unity. They should decide whether they want to disband or have unity, and when they want peace, they should let us know.”
Palestinian political sources said that the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are scheduled to resume on Tuesday 22th April.
The sources added that gaps remain between the two sides, which may not allow the negotiations to extend until the end of this year.
The sources added that gaps remain between the two sides, which may not allow the negotiations to extend until the end of this year.
21 apr 2014
By Khalid Amayreh
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has warned that it may pass responsibility for the Occupied Palestinian territories back to occupying power Israel if peace talks remain stalled.
An unnamed PA official said the Palestinians told American envoy Martin Indyk on Friday that unless Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as agreed in American –mediated talks and freezes settlement building, they could dismantle the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) of Chairman Mahmud Abbas.
"The Palestinians informed Indyk that if this Israeli intransigence continues, they have several options to resort to," the Palestinian official told a western news agency on condition of anonymity.
"First, handing the keys of the PA to the UN so it will become in charge of the Palestinian people and the state of Palestine, which is under occupation, or that the (Israeli) occupation assumes again full responsibility for everything."
It is unclear though if the PA is awakening to the fact that the so-called peace process with Israel has been a constant fraud from the very inception.
The PA, which lives on western aid, is reluctant to withdraw from the widely-discredited peace process, apparently fearing financial and political collapse.
None the less, there is no doubt that PA frustration with Israeli recalcitrance and prevarication is reaching the highest point ever. Even people who until recently argued for giving the peace process "another chance" are now demanding the PA to end this "game of make believe."
Likewise, the PA is losing whatever faith it may still harbors for US ability to exert any meaningful pressure on Israel to abandon its lebensraum policy in the West Bank, especially in East Jerusalem, the town the Palestinians insist must be the capital of their contemplated state.
Indeed, the ostensibly phenomenal American flaccidity in dealing with Israel, which is by no means a novel aspect of American foreign policy in the Middle East, is convincing even the most ardent erstwhile supporters of the peace process of the utter futility of relying on Washington to force an increasingly Talmudic Israel to allow for the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state along the 1967-borders.
A few days, this writer met a high ranking Palestinian official in Amman Jordan. The official, who didn't want his name published, intimated that most if not all PA officials in Ramallah were reaching the conclusion that it was no longer possible to "go on on this pointless track."
"I think that even Abu Mazen is realizing that the Americans are not serious enough about the creation of a true and sovereign Palestinian state."
The official described the often threatened PA move to join international organizations as "more or less our last weapon before entirely giving up the two state solution strategies and formally opting for the one-state solution."
But Israel vehemently rejects the one-state concept since it would effectively make Israel a bi-national state and put an end to the Jewish identity of the Zionist state.
More to the point, it is widely believed that the demographic scale is already tipping in favor of the Arabs in the area between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea.
The right-wing Israeli political-security establishment is well aware of this "troubling fact" and is refusing to communicate the truth to Israeli Jewish citizens lest this produce "undesirable effects" especially on negotiations with the Palestinians.
Instead, Israel adopts a strategy whereby the Palestinians would be politically and economically squeezed so hard as to make them accept the best possible deal for Israel and Zionism. Such a deal would assume the form of an utterly deformed entity on parts of the West Bank, surrounded by Jewish settlements, and without any real sovereignty. In addition, the international borders of the would-be entity would be controlled by Israel for many decades to come. As to Jerusalem and the refugee cause, the Palestinians would have to exercise "pragmatism" and forget about both issues!
Israel, using America's political and diplomatic sword, would also bully Arab tyrants, including the blood-stained Sissi regime in Cairo, to "convince" the Ramallah leadership to be "pragmatic and not indulge in day-dreaming about the recovery of Jerusalem and the repatriation of Palestinian refugees."
Israel hopes that under a torrent of Arab pressure, especially if coupled with generous financial inducements, the Palestinian leadership, e.g. Abbas, would surrender to the "fait accompli" and tell his people that he can't be more Arab than the Arabs and more Muslim than the Muslims!
More to the point, Abbas and his supporters in the West Bank would probably launch a huge propaganda campaign, defending the capitulatory deal on the ground that the Palestinians face a fateful moment: Either to lose everything or to abide by the international will and accept the peace agreement despite its many blemishes!
(Just remember how Fatah leaders sought to defend the scandalous Oslo Agreement in the early 1990s when they argued that if Hamas had one objection about the accords, they had a hundred objections. However, unlike Hamas, they knew the agreement would lead to the creation of an independent state and a complete liberation from Israel."
I don't know for sure if the hard core Fatah movement would allow such an ignominious liquidation of the Palestinian cause to pass.
I know there are numerous people around Abbas who would follow the Palestinian saying about the Eid lamb, "feed me today and kill me tomorrow." These are the ultimate chorus around the man who said he wouldn't want to return to his native town, Safad.
However, I am confident and sure that the bulk of the Palestinian people, including numerous Fatah people, who would strongly and angrily reject the sell-out of Palestinian rights for a state unworthy of its name.
A few weeks ago, Abbas told Fatah's Revolutionary Council in Ramallah that he wouldn't end his life with a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.
We hope and pray that Abbas would stick to his words.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has warned that it may pass responsibility for the Occupied Palestinian territories back to occupying power Israel if peace talks remain stalled.
An unnamed PA official said the Palestinians told American envoy Martin Indyk on Friday that unless Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as agreed in American –mediated talks and freezes settlement building, they could dismantle the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) of Chairman Mahmud Abbas.
"The Palestinians informed Indyk that if this Israeli intransigence continues, they have several options to resort to," the Palestinian official told a western news agency on condition of anonymity.
"First, handing the keys of the PA to the UN so it will become in charge of the Palestinian people and the state of Palestine, which is under occupation, or that the (Israeli) occupation assumes again full responsibility for everything."
It is unclear though if the PA is awakening to the fact that the so-called peace process with Israel has been a constant fraud from the very inception.
The PA, which lives on western aid, is reluctant to withdraw from the widely-discredited peace process, apparently fearing financial and political collapse.
None the less, there is no doubt that PA frustration with Israeli recalcitrance and prevarication is reaching the highest point ever. Even people who until recently argued for giving the peace process "another chance" are now demanding the PA to end this "game of make believe."
Likewise, the PA is losing whatever faith it may still harbors for US ability to exert any meaningful pressure on Israel to abandon its lebensraum policy in the West Bank, especially in East Jerusalem, the town the Palestinians insist must be the capital of their contemplated state.
Indeed, the ostensibly phenomenal American flaccidity in dealing with Israel, which is by no means a novel aspect of American foreign policy in the Middle East, is convincing even the most ardent erstwhile supporters of the peace process of the utter futility of relying on Washington to force an increasingly Talmudic Israel to allow for the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state along the 1967-borders.
A few days, this writer met a high ranking Palestinian official in Amman Jordan. The official, who didn't want his name published, intimated that most if not all PA officials in Ramallah were reaching the conclusion that it was no longer possible to "go on on this pointless track."
"I think that even Abu Mazen is realizing that the Americans are not serious enough about the creation of a true and sovereign Palestinian state."
The official described the often threatened PA move to join international organizations as "more or less our last weapon before entirely giving up the two state solution strategies and formally opting for the one-state solution."
But Israel vehemently rejects the one-state concept since it would effectively make Israel a bi-national state and put an end to the Jewish identity of the Zionist state.
More to the point, it is widely believed that the demographic scale is already tipping in favor of the Arabs in the area between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea.
The right-wing Israeli political-security establishment is well aware of this "troubling fact" and is refusing to communicate the truth to Israeli Jewish citizens lest this produce "undesirable effects" especially on negotiations with the Palestinians.
Instead, Israel adopts a strategy whereby the Palestinians would be politically and economically squeezed so hard as to make them accept the best possible deal for Israel and Zionism. Such a deal would assume the form of an utterly deformed entity on parts of the West Bank, surrounded by Jewish settlements, and without any real sovereignty. In addition, the international borders of the would-be entity would be controlled by Israel for many decades to come. As to Jerusalem and the refugee cause, the Palestinians would have to exercise "pragmatism" and forget about both issues!
Israel, using America's political and diplomatic sword, would also bully Arab tyrants, including the blood-stained Sissi regime in Cairo, to "convince" the Ramallah leadership to be "pragmatic and not indulge in day-dreaming about the recovery of Jerusalem and the repatriation of Palestinian refugees."
Israel hopes that under a torrent of Arab pressure, especially if coupled with generous financial inducements, the Palestinian leadership, e.g. Abbas, would surrender to the "fait accompli" and tell his people that he can't be more Arab than the Arabs and more Muslim than the Muslims!
More to the point, Abbas and his supporters in the West Bank would probably launch a huge propaganda campaign, defending the capitulatory deal on the ground that the Palestinians face a fateful moment: Either to lose everything or to abide by the international will and accept the peace agreement despite its many blemishes!
(Just remember how Fatah leaders sought to defend the scandalous Oslo Agreement in the early 1990s when they argued that if Hamas had one objection about the accords, they had a hundred objections. However, unlike Hamas, they knew the agreement would lead to the creation of an independent state and a complete liberation from Israel."
I don't know for sure if the hard core Fatah movement would allow such an ignominious liquidation of the Palestinian cause to pass.
I know there are numerous people around Abbas who would follow the Palestinian saying about the Eid lamb, "feed me today and kill me tomorrow." These are the ultimate chorus around the man who said he wouldn't want to return to his native town, Safad.
However, I am confident and sure that the bulk of the Palestinian people, including numerous Fatah people, who would strongly and angrily reject the sell-out of Palestinian rights for a state unworthy of its name.
A few weeks ago, Abbas told Fatah's Revolutionary Council in Ramallah that he wouldn't end his life with a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.
We hope and pray that Abbas would stick to his words.
High-ranking Palestinian sources said that US envoy to the Middle East peace process Martin Indyk did not present any new proposals on how to salvage the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks during a meeting on Friday.
The sources added that Indyk, who met with the Palestinian President and officials, proposed in the meeting the same Israeli proposals that had been discussed previously in the meetings. The Israeli side would agree to the partial cease of the settlement construction in the West Bank, but they refused to freeze settlement expansion in the occupied Jerusalem and to release the fourth group of Palestinian prisoners.
The sources also said that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas talked on Sunday evening with the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Arab League Secretary-General, to inform them about the latest developments in the meeting with the US envoy Indyk.
Palestinian sources commented on the latest developments of the political process including the possibility that the Palestinian Authority may dissolve, saying that these threats are not serious and the PA will not give Israel the chance to impose their superiority over the situation.
The sources added that Indyk, who met with the Palestinian President and officials, proposed in the meeting the same Israeli proposals that had been discussed previously in the meetings. The Israeli side would agree to the partial cease of the settlement construction in the West Bank, but they refused to freeze settlement expansion in the occupied Jerusalem and to release the fourth group of Palestinian prisoners.
The sources also said that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas talked on Sunday evening with the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Arab League Secretary-General, to inform them about the latest developments in the meeting with the US envoy Indyk.
Palestinian sources commented on the latest developments of the political process including the possibility that the Palestinian Authority may dissolve, saying that these threats are not serious and the PA will not give Israel the chance to impose their superiority over the situation.
Palestinian negotiators have warned they may pass responsibility for the West Bank back to occupying power Israel if peace talks remain stalled, a senior Palestinian official said on Sunday.
The official said the Palestinians told US peace envoy Martin Indyk on Friday that unless Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as agreed and freezes settlement building, they could dismantle the Western-backed Palestinian Authority of president Mahmoud Abbas.
"The Palestinians informed Indyk that if this Israeli intransigence continues, they have several options to resort to," the Palestinian official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"First, handing the keys of the PA to the UN so it will become in charge of the Palestinian people and the state of Palestine, which is under occupation, or that the (Israeli) occupation assumes again full responsibility for everything."
Under the 1993 Oslo accords which were to have led to an independent Palestinian state, the Palestinians received limited autonomy in managing their day-to-day affairs.
The PA is in a constant budgetary crisis and only manages to pay its civil servants and provide essential services with funding from foreign donors.
But Israel still retains overall control of the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem while Hamas ousted PA rule in the Gaza Strip in 2007 and has since run its own administration.
The PLO and Hamas have periodically held talks on reconciliation but they have come to nothing.
A PLO delegation is expected to visit Gaza for more talks within a few days.
US Secretary of State John Kerry nudged Israel and the Palestinians to reopen peace talks in July for a nine-month period.
The United States is striving to broker an agreement to extend those talks beyond their April 29 deadline, but so far without success.
At Friday's meeting with the Palestinian negotiators, Indyk "had no new ideas to save the negotiations," the Palestinian official said on Sunday.
Israeli commentator Nahum Barnea, writing in top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily on Sunday, said the Palestinian gambit was a desperate one.
"The Palestinians are playing their last card," he wrote. "Cancelling... all their achievements and all the obligations they made under the Oslo accords.
"If the Palestinians carry out their threat it will have dramatic results. The PA will be dismantled, all its security apparatus will be dispersed."
That would oblige Israel to fill the vacuum at tremendous financial cost, Barnea added.
"The (military) will have to find a way to take the PA's place: to set up a police force, to take care of education, health services, water, sewage."
The PLO leadership is to convene next weekend in Ramallah for a key debate on the peace process and possible options in the event that Kerry's initiative crashes.
Israeli economy minister Naftali Bennett, head of the far-right Jewish Home party, was dismissive of the latest Palestinian warning.
"If he wants to go we won't stop him," he said in a statement. "You don't negotiate with Israel with a pistol against its head."
The official said the Palestinians told US peace envoy Martin Indyk on Friday that unless Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as agreed and freezes settlement building, they could dismantle the Western-backed Palestinian Authority of president Mahmoud Abbas.
"The Palestinians informed Indyk that if this Israeli intransigence continues, they have several options to resort to," the Palestinian official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"First, handing the keys of the PA to the UN so it will become in charge of the Palestinian people and the state of Palestine, which is under occupation, or that the (Israeli) occupation assumes again full responsibility for everything."
Under the 1993 Oslo accords which were to have led to an independent Palestinian state, the Palestinians received limited autonomy in managing their day-to-day affairs.
The PA is in a constant budgetary crisis and only manages to pay its civil servants and provide essential services with funding from foreign donors.
But Israel still retains overall control of the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem while Hamas ousted PA rule in the Gaza Strip in 2007 and has since run its own administration.
The PLO and Hamas have periodically held talks on reconciliation but they have come to nothing.
A PLO delegation is expected to visit Gaza for more talks within a few days.
US Secretary of State John Kerry nudged Israel and the Palestinians to reopen peace talks in July for a nine-month period.
The United States is striving to broker an agreement to extend those talks beyond their April 29 deadline, but so far without success.
At Friday's meeting with the Palestinian negotiators, Indyk "had no new ideas to save the negotiations," the Palestinian official said on Sunday.
Israeli commentator Nahum Barnea, writing in top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily on Sunday, said the Palestinian gambit was a desperate one.
"The Palestinians are playing their last card," he wrote. "Cancelling... all their achievements and all the obligations they made under the Oslo accords.
"If the Palestinians carry out their threat it will have dramatic results. The PA will be dismantled, all its security apparatus will be dispersed."
That would oblige Israel to fill the vacuum at tremendous financial cost, Barnea added.
"The (military) will have to find a way to take the PA's place: to set up a police force, to take care of education, health services, water, sewage."
The PLO leadership is to convene next weekend in Ramallah for a key debate on the peace process and possible options in the event that Kerry's initiative crashes.
Israeli economy minister Naftali Bennett, head of the far-right Jewish Home party, was dismissive of the latest Palestinian warning.
"If he wants to go we won't stop him," he said in a statement. "You don't negotiate with Israel with a pistol against its head."
