Palestinian Elections

Mustafa Barghuti (Middle East Online photo)

Palestinian Groups Clash in Gaza
Palestine Chronicle 1/29/2006
Eight people were injured in several gun battles in Khan Younis - in what were the first armed clashes between Hamas and Fatah since the elections. -- GAZA CITY (BBC NEWS) - Rival groups have clashed in the Gaza Strip, two days after the Islamic militant group Hamas swept to victory in Palestinian polls. The worst trouble flared up in Khan Younis. Several were wounded when Hamas activists exchanged fire with members of Fatah - which lost the election. Fatah activists also rallied against their own leaders, blaming them for the defeat and setting cars on fire. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said Hamas should form a new cabinet.

Olmert orders speedier construction of separation fence
Ha'aretz 1/26/2006
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered faster construction of the West Bank separation fence on Wednesday, after chairing his first government-level discussion on the matter, a senior official said. "He made it very clear that the fence has to be completed as quickly as possible," the official said. The decision, which followed hints by Olmert that he could set Israel's borders unilaterally should he win March 28 elections and peace talks remain stalled, drew censure from Palestinians.... Olmert recommended rerouting the fence so as to enclose the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot within the city limits while placing the nearby village of Beit Ichsa on the Palestinian side of the fence.

Army arrests 11 residents in the West Bank
International Middle East Media Center 1/25/2006
Israeli army radio reported, on Wednesday morning, that soldiers arrested 11 residents from several areas in the West Bank. According to the source, two were arrested in Nablus city, two were arrested in Bethlehem, and seven residents were arrested in Tulkarem city. The arrests were carried out despite an Israeli statement which claimed that the army will halt its operations in the Palestinian territories during the Palestinian legislative council elections which started earlier on Wednesday. [end]

Rightists arrested in Jerusalem
YNetNews 1/25/2006
'Jerusalem is ours, Amman is yours' -- Baruch Marzel, Itamar Ben Gvir, four more far right activists arrive at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem to protest the PA elections; police detain the six for questioning. Knesset Members Arieh Eldad and Effie Eitam banned from entering Jaffa Gate voting station -- Jerusalem Police have detained six far Right activists, headed by National Jewish Front leader Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben Gvir, for causing disturbances near the Jaffa Gate in east Jerusalem to protest Palestinian voting in the capital. Police officials said the group of rightists was detained after attempting to confront police officers. At the same time, Knesset Members and National Union party members Effie Eitam and Arieh Eldad arrived at the Jaffa Gate with the intention of of entering a Palestinian polling station near the gate.

Fatah leader in West Bank shot dead
The Guardian 1/24/2006
Today Fatah gunmen shot to death Abu Ahmed Hassouna, 44, a party leader in Nablus after he told them to stop shooting at campaign posters on his house, relatives said. -- Palestinian gunmen linked to the ruling Fatah movement killed one of their own party's leaders today, increasing tensions ahead of tomorrow's Palestinian elections. Candidates were banned from campaigning today for a cooling-off period before the election. But the murder raised doubts about the latest pledges by armed groups in the West Bank and Gaza not to commit violence during the vote. Opinion polls have shown Fatah and Hamas in a close race ahead of the election and both sides have said they might form a coalition government.

IDF nabs top Hamas, Jihad men in predawn W. Bank arrest raids
Ha'aretz 1/24/2006
Israel Defense Forces troops arrested eight wanted Palestinians in a series of predawn raids in the West Bank on Tuesday, despite Israel's decision to reduce to a minimum military operations in Palestinian territories ahead of Wednesday's legislative elections. The arrested included several senior militants, including Abdallah Arrar, a Hamas militant suspected of masterminding the abduction and murder of Sasson Nuriel in 2005. Mahmoud Abu Rob, the Islamic Jihad commander in the southern Jenin area, was also arrested Tuesday.

Militants pledge to ensure smooth Palestinian vote
ReliefWeb 1/24/2006
GAZA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Militant groups pledged on the eve of Palestinian elections to prevent any attempt to disrupt voting in the poll, which could usher the powerful Hamas movement into government for the first time. In election-related violence, gunmen shot dead a Palestinian who tried to prevent them from removing campaign posters of a candidate from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party in the West Bank city of Nablus, residents said on Tuesday. Hamas, running in its first parliamentary election, is expected to make a strong showing and pose the most serious electoral challenge yet to the mainstream Fatah.

Tensions high in Nablus
YNetNews 1/24/2006
PA anarchy: Fatah member murdered, officials fear incident could hamper elections -- The Palestinian elections in Nablus may be in danger after a Fatah election activist was murdered in the city Monday night, Palestinian Authority officials said Tuesday. Yusuf Hassouna, 25, was shot during a quarrel with other Fatah members. His family announced that he will not be buried until his death is avenged, or until the murderers turn themselves in. "The murder of a Fatah member by other Fatah members will lead to tension and violence," a member of the Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades told Ynet.

Israel suspends operations ahead of Palestinian election
ReliefWeb 1/23/2006
Ramallah/Tel Aviv_(dpa) _ Two days before the Palestinian parliamentary elections, Israel announced Monday that it was suspending all military operations against militants in the Palestinian areas until after the vote. The exception would be operations against immediate threats, where there could be no postponements, an army spokeswoman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. The army also promised to relax procedures at road blocks and to allow members of the Palestinian security forces to patrol armed in Palestinians city centres.... Israel plans to increase forces in the territories ahead of the elections, in order to speed up checks at checkpoints and to protect settlements from possible attacks.

Lawless in Gaza: leaders try to end chaos by taking guns off the street
The Guardian 1/23/2006
Shooting and kidnapping in Fatah, Hamas violence [sic - no Hamas violence is reported in the article - Ed. ]· Jobless militias behind wave of bloody feuding -- Palestinian leaders yesterday tried to end the political and clan violence that has plagued Gaza since the Israeli withdrawal by ordering their followers to keep guns off the streets during this week's elections. The growing lawlessness, fuelled by the proliferation of weapons turned inward now there are no Israelis to fight, has resulted in a string of shootings, kidnappings of foreigners and inter-family feuds that have left a score of people dead.

Palestinian security moves into top gear for vote
ReliefWeb 1/22/2006
GAZA CITY, Jan 22, 2006 (AFP) - Palestinian security forces were set to declare a maximum state of alert ahead of Wednesday's parliamentary elections as a civilian was killed in an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza. As the Palestinians were gearing up for crunch general elections in three days time, the Israeli airforce launched a strike near Gaza City, in what a militant faction claimed was a failed assassination attempt. An army spokesman said troops had launched "an aerial strike" against gunmen near the Karni crossing with Israel. The radical Popular Resistance Committees, however, said one of its leaders had been targeted, but instead, the raid had killed a 22-year-old passerby.

22 injured in Tel Aviv suicide bombing
The Guardian 1/20/2006
A Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and injured 22 others yesterday when he detonated his explosives in a busy restaurant in Tel Aviv, six days before Palestinian elections. There could have been more casualties but the explosives appeared to detonate away from the restaurant's customers, leading police to speculate that the blast occurred prematurely. Police said the bomber posed as a peddler selling disposable razor blades when he entered a small kebab restaurant in Tel Aviv's old bus station district. Yehiel Ohana, who works in a nearby store, said the bomber aroused his suspicions because of his unsteady gait.

Settler rams Palestinian youth with car
International Middle East Media Center 1/20/2006
Palestinian sources in Nablus report that a settler rammed a Palestinian youth with his car near Huwwara village, south of Nablus, and fled the scene. The Maan News Agency reported that Khader Odah, 18, was hanging posters for a candidate for the legislative elections when the settler noticed him and speeded his car against him. Odah suffered moderate injuries and was transferred to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. A medical source in the hospital reported that Odah suffered severe fractures to several parts of his body. [end]

Abbas: Attack aimed to derail PA elections
YNetNews 1/19/2006
Palestinian leader condemns Tel Aviv bombing, says perpetrators must be punished -- Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas described Thursday’s suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv as an “act of sabotage aimed at undermining the elections, and not just the elections, but also Palestinian security. ” Abbas condemned the attack, saying "the perpetrators should be punished. They meant to harm the elections and the Palestinian Authority. They breach law and order. ” Samir Halayla, the chairman of the Palestinian Cabinet, said the attack harms Palestinian interests and was aimed at torpedoing the January 25 parliamentary elections.

IDF kills senior Hamas militant in pre-dawn West Bank operation
Ha'aretz 1/17/2006
Israel Defense Forces troops killed a senior Palestinian militant during an exchange of fire in the West Bank on Tuesday, witnesses and the army said. Witnesses said soldiers surrounded a hideout used by Thabet Ayyadeh, 24, leader of the Hamas military wing in Tul Karm, and shot him dead in the ensuing clash. An IDF spokeswoman confirmed that the predawn raid targeted a "senior fugitive", and said troops had first tried to arrest him. The militant was killed after he stormed out of his hideout and opened fire, she said. An IDF soldier was lightly hurt in the operation. A declared "state of calm" under which Palestinian militants scaled back their attacks expired this month, but [Palestinian] violence had still been kept largely in check ahead of Jan. 25 legislative elections in which Hamas is taking part for the first time.

Fatah groups threaten to block elections
Ha'aretz 1/18/2006
Armed Fatah groups warned yesterday that they would block Palestinian parliamentary elections slated for next week, while a Hamas leader announced for the first time that the militant group planned to participate in the Palestinian government. Several armed Fatah groups threatened to not allow the Palestinian Legislative Council elections to take place, and they warned residents not to go to the polls. The elections are scheduled for January 25. A group affiliated with Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, announced yesterday that elections would not take place in the West Bank city of Nablus and called on residents not to vote.

Army arrests 12 Palestinians in Tulkarem overnight
International Middle East Media Center 1/12/2006
At least 18 army vehicles invaded the northwestern West Bank city of Tulkarem after midnight, Palestinian sources reported. Thursday's early morning invasion targeted Hamas operatives and supporters. Hamas is expected to win a major number of seats in the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council elections. Ma'an Independent News Agency reported that Israeli forces used trained dogs in the attack arresting 12 Palestinians... This is part of a major Israeli campaign against Hamas leading up to 25 January PLC elections.

Palestinians in Gaza Fear War Between Fatah and Hamas After Vote
Palestine Monitor/New York Times 1/11/2006
Campaigning by Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian political factions, paused Tuesday while people slaughtered sheep and goats and the occasional ox for the annual Muslim holiday Id al-Adha. But the mood was subdued amid talk of war between the factions, and Palestinian security forces said they were girding for violence, fearing that the legislative elections scheduled for Jan. 25 could lead to fighting. "If civil war starts, it will last a long time and cost thousands of lives," said Sameeh Nasser, a police officer riding through Gaza City's chaotic streets in a light-blue Peugeot patrol car.

Mofaz delays Amona evacuation by 14 days
Ha'aretz 1/13/2006
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz yesterday decided to postpone the evacuation of the settlement outpost of Amona, near Ofra, for another two weeks. Mofaz said he made the decision due to a petition to the High Court of Justice filed by Amona residents, which the court has agreed to hear next Wednesday, and the Palestinian Authority elections, which are scheduled for January 25. At the same time, however, he ordered the dismantling of three Nablus-area outposts - the Aroussi Farm near Bracha, the Skelly Farm near Elon Moreh and Hill 725 near Yitzhar - to proceed.

Palestinian unrest intensifies ahead of elections
Daily Star 1/5/2006
Palestinian gunmen bulldozed a barricade on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, disrupted traffic and stormed government offices on Wednesday in growing unrest ahead of elections later this month. Amid the chaos, Israel said it was ready to open talks with Hamas if it wins the Palestinian general election as long as the Islamist movement lays down its weapons, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said. In Gaza, gunmen, renegade members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militant group, went on the rampage after police arrested a local leader on suspicion of involvement in the kidnapping of three Britons last week.

Gaza gunmen rampage on Egypt border
YNetNews 1/4/2006
Palestinian gunmen, members of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, bulldoze barricade on border, disrupt traffic on frontier, storm government offices after police arrest local leader on suspicion of involvement in kidnapping of three Britons last week -- Palestinians swarmed across the Gaza Strip's frontier with Egypt after gunmen bulldozed through protective barricades on Wednesday, prompting Egyptian border police to fire warning shots, witnesses said. Gunmen disrupted traffic on the frontier and stormed government offices on Wednesday in growing unrest ahead of elections later this month.

Diplomacy..

EXPECTANT: Palestinians wait outside a polling station in the West Bank town of Jericho during Thursday's municipal elections. Hamas battled Fatah for voter support. MUHAMMED MUHEISEN/AP

U.S. Congress moves to legislate against Hamas-led PA
Ha'aretz 2/1/2006
WASHINGTON - Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, from Florida, submitted on Tuesday the first legislative response to Hamas' landslide victory in Palestinian elections last week. The bill, co-sponsored by Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos, from California, includes a number of extremely harsh measures against the radical Islamic movement. However, sources in Washington predicted that some of the provisions will not be included in the final draft of the bill. There is reason to believe that the administration will try to moderate its tone during negotiations with legislators, which are expected to last a few weeks.

Jerusalem Patriarchs, Heads of Churches Congratulate Palestinian
WAFA/People for Democratic Performance 1/31/2006
JERUSALEM, January 31, 2006 (WAFA)- The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches of Jerusalem congratulated the Palestinian people for their democratic performance in the recent parliamentary elections. In a press release issued Tuesday, they expressed their respect and support to the will of the people expressed in these elections, and congratulated "all those who were elected". "Our message as Christian leaders in this new phase of our history is the message of our faith and our concern for all. Some may be afraid or troubled because of this new phase. We respond, first, with the words of Jesus Christ: "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give" (Jn 14:27).

Quartet gives Hamas time to change
AlJazeera 1/30/2006
Hamas has won time from a wary European Union, Russia and the US to renounce violence and recognise Israel's right to exist before it forms the next Palestinian government. Meeting on Monday in London in the wake of Hamas' stunning victory in last week's Palestinian elections, the diplomatic Quartet on Middle East peace - which also includes the UN - pledged to keep money flowing into the interim caretaker administration of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. "We do believe that Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] needs to be supported," Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, said, ensuring that funds will be available to pay for Palestinian police officers and civil servants.

Saddam greets Hamas victory
AlJazeera 1/31/2006
Lawyers of jailed former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein has said that their client asked them to convey his congratulations to Hamas who won the Palestinian elections. Member of Saddam Hussein's defence team Salih al-Armoti told Aljazeera. net that "the president was pleased to hear about Hamas's victory". "He [Saddam] said he sympathises with any party which stands firm against hegemony, and does not compromise principles for interests" al-Armoti said. "The president said he was pleased to learn that the Palestinian people have finally been able to make a decision for themselves," he said.

President Meets King of Jordan in Amman, Egyptian PM in Cairo
WAFA 1/31/2006
CAIRO, January 31, 2006 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas held talks Tuesday in Cairo with the Egyptian Prime Minister, Ahmed Nazef, after a meeting in Amman with King of Jordan Abdullah II. The Palestinian-Egyptian talks taclked the latest developments in the Palestinian territories in light of the Palestinian legislative elections results, in addition to issues of common interest. Earlier, President Abbas described his talks with King Abdullah II as important. He also expressed thanks and appreciation for the King over supporting the Palestinians and defending their rights.

British MP Calls for Clear Thinking to Hamas Victory
WAFA 1/31/2006
LONDON, January 31, 2006 (WAFA)- A British MP who was an official international observer at the Palestinian elections last week has called for "clear thinking and a measured response" to Hamas' sweeping victory. In an e-mail sent to WAFA, Mr. Richard Burden said that the international community is right to make clear to Hamas that they must abandon the path of violence and that recognition of Israel will be part of any lasting settlement. However, he warns against the "imposition of ill-thought through preconditions on exploratory dialogue with Palestine's new government. "

Dichter: PA ministers with terror ties not immune to assassination
Ha'aretz 1/29/2006
Former Shin Bet chief and political newcomer Avi Dichter said on Sunday that Israel should hunt down wanted Hamas leaders even if they become ministers in a newly elected Palestinian government. Dichter, who is seen as a frontrunner for a top security post after general elections, said he doubted Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas would remain in power, except as a "puppet leader", following Hamas's election victory. "(Abbas) knows very well that he's going to find himself in a high-noon situation, and I'm sure that he is fully aware of the fact that he is not going to be the last man standing," said Dichter.

Olmert: Israel won't transfer PA tax revenues to 'murderers'
Ha'aretz 1/30/2006
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has decided to postpone the monthly transfer of tax revenues that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, due to Hamas' victory in last week's Palestinian elections. The Finance Ministry is supposed to transfer some NIS 200 million to the PA in another two days. However, a government source said, "the money will not be transferred this week. It may be transferred in the future. "Speaking yesterday at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Jerusalem, Olmert was blunt. "We have no intention of enabling fund transfers that will be used for terrorism," he said.

Israel, EU and US Strangle PNA into Financial Chaos
Palestine Media Center 1/30/2006
Israel Stops Tax Proceeds to PNA -- The Palestinian people in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip face aid cut threats from the Western countries as well as from Israel, as a punishment for electing the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election on January 25, amid warnings from the PNA and the envoy of the Middle East Quartet, James Wolfensohn, that a financial crisis will push the Palestinian territories into chaos in a matter of days. Top diplomats of the Middle East Quartet and the European Union foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in London and Brussels respectively on Monday to review financial aid to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) following the landslide victory of Hamas in the legislative elections.

Netanyahu Compares Hamas Election Win to Rise of Hitler
Palestine Chronicle 1/30/2006
Kadima issued a statement saying the State of Israel 'remembers very well Benjamin Netanyahu's resounding failure as prime minister. ' -- While stumping in Netanya on Sunday, Likud Chairman MK Benjamin Netanyahu compared Hamas' victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections last week to the rise of the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s. "A few days ago, a new foe arose," Netanyahu said at a campaign stop at the Park Hotel. "When Hitler rose to power, it was said that ruling would moderate him, and it was also said in regard to the Ayatollah's regime and the Taliban. There are urgent warning signs that [scream] out a lust for murder and destruction. "

Aid for Palestinians in jeopardy by major powers
ReliefWeb 1/30/2006
LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Future funding for the Palestinian Authority is in jeopardy as the major peace brokers in the Middle East meet on Monday to plot how to deal with a new Palestinian government led by militant group Hamas. Members of the Quartet -- the European Union, the United Nations, the United States and Russia -- meet in London to discuss whether isolating Hamas politically and financially is the best policy after the Islamic militants surprise victory in last week's parliamentary elections. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in London for the meeting, said while the United States would fulfill its current aid commitments to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Washington could not fund Hamas in government.

French Jews, Canadian Muslims Urge Respect of Hamas Win
Palestine Chronicle 1/30/2006
The Jewish union slammed the ferocious campaign by the US, the EU and Israel against Hamas after its landslide election victory. -- PARIS/ TORONTO - The Jewish French Union for Peace (JFPP) has criticized the ferocious campaign by the US, the EU and Israel against Hamas after the group’s landslide victory in last week’s legislative elections and called for respecting the democratic choice of the Palestinian people. The same call was echoed by Canadian Muslim leaders, who urged the new government to recognize Hamas and give it a chance.

PINR Report: Hamas, PNA Face Difficult Times Ahead
Palestine Media Center 1/30/2006
Power and Interest News Report - Report Drafted By: Dr. P. R. Kumaraswamy -- The victory of the militant Islamic group Hamas in the Palestinian parliamentary elections held on January 25, 2006 raises many questions. Both the Palestinians and the international community are entering unchartered and turbulent waters. At least in the immediate future, there is less likelihood for a meaningful peace process. The historic significance of the election and its outcome cannot be denied. The success of Hamas in securing a convincing majority in the 132-member Palestinian parliament is a reflection of the popular discontent, disappointment and disapproval of the Fatah-led Palestinian National Authority (P. N. A. ). [See also Power and Interest News Report ]

Rice: We underestimated Hamas
YNetNews 1/30/2006
U.S. Secretary of State Rice admits administration failed to predict Palestinian elections' outcome; 'everyone was caught off guard,' she adds. Rice states U.S. won't fund Hamas-led government -- WASHINGTON - First sanctions: United States Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice on Sunday ruled out any American financial aid to a Hamas government in the Palestinian territories and said Washington wants Arab nations and others to cut off money as well. The top U.S. diplomat spoke to reporters as she flew to London for a Mideast strategy session with European and Russian leaders and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Olmert: No dialogue with Hamas
Ha'aretz 1/30/2006
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday denied press reports that he had reprimanded the Israeli intelligence community for failing to predict the Hamas landslide in Palestinian elections last week. Olmert said: "At no point was there any kind of rebuke of intelligence personnel. The reports are groundless. The cabinet and I have complete confidence in the military establishment, the chief of staff, Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet security service. "Hamas instructed its leaders in the territories, particularly those elected to parliament, to tone down the rhetoric in the press regarding the organization's plans for forming a cabinet. As a result, the organization's Gaza spokesmen have reduced their media interviews and focused on transmitting calming messages.

Hamas Urges National Unity, Defends Right to Resist
Palestine Chronicle 1/29/2006
Meshaal played down American and European threats to strip Palestinians of economic assistance. 'We are not beggars and will not beg their aid. ' -- CAIRO/DAMASCUS - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on Saturday, January 28, held out a hand to vanquished Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) for a national partnership serving the welfare of the Palestinian people, asserting that resistance in no way contradicts the political game. "Our top priority now is consulting with Fatah and Abu Mazen who helped render the Palestinian legislative elections a success to reach a national partnership," Meshaal told a press conference in the Syrian capital Damascus, two days after his group swept the polls.

Background question and answer - Implications of the Palestinian elections
ReliefWeb/Council on Foreign Relations 1/26/2006
Introduction -- Hamas' surprise victory over Fatah in January 25 legislative elections raises many questions for the future of the Middle East. Experts are still trying to figure out the implications of the unexpected, and unprecedented, event. "This is a very complicating development for everyone involved: Palestinian Authority (PA) President] Abu Mazen [also known as Mahmoud Abbas], Fatah, Israel, the United States, and the Quartet [European Union, United States, United Nations, and Russia]," says Michael Herzog, a brigadier general in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Israeli Arab MKs: Hamas win will help peace process
Ha'aretz 1/26/2006
Hamas' victory in the Palestinian elections will contribute to the peace process, Israeli Arab officials said Thursday. "Just as only [Ariel] Sharon was capable of making peace with the Palestinians, only Hamas will make peace with Israel," said MK Abdulmalik Dehamshe (United Arab List), who is associated with the southern faction of the Islamic Movement, in a press statement. "Israel should stop claiming there is no partner for peace. "Dehamshe also met Thursday with Mohammed Abu Tir, who is number two on Hamas' list, to offer his congratulations on the victory.

Abbas suggests future talks with Israel would be held through PLO
Ha'aretz 1/27/2006
Following Hamas' sweeping victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday evening that he remained committed to negotiations with Israel and that he'll start immediate consultations to form a new government. "I am committed to implementing the program on which you elected me a year ago," he said in a televised speech. "It is a program based on negotiations and peaceful settlement with Israel. "Abbas also suggested that future negotiations with Israel would be conducted through the Palestine Liberation Organization, a possible bypass to a Hamas-led government.

Netanyahu: 'Hamastan' has been created before our eyes
Ha'aretz 1/27/2006
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday evening that a Palestinian Authority led by Hamas is "not a partner" in peace. "If a government led by Hamas or in which Hamas is a coalition partner is established, the Palestinian Authority will be turned into an authority that supports terror. Israel and the world will ignore it and make it irrelevant," Olmert said. The Hamas victory in Wednesday's election to the Palestinian parliament elicited harsh responses from Israeli politicians in the lead-up to March's Knesset elections. The right wing attacked Kadima and blamed the party for the Hamas victory while Labor and Meretz are bolstering their calls for unilateral moves.

Bush urges Abbas to remain in office despite Hamas victory
Ha'aretz 1/26/2006
United States President George W. Bush urged Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday to remain in office despite the legislative elections which gave Hamas an absolute majority in parliament. "We'd like him stay in power. I mean we'd like him to stay in office. He is in power. We'd like him to stay in office. "Bush reiterated the U.S. position that it will not deal with Palestinian leaders who do not recognize Israel's right to exist. "I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your platform. And I know you know you can't be a partner in peace if you have - if your party has got an armed wing," Bush told a White House news conference.

Abbas Urges Respect of Result, West Alarmed
Palestine Chronicle 1/26/2006
Initial results showed that Hamas has won an absolute majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections. -- RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said Thursday, January 26, that the results of the legislative elections, won by Hamas, must be respected as Western nations expressed alarm over the group's victory. Alarmed western nations stressed they would refuse to deal with the Palestinian group unless it disarms and renounces violence. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the election results "may confront us with an entirely new situation, which will need to be analyzed by (EU foreign ministers) next Monday. "

Shalom: Hamas win will lead to chaos
YNetNews 1/26/2006
Former foreign minister says Hamas elections victory 'an earthquake,' adds win 'sets us back 50 years' -- Hamas' overwhelming elections victory is "an earthquake that will set us back 50 years and lead the entire region to chaos," former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said after learning of the surprising Palestinian election results. "The writing was on the wall," Shalom told Ynet" "I warned (Ehud) Olmert in our first meeting after he assumed the post of acting prime minister. For months I attempted to prevent Hamas participation in the elections. We initiated a large-scale diplomatic move and forward the Hamas charter, which calls on Israel's destruction, to world leaders. "

Haniyya: "Hamas will not disarm"
International Middle East Media Center 1/26/2006
Ismail Haniyya, one of Hamas leaders, said that the movement will not disarm its resistance fighters in spite of the American pressures, and conditions which state that Hamas should either choose their arms or the legislative council. "There is no contradiction between resistance and elections", Haniyya said, "Those who are pressuring us to disarm should pressure that occupation to withdraw from the occupied territories". Haniyya added that the real issue is not with Hamas but with the occupation and the "Zionist mentality which rejects to recognize the Palestinian rights and kills the people.

Japan calls on world to bring Hamas into Mideast peace process
Ha'aretz 1/27/2006
TOKYO - Japan called on Friday for the international community to bring Hamas into the Middle East peace process, following the Islamic militant group's sweeping victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections. "We must make efforts so that Hamas will adopt a proactive attitude toward the peace process," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe told reporters. "It is important that Japan and the international community work with both Palestine and Israel so that the peace process based on the roadmap will not be delayed," he said.

Statement on Palestinian elections by Middle East Quartet
ReliefWeb/United Nations Secretary-General 1/26/2006
The following statement was issued today by the Middle East Quartet (United Nations, European Union, Russian Federation, United States): The Quartet consulted today on the Palestinian Legislative Council elections. It congratulates President Abbas and the Palestinian people on an electoral process that was free, fair and secure. The Quartet calls on all parties to respect the results of the election and the outcome of the Palestinian constitutional process so that it may unfold in an atmosphere of calm and security. The Palestinian people have voted for change, but it is the view of the Quartet that their aspirations for peace and statehood, as articulated by President Abbas in his statement following the closing of polls yesterday, remain unchanged.

Statement by Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the CFSP, on the Palestinian elections
ReliefWeb/European Union 1/26/2006
Javier SOLANA, European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), issued the following statement today on the elections to the Palestinian Authority:"The Palestinian people have voted democratically and peacefully. I welcome this. The European Union has supported the smooth running of these elections. We await confirmation of the results. These results may confront us with an entirely new situation which will need to be analysed by the Council next Monday.

Annan congratulates Palestinian people on peaceful and orderly elections
Electronic Intifada/UN News 1/26/2006
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today congratulated Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people on the peaceful and orderly conduct of their legislative elections. “The Secretary-General views these elections as an important step toward the achievement of a Palestinian State,” a UN spokesman said in a statement. “He looks forward to the publication of the results of the elections over the coming days and to discussing them with the Quartet. ”

Analysis: Hamas victory one of most important events in Middle East since Six Day War
Ha'aretz 1/27/2006
[A Zionist perspective - Ed. ] Hamas' victory in the Palestinian elections is one of the most important events in the history of the Middle East since the Six Day War. Not only does it change the picture, but also it puts it into a completely different frame. Palestine under Hamas rule puts an end not only to the road map and the Oslo process, but also to the formula embodied by UN Resolution 242: "land for peace" and an accompanying end to the conflict. Not only does it perpetuate the conflict, but also it reshapes it - from an Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a Jewish-Arab one, and even a Western-Muslim one. Such a conflict, backed by the global Jihad movement and Khomeinist Iran, has neither a solution nor an end.

Hamas Reiterates Stand on 'No Taboo' Israel Talks
Palestine Chronicle/Islam Online 1/25/2006
GAZA CITY - The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has reiterated that it was ready to hold “indirect” talks with Israel through a third party after the parliamentary elections slated for Wednesday, January 25. "Negotiations are a means. If Israel has anything to offer on the issues of halting attacks, withdrawal, releasing prisoners... then 1,000 means can be found," Reuters quoted senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar as telling reporters Monday, January 23. As an example, he cited contacts the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah held with Israel, via German mediators, for the release of Lebanese held in Israeli jails.

Carter: U.S. won't work with Hamas unless it changes
Ha'aretz 1/25/2006
Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who is leading a team of international observers for the Palestinian parliamentary election today, said yesterday that if Hamas wants to win international recognition after the elections, it will have to become more moderate. Carter said at the Herzliya Conference yesterday that Hamas' electoral success "may or may not lead to their assuming more moderate and peaceful policies," but added: "This they must do. " Carter stated that Palestinians must stop terror groups, "even including a direct military confrontation. "

President Abbas Urges International Community to Help in Resuming Negotiations with Israel
WAFA 1/25/2006
RAMALLAH, January 25, 2006 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas urged the international community to help in resuming negotiations with Israel. In a press conference held in the Presidential HQ in Ramallah, shortly after the end of polling for the second Palestinian legislative elections, the President told reporters "we are embarking on a new era, we call on the international community to help us return to the negotiating table with the Israelis, to implement Sharm Al-Sheikh understandings and to resume final status negotiations". "We are ready to negotiate. We are partners with the Israelis. They do not have the right to choose their partner. But if they are seeking a Palestinian partner, this partner exists".

Olmert: PA elections historic opportunity
YNetNews 1/24/2006
Acting prime minister says during Herzliya Conference ‘most important challenge Israel faces is formation of permanent borders to ensure Jewish majority in country. ’ Adds that Palestinian Authority elections ‘a historic chance to establish a Palestinian state. ' Right-wing MK: In Herzliya, Olmert founded state of Hamas -- Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that the most important challenge Israel faces is the formation of permanent borders to ensure a Jewish majority in the country.

Halutz: IDF yet to set policy for dealing with PA gov't including Hamas
Ha'aretz 1/24/2006
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said on Tuesday the military has not yet formulated a strategy for dealing with a situation in which Hamas is voted into the Palestinian parliament in Wednesday's elections. Speaking at a session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Halutz said Fatah is expected to win a slight majority over Hamas in the vote for the Palestinian Legislative Council. Halutz said Fatah and Hamas will likely arrange a compromise deal allowing the Islamic movement to participate in the government. It has still not been decided how the IDF will act against Hamas activists if they are integrated into the Palestinian Authority.

Rice: Policy toward Hamas won't change
YNetNews 1/24/2006
U.S. Secretary of State cautions Palestinian voters ahead of upcoming elections, implying Bush administration won't work with Palestinian government dominated by terror group; British PM says it would be difficult for West to negotiate with Hamas unless group renounces terrorism -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday cautioned Palestinian voters, who will choose a parliament this week, that terrorism is not a pathway to peace.... Neither Rice nor State Department spokesman Sean McCormack explicitly ruled out dealing with a Palestinian government in which Hamas played a significant role.

U.S. Spent $1.9 Million to Aid Fatah in Palestinian Elections
Palestine Monitor 1/23/2006
Steven Erlanger - New York Times -- Jerusalem - The United States spent about $1. 9 million of its yearly $400 million in aid to the Palestinians on dozens of quick projects before elections this week to bolster the governing Fatah faction's image with voters and strengthen its hand in competing with the militant faction Hamas, American and Palestinian officials said Sunday. The spending was intended "to work with the Palestinian Authority to enhance democratic institutions and support democratic actors, not just Fatah," said Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, a spokeswoman for the American consulate in East Jerusalem.... American and Palestinian officials... said that the program, which started in August, was intended to help defeat Hamas...

Abbas Receives Carter
WAFA 1/24/2006
RAMALLAH, January 24, 2006 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas appreciated Tuesday the level of observation for the Palestinian Legislative Elections to be conducted Wednesday. After his meeting with the former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the Founder of Carter Center, Abbas hoped that all observers could have good impressions of the legislative elections and Palestinian democracy. He stressed that the voting is a national duty as the outcome of the elections will reflect the Palestinians will. In response to a question about Israeli escalation against Palestinian people, President Abbas said "we will surpass those events now," adding that "the Israelis have to stop assaulting and killing Palestinians, if they want peace. "

Bush Administration Uses USAID as Invisible Conduit
Washington Post 1/22/2006
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Bush administration is spending foreign aid money to increase the popularity of the Palestinian Authority on the eve of crucial elections in which the governing party faces a serious challenge from the radical Islamic group Hamas. The approximately $2 million program is being led by a division of the U.S. Agency for International Development. But no U.S. government logos appear with the projects or events being undertaken as part of the campaign, which bears no evidence of U.S. involvement and does not fall within the definitions of traditional development work.... U.S. officials are coordinating the program through Rafiq Husseini, chief of staff to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority and leader of Fatah.... Arabic-language papers have been filled with U.S. -funded advertisements announcing the events in the name of the Palestinian Authority...

Hamas says 3rd party talks with Israel not taboo
ReliefWeb 1/23/2006
GAZA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Hamas raised the possibility on Monday of future negotiations with Israel through a third party, an apparent softening before the Palestinian elections of the militant group's rejection of any talks with the Jewish state. "Negotiations are a means. If Israel has anything to offer on the issues of halting attacks, withdrawal, releasing prisoners... then 1,000 means can be found," senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told reporters. As an example, he cited contacts the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah held with Israel, via German mediators, for the release of Lebanese held in Israeli jails.

Monitors Flock in to Observe Palestinian Elections
Palestine Chronicle/PMC 1/23/2006
NDI and the Carter Center announced that Jimmy Carter and former leaders from European countries will lead a delegation to monitor elections. -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Saturday urged Palestinians to vote for “the future” as Egypt and Jordan were sending their monitors to join international observers, led by a USAID-funded observing mission headed by former US President Jimmy Carter and a large EU similar mission, already on the ground, to ensure that the Palestinian legislative elections on January 25 are free, fair and transparent. Annan urged all eligible Palestinians to participate in the upcoming elections, hoping that this “milestone” will set the stage for peace and statehood in the Middle East.

Carter: PA must curb terror, Israel must withdraw further
Ha'aretz 1/23/2006
Marwan Barghouti urges coalition for a "national salvation government" - Islamic Jihad urges Palestinians to boycott Wednesday election -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in the Mideast to help monitor Palestinian elections this week, urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to stamp out terror, and told Israel it should withdraw from more West Bank settlements. "(Violence) is inherently counterproductive for the well-being of the Palestinian people and obviously prevents any further progress in the peace process," Carter said at the Herzliya Conference on Mideast policy. "I hope and believe that after this election there will be an extremely strong commitment by Abu Mazen and the entire Palestinian Authority. . . to stamp out the last vestiges of terrorism.. "

Hamas will refrain from attacks after Palestinian elections: IDF
ReliefWeb 1/22/2006
JERUSALEM, Jan 22, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Hamas is expected to continue its halt on attacks after the Palestinian parliamentary elections due on Wednesday, the local daily Ha'aretz reported on Sunday. The paper quoted senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers as saying that assuming Hamas does well at the polls, it is likely to maintain the calm it agreed to about a year ago. Since an agreement was reached among Palestinian factions in March 2005, Hamas has generally abided by its commitment to a truce with Israel.

President Receives Delegation of Jordanian Observers for Elections
WAFA 1/23/2006
RAMALLAH, January 23, 2006 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas Received Monday in the Presidential HQ in Ramallah, the delegation of Jordanian Observers Commission for the Palestinian legislative elections, headed by Abdul Salam al-Majali. The President thanked the delegation for the support of the Palestinian democratic process, stressing on the necessity to respect democracy and its outcome.

Abbas Receives French Parliamentary Delegation
WAFA 1/23/2006
RAMALLAH, January 23, 2006 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas received Monday, French Parliamentary delegation of observers to the Palestinian Legislative elections. During the meeting, at the Presidential HQ in Ramallah, Abbas appreciated the efforts of the delegation headed by the Vice Speaker of the General Assembly, Yves Bur. He stressed the necessity of doubling the readiness and the preparations to conduct the elections successfully, confirming the importance of respecting the democracy and its results.

Peres: Israel ready to talk with Hamas if Islamic group disarms
Ha'aretz 1/21/2006
Shimon Peres on Friday signaled that Israel is ready to negotiate with Hamas if the Islamic militant group renounces violence and disarms after next week's Palestinian elections. Peres spoke a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a Tel Aviv restaurant, wounding 30 people. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, and Israel blamed the group's backers in Iran and Syria for masterminding the attack. Peres, expected to hold a senior government position after the upcoming March elections, ruled out talks with Hamas under current conditions. "We will not sit with anybody who comes to negotiations with a gun or a bomb," he told Israel Radio.

U.S. Mulls Response to Hamas Victory
Forward 1/20/2006
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is telling foreign diplomats in Washington that the United States might significantly scale back its involvement in the peace process and curtail its relations with the Palestinian Authority if the Islamic militant group Hamas wins next week's Palestinian parliamentary elections or becomes a key force in a Palestinian government. The Forward has learned that U.S. officials have told P. A. representatives and other foreign diplomats that the White House is considering several possible responses to a Hamas victory.

EU Prepares To Work With Hamas After Palestinian Poll
Palestine Chronicle/The Financial Times 1/19/2006
Some Fatah politicians had seized upon an incomplete version of comments made by Solana to warn their constituents that a vote for Hamas would mean less funding. -- The European Union is preparing itself for the possibility of doing business with Hamas after this month’s Palestinian elections, even though the group is on the EU’s list of banned terrorist organizations. On a visit to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank this week, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, commissioner for external relations, emphasized the EU would not take sides in the January 25 vote, in which Hamas is mounting a strong challenge to President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party.

Peres renews request for US aid for Galilee, Negev
Globes 1/19/2006
Shimon Peres: Israel will be willing to open direct negotiations with the Palestinians on a permanent settlement after the elections. -- Former vice premier MK Shimon Peres yesterday renewed Israel’s request for US aid for the development of the Negev and Galilee at a meeting with Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice in Washington. Israel suspended its request for aid in recognition of the scale of the devastation in New Orleans and other US Gulf Coast cities from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year. At the time, the US estimated the cost of rebuilding the affected areas at $100 billion.

Dennis Ross: Sharon drove peace efforts
AlJazeera 1/17/2006
Ariel Sharon's sudden exit has created a storm of uncertainty in Israeli politics and will very likely affect Palestinian legislative elections later this month. Fears that the Palestinian elections could be delayed were partly eased when Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli defence minister, said Palestinians would be able to vote in East Jerusalem, a condition demanded by Palestinian authorities for the elections to go ahead. Israeli officials had threatened to ban voting in East Jerusalem because candidates from Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction and is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the European Union and the United States, would appear on the ballot.

Zahhar: "We have to abduct soldiers to secure prisoners release"
International Middle East Media Center 1/19/2006
Hamas leader and candidate for the Palestinian Legislative Council elections, Mahmoud Al Zahhar, said on Wednesday at night, that the movement has no choice but to abduct Israeli soldiers in order to secure the release of Palestinian detainees. The statements of Zahhar came during a public campaign rally in Khan Younis. He stated that Hamas considers the issue of Palestinian detainees as a top priority. "We will have no rest until all detainees are released from Israeli prisons without any preconditions, or labels", he said, "Israel is our enemy who killed our children, destroyed our homes and farms, and kicked us of our original land".

Livni: Terrorists, elections don't mix
YNetNews 1/18/2006
Newly appointed foreign minister says PA elections should be part of democratization process; adds Israel's duty is to make it clear Palestinians must still disarm terror organizations -- Newly appointed Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Wednesday that "today I receive one of the most important portfolios in the Israeli government. I have already said in the past that it would have been right for Silvan Shalom to remain foreign minister until the elections, but since the decision was made we are here today. " Livni spoke during a farewell ceremony in honor of outgoing Foreign Minister Shalom at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.... In her talk before ministry's employees, Livni also rushed to blast the Palestinians.

PM Hopes to Resume Talks with Israelis without Prior Conditions
WAFA 1/18/2006
RAMALLAH, January 18, 2006 (WAFA)- Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei, hoped to resume peace talks with the Israelis without any prior conditions and directly after the legislative elections. During his meeting Wednesday with, Pierre Sané, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Social and Human Sciences, Qurei said that Jerusalem is a part of the 1967 occupied territories and the elections must be run in it freely and without any obstacles. Qurei briefed his guest on the latest developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the Palestinian preparations to run the elections on time.

President Abbas Commends Spanish and EU Aid to PNA
WAFA 1/18/2006
RAMALLAH, January 18, 2006 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas commended the Spanish and the European Union aid to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the Palestinian people. Abbas remarks came during a press conference held Wednesday following a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, in Ramallah city. He revealed that the Spanish government is interested in the continuation of the EU aid to PNA, adding that he briefed his guest about the latest developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the preparation to run the legislative elections in its time.

Russia to Send Observers to PLC Elections
WAFA 1/18/2006
MOSCOW, January 18, 2006, (WAFA)- Russia Federation announced Wednesday that it will send observers to monitor Palestinian Legislative Elections on 25 of January. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed, in the annual press conference held at Media Center of the Ministry, his hope that the forthcoming elections will constitute a responsible parliament and as a partner to President Abbas in his efforts of uniting Palestinian society and implementing the Road Map. Asserting Russia's support to Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Lavrov said that PNA should have a qualified security forces to face the lawlessness in Palestinian territories.

High Level Indian Observer Team for Palestinian Elections
Palestine Media Center 1/18/2006
http://www. outlookindia. com -- India is sending a high-level election observers team for the Palestinian Legislative Council elections, which are being held after a gap of nine years, Palestinian election commission sources said here today. The six-member team led by Deputy Election Commissioner of India, Anand Kumar, includes K R Prasad, senior official, Deepak Prasad and K V Kurundkar, Additional electoral officers from Bihar and Maharashtra respectively, senior civil servant, Hoshiar Singh from Madhya Pradesh, and D Satya Murty from Karnataka, they said.

Edward McMillan-Scott Leads European Parliament Monitors of Palestinian Elections
Palestine Media Center 1/18/2006
European Parliament -- A delegation of MEPs will be travelling to the Palestinian territories to observe the legislative elections scheduled for 25 January. The MEPs, chaired by EP Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott (EPP-ED, UK), will be on site from 22 January for meetings with candidates and election officials, before deploying to polling stations across the region for election day itself. Mr McMillan-Scott said: "I look forward to elections in Palestine to the same standard as those we witnessed in last year's presidential election. That was a model for the region, where democracy is largely absent.

EU suspends 35 million euros in aid to the Palestinian Authority
Ha'aretz 1/18/2006
The European Union has suspended 35 million euros ($42 million) in aid to the Palestinians, citing their lack of budgetary discipline, the EU's commissioner for external relations said on Tuesday. The rare sanction underscored intensified foreign donor scrutiny on the Palestinian Authority since Israel quit the Gaza Strip last year after 38 years of occupation. The impoverished territory is widely seen as a testing ground for statehood. Visiting the region ahead of Palestinian legislative elections on January 25, the EU commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said half of 70 million euros ($84 million) donated through the World Bank in November has not been released, and that the issue was under discussion.

Moratinos, Rice Warn against Hamas Victory in Elections
Palestine Media Center 1/17/2006
Al-Qidwa: Hamas Voting Win, Joining Government Are Two Different Things -- Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said on Monday Europe will have to re-evaluate its links with the Palestinians in the event of a Hamas victory in January 25 legislative elections, a warning that coincided with a similar threat by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. On a three-day visit to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Israel, Moratinos met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei and Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Qidwa. He was also scheduled to attend a ceremony to mark 20 years since the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between Spain and the Jewish state.

Olmert says negotiation with P.A after factions are disarmed
International Middle East Media Center 1/17/2006
Israeli acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert said that he hopes that negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel will resume after the elections in both the Palestinian territories and Israel, but conditioned the resumption of talks with the disarmament of the Palestinian factions. An Israeli source reported that Olmert will only start the final status negotiations with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if he disarms the Palestinian factions, in accordance to the Road Map Plan, according to the source.

News Analysis: The Band-Aid Over the Wound
Palestine Chronicle 1/17/2006
Contrary pressures resulted in a conflation, in the minds of Israeli officials, of two issues that have nothing to do with each other. -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (MIFTAH) - After weeks of issuing adamant statements to the contrary, the orphaned Israeli cabinet led by acting PM Ehud Olmert decided unanimously this Sunday to allow a limited number of Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem (a maximum of 5,000 out of a total population of 240,000) to vote through absentee ballots in the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections, while at the same time insisting that Hamas would not be allowed “under any circumstances” to campaign in the contested city. The veiled statement issued on the subject by Israeli Foreign Ministry Mark Regev today had about it the whiff of a face-safer...

Hamas: We never wanted to throw Jews in sea
YNetNews 1/18/2006
Hamas leader Ismail Hanieh says group never wanted to throw Jews in sea; 'we don't hate Jews because they are Jews,' he says -- As the Palestinian elections near, the Islamic group Hamas seems to be increasingly softening its rhetoric against Israel. A senior official of the group sworn to Israel’s destruction said Tuesday that Hamas is not hostile to the Jews of Israel because of their ethnic and religious identity but because they occupied historic Palestine. “Hamas is not hostile to Jews because they are Jews. We are hostile to them because they occupied our land and expelled our people,” Ismail Hanieh said.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner visit to Middle East
ReliefWeb/European Commission 1/16/2006
Brussels, 16 January 2006 - Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner is visiting the Palestinian Territories and Israel on 16th and 17th January. During her visit she expects to meet President Mahmoud Abbas, with whom she will review the situation in the West Bank and Gaza in the run up to the elections scheduled for 25th January. With the elections only 10 days away, the Commissioner will take the opportunity to meet representatives of the EU Election Observation Mission which is already active on the ground. Another main focus of her trip will be the contribution that the EU is making to reconstruction of Gaza following Israel’s disengagement.

US to Palestinians: Keep Hamas away
AlJazeera 1/16/2006
The United States has warned the Palestinians that inclusion of the resistance group Hamas in any new government could affect US-backed efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state on Monday stopped short of threatening a cut in US aid to the Palestinians if they form a government with ministers from the hard-line Islamic movement after parliamentary polls on 25 January. "Let's just see what happens after the elections," Rice told reporters accompanying her on a visit to Liberia. But she added the US-sponsored peace road map directed at creating a Palestinian state was a "two-way street".

Palestinians allowed to vote in East Jerusalem, but Israel bars Hamas from election
The Guardian 1/16/2006
Police arrest activists over campaigning allegations · Sharon has tracheotomy to help breathing -- The Israeli government agreed yesterday to allow Palestinians to vote in East Jerusalem in parliamentary elections this month, but vowed to prevent the participation of the militant group Hamas. Within hours of the decision, Israeli police arrested a group of Hamas political activists, including the second candidate on their list, on charges of illegal campaigning.

Middle East rapporteur regrets Israeli decision to ban Hamas from campaigning in East Jerusalem
ReliefWeb/Council of Europe 1/16/2006
Strasbourg, 16. 01. 2006 - Mikhail Margelov (Russian Federation, EDG), Rapporteur on the Middle East of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Political Affairs Committee, has welcomed the recent Israeli decision to allow 200 000 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem to vote in the forthcoming parliamentary elections due to take place on 25 January 2006. However, he also expressed anxiety about the conditions attached to this decision. In particular, banning Hamas from campaigning and blocking its inclusion on ballot papers distributed in the area might spoil the legitimacy of the elections and in consequence jeopardise the democratic process in the Palestinian Territories.... in the Rapporteur's opinion, the inclusion of Hamas in the political process could result in the rejection of illegal means of action by this party and thus contribute to a peaceful solution in the area.

Spain: Hamas win will force a rethink of ties with PA
Daily Star 1/17/2006
Europe will have to re-evaluate its links with the Palestinians in the event of a Hamas victory in next week's legislative elections, Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Monday. As part of the EU's involvement in the region, the bloc's external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner arrived on a two-day trip to announce the launch of $24 million worth of EU aid projects in the Gaza Strip. Asked about how a Hamas victory would impact on future European financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, Moratinos told reporters in Ramallah that "the necessary evaluations" would have to be made and "a decision would be taken" with regard to funding.

U.S. backs calls for East Jerusalem vote
Daily Star 1/14/2006
A U.S. envoy on Friday backed Palestinian calls for residents in occupied East Jerusalem to be able to vote in parliamentary elections, amid reports that U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority would be reviewed if Hamas took part in government. "The United States believes that the Palestinians should be able to vote everywhere," assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs David Welch told reporters after talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "We want to make sure that people feel safe and free to go and vote," the official added after the meeting at Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

U.S. envoy: PA poll should take place in all areas
Ha'aretz 1/14/2006
American envoy to the Middle East C. David Welch said Friday during a visit to Ramallah in the West Bank that the United States firmly believes that Palestinians everywhere are entitled to vote in the January 25 Palestinian legislative elections, Israel Radio reported. "We want to ensure that residents will feel safe and free to vote," said Welch. Welch, along with U.S. deputy national security adviser Elliot Abrams, met Friday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

President Abbas Receives American Officials
WAFA 1/13/2006
RAMALLAH, January 13, 2006 (WAFA) - President Mahmoud Abbas received in Ramallah on Friday the US Under Secretary of State C. David Welch and Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams, the US Consul General in Jerusalem Jacob Walles. During the meeting, the latest developments in the region were discussed, specially the preparations for the forthcoming legislative elections and the ways of strengthening the Palestinian-American ties. Following the meeting, Mr. Welch said the Palestinians must enjoy free elections, stressing that the USA supports conducting democratic elections, a step toward establishing a Palestinian State. [end]

Al Qidwa: "P.A will cancel the elections if Israel obstructs them in J'lem"
International Middle East Media Center 1/13/2006
Palestinian Foreign Minister, Nasser Al Qidwa, said that the Palestinian Authority will cancel the legislative elections if Israel conducts acts to obstruct them in east Jerusalem. Al Qidwa said in a press release on Friday that the Palestinian leadership, represented by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, will stop the elections if Israel obstructs the movement of the residents, and carries violations one day before the elections. Also, Al Qidwa added that the participation of east Jerusalem residents in the elections is one of the main conditions for the continuation of the process, and held Israel responsible for any illegal act or violation which could sabotage the democratic process.

Mofaz demands Abbas to present a detailed plan for disarming resistance
International Middle East Media Center 1/13/2006
Israeli Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, demanded the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to present a detailed map which includes a specific timetable for disarming the resistance factions. Mofaz said that the plan should be declared one day after the legislative elections in the Palestinian territories, which will be conducted on January 25. The demands of Mofaz came during a meeting with American envoys in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening. "Abbas is now in the toughest situation he has ever faced since he was elected", Mofaz said, "Chaos is rising in the Palestinian areas, and the P. A lost control in Gaza".

Israeli Says Any Official Hamas Role Dooms Peace Talks
New York Times 1/13/2006
JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 - Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told President Bush on Thursday that Middle East peace efforts could not progress if "terrorist organizations" like Hamas joined the Palestinian government after elections this month, according to a statement from Mr. Olmert's office. Israeli politics had been effectively on hold since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke on Jan. 4. But the brief moratorium appeared to end Thursday as Israelis and Palestinians turned to gearing up for elections. Mr. Bush called Mr. Olmert to express his concern over the condition of Mr. Sharon, who remained in a medically induced coma with no significant changes in his condition, according to Hadassah-Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

Acting Prime Minister Olmert gears up for visit to Washington
Ha'aretz 1/13/2006
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will apparently visit Washington in early February, after the Palestinian elections. His talks with U.S. President George W. Bush will deal with creating policy for "the day after" the elections: If Fatah does well, they will talk about moving the peace process forward; if Hamas gets stronger, Olmert and Bush will talk about ways to deal with the Palestinian Authority's new political structure. Jerusalem sources said Thursday that practical preparations for the trip have not yet begun. On Friday, Olmert will meet with U.S. envoys David Welch and Eliott Abrams.

Al-Kidwa Calls Quartet to Pressurize Israel to Ease Restrections against Elections
WAFA 1/12/2006
RAMALLAH, January 12, 2006, (WAFA)- Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Al-Kidwa, called on the Quartet Committee to intensify pressure on Israel to guarantee the movement of the Palestinian candidates and voters during the imminent elections. During his meeting, Thursday in Ramallah, with foreign diplomats and representative of international bodies to the Palestinian National Authority, Al-Kidwa asserted that the PNA makes every efforts to ensure transparency of elections. He also briefed the foreign guests about the latest developments regarding the elections due on January 25.

Hamas: We won't honor past agreements
YNetNews 1/12/2006
Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar tells New York Times all Israeli leaders are 'poison' -- Uncompromising message: Hamas will not honor agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority should the Islamic group win the upcoming elections, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar told the New York Times. However, he added, Hamas would be willing to join forces with current ruling faction Fatah in forming a new government. "We do not want to replace Fatah," Zahar said, adding that even if Hamas won overwhelming support, all Palestinian factions would be invited to join a coalition government.

President Meets US Senator and Armenian Delegation
WAFA 1/12/2006
RAMALLAH, January 12, 2006 (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas met Thursday with the US Senator the US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), in the Presidential HQ in Ramallah. President briefed the US Senator about the latest developments in the Palestinian territories including the preparations for the legislative elections. Abbas and Obama discussed the means of underpinning the American- Palestinian economic relations. Obama asserted the US supports and eager that the Palestinian legislative elections on its proposed time (January 25).

Hamas platform mentions armed struggle, but not Israel's destruction
Ha'aretz 1/11/2006
Hamas published its official platform for the upcoming Palestinian elections, which proved to be more moderate than either its 1988 charter or public statements made by its leaders throughout the ensuing years. The document makes no mention of the principle that has been Hamas' raison d'etre since its founding: the destruction of Israel and establishment of a Palestinian state on all territory west of the Jordan River in its place. However, the document's introduction comes out strongly in favor of armed struggle. "Our nation is currently at a stage of national liberation, and it has the right to act to regain its rights and end the occupation by using all means, including armed resistance," it states. "We must use all means in order to support our people and establish a state whose capital is Jerusalem. "

US pressure forces Israel to relent and allow Jerusalem's Palestinians a vote in election
The Guardian 1/11/2006
Under pressure from Washington, Israel said yesterday that it would allow Arab residents of East Jerusalem to vote in Palestinian parliamentary elections this month - an issue which had threatened to derail the ballot. But the government said it will not permit Hamas, the militant Islamist party, to appear on ballots used in the city. Before he suffered a stroke last week, the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, ordered that candidates be prevented from campaigning in Jerusalem and threatened to stop the vote in the city on January 25.

PA furious over Hamas exclusion
YNetNews 1/11/2006
Fatah members reject Israeli conditions for PA elections, threaten to call off vote -- Sources in the Palestinian Authority have protested the statements of Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who said Tuesday Israel would allow Palestinian elections in east Jerusalem to go ahead on the condition Hamas is not on the ballots. Earlier, Mofaz said the elections in eastern Jerusalem would be allowed to take place provided they went ahead on the Palestinian side of the security fence.

Foreign ministry donates aid to Palestinian election
ReliefWeb/Government of Denmark 1/11/2006
Date: 28 Dec 2005 -- The upcoming Palestinian election sees the foreign ministry allocating money to bolster democratic initiatives and encourage Palestinians to cast their ballotsThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that it is allocating approximately DKK 7 million (EUR 930,000) to support democratic efforts in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January, said sources in the Danish representation in Ramallah. An agreement with media network Maan to sponsor a campaign encouraging people to vote was among the projects. Roughly DKK 568,000 (EUR 60,000) was earmarked for the project, which includes radio and television spots and debate programmes. The money will also be used to ensure that the media cover the election.

Palestinians to vote in Jerusalem
UPI 1/10/2006
TEL AVIV, Israel, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz intend to let East Jerusalem Arabs vote there in the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council. However, the Israelis moved to disrupt Hamas' campaign. The elections have been scheduled for Jan. 25 and some Fatah leaders advocated they be postponed. One of the reasons was fear that Hamas would win but the formal reason was Israel's apparent refusal to allow elections in East Jerusalem and the chaos in Gaza. Palestinian leaders warned that if the East Jerusalemites are not allowed to vote, no one would vote.

Mofaz: "Jerusalemite Palestinians will be allowed to vote"
International Middle East Media Center 1/10/2006
Israeli Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, said on Tuesday that the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem will be allowed to participate in the upcoming Palestinian Legislative elections scheduled for January 25, 2006. Mofaz stated that the elections will be held the same way they were held in 1996, and in accordance to the same rules. "The Israeli policy regarding the elections will remain unchanged", Mofaz said, "The residents will be allowed to vote in five post offices, east of the city. Meanwhile, Palestinian chief negotiator Dr. Saeb Erekat said that the Palestinian Authority was not officially informed of this decision, "But if it is so, I welcome this procedure from the Israeli government".

Abbas: Jerusalem vote assured by US
AlJazeera 1/10/2006
Mahmoud Abbas says the US government has assured him that voting in a 25 January legislative poll would be allowed in East Jerusalem, despite Israel's objection to Hamas participating. The Palestinian president said on Monday: "Today I received American assurances that the campaigning and the elections will take place in Jerusalem. " Abbas's announcement alleviated some fears that he was planning to call off the vote under pressure from members of his Fatah party, who were concerned that the popular Hamas group would embarrass Fatah at the polls. In an address carried live on Palestine TV, Abbas said he spoke to several US officials, including Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state who gave him assurances that Israel would allow voting in Jerusalem.

Hamas official in Syria says group's truce with Israel is over
Ha'aretz 1/4/2006
DAMASCUS - The Hamas truce with Israel has expired, a senior Hamas official said in Syria on Wednesday, leaving the Palestinian militant group free to resume attacks. But he acknowledged that Hamas leaders in Gaza wanted to maintain the cease-fire through this month's elections. "The truce formally ended with the end of the year according to all the Palestinian factions that had signed it," Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy leader of the Hamas political bureau, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. In the face of continuing Israeli attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinians would not stand idle, Abu Marzouk said. "The truce has become meaningless now," he added.

White House to Israel: Don't deny vote to E. Jerusalem Arabs
Ha'aretz 1/4/2006
U.S. President George W. Bush "wants Palestinian elections to go forward as scheduled" on Jan. 25, a White House official said yesterday, and that Israel should not bar Palestinians from voting in East Jerusalem. "We believe that people must have access to the ballot," the official said. "Arrangements have been made in the past to ensure that those persons can vote, and we believe some arrangements should be possible at this time. "Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and other officials have said that the election might be postponed if Israel does not allow East Jerusalemites to participate.

Israel Defies Bush, Blocks Palestinian Campaigning in Jerusalem
Palestine Media Center 1/4/2006
US: Elections Should Be for all Palestinians within Parameters Defined by PNA -- A day ahead of the arrival of two US senior envoys for talks aimed at keeping Palestinian elections, President George W. Bush said Tuesday he wants these elections to go forward as scheduled on January 25 and called for Palestinians to be allowed to vote in east Jerusalem, a call that was defied by the Jewish state when its occupation forces blocked Palestinian campaigning in the Holy City. Campaigning began on Tuesday for the second Palestinian parliamentary election since 1996, but Israel’s indecision yet to allow Palestinian voting in Jerusalem again casts doubt on weather the polls will be held on time.

Jordan: Israel should allow J'lem vote
YNetNews 1/4/2006
King Abdullah urges Israel to allow Palestinians residing in east Jerusalem to vote in upcoming parliamentary elections, calling it ' an important step on the way to ensuring democracy, reforms'; king meets with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at end of tour of Gulf Arab states -- Jordan's King Abdullah said Wednesday Israel should not block Palestinians in east Jerusalem from voting in parliamentary elections schedule later this month.

U.S.: Allow PA Jerusalemites to vote
YNetNews 1/3/2006
White House spokesperson makes clear statement on controversial question; Bush wants east Jerusalem Palestinians to take part in elections -- America presses Israel: While the Israeli government has yet to formulate an official decision with regards to allowing Palestinians in east Jerusalem to vote in the upcoming PA elections, the American government has already made its stance on the matter very clear. According to a white House official, President George W. Bush wants Palestinian elections to go forward as scheduled this month with no delay and thinks Palestinians should be allowed to vote in east Jerusalem.

Shin Bet: Israel will be in 'deep trouble' if Hamas wins poll
Ha'aretz 1/3/2006
Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin cautioned Tuesday that Israel would be in "deep trouble" if Hamas emerged victorious in parliamentary elections scheduled for late January. According to Diskin, following a victory or strong showing, the militant Islamic group would make every effort to install its activists in Palestinian security arms, thus assuring that there would be no efforts made to head off terrorism launched from Palestinian-controlled areas. A Hamas triumph could also affect the educational curriculum taught in Palestinian schools.

Sharon to Scrap Roadmap, Annex West Bank Land: Report
Islam Online 1/2/2006
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, January 2, 2006 (IslamOnline. net & News Agencies) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to scrap the internationally-backed roadmap peace plan with the Palestinians and seek Washington's blessing for annexing occupied West Bank land, an Israeli daily reported on Monday, January 2. Sharon, who is running for re-election in March under his new Kadima party, would argue that Israel was justified in abandoning the peace plan and unilaterally setting borders because of the Palestinians' failure to crack down on resistance factions, said Maariv. The report said Sharon would go public with his new plan after Palestinian parliamentary elections, scheduled for January 25.

White House hopes Palestinian election goes forward
Ha'aretz 1/3/2006
President George W. Bush wants Palestinian elections to go forward as scheduled this month with no delay and thinks Palestinians should be allowed to vote in East Jerusalem, a White House official said on Tuesday. Bush is hoping the Jan. 25 vote will mark a step forward in his vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace. The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's rule following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last year, which raised hopes of ending fighting and of founding a Palestinian state.

EU vote monitors begin mission in Palestinian territories despite Gaza chaos
Daily Star 1/3/2006
JERUSALEM: EU monitors fanned out across the Palestinian territories Monday for this month's elections despite a security crisis in the Gaza Strip which saw gunmen raid government offices and attempt another kidnapping. Thirty-six European Union observers were heading out to the major cities in the occupied West Bank as well as Gaza where four Europeans have been kidnapped in the last week alone.

Israeli team to consider ramifications of Hamas win in PLC vote
Ha'aretz 1/1/2006
The upcoming elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council will be the focus of political-diplomatic activity this week. In Israel, discussions will begin tomorrow about the possible ramifications of the elections, in which Hamas is participating for the first time. The political team headed by the prime minister's adviser, Dov Weissglas, will consider the meaning of various Hamas results. According to a senior political source, the working assumption in Jerusalem is that Hamas will not win.

Human Rights..

On January 9, 2005 Palestinians living in the occupied territories will elect a president of the Palestinian Authority and new members of the Palestinian Legislative Council in the second general elections in nearly eight years. (Helga Tawil photo)

HRW: Hamas Must Order Permanent End to Civilian Attacks
Human Rights Watch 1/30/2006
(Jerusalem, January 30, 2006) – Hamas should announce publicly and without delay that it will not carry out attacks that target civilians or cause them indiscriminate harm, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the leaders of the group. Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement, Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya), won the Palestinian parliamentary elections on January 25. The group’s military wing has carried out suicide bombings and other attacks that have killed scores of civilians and gravely wounded many others. The organization declared and has maintained a moratorium on such attacks for more than a year, but has never made a commitment to end them.

The Palestinian Elections
By Noah Salameh, International Solidarity Movement 1/27/2006
I’m trying to look back and understand why the Palestinian people reacted and voted for Hamas, also those who have not been Hamas supporters before. Fateh has been ruling the Palestinian people since the Oslo Agreement in 1994. Fateh selected the negotiation track and accepted the Oslo agreement and also the Road Map. This is on the political side. As Palestinians, our people are very disappointed from the achievement of the negotiations. When people supported Abu Mazen in the presidential elections we hoped for improvements in our lives - reducing the checkpoints, improving the economic situation, or fighting corruption. We got none of what we hoped for.

Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, 19 - 25 January 2006
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/26/2006
On the Eve of Palestinian Legislative Elections: Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue to Perpetrate Human Rights Violations throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) *3 Palestinians, including 1 child, killed by IOF. *4 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, wounded by IOF. *IOF conducted 88 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. *Houses were raided and 65 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and 3 females, were arrested by IOF in the West Bank. *9 children detained by IOF in the Gaza Strip, while attempting to infiltrate into Israel. *6 West Bank houses transformed by IOF into military sites. *IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians and election candidates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; IOF have arrested 14 candidates and campaign activists...

A small vox pop from Palestinian people on election day
International Womens' Peace Service 1/30/2006
Democracy in Practice -- During the last few weeks many people outside Palestine have asked for our opinion on the elections for the Legislative Council. And now that Hamas has won a majority, we are asked what this means for the future of Palestine. During Election Day we visited polling stations in the Salfit villages of Hares, Kifl Hares, Deir Istya, Qarawa Bani Hassan, Mas’ha, Az-Zawiyya and Deir Ballut to observe any obstacles to free elections posed by the occupation. Instead of adding to the multitude of election analyses, we give you a small vox pop from Palestinian people we met throughout the day.

Preliminary Assessment of Polling and Vote Count Processes from Monitors
Electronic Intifada/Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/26/2006
Palestinian Legislative Elections (January 2006) -- On Wednesday, 25 January 2006, Palestinians cast their ballots to elect representatives in the Palestinian Legislative Council. These were the second parliamentary elections in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in 1994. The elections were held as part of the process for peaceful transition of power, initiated after the death of former President Arafat in November 2004. Since then, there have been a series of positive democratic reform steps.... PCHR expresses relief that all polling and vote count processes went ahead as planned and confirms the validity of these processes. These elections represent the will of Palestinian voters.

Polls close in Palestinian elections
Electronic Intifada/PCHR 1/25/2006
Palestinian voters cast their ballots in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections today, Wednesday (25 January 2006) throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). This was the second parliamentary election in the OPT, the first one being in 1996. In its capacity as an election monitor, PCHR and 34 other civil society organizations continued their monitoring campaign of all stages of the elections, including today’s voting. Six hundred monitors, half of them females, monitored 988 polling stations in 254 polling centers throughout the Gaza Strip. Preliminary results of the monitoring process indicate that the elections were held in an organized and quiet manner throughout the Gaza Strip, reflecting high levels of organization and professionalism by the Central Elections Committee (CEC).

Israeli court rejects a petition to prevent Palestinian from voting in Jerusalem
International Middle East Media Center 1/24/2006
The Israeli high court rejected on Tuesday morning a petition to prevent Palestinians from voting in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in Jerusalem. The appeal was submitted by Kensett Member Gilad Arad, from Likud and Belmah Ze'evi, the son of the Rehvaam Ze'evi who was killed by activists from the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine, (PLFP) in August 2001. The petition demands to prevent the Palestinians from holding elections in Jerusalem allegedly for the participation of "terrorist organizations" in these elections.

Palestinian refugees will hold mock PLO elections in Brussels and Paris
Electronic Intifada/BADIL 1/24/2006
Symbolic elections to the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the PLO's exile parliament, will be held by Palestinian communities in Paris and Brussels on 25 January parallel to the Palestinian Authority's second round of elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in the Israeli occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip (OPT). The symbolic elections aim to raise public awareness of the exclusion of over half of the Palestinian people from the internationally-sponsored process of Palestinian political decision making applied under the terms of the Madrid-Oslo agreements between Israel and the PLO.

Early Voting of Security Forces on the Second Day
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/23/2006
Voting on the Second Day -- On Monday evening, 23 January 2006, early voting of Palestinian security forces for the Palestinian legislative commenced have been completed. Voting of security forces started on Saturday morning, 21 January 2006, and has continued for 3 days, in accordance to amendments to article 73 of the Elections Law No. 9 of 2005, which allow security forces to vote on the three days that precede the official date of election. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), by 15:00 on the third day of voting, 53227 security personnel (90%) had voted. The number of security personnel who have the right to vote in polling centers throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is 58705, including 36091 in the Gaza Strip. By 15:00 on the third day of voting, 32853 (91%) of security personnel who have the right to vote in the Gaza Strip had voted. [See also: PLC Election January 2006]

IOF Arrests Candidate in Jerusalem
WAFA 1/22/2006
JERUSALEM, January 22, 2006 (WAFA)- The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Sunday an independent candidate to the Palestinian legislative elections and other seven citizens in Jerusalem. The IOF stormed a campaigning rally in East Jerusalem to prevent a meeting with Palestinian prisoners families, beat the candidate Abdul Latif Ghaith of Jerusalem District and arrested him with seven other citizens. They were led into Al- Maskoubiya Detention Center in West Jerusalem. Meanwhile, IOF prevented the candidate Iman Salah of the Alternative List from entering Jerusalem to attend a feminist meeting in the Old City of Jerusalem. [end]

15 hurt in fence protest
International Solidarity Movement/YNet 1/21/2006
Anti-fence protesters, security forces clash near Palestinian village of Bilin. -- About 15 protesters have been injured on Friday in clashes between security forces and protesters against the West Bank security fence during a weekling demonstration held by Palestinians and Israeli leftists in Bilin, a Palestinian village between Ramallah and Modi’in. Fatah candidates for the upcoming Palestinian elections joined hundreds of protesters who claimed they had managed to dismantle five meters of the wired fence. Protesters defied an IDF ban on entering the fence stretches near Bilin, scuffling with security forces who used tear gas to disperse the crowd who attempted to force its way to an outpost set up by leftists near Bilin.

East Jerusalem vote for minority
BBC 1/20/2006
Just a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem will be allowed to vote in Palestinian elections this month. Just 6,300 residents will be allowed to vote in the city - the remainder, an estimated 109,000 - will have to travel outside the city boundaries to vote. Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since the 1967 war and has imposed its laws on the Palestinians living there. Jerusalem is the heart of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be their capital. Israel says that it will never give up the eastern side of the city that it captured in 1967.

IOF Arrests Fateh Candidate in Jerusalem
WAFA 1/19/2006
JERUSALEM, January 19, 2006 (WAFA)- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Thursday Fateh candidate for the Palestinian legislative elections, Ahmed Abdul Rahman, in Shu'fat town near Jerusalem.. Abdul Rahman, candidate of Jerusalem district, was arrested together with three of his aides, while campaigning in the town. IOF led them to Maskobiya detention centre in Jerusalem.. Meanwhile, IOF harassed, twice, Fateh candidate Walid Assaf at checkpoints, while he was on his way from Kofor Laqif village to campaign in Qalqilya City north of the West Bank. [end]

GUPW: Israeli Authorities Hinder and Arrest Candidates in Jerusalem
WAFA 1/19/2006
RAMALLAH, January 19, 2006 (WAFA)-The General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW) denounced on Thursday Israeli Authorities' measures of arresting numbers of its candidates in Jerusalem for Palestinian Legislative Elections(PLC). In a statement, the Union revealed that Israeli Authorities endeavour to hinder the electoral process and more particularly in Jerusalem, adding that elections are legal right and should be respected to run smoothly and democratically. The Union called on international bodies to guarantee the movement of candidates so as the Palestinian people could elect his representatives for the PLC on democratic basis. [end]

Police raid Hamas campaign offices in East Jerusalem
Ha'aretz 1/19/2006
Police on Thursday raided the militant Hamas group's election offices in East Jerusalem, confiscating material and shutting down the office for 15 days. A sign police put on the door of the office said the company - "Farouk Cultural Forum" - was being used as "a place for the activities of a terrorist group. "Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said the office was closed to prevent Hamas from operating in Jerusalem. Israel opposes the participation of Hamas, responsible for scores of deadly attacks on Israelis, in the Palestinian parliamentary elections on January 25. Israel barred election activities of all militant groups in east Jerusalem.

PLC Election January 2006
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/21/2006
Election Update / Press Releases - Handy index of PCHR reports on the Palestinian Legislative Council elections.

Severe Restrictions on Movement in the West Bank Impact the Election Campaigns
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/17/2006
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Since the beginning of this year, IOF have separated the north of the West Bank from other Palestinian communities. These measures have coincided with the initiation of the campaigns for Palestinian parliamentary elections. Since the beginning of this year, IOF have operated Qalandya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, and have transformed Za'tra checkpoint, south of Nablus, into a crossing. Thus, IOF have divided the West Bank into 3 separate zones whose contiguity is controlled by them.... These penal measures have impacted at least 800,000 Palestinians living in the northern West Bank...

Open Letter to the candidates to the Palestinian legislative elections: Time to end impunity and ensure the rule of law
Amnesty International 1/16/2006
The forthcoming elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) provide an important opportunity for all candidates to hold a frank debate about the need for measures to protect and promote human rights in the face of the deteriorating internal security situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Those who are elected to the second Palestinian parliament will be responsible over the coming months and years for enacting laws which should satisfy the Palestinian people’s long-held desire for human rights and the rule of law. Amnesty International is calling on all parliamentary candidates to put human rights at the top of their agenda, by making concrete proposals for putting an end to inter-factional violence and impunity and for delivering justice to the Palestinian people.

ISR Police arrests a PFLP candidate in East Jerusalem
International Middle East Media Center 1/18/2006
Israeli police arrested, on Wednesday, Abdul-Latif Shihada, a parliamentary candidate of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, while he was holding a press conference at a hotel in East Jerusalem. As the PFLP officials were preparing to launch their campaign at a hotel in East Jerusalem, Israeli police, wearing plainclothes, broke into the building and arrested the seven party officials. Six other residents were arrested for advocating candidates and placing posters for them; army source reported that Palestinian factions are not allowed to campaign for the legislative elections in Jerusalem.

HR Organisation: Hamas is Violating Electoral Campaigns Regulations
WAFA 1/18/2006
GAZA, January 18, 2006 (WAFA)- Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said that Hamas is violating the electoral campaigns regulations. In a press release issued Wednesday on the experimental broadcast of Hamas TV on a mosque, PCHR revealed that its observers noticed that the station broadcast the election campaign of the Change and Reform Electoral List affiliated to Hamas, including slogans and other programs used for the election campaign. PCHR made it clear that according to elections Law No. 9 of 2005 prohibits the use of mosques, churches, hospitals and buildings of governmental and public institutions in election campaigns.

Palestinian Authority: Elections candidates must work to end lawlessness and ensure rule of law
Amnesty International 1/18/2006
Candidates to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) must set up mechanisms to establish the rule of law in the Gaza Strip and in the areas of the West Bank under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority (PA) where intra-Palestinian violence has reached unprecedented levels, said Amnesty International. In an open letter sent on the eve of the Palestinian legislative elections due on 25 January, Amnesty International urged candidates to put human rights at the top of their agenda. The organization urged candidates to make concrete proposals for ending inter-factional violence and impunity, and to commit to enacting laws to deliver justice to the Palestinian people. “Candidates should pledge to hold accountable both the PA executive and the armed groups, who bear responsibility for the increasing lawlessness and human rights abuses,” said Amnesty International.

Army arrests nine Palestinians campaigning in Jerusalem
International Middle East Media Center 1/17/2006
Israeli army units stormed, on Monday evening, the office of leftist Palestinian People Party in Jerusalem, and arrested nine of the party activists. Troops confiscated all the posters and leaflets of the party candidates for the Palestinian Legislative elections. All of the arrestees are activists in the party; two of them were identified as Afeef Ameera and Yousef Al Aroury. [end]

Israeli government: "Hamas cannot campaign in Jerusalem"
International Middle East Media Center 1/16/2006
The Israeli government approved on Sunday the participation of Jerusalemite Palestinians in the legislative elections scheduled for January 25, but did not authorize Hamas movement to campaign in the city. The decision was approved during a Knesset session on Sunday; the proposal to allow the Palestinians to campaign in Jerusalem was submitted by the acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert. Senior Israeli security officials also attended the session.... Meanwhile, the resigned Israeli Foreign Minister, Silvan Shalom, Likud party, described allowing the Palestinians to vote in Jerusalem as condescending to the Palestinians. Shalom said in a press conference that the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated, before he suffered the stroke, that if Hamas participates in the elections, he will not allow the vote in Jerusalem.

PFLP leader remains in prison, despite orders for release
International Middle East Media Center 1/15/2006
A representative of Amnesty International visited Saadat in 2002, and immediately issued a statement demanding his release. -- The jailed General Secretary of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ahmed Saadat, was elected to his position following the assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa in 2002. He is also a member of the Palestinian National Council, the Palestinian Central Committee and the head of the PFLP's Abu Ali Mustafa list for the Palestinian Legislative Council elections. Saadat joined the PFLP after Israeli occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. He spent most of the following years in prison, as Israeli forces continually arrested and released him.

Jerusalem voters mount pressure on PA and Israel to allow free elections
Electronic Intifada/Jerusalem Coalition 1/14/2006
Israel has not officially pronounced its position to refuse or to allow the Palestinians of Occupied East Jerusalem (OEJ), including ourselves, to participate in the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council Elections in blatant violation of International law-specifically the right of self determination. The right to self determination is guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights; both integral parts of the United Nations Agreements on Human Rights. Article 1 of these covenants reaffirms the right of all peoples to self determination, and obligates State signatories to promote the realization of that right.

Police arrest Palestinians hanging campaign posters
Ha'aretz 1/12/2006
Six Palestinians were arrested Wednesday for hanging campaign posters on billboards in East Jerusalem ahead of the Palestinian parliament elections set for January 25. Police arrested and fined the activists, despite Israel's official announcement that it would permit campaigning in the city, providing it was coordinated with the police and would not involve more than 20 billboards. However, government officials and police have yet to reach an agreement with the Palestinian Authority on the matter, despite the fact that the Palestinian campaign season began on January 2.

Austrian Representative to the PA Visits PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/9/2006
Mr. Leon Hard Moll (Head of Austrian Representative Office to the PA) and his deputy, Mr. Wolfgang Muhlberger visited PCHR on Monday, 9 January 2006. They met Mr. Raji Sourani (PCHR Director) and Mr. Hamdi Shaqqura, head of the Center’s Democratic Development Unit. The meeting discussed the overall situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), especially in light of the preparations for the upcoming legislative elections slated for 25 January, and the deteriorating security situation.

Dr. Al-Barghouti Denied Access into Gaza
WAFA 1/6/2006
RAMALLAH, January 6, 2006 (WAFA) - Candidate of PLC Elections Dr. Mustafa al-Barghouti was prohibited from entering the Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation Authorities. Al-Barghourti was not given a permit to enter Gaza to meet with partisans. His office described the act as racial and undemocratic. It called on the international community to pressurize Israel to stop its interference into the Palestinian elections, which is an internal affair.

PA accused of obstructing Palestinian elections
Electronic Intifada/PCHR 1/5/2006
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights is deeply concerned over the future of the electoral process in light of threats of resignation by members of the Central Elections Committee (CEC) as a result of continuous interference in their work by the Cabinet and Ministry of Interior. A number of CEC members asked President Mahmoud Abbas to relieve them of their duties. The move came in protest against the Palestinian Cabinet's decision regarding voting procedures for members of Palestinian security forces. The request was made in a letter submitted to the President on the morning of Thursday, 5 January 2006.... PCHR strongly condemns the pressure placed on the CEC by the Palestinian Cabinet and Ministry of Interior.

Israelis bar leading Palestinian candidates from canvassing in East Jerusalem
Daily Star 1/4/2006
Israeli police stopped two leading candidates from canvassing in occupied East Jerusalem on the first day of the Palestinian election campaign Tuesday, prompting new threats to cancel the whole ballot. But the United States said Tuesday it wants Palestinian elections to go forward as scheduled and thinks Palestinians should be allowed to vote in East Jerusalem. "We believe that people must have access to the ballot,"in East Jerusalem, a White House spokesman said.

Elections supervisors detained en route to Ramallah
International Middle East Media Center 1/3/2006
In a step many considered an Israeli interference in Palestinian preparations for PLC elections set for January 25, Israeli forces detained, on Monday, 23 officials and supervisors of voting stations in the Tulkarem area for more than three hours. The 23 were arrested at a checkpoint between Tulkarem and Ramallah. Mustapha Zarini, CEC coordinator for the Tulkarem constituency said the group was traveling to Ramallah to attend a training workshop organized by the CEC in preparation for the PLC elections. Zarini stressed that prior coordination had been carried out with the Israeli side via the Palestinian liaison office, which included the names and ID numbers of all the supervisors.

Unidentified armed men target UN club in Gaza
Electronic Intifada/PCHR 1/2/2006
On Sunday morning, 1 January 2006, unknown armed persons blew up UNRWA Beach Club in Gaza City. The club and a nearby site of the Palestinian Civil Defense were severely damaged. A few hours later, another armed group kidnapped a member of a European Parliament delegation visiting Khan Yunis. PCHR is concerned that the ultimate goal of such crimes is to convulse the internal security and security to cancel or interrupt the upcoming elections or hold them under unfair conditions. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 02:00 on Sunday, 1 January 2006, unknown armed persons got out of a civilian car that has no registration plate and attacked and handcuffed the guard of UNRWA Beach Club.

People..

Yossi Beillin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, leaders of the so-called Geneva Accord

Gallup Palestinian Survey Reveals Broad Discontentment With Status Quo
Palestine Media Center 1/28/2006
PRINCETON, NJ -- The seeds for Hamas' landslide victory in Wednesday's Palestinian elections can be seen in polling Gallup conducted in the Palestinian territories just a few weeks earlier. Though everyone from Palestinian leaders to President Bush to the Israeli Knesset has been surprised by the election results, Gallup found widespread Palestinian discontentment with official corruption, the lack of job creation, and general incompetence that can easily explain the ouster of Fatah. At the same time, Gallup finds continued Palestinian support for the peace process with Israel and a preference for negotiation rather than terrorism, raising questions about just what kind of mandate Hamas will have for its more militant approach. [See also Gallup News Service]

Palestinians Celebrate Hamas Victory
Palestine Chronicle/Islam Online 1/26/2006
Before the elections, Hamas said it does not want to govern alone, and would prefer to bring Fatah into a coalition. -- GAZA CITY - Thousands of jubilant Palestinians took to the streets on Thursday, January 26, to celebrate the resistance group Hamas's stunning election victory. "Congratulations Palestine. This is the dawn of change and reform," a thrilled Umm Ramy told IslamOnlin. net. "We are tried and sick of corruption its about time we see some real change, she added. Initial election results showed that Hamas has won an absolute majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections, the first in a decade.

High turnout at Palestinian polls
AlJazeera 1/25/2006
High voter turnout has been reported in the first Palestinian legislative elections in a decade. Hazim Ba'loosha of the Central Elections Committee said on Wednesday that things appeared to be running smoothly, with no serious violations to report, adding that there was a good voter turnout of 40. 6% by 1pm (1100 GMT). "Until now things are proceeding very well, with only a few minor incidents concerning campaigning in front of the polling centres. But inside voting is occurring in a very peaceful manner," Ba'loosha told Aljazeera. net.

Photostory: Palestinian Elections
Electronic Intifada 1/25/2006
Polls have closed across Gaza and the occupied West Bank and the vote count has begun, after the first Palestinian parliamentary elections in a decade. Election officials say over 70 percent of the more than one million eligible voters turned out despite rain and cold winds to cast their ballots at more than 1,000 polling stations. East Jerusalem witnessed the highest turnout, between 80 to 90 percent, prompting the Central Elections Committee to extend voting until 9 p. m. An 81 percent turnout was registered in the Gaza Strip in comparison to 74 percent in the West Bank.

Palestine prays for peaceful polls
AlJazeera 1/24/2006
With less than 16 hours to go before the start of the Palestinian legislative elections, voters and candidates are hoping that the polls will be fair, free, and above all peaceful. Candidates retreated to their homes or headquarters after campaigning officially ended on Monday, many speaking to journalists who have converged on the occupied territories. It is believed that as many as 1000 journalists and foreign correspondents have arrived in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with many focusing on the rivalry between Fatah and Hamas.

Palestinian Voters See Little Hope Under Occupation
Palestine Chronicle 1/22/2006
Throughout the camp's steep, narrow streets, it is hard to get away from the sense of utter disillusionment with Fatah. -- BALATA CAMP, West Bank - This month Palestinian legislative elections, the first in a decade, are kindling little hopes in the Balata refugee camp, where Palestinians are skeptical anyone can change the daily misery of their lives as long as the Israeli occupation endures. "These elections are not going to give us a decent future for our children, nor are they going to allow us to move around freely," Alaa Sanakra told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, January 21. "The Al-Aqsa Brigades has observed a truce with Israel for months and months but still, nothing has changed," he fumed, in reference to mainstream Fatah's armed wing.

Poll: "Hamas, Fateh in close race as elections approach"
International Middle East Media Center 1/20/2006
A poll conducted by Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, on the coming legislative elections in the Palestinian areas, showed that Hamas and Fateh movements are in close race ahead of the January 25 legislative elections. The poll results were published on Friday, 1000 residents participated in the survey which had a 3. 5% error. According to the poll results, Fateh party will gain 32. 3% of the vote, while Hamas would win 30. 2%. Also, the poll showed The Independent Palestine Party gaining 12% of the vote, while the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine would grab 7. 6%.

PCPO: 35.9 % Would Vote for Fateh, 26.7 % for Hamas
WAFA 1/18/2006
BEIT SAHOUR, January 18, 2006 (WAFA) -The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO) revealed Wednesday that Fateh list of proportional representation in the forthcoming Palestinian legislative elections obtains the biggest popular support, namely 35. 9%, followed by Hamas List, scoring 26. 7% in the second position. In its latest public opinion poll conducted during the period January 9-15, 2006, Dr. Nabil Kukali the Director of PCPO recorded that "35. 9 % would vote for Fateh list, 26. 7 % for the "Change and Reform" list (Hamas), 8. 3 % would vote for the list of "Independent Palestine", 7. 5 % for the "Alternative" list.

Birzeit University Poll: 35% of Palestinians to Vote Fatah, 30% Hamas, 21% Undecided (PDF)
Palestine Media Center 1/14/2006
Development Studies Programme, Public Opinion Poll # 24 - Legislative Council Election -- Dates of fieldwork: 5-7/1/2006Number of field researchers: 75 Sample size: 1500 Palestinians in (West Bank and Gaza Strip) - Margin of error: + 3% -- 90% support holding legislative elections on time; • Fateh and Hamas are in a tight race for PLC seats; • 97% are against kidnapping of internationals.. Main Results: • Two weeks before the elections: Fateh 35%, Hamas 30%, undecided 21%,and the list of Independent Palestine 6%. • About 30% of the floating vote (undecided) favors Hamas; 24% bentstowards Fateh, and 10% with inclinations towards the independent lists

Palestine reflects on Sharon
By Laila El-Haddad, AlJazeera 1/6/2006
Palestinians have reacted to news of Ariel Sharon's illness with emotions ranging from satisfaction to ambivalence - all tinged with feelings of uncertainty about the future. On the whole, Palestinians are shedding no tears for the man referred to as the "butcher", reviled in Gaza and elsewhere for evicting thousands of Palestinians from their homes and overseeing many massacres. The Islamic resistance group, Hamas, strong contenders in this month's Palestinian legislative elections, said the region is better off without Sharon. The Islamic Jihad was even blunter, telling Aljazeera that he could go to hell for all it cared. Still, there is a good deal of anxiety on the Palestinian street.

Palestinians mixed over Sharon
BBC 1/5/2006
Palestinians have reacted with a mixture of apprehension and delight at the news of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's grave illness. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he was following the crisis "with great concern" but insisted it would not affect the forthcoming elections. Some Palestinians had kind words for a man who led Israel's disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. But many had little sympathy for a man widely despised in the Arab World.

Poll Opinion on Legislative Elections:
WAFA 1/4/2006
38. 1% Would Vote for Fateh List, 26. 6% for Hamas -- BEIT SAHOUR, January 4, 2006 (WAFA)- A public poll opinion revealed Wednesday that 38. 1% would vote for Fateh list in the proportional representation system and 26. 6% for the list of "Change and Reform" (Hamas), in the upcoming legislative elections. In its latest public opinion poll prepared by Dr. Nabil Kukali on the upcoming elections of the Palestinian Legislative Council the Palestinian Center For Public Opinion (PCPO) said 38. 1% would vote for Fateh list, 26. 6% for Hamas, 9. 2% for National Initiative List (Independent Palestine), 8. 1% for the List of Alternative (coalition of DFLP, People's Party and "FIDA")...

International..

Maliki allies triumph in Iraq provincial polls
Middle East Online 2/19/2009
BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s allies triumphed in the January 31 provincial polls, final results showed on Thursday, boosting his position in war-battered Iraq after fiercely contested elections. Candidates backed by Maliki dominated in Baghdad and also won a majority in all nine of Iraq’s Shiite provinces, in a huge vote of confidence for the premier whose standing has grown steadily at home and abroad in the past year. Just over half of Iraqis voted in the largely trouble-free elections, which were seen as a vital test of the country’s progress since the US-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein from power almost six years ago. Maliki, a Shiite, did not stand in the provincial council polls but threw his backing behind State of Law Coalition candidates. The polls held in 14 of Iraq’s 18 provinces were seen as a referendum on Maliki’s performance.

Mohammad Khatami criticizes rival Ahmadinejad over Iran’s isolation
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 2/12/2009
The top reformist candidate in Iran’s presidential race has criticized hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the country’s international isolation. The comments were the first by Mohammad Khatami about the president since Khatami entered the race last weekend. They signaled that his campaign will likely focus on Iranians’ worries that Ahmadinejad’s fiery anti-Western rhetoric has worsened the country’s status in the world at a time when Iran is suffering economic woes. Khatami, a liberal cleric who was president from 1997-2005, told a group of his supporters that the current situation in the country is not desirable, according to Khatami’s Web site. Khatami warned at the meeting late Wednesday that if the situation continues, the country’s social capital and international reputation will be damaged even more.

Iraq’s Parliament fails to elect new House speaker
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 2/9/2009
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Parliament remained deadlocked on the election of a new speaker on Sunday, just two days after US Vice President Joe Biden said Iraq needed to push ahead with political reform. The failure is a blow to the fledgling democracy, which without a speaker cannot debate or approve a new budget and oil laws deemed crucial to the reconstruction of the country. There are five candidates vying for the post, but rival Sunni politicians cannot agree on who should get the job. "A group of parties left the hall today and there were not enough MPs to choose a new speaker," said Jamal al-Butikh, chief of the National Iraqi List, the parliamentary group headed by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Outspoken Mahmoud Mashhadani quit as speaker on December 23, triggering political wrangling over a replacement. He resigned after Kurdish and Shiite MPs clamored for him to go because. . .

Iraq’s Sadrists complain of vote fraud
Middle East Online 2/7/2009
BAGHDAD - Iraqi politicians backed by the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday said they would lodge an official complaint about votes being excluded during last weekend’s provincial elections. Allies of Sadr said that preliminary results declared by election authorities were markedly different from estimates compiled by the party’s observers during the hotly-contested vote. "There is a big difference in some provinces between the figures we have, through our agents and observers, and those that were declared," said Amir al-Kinani, secretary general of the Free Independent Movement, backed by Sadr. "We will submit the appeal in the results of a number of Baghdad areas and other provinces, including Najaf, Maysan, and Diwaniyah," he said. The Free Independent Movement finished second in the capital Baghdad with nine percent of the vote, which left them 29 percent behind candidates backed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Israel, Iran, Pakistan world’s least popular nations - poll
Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, Daily Star 2/7/2009
WASHINGTON: Israel, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan are widely seen as exerting the most negative influence on world affairs, according to the latest in a series of annual global surveys by the BBC’s World Service on popular perceptions of the world’s most powerful or newsworthy nations. The survey, which questioned some 13,500 respondents in 21 countries around the world, found that perceptions of Russian and Chinese influence also became considerably more negative during 2008. At the same time, views of the United States, which rivaled those of Israel and Iran just two years ago, continued improving modestly last year but remained predominantly negative despite the victory of Barack Obama in the November 2008 presidential elections. "Though BBC polls have shown that most people around the world are hopeful that Barack Obama will improve US relations with the. . . "

Maliki: Iraq elections ’changed political map’
Middle East Online 2/6/2009
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Friday that Iraq’s provincial elections had "changed the political map" and were a success for the country’s citizens. "It is a success for all Iraqis," he told reporters in Baghdad, in his first comments since results showed on Thursday that candidates backed by him had triumphed in fiercely contested polls held six days ago. "Sure, there are changes to the political map, because the citizens voted to see the changes," said the Shiite premier, who has adopted a notably secular political outlook. "Iraqis voted based on the programme presented by candidates and not on a sectarian affiliation," he said. "I am more happy for that than the fact that our list topped the vote. " Maliki did not stand in last Saturday’s elections but campaigned vigorously for candidates in the State of Law Coalition, who swept the poll in Baghdad and in eight of Iraq’s nine Shiite provinces.

Initial results indicate triumph for Maliki in provincial polls
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 2/6/2009
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki’s allies triumphed in weekend elections, preliminary results showed Thursday, delivering him a popular mandate after fiercely contested polls in the war-torn nation. Candidates backed by Maliki took the biggest vote in Baghdad and eight of the country’s nine Shiite provinces, in a huge vote of confidence for the premier, whose standing has steadily grown at home and abroad in the past year. Just over half of Iraqis voted on Saturday in the election, which was seen as a vital test of the country’s progress since a US-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein from power almost six years ago. Maliki, a Shiite, did not stand in the election but threw his backing behind candidates from the country’s State of Law Coalition. The preliminary tally released by the Iraqi High Electoral Commission showed that the coalition had a resounding success in Baghdad, achieving 38 percent of the vote.

Arabs heed Obama’s call for change
Alaa Bayoumi, Al Jazeera 2/4/2008
If it were not for Barack Obama, many Arabs would not even bother to follow the results of the US presidential race on Super Tuesday. Such gloomy views could be attributed to Arabs’ negative attitudes toward governments and politics in general. Arabs have been living under authoritarian governments, many of them US allies, for decades. And the US’s traditional support for Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, coupled with the war on Iraq, has meant Arab mistrust of the US has dipped to new lows in recent years. Against this backdrop, it is easy to see why many Arabs will not be following the latest news from the US presidential primary elections. ’Offensive’ rhetoric Many do not see any serious differences between the Republican and Democratic candidates who are taking part in the race.

Ahmadinejad battles on the home front
Khody Akhavi, Asia Times 2/5/2008
WASHINGTON - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, Israel and his government’s alleged support of Shi’ite militias in Iraq. Still, it appears that Iran’s parliamentary elections in March will be determined less by debates over the country’s foreign policy than by rising criticism of incompetence and economic mismanagement of conservatives and hardliners in the legislature and in Ahmadinejad’s office." Ahmadinejad is in trouble, not only because his economic policies have not worked; he has managed to antagonize almost the entire Iranian elite because of his exclusivist management style," said Farideh Farhi, an independent researcher on Iran and political scientist at the University of Hawaii.

IRAN: Ahmadinejad Caught Between Reformists and Hardliners
Khody Akhavi, Inter Press Service 1/28/2008
WASHINGTON, Jan 28(IPS) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, the existence of Israel, and his government’s alleged support of Shiite militias in Iraq. Still, it appears that Iran’s upcoming parliamentary elections in March will be determined less by debates over the country’s foreign policy than by rising criticism of incompetence and economic mismanagement of conservatives and hardliners in the legislature and in the office of the president. "Ahmadinejad is in trouble, not only because his economic policies have not worked; he has managed to antagonise almost the entire Iranian elite because of his exclusivist management style," said Farideh Farhi, an independent researcher on Iran and political scientist at the University of Hawaii.

Mideast press urges action on Gaza
BBC Online 6/14/2007
The Palestinian press makes an urgent appeal for action to prevent the violence in Gaza from turning into a full-blown civil war, urging President Abbas to call a state of emergency and ask for intervention from the region’s Arab states. Papers in the wider Middle East blame the violence on Palestinian leaders and demand fresh elections to resolve the power struggle between the Hamas and Fatah factions. In Israel, commentators ponder how the country should react to the Palestinian infighting, with one advocating a total withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the occupied territories. - Palestinian AL-QUDS -- It seems we have reached the point of no return in this infighting and are witnessing the beginnings of civil war.

Lebanon factions resume talks
AlJazeera 3/22/2006
Leaders of Lebanon's rival factions have resumed talks on the fate of the country's pro-Syrian president and a UN call for the disarmament of the Hizb Allah group. The talks come amid signs that an agreement remains elusive on the two issues that threaten to destabilise the country. The discussions, which began on 2 March, have focused on a 2004 UN Security Council resolution that calls for disarming Hizb Allah and Palestinian fighters. The resolution also urged new presidential elections. It was passed in September 2004, days before Lebanese legislators extended Emile Lahoud's term for three years.

Chirac vows 'voice of reason' on Iran
Daily Star 3/6/2006
French president labels cartoon row a 'clash of ignorance' -- RIYADH: French President Jacques Chirac said Sunday the West would still reach out to Iran for a deal on its disputed nuclear file, in the first address to the Saudi consultative council by a foreign leader. The president's wide-ranging speech in Riyadh also covered Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian elections, reform in the conservative monarchy and the "clash of civilizations" between the West and Islam. "In Iran, the voice of reason that France, the United Kingdom and Germany wanted to be heard on the nuclear file has not been heard, for the time being," Chirac told the appointed advisory council, an all-male body of 150 members.

Palestinian Americans Push Religious Pluralism in P.A.
Forward 2/17/2006
WASHINGTON — Palestinian American activists are vowing to lobby Hamas against turning the West Bank and Gaza into an Islamic theocracy. Anxious about the victory of the Islamic fundamentalist group in last month's Palestinian parliamentary elections, Palestinian American leaders say that they will push for laws favoring American-style church-state separation, pluralism, equality and inclusiveness. "We are at the time when defining decisions may very well be made in Palestine," said Ziad Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine. The task force is a prominent pro-Palestinian advocacy group in Washington.

Disagreement With Gaza Disengagement Sours Orthodox on Bush
Forward 6/24/2005
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week, cracks were emerging in the coalition of Jewish conservatives that rallied this past November around the claim that President Bush was "the best friend Israel ever had in Washington." Many influential Republican loyalists and non-Orthodox hawks appear to be remaining firm in their support of Bush. But a growing number of Orthodox activists who were avidly courted by Bush in the 2004 election are feeling distinctly dismayed as the administration embraces Israel's Gaza disengagement plan and presses for more aid to the Palestinians.

Elections give hope to Palestinian refugees
Daily Star 6/7/2005
BEIRUT: Palestinian refugees living in squalid and overcrowded camps dare to hope the legislative elections will directly improve their lives. "I have been monitoring the elections to see if they will bring change," said Mohammad al-Daoud, 21, outside Beirut's Chatilla camp where portraits of candidates jostle those of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Some 400,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 refugee compounds in South Lebanon, where conditions are often harsh and permanent citizenship is denied to all. Fouad Abed, 36, complained that the candidate he was rooting for lost in the first part of the four-stage elections that took place May 29.

El Salvador group opens park in honor of late Palestinian leader Arafat
Ha'aretz 5/25/2005
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - A new plaza on Jerusalem Avenue was inaugurated Wednesday in honor of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, despite criticism from the Israeli Embassy in El Salvador. "We are making a monument to the maximum leader of the struggle for the liberation of Palestine," said one of the promoters, businessman John Nasser, as the square with a large bust of Arafat was inaugurated. Migrants from Palestine flowed to El Salvador for decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and several families became prominent in business and politics. Both President Tony Saca and his rival in last year's election, Schafik Handal, are sons of families that migrated from the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

AIPAC Losing this Fight
Electronic Intifada 3/7/2005
Press Release, Council for the National Interest -- AIPAC has been taken aback by new Mideast resolutions. Last month the House and the Senate each passed their own resolutions expressing support for the Palestinian Authority in the wake of their successful presidential elections. The Washington Jewish Week reported that many on the Hill feel the Israel lobby was caught asleep on this one. The problem for the lobby was simple: popular support and optimism after the Palestinian presidential elections took the wind out of any possible grounds for raising opposition to the resolutions.

Arabs warmly welcome Abbas election
Middle East Online 1/10/2005
Analysts, officials hail election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian leader, pay tribute to strong voter turnout. -- Arabs gave a warm welcome Monday to the election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian leader, admiring a successful exercise in Arab democracy and hoping that a strong voter turnout will bolster his position. Analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah of Cairo's Al Ahram Center of Strategic Studies said the high turnout and the strong result for Mahmud Abbas "gives him the necessary legitimacy for his plans to resolve the conflict" with Israel.

Press Review: 'The hour of truth has arrived'
The Guardian 1/11/2005
Mahmoud Abbas wins but how will events now develop? -- Times, Editorial, January 10 - "After [Sunday's] election ... there was a palpable feeling that something had changed ... Mahmoud Abbas, the pragmatist favoured by Israel and the outside world ... won a triumphant victory ... to succeed the late ... Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority ...

Economy..