Elections, Palestinian and Israeli

Mustafa Barghuti (Middle East Online photo)

Hamas fighters abducted in Gaza
AlJazeera 5/24/2006
Unknown gunmen have kidnapped three Hamas fighters and shot them in the legs, killing one of the men. The men were carried off into a car as they left a mosque at dawn after morning prayers in the town of Khan Yunus, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday. They were then beaten and shot in the legs before being dumped at a petrol station. One of the injured men later died in hospital, medical sources said. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the incident, one Hamas official blamed rival Fatah gunmen loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. Bitter struggle: The two sides have been engaged in a power struggle since Hamas won elections in the Palestinian territories earlier this year.

Fear of physical fighting between Hamas and Fateh moving from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank
Palestine News Network 5/21/2006
Palestinian security sources from the Fateh party claim that the armed resistance wing of Hamas, Al Qassam Brigades, purchased large quantities of light weapons in the West Bank recently. The security sources said Sunday that the purchases were made after the Palestinian Legislative Council elections, which the Hamas party swept, leaving the Fateh party with little power. The same sources claim that as clear differences between the parties emerged, leading to a rise in tensions and physical fighting in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas resistance wing was prepared. Now they are suggesting that Al Qassam is preparing itself for something similar in the West Bank.

Fatah, Hamas Forces Exchange Fire
Palestine Chronicle 5/19/2006
Palestinian PM Ismail Haniya, from Hamas, said the new force was legal and would provide support for the police and the Palestinian people. -- GAZA CITY (BBC) - Two police officers have been wounded in a gun battle between Palestinian factions in Gaza City. Police supporting the mainstream Fatah party said they had been attacked by a militant-led force set up by the new Hamas government - a claim it denies. The clash came after the two rival security forces paraded through the streets in a show of strength. Rivalry between the Fatah and Hamas has intensified since Hamas'' victory in parliamentary elections in January. Hamas has rejected calls by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to withdraw its force, first deployed in Gaza on Wednesday.

Israeli forces raid eastern Bethlehem villages, make multiple arrests at dawn
International Middle East Media Center 5/17/2006
Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses both report Israeli forces invaded several eastern Bethlehem villages at dawn Wednesday. Israeli soldiers broke into homes, invasively searched them, and forced dozens of Palestinians to stand outside for hours. The attack was focused on Janata, east of Bethlehem in the West Bank. A 44 year old man’s home was overrun with soldiers who arrested him. Mustafa was a Municipal Council elections candidate last year running on the Hamas list. Eyewitnesses report that Israeli soldiers blindfolded the man, handcuffed him and took him to an unknown location.

Charismatic leader in armed resistance tells PNN that question of “truce” is one for the occupying government
Palestine News Network 5/16/2006
The Palestine News Network recently sat down with a some what unlikely local hero. He is young for his experiences, in his mid-twenties. Zakaria Zbaidi is the head of the Fateh armed resistance wing, Al Aqsa Brigades, from Jenin Refugee Camp in the northern West Bank. The Israelis have tried to kill him, arrest him, and have spent hours harassing his family members and threatening their home..... The gist of Zbaidi’s point of view is easily summarized in two pointed sentences. “The only option is to escalate the resistance and the Intifada, and to not forget the sanctity of Palestinian blood by not spilling it on one another. Our position has nothing to do with the victory of Hamas in the elections or the newly formed government. ”

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

Palestinians to hold talks on crisis over recognizing Israel
Ha''aretz 5/29/2006
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian faction leaders have agreed to 10 days of intensive talks aimed at resolving critical differences and avoiding a national referendum on recognizing Israel''s right to exist. The Palestinian government has been internationally isolated and suffering a crippling economic boycott since Hamas won January 25 parliamentary elections. The United States and European Union demand the Islamic militant grouprerenounce violence and recognize Israel if it wants aid restored. Hamas has refused. To force Hamas to soften its position, Abbas urged the group to accept aproposal drafted by militants in Israeli prisons that implicitly acceptsIsrael''s right to exist.

Livni arrives in Turkey for first talks since Hamas leader''s visit
Ha''aretz 5/28/2006
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni began a visit to Turkey on Sunday with a tour of an Istanbul synagogue attacked in 2003 by al-Qaida linked suicide bombers who killed more than 60 people. Livni arrived in Turkey on Sunday for a two-day visit that is expected to include discussions on bilateral ties, the Hamas-led Palestinian government and Iran''s nuclear program. The visit is the first time that Turkish and Israeli ministers will meet since a brief rift between Israel and Turkey sparked by Ankara''s hosting of Khaled Meshaal, the exiled political leader of Hamas. Hamas won the last Palestianian elections but is responsible for killing hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks.

House Passes Anti-Palestinian Legislation, Senate Fight Continues
Electronic Intifada/Council for the National Interest 5/23/2006
The House of Representatives today passed a controversial bill (H. R. 4681) that would punish all Palestinians, not just members of Hamas, for electing a Hamas-led government in January''s legislative elections. The Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 passed the House under suspension of the rules by a vote of 361-37 (with 9 members voting "Present"), despite nearly four months of strong opposition from the Council for the National Interest and other national organizations, including Churches for Middle East Peace, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Americans for Peace Now, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. The Bush Administration itself deemed the bill "unnecessary" in a memo outlining its opposition.

Hamas denounces Bush over borders
BBC 5/24/2006
Palestinian ruling party Hamas has denounced the US president''s support for Israeli plans to unilaterally redraw its borders if peace talks fail. A Hamas spokesman said it would spell the end for the Palestinian cause. George W Bush described Israel''s plan as "bold" after talks with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, but urged him to pursue direct talks with the Palestinians. Hamas, branded a terror group by the US, Israel, and the EU, won elections in January and formed a government. ''Statehood unviable'': Mr Olmert is proposing the withdrawal of tens of thousands of Israelis from isolated settlements in the West Bank while, at the same time, consolidating other settlements housing hundreds of thousands of others. Palestinians see the Israeli plan as a land grab of territory captured by Israel in 1967 and have condemned it.

Egypt proposes stationing troops in Gaza Strip to stop clashes
ReliefWeb 5/23/2006
Gaza_(dpa) _ Egypt has suggested stationing Egyptian troops in the Gaza Strip to keep order between the Hamas and Fatah factions whose rivalry has led to violent - and sometimes lethal - clashes, sources in both movements said. The proposal, put forward by an Egyptian mediator, was initially rejected by both Hamas and Fatah, but on Tuesday officials from both sides were reported to be examining the offer. Hamas-Fatah tensions have steadily risen since the former replaced the latter as the Palestinian ruling party following the January 25 elections. A gunfight Monday between rival security forces loyal to each movement resulted in the death of the personal driver of the Jordanian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, and left nine Palestinian policemen wounded.

EU states split over Palestinian aid plan
ReliefWeb 5/18/2006
BRUSSELS, May 18 (Reuters) - Donors and financial institutions will meet in Brussels next week to try to flesh out a temporary aid mechanism for Palestinians, still split over its scope and how it should work, diplomats said on Thursday. Donors suspended direct aid to the Palestinian Authority after Islamist militant group Hamas, listed as a terror group in Europe and the United States, won January elections. But fear of a humanitarian crisis has prompted them to work out ways of getting basic aid to Palestinians while bypassing Hamas. Officials of the 25 EU states will meet on Tuesday and international financial institutions and donors on Wednesday to discuss the mechanism proposed by the quartet of Middle East mediators, a spokeswoman for the EU''s executive Commission said.

Abbas seeks help at Putin talks
BBC 5/15/2006
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss aid programmes to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. During the talks in Russia''s Black Sea resort of Sochi, Mr Putin said that Moscow was a reliable and consistent friend of the Palestinians. After militant group Hamas won in elections in January, direct funding from the US and Europe was stopped. But Russia says isolating the Palestinians in this way is wrong. Mr Abbas said that the Palestinians were hoping to "get out of this crisis as soon as possible", warning that otherwise they would be facing "extremely difficult conditions".

Livni: Israel willing to release some tax money held from PA
Ha''aretz 5/11/2006
Israel is willing to release some of the tax money it has refused to transfer to the Palestinian Authority since Hamas won legislative elections in January to fund humanitarian projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni announced Wednesday. Earlier Wednesdsay, John Bolton, the United States enjoy to the United Nations, said the U.S. has not yet agreed to the proposed Quartet plan to channel aid to the Palestinians. According to Bolton, the U.S. is waiting for the European Union to complete drafting the proposal, and will decide afterwards. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas signalled suspicion Wednesday over the Quartet plan, hinting that the U.S. -EU-UN-Russian group was trying to force Hamas to agree to formally recognize Israel and renounce violence.

Palestinians call on quartet to continue aid
ReliefWeb 5/9/2006
Ramallah/Gaza_(dpa) _ The Palestinian leadership Tuesday urged the international "quartet" to continue aid to the Palestinians, despite a boycott of the Hamas-led government. "We hope the quartet will take the decision to continue with aid," Saeb Erekat, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chief negotiator said. He made the plea hours before the representatives of the quartet -the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union - were to meet in New York. On the agenda will be a debate whether to transfer funds to pay the salaries of more than 130,000 Palestinian Authority employees who have not received their dues since the Islamic Hamas movement came to power after winning the January 25 elections.

Israeli official meets Hamas prisoners
AlJazeera 5/9/2006
Al-Zahar says he met a European foreign minister -- An Israeli official recently met a group of Palestinian prisoners that included jailed Hamas legislators, an Israeli newspaper reports. The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted a ministry official as saying Motti Zaken, an adviser on Arab affairs at the internal security ministry, had met some of 2,200 prisoners held at two jails, among them Hamas legislators. Despite Israel''s formal boycott of Hamas, the meeting was to "to assess their mood", the newspaper reported. It was the first such reported contact between an Israeli official and Hamas, which now heads the Palestinian government since the January parliamentary elections. Israel has jailed about a dozen Hamas members of parliament over alleged security offences.

Hamas PLC members meet with Israeli prison and government officials, but not to discuss political issues
Palestine News Network 5/9/2006
The Israeli daily, Yediot Aharanot, reported Tuesday morning that a meeting between the Legislative Council of Prisoners, comprised of all Palestinian factions, was held with the Al Naqab (Negev Desert) Israeli Prison Administration and a member of the Israeli government to discuss political issues since Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections. However, to find out the real story, the Palestine News Network spoke with several Palestinian political prisoners in Al Naqab this morning. The Israeli Prison Administration requested a meeting with Hamas members in the Palestinian Legislative Council who are also political prisoners. The Hamas members from the PLC agreed to the meeting as it was not to discuss political issues, but rather to discuss the situation of prisoners inside Al Naqab.

"Israel foils plot to kill Palestinian president"
Times of London 5/7/2006
[Reader, beware - Ed. ] Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv -- A HAMAS plot to assassinate Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has been thwarted after he was tipped off by Israeli intelligence. Hamas’s military wing, the Izza Din Al-Qassem, had planned to kill Abbas at his office in Gaza, intelligence sources said. Abbas, who became president of the Palestinian Authority last year after the death of Yasser Arafat, was formally warned of the danger by the Israelis and cancelled a planned visit to the territory. The murder plan is the clearest sign yet of the tensions inside the Palestinian Authority between Hamas, which swept to power after elections in January, and Abbas’s Fatah movement. -- See also: Armed Palestinian resistance wing aghast at British newspaper report that they intend to assassinate President Abbas

Hamas blames US for salary block
BBC 5/3/2006
Hamas says it has raised enough cash to pay salaries owed to Palestinian workers but blames the US for pressuring banks to block payments. Prime Minister Ismail Haniya said Hamas had gathered new donations from Arab and Muslim states after the US and European Union suspended financial aid. But the US has tried to stop the funds being transferred straight into workers'' accounts, Mr Haniya said. The US and EU want Hamas to drop calls for the destruction of Israel. Many Palestinians directly employed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) have not been paid since March. Hamas dominated elections to the Palestinian parliament held in January, but has faced a financial crisis since forming a government.

Israeli and Palestinian women leaders call for a return to peace negotiations
ReliefWeb/UNIFEM 5/3/2006
New York - Members of the International Women''s Commission, in New York for meetings with UN officials, expressed concern that the results of the Palestinian elections are being seen as a reason to disengage from the peace process, when in fact, this is a critical moment to explore a resumption of negotiations. If not seized now, they said, the chance will be lost. The International Women''s Commission (IWC) is comprised of Israeli, Palestinian and international women who came together in July 2005 to work towards a just and sustainable peace based on a two-state solution. They are in the United States to meet with UN and US officials to gather support.

Hamas: Blocking of funds to PA government is ''real Holocaust''
Ha''aretz 5/3/2006
The cutting of funds to the Hamas-led Palestinian government amounted to a "real Holocaust," the leader of the militant group, Khaled Meshal, said Wednesday. Speaking to a rally of about 450 people convened by Palestinian students at Damascus University, Mashaal said Hamas would overcome the drive by Israel and Western states to stop the flow of funds to the Palestinian government. The United States, European Union, Israel and other nations have stopped giving direct aid to the government because Hamas, which won power in January''s elections, refuses to renounce violence and to recognize Israel.

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)

Palestinian journalist says he was tortured while imprisoned by Israel
International Middle East Media Center 5/26/2006
Israel on Wednesday released Palestinian journalist Awadh Rajoub after spending six months in jail for what the Israeli army describes as “security-related” violation. Rajoub, 28, was charged with harboring pro-Hamas sentiments, and allowing a Hamas operative in the Hebron region to send a letter, using Rajoub’s personal email, to the abroad-based Hamas leadership. The letter, according to charge sheet, pertained to preparations for municipal and legislative elections in the West Bank. Rajoub told the Israeli judge that he would have never allowed the letter to go through his email system had he known its content and destination. However, the judge rejected Rajabob’s argument and sentenced him to another six-month suspended jail term.

SchNEWS: “Wall of Shame - West pushes Palestinians further into crisis”
International Solidarity Movement 5/22/2006
From SchNEWS number 544: The remnants of Palestinian civil society, brutalized by the occupation and ongoing encirclement by the apartheid wall, is now reeling under the shock of the sudden removal of all US and EU aid. Their crime? To have voted in free and fair elections for a movement, Hamas, which Bush and Blair argue is ‘terrorist’. Bank transfers to the Palestinian Authority (PA) have been blocked by the US. Slowly but surely the PA is being starved of the funds needed to maintain basic services and infrastructure. The civil workforce have not been paid for two months and hospitals are desperately short of vital medicines. Jack Straw argued that aid to the PA had to be cut because Hamas refuses to recognise Israel or renounce the right to resist the occupation.

International Federation issues ‘Call for Support’ to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS)
ReliefWeb/IFRC 5/17/2006
Following elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council on 25 January 2006, the major financial contributors to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) suspended their support. This is severely limiting the capability of the PNA to deliver essential services to the Palestinian people. More than 140,000 PNA employees (including 60,000 security personnel) are no longer receiving their salaries. All other payments, maintenance and procurements done by the PNA are suspended as well. The consequences are serious, making worse a humanitarian situation already characterized as very difficult.... PRCS[issued] an Emergency Appeal on 19 April 2006 calling on donors to ensure support for salaries and essential running costs to maintain the most critical PRCS services for the Palestinian population.

Denmark offers emergency aid to Palestinians
ReliefWeb 5/16/2006
COPENHAGEN, May 16, 2006 (AFP) - Denmark said Tuesday it would give seven million kroner (1. 2 million dollars, 940,000 euros) in emergency humanitarian aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to help ease the financial crisis brought on by the international boycott of the Hamas government. The Danish funding comes in response to a United Nations appeal to international donors, Development Aid Minister Ulla Toernaes said in a statement. The United States and the European Union, the main donor to the Palestinians giving 500 million euros a year, both suspended aid to the Palestinians after the radical Islamic group Hamas won elections in January.

Global Conference in Geneva to Sharpen Focus on Boycotts of Apartheid Israel
Stop The Wall 5/11/2006
The Swiss committees of “Collectifs Urgence Palestine” and the European Coordination for Palestine (ECCP) will hold an international Conference in Geneva, May 26-28. With boycott workshops and presentations organised, and a wide array of speakers and activists in attendance, the conference has the potential to inject fresh vigour into the various boycott Apartheid Israel initiatives. Organizers state how “the recent sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the E. U. to punish Palestinians for the legislative elections outcome add to the abdication by the international community of its obligations in the face of violations of international law, the Geneva Conventions, the refusal to comply with the International Court of Justice advisory opinion concerning the wall as well as with dozens of UN resolutions. ”

Recommendations of the Palestinian Health Policy Forum on the implications of the imposed financial and economic sanctions on the Palestinian people
Palestine Monitor 5/8/2006
The Palestinian Health Policy Forum has, in the last two months, studied the implications of the political, financial and economic sanctions post the Palestinian Legislative Council elections and the formation of the new Palestinian Government reflected through the suspension of the International Aid by the American Government and the European Union, coupled with the Israeli government withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, restricting Palestinian trade activities, movement of labor, the ghetoization of towns and cities along with the continued constructions of the apartheid annexation and expansion wall, the expansion of settlements, control over natural resources and the increased checkpoints denying people access to services- particularly in health- and severely hampering Palestinian''s potential and aspirations towards establishing a Palestinian State.

Siege is leading to a Health Catastrophe in Palestine
Palestine Monitor 4/30/2006
Many international parties decided to stop their financial aid to the Palestinian people, following the Palestinian Legislative Elections that took place on 26 of January 2006 and was described as the most democratic and transparent in the region, which led to forming a new Palestinian government. This coincided with Israeli escalations against Palestinian civilians including intensive artillery shelling, assassinations, massive detentions, and strict closures. As a result, the economic, social and health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories has deteriorated to an unprecedented and alarming level, warning of a dangerous humanitarian catastrophe. We, the members of the health sector in Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network—PNGO—emphasize the following...

Centre for Peace and Democracy launches Campaign of Solidarity
Ma''an News 5/1/2006
Bethlehem-Ma''an-The Palestinian Centre for Peace and Democracy in Bethlehem is organizing a Campaign of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. The Center called on the international community to respect the results of the Palestinian elections and emphasized the need for continued political and financial support to the Palestinian people. The Centre warned of the unforeseen consequences that may arise as a result of the Israel blockade and policy of starvation of the Palestinian people. Volunteers from the Centre are collecting signatures in support of the continuation of aid to the Palestinian people. These will be translated into all languages and presented to the representatives of all countries in Palestine by the end of this month. [end]

People..

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

Out of Money but Not Resources
Washington Post 5/12/2006
With Aid Cut Off, Palestinians Turn to Each Other to Get By -- BEIT IKSA, West Bank -- At the end of last month, a crowd gathered in the town hall here to take part in an unusual act. About 75 people, all employees of the Palestinian Authority, were getting paid. Like the rest of the 150,000 Palestinian civil servants, the teachers, bureaucrats and policemen here had not received a paycheck for nearly two months, the result of a freeze in international aid following Hamas''s victory in January legislative elections. But this village has a patron, a native son who prospered in the United Arab Emirates. Although he has returned to his birthplace only a handful of times since leaving with his family following the 1967 Middle East war, over the years Zuhair Jubran has remembered his village in trying times, few more so than now.

Birzeit University Poll: 63% of Palestinians Support National Unity Government
Palestine Media Center/Birzeit University 4/29/2006
Development Studies Programme, Public Opinion Poll # 26 -- Dates of fieldwork: 19/4/2006, Sample Size: 630 Palestinians in the West Bank & Gaza, Number of Sampling Localities: 43, Margin of error: + 4% -- Highlights: • 63% support a National Unity Government, while 24% support the continuation of a Hamas-led government. • There is a decline in the percentage of voters willing to vote for Hamas from 50% to 44%. The Fateh vote continues at 34%. • 53% say that they are satisfied with the outcome of the latest PLC elections, compared with 59% (20 days ago). • 41% believe that the Hamas win will positively impact internal conditions, compared with 59% (20 days ago). • There is a drop in the evaluation of President Abbas from 54% to 43%; and for Prime Minister Haniyyeh from 64% to 57%....

Poll: Hamas popularity dips, still higher than that of Fatah
Ha''aretz 4/30/2006
A new Palestinian public opinion poll shows that less Palestinians are now willing to vote for Hamas if elections were held today, compared to last month. However, the poll, released on Saturday, found that the popularity of Hamas remains higher than that of its main rival, Fatah. The poll said support for Hamas stood at 38 percent compared to 30 percent for Fatah. The poll, conducted by Birzeit University''s Development Studies Program on April 19, three weeks after Hamas formed its first ever government, found that 44 percent said they would vote for Hamas if elections were held on the survey date compared to 50 percent who said they would vote for Hamas in a poll conducted only 20 days earlier, on March 29.

International..

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..

West Bank family tells of crisis
BBC 5/24/2006
Hussein Mansour, 39, and his wife, Ibtisam, 30, counted themselves lucky until three months ago. Although the couple live in the rundown Balata refugee camp in Nablus, they both drew salaries from the Palestinian Authority. To get by the Mansour family are eating into their savingMr Mansour works at the Saed Sayed school in Nablus. His wife works at the city''s al-Watani hospital as a nurse. But following Hamas'' victory in the Palestinian elections, the European Union and the US both cut aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. Israel is also withholding $50m in tax revenues every month. That means that more than 160,000 state employees of the Palestinian Authority - teachers, nurses, the police and security forces - have not been paid for over two and half months.

Palestinian fuel crisis looming
BBC 5/10/2006
An Israeli firm providing the only fuel source to the Palestinians has decided to cut off supplies because of mounting Palestinian Authority (PA) debts. The Palestinian Petroleum Agency head said he expected petrol and cooking gas would run out within hours. The PA has faced financial crisis since foreign aid was frozen after Hamas - regarded as a terrorist movement by the US and EU - won elections in January. A plan to channel donor aid directly to the Palestinians was agreed on Tuesday. The Palestinian Authority is reported to owe the Israeli company Dor Energy about $26m. The company has been the sole provider of gasoline to Palestinian areas since the mid-1990s.