Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Elections Archive - September 2008
Elections Archive - September 2008
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Hamas challenges Abbas term extension Jerusalem Post 9/29/2008 Hamas is planning to declare one of its top officials as interim president of the Palestinian Authority after Mahmoud Abbas’s term in office expires in January 2009, Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip said Sunday. The officials told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas would not recognize Abbas as president of the PA after that date. "We will remove his pictures from all the public institutions," said one official. "Until now, our policy has been not to challenge Abbas’s legitimacy as the elected leader of the Palestinian Authority. " But, the Hamas official warned, his movement was determined to see Abbas step down in January. "If he wants to seek another term in office, he should run in new elections. By announcing that he will stay in power for another year, Abbas is acting in violation of the Palestinian Basic Law. Abbas hears ’hopeful’ words during talks at White House Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 9/26/2008 WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush told visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that he remained "hopeful" of a Middle East peace breakthrough before leaving office in January. "I’ve got four more months left in office, and I’m hopeful that the vision that you and I have worked on will come to pass, and my only pledge to you is that I’ll continue to work hard," to see that it can come to pass," said Bush. "We will continue to work with you, and we will continue to keep the hope alive in order to reach a political solution for our issue and for the Middle East," Abbas said. Forty days before the US elections, four months before Bush’s term ends, both sides have worked to show that the political calendar won’t slow efforts to create a Palestinian state "living side by side at peace with Israel. Shihab to PNN: on verge of another outbreak of internal fighting PNN, Palestine News Network 9/25/2008 Gaza -- The official spokesman of Islamic Jihad, Daoud Shihab, told PNN on Thursday that the Palestinian arena is on the verge of another outbreak of internal fighting if the division remains. "Consensus must be returned before the end of President Abbas’ term," Shihab said from Gaza today. "Good intentions regarding the dialogue are not enough. "Should fighting return to the streets many political leaders believe the Palestinian national cause will become entirely fractured. The presidential term of Abbas is slated to end in January 2009, but the Legislative Council term will not reach completion under 2010. The call for simultaneous elections in order to avoid further problems between the Ramallah and Gaza governments is becoming more difficult to realize. Shihab says the issue of the presidential term factors into the deepening internal divide and that whenever Abbas’. . . Yousef calls on the Quartet committee to change its policies Palestinian Information Center 9/25/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Ahmad Yousef, the political advisor of the PA foreign ministry in Gaza, Strip has called on the Quartet Committee on Wednesday to rethink its political stands on the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, urging it to recognize the legitimate government of premier Ismael Haneyya. In an open letter he addressed to members of the quartet committee (UN, EU, USA, and Russia), Yousef asserted that the Committee’s political stands have failed in solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and that it is about time for the committee to rethink those stands, and to sincerely work and put pressure on the Israeli occupation government to abide by the international laws if it wants peace to be achieved in the region. "Your committee is meeting today to discuss peace in the Middle east"¦ three years had passed since the PA legislative elections that was described as the most honest and. . . Haniyya says road to Palestinian dialogue looks ’impassable’ Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 9/25/2008 GAZA CITY: Deposed Palestinian Premier Ismail Haniyya cast doubt Wednesday on Egyptian-brokered Palestinian unity talks between his Hamas movement and President Mahmoud Abbas’ rival Fatah party. "What is happening on the ground in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank indicates that the road to dialogue is impassable and faces major obstacles," Haniyya, who now heads a rump government in the Gaza strip, said in a statement. "There is one hand asking for dialogue and another hand holding a knife behind its back," he added. The two main Palestinian movements have been bitterly divided since Hamas won democratic elections and formed a government in 2006. A power struggle ensued as Israel and its Western allies tried to force Hamas out of office, eventually descending into street battles in June 2007. The divisions deepened when Hamas fighters routed their Fatah rivals in Gaza, prompting Abbas. . . Hamas: After 9 January, Abbas is ’secretary general of Fatah’ Ma’an News Agency 9/24/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – A leader within the Hamas movement said on Wednesday that Hamas will not recognize the legitimacy of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when his term of office ends in January 2009. A leader within the movement, Isma’il Radwan, told Ma’an that Hamas will consider Abbas “illegitimate” if his term continues without first achieving internal reconciliation and if Palestinian presidential elections do not take place on time in accordance with Palestinian law. Sources close to Hamas also said that the movement is “currently studying a number of descriptions” for the president should he not step down. De facto Interior Minister Sa’id Siyam will consider Abbas “secretary general of Fatah or former president” after 9 January 2009, he said. Fatah: Disunity will end in 'confrontation or through dialogue’ Ma’an News Agency 9/23/2008 Ramallah – Ma’an – Disunity between the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, led by Fatah, and the Hamas-run de facto government in the Gaza Strip can be ended “through confrontation or through dialogue,” the head of the negotiations team said Monday. Ahmad Qurei asserted that losing legislative elections injured the Fatah movement, though not as much as its biggest loss, the Gaza Strip. “A third wound will not be accepted by Fatah, and will mark the end,” he said. Qurei said that Fatah’s first priority is enhancing its internal unity, which he said could be accomplished through the upcoming sixth conference. Qurei spoke at a fast-breaking meal in Jerusalem, which was organized by Fatah in Ramallah. At the dinner, he applauded Egyptian efforts to heal rifts between Palestinian factions. Highlighting Fatah’s upcoming delegation to Cairo, Qurei said that. . . Mishaal: Arab states have to deal with all Palestinian legitimacies Palestinian Information Center 9/23/2008 DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Khaled Mishaal, the head of the Hamas political bureau, stated that his Movement did not challenge the legitimacy of the presidency since it came through elections and has no problem that Arab states have relations with the presidency, but they also have to deal with all Palestinian legitimacies. Mishaal underlined that the principle is that everyone must abide by the statute law and respect it because it is the referee between them, adding that national reconciliation must address all issues without exception. The Hamas leader also pointed out that his Movement has no problem in dealing with any Arab sponsor whether alone or within comprehensive Arab auspices. He also underscored in another context that Egypt is still the party that manages the indirect talks about the prisoner swap deal with Israel, refusing to give any further details regarding the deal. Study: extension of Abbas’s term in office unlawful Palestinian Information Center 9/23/2008 AMMAN, (PIC)-- The center of Middle East studies in the Jordanian capital of Amman issued a report in which it concluded that extension of PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s term in office was unlawful as it violates the Palestinian constitution and law. The report also called on Abbas to abide by the Palestinian constitution and law and to call elections as scheduled on 8/1/2009, adding that Abbas also has to invite the central election committee to assume its role in this regard before the expiration of his mandate according to the constitution. It considered Abbas’s declaration of his intention to extend his term of office unconstitutional and illegal and will trigger legislative and constitutional chaos, adding that Abbas violated the oath he had sworn regarding abiding and protecting the Palestinian law and constitution. PLC member Al Ahmad; 'No unity government before elections'¯ Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 9/23/2008 Palestinian Legislator of Fateh movement, member of the bilateral talks committee, Azzam Al Ahmad, stated on Tuesday that there would be no unity government before holding presidential and legislative elections in Palestine. In an interview with the Al Sharq Al Awsat (Middle East) Newspaper, Al Ahmad stated that a unity government could be formed after the internal divisions and unrest are ended, and added that Hamas rejects the idea of forming a government of technocrats as it believes this would exclude the it from power. Hamas media spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum, said that Hamas wants a strong national unity government that can help the people, and respects the results of the legislative elections in which Hamas achieved an overwhelming victory. Hamas wants to remain in the upcoming government with strong representation. Poll: 28% of Palestinians back idea of joint state with Jordan Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 9/24/2008 A opinion poll conducted by A-Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus has found that support for Hamas has slipped markedly since elections were held in the West Bank and Gaza in 2006, and that a substantial segment of the Arabs in the territories support the idea of the establishment of a joint Palestinian-Jordanian state, Army Radio reported Tuesday. The survey found that 36 percent of Palestinians support Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, versus 14. 4 percent who back Hamas. A total of 30. 8 percent expressed no preference between the two organizations, and just 2. 1 percent expressed support forthe Islamic Jihad. Respondents also voiced strong support for the temporary cease-fire or hudna between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with 71. 5 percent saying they were for it. PFLP legislator: 'No legislative, presidential elections without ending internal divisions'¯ Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 9/23/2008 Khalida Jarrar, Palestinian legislator of the Abu Ali Mustafa Bloc which belongs to the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said that it is unlikely that there will be legislative and presidential elections in Palestine as long as the ongoing internal divisions and unrest continue. Jarrar told the Al Ayyam Daily newspaper that the divisions and political maneuvers that are aimed at dragging the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) into this internal unrest did not only stop its legislative role but also paralyzed it, its sessions and its activities. She also said that Hamas formed alternative committees in Gaza and added that these committees are illegal and unconstitutional. The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Fateh, the two biggest factions in Palestine, is now at its worst level in spite of talks in Cairo and attempts to resolve it. Haneyya: Gaza continues to face a big conspiracy Palestinian Information Center 9/21/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Ismail Haneyya, the premier of the PA caretaker government, has said that Gaza was targeted with a big conspiracy that was backed by the Americans, some Europeans, some Arabs and even Palestinians other than the "Zionist enemy". He told an evening gathering on Saturday in Gaza, "We are making a new history in Gaza" and conditions would never return to the previous security chaos. Haneyya noted that ever since the general elections Hamas was targeted by various parties but was backed by the Palestinian people and the Islamic masses in general. The premier pointed out that his government overcame many difficulties despite the fact that Americans, Israelis and even some Arabs and Palestinians were working against it. "Yet, this government achieved many accomplishments especially in preserving the citizens’ security, safety and stability in addition to spreading justice,. . . Palestinians Put Little Hope In Livni [September14 – September 20] MIFTAH, MIFTAH 9/20/2008 Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni won the Kadima primaries on September 17, thus taking the position over from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Livni, who was expected to win the elections over her closest rival, Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, will now have to either form a coalition for her new government or, if she is unable, go to early elections. Olmert is officially to announce his resignation on September 21. Palestinian reactions to Livni’s victory ranged from cautiously optimistic to indifferent. President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Livni on her electoral win a day later, adding that the leadership would "negotiate with whoever Israel chooses. "Livni is already the head of Israel’s negotiating team, which means she is well versed in the obstacles that face any real progress to a peace agreement between the two sides. Islamic Jihad leader calls dialogue a 'Palestinian life preserver' Ma’an News Agency 9/19/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – Dialogue between factions is the life preserver for Palestinians, their leadership, the government and the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to senior leader of Islamic Jihad Mohammad Al – Hindi. Al-Hindi said in a statement released on Friday that without dialogue, all the Palestinians would be losers, and harmed by any inability to put aside anger in order to work out a solution. He said there was a clear opportunity to reach an understanding between Fatah and Hamas over the holding of elections. Elections would be a first step towards rebuilding the security departments, and allow the two sides flexibility which would end the state of division. Al-Hindi also indicated that the issue of the prisoners exchange could be achieved as long as Israel does not harden its position. Concerning the question of who is going to rule after president Abbas finishes. . . No legal basis for postponing presidential elections to coincide with legislative elections Palestine News Network 9/19/2008 PNN -- Former Palestinian Minister of Justice for the Government of National Unity and President of the Palestinian Constitution Drafting Committee, Ahmed Al Khalidi says that the controversy surrounding the possible extension of President Abbas’ terms is primarily political, not legal. The President’s term is slated to end in January 2009, but Abbas supporters wish to extend the term to 2010 when the Legislative Council term is up in order to hold simultaneous elections between the Palestinian Authority and PLC. Al Khalidi told Al Jazeera today that the there are no legal provisions to postpone presidential elections to coincide with legislative elections. If the presidential elections are postponed to coincide with legislative elections the consequences could be dire, Al Khalidi warned. Hamas announced that the party will not recognize Abbas as president after January 2009. Sa’ar: Livni wants ’leftist’ government Gil Hoffman And Jpost.com Staff, Jerusalem Post 9/19/2008 Likud faction head Gideon Sa’ar decried on Friday Kadima leader Tzipi Livni’s invitation to Meretz to join the coalition. Livni’s overture to Meretz, Sa’ar said, was essentially a declaration of her intent to pursue - and even intensify - outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s policies of peace talks with the Syrians and Palestinians, and shows she means to establish a "leftist" government. The new Kadima Party leader knows these policies don’t have the support of the majority of the public, and therefore she won’t put her positions to the test of general elections, Sa’ar asserted. Livni kicked off a series of meetings Friday aimed at holding together and bolstering the coalition, and won the support of the GIL Pensioners Party. Livni reaches out to Meretz Attila Somfalvi, YNetNews 9/19/2008 In meeting with party chairman Oron, states desire for long-term government that includes far-left party - New Kadima chairman, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, cast her net wide in an attempt to secure a coalition for herself. Not only did she approach representatives from existing coalition members such as the Pensioner’s party, but she also met Friday with chairman of the far-left Meretz party, Chaim Oron. During her meeting with Oron, the foreign minister expressed her desire to "establish a long-term government and to include Meretz in that government. "She added that holding general elections in a few months would be the "worst possible option. " Livni stated that she is "committed to negotiations, both with the Palestinians and with the Syrians," noting that she is "not willing to pay the price of ceasing negotiations with the Palestinians. Livni in talks to form government Al Jazeera 9/19/2008 The new leader of Israel’s ruling Kadima party has begun talks on forming a new coalition government. Hours after winning a hotly contested vote, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, was in talks on Thursday with the right wing Shas party to try to cobble a coalition together and fulfil her ambition of becoming the country’s next prime minister. But a deal with Shas may make it difficult for her to negotiate a peace deal with the Palestinians because the party opposes any compromise on the future of Jerusalem. Livni has 42 days to form a new government if she hopes to avert snap elections that opinion polls say she would lose to the right-wing Likud party led by Benjamin Netanyahu, a former prime minister. She was declared the winner in an election to replace Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, as. . . Hamas: Mofaz’s call for the assassination of resistance leaders does not frighten Palestinian Information Center 9/12/2008 Gaza, (PIC)-- Hamas has described the call for the assassination of resistance leaders made by Israeli transport minister Shaul Mofaz as "stupid" and does not worry the movement’s leaders in the least. Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a special statement to PIC on Friday: "Mofaz’s call to assassinate leaders of the Resistance is a stupid one, does not worry us in Hamas and reflects the state of confusion in occupation [politicians’] ranks between escalation and calm. " The spokesman stressed that his movement was ready to deal with any eventuality whether it is towards calm or escalation. Mofaz has called, in an interview published Friday in the Hebrew Maariv newspaper, for a resumption of assassination of Palestinian resistance leaders. Mofaz, who is one of four candidates running for the leadership elections of Kadima party, said in a reply to a question. . . Abu Zuhri: Reconciliation bids should be based on respecting election results Palestinian Information Center 9/9/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement has stressed that any Arab reconciliation efforts should be based on respecting Palestinian legitimacies and the results of elections. Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a press statement on Monday that Hamas confirms its insistence on dialog as a way out of the internal Palestinian crisis. The spokesman, who was commenting on the inauguration of the Arab foreign ministerial council in Cairo, said that Hamas responded favorably to all Arab mediation efforts and reiterated its readiness to cooperate with them or any other efforts. He called for a balanced Arab approach toward various Palestinian parties based on respecting legitimacies, election results and its consequences and the Palestinian basic law. Not inviting the Palestinian government in Gaza, which won majority of votes in the general elections and won confidence. . . Arab League protective of Palestinian national dialogue, Israelis not serious about peace PNN, Palestine News Network 9/9/2008 Cairo -- Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Mousa said today that any party impeding the Palestinian national dialogue will be met with a serious and practical response. Individual party consultations are ongoing in Cairo before the comprehensive dialogue begins. A source in the Hamas government reported that invitations arrived to both the Fateh and Hamas parties for individual talks in Cairo after Eid Al Fitr which comes at the end of the month of Ramadan. However, another call was issued on Tuesday to postpone the national dialogue until after the United States holds its presidential elections. The current US administration still exercises what Palestinian parties refer to as a "veto" regarding the make-up of the Palestinian government. Upon conclusion of the 130th session of the Arab League in Cairo, Mousa said that sanctions would be imposed on anyone who attempted to stop the dialogue. Nazzal renews Hamas’s rejection of sending Arab forces to Gaza Palestinian Information Center 9/8/2008 DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Mohammed Nazzal, the political bureau member of the Hamas Movement, has renewed his Movement’s rejection to dispatching Arab forces to the Gaza Strip as proposed by Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abul Ghait. Nazzal in an exclusive statement to the PIC on Monday said, "We don’t think that the Gaza Strip is in need of Arab forces but rather needs an effective and serious Arab role to bolster and achieve Palestinian national entente". Asked on a statement by Abdul Rahim Mallouh, one of the PFLP leaders, to London-based Al-Hayat newspaper that a solution to the internal Palestinian problem was simultaneous Palestinian presidential and legislative elections, Nazzal said that Mallouh and the Palestinian left is now totally subservient to the Palestinian right. There is no difference between the position of Mallouh and the leftist forces in the Palestinian arena and. . . Abu Zuhri: Abbas not authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people Palestinian Information Center 9/7/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, has underlined that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas was no longer authorized to negotiate with the Israeli occupation authority in the name of the Palestinian people. Abbas’s insistence on maintaining negotiations with the IOA reflects the project he and his negotiating team are promulgating regardless of the results, Abu Zuhri elaborated in a press release. He said that there is no way that any agreement reached by Abbas with the IOA would be applied, noting that Abbas was about to leave office. He said that any referendum on such an agreement should be made only after restructuring the PLO on new agreed upon basis. The spokesman, who was commenting on Israeli president Shimon Peres’s statement that Hamas should not be allowed to participate in any future elections, said that the statement meant nothing for his Movement. Mallouh’s exit strategy: simultaneous legislative and presidential elections PNN, Palestine News Network 9/6/2008 Cairo -- The internal divide between the two operating governments continues to wreak havoc on Palestinian affairs. The Assistant Secretary-General of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abdel Rahim Mallouh, said on Saturday that the cure to the crisis is creating a "consensus to hold simultaneous presidential and legislative elections. "He said that without this "we will be giving ourselves a hellish lesson. "Cairo is hosting initial, individual factional meetings before the onset of the comprehensive national dialogue slated to begin after Eid Al Fitr which comes at the close of the month of Ramadan. Mallouh told the press that "no issues can be resolved without internal reconciliation. "In the face of the internal breakdown, Palestinian negotiators from Ramallah continue to deal with the Israelis, while several statements have been issued indicating. . . Peres: 'terrorist' organizations like Hamas do not belong in democratic elections Ma’an News Agency 9/6/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli president Shimon Peres said on Friday that Hamas should not be given the opportunity to participate in Palestinian elections unless they abandon what he called their “terrorism track. ”Israeli radio quoted Peres as saying, “Hamas practices shooting, murder, religious and military oppression in the Gaza Strip which is contradictory to democracy. ”[end] Peres: Hamas should not participate in any future elections Palestinian Information Center 9/6/2008 ROME, (PIC)-- The Israeli president, Shimon Peres, has said that the Hamas Movement should be barred from participating in any future elections in the Palestinian lands unless it renounces what he called "terrorism" in reference to resistance against occupation. Speaking on Friday alongside PA chief Mahmoud Abbas at the Ambrosetti Forum, an annual gathering of global political and business leaders in northern Italy, Peres claimed that Hamas was pursuing practices "contrary to democratic principles" in Gaza. Shifting to another question, the Israeli president said that he did not support the idea of attacking Iran, but said that he backed stricter international penalties against it. In his speech, he also said that he backed direct talks between the Syrian and Israeli leaderships. A new mayor for Jerusalem Alex Stein, The Guardian 9/5/2008 The city’s forthcoming election hints at what might happen in Israeli elections if the peace v security debate wasn’t dominant. Jerusalem is shaping up for one of the most significant events in its contemporary history. On November 11, the Israeli capital will go to the polls to choose the successor to Uri Lupolianski. The future of the city is once again a subject for negotiations between the Israeli government and the PA, the "secular flight" continues, and east Jerusalem Palestinians remain as alienated from the authorities as ever. The mayor of Jerusalem is a powerful position; the city’s residents have an important decision to make. Meet the candidates: The favourite, according to the polls, is city council opposition leader. . . . Palestinians to propose Arab military force for Gaza Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Guardian 9/3/2008 The Palestinian government in Ramallah will propose that Arab nations deploy a joint military force in Gaza once a coalition government has been formed between the rival factions Fatah and Hamas, the Palestinian foreign minister, Riad Malki, said today. Malki said he would be taking the idea to a meeting next week of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, which opens on Monday. He said the proposal came from the Palestinians though Egypt’s foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, also raised the prospect of sending a pan-Arab force to Gaza last week. Gaza is now under the control of the Islamist Hamas movement, which won Palestinian elections in 2006 and then seized full control of the strip last year after a near civil war with its rival Fatah. The Hamas government was then sacked and the Palestinian president and Fatah leader, Mahmoud. . . Hawatmeh: we need simultaneous legislative and presidential elections Palestine News Network 9/3/2008 PNN -- With the two governments mired in conflict the leftists drew a new trajectory for the near future which includes simultaneous legislative and presidential elections. The Secretary General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatmeh, called for the formation of a transitional government comprised of independent national figures as a substitute for the governments of Salam Fayyad, representing Fateh in Ramallah, and Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas in Gaza. The proposed the transitional government would take on work and responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. Members would take steps to guarantee the security of the Palestinian people in terms of the internal conflict and enforce the law. This government would also prepare for new elections. Hawatmeh’s proposal comes at the same time as the meeting with Egyptian Intelligence. . . DFLP leader Nayif Hawatmah heading to Cairo reconciliation talks Ma’an News Agency 9/1/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – The secretary-general of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), Nayif Hawatmah on Monday led a DFLP delegation to the Palestinian reconcilliation talks in Cairo. “Disagreement can’t be treated without comprehensive national dialogue based on the Cairo declaration of March 2005 andthe Palestinian National Agreement Document which all factions signed on 27 June 2006 as well as president Abbas’ recent initiative,” Hawatmah said. He said that a national unity government should be established using those docuements as a basis. Hawatmah also suggested the formation of a transitional Palestinian government of independent Palestinian figures. This government would be in charge of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem,unite official organizations and prepare for legislative and presidential elections and elections the for the pre-Oslo Palestinian National Council. Hamas popularity among Palestinians declining, poll finds DPA, Ha’aretz 9/2/2008 The popularity of the Islamic Hamas movement is steadily declining among Palestinians, while that of its rival - the secular Fatah movement - remains unchanged, a new public opinion poll published Monday revealed. According to the poll, if parliamentary elections were held today, Fatah would receive 43 percent of the vote, compared to 29 percent for Hamas, and the movement’s leader, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, would receive the support of 53 percent of the voters, compared to 39 percent for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The survey, conducted by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, said that while the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was expected to lead to an improvement in Hamas’ standing, the fact that Gaza crossings with Egypt and Israel remained closed for most of the time and the. . .  Articles
Palestinians and Lebanon’s Elections Franklin Lamb – Beirut, Palestine Chronicle 9/25/2008 Nassarallah has often spoke of the Party’s moral duty to help return Lebanon’s Palestinian Refugees to their lands. "We in Hezbollah want to demonstrate to our adversaries and doubters what we can achieve for our fellow Lebanese and our Palestinian brothers and sisters and to show them that our Party is 10% about military matters and 90% about ending corruption and improving the quality of lives of all who live in Lebanon. We will offer the voters a clear choice and they will decide. If we win, our friends and foes alike can observe and evaluate our achievements and then work with us on a basis of mutual respect, dialogue, and cooperation if they so choose or, if we fail, vote our deputies out of Parliament. We must respect their decision." - Zeinab, a Hezbollah supporter studying at the American University of Beirut 12 September 2008 Lebanon’s 2009 election campaign is underway! As this note is written, Hezbollah election strategists are meeting nearby studying, analyzing, debating and formularizing plans for Lebanon’s make or break 2009 elections. That poll, if it happens, may determine the foreseeable future of Lebanon and is arguably this fractured country’s most important referendum since the French more on less left in 1943. The living illusion Khaled Amayreh, Al-Ahram Weekly 9/25/2008 The friendly smile hides a sinister agenda With Tzipi Livni succeeding Ehud Olmert as Israel’s next prime minister following her slim victory over former defense minister Shaul Mofaz on 18 September, most Palestinians are pinning few hopes on the "new" Israeli government’s ability to make a real difference in relations. Initially, Livni’s victory generated a modicum of euphoria, especially among observers not well-versed in Israeli politics. However, a more sobre analysis of the political realities in Israel suggests that Livni won’t be able to do much in terms of reaching a final status agreement with the Palestinian Authority without having the backing of a solid majority in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. One Israeli writer remarked following Livni’s victory that "the heart wants to hope, but the brain cannot." Some observers on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides are already predicting that the government Livni is going to form will not last long and that early general elections will have to be held in Israel sooner rather than later. Look beyond Rafah Galal Nassar, Al-Ahram Weekly 9/25/2008 Hamas needs to set its sights on the good of the Palestinian people, not simply its own self-interest. Once again, Palestinian factional leaders come to Cairo in search of elusive reconciliation. The deal they once signed in Mecca looked good, but it didn’t stick for long. Is anyone keeping track of all the rounds of talks that have been held? Dozens, hundreds perhaps! Some may recall that Fatah and Hamas started talking in the early 1990s in Sudan. Well, they’ve been talking ever since, in various venues around the region. A few years back, the positions of the two sides were far apart. Hamas posed as a resistance movement that was not going to compromise, that didn’t care about power, that was not about to sell out. And it was fond of portraying Fatah, or the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), as a sell-out. Now, these claims are hard to maintain. Hamas is in government, self-proclaimed and all. It is worried about its own survival, Jerusalem and refugee rights put on the backburner for the moment. And yet Hamas and Fatah are still at loggerheads. Instead of working out their grievances, the list keeps getting longer as time goes by. Fatah is mad at Hamas’s so-called coup. Hamas, for its part, is sure that Fatah is going to manipulate Palestinian presidential and legislative elections. PCHR Position Paper: Controversy over End of Presidential Term in Office Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 9/24/2008 There has recently been widespread national controversy regarding the end of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ term in office, which ends in January 2009. National media have published and broadcast conflicting statements and positions by Fatah and Hamas officials and politicians, as well as official statements from the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which remains split between both sides. These have included statements issued by the Acting Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Dr. Ahmad Bahar, and the President of the Fatwa Legislative Office, Abd El-Karim Abu Salah. Hamas supporters claim the current Presidential term ends on 8 January, 2009, in accordance with the end of the four-year period since the last Presidential Election was held on 9 January, 2005. They state that, unless new Presidential elections are held at this time, the Presidential post will become vacant. At this point the PLC Speaker would temporarily fill the vacancy for 60 days, during which period new elections would be held in order to elect a new President of the PNA, as stated in the Palestinian Basic Law. However, Fatah supporters claim that Election Law No. 9 (2005), which was passed by the PLC, extended the President’s term in order to allow simultaneous elections for the PLC and the Palestinian Presidency to be held at the end of the PLC term in January 2010. Palestinian politics on the road to nowhere Mel Frykberg, Electronic Intifada 9/22/2008 RAMALLAH, West Bank (IPS) Israeli-Palestinian peace talks appear to have hit a dead end, while efforts to bridge the yawning chasm which divides Hamas and Fatah politically and ideologically appear to be going nowhere. The two main streams of Palestinian politics are already locking horns over when the next legislative and presidential elections will be held, and whether Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, or Abu Mazen as he is better known, is legally entitled to stay in power beyond January 2009. Abbas said earlier that presidential elections would be held in January 2009 and legislative elections in January 2010. But he has now stated categorically that he would not step down until 2010. "I think that the elections for parliament and the presidency should take place together, in January 2010," he said last week. Abbas further said that any future unity government would have to respect agreements signed with Israel. The more militant factions in Hamas have stated they will not recognize Israel. But there are more moderate and pragmatic factions within the resistance movement who have hinted that some kind of future accommodation with Israel is possible. Shimon Peres: murderer, liar and hypocrite Khalid Amayreh in Ramallah, Palestinian Information Center 9/7/2008 Once again, we are affronted by another despicable statement by Shimon Peres, the deceitful elderly Israeli president who has spent a lifetime serving the evil Zionist enterprise. In a statement in Rome on Friday, 5 September, Peres called for barring Hamas from taking part in any future elections in occupied Palestine until the group terminated all forms of resistance to the Nazi-like Israeli occupation. Peres utterly ignored the lingering reign of murder and terror inflicted for too long on the helpless and virtually unprotected Palestinians by a morally callous state that thinks that the events which took place in Europe more than six decades ago justify the genocidal ethnic cleansing being meted out to Zionism’s victims. Peres, who apparently would have us believe that Israel is the oasis of justice and freedom in the Middle East, also accused the Palestinian Islamic movement of "intolerance"¯ and of indulging in "religious and military terror"¯ which he said was incompatible with democratic values. Jordan-Hamas: the Historic and Strategic Meaning Asher Susser, MIFTAH 9/2/2008 Jordan’s recent widely publicized resumption of contact with Hamas should be seen through the wider lens of the historic and strategic context. In the summer of 1999 King Abdullah II, shortly after his ascension to the throne, expelled the Hamas leadership from Jordan. The recent resumption of contact with Hamas was the first significant reversal of Jordan’s almost decade-long confrontational stand toward the organization. Hamas’ expulsion from Jordan was a reflection of the young King Abdullah’s shifting priorities in comparison to those of his late father King Hussein. For Hussein, the Hamas presence in Amman was a card to play against Yasser Arafat in Palestinian politics, from which he never really withdrew. For Abdullah, far more focused on Jordan of the East Bank, it was a political nuisance and a potential domestic security problem. But now, after nearly a decade on the throne Abdullah II is far more confident in the saddle. Moreover, in the Jordanian elections in November 2007 the Islamists were battered into virtual parliamentary insignificance by massive fraud, sanctioned if not directly orchestrated by the regime. LinksAdalah Adalah (Justice in Arabic) is the first non-profit, non-sectarian Palestinian-run legal center in Israel. The main goal of Adalah’s work is to achieve equal rights and minority rights protections for Palestinian citizens of Israel. Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Organization: Addameer (conscience) is a Palestinian non-governmental, civil institution which focuses on human rights issues. Supports Palestinian prisoners, advocates for rights of political prisoners, works to end torture. Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. AI’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Amnesty International USA Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. AI’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Arab Association for Human Rights - HRA The HRA was founded in 1988 to promote and protect the political, civil, economic, and cultural rights of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel and to further the domestic implementation of international human rights principles. It is an independent non-governmental organisation registered in Israel. Association for Civil Rights in Israel - ACRI In Hebrew - The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) was founded in 1972 as a non-political and independent body, with the goal of protecting human and civil rights in Israel and in the territories under Israeli control. B’tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel. Boycott Israeli Medical Association UK: The Medical Committee for Boycott of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) will document the systematic torture of Palestinian people by agents of Israel. It will publicise the practice in order to bring world opinion to bear on Israel. And it will challenge the Israeli Medical Association which has repeatedly failed to issue advice to doctors who are involved in any way with torture. Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. Palestinian Center for Human Rights The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is an independent legal body based in Gaza City dedicated to protecting human rights, promoting the rule of law, and upholding democratic principles in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian Prisoners Society The Palestinian Prisoner Society is a social and human institution and its members are prisoners inside prisons and released prisoners. Membership is open to every Palestinian prisoner inside and outside prisons who meets the conditions of membership. Physicians for Human Rights - Israel Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHR-Israel) was established in 1988 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, dedicated to promoting and protecting the medical human rights of all residents of Israel and the Occupied Territories. Public Committee Against Torture in Israel - PCATI An independent human rights organization founded that monitors the implementation conditions in detention centers and continues the struggle against the use of torture in interrogation in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine The main collection contains the texts of current and historical United Nations material concerning the question of Palestine and other issues related to the Middle East situation and the search for peace. World Organisation Against Torture OMCT is today the largest international coalition of NGOs fighting against torture,summary executions, forced disappearances and all other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in order to preserve Human Rights. It has at its disposal a network, SOS Torture, consisting of some 240 non-governmental organisations which act as sources of information.
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