Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Elections Archive - November 2008
Elections Archive - November 2008
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Indirect prisoner-swap talks resume under Egyptian mediation Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/29/2008 Palestinian sources reported on Saturday that a Hamas delegate will be heading to Cairo soon in order to resume the Egyptian mediated indirect prisoner-swap talks between Hamas and Israel. Israel recently proposed the release of 220 detainees from a list of 450 detainees presented by Hamas. The list of detainees suggested by Hamas includes detainees who are sentenced to very high terms and leaders of resistance groups. Hamas officials said that the Israeli offer is insufficient while Israel rejected the list presented by Hamas and decided to increase pressures on the Gaza Strip by carrying invasions and intensifying the siege. Meanwhile, Israeli sources reported that Israel’s outgoing, scandal burdened, Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, will practice "exceptional efforts" in order to achieve a prisoner-swap deal with Hamas before the general elections in Israel. PLC Speaker undergoes emergency surgery in Israeli prison Palestine News Network - PNN, International Middle East Media Center News 11/29/2008 After months of appeals on behalf of his health, Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Dr. Aziz Dweik underwent emergency gallstone surgery yesterday. Imprisoned for 28 months, Dweik is considered one of thousands of Palestinian victims of Israeli torture and medical neglect. The official was arrested during the Israeli assault on elected Palestinians in 2006. He was taken for winning the Legislative Council elections on the Change and Reform ticket affiliated with the Hamas party. Yesterday’s emergency operation was conducted in the Israeli Ramle Prison Hospital after a lengthy period of procrastination on the part of the prison administration. Dweik’s relatively advanced age and weak health did not help the suffering, which his wife appealed to alleviate countless times. The Acting Speaker of the PLC, Dr. Erekat verbally attacks Moallem, disturbs meeting of Arab foreign ministers Palestinian Information Center 11/27/2008 CAIRO, (PIC)-- PA official Saeb Erekat traded verbal altercations with Syrian foreign minister Walid Al-Moallem during the meeting of the Arab foreign ministers held Wednesday in Cairo after the latter made statements in favor of the Hamas Movement and the Gaza Strip. Informed media sources said that the verbal argument, which was strongly resented by Syrian officials, started when Erekat provocatively responded to Moallem’s statements the thing which ruined the atmosphere of the meeting. The sources explained that Erekat was unreasonably provoked when the Syrian foreign minister wished that the other Palestinian rival had attended the meeting and called for sending humanitarian aid convoys to the besieged Gaza people. The Syrian minister also underlined in his speech that the call for early elections would deepen the internal Palestinian rift. Bid to ease Palestinian divide Al Jazeera 11/26/2008 Arab foreign ministers have begun meeting in Cairo to lay the groundwork for national reconciliation talks between the main Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah. The emergency meeting on Wednesday came three days after Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, threatened to call early elections if the two sides failed to soon resolve their differences. The Fatah-allied president largely controls the occupied West Bank whereas Hamas runs the Gaza Strip. In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Ismail Haniya, the deposed Palestinian prime minister, said Fatah must stop arresting Hamas members in the West Bank before his group will join the talks. "The campaign launched by the security forces in West Bank must come to an end," he said. West Bank Alone Could Go to Polls Jumana Al Tamimi, MIFTAH 11/26/2008 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could hold elections in the occupied West Bank alone if Hamas prevents the ballot from taking place in Gaza, an Abbas aide said on Monday. " If Hamas forcibly prevents them from preparing for elections in Gaza, this is not going to stop the elections from being held. We will hold the elections in the West Bank and Hamas will be responsible for preventing the elections in Gaza," senior Abbas adviser Nimer Hammad said. The election of Abbas as President of the state of Palestine by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) late on Sunday demonstrates serious concerns over Hamas’ threats to stop recognising his authority after his term ends early next year, independent Palestinian analysts said on Monday. Abbas’s election as President aims to "boost his legitimacy in the face of Hamas threats. Hamas minister: Abbas appointment 'illegal and unprecedented' Ma’an News Agency 11/26/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Central Council lacks the authority to appoint Mahmoud Abbas president of the state of Palestine, according to the de facto Justice Ministry in the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, de facto Minister of Justice Muhammad Faraj Al-Ghoul called the PLO’s decision "illegal and unprecedented" in a statement received by Ma’an. "The Ministry of Justice is concerned about this because the PLO Central Council does not have the authority to issue such a resolution," Al-Ghoul added. The de facto minister claimed that the latest step by the PLO "is a dangerous one," which is intended to avoid deciding such matters through "legitimate elections. " The PLO "is aiming to put Abbas in Arafat’s place, but such a position must only be decided during legitimate elections by Palestinians themselves, not the PLO’s Central Council," Al-Ghoul insisted. Al-Hayat editorial suggests Abbas prepared to step down at any time Ma’an News Agency 11/26/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The most "dangerous characteristic" of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is that he is capable of renouncing his post at any moment, an editorial by the chief editor of the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper, Ghassan Shirpel, said on Wednesday. This pronouncement, from one of the Arab world’s most prominent journalists, came as Abbas is mulling early presidential and parliamentary elections. Shirpel, who has known Abbas for a long time, said he was not trying to write a eulogy, but instead, highlight the most dangerous characteristics Abbas possesses. While giving Abbas credit for clear policies, a willingness to admit when wrong, never tricking anyone and never hiding behind great speeches, Shirpel’s most positive comments were reserved for Abbas’ predecessor, Yasser Arafat. In the article, Arafat is credited with today’s ongoing negotiations and. . . PA: No date set for elections; Hamas must agree to early poll Ma’an News Agency 11/25/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – A date for new Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections has not yet been set, a senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday, correcting an earlier report. Yasser Abed Rabbo, the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), denied that he said that elections would be held in April 2009, as was reported earlier. In a telephone interview Abed Rabbo, who is also an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the reports, which cited remarks he made earlier at a press conference, were the result of a misunderstanding. “I talked about the Palestinian president calling elections at the beginning of 2009, and explained that according to Palestinian law, the preparatory committee takes three months to arrange for elections. But, the exact date for elections is the jurisdiction of Palestinian president,” Abed Rabbo told Ma’an. Abbas: Elections will be held in West Bank and Gaza Ma’an News Agency 11/25/2008 Ramallah – Ma’an –Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that presidential and early legislative elections will take place in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and called for the outcome of the elections to be respected. Abbas suggested on Sunday that he would call simultaneous elections at the end of his term January, angering Hamas, the party that controls the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The PLC’s term does not end until 2010. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting in Ramallah, Abbas said: “They [Hamas] need to realize that sooner or later elections have to be performed and if they do not succeed this time then they should accept it as we had before. ”There has been speculation that the Palestinian Authority might hold elections only in the West Bank if Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, does not agree to the poll. UN deplores trickle of aid allowed into Gaza Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/25/2008 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A United Nations spokesman slammed the amount of international food aid Israel allowed into the Gaza Strip on Monday, amid mounting international concern over a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the besieged, aid-dependent Palestinian territory. "It is most emphatically not enough," said UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness. "This drip-drip approach will not allow UNRWA to function. " With stocks running dangerously low, UNRWA had expressed fears it would have to suspend its food distribution for the second time since Israel completely sealed off the territory at the beginning of the month. Israel began its blockade after Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006. The Jewish state further tightened the noose following the pre-empting by Hamas of what many have described as a US-backed offensive by Fatah to oust the Islamists from the enclave. Sheetrit: It’s wise and worthwhile to give up the dream of a Greater Israel Greer Fay Cashman, Jerusalem Post 11/24/2008 Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit (Kadima) told members of the Foreign Press Association at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on Monday that according to the polls it looked as though Likud would be forming the next government. Sheetrit, Kadima’s campaign manager, said it was a pity that party leader Tzipi Livni had been unable to form government and called it "a lost opportunity" for reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians by 2010. Sheetrit warned that the peace process would stop if Likud won the elections because Netanyahu had already made it clear that Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley were not on the agenda for peace negotiations. "There will be no chance to make peace with Syria or the Palestinians," said Sheetrit. "There will be no peace and no Palestinian state," he added. Zahhar: Hamas is willing to achieve reconciliation away from Israeli pressures Palestinian Information Center 11/24/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a senior Hamas leader, on Monday stated that his Movement has willingness for national dialog and reconciliation under no condition and away from the Israeli pressures, criticizing PA chief Mahmoud Abbas for his threats to hold presidential and legislative elections simultaneously. Dr. Zahhar underlined that the dialog requirements entail the release of all Palestinian leading figures in the West Bank and everyone arrested because of political reasons or for resisting the Israeli occupation, pointing out that no one in the world believes Abbas’s denial of presence of political detention in the West Bank. The Hamas leader castigated Abbas’s negotiations with Israel, saying that these negotiations give the Israeli occupation a cover for committing more crimes against the Palestinian people and land. Zahhar: Abbas cannot call elections without PLC approval Ma’an News Agency 11/24/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – Senior Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahhar on Monday said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cannot call early parliamentary elections without the approval of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). At a press conference in his private home in Gaza, Zahhar responded to Abbas’ announcement on Sunday that he would call parliamentary and presidential elections in early 2009 if reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah fail. “This indicates that president Abbas is facing a serious political crisis and is trying to find a way out,” Zahhar said. Zahhar added that early elections could not be called except by a majority of the PLC. “This will not take place as long as our leaders are in Israel’s custody and in the West Bank,” he said. Hamas pulled out of a planned Palestinian dialogue conference scheduled for 9 November in protest of. . . Hamas leader rejects early elections Ali Waked and AP, YNetNews 11/24/2008 Mashaal says calling early parliamentary elections a violation of Palestinian law; PRC: Abbas already a non-factor - Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas politiburo chief exiled in Syria is dismissing the Palestinian president’s threat to hold simultaneous elections for president and parliament early next year, unless the militant group begins reconciliation talks. The two warring Palestinian factions were supposed to meet in Cairo for a round of Egyptian-mediated talks, but these were canceled after Hamas announced its intention to boycott them in protest of Fatah’s refusal to release 400 operatives imprisoned in the West Bank. Fatah negotiators were hoping that negotiations would be renewed in late November, a hope that has not materialized to date. Pursuant to Fatah threats to move up elections, the Hamas leader warned on Monday that any call for both balloting would be considered a violation of the law. Hamas slams Abbas’s intent to hold presidential and legislative elections Palestinian Information Center 11/24/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement expressed its rejection of PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s threats to hold simultaneous presidential and legislative elections if the attempts to reconcile Fatah and Hamas failed, considering this step contrary to the Palestinian law and constitution. MP Mushir Al-Masri, the secretary-general of the Hamas parliamentary bloc, called on the PA chief to abide by the constitution and to call the presidential elections on time, stressing that Abbas would not be a PA chief after the end of his term of office on the ninth of next January. MP Masri pointed out that the PA presidency would be transferred automatically to the PLC speaker who would oversee the presidential elections. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum stated in a statement received by the PIC that the PLO central council which is dominated by Fatah and not democratically elected by the Palestinian people has no right to appoint a president of Palestine. Abbas warns Hamas to accept talks or face polls Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/25/2008 RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Monday gave the Islamist Hamas movement which controls Gaza an end-of-year deadline to resume dialogue with his leadership or face snap elections. "We reiterate today that we are going to set a deadline of the end of the year for the launch of a national dialogue," Abbas said in a televised address. "If our appeal goes unheeded, we will call fresh presidential and parliamentary elections. " Hamas walked out of Egyptian-brokered reconciliation talks with Abbas’s secular Fatah movement earlier this month and has said it will only return if his security forces halts arrests of Hamas members in the Occupied West Bank. The Western-backed president said the new elections would be "based entirely on a proportional representation system," not the half proportional, half constituency-based system used in the last parliamentary elections in 2006 that saw Hamas win an upset victory. Abbas elected symbolic president Al Jazeera 11/24/2008 Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has been elected the president of the future state of Palestine by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). The position, largely symbolic because a Palestinian state has not yet been created, has been vacant since Yasser Araraf’s death four years ago. Salim Zaanoun, the head of the PLO Central Council, said an overwhelming majority of its 75 members backed the decision to nominate Abbas. "This proposal passed, and Abu Mazen [Abbas] was elected by consensus, with the opposition of one member," he said. The move is likely to bolster Abbas in his showdown with rival Palestinian group Hamas. Abbas declared on Sunday that he will call for snap elections in 2009 if Hamas fails to come to any agreement with his Fatah faction. In reversal, Abbas says he will call elections if talks with Hamas fail; Hamas rejects snap poll Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2008 Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Sunday that he will call for parliamentary and presidential elections at the beginning of 2009 if talks the Hamas movement fail. The announcement is a reversal for Abbas, who had previously sought an extension on his term in order to stay on through 2010. Hamas, holds a majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament, has insisted that Abbas step down at the end of his term in January. The most recent attempt to reconcile Abbas’ Fatah faction with Hamas failed when Hamas pulled out of planned talks in protest of a campaign of arrests against Hamas members in the West Bank. Fatah’s refusal to commit to elections in 2009 also contributed to Hamas’ decision to boycot the Egyptian-sponsored summit. Abbas made this statement during a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council. . . Meshaal chastises Arabs for silence on Gaza Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/24/2008 DAMASCUS: The exiled political chief of the Palestinian Hamas movement on Sunday slammed Arab and Islamic states for keeping silent over Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. "What is happening in the Gaza Strip is a tragedy. Shame on those who stay silent on the criminal blockade that has been imposed on Gaza. Shame on Arab and Islamic regimes and on the international community," Khaled Meshaal told a meeting in Syria on the right of return for Palestinian refugees - a right enshrined in international law. "Every Arab country could send a boat to Gaza" to break the blockade imposed since Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006, Meshaal said. Boats from Cyprus carrying international peace activists have been able to do so three times in the past three months. Israel tightened the siege after Hamas pre-empted what many have described as a US-backed offensive by the rival Fatah. . . Abbas admits no progress in peace talks with Israel Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/24/2008 RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed frustration at US-backed Middle East peace talks on Sunday on the eve of a White House meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President George W. Bush, saying that not one issue has been resolved. He also pledged to call snap presidential and parliamentary elections if there is no agreement with the Islamist Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, to end the rift in Palestinian ranks. "So far we have not reached agreement on a single question - every issue remains up for discussion," Abbas told a key decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) under whose auspices the year-old negotiations with Israel are being held. "Even if [US Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice or someone speaking in her name says, even if [Israeli Foreign Minister] Tzipi Livni or someone speaking. . . Abbas: We’ll go to elections unless Hamas reconciles Ali Waked, YNetNews 11/23/2008 Palestinian president calls for more dialogue with rival faction Hamas, but says he will go to general elections if efforts fail. Hamas, which has said it won’t recognize Abbas’ rule beyond January 9th, accused him of sabotaging talks - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that if the negotiations between the warring Palestinian factions fail to produce a genuine result by the end of the current year, he will call for a general election - meaning both for parliament and the presidency - in the Palestinian Authority in early 2009. Abbas made the comments at a meeting held by the central committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which convened to discuss the political crisis in the PA and the schism between Fatah and Hamas. Meanwhile most are expecting Hamas to appoint a president of its own in the Gaza Strip after ceasing to recognize Abbas. Zahhar: Abbas aborted dialog Palestinian Information Center 11/23/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- MP Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, one of the prominent Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, has charged PA chief Mahmoud Abbas with aborting the national conciliation dialog that was scheduled to open in Cairo early this month. Zahhar explained in a TV interview aired on Saturday that Abbas continued to allow political detention in the West Bank despite his calls for dialog, which meant that he says one thing but practices another. Hamas was and still is ready for dialog, the MP asserted, pointing out that his Movement wants a suitable atmosphere to facilitate success of the dialog. He described Abbas’s call for forming a government away from Palestinian factions as "an American wish" and the wish of many other parties which were shocked by the results of the January 2006 elections. "Abbas wants a weak government and a government that would implement American and Zionist goals", he elaborated. If dialogue fails, I will call for early elections, says President Abbas Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/23/2008 Palestinain president Mahmoud Abbas, said on Sunday that if ongoing efforts for national unity between the rival Palestinian parties fail, he would call for early presidential and parliamentary elections. Abbas’s statement came during a meeting of the central council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank city of Ramallah. " we are keen to continue our efforts for national unity among the Palestinian people and for this purpose we will call early next year for early elections", the pointed out. Abbas made clear that the reasons , on which Hamas has asked for call off of the November scheduled Cairo conference for dialogue, were not realistic, saying that the Arab peace initiative was the best as a basis for conciliation. Rival Hamas and Fatah parties were about to attend a Cairo-hosted conference for reconcilaiatio in November9, yet Hamas demanded. . . Abbas threatens snap elections Al Jazeera 11/23/2008 Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has said he would call for elections in 2009 if his Fatah movement and its rival Hamas do not reconcile by the end of this year. "If the dialogue does not begin, and if we fail, I will issue a presidential decree early next year calling for simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections," Abbas told members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation on Sunday. Elections could be held 90 days after his decree, but there was no hint of when that might be. Hamas immediately denounced Abbas’s remarks. "We reject the calling of the elections because it is illegal and unconstitutional," Fawzi Barhum, a Hamas spokesman, said. Taher al-Nunu, another Hamas spokesman, said: "The law does not give any authority to the president on parliament and nobody can dissolve it before" elections are due in 2010. Abbas calls for unity talks or early elections Jerusalem Post 11/23/2008 Threatening to call early presidential and parliamentary elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday sought the backing of a key decision-making body for his plan to extend his term in office by a year. Abbas’s decision to convene the PLO Central Council in Ramallah came after the failure of Egypt to broker an agreement between Abbas and Hamas over the extension of the PA president’s term, which expires on January 9. Hamas and several other Palestinian groups have announced that they will not recognize Abbas as president after that date. Hamas has even declared that it intends to appoint the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), who happens to be a top Hamas official, as interim PA president. Addressing the PLO representatives, Abbas said he would call early elections if efforts to end the dispute with Hamas did not succeed by the end of the year. PLO Central Council elects Abbas President of Palestine Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2008 Ramallah - Ma’an – The Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) elected Mahmoud Abbas the president of Palestine at their meeting on Sunday. Abbas’ reelection means that he will continue to hold the symbolic title of president of the declared but yet unrecognized State of Palestine. Abbas is also the chairman of the Palestinian Authority. At the Central Council’s meeting in Ramallah on Sunday Abbas said he is considering early parliamentary and presidential elections in 2009. The PLO declared independence in December 1988 amid the first Intifada, the popular uprising among Palestinians in the occupied territories that eventually forced Israel to the negotiating table. Report: Israel preparing for PA collapse; will prevent elections Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2008 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israel wants to prevent upcoming Palestinian elections "even if this means a confrontation with the United States," according to a military strategy report published in Israeli media outlets on Saturday. Israel is working toward "preventing new elections in the Palestinian Authority" and planning for the collapse of the PA, "which will effectively kill the two-state solution," Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported. The paper warned that when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s term ends on 9 January 2009, "he might disappear from the political arena," causing the PA to "disintegrate" and making a two-state solution highly unlikely. Due to the risk that Hamas could win Palestinian elections to replace Abbas, Israel should try "preventing elections in the PA, even at the cost of a confrontation with the US and international community," according to a quote lifted from the report. Olmert in Washington for ’farewell’ talks with Bush Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/24/2008 Olmert wants to clinch new commitments on Iran from Bush - WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived in Washington on Sunday ahead of a farewell meeting with President George W. Bush, with Iran’s nuclear drive set to overshadow stagnant Middle East peace talks. The Monday meeting is likely to be their last face-to-face exchange before Bush, who had once hoped to seal a Palestinian-Israeli deal in 2008, hands president-elect Barack Obama the keys to the White House on January 20. With Bush leaving office and Olmert heading a caretaker government ahead of February elections, the two leaders were unlikely to take any major decisions on any of the outstanding issues. "The prime minister wants to use the meeting as an opportunity to express his appreciation for President Bush’s friendship and support for Israel," Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said. The two will discuss "a range of bilateral issues, the peace process as well as issues of regional stability," he said, referring to Iran. We talk or go to polls, Abbas tells Hamas Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem, The Independent 11/24/2008 The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, who is facing a growing challenge from Hamas to the legitimacy of his rule, threatened yesterday to call elections unless the Islamic militant group agreed to a reconciliation with his Fatah movement. Hamas, which staged an armed takeover of Gaza in June 2007, and Fatah, which controls the West Bank, were to hold talks earlier this month in Cairo to try to resolve their differences. But Hamas decided not to take part, citing continued arrests of its followers by Mr Abbas’s security forces. "We are determined that there be a continuation of the dialogue and will make every effort for it to succeed but if not, there will be a presidential decree at the onset of next year for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections," Mr Abbas, pictured below, told a meeting of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) committee members. Gaza groups ready to restore truce with Israel - Haniyya Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/22/2008 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: The Islamist government of the Gaza Strip said Palestinian resistance groups were willing to lay down their arms and go back to a five-month-old truce - if the Jewish state did likewise. The head of the Hamas administration in Gaza, Ismail Haniyya, said all Palestinian factions in Gaza were prepared to respect the truce if Israel kept to its side of the bargain. "Over the past two days, we’ve had meetings with the Palestinian factions and we have arrived at a clear position - to respect the truce as long as the occupier does too," he said. "But so far the occupier has not honored its commitments, indeed it has closed the border crossings and tightened the blockade," he added. After Hamas won legislative elections in 2006, the Jewish state imposed a crippling siege on the territory, which it tightened when the Islamists ousted their Fatah rivals from Gaza in 2007. Israelis cheer record number of Jewish legislators in US Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 11/21/2008 A number of editorials in Israeli newspapers over the last two weeks have celebrated the fact that the November 5th elections resulted in a record number of Jewish legislators elected to the U. S. Congress. According to the Jerusalem Post, there are now 45 Jewish legislators serving in the US Congress -- 32 Congressmembers and 13 Senators. Jewish legislators have traditionally been strong supporters of the Jewish state, but with the growing movement for Palestinian rights within the Jewish community, analysts report that the traditional uncritical support for Israel may be shifting. As Israeli commentator Eitan Haber wrote in an op-ed in the Israeli paper Yedioth Ahranoth, "American Jewry is not what it used to be when it comes to its attachment to Israel, and the generation of the children and grandchildren no longer blindly follows Israel’s leadership, its speeches and demands. Media organisations complain to Israel over Gaza press blockade Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Guardian 11/20/2008 International media companies have sent a letter of protest to Israel’s prime minister challenging a decision to ban journalists from entering the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government has come under strong international criticism this week, including from Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, over itsblockade of the overcrowded strip of Palestinian territory. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that won Palestinian elections nearly three years ago and controls Gaza, effectively broke down two weeks ago after an Israeli raid killed six Hamas militants. Since then there have been more Israeli raids, killing around 17 Hamas gunmen, and Palestinian militants have fired dozens of rockets into southern Israel, injuring several people. Israel has kept its crossings into Gaza largely closed, allowing in only limited amounts of food and aid and keeping journalists out. Islamic Jihad: Hamas to announce Abbas replacement in January Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 11/21/2008 Hamas plans to appoint a new Palestinian Authority president in January at the end of Mahmoud Abbas’ four-year term, according to Mohammed al-Hindi, a leader of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Hindi said the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Sheikh Aziz al-Dweik, will probably be named to the post. Dweik is currently jailed in Israel. A fierce disagreement erupted recently between Hamas and Fatah regarding when Abbas’ term is to end. Hamas claims the president’s tenure ends on January 9, 2009 while Fatah argues that it is supposed to continue until January 9, 2010. Fatah bases its claim on an amendment to the election law stipulating that the presidential and parliamentary elections are to be held together, and the parliamentary elections are scheduled for January 2010. PA to Publish Ads in Israeli Media Ali Waked, MIFTAH 11/19/2008 The Palestinian Authority will try to influence public opinion in Israel ahead of the general elections in February by publishing advertisements in Israeli newspapers. The ads, which outline the Saudi peace plan, will appear in the papers as of this Thursday. This is the first time that the PA is using this channel to communicate with the Israeli public. A source said that similar ads will be published in American and European newspapers as well. The Saudi peace plan, which was adopted by the Arab League Summit in 2003, calls for a comprehensive peace agreement and the establishment of full diplomatic ties between Israel and the Arab world, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. ’Best mechanism for resolving conflict’The decision to run the ads was made following long deliberations between senior Palestinian leaders and Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al. ) Tibi, who is considered in the PA an expert on Israeli media, was chosen to promote the project vis-a-vis the press. PA to publish ads in Israeli media Ali Waked, YNetNews 11/18/2008 Ads detailing principles of Arab peace initiative aimed at informing Israeli public of possible path for peace ahead of general elections - The Palestinian Authority will try to influence public opinion in Israel ahead of the general elections in February by publishing advertisements in Israeli newspapers. The ads, which outline the Saudi peace plan, will appear in the papers as of this Thursday. This is the first time that the PA is using this channel to communicate with the Israeli public. A source said that similar ads will be published in American and European newspapers as well. The Saudi peace plan, which was adopted by the Arab League Summit in 2003, calls for a comprehensive peace agreement and the establishment of full diplomatic ties between Israel and the Arab world, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. UN rights chief implores Israel to lift illegal siege of Gaza Strip Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/19/2008 GAZA CITY: The top United Nations human rights official on Tuesday called on Israel to immediately lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, as invading tanks from the Jewish state sparked retaliatory rocket fire from the coastal territory. "By function of this blockade, 1. 5 million Palestinian men, women and children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights for months," the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement. "This is in direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law. It must end now," she said. Israel first imposed a large-scale blockade on the Gaza Strip after the Hamas movement won legislative elections in 2006. The Jewish state further tightened its siege of the impoverished territory after the Islamists ousted their Fatah rivals following reports in the Arab press of an impending US-backed offensive by the secular party to topple Hamas in the strip. Miliband begins Mideast trip in Occupied Jerusalem Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/17/2008 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived in the Middle East on Sunday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a bid to bolster the peace process as Israel prepares for early elections. After landing in Israel, Miliband was due to go into Occupied Jerusalem talks with interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a British Embassy spokeswoman said. Before leaving London, he said his visit was an opportunity to sound out Israeli politicians ahead of the February polls. "My visit to Israel will allow me to listen to all of Israel’s political leaders at this important time," he said, according to a Foreign Office statement. Miliband is due to meet both Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and right-wing opposition Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the two frontrunners to head a new government. He will also meet Defense Minister Ehud Barak, leader of the center-left. . . EU donates 750,000 Euros to pave way for future Palestinian elections Ma’an News Agency 11/17/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an - The European Union is handing over three quarters of a million Euros to the Palestinian Central Elections Commission to help pave the way for future elections. Roy Dickinson, the European Commission’s Head of Operations in Jerusalem, and Hanna Nassir, the Chairman of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) signed the grant agreement on Monday. The Palestinian Authority is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2009 and 2010, but the ongoing political split between the West Bank and Gaza, disputes about the timing of the elections, and the Israeli closure of Gaza have cast serious doubts about whether elections are feasible. The CEC will use the grant for an elections outreach program in Palestinian schools, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. The CEC will train school teachers on the elections system and provide materials. . . Report: Shalit talks on hold till elections Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 11/14/2008 Hamas affiliated source tells Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper Egypt decided to postpone talks for release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit until after new government is formed in Israel - Negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have been postponed until after general elections, a source close to Hamas told London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper. The source said Egypt decided to put the talks on hold due to "Israel’s internal situation". The source estimated that there would be no breakthrough in the Shalit matter until after Israel forms its new government, and said Hamas has decided to reconsider the truce agreement. "The Hamas leadership in the territories and abroad is holding talks to decide on the matter and has even opened talks with the rest of the Palestinian parties in order to reach an agreement regarding the ceasefire," the source said. ’Hamas wants to influence Israeli elections’ Ali Waked, YNetNews 11/14/2008 Palestinian sources in Gaza say Hamas purposely provoking Israel to end ceasefire and influence upcoming general elections. ’Hamas wants right-wing gov’t to end diplomatic process; group functions best during military clashes,’ says source - Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip said the past week’s escalation and Qassam attacks on Israel are no coincidence, and that Hamas is trying to heat things up on the southern front ahead of general elections in Israel, in hopes of leading to the election of a right-wing party. Hamas sources denied the claims and said the shooting was a response to Israel’s violation of the ceasefire. Palestinian sources told Ynet that Hamas was looking for a way to end the diplomatic process. "Hamas wants Netanyahu," one source said. "They know his election will put an end to the diplomatic process. Siyam accuses Abbas of fighting the Palestinian people, slaughtering the law Palestinian Information Center 11/13/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Interior minister in the PA caretaker government Sa’eed Siyam has accused Wednesday the PA chief Mahmoud Abbas of fighting the Palestinian people and of slaughtering the PA basic law, describing Abbas’s speech in Ramallah as "disappointing". He said that the Palestinian people were expecting Abbas to call for unity during his speech on the fourth anniversary of the death of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, but, he added, unfortunately the speech was partisan and disappointing. "Hamas made history through combining ballot boxes and resistance, and it became an important player in the local and regional arena; but, those who were defeated in the elections and abandoned the resistance will become part of the dark history", asserted Siyam during a press conference he held in Gaza Wednesday. Hamas: IDF’s Gaza incursions is Barak election ploy Amira Hass, Ha’aretz 11/14/2008 GAZA - The escalation in violence between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the last week is an Israeli provocation aimed at increasing Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s standings in the polls, Hamas spokesman Taher a-Nunu said yesterday. The Islamic group said the killing of several Palestinian gunmen in two separate incursions by the Israel Defense Forces into the Gaza Strip was intended to increase Barak’s poor numbers in the polls ahead of the February general elections. He added it was also meant to force Hamas into reaching an agreement with the more moderate Fatah. "They want Hamas to disband itself and for a [Palestinian] national unity government to be formed without Hamas or other organizations," a-Nunu said. "The weak Mahmoud Abbas will be able to make political concessions Israel is interested in with such a weak government. Labor won’t join coalition not interested in advancing peace talks, says Barak Akiva Eldar and Roni Singer-Heruti, Ha’aretz 11/14/2008 Labor Party chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that his faction had no intention of joining a coalition government uninterested in advancing the peace process with Palestinians. The statement, issued by the Labor Party chairman’s office, came after Haaretz reported that he has refused to promise that Labor would not join a government headed by Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu after the February elections. A senior Labor official told Haaretz Wednesday that the issue came up in talks conducted by Barak in the past two days with MKs negotiating with Meretz about forming a new center-left party. The talks were aimed at preventing key Labor MKs such as Ami Ayalon, Ophir Pines-Paz and Michael Melchior from joining the new Meretz initiative. After Barak’s meetings with Ayalon and Pines-Paz on Tuesday night and. . . AFP: Palestinian family evicted from emblematic Jerusalem home International Solidarity Movement 11/12/2008 Jerusalem Region -- JERUSALEM (AFP) "” Israeli police evicted a Palestinian family from their east Jerusalem home at dawn on Sunday in the wake of a prolonged court battle with Jewish settlers and just two days before municipal elections. Armed security forces surrounded the al-Kurd family’s house in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of mostly Arab east Jerusalem during and after the operation. "They arrived at 3:30 in the morning. They broke into the house by smashing the door and forcefully threw us out, inhumanely," Fawzia al-Kurd told AFP. Foreign diplomats, many of whom live in Sheikh Jarrah, had expressed support for the Palestinian family in recent months, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who was in Israel last week had protested against moves to expel them. Foreign pro-Palestinian activists had camped out at the house for weeks in solidarity with the. . . Secular businessman elected mayor of Jerusalem Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem Wednesday November 12 2008 08.50 GMT, The Guardian 11/12/2008 A secular, rightwing Israeli businessman has been elected mayor of Jerusalem, marking a shift away from ultra-Orthodox rule in the city, according to final results released early today. Nir Barkat, 49, a wealthy technology entrepreneur who supports Jewish settlement expansion in Jerusalem, defeated a strictly religious ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Meir Porush, by a comfortable nine-point margin. Barkat won 52. 4% of the vote against 43. 4 for Porush. Turnout in the mayoral and municipal elections in Jerusalem was put at 41% - most of the Palestinian population of the city, as usual, boycotted the poll. Although Jerusalem’s mayor has limited influence on government policy, the job is regarded as important in such a sensitive and fought over city with its sharp divisions between Jews and Arabs, secular and religious, rich and poor. Jerusalem Arabs’ election boycott continues Jerusalem Post 11/11/2008 As in previous municipal elections, the overwhelming majority of Jerusalem’s Arab voters boycotted Tuesday’s vote. Only a few thousand Arabs - mostly municipality workers and their families - cast their ballots amid tight security measures and threats by Palestinian activists. The number of Arab voters in the city is estimated at 125,000. But since 1967, the Arab residents of Jerusalem have been boycotting the municipal elections out of fear that their participation would be interpreted as recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Arab neighborhoods. The Arabs in Jerusalem are entitled to vote and run in the municipal elections in their capacity as permanent residents of the city. However, because they aren’t citizens of the state, they can’t vote for the Knesset. As has been the case on the eve of each municipal election, the Palestinian Authority issued several warnings to the Arab residents not to participate in the election. Palestinians boycott Jerusalem municipal elections Ma’an News Agency 11/11/2008 Jerusalem – Ma’an – Only a small minority of the Palestinian population in Jerusalem headed to the polls on Tuesday to vote in municipal elections that are being held in cities across Israel. Ma’an’s reporter in Jerusalem found that the majority of Palestinian Jerusalemites boycotted the elections heeding a call by Palestinian national forces and political figures in the city. The boycott was yet another statement that Jerusalem is an occupied city, and as such, Palestinians reject Israeli authority in the sections of the city seized by Israel in 1967. Palestinian political leaders said that the Jerusalem municipality is “a tool through which Israel government carries out its strategic plans against Palestinian citizens. This includes racial cleansing, confiscation and demolition of homes in addition to enforcing exceptionally high taxes. Divisions abound as Israelis vote in municipal elections Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/12/2008 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israelis voted in municipal elections on Tuesday with the Occupied Jerusalem mayoral race highlighting the country’s polarization despite pledges by the candidates to keep the Holy City united. The polls held across Israel as well as in Jewish colonies in the Occupied West Bank and the Occupied Golan Heights, were also seen as a test of strength ahead of February 10 parliamentary elections. In Occupied Jerusalem, the race pitted a secular high-tech entrepreneur against an ultra-Orthodox MP, with a Russian-Israeli billionaire running a distant third and all proclaiming the credo that the city is Israel’s "eternal and undivided capital. " In Occupied Arab East Jerusalem numerous businesses went on strike for an electoral boycott and to protest Sunday’s expulsion of a disabled Palestinian man and his family forced out of their home of 52 years following a lengthy court battle with Jewish settlers. Netanyahu: Peace Talks Will Continue if Elected The Associated Press, MIFTAH 11/11/2008 Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to continue negotiations with the Palestinians if he wins February elections, backing away from earlier hints he would abandon U. S. -backed peace talks. But Netanyahu gave no indication he would make significant concessions. Netanyahu refuses to discuss the future of the disputed city of Jerusalem, one of the ’’core issues’’ in negotiations for the past year. On Sunday, international Mideast mediators reaffirmed this framework, even as Netanyahu’s office said he did not. Netanyahu’s position on other key issues also falls far short of Palestinian and international demands. His statement that peace talks would ’’move forward’’ if he is elected prime minister appeared to be aimed at easing international concerns and sending a message to the Israeli electorate that he can get along with the rest of the world. President Abbas blames Hamas for failure of Cairo national unity conference Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 11/11/2008 Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, blamed on Tuesday the ruling Hamas party in Gaza for the failure of the Cairo-based national unity dialogue, urging the league of Arab states to take a stance. In a speech he delivered during a special ceremony marking the second anniversary of the death of late president Yasser Arafat in Ramallah city, Abbas stressed " we have accepted the Egyptian initiative for dialogue but Hamas leaders have aborted such a dialogue by boyotting the Cairo conference". Abbas also called for ending what he termed the Hamas coup against legitimacy in Gaza, slamming harshly Hamas ban of a twin festival in Gaza , marking Arafat’s death four years ago. The Palestinian president also called for holding simultaneous presidential and legislative elections, urging those candidates ’who are confident of themselves to come to the ballots’ " Hamas does not want. . . Abbas lashes out at Hamas, renews denial of political detention Palestinian Information Center 11/11/2008 RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- PA chief Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday renewed his denial that political detention was taking place in the West Bank and alleged that Hamas’s claim in this regard was contrary to the people’s interest. Abbas, speaking at a rally commemorating the 4th anniversary of the death of late PA chief Yasser Arafat, said that the PA was not submitting to any American or Israeli veto. He said that his Fatah faction was committed to dialog as a means to settle internal problems, and renewed his demands for formation of a national unity government that would not re-impose siege, abide by the PLO program and prepare for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections. "We support admission of other forces into the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people," he said, adding that whoever joins the PLO should accept it and all its resolutions. Israelis throw disabled man, wife out of home Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/10/2008 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli police evicted a disabled Palestinian man and his wife from their Occupied East Jerusalem home at dawn on Sunday in the wake of a prolonged court battle with Jewish colonists and just two days before municipal elections. Armed security forces surrounded the Kurd family’s house in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of mostly Arab Occupied East Jerusalem during and after the operation. "They arrived at 3:30 in the morning. They broke into the house by smashing the door and forcefully threw us out, inhumanely," said Fawzia al-Kurd. Foreign diplomats, many of whom live in Sheikh Jarrah, had expressed support for the Palestinian family in recent months, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was in Israel last week, had protested against moves to expel them. Foreign pro-Palestinian activists had camped out at the house for weeks in solidarity with the. . . Quartet urges Middle East action Al Jazeera 11/9/2008 Senior envoys from the Middle East Quartet have called on Israel and the Palestinians to move forwards with peace talks despite the process being largely stagnant for the past year. The Quartet - which groups the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States - gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday to assess progress. The meeting at the Egyptian Red Sea resort comes a year after peace talks were relaunched in Annapolis in the US, but there is little sign that the ambition of reaching a deal by the end of the year can be achieved. Political turmoil in Israel which has led to early elections being called, and a lingering feud between rival Palestinian factions have hampered efforts to seal a deal. Hamas snubs Cairo talks Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 11/9/2008 Hamas’ announcement yesterday that it will not attend Palestinian reconciliation talks scheduled to begin today in Cairo was meant mainly for Egyptian, not Palestinian, ears, according to observers. Representatives of various Palestinian groups were to have signed a framework agreement in anticipation of a full national reconciliation and many Palestinians had high hopes for the summit. For Hamas, accepting the Egyptian agreement would have meant making concessions in the Gaza Strip. The document calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian government that would rule in both Gaza and the West Bank. This government would be headed by an independent Palestinian figure, despite Hamas’ victory in the last election. In addition, Hamas was to have accepted an extension of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ term until combined parliamentary-presidential elections are held. Hamas deputy blames Abbas for breakdown in Palestinian reconciliation talks News Agencies, Ha’aretz 11/8/2008 A senior Hamas official in Syria on Saturday announced that his group would boycott this weekend’s Palestinian reconciliation talks with rival Fatah. Deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk blamed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for the talks’ collapse. He said the group’s decision to stay away was taken after Fatah failed to release Palestinian prisoners from its jails. The talks were to start in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday. The two feuding sides were expected to discuss forming a joint government, rebuilding security forces and setting a date for presidential and legislative elections. Abu Marzouk told The Associated Press that Fatah had reneged on a pledge to release Hamas prisoners it holds ahead of the dialogue, prompting the boycott. He acknowledged that many issues had been settled but that "the prisoners issue was too important to disregard. Hamas to boycott Palestinian reconciliation talks Associated Press, YNetNews 11/8/2008 Group announces it will not go to Cairo as planned on Sunday, claims Egyptian sponsors of meetings are biased -A senior Hamas official in Syria on Saturday announced that his group would boycott this weekend’s Palestinian reconciliation talks with rival Fatah. Deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk blamed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for the talks’ collapse. He said the group’s decision to stay away was taken after Fatah failed to release Palestinian prisoners from its jails. The talks were to start in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday. The two feuding sides were expected to discuss forming a joint government, rebuilding security forces and setting a date for presidential and legislative elections. Abu Marzouk said that Fatah had reneged on a pledge to release Hamas prisoners it holds ahead of the dialogue, prompting the boycott. Islamic Jihad: Israeli ’internal politics’ escalating Gaza crisis Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – A spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, blamed on Friday internal politics for the sudden Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip. Spokesperson Abu Ahmad insisted that “the latest Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip is due to an Israeli internal crisis. ”“Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered (forces) to strike the Palestinian resistance in Gaza to prove his strength and to prove that he is the best to lead Israel,” Ahmad added. He went on to say that the “occupying state is approaching new elections in the coming months. ”“This was all predicted. Despite the truce, which has been in effect for almost five months,” Israelis are using the Palestinian playing field “as a headline for internal elections,” he claimed. In regard to the latest shelling over the past few days, Ahmad said that “the shelling came as an initial response to the Israeli attacks. Leftist parties discuss unity negotiations at Gaza summit Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said that the success of the upcoming Cairo talks is conditional on whether or not the parties actually form a unity government. Ramzi Rabah, a leader within the DFLP, said that such a unity government would require political, professional and independent figures capable of lifting the siege of the Gaza Strip and supervising the hypothetical presidential and legislative elections. The elections “would be held simultaneously according to full proportionate representation to build a comprehensive partnership of all parties, factions and national figures,” Rabah said. Rabah called for “reforming and upgrading” the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), as well, by “electing a new unified national council for all Palestinians inside Palestine and in the Diaspora. Fed up with Lieberman, MK Hasson bolts to Kadima Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 11/7/2008 One week after Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman told the Egyptian president to "go to hell," fellow party member, MK Israel Hasson, announced yesterday that he would cross over to Kadima ahead of the upcoming elections. Hasson, a former deputy chief in the Shin Bet security service, cited a desire to be "truly involved in public life," but sources close to Hasson said the move was a reaction to Lieberman’s statement, among other issues that have gradually come to strain relations between the two. The sources said that Lieberman’s jibe at Hosni Mubarak was merely "the straw that broke the camel’s back. "Hasson, they said, was earlier disappointed when Lieberman presented the coalition an ultimatum in the form of a list of guidelines for peace talks with the Palestinians at the U. S. -sponsored Annapolis Conference last year. Livni: Israel-PA peace talks must proceed unchanged News Agencies, Ha’aretz 11/7/2008 Foreign Minister and Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni on Thursday said peace talks with the Palestinians must stay on course in light of elections in Israel and the United States. She said both Israel and the Palestinian Authority must "preserve the process within the structure that we have created. " "We are realistic enough to recognize the reality we face, but we are also determined enough to change it. I believe deeply that stagnation is not in Israel’s interest and cannot be our policy," Livni added. The foreign minister’s comments came during a joint press conference with held with U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Thursday, in which Rice all but conceded that reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the year’s end is no longer possible. Rice, when questioned about whether the U. Rice concedes Middle East peace deal unlikely this year Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/7/2008 TEL AVIV: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played down chances of a breakthrough in Middle East peace talks this year but urged Israel and the Palestinians to work on the outlines of a deal. "I think that whatever happens by the end of the year, you’ve got a firm foundation for quickly moving forward to a conclusion," she told journalists aboard her plane to Tel Aviv where she kicked off a four-day regional tour. "I think at some point it will be important to work to wrap all of that work up, one way or another," Rice said. She admitted Israel and the Palestinians may be unable to achieve the goal of a peace agreement by the time Barack Obama moves into the White House on January 20, and pointed out the peace process has been affected by Israel’s decision to hold snap elections on February 20. "Obviously Israel is in the middle of elections and that is a constraint on the. . .  Articles
It’s not the economy, stupid Akiva Eldar, Ha’aretz 12/1/2008 They say that this time, for a change, the elections will focus on the economy rather than on peace and security. It’s impossible for us to manage without security, so they’re talking about a financial "security net" for savers and pensioners. That way, it’s more convenient for everyone. And instead of talking about dividing Jerusalem, Tzipi Livni will be free to display her integrity. Who remembers that she washed the corruption off Ariel Sharon, who sent his son to sit in prison in his stead? Dealing with the economy also frees Ehud Barak from troublesome questions like whether Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is a peace partner, and if not, what will the heir of Yitzhak Rabin propose to do with the territories. And Benjamin Netanyahu, instead of explaining how his "economic peace" goes together with occupation and settlements, will be able to wave about his reputation for being an economic messiah. However, shifting the agenda to the financial security/safety net doesn’t, of course, obligate the neighbors to do the same. Indeed, while Israelis are busy with election campaigns, in the guise of a debate over the future of the economy, Iran and Syria are focusing on the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Last week the two countries sponsored a conference on the right of return of Palestinian refugees, which took place in Damascus. The conference attacked the relevant clause in the Arab peace initiative, and declared that the right of return is an individual right reserved for every refugee, and that no one has the authority to negotiate over it. Gazans Resist by Surviving Ramzi Kysia - Gaza, Palestine Chronicle 11/20/2008 ’The greatest act of nonviolent resistance in Gaza has been simply surviving.’ "I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza’" -- Amos 1:7 In a small cafe in Gaza City, Amjad Shawa, the coordinator for the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), sips black coffee and ruminates on the Israeli blockade of Gaza. "This siege isn’t about ’security’ or even about Hamas," he says. "Israel’s ultimate aim is to separate Gaza from the West Bank and kill the Palestinian national project." The Gaza Strip, a 25-mile-long narrow coastal plain wedged between Israel and Egypt, is home to 1.5 million Palestinians. Despite its small size, Gaza in many ways encapsulates the essence of two of the world’s major conflicts: the rise of political Islam and the use by the West of collective punishment and economic coercion as a brutal counterweight. Since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006, Israel has subjected Gaza to an increasingly severe blockade. In June 2007, after Hamas defeated militants aligned with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and forcibly asserted control of Gaza, Israel tightened the blockade to include everything except occasional deliveries of humanitarian goods. The local economy has shattered as a result, leading to steep increases in unemployment, poverty and childhood malnutrition rates. Disaster of Israel’s Making Sonja Karkar - Melbourne, Palestine Chronicle 11/12/2008 ’Palestinian society has been taken on a rollercoaster ride of promises (and) lies’ The illegal settlement movement, supported by every Israeli administration to date, has burgeoned out of control and its right wing leaders are vehemently opposed to negotiating land for peace. We will probably see the present Foreign Minister and Kadima party leader, Tzipi Livni - if she forms the next government and takes over from Ehud Olmert, now interim PM - use the same stalling tactics with the Palestinian Authority that have, up until now, allowed land grabs from the Palestinians for the Zionist dream of a greater Israel. After all, Livni was nurtured on that dream. Her main rival, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to allow expansion of the settlements if he wins expected early elections. A 15-year-old peace process is ominously poised for failure, not just politically but economically. The 1993 Oslo Peace Accords were supposed to offer the Palestinians the political freedom and economic independence to which they have always been entitled. Since then, Palestinian society has been taken on a rollercoaster ride of promises, lies, provocations and chaos with not a single benefit to show for its painful concessions. Differing directions Hassan Nafaa, Al-Ahram Weekly 11/6/2008 Despite being pro-Israeli, Obama will face an Israel radicalised to the right while the US he promises, and that the world awaits, is of the centre. With the US presidential elections at hand it is hard to resist the temptation to turn to recent history. Around this time in 2000, Bill Clinton was gathering his papers as he prepared to leave the White House, weighed down by disappointment in the results of strenuous efforts he had exerted over the preceding months to reach a final settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He had succeeded in persuading Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak to come to Camp David to discuss final status issues in talks that he attended personally. Now Arafat and Barak had to reorder their cards, each in their own way, in order to ready themselves for a new phase in the conflict following the failure of Camp David II. Whereas Arafat realised that he had to prepare the Palestinian people to take on the burdens of another phase in the struggle that would be exceedingly difficult after Sharon’s provocative visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque that triggered the second Intifada, Barak had to scramble to mend rifts in his coalition government and get ready for early elections. Within a short space of time after the US elections, which resulted in a Bush victory, Israeli Knesset elections were held and resulted in the victory of Sharon. I Hope The Palestinians Will Use Nonviolence In Their Struggle For Human Rights And Freedom Mairead Maguire, November 4, Palestine Monitor 11/9/2008 (Journey to Gaza, 28th October, 1st November, 2008) On 28th October, 2008, the Free Gaza Movement set sail in SS Dignity from Larnaca, Cyprus, for Gaza. On board were 27 Internationals from 13 countries, Including Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, five physicians, human rights lawyers, etc., I felt deeply privileged to be part of this group going to Gaza. On this the second boat journey into Gaza the siege-breakers brought with them 6 cubic meters of medicine, and their hope that by going to Gaza across the sea (only the second boat to do so in over 41 years) they would give hope to the people of Gaza and that the outside world would break its silence to the tragedy of Gaza’s suffering and act to get the siege lifted. It’s hard to image that in the 2lst century a country can be so cut off from the Outside world. Sixteen months ago, when Gazans voted Hamas in free and fair elections, the reaction of Israel was not to open up dialogue with the Elected representatives (as they eventually must do) but to put in place a Policy of collective punishment of the entire population, which has lead to an humanitarian catastrophe. Israel said it was ending the Occupation of Gaza, but in truth it maintained it by closing all border entrances and isolating The Gazans from the entire world. Gaza is like an open air prison with Israel holding the keys but it’s worse, at least in prison, the inmates are Fed and taken care of. The people of Gaza are drinking polluted water and have not enough food and medicines and materials for existence. And in the words of one Gazan “we are slowly choking to death with this siege”. Before we sailed to Gaza the Israeli Gov., warned we would not be allowed to sail into Gaza. However, we were determined to do so and just 20 miles off the coast of Gaza, held our breath as two Israeli navy gunboats stalked us but took no action. Common sense had prevailed; hopefully a sign for the future, that in the final analysis those in power in Israel will realize that dialogue not Gunboats and F.16’s, is the only way to solve this too long and painful Palestinian Occupation. We arrived in Gaza exhausted and sea-sick. We were met by dozens of Palestinian heavily armed Police and though, before leaving Gaza, I had requested not to be so guarded, we were informed that the Hamas Government wanted to ensure our safety, and throughout the entire 4 day visit we were escorted by armed Palestinian police. Our reception by the people of Gaza was deeply moving.... Palestine’s Partner for Peace? Nadia Awad, Middle East Online 11/8/2008 JERUSALEM – After a month of haggling, Tzipi Livni, appointed to replace outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, announced last week that she has not been able to form a coalition government to support her rule. “Let the people choose their leaders,” she said instead, calling for early elections likely to take place in February of next year. Most observers called her decision a huge blow to peace. Livni’s inability to create a coalition government sends more than just the message of snap elections. It tells us that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may not have a partner for peace in Israel’s government after all. Israel’s political system is a notoriously complicated one, with a large number of small parties effectively preventing any one party from winning a majority of the Knesset’s 120 seats. In order for any government to survive, they must create an often unstable coalition with small parties with whom they do not necessarily have much in common with. This requires sacrifices on their part for a precious few seats. PM Olmert’s Kadima party succeeded in 2006 in building a coalition that included Labour, a large centre-left political party, and Shas, a right-wing ultra-orthodox faction with 12 seats. This time around, Labour again agreed to join a new coalition.... 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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