Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Elections Archive - December 2008
Elections Archive - December 2008
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Foreign journalists demand Gaza access Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Guardian 12/30/2008 Israel’s supreme court will hear a petition tomorrow brought by the Foreign Press Association, which represents around 400 foreign journalists, demanding that Israel allow reporters into Gaza to cover the latest conflict. The sole pedestrian crossing from Israel into Gaza, at Erez, has remained closed to journalists since Israel’s bombing campaign beganon Saturday. Two years ago, after Hamas won the Palestinian elections, Israeli authorities stopped all Israeli journalists and Palestinian journalists with Israeli identity cards crossing into Gaza, saying it was too dangerous. Last month, as the last ceasefire between Israel and Gaza militant groups began to collapse, the Israeli defence ministry closed the Erez crossing to all foreign journalists as well, citing "security" reasons. Egypt has largely kept its one crossing into Gaza, at Rafah, closed except for in rare medical emergencies, and it too does not allow journalists to cross. Abbas blames Hamas for bloodshed Al Jazeera 12/28/2008 Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has blamed Hamas for triggering Israel’s deadly raids on Gaza, by not extending a six-month truce with the Jewish state. He also blamed Hamas, which controls the coastal Gaza Strip territory, for disrupting national unity talks that could have paved the way for general and presidential elections. "We have warned of this grave danger," he said in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday. "We talked to them [Hamas] and we told them, ’please, we ask you, do not end the truce. Let the truce continue and not stop", so that we could have avoided what happened. " However, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said he was "surprised" by Abbas’s claim. "He downplayed the sufferings of our people in Gaza and belittled their pains, providing justification of the holocaust and war waged by Israel," he said. Defiant leaders dismiss calls to reinstate ceasefire Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem, The Guardian 12/29/2008 In public the leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas have been defiant in the face of Israeli military air strikes on Gaza. Khaled Meshal, the group’s political leader, called for a "third uprising" among Palestinians. Other senior Hamas figures have vowed revenge and dismissed talk of reviving a ceasefire with Israel. Those comments match public anger among Gazans, which seems to have done little to dent support for the movement that won Palestinian elections three years ago and then seized full control of Gaza last year. Some more pragmatic elements within Hamas had been arguing in favour of the ceasefire with Israel which began in June. But although the ceasefire brought a halt to Israeli military operations and stopped the rocket fire into southern Israel, it did little to ease Israel’s tough economic siege of the Gaza Strip. Iran strongly denounces the Israeli holocaust in Gaza Palestinian Information Center 12/28/2008 TEHRAN, (PIC)-- Dr. Hasan Kashkawi, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, has strongly denounced the "barbaric" Israeli raids on residential quarters in the Gaza Strip that left hundreds of Palestinians citizens either killed or wounded. He said that the "savage" attack is another crime to be added to the Israeli black record and state terrorism. The spokesman said that the crime, which was committed to gain more votes in the imminent Israeli elections, also posed as an "important document" pointing to the ceaseless Israeli aggressive intentions. Kashkawi charged that the crime was the result of the "painful international silence" towards the "oppressive siege" on the women and children in Gaza. He finally called on the world community to adopt urgent and immediate steps to check the "Zionist crimes" and to help the Palestinian people. Abass and Medvedev to Meet in Moscow Today Justin Theriault, International Middle East Media Center News 12/22/2008 On Monday, December 22, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will hold talks with Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Itar-Tass news agency reports. Abbas is visiting Russia at the invitation of President Medvedev. Abbas was in Grozny on Sunday for a meeting with Chechen President, Ramzan Kadyrov. Although this will be Abbas’ 16th visit to Russia in the past decade, this will be his first meeting with President Medvedev. Many analysts are calling this current visit ’a farewell’, because Abbas’ office will expire on January 9 and general elections are to be held in Palestine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a Federation Council delegation, and Audit Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin visited Palestinian lands this year, and the Russian-Palestinian Working Committee convened in Moscow this April. Bardawil: Israeli leaders’ threat to end Hamas rule will fail Palestinian Information Center 12/22/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- MP Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, the spokesman of Hamas Movement’s parliamentary bloc, said on Monday that Israeli leaders’ threats to end the rule of Hamas in Gaza would end up in failure. He told the PIC in an exclusive statement that the declarations by leaders of Kadima and Likud parties Tzipi Livni and Benjamin Netanyahu respectively were meant as part of the elections’ media campaign to win more votes among the Zionist extremists. The statements indicate that Hamas has become the hope of the Arab and Islamic Ummah (Nation) and not only the Palestinian people through its incessant endeavor to spur the Ummah into confronting the worst occupation in history of mankind, he elaborated. Threats have been voiced in the past and failed and those threats would also fail, Bardawil underlined, adding that each time Israel attacked Hamas it became stronger and more entrenched. . . Ben-Eliezer: 'Truce is Over; Army Will Operate as Hard as it Can'ť Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/20/2008 Israeli Infrastructure Minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, threatened on Friday that the Israeli army will operate as hard as it can in the Gaza Strip under the pretext of stopping the firing of homemade shells by resistance fighters in Gaza. He also said that such a possible offensive would serve Ehud Barak in the upcoming general elections. "As far as Israel is concerned, the truce is over", Ben-Eliezer stated, "The Palestinians must understand that they will be the ones paying a high price because of their leadership". He added that the army will not hesitate and will "use all of its might" to stop the firing of homemade shells. Ben-Eliezer also said that he believes that ending the truce is better for Israel, and added that the Israeli army used the truce to prepare for a possible offensive. "The army was never more ready than it is now" he stated, "if troops have to invade Gaza, they will do it in the best way". PENGO: democracy off the rails in Palestine, Abbas must ensure municipal elections held on time Ma’an News Agency 12/20/2008 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Municipal elections must be held before the end of the four year term, especially in those cases where appointed representatives are governing Palestinians, said the Palestinian Network of Non-Governmental Organizations (PENGO) on Saturday. Several municipal councils have been dissolved since they were elected in 2004 and replaced with appointed representatives. Elections were held in shifts across West Bank starting on 25 December 2004; though in many cases elections were voided and cancelled before a municipal government could be elected. In its statement PENGO expressed deep concern over the fact that no preparations have been made or timetable set for holding municipal elections. The group condemned the act of appointing local governments, and said the practice had proved to be a failure in several cases. Hamas: Resistance should retaliate to IOF crimes Palestinian Information Center 12/20/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas asserted on Saturday that all resistance factions should retaliate to the Israeli occupation forces’ aggressions and crimes against the Palestinian people. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an exclusive statement to the PIC that IOF ceaseless crimes should be met with resistance and retaliation to protect the Palestinian people. He urged all factions to respond to IOF attacks with force and firmness, and added, "We cannot accept that our people would remain under siege and suffering while occupation enjoys security". He warned that Israeli settlers would pay for the "foolishness of their government, which employs all forms of terrorism against our Palestinian people". "Israeli leaders are using the blood and suffering of the Palestinian people to win votes and achieve victory in the general elections", Barhoum underlined. Palestinian Affairs: Shooting for control Jerusalem Post 12/18/2008 This week, upon hearing that the speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament, Abdel Aziz Dweik, had been sentenced to three years in prison by an Israeli military court, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s inner circle heaved a sigh of relief. Dweik, who was arrested following the abduction of IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Schalit, was supposed to step into Abbas’s shoes on January 9, 2009, when the latter’s term in office was scheduled to expire. The Palestinian Basic Law stipulates that the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council would replace the PA president when his term expired, or if he stepped down for any other reason. When Yasser Arafat died in November 2004, the then speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Rouhi Fattouh, was appointed interim president of the PA for 60 days before new elections were held. Security Council urges Palestinians, Israelis to press search for peace Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 12/17/2008 UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a US-Russian draft resolution meant to give a new impetus to the US-sponsored Middle East peace process as elections loom for both Israelis and Palestinians. Resolution 1850, the first of its kind adopted by the 15-member council in five years, received 14 votes in favor. Libya, the lone Arab member of the council, abstained. The vote took place at a high-profile ministerial session attended by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and UN chief Ban Ki-moon. The text endorses principles underpinning Israeli-Palestinian peace at a time of transition with the arrival of a new US administration and early elections expected in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories early next year. Security Council to push for Middle East peace Middle East Online 12/16/2008 UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council was set to adopt Tuesday a US-Russian draft resolution reaffirming support for the Middle East peace process at a time of transition in the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships. Western diplomats expressed confidence that the text would be adopted, perhaps by consensus. Ahmed Gebreel, spokesman for Libya’s UN ambassador Giaddala Ettalhi, the lone Arab member of the 15-member council, said the Arab side sought only minor amendments. Security Council ambassadors late Monday put the finishing touches to the draft which endorses principles underpinning Israeli-Palestinian peace at a time of transition with the arrival of a new US administration and early elections scheduled in both Israel and among the Palestinians next year. The draft, unveiled Saturday as a joint US-Russian initiative, is expected to be approved at a ministerial session. . . Gaza truce set to expire Mel Frykberg, Electronic Intifada 12/16/2008 RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Ten days of intensive fighting broke out between Israel and the Islamic resistance organization Hamas last month despite a ceasefire. Israel carried out a cross-border incursion into Gaza, sparking a cycle of tit-for-tat violence which claimed the lives of dozens of Palestinian fighters and lightly injured two Israelis. This serious breach of a six-month ceasefire between the two raises questions whether the current truce, which formally ends in several days will be renewed, or whether Israel will embark on a major military incursion into the Gaza Strip as it has been threatening. While a number of analysts have argued that there is a strong possibility of the truce continuing, most agree that an eventual bloody showdown between Israel and Hamas is only a question of time. Impacting the decision-making on both sides are a number of factors including upcoming elections in Israel next February, Palestinian political infighting, and military and strategic assessments. Abbas aides: Elections as soon as April Ma’an News Agency 12/16/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian presidential and legislative elections will take place in the first half of 2009, perhaps as soon as April, Palestinian officials said on Tuesday. “Depending on Hamas’ position I can be sure that the presidential and legislative elections will be taken according to the law of full proportional representation including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and will take place in the first part of the 2009,” said Yasser Abed Rabbo, the secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO, in a statement to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam. The timing of the elections has been a source of contention between Abbas’ Fatah party and their rival, Hamas, who control the Gaza Strip. Hamas says it will not recognize Abbas’ legitimacy after 9 January, the day his term formally ends. Hamas also wants to wait to hold parliamentary elections until 2010, the end of the Hamas-controlled Legislative Council’s current term. Abbas says he’ll call elections `very soon’ Associated Press, Jerusalem Post 12/16/2008 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday he’ll call general elections "very soon," signaling that he’s ready for a new showdown with Hamas. Abbas’s comments, his clearest yet on elections, come at a time of growing animosity between the rivals. Hamas, which wrested control of Gaza from Abbas 18 months ago, contends that his term as president ends January 8. Abbas initially said he has another year, but polls indicate most Palestinians disagree with him. A call for elections appear to be the only way for Abbas to retain his legitimacy. However, it remains unclear whether he actually intends to hold them, or just plans to call for a vote as a tactical move, with the expectation that Hamas would refuse to go along. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Tuesday that Hamas opposes holding elections before the rivals have worked out their differences. Abed Rabo Expects Palestinian Presidential and Parliamentary Elections by Mid 2009 Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/16/2008 Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Abed Rabo, expects Palestinian Presidential and Parliamentary elections to be held by mid 2009. Abed Rabo was responding to calls by leaders of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza that the Palestinian constitution should decide whether Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah will remain or quit office after January 9, 2009. The PLO official confirmed that the Palestinian National Council will convene early next month to institute a series of measures prior to holding the elections. Hamas has downplayed the PNC’s sessions, saying it is no longer a representative of the Palestinian people. The London-based Alhayyat Arabic newspaper pointed out that President Abbas will be calling for elections in April of 2009, and that he is set to issue a special presidential decree. Abbas planning to extend his own term Jerusalem Post 12/14/2008 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to unilaterally extend his term in office by a year when it expires on January 9, PA officials in Ramallah said Sunday. The officials told The Jerusalem Post that Abbas has won the backing of the Arab League for his decision, noting that the Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo recently had urged the PA president to remain in power until an agreement is reached with Hamas on holding new elections. Moreover, they pointed out that veteran PLO leaders who met in Ramallah recently had also expressed support for Abbas’s plan. They added that the US and most of the EU countries had also promised to back Abbas. Hamas, however, reiterated on Sunday that it would not recognize Abbas as president after his four-year term expires next month. The movement said it would name the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative. . . Nassif: Ballot boxes to show that Hamas is still popular Palestinian Information Center 12/14/2008 RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Ra’fat Nassif, one of the prominent Hamas political leaders in the West Bank, has affirmed that his Movement was confident of winning any elections in the Palestinian lands provided that they are held on legal time. Nassif, in an interview with ’Palestine’ newspaper published on Sunday, refuted claims that Hamas was afraid of early elections, explaining that his Movement was only against changing its legal timing. He underlined that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s term in office expires on 9th January 2009 and hence presidential elections should be held accordingly, but, he noted, legislative elections are due in 2010. "When the legal time for the legislative elections are due we will prove to the world that we back election and we will secure a sweeping victory," he elaborated. Elections will prove that the Palestinian people reject those who deviate from the national. . . Hamas: We will declare Dr. Dwaik PA president on 9th January Palestinian Information Center 12/14/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas renewed on Sunday its assertion that Dr. Aziz Dwaik, the speaker of the Palestine legislative council, would be declared president of the PA on 9th January. Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, the spokesman of Hamas’s parliamentary bloc, told Al-Quds TV satellite channel, that according to the Palestinian basic law Dwaik would be declared president on 9th January for 60 days during which preparations should be made for new presidential elections. The Hamas leader advised the Arab foreign ministers after their meeting last month that recommended retaining PA chief Mahmoud Abbas in his post to return to the language of unity. The basic law is the only one that can decide who is to be PA president, Bardawil said, adding that the Arab foreign ministers’ decision is a recommendation and does not constitute a law. Gazans reflect on Hamas legacy Motasem Dalloul in Gaza, Al Jazeera 12/14/2008 On December 14, 1987, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Mohammad Taha, two prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza, formed the Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, Hamas, as an alternative to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). From the outset, Hamas wove its way into the socio-economic Palestinian fabric by operating social welfare programmes, running hospitals and schools, and providing for the families of killed fighters. Since the first and second intifadas (1987 and 2000, respectively), Hamas has gained political power culminating in its surprise 2006 parliamentary elections win. However, Israel, the EU and the US refused to recognise Hamas’ electoral win and heavily favoured dealing with the Fatah movement of the PLO. . . . Al Jazeera spoke to Palestinians in Gaza about Hamas’ 21 years in power and what lies ahead. Hamas says not planning to appoint next Palestinian president Ma’an News Agency 12/13/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – A senior Hamas leader denied media reports claiming the movement intends to swear in Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Ahmad Bahar as Palestinian President on 10 January. PLC member Salah Al-Bardaweel said in an interview on Saturday that the reports are “incorrect. ”“Hamas does not intend to appoint Bahar president as according to the Palestinian basic law, (current Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas’ office ends on 9 January and PLC Speaker Aziz Dweik, who is jailed in Israel, fills the post for 90 days during which he calls presidential elections,” Al-Bardaweel told Ma’an. With regard to the proposed extension of Abbas’ tenure, Al-Bardaweel said it depends on the Cairo dialogue and that the issue is one portion of a comprehensive “package” including restructuring the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA) security services. MP Barghouthi castigates Abbas for calling for elections in WB only Palestinian Information Center 12/13/2008 RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- MP Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi has described PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’s call for early general elections in the West Bank without the Gaza Strip as "insane and a crime". Barghouthi in a statement on Friday warned of not holding the elections in all Palestinian areas or else he said it would be serving the "Zionist scheme aimed at endorsing the complete separation of the West Bank from the Strip". He also warned of tampering with those elections, and stressed that extending Abbas’s tenure would weaken his position before Israel that would spread doubts about the presence of a leadership capable of representing all Palestinians. The MP proposed formation of a transitory national government that would prepare for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections and that would ensure integrity of those elections. Rice: Bush not done working on Israeli-Palestinian issue Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008 United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that the Bush Administration was not done working on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, especially in light of recent, significant diplomatic developments between the two sides. Rice’s comments came during a meeting with the head of the Geneva Initiative and former Meretz party chair Yossi Beilin. Rice added that the situation in the West Bank has changed and Israeli and Palestinian positions are becoming closer, something she says she hopes doesn’t change after Israeli general elections in February. Beilin echoed the comment, telling Rice that the outgoing Bush Administration must find a way to ensure that peace talks between the two sides will pick up where it left off, and won’t need to start from scratch after the general elections. Qurei: Israel wants to retain 6.8 percent of West Bank Associated Press, Jerusalem Post 12/13/2008 Israel has proposed to annex 6. 8 percent of the West Bank and take in 5,000 Palestinian refugees, the chief Palestinian negotiator said Friday, speaking for the first time in detail about the yearlong US-backed negotiations that failed to produce an agreement. Israel never revealed its position on the future of Jerusalem, the most contentious issue in the negotiations, said negotiator Ahmed Qurei. His comments appeared aimed, in part, at providing a record of the Israeli position ahead of leadership changes in Israel and the United States. Israel holds elections Feb. 10, and polls suggest hardline opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu is poised to become the country’s next prime minister. Netanyahu opposes large-scale territorial concessions and has said he would not continue the negotiations in their current format. Rizka: Livni’s remarks regarding 1948 Palestinians reek of extremist racism Palestinian Information Center 12/12/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Yusef Rizka, PM Ismael Haneyya’s political adviser, described statements made by Israeli FM and Likud leader Tzipi Livni as "statements reeking of racism and extremism against the indigenous Arab population. ""These statements form a hard blow to the [PA] negotiating team who wager on meetings with this terrorist, racist woman and consider her to be a woman of peace," adding that negotiating with such people means giving up the right of return of Palestinian refugees. He raised an important question to those negotiators: if Livni rejects the presence of 1948 Palestinians in their homes and towns, how is she going to accept the return of Palestinian refugees? Rizka rejected the notion that Livni’s statements were in the context of the elections race stressing that it is the extremist right wing feature of Zionism. ’Israel has reached the end of the road’ Jpost.com Staff, Jerusalem Post 12/12/2008 Thousands of Iranians held a protest rally in Teheran Friday against the blockade of the Gaza Strip, while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel had "reached the end of the road. " The protested chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" as they demonstrated on streets leading to the Teheran University compound where the weekly Friday prayer service is held. Also attending the rally, Ahmadinejad told reporters that the Israelis "have reached the end of the road and their abnormal behavior is due to anger and even their supporters are shaky in backing them. "By committing these atrocities they want to pressure the Palestinians to influence their elections. " Ahmad Khatami, conducting the Friday prayers, slammed the "United Nations, Organization of Islamic Conference, Egypt, the Europeans and United States" for their inaction on Gaza. ’Abbas vows to continue peace talks no matter who is elected Israeli PM’ Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 12/12/2008 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has pledged to carry on peace negotiations with Israel regardless of who is elected prime minister in the upcoming elections, the A-Sharq al-Awsat daily reported on Thursday. Abbas told the paper that the domestic political crisis in Israel has hampered progress in the current talks. During the interview, the Fatah leader also attacked the rival Hamas movement for blocking Gaza residents with visas issued by the Palestinian Authority from making the pilgrimage to Mecca this month. He compared the Islamist group to the Shi’ite gangs who captured Mecca a millennia ago and called on the movement to agree to reconciliation talks. He also reiterated his intention to hold elections in the near future and ruled out the possibility of excluding Hamas from the poll. Netanyahu looks to calm EU fears he’ll halt peace talks The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 12/12/2008 Benjamin Netanyahu, the chairman of the Likud and the man polls predict will occupy the prime minister’s chair following the February 10 elections, sought Thursday to reassure Europeans that he will continue peace talks with the Palestinians if he wins February’s general election, despite a rightward tilt in his Party. Netanyahu was speaking to Israel-based EU ambassadors in the wake of Likud primaries, which catapulted several ultra-hawks into the top 30 places on the party’s slate of candidates for the elections. Netanyahu was the guest speaker at a lunch hosted by the European Union and arranged long before Monday’s primaries. He used the occasion to try to quell concerns fueled by the outcome, which delivered significant advances for a wing of Likud seeking to halt peace talks, ban minority Arab citizens of Israel from. . . Poll: If elections were held today, Fatah would win over Hamas DPA, Ha’aretz 12/12/2008 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ secular Fatah movement would beat the radical Islamic Hamas movement if elections were held today, according to a Palestinian public opinion poll published Thursday. Support for Hamas has nevertheless stabilized after months of decline, said the poll conducted by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research. The poll also found out that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Palestinians believe that Abbas’ term as president should end on January 9, as Hamas demands, and a larger number demand holding early presidential and legislative elections, as Abbas wants, if internal Palestinian reconciliation talks fail. 74 percent of the respondents support the renewal of the ceasefire between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Israel. Abbas: Israeli issues preventing deal Jerusalem Post 12/11/2008 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that the only reason Israel and the Palestinians haven’t reached a peace agreement is because of Jerusalem’s internal problems. In an interview with the London-based daily Asharq Alawsat, Abbas said that he was ready to negotiate with any prime minister elected by Israel in 2009. The Palestinian leader expressed his disappointment with Hamas for preventing Gazan pilgrims from making Hajj to Mecca. He went on to compare the terrorist organization’s takeover of the Strip to a Shi’ite sect that attacked Mecca in the 10th century. Abbas called on Hamas to enter talks with the Fatah-led PA and warned it not to trust any possible change in attitude toward the group by the next US administration. Abbas demonstrated his readiness to hold elections at any given time, but said he would not hesitate to exclude Hamas from participating. Bibi tells EU he will pursue peace Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post 12/11/2008 Israel must control the airspace of a future Palestinian state, and that entity would have to be demilitarized, Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu has been telling foreign officials in recent days. Bibi to the EU: I will continue talks with PA - Netanyahu, trying to calm concerns abroad about Monday’s Likud primary and the prospect of the diplomatic process were he to win February’s elections, has assured various international officials since the primary that he would continue with the Annapolis process, but with some red lines. Those red lines - in addition to the demilitarization of a Palestinian state and Israeli control of its air and electromagnetic space - also include a unified Jerusalem under Israeli control, and an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley. In recent meetings with foreign officials, Netanyahu has conveyed the message that he is a responsible and moderate. . . Israeli leaders mull Gaza invasion Ma’an News Agency 12/10/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Israel’s top three ministers met in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning to discuss a possible major incursion in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli news agency Ynet. Gaza was expected to take up the bulk of the meeting between Israel’s prime minister and his government’s foreign and defense ministers. Defense Minister Ehud Barak will brief his two top colleagues on policies toward Gaza, including the truce with Hamas and other groups that ends on 19 December, as well as upcoming Palestinian elections. According to the Israeli news agency, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni have been increasingly at odds with the defense minister over Israel’s assault on Gaza, which they want to escalate, while Barak hopes to maintain the relative calm. The defense minister apparently is at odds with Livni and Olmert over the use of force in response to projectiles being launched from the besieged strip. From refugee camp to European Parliament: Palestinian seeks EU seat Ma’an News Agency 12/9/2008 Ramallah - Ma’an – A Palestinian born in a refugee camp in Lebanon is now campaigning to represent Denmark in the European Parliament. Fathi Al-Abed is the head of the Danish-Palestinian Friendship Association and a member of the Danish Socialist People’s Party. He granted an exclusive interview to Ma’an’s correspondent in Ramallah. Al-Abed said views the elections, slated for June, as an opportunity to advance the Palestinian cause and affirm the Palestinian presence in Denmark and other European societies. The slogan of his campaign, which he launched a month ago, is "From the refugee camp to the European Parliament,” referring to his place of birth in Burj Al-Barajneh refugee camp in Lebanon. As for the work of the The Danish-Palestinian Friendship Association, he said the organization “was established to deliver the voice of Palestinian community to the world and to show our struggle. Olmert, Livni, Barak to meet in morning for discussion on Gaza Roni Sofer, YNetNews 12/10/2008 Foreign minister presses for more decisive response to rocket attacks while defense minister advocates maintaining restraint, but both positions are best viewed through prism of upcoming elections. And so again, no dramatic decisions expected from the prime minister this time around either - Stick to the policy of restraint or launch a military offensive in Gaza? The question is expected to dominate the agenda at Wednesday morning’s meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni. The narrowest forum in the Israeli government will convene at 11:00 am to discuss the current policies employed in regards to the Palestinian Authority. This ahead of several key events on the horizon - the approaching expiration of the truce with Gaza’s armed groups on December 19th, the possible elections in the Palestinian. . . Saudis deny barring Gazans from Mecca Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem and Riazat Butt, The Guardian 12/6/2008 Saudi authorities have denied barring Palestinians from Gaza from performing the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, because of a dispute concerning which Palestinian government is legitimate. Usually there are spaces reserved for about 3,000 Palestinians from Gaza for the pilgrimage. Hajj authorities asked the Fatah-dominated government in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, to draw up the list of those attending and issued visas for the pilgrims. However, the rival faction Hamas, which won Palestinian elections three years ago and now controls the Gaza Strip, refused to allow out those people named on the Ramallah list. Instead, Hamas drew up its own list of pilgrims who wanted to travel but that list was not recognised by the Saudi authorities. A spokesman at the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs denounced "false statements issued by a member of the Palestinian legislative council" regarding the matter, saying it had given thousands of Palestinians from all occupied territories, including Gaza, the necessary visas. Security Council refuses to condemn Israeli ’piracy’ against Gaza-bound Libyan aid ship Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 12/5/2008 UNITED NATIONS: Libya protested in vain Wednesday before the UN Security Council over Israel’s interception of one of its cargo ships attempting to offload aid in the impoverished Gaza Strip. Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi told an emergency council session that Israel was guilty of "piracy in the high seas," and called for "effective action that will ensure compliance of Israel with international humanitarian law and the law of the seas. " His complaints, however, failed to elicit a formal condemnation of Monday’s actions by Israel, which needed unanimous consensus by the council’s 14 members - Libya is one of the 15-strong council’s 10 rotating members. Israeli warships on Monday prevented a Libyan cargo vessel, the Al-Marwa, from reaching Gaza with 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid for the impoverished Palestinian territory, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since Hamas won legislative elections in 2006. Turkey: More Israeli-Syrian talks possible before elections Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post 12/4/2008 Israel and Syria may hold a fifth round of indirect talks before the general elections on February 10, Turkish sources said Thursday. The last round of indirect talks were held in July, and a scheduled fifth round has been repeatedly postponed since then. It was not immediately clear when the talks would take place, and whether they would come before the scheduled visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul in January. Although the Gul visit has not been officially announced, diplomatic officials said it would likely take place before the Israeli elections. It would be a reciprocal visit for one that President Shimon Peres made to Ankara in November 2007. Although Gul made three trips to Israel as foreign minister, this would be his first as president. The Syrian track is expected to be high on the agenda of those talks, as are the Palestinian negotiations and bilateral Turkish-Israeli ties. Swiss expert: The western world went wrong when it boycotted Hamas governments Palestinian Information Center 12/3/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- Swiss expert Gabriel Galis stated that the western world committed a mistake when it boycotted the two Palestinian governments formed after Hamas won elections, adding this aggravated the crises more in Palestine. In a news conference held at the UN headquarters, Galis underlined that the Oslo agreement was no longer effective, pointing out that the Palestinians on the streets said that their pre-Oslo life was better than nowadays. The conference, which was originally on the water crisis in Palestine, underscored that the Oslo agreement miserably failed to resolve any problem especially the water crisis. In another context, the Hamas Movement deplored the fabricated story published on Wednesday in the Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper about assaults on pilgrims and alleged accusations against Egypt, saying that the newspaper quoted such lies from the Fatah-affiliated Palestine TV without investigating the truth. Israeli FM promises to continue direct peace talks with Palestinians Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 12/2/2008 BRUSSELS, Dec 02, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni promised on Tuesday that the Israeli government intends to continue direct peace talks with the Palestinians, which have been conducted in the framework set up by the Annpolis Mideast peace conference last year. Speaking during a hearing at the Foreign Affairs’ Committee of the European Parliament in Brussels, Livni also called for European Union (EU) support for the ongoing Israel-Palestinian talks, stressing that they "do not need intervention from the international community. " Livni, who is likely to replace outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the February elections, also told the EU lawmakers that Israel would reduce Jewish settlement construction on the West Bank to "a minimum," saying that it was no longer official Israeli policy to expand Jewish settlements. Report: Israel to release 250 while it kidnapped 330 Palestinians last month Palestinian Information Center 12/1/2008 RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The international Tadhamon (solidarity) for human rights said that despite the Israeli endorsement of releasing 250 Fatah prisoners, the IOF troops escalated their kidnapping campaigns and abducted 330 Palestinians during last November. In a monthly report received by the PIC, the society said the Palestinian citizens kidnapped during the last month included more than 60 children and a number of women from Gaza, faction leaders, activists, journalists and students. The reports added that the Israeli police also kidnapped a large number of Jerusalemite Palestinians either because they protested for demolishing their houses or because they boycotted the municipal elections in occupied Jerusalem. Eight foreign activists were also locked up in Israeli jails, three of them were kidnapped along with dozens of Palestinian fishermen as they were fishing in the Gaza waters.  Articles
The dogs of war Osamah Khalil, Electronic Intifada 12/29/2008 Almost eight years ago, George W. Bush entered office in the early months of the second Palestinian intifada. Rather than resuming the negotiations facilitated by the Clinton Administration, he chose instead to "pull out" and allow Ariel Sharon, who was favored to win the upcoming Israeli elections, a free hand to end the intifada. According to former US Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, Bush asserted that "sometimes a show of strength by one side can really clarify things." [1] President Bush now leaves office with historically low approval ratings and an economy in shambles. As a consequence of his foreign policy misadventures, Bush also leaves the Middle East in flames and America’s reputation in tatters. Yet, one thing has remained constant for the aloof president: deference to an Israeli "show of strength" rather than diplomacy. Only a year ago, Bush hosted the Annapolis conference that "relaunched" the "peace process" and then predictably stood by as it stalled out. Unable to launch a war against Iran, capture Osama bin Laden, pacify Afghanistan or Iraq, or broker a Palestinian-Israeli peace, rather than ride into the sunset in the waning days of his presidency, Bush is determined to leave in a final blaze of malicious incompetence. As it has been so often over the past eight years, the site of his enmity is Gaza. The self delusion that plagues both sides in this bloody conflict Robert Fisk, The Independent 12/31/2008 During the second Palestinian "intifada", I was sitting in the offices of Hizbollah’s Al-Manar television station in Beirut, watching news footage of a militiaman’s funeral in Gaza. The television showed hordes of Hamas and PLO gunmen firing thousands of rounds of ammunition into the air to honour their latest "martyr"; and I noticed, just next to me, a Lebanese Hizbollah member -- who had taken part in many attacks against the Israelis in what had been Israel’s occupation zone in southern Lebanon -- shaking his head. What was he thinking, I asked? "Hamas try to stand up to the Israelis," he replied. "But..." And here he cast his eyes to the ceiling. "They waste bullets. They fire all these bullets into the sky. They should use them to shoot at Israelis." His point, of course, was that Hamas lacked discipline, the kind of iron, ruthless discipline and security that Hizbollah forged in Lebanon and which the Israeli army was at last forced to acknowledge in southern Lebanon in 2006. Guns are weapons, not playthings for funerals. And Gaza is not southern Lebanon. It would be as well for both sides in this latest bloodbath in Gaza to remember this. Hamas is not Hizbollah. Jerusalem is not Beirut. And Israeli soldiers cannot take revenge for their 2006 defeat in Lebanon by attacking Hamas in Gaza – not even to help Ms Livni in the Israeli elections. From the ashes of Gaza Tariq Ali, The Guardian 12/30/2008 The assault on Gaza planned over six months and executed with perfect timing, was designed largely as Neve Gordon has rightly observed to help the incumbent parties triumph in the forthcoming Israeli elections. The dead Palestinians are little more than election fodder in a cynical contest between the right and the far right in Israel. Washington and its EU allies, perfectly aware that Gaza was about to be assaulted, as in the case of Lebanon in 2006, sit back and watch. Washington, as is its wont, blames the pro-Hamas Palestinians, with Obama and Bush singing from the same AIPAC hymn sheet. The EU politicians, having observed the build-up, the siege, the collective punishment inflicted on Gaza, the targeting of civilians etc (for all the gory detail, see Harvard scholar Sara Roy’s chilling essay in the London Review of Books were convinced that it was the rocket attacks that had "provoked" Israel but called on both sides to end the violence, with nil effect. The moth-eaten Mubarak dictatorship in Egypt and Nato’s favourite Islamists in Ankara failed to register even a symbolic protest by recalling their ambassadors from Israel. China and Russia did not convene a meeting of the UN security council to discuss the crisis. Delusions of victory in Gaza Zvi Barel, Ha’aretz 12/28/2008 As of yesterday, politicians and the public at large have been enthralled by a new prospect: that of a wide-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. Such a prospect answers all their heart’s secret wishes: Avenging the rocket fire by Gazan militants, reclaiming Israel’s prestige, delivering a fatal blow to Hamas, providing payback for Israel’s 2005 pullout from Gaza, sending a strong message to Iran, an implicit one to Hezbollah, and also showing the government’s concern for its citizens and scoring some points with the electorate ahead of the elections. The public’s imaginations are let loose as they chant a battle-cry. Fighter planes have already bombed dozens of targets in the heart of Gaza and tomorrow thousands of troops may storm its alleyways. On the third day the Israel Defense Forces might eliminate Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Mushir al-Masri and Mahmoud al-Zahar. It will seize the Hamas government’s buildings and an army spokesman will display captured arm caches containing sophisticated missiles and thousands of guns to the press. ...How many soldiers are expected to be killed in the first wave? How many months is the IDF expected to spend in Gaza, sweeping its houses and tunnels? How many Palestinian civilians will be killed? Will Gilad Shalit survive in such a scenario? Will Hezbollah remain passive during a Gaza offensive? How will the residents of the West Bank, Jordan and Egypt react? What about the new U.S. president? And Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas? Not that he really matters. Hunger Before the Storm Sameh A. Habeeb, Middle East Online 12/27/2008 Israeli politicians, in the run-up to elections, are promising to deal a severe blow to Gaza as this is how Israeli policy is made. However, every household in Gaza is already under siege. In Gaza you can only find pale, angry and frustrated faces. If you visit my house you won’t find power, while my neighbor is out of gas. Another neighbor seeks potable water as power outages have left him without for four days. A third neighbor desparately looks for milk for his child but does so in vain. Another friend who lives on the corner needs medicine that can’t currently be found in Gaza. There is no shortage of such stories in Gaza (though there is a shortage of nearly everything else). Perhaps broadcasting such stories would result in pressure on Israeli leaders to stop the siege. Because what is happening is that the entire Gaza population of 1.5 million -- densely packed into a small area -- is being punished for crude rockets being fired into Israel by a few. Shaher Mazen, 25, holds a degree in political science but works as a taxi driver to put bread on the table for his family. I spoke to him while I was on my way to some of the Gaza bakeries to cover some news that was happening there. Shaher was frustrated because of siege and furious towards the two rival Palestinian governments, considering them as weak in the face of Israel. No strategy, no change Yossi Alpher, Jerusalem Post 12/23/2008 The official end of the six-month cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza is not going to change very much in Israel-Hamas relations. Of course, it could change a lot for those Israelis and Palestinians who may now again be exposed to more intense physical danger. But just as before the cease-fire and during the cease-fire, the country will continue not knowing what to do about Hamas. Not only this country, but Egypt, the PLO, the US and Europe as well will remain at a loss. None of these actors has a workable strategy for dealing with Hamas. While the more distant actors in Washington and Brussels can perhaps afford to continue muddling through this issue, for Jerusalem, Cairo and Ramallah this has become a critical and inexcusable lacuna. All three would like Hamas to disappear. But they don’t know how to make this happen, at least not at a reasonable price. And when they fail, they have no reasonable alternatives to fall back on. Obviously, it is Israel that concerns us here. Over the three years since Hamas began gradually taking over the Gaza Strip, first through elections and then by force, this country has invoked a variety of economic, military and political measures for dealing with it. All have proven ineffective. Unity, and peace, hinge on US Jim Lobe, Electronic Intifada 12/19/2008 WASHINGTON (IPS) - Eighteen months after Hamas evicted Fatah forces from Gaza, the prospects for restoring Palestinian unity are more elusive than ever, with both factions believing that time is on their side, according to a new report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released Wednesday. But changes in the regional and international landscape, particularly if United States President-elect Barack Obama follows through on his campaign pledges to engage with Iran and Syria, could spur a reconciliation, one which a growing number of experts here believe is essential for progress toward a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord. A more flexible attitude towards Hamas by Washington -- which organized a western diplomatic and aid boycott against it after the Islamist group won elections in 2006 and later formed a government of national unity with Fatah -- could also play a critical role in encouraging intra-Palestinian reconciliation that would in turn enhance chances for a peace settlement with Israel, according to the report. Round and round again Simon Tisdall, The Guardian 12/16/2008 Pressure is building on all sides for positive movement to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. The transition in Washington, February’s Israeli elections, and possible power shifts among the Palestinians are encouraging perceptions of a new "window of opportunity". But while the view through the glass may be clearer, the window frame remains firmly locked and bolted. Filling the temporary gap between George Bush and Barack Obama, Britain has presumed to lead and is busy twisting arms. Gordon Brown’s talks today with Israel’s caretaker leader, Ehud Olmert, followed a gee-up session with the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, at a London conference on investment in the Palestinian economy. "Let’s seize the opportunity to make 2009 the Middle East year of peace," Brown said. Claiming to have Obama’s full backing, Brown’s clunking fist is also being directed at the Arab states. "Ultimately more is needed than a two-state solution - a broader peace between Israel and all its Arab neighbours," he said. That message was driven home by foreign secretary David Miliband during a visit to the region last month. While Livni promises Arab deportation, Obama offers "nuclear umbrella" to Tel Aviv - that's what friends are for! Michele Giorgio, il manifesto, Palestine Think Tank 12/14/2008 Jerusalem - Everyone is pointing their finger at Benyamin Netanyahu, guilty of being the leader of a Likud full of rightist extremists like Moshe Feiglin. And yet, yesterday Tzipi Livni, the candidate as the Premier of the "centrist"ť Kadima in the coming elections held next 10 February who is currently serving as Foreign Minister, proved to hold opinions that are very close to those of the nationalist extremists. Leaving no room for possible misinterpretations, Livni told a group of high school students in Tel Aviv that the Israeli Arabs (Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, one fifth of the Israeli population) should go and live in the Palestinian state when it has been set up. “Once a Palestinian state is established”—Livni claimed—“among other things I will also be able to approach the Palestinian residents of Israel, those whom we call Arab Israelis, and tell them: ’your national aspirations lie elsewhere.’” Livni didn’t specify which steps she would take in order to have the Arab Israelis transferred into the future Palestinian state while the Arab Israelis will go on demanding the foundation of an Israeli state belonging to all its citizens and not to its Jewish majority alone. Obama’s Middle East Challenge Yinon Cohen and Neve Gordon – Israel, Palestine Chronicle 12/8/2008 ’Obama has a crucial advantage over his predecessors.’ As Barack Obama enters the oval office he will face a series of daunting challenges. One of these is confronting the age old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been seriously, yet unsuccessfully, tackled by every American president since Jimmy Carter. The inability to reach a peaceful solution has not only had fatal repercussions for the people residing in Israel and the Occupied Territories, but has also been detrimental to Middle East stability and to vital US interests in the region. In recent years, some of the hurdles facing those political leaders who want to reach a peace agreement based on the two-state solution have only grown. The Palestinians are in the midst of an internal fray between the old-guard of Fatah and the fundamentalist Hamas ideologues, and currently there is no agreed upon leadership with which one can negotiate. The Israeli political arena has also become much more polarized, and, it will be practically impossible for whichever party wins the upcoming elections to sign a comprehensive peace agreement with the Palestinians, not least because the settler movement and its supporters will control a critical block in the Knesset. Memo for Obama Uri Avnery – Israel, Palestine Chronicle 12/5/2008 ’Your personal intervention, at the critical moment, could do wonders.’ For the President-Elect, Mr. Barack Obama. The following humble suggestions are based on my 70 years of experience as an underground fighter, special forces soldier in the 1948 war, editor-in-chief of a newsmagazine, member of the Knesset and founding member of a peace movement: (1) As far as Israeli-Arab peace is concerned, you should act from Day One. (2) Israeli elections are due to take place in February 2009. You can have an indirect but important and constructive impact on the outcome, by announcing your unequivocal determination to achieve Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-all-Arab peace in 2009. (3) Unfortunately, all your predecessors since 1967 have played a double game. While paying lip service to peace, and sometimes going through the motions of making some effort for peace, they have in practice supported our governments in moving in the very opposite direction. In particular, they have given tacit approval to the building and enlargement of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories, each of which is a land mine on the road to peace. 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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