Palestine: No Negotiations Before Halt to Israeli Settlements

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared on Thursday that no proposal ignoring Jerusalem as the capital of Palestinians would be acceptable to Palestinians.

Abbas added that there would be no peace negotiations with Israel as long as the construction in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem continues:

If Israel says in the meeting that it will not accept the 1967 borders and that it is not prepared to discuss Jerusalem and the refugee situation, what is there to talk about?

If I enter negotiations with them and the building in East Jerusalem continues, Israel will be saying that Jerusalem is theirs. So why would I agree to negotiate while building in East Jerusalem continues?

Abbas concluded that he will accept Israel as a Jewish state only when West Jerusalem accepts the terms of Palestinians.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said, in a separate declaration, that there was no agreement yet to resume talks with Israel. Responding to the latest US proposal for talks at a level below full-scale negotiations between leaders, Fayyad told Reuters:

We heard about low-level, mid-level, high-level (talks). I don't think there is anything yet that has been crystallised in terms of going forward.

However, Fayyad not close the door on talks: "We Palestinians stand to lose the most from a stalled peace process, but we would still like to see the process resumed in a way that would give us confidence that it can actually deliver what it should be able to deliver."

Israel-Palestine: Obama to Netanyahu, Abbas "Deal With Your Opposition Within"

On Thursday, at a Town Hall meeting in Tampa, President Obama talked about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He not only reiterated the urgent need to meet both sides' "legitimate aspirations" but also implicitly warned each to deal with the opposition forces within their camps.

Obama started with the dual assurances, Israel is one of our strongest allies. It's critical for us, and I will never waver from ensuring Israel's security....The plight of the Palestinians is something that we have to pay attention to. It is not good for our security and for Israel's security if you have millions of individuals who feel hopeless....We are working to try to strengthen the ability of both parties to have to sit down across the table."

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Obama then pointed out the "mutual demonization" jeopardizing the peace process, while urging leaders through praise to deal with troublesome allies. The President said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is making some effort to move a little bit further than his coalition wants to go" while Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas "genuinely wants peace" but has to deal with Hamas. Obama concluded:

The Palestinians have to unequivocally renounce violence and rToecognize Israel. And Israel has to acknowledge legitimate grievances and interests of the Palestinians.

Israel: Defense Minister Barak "Palestine Peace Bigger Issue Than Iran's Bomb"

Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday that a continued stalemate in the peace process with the Palestinians poses a greater threat to Israel than an Iranian nuclear bomb. Having called on the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to sit on the negotiation table, Barak continued to praise Israel's responsibilities and "progress" and stated that an an apartheid political entity as a result of the stalemate will be the biggest threat:

I am proud to be a member of a government that has taken upon itself the responsibility of addressing issues pertaining to the Road Map.

We regard the settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria as part of Israel in relation to any final status agreement.

We have a paramount interest in establishing defined borders between ourselves and the Palestinians, that will set the stage for two states for two peoples.

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It must be understood that if between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean Sea] there is only one political entity called 'Israel', it will by necessity either be not Jewish or not democratic, and we will turn into an apartheid state.

Following his comments on Palestine, Barak targeted the Lebanese government:

We are not looking for a deterioration of the situation in Lebanon, but if there is such an unraveling, our target will not be some Hizbullah terrorist somewhere in southern Lebanon. Our target will be the Lebanese government and its infrastructure, whatever that may include.

Only then did Barak turn to Iran came out of his lips. He called on the international community to put sanctions on Tehran and warned of a future nuclear arms race in the Middle East and beyond:

Iran is only engaging in dialogue in order to buy itself some time. The setting of a brief and clear timetable for imposing of sanctions on Iran is vital, and uranium enrichment on Iranian soil cannot be legitimized, since this will lead to an Iranian military nuclear capability.

A nuclear Iran will lead to an unrestrained arms race and every Third World dictator will know that his country can go nuclear if it tries.

Palestine: Hamas & Fatah Battle Over Legitimacy of Legislative Council

On Monday, Hamas and Fatah officials exchanged accusations and condemnations over the status of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council.

According to the Palestinian basic law, the four-year term for the PLC ends on Monday. Hamas, which won elections in Gaza in January 2006, declares that until a new election is held, the council is still legal. Fatah insists that there must be an immediate election to have a legal council.

Azzam al-Ahmad, head of Fatah party block in the parliament, said in a press statement: "According to the Palestinian basic constitution, al-Dewik is not anymore the speaker of the council. The only person who is authorized to call...a special session for the parliament is President Mahmoud Abbas."

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On the other hand, Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas movement's spokesman, told Xinhua that " the current parliament will be legal until new elections are held and the new elected legislatures do the sworn-in", adding "Hamas is not afraid of holding the elections, but only after ending the current division and reconciliation."

Zuhri, indeed, went one step further: "The problem is not whether the parliament is legal or illegal, because according to the law, it is legal until the new elections are held. But the problem is with Abbas, who is not anymore representing the Palestinians after his mandate expired."

Israel-Palestine: Netanyahu Makes A Move on the West Bank

Following another round of failed talks with Washington's Mideast special envoy George Mitchell, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his first visit to West Bank settlements since he took office, "The settlements blocs in the West Bank are an indisputable part of Israel". He added, "This is an idea that is accepted by the majority of Israelis and is part of international agreements." Planting trees inside the settlement blocks, Netanyahu said he wanted to "send a clear message that we will stay here. We are planning and we are building."

Netanyahu's statement is a political declaration that any future agreement is not going to be based on pre-1967 borders and there will have to be some "adjustments" and "swaps" of territory. He is not only trying to ease settlers' discomfort following the declarations of a "one-time and temporary" moratorium; he is also implicitly warned interested parties that the longer the delay in pressure on the Palestinian Authority to sit at the negotiating table, the more land to be occupied by Israel.

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After the release of Netanyahu's words, a harsh criticism came from Ramallah. "This is an unacceptable act that destroys all the efforts being exerted by Senator [George] Mitchell in order to bring the parties back to the negotiating table," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' aide Nabil Abu Rudeineh said.