From Michael Travis:
60 years old
and the State of Israel
is still bargaining
for it's right to exist.
Update; A source close to the Israeli Cabinet of Ehud Olmert has disclosed that President Bush's phone conversation with the Israeli leader included a request that Israel issue a press release affirming their commitment to the "Peace Process" [despite the attack on the Yeshiva], and that both the report of Bush's condolence call and Olmert's statement be issued simultaneously. Four hours later the veracity of our source's claims were confirmed. As our friend in Jerusalem noted; "This is a very high price to pay for a few words of sympathy."
1)
Israel vows not to allow yeshiva shooting slammed by PA President Abbas to derail peace talks. Leaders, diplomats from multitude of nations issue harshly worded condemnations; US president reiterates American support for Israel in phone call to PM Olmert
US President George W. Bush telephoned Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday night and expressed his condolences over Thursday's terror attack which left eight yeshiva students dead.
"I condemn in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack in Jerusalem that targeted innocent students at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva. This barbaric and vicious attack on innocent civilians deserves the condemnation of every nation," Bush said in a statement.
2)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also slammed the shooting on Thursday.
"President Mahmoud Abbas condemns the attack in Jerusalem that claimed the lives of many Israelis and he reiterated his condemnation of all attacks that target civilians, whether they are Palestinians or Israelis," said Abbas aide Saeb Erekat.
The 'Galilee Freedom Brigades' – an Israeli-Arab group - claimed responsibility for the shooting. The organization has assumed responsibility for several terror attacks in Israel in the past.
The gunman is believed to be a resident of east Jerusalem and likely possessed the blue ID card given to Israeli citizens or permanent residents.
"These terrorists are trying to destroy the chances of peace but we certainly will continue the peace talks," Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said.
"Tonight's massacre in Jerusalem is a defining moment. Those celebrating these murders have shown themselves to be the enemies not only of Israel , but the enemies of peace and reconciliation," said Mark Regev, Olmert's spokesman.
"The murderous rampage against students marking a religious event exemplifies all too well the heinous extremism of the fundamentalist foundations Palestinian terrorism is built upon," Minister Livni said.
"Israel will never allow terrorism to achieve its goals. Despicable attacks such as this must strengthen the free world's understanding of the terrorist threat, in the face of which we must stand resolute and without compromise."
Livni said that Israel stands at the forefront of the war on terror and would continue to defend its citizens from the daily attacks they face. "Israel expects the nations of the world to support it in its battle against the murderers of students, women and children," said the minister.
"Tonight's massacre in Jerusalem is a defining moment. Those celebrating these murders have shown themselves to be the enemies not only of Israel , but the enemies of peace and reconciliation," said Mark Regev, Olmert's spokesman.
"The murderous rampage against students marking a religious event exemplifies all too well the heinous extremism of the fundamentalist foundations Palestinian terrorism is built upon," Minister Livni said.
"Israel will never allow terrorism to achieve its goals. Despicable attacks such as this must strengthen the free world's understanding of the terrorist threat, in the face of which we must stand resolute and without compromise."
Livni said that Israel stands at the forefront of the war on terror and would continue to defend its citizens from the daily attacks they face. "Israel expects the nations of the world to support it in its battle against the murderers of students, women and children," said the minister.
U.S. Opens Door To Hamas With Egypt Mediation
By Sue Pleming
Fri 7 Mar 2008, 10:17 GMT
BRUSSELS, March 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has faced pressure for months to engage Hamas and this week she gave Egypt the nod to negotiate with them to end violence in Gaza.
Analysts see this as a first sign the Bush administration could be tweaking its approach on Hamas, from total isolation to encouraging allies such as Egypt to engage with the Islamist group if it means saving U.S.-sponsored peace talks.
Egypt began talks on Thursday with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Gaza Strip, part of a U.S.-backed push for a truce between the groups and Israel to stop violence in Hamas-run Gaza that derailed Palestinian statehood talks.
A Palestinian gunman shot dead eight people at a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem on Thursday, exacerbating tensions. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack which was greeted with celebrations in Gaza. Israel said the attack would not derail the peace talks.
During a trip to the West Bank and Gaza this week, Rice was loathe to officially call for a ceasefire or a truce, preferring instead to refer to a need for "calm" so that talks could get back on track.
But on Thursday she made clear Washington supported Egypt's mission to get a truce, an indication that Cairo's role as mediator was acceptable if it could salvage talks launched in Annapolis, Maryland last November.
"I talked with the Egyptians and we fully expect the Egyptians to carry out the efforts that they said they would carry out to try to bring calm to the region, to try to improve the situation in Gaza," Rice said at a news conference in Brussels, where she attended a NATO ministers meeting.
"As you know Egypt is a good ally in the effort to help the Annapolis solution," she added.
Rice declined to provide specifics of the talks, but the green light for Egypt followed strong pressure from European and Arab allies, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for something to be done urgently to stem the violence.
IGNORE AT YOUR PERIL
Middle East analysts say the strategy should not be to make Hamas feel more vulnerable but to bring them into the process.
"In the end, if you send the message that the game is to destroy them, any time there is a prospect of forward movement in the talks they will act (with violence)," said Professor Shibley Telhami, an expert at the University of Maryland.
He said the United States should encourage Arab nations to mediate between Hamas and Abbas's Fatah movement.
Former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy said Rice could not afford to ignore that Hamas could act as a spoiler in talks which the Bush administration hopes will lead to a Palestinian statehood deal by year-end.
"You ignore Gaza and Hamas at your peril," said Levy, now with a Washington thinktank, the New America Foundation.
Hamas's ability to affect negotiations by firing rockets from Gaza into Israel or through other actions was unlikely to ebb, he added.
"The most likely trajectory is that all sides will simply await the next escalation, that will inevitably come, and that the new Annapolis peace process will suffer a slow and inglorious death," Levy said.
In the past week, over 120 Palestinians were killed in an offensive which Israel said was aimed at stopping Hamas rocket attacks. Hamas says it fires rockets in self-defence, and that it would stop if Israel halted all military activity in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and ended a Gaza blockade.
Before last year's Annapolis meeting, which relaunched the peace process, a group of ex-diplomats and other former senior U.S. government officials wrote to Rice and U.S. President George W. Bush urging them to find a way to include Hamas.
But Rice and others in the administration dismissed the suggestion outright.
While Rice gave the go ahead for Egypt to deal with Hamas, Washington does not want to lend legitimacy to an organisation it brands a terrorist group. A senior U.S. official said the overall U.S. policy of isolating Hamas had not changed.
The U.S. hope is that once a deal is cut between pro-Western Abbas and Olmert for a Palestinian state, the population in Gaza will see the merits of joining the peace train.
"Then let Hamas decide whether they will be outside of that consensus," Rice said. (Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
PASTORIUS NOTE: Let us be clear about this. Hamas is a terrorist group whose official charter calls for "death to the Jews." The Palestinians elected Hamas as their ruling government in the Gaza territory. They elected Jew-killers as their government.
Now we are going to "mediate" with them?
Would we also "mediate" with Hitler? With Pol Pot? Would we compromise with Charles Manson?
Who would we not negotiate with?
4 comments:
Today and for 2 generations (the time it takes for instilled racism to dissipate if EDUCATION AND PREACHING CHANGES TODAY) there is no such thing as an achievable peace in the middle east UNLESS it is a Roman Peace created by one side or the other.
Olmert should have PUBLICLY called Bush to task. How much more damage can this admin do? WOuld they cut all all weapons resupply to an ISrael which supplies sofware for Pattiot-3, and supplies Arrows for theatre defense? An Israel which could turn around tomorrow and sell the Phalcon AEW system to a China that was dying for it?
Why not demand that Bush sit down with Zawalhiri?
There is NO PROSPECT of peace in the middle east unless we force Israel to DIE. An event which will surely demonstrate to the world our complete loss of sovereignty to powers that hold oil and dollar reserves.
SHAME ON GEORGE BUSH AND THIS ADMINISTRATION, AND IT'S LOSS OF VISION, WILL, AND RESISTANCE TO FORCES WHICH MEAN US ILL
I think Bush believes he is just "bringing pressure" to bear on a situation, in order to "achieve a solution."
As was true with the Wansee Conference, the planning of a genocide is being achieved in bureaucratic/diplomatic language.
This reminds me of Blair's aide who was caught on camera in the minutes after the London attacks telling his boss that the outrage presented a wonderful PR opportunity for his government.
The aide was fired, only because the conversation was captured on film and there was no chance of denying what was obviously routine procedure.
I'm happy for the slip.
Post a Comment