Roadmap and PeacemakingIsrael and Palestine
What starts the numerous peacemaking efforts? What brings them to a halt? Are they doomed to fail because the problem is intractable? Or are some peacemaking plans simply unrealistic? With one-sided conditions and expectations?
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Israel rejects 'insincere' Hamas offer of 10-year truce
News: "Israel rejects 'insincere' Hamas offer of 10-year truce | By Justin Huggler in Jerusalem | 27 January 2004
Hamas, the most powerful Palestinian militant faction, could agree to a 10-year truce if Israel withdraws from all the land it occupied in 1967, one of the organisation's senior leaders has said. Israel immediately dismissed the comments, from Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a leader of Hamas's political wing, as insincere.
His words are seen by observers as an indication of how weakened Hamas has become following an onslaught of Israeli assassination attempts against its leaders. Dr Rantisi's comments on Sunday are the latest sign of a major shift in policy from Hamas, which until recently was dedicated not only to forcing Israel out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which it occupied in 1967 but also the 'liberation' of the whole of former British-mandate Palestine and the destruction of Israel."
News: "Israel rejects 'insincere' Hamas offer of 10-year truce | By Justin Huggler in Jerusalem | 27 January 2004
Hamas, the most powerful Palestinian militant faction, could agree to a 10-year truce if Israel withdraws from all the land it occupied in 1967, one of the organisation's senior leaders has said. Israel immediately dismissed the comments, from Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a leader of Hamas's political wing, as insincere.
His words are seen by observers as an indication of how weakened Hamas has become following an onslaught of Israeli assassination attempts against its leaders. Dr Rantisi's comments on Sunday are the latest sign of a major shift in policy from Hamas, which until recently was dedicated not only to forcing Israel out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which it occupied in 1967 but also the 'liberation' of the whole of former British-mandate Palestine and the destruction of Israel."
US returns to low-key peacemaking: major Israeli raid 8 dead, 17 wounded [... Do raids happend each time peace process shows a glimmer of hope?]]
Excite - News: "Israel Army Kills 8 During Gaza Gunbattles | Jan 28, 7:27 am ET | By Nidal al-MughrabiGAZA (Reuters)
Israeli troops killed eight Palestinians Wednesday in the deadliest raid in the Gaza Strip in more than a month, casting a shadow over a new U.S. push to salvage a battered peace plan.
...
The raid, which Israel said was aimed at rooting out militants who frequently attack a nearby Jewish settlement, began as U.S. envoy John Wolf headed for talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Returning after months of absence, Wolf pressed Qurie and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to hold a long-delayed summit crucial to reviving a peace "road map," and demanded that Palestinians curb militant violence, officials said.
"This continuous aggression against our people should be stopped," Qurie said he told Wolf, who was accompanied by State Department official David Satterield. ...
Excite - News: "Israel Army Kills 8 During Gaza Gunbattles | Jan 28, 7:27 am ET | By Nidal al-MughrabiGAZA (Reuters)
Israeli troops killed eight Palestinians Wednesday in the deadliest raid in the Gaza Strip in more than a month, casting a shadow over a new U.S. push to salvage a battered peace plan.
...
The raid, which Israel said was aimed at rooting out militants who frequently attack a nearby Jewish settlement, began as U.S. envoy John Wolf headed for talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Returning after months of absence, Wolf pressed Qurie and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to hold a long-delayed summit crucial to reviving a peace "road map," and demanded that Palestinians curb militant violence, officials said.
"This continuous aggression against our people should be stopped," Qurie said he told Wolf, who was accompanied by State Department official David Satterield. ...
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Secret Israeli-Palestinian meeting fails due to disagreement over Sharon's plan for unilateral separation and the continuing construction of wall
Haaretz Article: "14/01/2004 | Report: Secret unofficial Israeli-Palestinian talks end in failure | By Haaretz Service
A secret meeting of Israeli and Palestinian figures held last week in Turkey ended in failure due to disagreement over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for unilateral separation and the continuing construction of the West Bank separation fence, according to a report published Wednesday in the Palestinian daily Al-Quds.
...
According to the report, over three days of meetings participants discussed control of Jerusalem and the holy sites, final-status borders, ways to implement the "road map" and how to stop the violence between the two sides. ...
Haaretz Article: "14/01/2004 | Report: Secret unofficial Israeli-Palestinian talks end in failure | By Haaretz Service
A secret meeting of Israeli and Palestinian figures held last week in Turkey ended in failure due to disagreement over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for unilateral separation and the continuing construction of the West Bank separation fence, according to a report published Wednesday in the Palestinian daily Al-Quds.
...
According to the report, over three days of meetings participants discussed control of Jerusalem and the holy sites, final-status borders, ways to implement the "road map" and how to stop the violence between the two sides. ...
Friday, January 09, 2004
Powell: U.S. opposes one state solution: doesn't believe US can accept apartheid or Bantuism [... he's doesn't sound very sure?]
Haaretz Article: "09/01/2004 10:54 | Powell: U.S. opposes one state solution | By Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and News Agencies
United States Secretary of States Colin Powell said Thursday that he opposes a one state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that the United States remains committed to the two state solution, in which an independent Palestinian state will border Israel.
...
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said earlier on Thursday that Palestinians would pursue a bi-national state and demand the same rights as Israelis if Israel carried out its threat to absorb chunks of the West Bank.
Asked if Qureia's one-state idea was viable, Powell said: "No. We're committed to a two-state solution. I believe that's the only solution that will work: a state for the Palestinian people called Palestine and a Jewish state, state of Israel."
"I don't believe that we can accept a situation that results in anything that one might characterize as apartheid or Bantuism," he added. ...
Haaretz Article: "09/01/2004 10:54 | Powell: U.S. opposes one state solution | By Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and News Agencies
United States Secretary of States Colin Powell said Thursday that he opposes a one state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that the United States remains committed to the two state solution, in which an independent Palestinian state will border Israel.
...
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said earlier on Thursday that Palestinians would pursue a bi-national state and demand the same rights as Israelis if Israel carried out its threat to absorb chunks of the West Bank.
Asked if Qureia's one-state idea was viable, Powell said: "No. We're committed to a two-state solution. I believe that's the only solution that will work: a state for the Palestinian people called Palestine and a Jewish state, state of Israel."
"I don't believe that we can accept a situation that results in anything that one might characterize as apartheid or Bantuism," he added. ...
Qureia: Israel's unilateral moves are pushing us toward a one-state solution: "Who can accept...apartheid solution to put the Palestinians in cantons?
Haaretz - Article: "Qureia: Israel's unilateral moves are pushing us toward a one-state solution | By Reuters | January 09, 2004
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said yesterday that Palestinians would seek to forge a single bi-national state with Israel if Israel carried out its threat to absorb parts of the West Bank.
Qureia's comments underscored the Palestinians' sense of desperation in the face of comments made by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he would implement a unilateral plan, that includes taking over parts of the West Bank, if peacemaking efforts remain frozen.
Qureia said Sharon's unilateralism, including the building of the separation fence, could prompt Palestinians to abandon efforts for a two-state solution to the conflict.
"This is an apartheid solution to put the Palestinians in cantons," he said. "Who can accept this? We will go for a one-state solution... There's no other solution. We will not hesitate to defend the right of our people when we feel the very serious intention [of Israel] to destroy these rights."
...
Some Palestinian intellectuals say the Palestinian Authority should make clear that, if necessary, it is prepared to dissolve itself in order to put pressure on Israel to make concessions.
Israel, they say, would then have to reassume the full financial and legal burden of caring for the Palestinian population, as it did from after the Six Day War in 1967 until the start of interim self-rule in 1994.
But Palestinian officials say that calling for a bi-national state would be used only as a last resort, since it would mean dropping longstanding aspirations for a state of their own.
Showing maps of the fence, Qureia said it was an attempt to "put Palestinians like chickens in cages. The wall is to unilaterally mark the borders, this is the intention behind the wall... It will kill the road map and kill the two-state vision," he said.
Haaretz - Article: "Qureia: Israel's unilateral moves are pushing us toward a one-state solution | By Reuters | January 09, 2004
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said yesterday that Palestinians would seek to forge a single bi-national state with Israel if Israel carried out its threat to absorb parts of the West Bank.
Qureia's comments underscored the Palestinians' sense of desperation in the face of comments made by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he would implement a unilateral plan, that includes taking over parts of the West Bank, if peacemaking efforts remain frozen.
Qureia said Sharon's unilateralism, including the building of the separation fence, could prompt Palestinians to abandon efforts for a two-state solution to the conflict.
"This is an apartheid solution to put the Palestinians in cantons," he said. "Who can accept this? We will go for a one-state solution... There's no other solution. We will not hesitate to defend the right of our people when we feel the very serious intention [of Israel] to destroy these rights."
...
Some Palestinian intellectuals say the Palestinian Authority should make clear that, if necessary, it is prepared to dissolve itself in order to put pressure on Israel to make concessions.
Israel, they say, would then have to reassume the full financial and legal burden of caring for the Palestinian population, as it did from after the Six Day War in 1967 until the start of interim self-rule in 1994.
But Palestinian officials say that calling for a bi-national state would be used only as a last resort, since it would mean dropping longstanding aspirations for a state of their own.
Showing maps of the fence, Qureia said it was an attempt to "put Palestinians like chickens in cages. The wall is to unilaterally mark the borders, this is the intention behind the wall... It will kill the road map and kill the two-state vision," he said.
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Arafat: Sharon not serious about peace by stressing his readiness to unilaterally incorporate some occupied land
Excite - News: "Arafat: Sharon Is Not Serious About Peace | Jan 6, 8:19 am ET | By Diala Saadeh
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had proved he was not serious about peace by stressing his readiness to unilaterally incorporate some occupied land." ...
Excite - News: "Arafat: Sharon Is Not Serious About Peace | Jan 6, 8:19 am ET | By Diala Saadeh
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had proved he was not serious about peace by stressing his readiness to unilaterally incorporate some occupied land." ...
