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Last update - 00:00 28/10/2008
Peres: Israel is closer to peace than ever before
By Hannah Glass, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies
Tags: Hamas, Israel News, Peres 

Israel is closer than ever to peace, President Shimon Peres said during a speech given at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the Shimon Peres Center for Peace.

"Never in the past 100 years are we closer to peace than we are now", Peres said during remarks before a crowd of hundreds of international leaders, politicians, businessmen, media representatives, sports and movie stars.
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Mohammed Shtayeh, president of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, also addressed the crowd on Tuesday, where he called for the Palestinian people to come together for the cause of peace.

Shtayeh also said the Palestinians will hold a session of national reconciliation on November 9th, bringing together members of the rival Hamas and Fatah parties.

Hamas leaders on Tuesday said the arrests of dozens of its members by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security forces could hamper Egyptian-sponsored unity talks between them and Fatah.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said the detentions could "poison the atmosphere and block the way" towards reconciliation with Abbas's Fatah faction, which lost control of the Gaza Strip to the Islamist group in fighting in June 2007.

The latest arrests, Abu Zuhri said, raised the number of Hamas members detained by forces loyal to Abbas to at least 400 in the past year.

Hamas says W. Bank arrests could harm unity talks
Hamas said on Tuesday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security forces had arrested 170 of its members in the West Bank in the past four weeks in a campaign that could hamper Egyptian-sponsored unity talks.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said the detentions could "poison the atmosphere and block the way" towards reconciliation with Abbas's Fatah faction, which lost control of the Gaza Strip to the Islamist group in fighting in June 2007.

The latest arrests, Abu Zuhri said, raised the number of Hamas members detained by forces loyal to Abbas to at least 400 in the past year.

He urged Egypt to press Abbas to halt the campaign before Palestinian factions convene in Cairo on Nov. 9 to discuss reconciliation.

Hamas, Fatah and other groups have welcomed Egypt's presentation of a draft reconciliation paper, but some factions have called on Cairo to make amendments to the document.

Fatah spokesman Fahmi Zarir, denying any political motive behind the arrests, said security forces in the West Bank were trying to restore law and order.

Fatah says more than 120 of its members in the Gaza Strip are in Hamas-run jails.

Human rights groups have accused security forces loyal to Hamas and Fatah of abuses over the past year, including extra-judicial arrests and torture.

The head of the European Union training programme for Abbas's police force in the West Bank, Colin Smith, said security detainees should be dealt with through the criminal justice system.

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      1.   Tikva also closer than before 16:27  |  Dr Noam 28/10/08
      2.   Peres is trying to sound positive 17:07  |  Sam 28/10/08
      3.   Closer to peace than ever before? Phrase commonly used by Israel 17:15  |  Natallie Durson 28/10/08
      4.   Tolerance Zero policy towards Hamas 17:22  |  ScotGuy 28/10/08
      5.   Dr. Noam 17:54  |  Joe 28/10/08
      6.   Peres - Self Delusional Fool is Pathetic 17:56  |  Tod Zuckerman 28/10/08
      7.   |I do not believe a word peres says 19:03  |  paulo2005 28/10/08
      8.   What nonsense... Israel`s has never been closer to War before! 19:07  |  Joel Stein 28/10/08
      9.   EU has a model for peace 19:07  |  Bronxite10 28/10/08
      10.   Stop lying to your people Mr. president! 19:15  |  Moise 28/10/08
      11.   Just beause the terms of the deal are known... 19:17  |  bbl 28/10/08
      12.   this guy is delusional,he has been wrong for the last 50 years 19:20  |  chaim 28/10/08
      13.   Peace or Piece? 19:48  |  ARA 28/10/08
      14.   again? 20:07  |  American in NY 28/10/08
      15.   There is no peace in the Middle East 20:18  |  Brod 28/10/08
      16.   Brod 5 20:41  |  Anthony 28/10/08
      17.   Anthony so you were convinced by Brod then? 21:36  |  Ari ben Yisrael 28/10/08
      18.   Peres: Israel is closer to peace than ever before 22:01  |  n_erber 28/10/08
      19.   Peres is utterly delusional 23:00  |  Kenny 28/10/08
      20.   Peres knows-what-he-is-talking-about.... 23:14  |  Esther 28/10/08
      21.   Israel is closer to peace because Iran will soon become nuclear 23:20  |  Aounist 28/10/08
      22.   Which planet is Peres hailing from? 23:22  |  Clickfool 28/10/08
      23.   Learn this word - Takiya.... 23:30  |  Steven Gilbert 28/10/08
      24.   Fatah is a terrorist group, end of. 23:35  |  Zion 28/10/08
      25.   It is easy to dispair of peace, but a road does exist 23:49  |  Dan Chazan 28/10/08
      26.   The Palestinians can`t even make peace with themselves! 23:53  |  Conroy 28/10/08
      27.   #13 Wrong as usual Clickfool 00:31  |  Conroy 29/10/08
      28.   Peres: Israel is closer to peace than ever before 00:46  |  n_erber 29/10/08
      29.   In Peres imagination when Israel was not.. 00:55  |  Akram Zekaria 29/10/08
      30.   Peres is the same idiot that said Arafat wanted peace. 00:57  |  Ken Jurist 29/10/08
      31.   Peres whistling in the dark... 01:03  |  Axel 29/10/08
      32.   Holy and I thought I was an appeaser 01:04  |  Neville Chamberlain 29/10/08
      33.   Ari 11 01:22  |  Anthony 29/10/08
      34.   It is easy to dispair of peace, but a road does exist 01:33  |  Dan Chazan 29/10/08
      35.   Dan #18 02:25  |  Brod 29/10/08
      36.   What a lie! 03:32  |  Paul 29/10/08
      37.   NATALIE sure beats"NO PEACE ever""Obliteration of Israel by Islam 03:51  |  PETER SM 29/10/08
      38.   AM in NY"Again" Yes because your friends rejected it in 1948 03:54  |  PETER SM 29/10/08
      39.   AXEL Actually Israel/PA negotiation details are secret 03:56  |  PETER SM 29/10/08
      40.   Mr. President and peace is so near 14:46  |  Ricardo Kolbe 29/10/08
      41.   Regardless all this must come to pass! 17:50  |  Howard S. Knapp 29/10/08
      42.   Peace? 21:02  |  Catherine 01/11/08
      43.   Jesus is the King 23:46  |  Howard S. Knapp 20/03/09
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