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Last update - 01:14 12/10/2007
Avigdor Lieberman: Peace talks could bring about government's collapse
By Amos Harel and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents

Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Mideast envoy Tony Blair on Thursday that any attempt to address the core issues surrounding the establishment of a Palestinian state at an upcoming U.S-hosted peace summit would "bring about the collapse of the coalition and the government in Israel."

These core issues include the permanent borders of the future Palestinian state, the question of jurisdiction over holy sites in Jerusalem, and the issue of Palestinian refugees around the world.

Lieberman met with Blair in Jerusalem Thursday, and told him that any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "must include Israel's Arab citizens as well, when the basis for an agreement should be a land swap and a population transfer."
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Lieberman also said that "the international community has to make a concerted effort to resolve the issues of Israel's security and the Palestinian economy."

Report: Qureia warns failed Mideast summit may spark third intifada

Also Thursday, senior Fatah official and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia warned that if the upcoming regional peace summit does not yield results, Palestinians are likely to respond with a third, more intensified uprising, Army Radio reported.

"If the talks fail, we can expect a third and much more severe intifada," Qureia, who is also known as Abu Ala, was quoted as saying. Qureia currently heads the Palestinian negotiating team.

He warned that there would likely be heavy bloodshed in the case of failed talks at the summit, which is scheduled to take place in November in Annapolis, Maryland. The Second Intifada began shortly after the Camp David accords in 2000.

Qureia also said that despite Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' statements Wednesday demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from all lands captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, Palestinians were prepared to amend the proposed borders of their future state.

According to Qureia, Palestinians desire a state based on the 1967 borders, but are not opposed to territorial exchanges.

MI assessment: Mideast peace summit likely to fail
In an assessment offered recently to the government leadership, Military Intelligence expressed doubts about the likelihood of success at the regional peace summit in Annapolis.

According to the MI's assessment, the Palestinians would like to make immediate gains at the summit, but in return will postpone or fail to carry out their commitments, primarily countering terrorist activities.

In its assessment, MI is also pessimistic about the ability of the Palestinian security forces to assume security control over the West Bank cities.

Political and defense sources who saw the MI assessment told Haaretz Wednesday that according to the intelligence analysts, Abbas will not be able to assert his control over the West Bank cities if security responsibility is passed on to his forces.

Currently, the IDF operates in Palestinian urban centers to counter terrorism, while the Palestinians are assigned policing duties.

In its report, MI also expressed concerns about the pressure the PA is applying on the United States to push Israel for more gestures of goodwill prior to the summit.

Among the requests Abbas' aides presented to U.S. officials is the release of more prisoners, the removal of road blocks, permission for the militants exiled following the Church of the Nativity siege in 2002 to return, the release of more Palestinian tax funds, and the reopening of Palestinians institutions in East Jerusalem - closed at the start of the Second Intifada in late 2000.

MI warns against "a bottomless barrel" of Israeli goodwill gestures, for which the PA will not respond in kind. According to the intelligence assessment, Abbas and his aides are not showing any signs of initiative and boldness in security matters, nor any practical ability to assume additional responsibility, even though Hamas continually challenges them.

In the Gaza Strip, MI notes, Fatah has lost all remnants of power there, as Hamas is increasingly entrenching its position.

In recent closed sessions, senior general staff sources said that the chances Fatah will return and control the Gaza Strip in this decade are few and compared it to the likelihood that "Gorbachev will return to rule Russia."

Senior Fatah officials are concerned that Hamas is planning to carry out an intifada in the West Bank, which will target them through mass demonstrations and seek to topple their control there.

Yadlin: Conference must succeed
Chief of Military Intelligence Major General Amos Yadlin told the cabinet during a meeting this week that in the eyes of the PA leadership, the summit in the U.S. must succeed.

If it does not, it will lay the blame on Israel. Hamas, Yadlin added, considers the summit a negative development and will make great efforts to carry out major terrorist attacks as the summit approaches, in an effort to undermine it.

Two main scenarios are of concern to the IDF: A suicide bombing whose perpetrator will come into Israel from the West Bank; or an attempt to carry out a major attack against one of the crossing points on the border with the Gaza Strip.

In late September, an attempt to carry out a suicide bombing initiated by a Nablus-based Hamas cell was foiled after the explosive belt was found in Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur.

Wednesday, the army and the Shin Bet began a major operation in Qalqilyah in an effort to break a Hamas network in the city. Several months ago, an explosives-laden van was sent by the group to Tel Aviv, but the attack was not carried out - possibly because of a technical failure.

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  • Senior Fatah official rules out reconciliation with rival Hamas
  • PM tells Turkish FM that Golan will not be on agenda at summit

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      1.   fail 03:50  |  Shmuelshachor 11/10/07
      2.   Success? 04:06  |  Al 11/10/07
      3.   Not a word about Israel`s unwillingness to commit to anything 04:33  |  Tosefta 11/10/07
      4.   even before the summit has begun 05:28  |  r.m. 11/10/07
      5.   Islam Loves Lying To "Infidels", After All It`s Terrorpeutic! 05:44  |  Lavi 11/10/07
      6.   It`s no coincidence 06:29  |  Gili 11/10/07
      7.   ALL EFFORTS TO GIVE AWAY HOLY LAND TO GENTILE CONTROL SHALL FAIL! 06:44  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 11/10/07
      8.   RETAKE GAZA,W.BANK, ARREST ALL TERRORISTS BEFORE THE SUMMIT! 06:52  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 11/10/07
      9.   What;s Annapolis all about? 07:26  |  Esther 11/10/07
      10.   Enter the Palestinian JIHARDI ! 07:49  |  Dagma 11/10/07
      11.   They`ve always destroyed every opportunity in just this way 07:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/10/07
      12.   #8, Esther 08:39  |  Space 11/10/07
      13.   Failure inbuilt 08:56  |  Truth 11/10/07
      14.   Esther,Abbas is not pressing for a "few signs" 09:30  |  Absolute Sweden 11/10/07
      15.   Three to Tango 09:33  |  Ofer 11/10/07
      16.   Another waste of time & cash..... 10:06  |  Stan 11/10/07
      17.   TERROR 10:18  |  DAN 11/10/07
      18.   For once, your logic appears to me perfect, but 10:23  |  S 11/10/07
      19.   Tosefta really from Tveria???? 10:58  |  Stan 11/10/07
      20.   inevitable.... 11:11  |  ravi 11/10/07
      21.   Re Absolute #14 11:14  |  Esther 11/10/07
      22.   Yadin: The peace conference must succeed. 11:35  |  Ivar 11/10/07
      23.   INTIFADA!!! 11:41  |  nick 11/10/07
      24.   To Truth # 13 - Its all the Fault of JIHARD 11:42  |  Dagma 11/10/07
      25.   #9 - it`s about hype and it will all be forgotten by December 11:44  |  redmike 11/10/07
      26.   Preparing the ground 11:52  |  sh 11/10/07
      27.   Years from Now.... 12:01  |  ed 11/10/07
      28.   A brilliant conclusion 12:02  |  Flickcool 11/10/07
      29.   The usual sounds from IDF and MI. 12:03  |  Dutch Dirk 11/10/07
      30.   NO WONDER IDF REACHES THE NEW LOW 12:05  |  indrajaya 11/10/07
      31.   A summit involving a guy with a PhD in ShoaDenial must fail 12:10  |  Oiy Oiy Oiy 11/10/07
      32.   Safe assessment 12:23  |  Mark Lincoln 11/10/07
      33.   DAGMA is right! Read all about the `Jihard Expansionistt 12:25  |  Dolly 11/10/07
      34.   Why does MI chief talks on political matters? 12:29  |  Inyaki 11/10/07
      35.   Failure ensured 12:43  |  Jan Elshout 11/10/07
      36.   same old talk ! 12:46  |  amin 11/10/07
      37.   Means Israel will help splinter groups commit violence 12:51  |  Tim 11/10/07
      38.   "Likely to Fail?" 12:56  |  JordanisPalestine 11/10/07
      39.   Magie #11 13:03  |  Guido 11/10/07
      40.   OF COURSE SUMMIT WILL FAIL: ISRAEL IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT PEACE 13:03  |  TrippleJump 11/10/07
      41.   True. Summit Will Fail 13:07  |  MiddleStanian 11/10/07
      42.   You`ve got it wrong, Esther 13:10  |  Joshua 11/10/07
      43.   #40 WRONG TIPPLE ISRAEL IS SERIOUS ABOUT PEACE ! 13:18  |  paul harris 11/10/07
      44.   Dutch the Dirk 13:19  |  Joshua 11/10/07
      45.   clearly Hamas and Fatah want it to fail 13:19  |  Avi 11/10/07
      46.   MI playing it safe 13:21  |  DH 11/10/07
      47.   Don`t worry, thanks to abbas it will fail 13:23  |  Nora 11/10/07
      48.   Those IDF Provocateurs-Ignore those missiles from Gaza 13:23  |  Joshua 11/10/07
      49.   israel is fighing a rear guard action one way or other,the time 13:37  |  lakshmi 11/10/07
      50.   And what contributions to peace is Israel planning? 13:39  |  Clickfool 11/10/07
      51.   Barrier+Intelligence +Nightly Raids=BEST Security 13:59  |  Alan 11/10/07
      52.   It`s not a matter of the conference `succeeding` 14:11  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/10/07
      53.   Lakshmi has no respect for the Pals 14:15  |  millie 11/10/07
      54.   Clcikfool: we can only hope.... 14:19  |  Stan 11/10/07
      55.   40-Triplejump 14:19  |  JordanisPalestine 11/10/07
      56.   50 Clicky the concessions that Israel will make 14:22  |  The Equalizer 11/10/07
      57.   Margie 52, its a matter of building a trust relationship in peace 14:30  |  Ivar 11/10/07
      58.   sh #26 Letting Abu Mazen Down 14:35  |  Tzfonit 11/10/07
      59.   Get Foreign passports...Riiiiiiiiiiiight... 14:40  |  Tzfonit 11/10/07
      60.   Margie #52 14:41  |  Guido 11/10/07
      61.   Just another Israeli general putting feat into his people 14:47  |  Clickfool 11/10/07
      62.   What it will take for the conference to suceed 14:50  |  Tosefta 11/10/07
      63.   Clickfools diatribe of stupidity 14:53  |  Flickcool 11/10/07
      64.   More extortionist threats from the religion of peace. Bring it on 14:57  |  Reuven 11/10/07
      65.   Ivar in Estonia 14:57  |  Stan 11/10/07
      66.   #51labarse the yellow streak and false facts 14:58  |  victor hardman 11/10/07
      67.   Tosefta - too late now 14:59  |  Mark Lincoln 11/10/07
      68.   "The military junta who run Israel" 15:01  |  Stan 11/10/07
      69.   Palestinian state? 15:09  |  David Nigel Braham 11/10/07
      70.   The Inevitable 15:13  |  Ron 11/10/07
      71.   If the Palestinians think... 15:23  |  Avi Yerushalmi 11/10/07
      72.   61-Clickfool 15:31  |  JordanisPalestine 11/10/07
      73.   The possible intifadah will result in UNIFICATION of WB PART with 15:32  |  Vittorio 11/10/07
      74.   3rd Intifada should mean the transfer of Pals 15:38  |  SystemF 11/10/07
      75.   Stan, Olmert has declared Abbas & Saudi plan a partner 15:38  |  Ivar 11/10/07
      76.   Abu Alaa 15:41  |  Patriotic 11/10/07
      77.   Peace does not exist with Islamist-Jihadists 15:43  |  Brod 11/10/07
      78.   Palestinians like to make threats