Eli Yishai: Annapolis participants are out of touch with reality - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Wed., November 28, 2007 Kislev 18, 5768

Israel Time: 14:36 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Rosner's Domain

Diplomacy

Defense

Jewish World

Opinion

National

Print Edition

Advertising

Books

Arts & Leisure

Business

Real Estate

Easy Start

Travel

Week's End

Anglo File



		Shas leader Eli Yisha. (Dan Keinan)

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 23:49 27/11/2007

Eli Yishai: Annapolis participants are out of touch with reality

By Reuters

Tags: Hamas, Annapolis

Head of the Shas party and Employment, Trade and Industry Minister Eli Yishai called the speeches at the Annapolis conference "dreams" out of touch with a reality where Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of fighting terror or establishing control.

Yishai added that the Shas party has no intention of leaving the government in protest to the joint Israeli-Palestinian statement reached at the conference, saying that there is no reason to do so as the agreements have no possibility of being carried out.

Head of the Meretz-Yahad party MK Yossi Beilin stated that as long as Yishai and rightist MK Avigdor Lieberman stay in the coalition, they will serve to hamper and complicate any future peace negotiations rendering it impossible to have faith in Olmert's actions.

	Advertisement

Beilin added that the presence of the two rightist MKs in the coalition is especially problematic at a time when there is "a clear majority in the Knesset that supports peace."

Hamas officials on Tuesday downplayed the significance of the Annapolis conference, with Ahmed Youssef, aide to deposed Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh calling it a "waste of time."

Youssef branded the statment a "hopeless attempt" to portray U.S. President George W. Bush as a great leader, and said that the failure of Palestinian leaders to secure minor concessions in the West Bank nullifies any hope that they could solve central issues like Jerusalem, borders and refugees.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri denied the conference had anything to do with advancing Middle East peace prospects. He said that the conference served only to advance "Israeli and American interests and not to serve Palestinian interests."

Fatah officials however expressed optimism about the conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The group's spokesman Fahmi Zaariri called it "a stop in a long path of difficult negotiations," adding that Fatah members support and trust Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in his efforts.

Zaariri added however, that no final status agreements can be successful under the current situation on the ground, saying that "we reject normalization and coexistence as long as there is occupation. Israel should withdraw from our territories."

Settler council: Annapolis will bring only violence

Danny Dayan, spokesman for the Yesha Council of Settlements, also blasted the conference Tuesday, calling it a "transparent" attempt to bring negotiations to secure Bush a Nobel Peace Prize, with the eventual result being a "catastrophe."

"Expectations will rise and when they are dashed, the resulting frustration will bring only violence," Dayan said.

Dayan warned against the establishment of a Palestinian state via Israeli and Palestinian Authority negotiations, saying it would pose "a threat to the very existence of Israel and would only bring more instability to the region and the world."

Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am Ta'al) said right-wing Israelis had little to worry about from the summit, as previous agreements have not been followed through on, and "nothing has yet been agreed to on the actual creation of a Palestinian state."

Leaders of the right-wing National Union - National Religious Party leveled harsh criticism on the summit with NRP Zevulun Orlev saying the summit proved Israel is facing "a fire sale in the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and especially in Jerusalem."

MK Aryeh Eldad criticized the summit, saying it proved Israel had abandoned the principle of refusing to negotiate on core issues as long as Palestinian terrorism continued.

Fellow MK Benny Elon dismissed the relevance of the conference, saying "peace is not made at cocktail parties." He called Annapolis a "film detached from reality, whose ending we have already seen."

MK Uri Ariel added a warning that the establishment of a Palestinian state "will only bring further violence and push peace further away."

Related articles:
Israel, PA agree to strive for accord by end of 2008
HAARETZ SPECIAL FEATURE: THE ANNAPOLIS CONFERENCE
Analysis / Four quick points on Israel-Palestinian joint statement

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Denier, disrupted
	Protesters disrupt Oxford debate with Holocaust denier David Irving.


	Echoes from Maryland
	The full text of Bush, PM, and Abbas speeches, and the joint statement.




1.	Misplaced (or politically manifested) fear	20:36	\|	Sam	27/11/07

2.	Hyena Whinging from the Peanut Gallery	20:44	\|	Mohan	27/11/07

3.	Limited Quotes.	21:10	\|	Thomas C. Inskip	27/11/07

4.	Cynicism, rejection, fear	21:43	\|	Rachel	27/11/07

5.	a coalition of NO`s	22:04	\|	avramele	27/11/07

6.	SHAS COULD BE BOUGHT BY HAMAS	22:13	\|	B.Heddem	27/11/07

7.	Shas	22:29	\|	Rabbi Yakov Lazaros	27/11/07

8.	This a TOTAL farce	23:09	\|	Nemesis	27/11/07

9.	What kind of coalition would Beilin suggest ?	23:14	\|	redmike	27/11/07

10.	#5 - something for you to read and hopefully understand	23:19	\|	redmike	27/11/07

11.	It`s so good to see people of faith so full of faith & hope	23:19	\|	b`galil	27/11/07

12.	#1 - sadly you have not or cannot except the truth	23:27	\|	redmike	27/11/07

13.	Hamas and Shas - Two Birds of The Same Feather Flocking Together	23:30	\|	Lev Bronstein	27/11/07

14.	SHAS GLUED TO THEIR SEATS WITH MILLION SHEQEL GLUE))))	23:39	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	27/11/07

15.	SHAS` PARTNERSHIP TO OLMERT`S JERUSALEM SURRENDER STATEMENT-HILUL	23:45	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	27/11/07

16.	YISHAI,AGREEMENTS WILL BE BROKEN ANYWAY,YOUR PART IS HILUL HASHEM	23:48	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	27/11/07

17.	We Will Have Peace...	00:33	\|	Yoram	28/11/07

18.	SHAS GLUED TO THEIR SEATS WITH MILLION SHEQEL GLUE))))	01:13	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	28/11/07

19.	SHAS` PARTNERSHIP TO OLMERT`S JERUSALEM SURRENDER STATEMENT-HILUL	01:14	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	28/11/07

20.	Israel - Its Leadership Has Often Meen Out of Touch with Reality	01:36	\|	Tod Zuckerman	28/11/07

21.	The reason for Oslo disaster was,the	01:45	\|	TOMY	28/11/07

22.	Jerusalem	02:46	\|	Chester	28/11/07

23.	How Will The US React To Obstructionism?	03:20	\|	chet	28/11/07

24.	Eli Yishai tottaly clueless as usual	14:33	\|	SJ	28/11/07

Today Online


	Bush to inaugurate peace talks at White House summit
	Responses: 55


	Syrian state-run paper: Non-comprehensive peace won't last
	Responses: 37


	Rosner & Benn: Who is in favor of ending (Israeli) terrorism?
	Responses: 37


	Report: U.K. Jewish school told to alter admission rules
	Responses: 30


	Avi Issacharoff: Arab leaders came to summit for fear of Iran
	Responses: 44


	Haaretz TV: Israel does little to help battered women
	Responses: 4

Rosner's Domain

Who's in favor of ending (Israeli) terrorism?

Off the main road, the fate Palestinians will be decided

Rosner's Guest: Good reasons for Israel to explore Syria negotiations

Analysis of Mideast pessimism (WTR)

More Headlines
13:57 Syrian state-run newspaper: Non-comprehensive peace won't last


14:16 Israeli Arab woman gets three years in jail for Hezbollah ties


13:32 Bush to inaugurate final status talks at White House summit


12:59 Report: U.K. Jewish school told to cut ethnic admissions criteria


13:02 States complete ratification of accord to open vast Nazi archive


13:01 Palestinian militants in Gaza Strip fire 5 mortar shells at Israel


11:41 Annapolis joint statement was completed with just minutes to spare


12:33 Coalition backs Labor in spat with Friedmann over judicial reform


13:47 PA security men open fire at W.Bank funeral, wounding one