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PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (GPO)
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Last update - 21:37 27/12/2007
Top PA official: Israel approved import of 50 armored vehicles
By Barak Ravid and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated Press
Tags: Ehud Olmert, Mahmoud Abbas 

Palestinians have received Israeli permission to import 50 Russian-made armored personnel carriers into the West Bank next month, after resolving a dispute with Israel over arming the vehicles, the top Palestinian security official said Thursday.

Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razzak al-Yahya said the Palestinians dropped a request to mount machine guns on the vehicles, after Israel objected to the move, clearing the way for the deal to proceed.

Israeli officials had no immediate comment.
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The arrival of the vehicles would be the latest step in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' efforts to impose law and order in the West Bank. The U.S.-backed road map peace plan requires the Palestinians to rein in militants in the area as a first step toward the creation of a Palestinian state.

Al-Yahya said his forces have made important strides, confiscating weapons from Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants and reining in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed group linked to Abbas' Fatah movement.

"The situation now is much better, but we still need more weapons to enhance our forces," he said. "No one will be allowed to possess weapons besides the security forces."

U.S. and European Union security advisers have been training Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, part of an international effort to strengthen Abbas in his struggle against the rival Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.

PM to Abbas: Israel will not erect any new settlements in W. Bank
Israel will not build any new settlements and will stop expropriating land in the West Bank, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting in Jerusalem on Thursday.

Olmert told Abbas that Israel "will take no steps that will hurt our ability to arrive at final status negotiations with the Palestinians," and added that Israel wants to carry out the negotiations "in good faith."

The meeting between was the leaders' first since the Annapolis summit last month. It was called as an attempt to solve the so-called settlement crisis that has plagued negotiations since the Annapolis summit late last month.

The Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former prime minister Ahmed Qureia, respectively, also participated in the meeting.

"We want to change the direction of the negotiations," an official in Jerusalem said. "The first two meetings of the negotiating teams failed and we would want to see positive progress."

"We attach great importance to our dialogue with the Palestinian leadership and we understand that the process is challenging," Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said ahead of the meeting at the prime minister's residence. "Israel is committed to doing everything we can to make this process work."

The key bone of contention between the two sides is Israel's continued construction in the settlements. The Palestinians are particularly upset over a tender by the Housing Ministry for the construction of 307 housing units in the southeast Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa, on the Palestinian side of the Green Line.

A senior official in Jerusalem said both sides are waiting for President George W. Bush's visit to the region in January in the hope that the U.S. leader's arrival will push the process towards a breakthrough.

Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the Palestinian president appealed to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to press Israel on the issue of settlement construction when Rice called on Wednesday.

A State Department spokesman said Rice called both Abbas and Olmert and urged them to make progress toward an agreement.

Hamas, which is not party to the talks, pronounced Thursday's meeting a waste of time.

"Olmert and his government continue their daily aggressions against our people, continue to build settlements, and don't recognize Palestinian political and national rights," the group said in a faxed statement.

Israel: Olmert not informed of Har Homa decision beforehand
In the framework of the mutual accusations between the two parties, the Palestinians are trying to portray Israel as intransigent in its refusal to stop its settlements while trying to establish a fait accompli.

Official sources in Jerusalem say the Har Homa imbroglio is the result of a decision by low-ranking government bureaucrats in the Housing Ministry. They say that Olmert was not informed of the decision in advance, but on the international front, these explanations do not seem to be enlisting much support.

Moreover, the Har Homa affair exposed the differences in the perceptions that both parties adhere to. As far as Israel is concerned, the neighborhood is an integral part of unified Jerusalem, and not part of the territories.

Construction at Har Homa is not subject to the same bureaucratic maze that any construction in the territories - be it a house, shack or electricity line - must endure before it is approved.

The Palestinians and their supporters in the international community do not make that distinction. To them, any Israeli construction east of the Green Line, which was Israel's border before the 1967 Six-Day War, is an illegal settlement. They treat construction in East Jerusalem much the same as they treat construction in the settlement blocs in the West Bank.

To the Palestinians, construction in the territories is an obstacle to peace and an act that jeopardizes the negotiations. In addition, the Palestinians realize that Israel - which is expecting its first visit by Bush next month - is at a disadvantage internationally as far as settlements are concerned. Their objective is to dominate the headlines until Bush arrives.

But the problem goes deeper than head-butting in the media. Israel has demanded that the Palestinians fulfill their duties according to the road map plan for peace, which the U.S. devised for both parties. But Israel has failed to meet its own obligations such as the evacuation of settlements, a total freeze on all construction in the territories and allowing the Palestinians to reopen their institutions in East Jerusalem.

Each of these moves carries a political price that could cause Olmert's coalition partners - mainly Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu - to jeopardize his government. Meanwhile, the government is opting for inaction until after Bush's visit.

Related articles:
  • Akiva Eldar / The Har Homa Test
  • U.S. wants details on plan to build homes in East Jerusalem
  • Palestinians slam Israeli move to build new homes in E. Jerusalem
  • Government officials: Har Homa row sparked by 'two bureaucrats'
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      1.   olmert to abbas`how much do you want?` 04:28  |  observer 26/12/07
      2.   Defuse? 04:30  |  Mark Lincoln 26/12/07
      3.   This is the quintessence 04:36  |  Mark Lincoln 26/12/07
      4.   Har Homa 04:39  |  Shmuelshachor 26/12/07
      5.   Who does this Reporter Work For? 04:40  |  Sam Weinstein 26/12/07
      6.   Do I believe most Israelis want to be 04:45  |  Mark Lincoln 26/12/07
      7.   defuse homa 05:11  |  marcel 26/12/07
      8.   No more Israeli Squatter Housing on stolen land. End Apartheid 05:12  |  * BEN JABO 26/12/07
      9.   It`s time to allow the RIGHT OF RETURN to Palestinians!! 05:40  |  GABE1 26/12/07
      10.   Deal: Every kassam Abbas stops, Olmert builds 1 less apartment! 05:55  |  Dr. L. Brnd 26/12/07
      11.   Mark Lincon 05:59  |  Edifice 26/12/07
      12.   #6 mark lincoln`s TWISTED morals and history 06:09  |  CK Tan 26/12/07
      13.   #6 mark lincoln`s TWISTED morals and history 06:11  |  CK Tan 26/12/07
      14.   Construction at Har Homa. 07:27  |  sandra chitayat 26/12/07
      15.   JERUSALEM IS NOT FOR SALE! 08:07  |  AVRAHAM 26/12/07
      16.   Action speaks louder than words (part 1001) 08:10  |  Natallie Durson 26/12/07
      17.   Quintessance 08:12  |  Jack 26/12/07
      18.   Green Line Was A Cease Fire line , Not a Border 08:20  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      19.   When Asked Land For Peace ,We Say Lets Do Without Peace 08:26  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      20.   Olmert Gov`t Will Stay As Long As it Fights Back Arab Occupation 08:38  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      21.   Olmert Gov`t Will Stay As Long As it Rejects Meretz Policies 08:42  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      22.   Olmert Gov`t Will Stay As Long As Not Influenced By Int`l Opinion 08:43  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      23.   Olmert Gov`t To Stay If Acts on, Promote Mainstream Zionist Ethos 08:49  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      24.   Olmert Gov`t To Stay If Reject Meretz & Left Destructive Policies 08:50  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      25.   PM,Abbas to meet in bid to defuse Har Homa spat 08:53  |  Martin List, M.D. 26/12/07
      26.   Israel Defensible Border = Increase Biblical Hills Settlements 08:54  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      27.   Mark Lincoln found orders for new settlements 09:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/12/07
      28.   Olmert leading Israel to defeat 10:07  |  Moshe 26/12/07
      29.   Ban Hard Hats... Achieve Peace 10:10  |  Klaudia 26/12/07
      30.   #27, Margie in Tel Aviv, the sharp eyed 10:36  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/12/07
      31.   #29, Klaudia 10:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/12/07
      32.   #6 mark 10:45  |  danny 26/12/07
      33.   A 40 YEARS AND THOUSANDS OF MILES SETTLEMENTS 10:52  |  indrajaya 26/12/07
      34.   8,9. FAKE* BEN JABO &GABE1ALERTS 11:02  |  Eylo 26/12/07
      35.   Let them build ! They`ll end up in Arab hands at the end 11:05  |  Hypocrisy Monitor 26/12/07
      36.   Israeli security held hostage by Lieberman 11:09  |  Ivar 26/12/07
      37.   Haaretz censured me for repeating Mark Lincoln`s - see below 11:17  |  S 26/12/07
      38.   Opting for Inaction? 11:26  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      39.   Well stated, 16, Durson! Add Lieberman`s veto over peace too 11:32  |  Ivar 26/12/07
      40.   When building or economic development kills anything ? 12:33  |  Sal 26/12/07
      41.   response to Ben jabo 12:37  |  stern 26/12/07
      42.   It`s about hightime the two low-rank bureaucrats headed the ..... 13:23  |  zmogus 26/12/07
      43.   # 1. Observer......................! 13:32  |  Stephen. 26/12/07
      44.   "They`ll end up in Arab hands" was said in 1948 when the Arab 13:53  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/12/07
      45.   Let the US handle that Abbas. 14:01  |  Sarah L 26/12/07
      46.   Gabe! is right 14:25  |  Jacob 26/12/07
      47.   Margie seeks "evidence" of world wide news. 14:33  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      48.   #27 Margie So called peace seeker wrong again 14:51  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      49.   Margie in TA on her facts 14:52  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      50.   I am upset that the Arabs bomb S`derot daily 14:55  |  Steven 26/12/07
      51.   to Mrak Lincoln of Houston #1 14:56  |  Hilda 26/12/07
      52.   Hilda, Hilda, Hilda, Hilda 15:10  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      53.   #9 Gabe 1 making progress 15:10  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      54.   JERUSALEM BELONGS TO ME 15:13  |  ... 26/12/07
      55.   #15, AVRAHAM, my thief buddy ! 15:16  |  ... 26/12/07
      56.   Cipora #31. 15:18  |  Hubal 26/12/07
      57.   GUYS ! WHAT IS THIS ARTICLE ABOUT 15:18  |  ... 26/12/07
      58.   Israeli settlements 15:19  |  David Kass 26/12/07
      59.   #53 labarse gets it right at last return to saudi arabia 15:22  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      60.   The pattern is very clear 15:23  |  Tosefta 26/12/07
      61.   #41 stern in JHB 15:23  |  Labhras the Irishman 26/12/07
      62.   Guys :) 15:25  |  ... 26/12/07
      63.   #59 Victorpaul Harrisman memory problems 15:39  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      64.   #60 Tosefta 15:46  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      65.   #63 labarse the route to saudi is through jordan 15:58  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      66.   Hilda #51 15:58  |  Hubal 26/12/07
      67.   58, David, I hope you inform your US congressmen about it 16:01  |  Ivar 26/12/07
      68.   Indeed blockheaded (Labhras #64) 16:05  |  Tosefta 26/12/07
      69.   #41...stern..come here often? 16:29  |  Nemesis 26/12/07
      70.   Two Illlustrous Leaders and Their Problem 16:47  |  Anton 26/12/07
      71.   Tosefta # 60 And Then Annapolis Came And Went 16:52  |  Jeff Northridge 26/12/07
      72.   The Prize is a contract to Ahmed Qurai 16:57  |  El-Birawi 26/12/07
      73.   No, Jeff Nothridge, not that scenario 17:14  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      74.   Abbas` Fate: Exile or Assassination 17:17  |  Khalid 26/12/07
      75.   Chinese wisdom for Jeff Northridge #71 17:24  |  Jee Peh Toh 26/12/07
      76.   indrajaya # 33 About A Sixth 17:24  |  Jeff Northridge 26/12/07
      77.   To Gepetto 17:32  |  Jiminy Cricket 26/12/07
      78.   Khalid # 74 Don`t Kill Abbas Yet 18:24  |  Jeff Northridge 26/12/07
      79.   # 74, KHALID 18:32  |  indrajaya 26/12/07
      80.   # 75 Dear Jee Peh Toh - Chinese wisdom 18:34  |  17 26/12/07
      81.   So what will happen to such children? (Jiminy Cricket #77) 18:44  |  Gepetto 26/12/07
      82.   Wait a minute,didn`t Saeed Erakat say a few weeks ago that 2008 18:49  |  lakshmi 26/12/07
      83.   One Jerusalem 18:52  |  Salty 26/12/07
      84.   Joseph E. and zionists,if you go to the site on Dan Gillerman`s 18:55  |  lakshmi 26/12/07
      85.   Who says that a PhD on Shoah denial is bad for your career? 18:58  |  Mahmud Abbas 26/12/07
      86.   Labhras re: Gabe1 "making progress" 19:35  |  CHGODMK 26/12/07
      87.   Har Homa is a Jerusalem neighborhood that will never 19:52  |  Avihu 26/12/07
      88.   #84 Lakshmi--and Gillerman. 20:08  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      89.   Gepetto # 81 Like Hamas? 20:26  |  Jeff Northridge 26/12/07
      90.   #56, Hubal 20:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/12/07
      91.   har homa 20:29  |  bill gordon 26/12/07
      92.   What`s so difficult about putting 307 housing units on hold? 20:43  |  Smadar 26/12/07
      93.   Worldly wisdom for Jeff Northridge 20:47  |  Gepetto 26/12/07
      94.   Cipora #90 20:51  |  Hubal 26/12/07
      95.   Yacoub and Douchebag posting in my name 21:03  |  GABE! 26/12/07
      96.   Smadar #92 21:12  |  GABE! 26/12/07
      97.   Mark Lincoln 21:29  |  Marc 26/12/07
      98.   LAKSHMI.If you go UNSCR 242 you will see it replaces UNGAR 181 21:41  |  PETER SM 26/12/07
      99.   # 8 THIS *BEN JABO IS A FAKE! 21:47  |  Kahy 26/12/07
      100.   # 15 AVRAHAM....**JERUSALEM IS NOT FOR SALE! 21:51  |  Kathy 26/12/07
      101.   Smadar # 92 I Would Have A Tendency To Agree 21:54  |  Jeff Northridge 26/12/07
      102.   # 46 Jacob/Yakub...ARE YOU KIDDING?HAVE YOU NOT NOTICED? 22:00  |  Kathy 26/12/07
      103.   # 54 Labhras ...ANOTHER FOOL FALLING FOR THE TWO FAKES.. 22:04  |  Kathy 26/12/07
      104.   PEACE? 22:07  |  Dr David i. Gross 26/12/07
      105.   # 86 CHGODMK---FAKE GABE AND FAKE *BEN JABO.SOME WISDOM FOR ALL.. 22:11  |  Kathy 26/12/07
      106.   #92 Smadar - How about suspending BOTH HarHoma AND Arab Terrorism 22:16  |  Dr. L. Brnd 26/12/07
      107.   #14 sandra chitayat 22:20  |  Chicago Arab 26/12/07
      108.   #95 Kathy and BT,selem board of Directors 22:25  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      109.   # 85 Mahmud AbbasWho says a PhD on Shoah denial is bad for your 22:34  |  Kathy 26/12/07
      110.   #99 22:34  |  Marc 26/12/07
      111.   #99 was meant for #100 22:48  |  Mark 26/12/07
      112.   Kathy 22:59  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      113.   Is this a Joke? Jerusalem is not Arab Business! 23:03  |  Mark Hamil 26/12/07
      114.   #101 labarse are any likud members on the board of bet salem 23:06  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      115.   # 84 lakshmi 23:13  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      116.   #102 Marc in Lost angeles 23:14  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      117.   CHGODNK and Kathy 23:20  |  GABE1 26/12/07
      118.   Ignore Arab Lies: 3 common Myths (lies) 23:20  |  Mark Hamil 26/12/07
      119.   SMADAR #92 23:28  |  GABE1 26/12/07
      120.   # 101 poor Labhras..You have Tried it Twice Now.I did say.. 23:58  |  Kathy 26/12/07
      121.   # 91 bill gordon Har Homa Is Ours. No Giving In To Abass Or... 00:26  |  Kathy 27/12/07
      122.   #109 Kathy re centrist and BT,selem 00:42  |  Labhras 27/12/07
      123.   # 105 Joseph E..re:lakshmi ** A COGENTLY WRITTEN RESPONSE,BUT 00:43  |  Kathy 27/12/07
      124.   LAND Swaps are part of UNSCR 242.This is a tiny amount 00:59  |  PETER SM 27/12/07
      125.   Forget about a "settlement freeze". This is our land and we`ll 01:05  |  Chaim 27/12/07
      126.   106 Labhras 01:27  |  Mark 27/12/07
      127.   #109 Kathy re centrist and BT,selem 3rd try 01:42  |  Labhras 27/12/07
      128.   for the sake of clarity Mark Hamil 01:52  |  Hubal 27/12/07
      129.   #110 Mark 01:56  |  Labhras 27/12/07
      130.   #94, Hubal 02:02  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/12/07
      131.   LABRAHAS-Irishman.Can`t tell the difference between wall&fence 02:11  |  PETER SM 27/12/07
      132.   Cipora #121 02:26  |  Hubal 27/12/07
      133.   #100 Dr. L. Brnd 02:31  |  Smadar 27/12/07
      134.   Abbas meeting Olmert to see what he will get this time 02:32  |  Sam 27/12/07
      135.   Cipora #121 02:41  |  Hubal 27/12/07
      136.   Gabe1 #110 02:45  |  Smadar 27/12/07
      137.   # 123 Smadar..SENT YOU ONE DIDN`T SURFACE.REPLY ON SUBJECT,NODEAL 03:11  |  Kathy 27/12/07
      138.   labrhas 03:11  |  Mark 27/12/07
      139.   Labhras& El Birawi,greetings! El Birawi,the PLO must be 03:46  |  lakshmi 27/12/07
      140.   #111, "Kathy" to Labhras... 04:14  |  Silvienne 27/12/07
      141.   For Cipora, on Al Qaida in Gaza # 31 05:25  |  Fortuna Benmayor 27/12/07
      142.   Liberation of Palestine 05:42  |  Marc 27/12/07
      143.   # 74 Khalid, Abbas,Abu Rudeneih, Saaeb, Suha, and all of them 05:52  |  Max the Horoscope 27/12/07
      144.   Olmert, Bush, Abbas, our three impotent Illuminati stooges... 06:05  |  Leena Ades 27/12/07
      145.   Hubal #126 No Hubal! 08:56  |  S 27/12/07
      146.   #135, Fortuna Benmayor 08:57  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/12/07
      147.   #126, Hubal, sent back to sender 09:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/12/07
      148.   Hubal 12:19  |  Israeli 27/12/07
      149.   Gepetto 12:29  |  Jiminy Cricket 27/12/07
      150.   Bush is missing some parts 14:30  |  Natallie Durson 27/12/07
      151.   NO to such meeting 14:57  |  Brod 27/12/07
      152.   There is no crise ... 15:32  |  Bo 27/12/07
      153.   # 74 ah The Genuine Khaled.Abbas` Fate: Exile or Assassination 16:09  |  Kathy 27/12/07
      154.   Israel should not make any move as long as the Palestinians refus 17:00  |  Nahum 27/12/07
      155.   Utter Nonsense! 17:12  |  Yaakov Sullivan 27/12/07
      156.   This Is Utter Nonsense! 17:15  |  Yaakov Sullivan 27/12/07
      157.   Cool. Now get the rest of the Israeli squatters out of The WB. 17:44  |  POP 27/12/07
      158.   olmert concesssions 17:50  |  geroge 27/12/07
      159.   why the world hates israel 18:04  |  edgar 27/12/07
      160.   Another delay is expected 18:09  |  Tosefta 27/12/07
      161.   160. Tosefta: Olmert dancing around all the issues 18:24  |  observer 27/12/07
      162.   olmert has 3% support which israel is he speaking for ? 18:27  |  victor hardman 27/12/07
      163.   #159 another lunatic named edgar writes in 18:31  |  victor hardman 27/12/07
      164.   # 146 Cipora J.K--INTRODUCING AND PARAPHRASING FOR WHAT ITS WORTH 18:35  |  Kathy 27/12/07
      165.   No new tenders and not no new building ! 18:36  |  redmike 27/12/07
      166.   #159 - Edgar talks about "our rights". 18:46  |  redmike 27/12/07
      167.   Haaretz,POST TO CIPORA:PARAPHRAZING PALESTINIAN ECONOMY(SECONDTRY 18:59  |  Kathy 27/12/07
      168.   Olmert to Abbas -we will not erect, Abbas to Olmert -no 19:18  |  Sal 27/12/07
      169.   Olmert`s priorities, and Abbas` (Observer #161) 19:25  |  Tosefta 27/12/07
      170.   Reuters and AP report something different. What`s Up? 19:41  |  ZADOK 27/12/07
      171.   Assert Independence , Sovereignty , Increase Settlements 19:41  |  Joseph E . 27/12/07
      172.   I fully agree with those who say that Israel shoudn`t 20:02  |  Roger 27/12/07
      173.   170. Joey just trying to increase her welfare 20:08  |  ben kepin`trak 27/12/07
      174.   That`s BS 20:45  |  J Weiss 27/12/07
      175.   #167 Self professed "centrist" Kathy 20:54  |  Labhras 27/12/07
      176.   Israel right to exist Roger #172 21:08  |  Serenity 27/12/07
      177.   170 - `what`s up?` - simply wishful thinking on the part of 21:28  |  redmike 27/12/07
      178.   No halt to expansions, no way to peace 22:38  |  Cathrine 27/12/07
      179.   Road Map violates religion;help Palestins return home 2 Egypt 22:57  |  sam 27/12/07
      180.   redmike re world edgar and hatred for Israel 23:07  |  Labhras 27/12/07
      181.   mark lincoln 23:33  |  arthur 27/12/07
      182.   #8ben jabbo 23:40  |  arthur 27/12/07
      183.   #9 right of return is nonsense 23:51  |  arhur 27/12/07
      184.   183. right of return is int.law 00:41  |  get onboard 28/12/07
      185.   ben jabo- gabe 1 01:06  |  dr 28/12/07
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    02:04 Another record year for defense spending in 2008
    05:32 Cronyism suspect allowed to return to PM's bureau
    09:24 Foreign workers celebrate holidays amid hopes for citizenship
    01:57 Environment Ministry sanctions likely to cause water shortages
    05:48 MKs offer fewer private bills for greater scrutiny of government
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