Abbas calls Palestinian elections for January

Who says the PLO or The PA was elected by themselves, Abbas in 9 january 2005, won the election with the 62,3% of the votes against the principal opposition candidate Moustafa Bargouthi. Even yasser araft the greatest leader, was democratically elected in 1994, with more of 85% of the votes

On Hamas, who risk being permanently isolated in Gaza. They will never agree the Quartet demands and have a right to resist occupation and refuse to recognise Israel if they so wish, but the pressure is on them to find some acceptable compromise. On Obama and the Quartet, to make sure that Netanyahu's government repays some favours now, specifically by halting settlement building, removing illegal outposts and roadblocks, holding a proper inquiry into Cast Lead, etc. The rest of the world doesn't really crave a Hamas victory. On all of good sense in Israel to discourage the government from covertly aiding a Hamas win, which for Bibi, Lieberman and Yishai, is the surest way to scupper any peace talks and threat to the settler enterprise. Everyone is going to be busy bees for the next three months.

- over iranian enrichment. i'm not sure exactly, but i think these kind of talks between fatah & hamas have been on & off in egypt for about a decade now /more. some years ago they already appeared as some sort of 'dance' /theater always on show, obviously leading nowhere. there's only one hope for securing pal. democracy, ie by agreeing fully to peaceful settlement w/israel. the pals can't afford to 'play' w/the idea of destroying the jewish state alongside efforts of setting up their own state. a mature democracy (& one under one gun) can live w/fringe /extreme ideas to some extent, but the pal. entity can't at this point survive if they keep being split down the middle on the crucial question of permanent /not permanent peace w/israel. full peace is their only hope. reversely, if a moderate israeli government made peace w/the pals all the rest of the israeli parties, incl likud, would have no choice but to succumb to the deal & they would. that's the way a democracy works.

Please Bibi, no point scoring. Help Abbas win this election with the glimmer of payoff for promoting the two state solution and controlling security on the WB as per his compliance with agreements. Announce a full settlement freeze.

...By saying that Hamas, and not Israel, would and could act against a new Palestinian election?

There was nothing corrupt about the last Palestinian election, by the way. Just that Israel and the US did'n't like the result and promptly imprisoned most of the victor's leadership in the West Bank. Nobody wants Abbas so what if there is another protest vote and Hamas wins again?

or be a functional state or entity. And as the dispute about the elections shows, even the most rudimentary act of a state cannot take place within the current chaos of the Palestinian community. Can the rift between Hamas' reactionary mideival outlook, and Fatah's corrupt power intoxication be healed for the benefit of their people? No reason to think so, as the failed Egyptian attempt to broker peace shows. As Abba Eban so accurately said: They never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Their tragedy. Their fault. Blame the Jews for creating a viable vibrant modern democratic state that shows the Palestinians still to be acting like a tribal rabble.

Another currupt election !

i am asking the movement of islamic resistsnce {hamas}to sign the egyptian proposals inorder not to be blamed by palestinian people for been obstacle for reconcilation. after that the movement must release a report by 1: we have been forced by egypt to sign.2: we won't accept any kind of hunting for all resistance army. 3:we won't change our ideas towards israel and international community by not accepting their demands. 4: we can't promise to protect the understandings because we didn't sign by our wishes

Hamas and Fatah have once again demonstrated that the power struggle that has been raging between the two parties for the past three years is not over who is going to bring democracy and prosperity to Arab population living in the West Bank and Gaza. Nor is it over who is going to build schools, universities and hospitals. They are not fighting over what is good for these population. They are fighting over money and power. The two sides despise one another so tremendously that some Arabs have been arguing that Hamas and Fatah hate each other more than they hate Israel. More at http://xrl.us/bfsjta

abbas has no athority and neiter does the PLO or PA who elected themselves...abbas cant tell the elected congress of palestine anything

With no guarantee of who is running and who will win, will Israel allow elections? I doubt it. The current situation wasn't foreseen when the Bush administration rewrote the PA Basic Law. Will the people in East Jerusalem be allowed to vote this time? Will campaigning there be allowed this time? Will non-Fatah supporters in Hebron or Bethlehem be allowed to vote? Will candidates be allowed to travel from and to Gaza? Right wingers talk about democracy and representative government, but rarely are comfortable when the results are not guaranteed to their liking. The PA has some geographic districts, will Israel still allow that? Never mind Hamas, what about Israel?

Just because Hamas is elected doesn't mean the president doesn't have lawful authority. No democracies in the world are pure democracies. They are constitutional democracies. In other words there are fundamental rules of democratic societies that are not democratic. For example, police do not have a democratic endorsement. Same with Judges in most jurisdictions. In Canada, even if the overwhelming number of Canadian want to limit the religious freedoms of minorities, that can't be done. That is because our Constitution doesn't give free reign to the majority. There are checks and balances that exist in almost all democratic countries and that is true as well for democratically elected Hamas. Consider yourself lucky that this is so, for were it not, Hamas will lead you down the garden path of death and destruction.

So, you think that Abbas is an American and Israeli "quisling" a "traitor" But Hamas are killers of your people, your hopes, your aspirations, your peace, your tranquility, your children and ours. Even if what you say is true, which incidentally is sheer propoganda and nonsense, he is a better alternative for the Pals. Why don't you think with your brain instead of the dogma and hatred emblazoned by Hamas.

since the PA and PLO has no athority since abbas's term ran out last january

Abbas is an American-Israeli quisling. He can't be entrusted with the Palestinian cause. Many Palestinians think he is a traitor. And there seems to be a lot of veracity in this.

Its not about settlements its about fatah and Hamas disunityCareful theyll throw you off roofs shoot you in the knees HAHAHA

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I don't know how it is in Canada? In Israel, a unity government will need at least 10 years to show it's ready to secure and police itself without incident. Israel will not step aside so that a 3rd intifada can be executed, if they wish to secure a democratic government for themselves, let them choose that option but there will be no further concessions. The days of evacuating our land for peace failed miserably and will not be attempted by a sitting government again.

there is no reasoning with Islamic extremists like Hamas. They always raise the bar. It's time for Abbas to cut bait.

settlement expansion continues.

If they are not so sure of victory, will elections really happen?

No Fatah members will put their heads out of their foxholes in Gaza. Not if they value their lives. This will drive home the fact that Israel is dealing with two Palestines and Roadmap only addresses a little over half of them. The Palestinians are clearly not ready for peace.

He might as well.

(in this case, it's the current PA representatives) then it's preferable that further settlement construction halt in the West Bank until the borders of the two states are established. On the one hand it's worthwhile for Abbas to formulate a unity government, that is, if Hamas accepts the Quartet's 3 conditions, which they should if Israel does announce halting settlement construction in the West Bank next month. It's all interrelated for a successful peace process coordination. All the players know what has to happen and it takes this type of action to bring about a diplomatic resolution.