Hamas: PA can't give up Jerusalem in direct Mideast peace talks

...by turning down every generous offer over decades, and leaving the people in misery. you didnt even attempt(!) to improve their situation. now, its the end of the time, and the people cant bear the situation any longer. a solution will be implemented - and that will be what is left of all offers. you suckers aint asked anymore.

Mohammed died long before the mosque, named for the mythical mosque in the Koran, was built on the ruins of the ancient Jewish Temple. Israel won back all of Jerusalem in war waged against it through sacrifice and bloodshed. With courage and honor. Cowardly homicide bombers and Muslim cleric spin doctors who wish to rewrite history for personal gain or glory, can't change that fact no matter how many times they repeat their lies. Jerusalem is the capitol of the Jewish world in a democracy named Israel. There is no other. You can't make it Mecca anymore than you can make it the Vatican. Land for peace only works if you have partners for peace. An Arab Palestinian homeland already exists. Jordan was cut away from the promised Jewish homeland. It's 3/4 of Palestine. It has the "right of return" for Palestinian Arabs. Look at a map of the Middle East. Do we really need a 23rd Arab state?

He is talking about the PLO not having a "mandate" from the "Palestinians across the globe". He is quite correct; the PLO has no such mandate. His point is also irrelevent i.e. so long as the international community recognizes the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people then Abbas can sign a treaty in their name. Haniyeh is trying here to keep alive the idea that any deal Abbas strikes with Netanyahu will have to be ratified via a national referendum. Such a referendum will involve Hamas, and that is A Good Thing i.e. a sidelined Hamas is a spoiler, when what you really want is to involve Hamas up to its neck in The Art Of Deal Making.

werent they against the peace talks .

Just reading these emails is pretty pathetic. Isn't it time to try and end this conflict? Are we to believe that this is unsolvable? There are no people of good will to come forward and negotiate? Or are settlers and Hamas going to dictate these talks so both sides can battle each other endlessly? Both sides have engaged in a mythology that has prevented them from moving forward to resolve this situation. The readers on this page would rather engage in name calling and mocking each other than demanding that their leaders end this struggle. More wars and death from the readers of Haaretz.

You hit the nail on the head, lets let God, the Lord Jesus, settle all this matter for all of us, the Jew, the Palestinians, the Iranians, etc, noone is gonna give an inch, no one thinks the other can have a tiny share of anything at all, even though all have suffered, all have died, that's not enough to sit down and settle things, lets let God do it for everyone!

Zechariah 12:2"I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. 4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the LORD. "I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. 5 Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.' 6 "On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. 7 "The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem's inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. 8 On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.

He will reside comfortably in Syria until he wears out his welcome. Syria has no reason to support these Pal Israeli talks save one: the Golan. If Meshal gets too far out of line his host Assad will kill him.

His sisters live in Israel. They should be arrested and traded for Shalit. A little heat and this terrorist will find the appropriate rock to hide under or civilians to hide behind.

The Bible describes some of the history of Jerusalem before it was conquered by King David around 1000 BCE. Genesis 14 tells of a meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek King of Jerusalem: "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram to the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abraham] gave him tithes of all." Note that Abraham recognized Melchizedek's priestly rank and gave him a tithe. Later in the Bible, with Jerusalem under Jewish rule, the historical figure of Melchizedek was still remembered. In Psalm 110, in what is thought to be a declaration during the coronation of the King, the MC (Court prophet?) declares "The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after in the manner of Melchizedek." It shows reverence for the pre-Israelite king of Jerusalem. Jerusalem did not start as a Jewish city, and there is no reason why it should end up as exclusively Jewish. Sharing it with the Palestinians who see themselves (justifiably) as descendants of the early residents, and view the Islamic religion (unjustifiably) as the religion of Abraham, will be historically correct and politically smart.

he claims PA is illegitimate to hold talks with Israel... yet hamas hasn't kept a single promise to gazans since they were elected, and have since then murdered their own citizens by thowing them off building and shooting and hanging them in public for being part of the PA... so what makes him think his "government" is legitimate.. everyone ignores him including the US... and he's just super jealous - awww, poor pookie!

Abbas has already said that there will be a plebiscite on any treaty and the Palestinian people will decide whether or not to ratify it. Meshal & Haniya may or may not vote for it if a deal is made. They may even campaign against ratification. But theirs will be one or two of many voices. Israel's concern is that a majority of Palestinians find a deal acceptable. The Israeli government also should be concerned that its own people know everything about the deal, too. Secret protocols won't be acceptable.

Jerusalem in direct talks,(Says Haniyah) And what about indirect talks ? Eh !?

um.....oppression, brain washing and terror? I rather think that the Hamas platform is not every Palestinian.

These guys are yesterdays news. A real bunch of loosers.

fat cat had spoken!!!! What he needs is to go on a diet...He needs to keep up the image of poor starving palestinians.... How many mantions he horded already 2 or 3? Each one worth 4-5 million dollars. That is his bread to continue terror...with somebody elses arms... By the way he accepts cash, too.... Wake up palestinians.... with him you will never achieve anything except losing what you have now....

What's wrong with that? They dont charge admission, so what's to be gained by shifting ownership from one muslim to another? Its an example of Palestinians denying not only Israeli title ownership under UNR181, but denying the Waikiff's ownership and land titles! Everybody's land titles are bogus except Palestinian demands! Bold faced thief is what he is.

West Bank & Gaza should be made Protectorates of Israel – just like Guam and Porto Rica, Saipan are to the USA – They have their own governments that do everything Except raise and Army or make treaties with other countries – if they do not like that - especially Gaza and Hamas – Too bad let the leaders seal the money and turn the people into what ever they want – when rockets are fired Israel takes out another Cowardly leader

Oh yeah, Hamas: thank you so much for showing the world your real intentions - to keep denying the Palestinians a State so that corruption can be perpetuated. Mr. Haniyeh is obviously profiting from the suffering of the Palestinian people. Shame on him!

A peace deal has been worked out, with Israel and PA deciding the fine details but little more.

Fateh enjoys 44.6% popularity overall(41.8% in WB & 48.9% in Gaza), while Hamas - Change and Reform Party - has only 26% overall(22.2% in WB & 31.7% in Gaza).

Queue the rockets launchers and suicide bombers !! Queue the cross border raids to capture IDF soldiers !!Can anyone else anticipate that these people will do everything in their power to derail these peace talks , Hezbolla aka. lebanese army... aka Iran /Syria has been talking smack for past couple of months like they are preparing to launch an attack to provoke Israel into a conflict and giving Abas a way out ... By the way Haniyeh looks like he's well fed , he can probably even lose a few pounds , does he even live in Gaza ?? and what about those elections ??

When there is a perceived victory over Islam's enemies or a sucessfull attack on an Israeli target, the celebrate it as Alla's will. Perhaps, the isolation of the Gaza strip and the lack of overall progress in the Palestine Nationalist movement is due to Alla's will? Perhaps Alla is not interested in Muslim possession of "Palestine". Perhaps the recent floods in Pakistan are Alla's message to the Islamic peoples - stop messing around, stop whining, stop lying, start living and making the most of your lives rather than constantly looking to blame others for your misfortune. The "Nakba" itself was possibly Alla's will - therefore any movement to counter the events of the Nakba is anti-Alla ?

They lost Jerusalem in a war THEY started back in '67....Go through the motions but the time has come for them to make concessions(like recognizing Israel as a jewish state) aint a gonna happen tho because THEY do not want peace..

Mr. Haniyeh statement sounds most desperate. Of course not being invited to participate in the peace talks, indicates only that he has no leader credibility, other than leading a degenerate terrorist group of brain washed individuals that hide in mosques and schools when firing their weapons. His latest rhetoric most certainly indicates a fear that points to the man losing control of things and the only way he feels that he can salvage the situation is by instituting fear upon those who see a peaceful solution to a long term problem. I add only Mr..Haniyeh, that your fear tactics no longer work and confirm that your demise has begun.

you have no choice. It is the jewish holy city for more than 3000 years, a long before islam was born. your holiest cities are Medina and Mecca, the jews have Jerusalem, ACCEPT IT. FREE GILAD SHALIT

Israel shouldn't negotiate with Hamas until Hamas meets these preconditions: 1)Free Gilad Shalit 2) amend the Hamas charter, removing all references to the "protocols of the elders of zion" (racist forgery) 3)stop firing rockets at Sderot 4)renounce all ties to Ahmedinijad's dictatorship meet those conditions, and they can have E. Jerusalem. until then, Israel should accept nothing from Hamas except an unconditional surrender

Read Hamas' propoganda. Their solution to the entire situation is a total genocide of the Jewish people. This has been repeated in their newpapers, TV broadcasts and even in their school books. One would ask if Hamas will recognize Jewish rights in Jerusalem, but they do not even recognize a Jews' right to live!

abass is losing creditiblity by dealing to much in favor israel and the U.S

.... If that the Arab and Palestinian world and its people won't recognize the peace with the PA, why should Israel and the USA waste their times with them? Why remove the occupation from the West Bank and bring Hamas close to Tel Aviv, to bomb it from there too? Pls explain - where am I wrong, and why?

A nice suit, neat haircuts and attractive trimmed beard, all designed to make it easier for an average EU member to see the civility and reasonableness of Hamas demands.

Yerushalayim belongs to the jewish people. Yerushalayim is the ETERNAL capital of Israel. whom started the war? whom lost the war? now, after lose the war that they started to destroy, eliminate Israel, they want to take the capital of the jewish people. Why Israel must give Yerushalayim to the arabs? they attacked Israel, and Israel, despite have won, is giving the west bank to the arabs. what would happened if arabs won the war... no more Israel, but Israel fought and RECONQUERED a city desecrated by the arab. NEVER AGAIN. never again expulsion of all the jewish people from Yerushalayim, never again roads with jewish tombstones, never again destroyed sinagogues arabs must accept that THEY lost a war that they started. and must accept that YERUSHALAYIM is for the jews

No talks = No Palestinian State

unless both sides agree to share and rise above their primitive and greedy instincts, there will never be peace, and nature, through demographics and future wars, will settle this once and for all. The status quo will not and cannot stand.

Jerusalem is part of Israel.

"dubbing upcoming direct peace talks as the latest in a string of Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people." So now peace talks are a crime. What a demented individual. No you piece of garbage, time for *you* to resign.

By continuing their terrorist ways Hamas has made itself obsolete and irrelevant to any negotiated deal going forward. It will be interesting to see how long it takes them to start blowing something in Israel up in order to scuttle the talks before they even begin.

1967 Borders

I would reach a deal with Abbas and the PLO, get West-Bankers to approve it in a referendum, then destroy the Hamas regime in Gaza (either by helping the PLO and other Arab states invade and take Gaza over or have the IDF do it), have Abbas establish his regime in Gaza, and live happily ever after.

Look at Hamas scramble to delegitimize any peace process that doesn't involve them and their totalitarian government. A peace agreement is both what, I hope, Palestinians want and what they (and also the Israelis) need.

This one should bring diet pills. Quite the "plight" these people have.

The Palestinians to make peace? Thet bluster a lot but have never intended to have peace with Israel. Their goal is to destroy Israel, not live beside them.

https://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/files-of-jewish-interest.html

Hamas is not a Palestinian group. It is an Iranian Islamic terror cell first and foremost and Palestinian second. Either way, it is hell bent on the complete destruction of Israel. As long as Israel exists and as long as there is a Jewish presence in Israel, there will be conflict. It doesn't matter what Israel does or what concessions it makes, none of it matters therefore Hamas' opinions are completely irrelevant.

Obama talk to this man ,Hamases Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh not your puppet Abbas,and you will understand the face of the Palestinian people ,your forced taks are a sham,similar to your hand of friendship to the murderous Iranian regime .

This guy sounds like the Natura Karta when he talks about God's will. Except its for Palistinian salvation! People must unite for peace. Lets see what happens.

...any people or any state but that of the Jewish people since more than 3,000 years ago and that of both ancient and modern Israel. In fact, during the years 1948 and 1967 when eastern Jerusalem was "cleansed" of its previous Jewish residents and it was under total Arab rule, it was not declared a capital city and the now disputed territories were not set up as an independent state. So - I hope Haaretz does allow this post to appear - why now? Why all of the sudden demand that eastern Jerusalem be called "Arab", and why all of the sudden the demand that a capital city of a people, of the Jewish people, will become the capital city of people who for political expediency in the late 1960s called themselves "a people"...??!! Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people. It has been so for more than 3,000 years and will remain so for at least as many years!!

do you israelis know what will happen if the direct peace talks fail??!! WAR will start over again and this war will not be like any other war, if a war started we palestinians and you israelis will be sitting home wearing gas masks and watching missiles hit and launched, both of us will loose in this situation, so just give up the arab neighborhoods in jerusalem and the old city will be an international zone, it is the best solution for you israelis, for us palestinians one state solution is much better, take the chance of 2 states before it fades away, we should agree now before it will be impossible. we are not animals or terrorists and i know that israelis arent, there is always a bad apple in a box.

H A D BEEN TATTLING THAT MUCH, TOO MUCH, ABOUT "PEACE' TALKS? HAVEN'T TALKS DEATH QUICKLY COLLAPSED! IT'SS OVER: ONLY THEY WHO STILL [{WANT 2}] HANG, [{AROUND}], STILL AT LEAST SAY "PEACE" TALKS WILL EVER GAIN, ANY RESTART 2 BEGIN WITH! HIHIHIHI!HIHIHIHI

Sounds like a guy who sees his 15 minutes are about up.

If G-d was on the Muslim's side, then why are 90% of them picking flies out of their UN supplied meals? Pakistan is suffering a biblical flood, Muslims in Africa are slaughtering - and being slaughtered. All of the countries that the Muslim world hates - India, USA, Israel - have a standard of living they can't even dream of living. Maybe it's time for the Muslim world to question whether they are being PUNISHED for their perversion of Islam.

NOT ALL SOME OTHERS GAVE UP OR CAN CARE LESS BUT PALESTINIANS DO WANT SELF RULE AND FREEDOM TO LIVE IN PEACE AND FREE. ISRAEL IS HOLDING US HOSTAGE BECAUSE A FEW DON'T WANT PEACE AND BECAUSE ITS THREATENED BY OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES

Hamas has been democratically elected and have all rights to reject any agreement made not to the full satifaction of the Palestinian people. Like it or not that is an undisputed fact ... can't say the same for Mr. Abass

WAKE-UP... IRAN IS NOTHING COMPARED TO FATHER GOD'S WRATH & FURY... JERUSALEM IS FATHER GOD'S HOLY CITY... PERIOD BE THANKFUL...GRATEFUL GOD HAS LET YOU STAY IN HIS LAND ALIVE... YOU NEVER DIVIDE GOD'S LAND ...NEVER YOU NEVER HURT GOD'S PEOPLE-ISRAEL...NEVER

Of course he doesn't. Which shows the value of their rantings... What a collection of killers and nothing else! Palestinians of value are all abroad ..... Try to poll the diaspora if they would like to live under Hamas!!!! Even in the middle of Jerusalem....

....... Yerushalayim!!!!

Its time Israel puts its foot down and creates some non-negotiable terms of its own. Term one should be yerushaliam remains the undivided capital of Israel period.

he's wrong.if israel and palestine(term of convenience,nudnik) come to an accomodation,he's wrong,as our prayers have been.(we don't want him to be correct,do we?).if there's no material change,you can't fault his prediction,even if you dislike everything else about him.so,who's the smart money on?

Hamas & Hamas PM Haniyeh your on the sidelines for this play enjoy it This is the only play you have, you locked yourself OUT, GREAT move clown, now you get to wave from the sidelines, HA HA HA did you see this coming, I DID

You got to love this Bozo. Both Abbas and Bibi haven’t sat at the table yet... and Haniyeh is already feeling the heat. Someone needs to ask... what scares him so much. Can successful negotiations bring a nascent Palestinian state. And isn’t this what it’s all about. Maybe a Palestinian state can be an end to the brutality of Hamas. I’m willing to bet, that real peace would make Hamas... and Haniyeh in particular irrelevant. It’s a funny thing, but those that talk a big game... don’t usually have what it takes to deliver anything.

It is not fpor palestinians across the globe to make comment about what Abbas does. In fact only those who live in opaliland will end up with a say. Th rest just are not around. If haniyeh is so upset, let him solve teh problems with hisn pali brothers in fatah and make amends. Otherwise tghis is sour grapes. He sees fatah making inroads to becoming a state agiving their people a life based on economics. hamas only gives its people Sharia law, some electricity and fear..lots of fear based on their thugocracy. One day gazans will also know the same prosperity that west bank palis have, then it will change teh Game. hamas is an idead whose best before date has long ago expired.

If Abbas the traitor gives up Jerusalem we will hang him in the Vatican Square.

Israel belongs to the Israeli people. It is the Homeland for The Jewish People. If the pals want peace, they should begin by uniting with one another instead of murdering and threatening one another. There is no way a peace can be imposed on them or Israel.

Statements like this from Hamas shows that the world need to pressure reconciliation between Pal factions. This is largely the responsibility of the Arab League but the US/EU/Israel needs to end policy of division. It is clear that the peace process can't progress unless the Pals can speak with one voice. Of course, the same can be said for Israel, where their is widespread differences in opinion on the extent of concessions that can be made to Pals.

As a Palestinian, and I assume many Palestinians, are sick of what Hamas is doing in Gaza. At the same time, however, I think the PA is still digging to widen the hole with Hamas. Hamas is giving Israel a free excuse for imposing siege over 1.5 million people in Gaza. For instance, Israel keeps arguing that we have left Gaza and see what has happened! Well, I think thats quite fair to say. On the other hand, Israel and the rest of the world do not give Hamas a chance to talk or express their views through negotiations and meetings. All these factors in addition to others serve to make Hamas more like " a trouble maker ". And here is the paradox, its because Israel refuses to talk to them and because the world is not giving them a chance to be part of international politics, Hamas keeps controlling Gaza and "making troubles". The best way to maintain stability in Gaza and Palestine/Israel is to bring Hamas to the table. The conflict between Fatah and Hamas was fueled by the western and Israeli pressure on Fatah which actually cannot confront western policies. Once the differences with Hamas lets say are clear, things can be easier, I believe. I think it would be a good idea to invite Hamas to be part of the negotiations and not only the invitation but to have a sustainable strategy of making Hamas part of the game. I don't thin Israel would mind that because simply sitting with them around the table would make Hamas stop any trouble-making. Also, they wouldn't have an excuse to do the troubles. BUT the answer to the question which remains suspicious is that: Do Israel and the World interested to bring Hamas which will most likely prevent Hamas-made troubles? NOT? I am not sure!

I think it's astounding to see the gaul that some of these Palestinian gang leaders have. He wants Jersualem for what? To turn it into what Gaza looks like now? Does he have plans to rob the jerusalem banks like he did in Gaza to fund himself? And why is he speaking after "breaking the fast" I thought there was no food in gaza? He sure looks pretty fed to me... ;)

A just peace cannot prevail if Israel thinks it can hold East Jerusalem .AS for the west bank settlements their should be a swap of land ,to cover the area taken by settlers. Give a break for Abbas and let him conclude a peace treaty that can hold for generations.

Tha PA has no mandate. At least half of the palestinian people are Hammas oriented and want to foster the destruction of the state of Israel with violent means.. The division of approaches between Hammas and the PA, are clear. The PA believes in the deconstuction of the Zionist state , by peacefull methods, step by step, getting concesions and rejecting to retribute, while Hammas believes just in violent resistance. So far the palestnians could hold on without any peace agreement and without materializing any self determination for one hundred years more. They care more for the end of zionism than for the enactment of their own state. The best solution thus, is to talk to get nowhere while keep helping the west bank to develop economically and achieve high rates of growth. Gaza should be kept in bay under humanitarian aid until the end of Hammas control if ever. In short this status quo will be preserved. It is good for all, even for Hammas.

and as a mexican I would like to have Colorado, Texas, California and New Mexico returned to Mexico, so we can have more drug dealers and kidnappers, but thank god, that also is not going to happen, so get over it.

The Strongest side is s dictating conditions on the weaker side This is the Israeli logic in any future negotiations..here,s the Problem if Israel wants to end this conflict from the roots it must start negotiations on bases of a solution that satisfies a largest possible segment of the Palestinian people and not only members of the Fatah movement Because popularity of Fateh between the Palestinians less than 40% which it means any agreement doesn't worth the ink that has been signed by... 1-Hamas must stop firing rockets at Israeli cities and in return, Israel must end its siege of Gaza and to agree on a safe passage between the Gaza Strip with the West Bank. 2 Evacuation All of settlers from the West Bank and allow the Palestinian refugees to return to live in these settlements as a kind of compensation 3.East Jerusalem must be Capital of the Palestinian state 4.Palestinians have the right to manage all border crossings with Jordan, without any Israeli presence

I really dont know on behalf of whoum Abbas is negotiating with israel, its clear his mandate ended last year, therefore his admnistration is an appointed one by the Arab legue in an illegittimate way, therefore how can piece be achieved by negotiating with a wrong partner that represents himself only,

Now where have I heard remarks like that? Ah yes, from the Hardeim and their right-wing Christian colleagues. You'd think all 3 groups would get on famously, wouldn't you?

Hamas are just a mafia of thugs who rule by force and violence--it's the oldest story on earth. They'd turn the whole world into the cesspool that they've made out of Gaza to hold onto power.

The PA and the bad terrorists, Hamas, will have to give up more, much more, because what doesn't and never belonged they will never have. Another posting Haaretz will probably censor, since as Leftists, there is only one reality, the one they choose to promote.

Ismail Haniyeh is ridiculously incongruous, unreasonable. He has no value in human life .Relating to his foolish reasoning he has drifted into absurdism . Today he is actually irrelevant .