PA negotiator: Endgame peace deal could bring Hamas-run Gaza back into fold
Saeb Erekat tells Army Radio both sides have reached maturity in understanding that the price of war is greater than that of peace.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel news Middle East peace Mahmoud Abbas Benjamin NetanyahuA peace agreement that would tackle all the core issues would convince the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to accept peace with Israel, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Army Radio on Sunday, following last week's relaunch of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
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U.S. Secretary of State Clinton and U.S. Mideast envoy Mitchell welcoming Netanyahu and Abbas at the State Dept. building on Sept. 2, 2010. |
| Photo by: Reuters |
On Saturday, aides to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat that the atmosphere in the Palestinian delegation to the peace talks had "taken a 180-degree turn" for the better.
The aides added the Palestinian delegation was pleased the United States planned to include all the core issues in an agreement to be reached by the end of 2011. These core issues deal with the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and borders.
Speaking to Army Radio on Sunday, Erekat said he felt the two sides were interested in achieving a viable peace, saying that "the time now is for decisions not for negotiations."
Erekat also referred to the possibility of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip accepting a possible peace deal with Israel. The Islamist militant organization has perpetrated several attacks against Israelis in defiance of the attempt to relaunch peace talks.
Last week, four Israelis were killed when unknown assailants opened fire at a vehicle they were traveling in near the West Bank city of Hebron. The following night, two Israelis were wounded in a similar shooting attack at the Rimonim Junction near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
In Sunday's interview, Eerekat estimated that a final status deal could bring Gaza back into the Palestinian fold, saying that if the two sides "sign an endgame agreement on all core issues I believe we will bring Gaza back."
Erekat added, however, that he feared the "Palestinian Authority will dissolve if we fail to reach an endgame agreement."
Speaking on the subject of the current settlement freeze, which is due to expire later this month, Erekat indicated that Netanyahu did not "mention the word freezing."
"We know his position and he knows our position. We will see what will happen in the next few days," Erekat said.
Erekat also denied a recent report which alleged that he had accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of stalling further negotiations by proposing to form 12 sub committees. "I never said that," Erekat said.
"I was asked why didn't we form these committees," the chief PA negotiator said, adding that he answered that "had [Netanyahu] asked for these committees he would be wasting time."
The chief PA negotiator said that now was "a time for two nations that really want peace and really can do it," saying that achieving peace was about "the maturity of the two sides .Once the price of war is greater than that of peace…all the core issues can be settled."
On Saturday, a senior U.S. official indicated U.S. President Barack Obama was "very pleased" with the outcome of last week's peace summit in Washington, saying Obama had cleared his entire schedule last Wednesday to devote himself to the summit. "He never invested in any other issue this way," the official said.
Senior U.S. officials were encouraged by the discussions at the dinner where Obama hosted Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah.
They said a sincere and open conversation took place on the possibilities for progress in the peace process. The officials said they had the impression the Palestinians left the summit very pleased as well.
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As Arabs we would compromise our principles if we did not acknowledge that Hamas are terrorists who killed a pregnant woman amongst others last week. I understand the Israeli government is building on Palestinian land, but there should never be any excuse to kill any human being for this reason. We can keep the pressure on Israel internationally without harming anyone. I'm really getting annoyed with the Hamas behaviour.
First, Hamas has to be really humbled by G-d, then perhaps they'll be more teachable as they should be.
- ie i will.
And we all know from Netanyahu's own mouth, what that means. Goodbye peace.
The PA is not going to get a state or even provisional borders while Gaza continues an Islamic holy war of extermination against Israel. More to the point, Bibi should not be making any "painful concessions" in negotiations without an airtight guarantee from Obama and Abbas that anything the PA agrees to in negotiations will be binding on Gaza and Hamas. After all, this as an Abbas that demands that Israel honor "concessions" it made under Olmert that were never signed, never ratified, and NEVER EVEN ACCEPTED by the PA - they just want something for nothing, never making concessions themselves. This guarantee should be locked down in a detailed, credible fashion before any other talks - or why negotiate with a "partner" who doesn't represent ONE HALF of his people, the half that wants to keep fighting. The rest of Germany wouldn't have gotten its independence back in 1953 if ,say, Bavaria rejected peace and wanted to remain Nazi and keep fighting the Allies.
If a peace deal is signed support for Hamas will wither. It is dropping rapidly anyway. The entire international community will stand against Hamas - they will change or dissappear
There is no end in sight for the two camps negotiating for an arrangement that would satisfy Isarel tarnsigenece. Five US administartions were involved, and things are at square one. Wasn't for the pressure from Hamas, Hezbullah, Al Qaeda, Israel would have asked for a resounding capitulation from Arabs and Plestinians. No matter what PA and Arab regimes may do or not do, these negotiations are between masters and slaves, and not between adversaries. The day would come when anything short of a fair justice and self-determination for the oppressed Palestinian people would not be accepted. One democratic state in Palestine is the outcome no matter what. So do not be illusioned and day dreaming.
....and that, after 60 years of war, terror, and increasing misery to the catastrophic situation now, caused ONLY by them, whereby their existence is totally dependent on getting their food, drink, electricity, money, etc, from donors...shameless! In this time, Israel, South Korea, etc, have advanced from nothing, to great economical powers, while "Palestine" and, say, Cuba, are demonstrating, the result of not "surrendering" to chimeras of both, Nationalism and Communism... Of course, Hamas, who doesn't know anything else, except killing and martyrdom, have no choice but to continue exercising their profession, and religion, by terrorizing the Gaza population, They may succeed to continue this way, because they control not only the weapons, but also all instruments of brainwashing, which starts from childhood, in the schools... the succeeding generations forget the experience of the previous ones, and continue the same fight, mindlessly.... they don't surrender!
SUPERFLUOUS..THANKS.
are we to assume that hamas is actually willing to compromise on core issues? such is difficult to believe given hamas recent acts and statements. the pa forces have stopped many courriers bringing cash from abroad to hamas. they are teachers, doctors, merchant who operate below the intelligence radar. at friday prayers at al aqsa mosque, attended by nearly two hundred thousand people, sheikh yusef abu sneineh criticised the re-launching of the middle east peace talks as a joke. hamas for its part declared: "Jerusalem will not be liberated by negotiations but by jihad and resistance."
For everyone the price of peace is smaller, you silly PA Negotiator. You guys don't seem to have realized that. That's why there has been war. Who do you think you're patronizing?
who promised them what and at what price. will there be peace, or will there be only a piece of paper?
That's what they do. Peace cannot be achieved when these two representatives of the Palestinian people vie for ultimate power. Iran is sponsoring Gaza to be their proxy and they wont accept a peace that isn't on their terms. Welcome to Obama's theatre of the absurd. It has no beginning, no middle and no end.
Gaza won't start the war, Israel will. Israel will do something to derail the talks because Netanyahu doesn't want peace, he wants land. So, they will either bomb Gaza, Lebanon, or find another way to pull out.
..ever since, Israel has been in control of Palestinian territories. In order to have a peace agreement, Israel would be required to withdraw from territories which are not it's own, before peaceful relations resumed. Can you tell me on what date the war between the State of Israel and the non-state of Palestine ended? .... FACT is, it has never ended. The wars that ended, were between STATES, leaving Israel (or Jordan in 1948) ias the occupying Power (only) of Palestinian territories. The occupied have every right to continue fighting the occupier's military.
CJ you're right to the point when you say that Jordan was occupying Israel, however, it is wrong to state that Israel is occupying an occupying power. Since there was no independent country in the area known as Palestine or Jordan sincxe the destruction of the kingdom of Judah 2000 years ago, this area has always been regarded as a province of Syria, therefore Israel can be regarde as a nation liberating its territory. However, due to the facts on the ground such as a large population that doesn't want to live under Israeli laws, Israel would be better off to withdraw from the west bank and Gaza. Unlike Turkey, Iran, and Iraq occupying fifty million Kurds, Israel does have a heart for people in despair.
There were no Palestinian territories because the partition plan was rejected and never implemented
The FACT is, it never has owned any territories. You can only "occupy" something that belongs to someone else and as "Palestine" has never owned any land to start with, it can't accuse anyone of "occupying" it.
All those fallen in wars have died in vain. ISrael will be overrun in every sense of the word after every square inch of Holyland is surrendered to the enemy while the world smiles.
Even King Hussein slaughtered them. They are a people that an arch-terrorist invented. Israel must hunker down and not give into this false entity. Jordan's their home. Let the little King deal with it. That's why he rushed to DC, to protect himself from the onslaught.
when he said that retreat is the beginning of surrender.
when he said: "We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction."
You'll only ever learn if you accept reality. We have been sold a bunch of cobblers on both sides with regards to each other. The ordinary Muslim is no more vicious than the ordinary Jew and vice versa. Let both sides go for victory in beating the brutality that is born of generations of paranoia.
mutual retreat is victory...
there wont be anything left to surrender.
In every generation we follow the Gedolim of that time. Most Gedolim of our time have agreed to 'land for peace'. Giving Pals voting rights inside Israel would be the disolution of the Jewish state, and keeping the PA territories 'occupied' is not correct either. We are not prophets but we are the children of prophets. Let the Israeli electorate decide on any final agreement.