Fatah to Abbas: no talks without settlement freeze
Fatah's position could help Palestinian President Abbas stand up to Obama pressure to restart peace talks with Israel.
By The Associated Press Tags: Mahmoud Abbas Israel news Middle East peace PalestiniansThe Palestinian party Fatah has declared to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the movement, that he must not resume peace talks unless Israel freezes its settlement construction, a senior Fatah member said Wednesday.
Fatah's position could help Abbas stand up to U.S. pressure to return to the negotiating table despite Israel's failure to freeze construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama told Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that negotiations must resume as quickly as possible, without preconditions. Obama admonished both leaders to stop wasting time.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are holding separate follow-up meetings in Washington this week with Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, who hopes to bring the sides back to the negotiating table. The Israeli delegation met with Mitchell on Wednesday.
Abbas has repeatedly said he would not return to talks without a freeze in Israeli settlements, which is mandated by a U.S.-backed peace plan. Israel refuses to comply, offering at best to slow construction for a limited period.
The Obama administration was initially adamant about a halt to construction, but appears to have softened its stance after failing to make headway with the Israeli government on the issue.
Fatah's Central Committee, the movement's key decision-making body, met late Tuesday with Abbas to discuss his options following last week's trilateral meeting with Obama and Netanyahu.
Mohammed Dahlan, a committee member, said the panel told Abbas he must not budge.
"Settlements and negotiations are two parallel lines that will never meet," Dahlan told The Associated Press.
The settlements are being built in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas sought by the Palestinians for a future state. Nearly half a million Israelis have moved to these areas over the past four decades.
Palestinians argue that the continued construction is a major show of bad faith by Israel since the settlements gobble up more and more land. The settler population has increased by tens of thousands since the start of peace talks in 1993. Netanyahu says some construction must be allowed to accommodate what he calls natural growth in the settler population.
Dahlan said the 23-member committee was also unanimous in its demand that the agenda of the negotiations be defined ahead of time.
Netanyahu's predecessor, Ehud Olmert, held a series of talks with Abbas last year and agreed to tackle all so-called core issues, including a possible partition of Jerusalem. Netanyahu says Jerusalem is off-limits and says he is not bound by any promises made by Olmert.
Dahlan said he believes the Obama administration is putting pressure on the Palestinians since they are the weakest party in the process.
There is systematic backtracking by President Obama, Dahlan said. There is a changing of the foundations and reference points of the negotiations, and therefore I don't expect a quick return to negotiations.
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Palestinians negotiators should save their money on trips to meet Israeli negotiating team, because all the negotiations led to no where , Israel has nothing new to offer
Are you saying that because every Jew in the entire world does not come live in Israel, that Israels is dead or even diminished? You don't give your country ID, but if it had any sophistication at all, it would have citizens all over the world. If you had any sophistication you would know that. Citizenship is like home: a place where they always have to take you in. You might love your mother, but do you still live with her? Well, maybe you do, there is nothing wrong with that. But it is certainly optional Jews have always excelled when they have been allowed to flourish. History shows that the times of flourishing have been limited. It also shows significant civilization advancements were consistent with those periods. More that likely, this may be the Jews' problem at root: A primitive jealousy. This is the first time in recorded history that Jews have finally picked up arms, and said "enough". They are flourishing now, as never before, because of it. Notice?
But it usually comes from the Israel side: "oh, no - we can't do that. My coalition will collapse"
I'm tired of this. Enough. We can't change either Israeli or Palestinian terrorism. Fine Go kill yourselves. However, Don't come to the US Don't buy anything from us Don't sell anything to us Don't call Forget we exist The welcome mat is withdrawn Go away We want nothing to do with either of you.
bk: "Demands and preconditions are a two way street." Israel AGREED to freeze all settlement construction back in 2003. It AGREED to do that. What Fatah are "demanding" is nothing more than that Israel live up to its prior agreements. And fair enough too, because this is a given: it is pointless attempting to reach an "agreement" with a party that insists it doesn't need to honour its agreements.
Hamas is the Palestinian counterpart of Irgun, Lehi, and Gangstern
Israel has no partner for peace because of its failure to comply with previously signed agreements made in 2003 under the Road Map to freeze all settlement construction including natural growth in accordance with the Mitchell report. Netanyahu did tell the World quite loudly upon taking office that Israel would comply with ALL its International obligations and agreements. Time he got on with it instead of lying and holding up the Peace Process.
This is absolutely typical. The Road Map has clauses that apply to the Israeli and to the Palestinian side. However, Israel and the US have decided that the Palestinians must complete their side first, before Israel has to halt settlement construction, even though the road Map says they must both implement their obligations simultaneously. So what happens? The Palestinians implement their obligations, in full. Israel then says that they don't even want to start. The US, in their capacity as honest and impartial broker, back Israel all the way, and demand that Palestinians negotiate while Israel builds more settlements. Because nothing says "we want peace" quite like bulldozing orchards and stealing farmland. And Obama thinks this is fair - after all, Israel is always right.
They're here in OUR land, and that doesn't have to be the case: If they choose violence again, they should be removed from OUR land immeditately.
First there should be on PA and not two (PA and Hamas) second after that is done the PA should declare Israels right to being a Jewish State. Then we can sit down and talk, until then we have a stalemate.
...when its preconditions are met. THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!
A single state were everyone has equal rights seem to be the most logical solution. The PA should abandon the 2 state solution because it is impracticle. Bring back all the Palesinian refugees into historical Palestine, establish a single state where everyone has equal rights and live "unhappily" ever after. Zionism is dead, the zionist ideals were not accomplished. The main objective of zionism is to bring all Jews to Palestine. 60 years after its creation, more than 60% of Jews still live outside Israel, and most of those inside wish they were out. It is as radical and dangerous as any other non tolerant ideology. The answer to both Palestinian and Jewish suffering is in the death of zionism.
Israel has no (Palestinian) partner for peace...:) That is my (humble) opinion...???
Pouting and whining will not change the fact that they are political parties. They have been legitimately elected.
The neighbourhood bully is not satisfied with what they go in 1947-48! They want to get the cherries out of what little is left of the pie.
just remember Irgun and GangStern terrorist groups headed by Manahem Begin.Israel is a terrorist state you can not deny this fact
No talk until Israel freeze settlement in occupy territory! I vote for Obama and I like him alot but he is wrong on want Palestinian to talk to Israel without precondition. We cannot trust Israel goverment!
Israel should demand Gilad Shalits unconditional return prior to any negotiations. The Palestinians should publicaly renounce anti semitic anti zionist educational practices for their young, and acknowledge Israel as the rightful Jewish homeland. Demands and preconditions are a two way street. Israel has built a thriving modern democracy in six decades, while the Palestinians conduct civil war amongst themselves and wallow in vendettas and corruption. Demand away.
he would cut the flow of American weapons and Aid to colonialist Israel!
terror, organization and the Associated Press refers to this group of thugs a "party" as if we deal with the Democratic Party in the US or Labour in the UK.
Absolutely - no talks without settlement freeze. And no concessions for a freeze, stopping illegal actions does not need to be rewarded.
Placement of settlements have fractionalized the West Bank into pockets of Palestinians. Many Gazas can be replicated if the IDF chooses to close checkpoints and inflict curfews in any part of the West Bank. As a result, there can never be a viable Palestine as long as settlement building continues. Abbas and Fatah want a viable nation to govern. If settlement building continues, it reflects bad faith on the part of Israel. It may be that the only viable resolution is for a single nation with equal rights for Palestinians throughout Israel and with freedom to move about. That would be the end of a "Jewish" nation, but Israel is leading in that direction. If it then treats Palestinians as inferiors, Israel would then be an apartheid nation.
If the issue is truly about creating "facts on the ground" than its only fair that Arabs throughout Israel, the so called West bank, and Jerusalem STOP all building till a final agreement. This would be fair and reciprocal.
one can play the ping-pong of accusations between two sides, but in this case the Palestinians are right. The settlements are illegal. Even those ca. 100 ones which are illegal from the Israeli point of view, are there for a decade. 23 had to be dismantled and where is it? Also IDF has already announced twice to dismantle 100 roadblocks. They promised to do it before ramadan, and repeated promises in the begining of ramadan. So where is this? I cannot have another feeling than the rightwingers simply want to play tricks, while they continue stripping Palestinians of their land.