Palestinians report first Israeli violation of talks to U.S.
Just two days after peace talks resume, PA complains to American mediators, accusing Israel of breaching negotiation terms.
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Palestinian laborers at work in the Jewish neighborhood Ramat Shlomo in E. Jerusalem, May 4, 2010 |
| Photo by: AP |
Just two days after resuming peace talks with Israel, the Palestinian Authority has reported to the United States what it termed the first violation of negotiation terms, a senior Palestinian official said Monday.
Yasser Abed Rabbo said the construction of 14 housing units for Jewish settlers in an East Jerusalem neighbourhood, as reported by the Israeli Peace Now pressure group, violated the terms of new talks.
"This is the first violation and first breach of the terms to start the indirect negotiations," said Abed Rabbo, the secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, which on Saturday voted in favor of indirect negotiations under U.S. mediation.
"We will act immediately to stop this, because we will not agree that negotiations will be used as a cover for settlement activities," he said.
He added: "The PA is following this situation on the ground with the U.S.A."
A senior Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that 14 homes in the Ras el-Amud neighbourhood of East Jerusalem were being built privately and that the government had no authority in the matter.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, meanwhile, vowed to continue "planning and construction throughout the city for all its residents".
Barkat's comment follow a U.S. State Department announcement on Sunday that Israel had undertaken not to build in East Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood for two years.
He said: "We expect the Israeli government will react to the public demand of both the Arab and Jewish sectors and enable the construction of housing for the young population that is leaving the city because of a shortage of affordable housing."
"We trust that the prime minister will not allow a freeze in Jerusalem, not in words and not in actions," the mayor said in a statement.
An Israeli decision in March to allow the construction of 1,600 new homes in Ramat Shlomo triggered a severe crisis between Jerusalem and Washington, and led to a delay in the start of the indirect talks.
Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser on Monday acknowledged it would take a couple of years
before construction begins on the Rmat Shlomo project - but added that projects will be built in other East Jerusalem neighborhoods where construction bids already have been issued.
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If you had built all of Jerusalem, you wouldn't have these problems today. BUILD BABY BUILD!!
... except for 19 years between 1948 and 1967 after the Arabs ethnically cleansed the old city of Jews in 1948. Jews lived in Jerusalem for milennia and for at least 100, Jews constituted the majority of the population of Jerusalem. Yet it seems that history does NOT count and now the enemies of Israel try to convince the world that Jerusalem is Arab just because they conqured East Jerusalem in 1948 .... Dream on, the Arabs will NOT own East Jerusalem.
May be, but will the Israelis? What makes you so confident that you will live unscathed despite all the misery you have perpetrated in occupying through such brutal means of killing and dispossession?
... And talking about disposession, I will ask you too: why should Jews allow themselves to be disposessed from Jerusalem again? Just because it happened for 19 years in 1948? Dream on ...
Tim, the only thing related to history in your post is your demonstrated lack of knowledge of it. Of the last 4000 years, scholars agree that the Jews have had a maximum of about 450 years in Jerusalem. It seems almost 90% of Jerusalem's history is beyond your grasp or conversely, you choose to focus only on those juicy little bits that make a good romantic little fairytale.
Hmmmm. I don't recall the Israeli government promising to cease any non-governmental building. However, since ARAB Palestinians are so touchy about the building projects of JEWISH Palestinians, have they taken measures to stop violations by ARAB settlers?
How can a Palestinian be a settler if he comes from there? He is a native; Jews moving in are settlers.
it will always be the same. they say they are sincere and serious, but it's only their words. their deeds don't match their words. israel cannot be trusted.
it will always be the same. they say they are sincere and serious, but it's only their words. their deeds don't match their words. israel cannot be trusted.
I see that the Palestinians are busy lobbying OECD countries to try to find a technical loophole to stop implementation of the decision to accept Israel as a full member of the OECD. Now THAT's really sticking to the good faith of the "proximity" talks. It is clear that the Palestinians don't believe in the talks or want them to succeed. And as has been proven tim & time again, Israeli prosperity rubs off on those Palestinians willing to live at some level of peace with Israel, But the good of the Palestinian people has never been high on the agenda of the Palestinian leadership.
Pharoah also ruled the land with might and oppression, but how long did he last? Haven't you heard the saying " Pride comes before a fall". The fall is overdue, but it will happen.
Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel--modern and ancient.
Wow, Israelis are really limited in insight. Always thought Palestinians were te source of problems. But now it's pretty evident that Israeli government has other plans other than peace. No longer their supporter sad to say. U.S needs to break the spine of their current leadership and show the rest of the world that America takes matters seriously!
There are no such people as palestinians- they are Arabs-Palestine was the name that the Romans gave the region 2000 years ago It is their perversion of the name 'Phillistine'. And, the Romans hated the Jews as much or more than the Arabs/Muslims do. The proper name of the region is 'Israel"! Why don't you read your history and quit kowtowing to the hate-mongers? Signed, A Real American
The government has no authority over private construction? What a lie! It's the government that grants building permits -- grants them to Israelis and denies them to Palestinians. Face it, the Netanyahu government is not interested in peace, only land for Israel. Is it Jewish values not to share?
Israel has proven time and time again that it is not willing to make peace with the Palestinian people and always finds a way to damage the perace process with it's actions. Israel does this in order to provoke the Palestinians and to delay or damage any chances for peace. The Palestinians should not agree to any peace talks until Israel pull out from the occupied territories completely. Then and only then should the Palestinians agree to peace talk.
Every time there is a hope for peace, the israeli government do its utmost to ruin it and they always blame the other side. This is a classic.
They could have had their state many times over, but only have the capacity to say "No". Well, with that attitude, time will leave them way behind. The longer they refuse to negotiate, the more ground they will lose. As it should be.
An outside power declared that a part of Palestine, just liberated after centuries of Ottoman occupation, should be given to European, American, Asian, etc. immigrants for a "homeland." So the Palestinians should have said: "Certainly, take what you want, make a Jewish state on our soil."
An outside power declared that a part of Palestine, just liberated after centuries of Ottoman occupation, should be given to European, American, Asian, etc. immigrants for a "homeland." So the Palestinians should have said: "Certainly, take what you want, make a Jewish state on our soil."
There is no violation on Israeli part as Bibi clearly said Jerusalem is not and will not be on the table.
You are equite right--east Jerusalem is occupied territory--unlawfully occupied by Arabs/Muslims. The proper name for the region is 'Israel'.
It is quite obvious that the Obama administration is in firm control of the Israeli government through their representatives Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres who although were not elected as foreign ministers are basically taking over the foreign policy of Israel for the Obama administration. It is quite obvious now that Israel does not have a democratically elected government. It is quite obvious that the government is a puppet of the United States. The fact that the Israeli government is placing a building freeze in Ramat Shlomo in other areas of Jerusalem is a testament to that fact. Every government denial of overwhelming evidence given in the media is an insult to the intelligence of the Jewish people in Israel and the world. No amount of game playing and word games will change that fact. Unless the Israeli government firmly and categorically denies statements of the United States and starts openly to build then I have have no reason to disagree that the freeze is real. Israel is inviting massive pressure with each act of appeasement. Questions need to be answered as to why Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres are so eager to push peace agreement or when they are not elected officials of the foreign ministry. If Bibi Netanyahu is truly in charge he needs to prove it. It is quite odvious Barak Livni Peres and Netanyahu cannot be trusted with the security of Israel and the Jewish people. http://ralphsrant1.blogspot.com
How typical.
Looking for any reason to stop the talks the Palestinians, are grasping at straws. If they are serious about having a country...and 93% of the border issues are already settled...they need to continue the talks. Instead of looking for reasons, not to talk, and using their admirable PR machine to blame Israel. Let the Palestinians take their complaints to a civil court and file an injunction...let the courts sort it out... and continue the talks. But wait, that makes to much sense! Not when you can stop the talks altogether, blame Israel and gain another PR victory over Israel that gives them a black-eye in world opinion. Yea that's the ticket. The Palestinians must decide what they want, is it a country? or continue to beg the world for money under the false underdog scenario? If they are serious you keep talking, if not, look for any reason to stop talking. We all see what they are doing, case closed.
so you think the Palestinians get all the good press in America huh? An interesting argument.
Possibilities: 1.Neither has the others phone number or ... 2.It's just business as usual for the Israelis. Presumably the Americans can solve this enormously complex issue and decide which of the above two it is.
i guess the Palestinians didn't read haaretz this morning. "The rocket attack came hours after Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed to restart peace talks under American mediation. "
I guess you can not read more than one line. As a big lover of Israel it is more convenient to omit the next line that says: “in retaliation of missiles strike from Gaza”, or this doesn’t count, as in your book Israel is not entitled to defend itself. How typical.
talkbacks #1-4. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. you PAl and fellow arabs have never kept your word,have violated it all since 1948. let's start with you admitting all your denials from that year on, your war after war you started, your horrible intifadas etc etc. first let's hear contrition and that YOU accept the historic Jews here. you don't ,and won't. you are in violation of decency and truth. GET A LIFE..Oil and anti-semitism won't prevail.
Lets talk about keeping your word. Israel stated as a condition of their admittance to the UN that they would facilitate the return of the displaced Palestinians as quickly as possible. So far it has been 62 years! Israel signed the Road Map in which they agreed to dis-mantle outposts and cease settlement building. Guess what? 9 years later they are still at it. Just two examples but I'll be happy to give you more.
Why is Peace Now allowed to leak damaging information to Israel's enemies?
Funny how Peace Now seems to revel in causing aggravation for the State of ISrael. These self righteous left wing zealots will stop at nothing to give their country a black eye. perhaps the state should consider revoking their citizenship and passports. It would be a righteous burn. The Government has no control over private construction, so peace now feeds this to the palis who will seize on any excuse not to sit down and talk. Thank you peace now you are such good conscientious citizens.
The most damage caused by this information will be incurred by the Arab population of Ras Al Amud. Be sure it is not they for whom those apartments will be built, in spite of Nir Barkat's lamentations. Interesting this idea of police stations in the heart of the various ex-villages around the "holy basin" serving as future untouchable markers for future building. There's another in the commercial heart of Sheikh Jarrah. it may not yet be vacated, but one supposes that when this happens, dwellings for settlers will be constructed right in the heart of the main shopping and market area there. Ca promet.... as the French say!
Un believable
It's been that way for decades
They are simpkly taking advantage of the low construction costs and land costs. They want to become teh first settlers who get pali citizenship when that portion of land they are building on becomes part of paliland. Nothing wrong with that
As you well know the annexation was declared "NULL AND VOID" by the international community which is why not one country on this planet will put their embassies in Jerusalem. What was that you accused us of just a few days ago---telling lies I seem to recall.
Go take a walk down there.
They may not like the annexation, but the annexation is a fact, and is ensconed in Israeli law. It is a matter of a skewed and faulty opinion claiming that it violates international law. It's an excuse to object to Jews in Jerusalem.
The law merely codifies the desires of those who made it. In this case, it is made by self-serving people who want to grab land and won't share it. Why can't Israel share?
Land can’t be annexed without the approval of the stakeholders. Jordan annexation was with the agreement of the Palestinians and was legal in order that the Palestinians can legally declare Sovereignty over the West Bank but Israel prevents them from doing so.
whos in charge.is israel a banana republic
Only 2 days in and it has started. The one state solution is coming. . .
Well, the PA has proven again that their solution to the issue of Jerusalem is to make the city Judenrein. Jews are not to be permitted to build in the eastern portion of the city while Arabs and anyone can build in the western areas. Here is my solution, if the arabs don't want to live with Jews, let the Arabs leave. Jerusalem was Jewish first and always, even when it passed from one foreign ruler to the other. So, if the Arabs don't like it, that;s just tough. If it were up to me, I'd throw them all out of the entire country since they love carrying the banners of terrorists and murderers. They don't belong here anyway.
Are we fools? How can anyone ever think that Bibi - Liberman government wants or will achieve peace! The ideologies of this government is far away from accepting the negotiations since they believe Palestinian do not belong to this land and the Pals are "occupiers". Westbank is called Juea and Samaria, Jerusalem is Bib's eternal capital (even though he knows very well that no civilization or empire lasted forever, but anyway). These beliefs will not stand for a process that leads to peace. The US must get rid of him and bring Barak as I believe he understands what should be done.
The Palestinians are playing the game well. They agreed to the start of the negotiations as the US wants in full very well knowing that Israel cannot keep its end of the deal when it comes to construction. This is a win-win situation of Palestinians as far as the blame game is concerned. And it didn't even last 24 hours!! No wonder Israel wants direct talks, so they can hide as much as possible from the US. Good luck Israel, things are not going so well for you these days.
How many points do you need to establish your independant state ? What are your intentions if no direct talks are desired ?
as their peace move.
Its not a win-win situation. The idea of starting a peace negotiation process with Bibi and his government is an absolute political victory for him. We all know the Palestinians are always the ones who lose at the end! So Bibi will argue in every possible that we started indirect talks and Pals do not want to be involved. And even if they continued (with Bibi) he will not offer something "logical" bearing in mind his beliefs. Bibi wins by participating and Pals lose because they cant do anything! Its an unfortunate situation! It will only be a successful process when a an Israeli leader publicly announce that Israel will return all occupied lands including Jerusalem and that Israel should accept an independent Palestinian state with complete control and defined boundaries. Bibi is just wasting time...no hope with him.
For the record, I'm not Palestinian, I'm Syrian. For Israelis we're all the same I guess though. We tried going through direct negotiations. Let me ask you a question, what's the point if me and you negotiate over a birthday cake when you're eating slices of it as we negotiate?! In a few years time there would be nothing to negotiate for me now would there?!! The Pals need guarantees, the US is the only one that can give that.
1. Hamas in Gaza never agreed to neither direct or indirect negotiations. 2. Don't even get Gaza into this. Remove the inhumane siege then hold them accountable for rockets. 3. You're sitting with Abbas, Abbas is giving you all the security you asked for, but you're also taking all the land you want as well. It doesn't work like that.
You see the cake you speak of when divided, you will find the slice Israel is eating is intended to go to Israel anyway. Where those housing units are is intended to be part of Israel in any negotiation That's why it's a false issue!. This is just more slight of hand PR games by the Palestinians. It would be one thing if the land was supposed to be Palestinian land at the end of the day, but that is NOT the case, is it? So again we have a phony charge made by the Palestinian team, just to score PR points! I guess that's more important than getting a country, after all you have to be able to run a country, don't you? Something the Palestinians...involved in a civil war...seem unable to do anyway.
In 1928 the citizens of what is now paliland or wanna be paliland were Syrian. The Ottoman Turks would not allow these people to transit or return to greater Syria in fact causing the first Nakba as coined by the arabs of the day. This would mean that the citizens and occupiers of the area that now call themselves palestinians are in fact of Syrian descent. What pray tell is Syria going to do about them.
The Palestinians are never going to get Jerusalem back just like we will never give Washington D.C. back to the natives who lived there before we made it our capitol. Israel has made it's mind up where the capitol is going to be so trying to make it part of the peace deal is just stupidity.
Who says this land will go to Israel eventually?
So what? It's not as though anyone really believes Israel will keep any of its commitments.
These right-wingers have raised deception to the level of a fine art. They just don't know how to tell the truth.