Abbas and Fayyad slam Israeli peace campaign for using their pictures without permission
PA Prime Minister says latest campaign by Geneva Initiative, which promotes a model agreement as a basis for peace between Israel and Palestinians, is 'too Israeli'.
By Avi IssacharoffIn its latest campaign under the slogan "I am your partner. Are you my partner?" the Geneva Initiative, which promotes a model agreement as the basis for peace between Israel and the Palestians, has featured a number of senior Palestinians - but it turns out that the two most senior officials, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, did not give their permission for the use of their likenesses.
Furthermore, in the past several days, through an intermediary, Fayyad has asked that his picture be removed from the Geneva Initiative's campaign. Abbas, who has been in Washington and North Africa over the past week, has not asked that the campaign stop using his likeness and has not withdrawn his participation in the campaign, but Fayyad, who was in the West Bank at the time, has sought to have his picture removed.
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Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad speaking to the media in Ramallah, August 30, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
Palestinian sources said Fayyad views the campaign as "too Israeli" and tilted in favor of Israel, but they made it clear that it wasn't a case of Fayyad not wanting to be a peace partner, but rather that in his view the campaign presented the Palestinians as responsible for the fact that there was no peace, something Fayyad said was not the case. The Palestinian prime minister's view, according to the sources, was that the absence of peace is the Israeli government's doing. Fayyad also reportedly noted that it wasn't clear to him why the campaign did not also feature Israeli figures addressing the Palestinian public.
Activists for the Geneva Initiative refused to comment on the issue other than saying that the campaign spoke for itself. In addition to an office in Tel Aviv, the Geneva Initiative has a Ramallah office that was apparently supposed to secure the consent of the Palestinian leaders to use their likenesses in the campaign.
The Geneva Initiative campaign is patterned on the Facebook social networking approach, but unlike Facebook in which individuals ask others to be their "friends," the campaign presents prominent Palestinians in a "partner request" as wanting to be "partners" in the peace process.
Among those featured in video clips in support of the campaign are the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, Saeb Erekat; Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee who is taking the lead on the Palestinian side for the Geneva Initiative; senior Fatah official Sufian Abu Zaida and Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki. On its Facebook page, the Geneva Initiative included the pictures of Abbas and Fayyad.
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arabs ? peace ? yeah right
Once on the internet or through media it is for any and everyone's use as long as no alterations done.
If Palestinians in Judea and Samaria will make peace with Israel, this will be a great blow to radical world Islam, which uses the Palestinian case in order to keep the spirit of its followers. This is not just a little arrangements between two neighbors we are dealing with. A peace, even only with Abbas, would mean a change of course for Islam fundamentalism. Hence, the skepticism. Abbas and its WB followers are probably not having enough weight to induce this change.
israel was always jewish land we have lived there for thusands of year arabs have setled there less than 200 years and threr is also alot of proof like the westen wall and solomons temple tomb of king david
He should have told his fellow Lefties behind the "initiative" never ever to be presumptious about master's intentions and goodwill towards his slaves. Why him ? Well,.there was a Norwegian sailor in about 1640 , snatched by pirates in the Meditereanean,kept as a slave by the Bey of Algers,before being bought free ,coming to Norway and describing his ordeals. He didn't share fate of his fellow travellers (being worked to death or ending up as an eunuch in a harem) He become a confidant of the Bey and even cut throats of the masons building hiding place for the Bey's treasures. Despite being so high in ranks of the Bey's entourage he had never allowed himself to relax and take for given the Bey's benevolence to him and that's why he survived the whole 15 years ,when many even higher up than him perished. He has of course also learned arabic and turkish. So Beilin&Co should take language lessons ,be more modest and less independent from their masters ,and ,who knows ,after 15 years they'd be free to go-if somebody pays for them. First of all they should hire Pierre from Oslo to translate the sailors memoirs for them. I could also do it ,but don't want to .
Mind = blown
The biggest mistake the Israeli left make is that they think their Palestinian friends and partners are cold atheists like them. They assume that their counterparts are able to make technocratic decisions, devoid of emotion and connection to their past. They cannot comprehend that their friends believe in G-d, that religion is important to them. They will choose anyone as long as it is not their own brothers who think differently to them. The game the Palestinians are playing means little to the arrogant Left, until it explodes in their faces, and even then they conjure up stories to explain why they are still right.
because we thought Abbas, Fayyad, and Dahlan looked and sounded Israeli. That's why we had hope that things would work out. That Che Guevara thing that Arafat had going on with the flower and the rifle didn't cut it with us. Business and Tourism. That's where the future is at.
Israel has to stop building, and the pals have to be flexible on Jerusalem: in all of history it was never Palestinian(so giving it back is the wrong term), and since Pals like the Jordanians will not accept israelis on their soil (and even if they did now, who can say in a few years) then there is no way to hand over the jewish parts of jerusalem.... they can have neturei karta though...
So the Israelis are using hamas' biggest PR vehicle, false advertising. So what???
Why can't these Palestinians agree to peace? Peace is all about compromise. Palestinians demand for this and that does not help peace and will not help peace. I am so ashamed of supporting these Palestinians because they often behave irrationally. Look for a common ground and have a state with Ramallah as the Palestinian capital.
For example, if Israel would stop insisting on such silly notions such as ownership of Jerusalem, or dictating what military forces the future Palestinian state is allowed to have, the Palestinians would be much more likely to agree. Look for a common ground and have a state with Tel Aviv as the Israeli capital.
We can only go by track record. Doing so, the Palestinians cannot have a military force. The track record precludes this. In truth, the Palestinians will never agree, even if 100% was offered, since a large segment will NEVER agree to end hostilities. As for Jerusalem, it is everything to a Jew. Until this importance manifested itself, it was nothing to the Arabs. Only when the Arabs see something the Jew finds significanf, that they counter it, cynically. Ownership of Jerusalem may be a silly notion to the Arabs, it is second to breathing to a Jew. The litmus test was the period of '48-'67 and the spirit of religious coexistence the Arabs demonstrated. Israel will never return to that time (as well as Christians).
They have to give up ALL their arms BEFORE they got they demands met. Hamas special then?
the arabs want israel from the jordan river to the sea. of course german owned anti israel haaretz won't say that and will only post non israelis and thier anti israel views.... ask why you never see and israeli on this site? is it because we consider haaretz a joke? probably. is it because haaretz will not print our views? YES! anti israel and german owned haaretz is NOT an israeli paper and her views are not israel. go out of business haaretz we in israel hope that will happen soon.
It is as simple as that
The ad campaign of the Geneva Initiative depicting Arab leaders as desiring peace with Israel is just another in a long string of silly initiatives by ultra liberal Israelis and Jews to delude themselves into believing there is a partner for peace on the Arab side of the divide. At least the Arabs have the decency to demand that their pictures and seeming endorsement of these fictitious advertisements be removed. All these programs, like the Abraham Fund, Geneva initiative, Divan Orchestra and myriad supposedly Jewish-Arab cooperation groups are funded entirely by secular-leftist Jews who have too much money and too little brains. There is zero reciprocity. None of this wishful thinking and wishful spending alters the fundamental reality that the Arab foe is implacable and will never recognize a Jewish state or Jewish sovereignty of any kind anywhere. Secular liberal Jews suffer from a unique illness in their desperate and delusional desire to be loved by those who never have and never will love us. And to this irrational end they will sell themselves and their compatriots down the proverbial river. And, yes, they never learn.
Surely, there is a fierce fighting for the master's favor among the PA individuals. This is the time for collecting heft bonuses and filling limitless pockets. For the PA principals, it is not about Palestine or peace or even Jewish supreme intersets but it is bazare mentality. The unfamous SLA, a creation that served Israel, was more endoctrined that the PA brand. Until they cease to be useful for Israel, and then as usual left to their ignomoniuos fate, Abbas/Fayyad and their groups would cut each other throat for every penny allocated by dionors to the Palestinian people. As far as idiology or policy, these 'bon a rien' individuals are quite embarassing. Any agreements that might emerge signed by them is worthless and there is no dispute about that at all. Israeli leadership know that very well, but they are just buying time using their stincky 'partners'.
It is amazing, but to the surprise of many Israelis, the Arabs have on many occassions tried - if anything - to destroy Israel, by various means, and after being defeated, they are demanding from Israel, as though Israel had been defeated - who ever heard of such a thing - like Germany imposing to the Allies etc. Get real !.
LOL why angry? it's ust facebook dude
Maybe you can't understand why, but to solve that you can re read the article. He feels as though that the reason there isn't peace is solely because the Palestinians did not want peace, as if peace was always on the table. That's not the case. And dropping the " Dude " line.... Come on Abdalla
Just go through the Geneva Initiative (by Beilin-Abed Rabbo) and recognize the simplicity of the matter. 1. On refugees, symbolic numbers return to Israel, the rest are settled worldwide or compensated. 2. On borders, 1:1 exchange for pre-1967 borders. 3. On East Jerusalem, Jewish neighborhoods to Israel and Arab ones to Palestine. Special regime in the old city.
as israel never produces any maps, for those of us not all clear on east jerusalem; Which parts are to be palestinian/israeli? Are those where palestinian homes demolished and resettled with israelis to be considered jewish or arab?
Keep Dreamin',,, At least you didn't write a 500 word post this time.
East Jerusalem is where, when the invaders from Trans Jordan came, they ethnically cleansed the area of Jews and replaced them with Arabs. Synagogues were also burned and destroyed. The homes occupied by Arabs were once Jewish homes. I hope this helps you out Bill. (Read some history, not the "liberal" press)
Yes, there was ethnic cleaning of Jews from Jerusalem. As there was ethnic cleaning of Arabs from Israel. And many synagogues in the Old City were destroyed. But the notion that "The homes occupied by Arabs were once Jewish homes" (i.e. all of them) is ZIonist propaganda put out ot justify land theft. Read Manashe Harrel for a Zionist but still reasonably honest account.
when Jordan ILLEGALLY occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. I don't understand why the Israeli's allow the Arabs to perpetuate the idea of 67 borders when Jordan was illegal
Just go through the Geneva Initiative (by Beilin-Abed Rabbo) and recognize the simplicity of the matter. 1. On refugees, symbolic numbers return to Israel, the rest are settled worldwide or compensated. 2. On borders, 1:1 exchange for pre-1967 borders. 3. On East Jerusalem, Jewish neighborhoods to Israel and Arab ones to Palestine. Special regime in the old city.
"...the others are settled Worldwide...". Oh yeah? Where? In the USA? Certainly not in Lebanon. Or otherwise we want into the "peace talks" too.
"...the others are settled Worldwide...". Oh yeah? Where? In the USA? Certainly not in Lebanon. Or otherwise we want into the "peace talks" too.
"...the others are settled Worldwide...". Oh yeah? Where? In the USA? Certainly not in Lebanon. Or otherwise we want into the "peace talks" too.
Why not some more? We welcome those who seek peace and to build a new life here through legal means. There are sizable expat Palestinian communities in the States. The issue of having all those refugees return to Israel is an attempt by the PA to destroy Israel with a civilian/demographic invasion. Israel has said that total repatriation is impossible and the international community has accepted the argument that such repatriation would not bring peace but would in fact constitute the beginning of a newer, more intense conflict.
Actually, I believe that if Israel accepts pre-1967 borders, Palestinians can just return in the new Palestine. No problem for Israel.
Despite the U.S.' historical record on absorbtion of immigrants, there will always be nativists (i.e. those whose ancesters came over more one generation ago) who will claim that the latest batch will never be "true" Americans and should be prohibited from immigrating. This was done to every single immigrant group although stand outs are Irish, Chinese and those from Eastern and Southern Europe. I guess this season's flavor of immigrants that will "never" be absorbed are those from Latin America and Muslims from wherever. The nativists just never learn.