Fatah to Haaretz: No settlement freeze, no talks
Abbas, U.S. envoy Mitchell to discuss the prospect of renewing talks between the PA and Israel.
By Avi Issacharoff Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu Mahmoud Abbas Israel news FatahPalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) will meet Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell.
The two will discuss the prospect of renewing talks between the PA and Israel and the possibility of Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Netanyahu was supposed to have met Mitchell Monday, but postponed the meeting to today to take part in the funeral of Capt. Asaf Ramon, son of Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon.
Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the Fatah Executive Committee, told Haaretz that the Palestinian demand for a complete building freeze in settlements remains.
Without such a freeze, he said, there is no possibility for a political process. "Why should we start a process we know won't be of any use?," he asked.
However, Abed Rabbo also noted the PA has yet to hear a detailed American proposal, and that Abbas was undecided about meeting Netanyahu.
"The decision will be made after Abu Mazen meets with Mitchell and hears what he has to say," Abed Rabbo said.
He told reporters that if a meeting does take place, its primary objective will be determining Netanyahu's stands on political issues.
Abbas confirmed he would attend the General Assembly regardless of the prospects of such a meeting.
Abbas put into a difficult conundrum
Observers say that Abbas is placed in a difficult conundrum.
If he meets Netanyahu, Hamas and opposition voices within Fatah could accuse him of yielding to Israeli dictates.
Hamas attacked Abbas earlier this week, saying that while Netanyahu managed to talk the American administration out of a settlement freeze, Abbas was expressing excessive willingness to negotiate.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denied yesterday that a meeting with Netanyahu would signal a beginning of negotiations, but there is little doubt this is how it will be perceived by the wider public.
Such an outcome would damage Abbas' standing, as it would present him as a weak leader, and will imply he is contradicting the decisions of the Sixth Fatah General Assembly, which ruled not to open negotiations until all building in settlements stops.
However, since the American administration clearly signaled its interest in a trilateral summit, Abbas risks being presented as a refusing a peace offer, while allowing Israel to claim it has no partner for a peace process.
For all these reasons, Abbas and the Palestinian leadership are keenly expecting an American offer that would allow them to present a Palestinian achievement to counterbalance Israel's construction in the territories.
This would allow Abbas to leave for Washington without sacrificing too much in the way of needed political capital.
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he knows that all talks are futile because they are never going to agree on anything ! but if it goes on and on he will have collected enough airmiles in that time to fly to neptune 100 times !
Yishai Kohen time for you to look in the mirror and see why the violence... It is Arab land as well my dear Once you face reality maybe peace will be achieve
please Netanyahu keep refusing I thing 1 state solution will be just fine.. How many jew? how many arab? bye bye:)
Anyway, the fatah is not anymore representative, negociations have to be made also with Hamas, no choice on this one.
"No settlement freeze, no talks" No worthless talks with those murdering savages. We continue to flourish in all parts of our Land.
Perhaps it is time that Israel not just negotiate with the P.A and Fatah. How about negotiations with the Arab League? This could lead to normalization between Arab countries and Israel.
they don't have any teeth. Hope they will enjoy their silence as Israel builds and grows despite the terror that the Pals inflicted. Thanks to the terrorists, Israel grows stronger and larger. While the terrorists are caged, disconnected, and disenfranchised. Sounds good to me.
You want Jewish people to leave in peace and safety without allowing your neighbors to get what is Legally theirs? Does State of Israel exist? Where are its borders? If you reject the borders, you do reject the state itself. If you want to live with the rest of the world, respect the International Law. Otherwise, don't use the expression of Anti-semitism as you are calling for it by rejecting the basics of the modern world, the Law.
Good. Till Gilad Shalit is home safe and sound, there shouldn't be any talks with the Palestinians.
What if that meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA goes ahead, but it's strictly between Obama and Abbas? You know, with Netanyahu left cooling his heels outside; uninvited, unwanted and unlamented. It would send the right message i.e. that smirking and saying "No! No! No!" is no more effective a diplomatic strategy now than it was in Khartoum in 1967.
....a little bit of responsibility for that. However, should Abbas not remain firm on creating a Palestinian state by the year 2011 (if necessary also "unilaterally"), the Palestinian people will most probably give him the boot.... ....that 2011 deadline will most probably be his very last chance.
The demand for a total Israeli freeze while they continue to build is the way they hope to create their state without having to make peace.
In one talkback after another, there is a haughty Israeli or more saying that God supports anything done in the name of the Israelis and all Palestinians are evil terrorists so there is no injustice in hurting and disposessing every last one of them. If this is the nature of your religion, you deserve NO international sympathy. Take a good look at yourself and your leaders - you endlessly play the "delay peace" game in order to take a little more, a little more, a little more from the Palestinians. They ARE people, and deserve to be treated as such. 1948 gave 55% of the land to Israel, but you held out for more. Now you hold 78% of the land for Israel, but still you want more. As such accomplished victims, can you feel NOTHING for the people you victimize?
Settlements are not the reason for the conflict in the Middle East. So why should they be the solution?
I haven't witnessed anything remotely resembling peace in Israel since 1949. Arguing about building or not building settlements in the West Bank masks the real problem: Religious extremists amongs both the Palestinians and Jews will never provide a recipe for peace. I'm neither a Jew nor a Palestinian, but I can't think of a much worse environment to live in. Nothing personal, but I think you're all nuts.
let's face it, if abu mazen wasn't a weak leader, he wouldn't be enforcing the occupation with his own men, palestinian men. he would stand in solidarity with his gazan countrymen instead of taking orders from israel and the US when planning the coup against their elected government and other military actions designed to divide the palestinian people and distract their leaders from achieving statehood. israel needs a weak leader like him, it's the only way they're going to get close to the deal they'd be happy with in the long term. but even then he's never going to come back to his people without east jerusalem - israel needs someone weaker still to achieve that goal.
While I personally agree Israel should permanently stop settlement activity, and in fact, reverse it, the idea of making preconditions to negotiations is a two way street. How about Abbas announcing a freeze on anti semitic education, how about distancing himself from the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, how about denouncing Holocaust denial, how about acknowledging the Jewish roots in the Holyland which precede Islam by 5,000 years, how about denouncing suicide bombing and perverted interpretations of Islam, how about recognizing the legitimacy of Israel as a state after 60 years of denial? The purpose of peace talks is to resolve differences and comprimise and not make preconditions.. It's a two way street.
Yasser Abed Rabbo was never a member of Fatah. Please check your facts, Avi. He's also not a member of Fatah Exeuctive Committee. He's from the FIDA party. (Thanks Ibn Rushd)
We will keep building here in OUR land. It isn't their land. If they choose violence, then they will suffer- far more than they have in the past when they chose violence. That's all there is to say.
In other words, the meeting would present the truth, something the Arabs and Americans seem to be afraid of. He is a weak leader, and no amount of finesse can change the fact that dealing with him is likely a waste of time.