Palestinians Recommend Calling off Upcoming Vote

Just another sign that this whole democracy thing with Muslims, is not working out as planned. How about we change the plan and end their immigration into America?

Palestinians recommend calling off upcoming vote
By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Palestinian election officials on Thursday recommended calling off January's presidential vote, a step that could result in embattled President Mahmoud Abbas staying in office indefinitely.

Abbas had vowed not to run for re-election because of his frustration with stalled peace efforts, but few think he will resign outright if no election is held.

Hanna Nasser, chairman of the Palestinian election commission, blamed the rival Hamas militant group for holding up the vote. He said Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, had refused to cooperate with election workers, making it impossible to hold the Jan. 24 election.

"We planned to go to Gaza to figure out how we can conduct elections there," Nasser said. "In the meantime, we received an answer from Hamas that we are not welcome in Gaza. It is clear now that we cannot hold an election in Gaza."

Nasser did not propose a new date for the balloting, in effect recommending that the election be postponed indefinitely.

The Palestinians have been divided between two governments since Hamas violently seized control of Gaza in 2007 from Abbas' Fatah movement. Abbas' Western-backed government controls only the West Bank. The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state in both territories, located on opposite sides of Israel, with east Jerusalem as their capital.

Abbas set the election last month after the latest round of reconciliation efforts with Hamas failed. Hamas has repeatedly said it would not cooperate with the vote.In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said his group opposed the election because it was declared unilaterally by one side. "Without reconciliation, there will be no election."

Abbas must still approve the commission's recommendation. But if he does, he will likely remain in office indefinitely. Abbas was in neighboring Jordan on Thursday and did not immediately comment.

"President Abbas will make the appropriate decision after he returns," said his spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdeneh. "Hamas' decision to ban the election commission from working in Gaza proves that Hamas is not eager to reach national unity and reconciliation."

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Obama Mediated Israel-Palestine Talks go Nowhere

The great Obama has struck again and accomplished nothing, just as he did by caving into Russia on the US missile defense systems in Europe. Foreign policy is obviously not his strong suit.

Mideast summit unlikely to relaunch peace talks
By KARIN LAUB and AMY TEIBEL

NEW YORK – The Israeli and Palestinian leaders shook hands at the start of their first face-to-face meeting Tuesday, hosted by President Barack Obama, but the small gesture was unlikely to translate into a quick resumption of peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remain far apart on key issues, including Israeli settlement expansion and the agenda of future talks.

Obama said at the start of the trilateral talks that the sides have made some progress, but have much further to go. He told both leaders it's time to find a way to break the deadlock. "There is a powerful sense of urgency," he said.

Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, is to return to the Middle East for another round of mediation next week, and Israeli and Palestinian envoys are to come to Washington. Obama said he expects a progress report in mid-October.

The leaders went into the meeting with entrenched positions, and it was not clear whether the deadlock can be broken.

Abbas has said he won't renew negotiations without an Israeli settlement freeze, as sought by the U.S. and mandated by a U.S.-backed peace plan. Netanyahu insists there's no way he will halt construction in Israeli enclaves on land the Palestinians want for their state.

An Abbas aide, Yasser Abed Raddo, said that in the trilateral meeting Abbas restated his demand for a complete Israeli settlement freeze. Netanyahu, in turn, demanded that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, Abed Raddo said. Abbas responded by saying that both sides should keep their commitments. The Palestinians argue that under previous understandings they are not required to do that.

Beyond the dispute over settlements, the two leaders are deadlocked on a more fundamental issue — the agenda of future peace talks.

The Palestinians want negotiations to resume on the same terms as last year's round between Abbas and Netanyahu's more pragmatic predecessor, Ehud Olmert. In those talks, which ended in late 2008, Israel agreed to discuss all so-called core issues, including the partition of Jerusalem. Netanyahu, a hardliner who came to power in March, insists Jerusalem is not up for discussion.

The wide gaps between Abbas and Netanyahu became only more apparent in last week's mediation mission by Mitchell, who held six meetings over four days with the two leaders.

Even though Mitchell returned to Washington empty-handed, Obama summoned Abbas and Netanyahu for a trilateral meeting Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

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Palestinian President:"Obama Committed to Ejecting Jews"

We have seen the warning signs in the past when VP Biden tried to bully Israel, and the King of Jordan and Obama plotted together to try and con Israel. But today's message from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made it all very clear.

Hat tip to Matty.

Sunday, May 31, 2009 Israel Today Staff

‘Obama committed to ejecting Jews from Judea-Samaria,’ says Abbas
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday told reporters in Cairo that he is convinced that US President Barack Obama is firmly committed to finally ejecting the Jews from Judea and Samaria.

Abbas spoke to the press after briefing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on his visit to the White House late last week, during which Obama apparently agreed with his guest that existing Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria must not even be allowed to experience “natural growth.”

“When the American administration talks about Israel's duty to stop the settlements - including natural growth - it is a very important step,” noted Abbas.

Following their meeting last Thursday, Obama said that he also told Abbas to make a bit more of an effort to halt what he described as isolated and sporadic anti-Jewish incitement in Palestinian schools, mosques and media. Documentation by Israeli and international watchdog groups shows that the incitement is far from isolated or sporadic.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials cited by Ha’aretz decried the Obama Administration’s stiff demands that no more houses be built for Jews beyond the pre-1967 borders.

They noted that under former President George W. Bush, Israel reached understandings that the natural growth of existing towns would not subject to Israel’s commitments to halt settlement activity (commitments many Israelis see as null and void anyway since the Palestinians have failed to honor their reciprocal obligations).

But one official said those understandings are now “worth nothing,” and that the US is taking an unfair position by completely siding with Palestinian demands that go far beyond the original peace agreements.

Other officials attributed Obama’s hard line positions against Israel to his efforts to reconcile with the Arab and Muslim worlds, which will be the focus of a much anticipated speech he will give in Cairo this Thursday.

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