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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Lebanon's Hariri Forms Unity Government with Hezbollah

Just last night we read about Iran and Turkey uniting, now this morning we see Lebanon forming a unity government with Hezbollah. Lets face it, this democracy with Muslims, is not working out as planned. It is time to change the plan and protect ourselves here at home. The first move is to demand an end to Muslim immigration.

Lebanon's Hariri forms unity government with Hezbollah


By Nadim Ladki
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri formed a new unity government on Monday that includes two ministers from Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

Lebanon has been without a functioning government since Hariri led his coalition, backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia, to victory in a June parliamentary election against Hezbollah and its allies.

A government acceptable to all main parties is seen as key to maintaining stability in a country facing sectarian and political tensions, as well as a huge debt burden.

"Finally, the government of national concord has been born," Hariri told reporters after agreeing the cabinet at a meeting with President Michel Suleiman at the presidential palace in Baabda on the outskirts of Beirut.

"We have turned a page that we don't want to go back to and opened a new page that we strive to make a page of concord and work," he said.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner welcomed the formation of the Lebanese government and pledged the former colonial power's support for Hariri.

"The formation of a new government was necessary to resolve the conflict that Lebanon was facing, to assure the security and stability of the country...," Kouchner said.

He urged the new government to push through economic reforms demanded by donors and implement U.N. Resolution 1701 that ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also welcomed the formation of a new government and called on it "to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701."

"The secretary-general hopes that Lebanese political leaders will continue to work together in a spirit of unity, dialogue and cooperation," his spokeswoman said.

Hariri spent more than four months brokering a deal with the opposition. A warming of ties between the two sides' main backers Syria and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks helped ease the rift in Beirut and led eventually to a power-sharing agreement.

The new 30-minister cabinet includes 15 ministers from Hariri's coalition, 10 from the opposition including two Hezbollah ministers, and five, including the key interior and defense portfolios, were nominated by President Suleiman.

The president's ministers in theory hold the balance of power in cabinet, with the Hariri coalition unable to gain a simple majority and the minority unable to block key decisions as they do not hold a third plus one votes in government.

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