Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Abbas asks Palestinians to drop arms
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said his people should drop their weapons in the struggle for a state, marking out a clear change of strategy for peace with Israel after Yasir Arafat's death last month.
Abbas, near certain to win a 9 January election to succeed Arafat, made the comments in an interview published on Tuesday, two days after resistance fighters showed their muscle with the deadliest attack on Israeli troops since May.
The US-favoured veteran leader had previously shown his opposition to armed attacks in a 4-year-old uprising, but not in such strong terms since Arafat's death on 11 November.
"The uprising should be kept away from arms because it is a legitimate right of the people to express their rejection of the occupation by popular and social means," Abbas told the pan Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
"The use of arms has been damaging and should end," said Abbas, who took over as head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation after Arafat's death.
Reprisal
Israel ordered more efforts to target resistance fighters after an attack that killed five Israeli troops on Sunday.
Touring the ruins of the army post blown up on the Gaza-Egypt border, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said Israel would keep fighting until the Palestinian Authority began to act against the armed groups.
"We will continue this fight against terror until someone else fights the terror," he told reporters.
Troops blew up seven homes in the southern Gaza refugee camp of Khan Younis after telling residents to leave, Palestinian witnesses said. The army said it destroyed buildings used as cover for firing rockets and mortars at Jewish settlements.
Israeli tanks later rolled up to Gaza City's Shijaia neighbourhood, a stronghold of resistance groups. Gunfire erupted between soldiers and fighters who rushed to the scene.
Strong message
The latest resistance attacks have also sent a strong message to Abbas and other new Palestinian leaders.
The idea of giving up weapons was dismissed by a spokesman for Hamas Islamic militants, who joined with a group from Abbas's own dominant Fatah faction to launch Sunday's attack.
"I believe the consensus of the Palestinian people contradicts these statements," said Sami Abu Zuhri. "The strategies of the Palestinian people should be discussed through a serious and comprehensive dialogue."
Hamas has called for a boycott of the presidential election and a low turnout could damage the credibility of Abbas if it comes to disarming resistance groups.
Israel has promised to help ensure that the vote goes smoothly, but that there could be no talks with Palestinian leaders unless they managed to rein in armed factions in a way that Arafat failed to.
Regardless of any negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to abandon the Gaza Strip and four of 120 settlements in the West Bank next year under an initiative to "disengage" from the conflict.
Palestinians fear Sharon's real aim is to strengthen Israel's hold on the West Bank in exchange for giving up impoverished Gaza, though Western countries support the plan as a possible step to peace.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BB3ECC6F-30DB-48AC-A13C-00CD6AB1B312.htm
The US-favoured veteran leader had previously shown his opposition to armed attacks in a 4-year-old uprising, but not in such strong terms since Arafat's death on 11 November.
"The uprising should be kept away from arms because it is a legitimate right of the people to express their rejection of the occupation by popular and social means," Abbas told the pan Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
"The use of arms has been damaging and should end," said Abbas, who took over as head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation after Arafat's death.
Reprisal
Israel ordered more efforts to target resistance fighters after an attack that killed five Israeli troops on Sunday.
Touring the ruins of the army post blown up on the Gaza-Egypt border, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said Israel would keep fighting until the Palestinian Authority began to act against the armed groups.
"We will continue this fight against terror until someone else fights the terror," he told reporters.
Troops blew up seven homes in the southern Gaza refugee camp of Khan Younis after telling residents to leave, Palestinian witnesses said. The army said it destroyed buildings used as cover for firing rockets and mortars at Jewish settlements.
Israeli tanks later rolled up to Gaza City's Shijaia neighbourhood, a stronghold of resistance groups. Gunfire erupted between soldiers and fighters who rushed to the scene.
Strong message
The latest resistance attacks have also sent a strong message to Abbas and other new Palestinian leaders.
The idea of giving up weapons was dismissed by a spokesman for Hamas Islamic militants, who joined with a group from Abbas's own dominant Fatah faction to launch Sunday's attack.
"I believe the consensus of the Palestinian people contradicts these statements," said Sami Abu Zuhri. "The strategies of the Palestinian people should be discussed through a serious and comprehensive dialogue."
Hamas has called for a boycott of the presidential election and a low turnout could damage the credibility of Abbas if it comes to disarming resistance groups.
Israel has promised to help ensure that the vote goes smoothly, but that there could be no talks with Palestinian leaders unless they managed to rein in armed factions in a way that Arafat failed to.
Regardless of any negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to abandon the Gaza Strip and four of 120 settlements in the West Bank next year under an initiative to "disengage" from the conflict.
Palestinians fear Sharon's real aim is to strengthen Israel's hold on the West Bank in exchange for giving up impoverished Gaza, though Western countries support the plan as a possible step to peace.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BB3ECC6F-30DB-48AC-A13C-00CD6AB1B312.htm
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$230.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network
Abbas' position was long known, and one that was repeated. But this is the first time he has said so publicly after the death of Yasser Arafat.
Abbas' stand against what he calls the "military intifada" caused him much damage in the past, as Palestinian public opinion largely supported attacks against Israel and condemned Abbas. Lately, however, there appears to be a change in public opinion in both the West Bank and Gaza, and Abbas can now make such a statement without causing an uproar or provoking public opposition.
His confidence in his victory is the result of several elements, including Marwan Barghouti's dropping out of the race, which resulted in complete unity in Fatah behind Abbas. Yesterday, Abdul Satar Qassam, an Al-Najah University lecturer, also dropped out of the race, so now there are only seven candidates, and only one of them, Mustafa Barghouti, has a chance to win a few votes from the left.
Dr. Barghouti visited Damascus early this week and met with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara. The visit came on the heels of Abbas' successful trips with the PA leadership in Syria and Lebanon. Their visits led to important achievements in the realm of closer ties between the PA and the Syrian regime, which has long boycotted the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Abbas also feels good about his ability to reach an agreement with Hamas. It would involve establishing a mechanism for cooperation between Hamas, the PLO and the PA. According to various proposals under consideration, Hamas would take part in the PA's political decision making process, including decisions regarding a cease-fire, and in exchange, armed Hamas activists would be co-opted into newly reconstituted Palestinian security.
In addition, Hamas plans to take part in the local authorities elections to take place in a few months and possibly may participate in the May 2005 elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council, the PA parliament.
Abbas holds some good bargaining chips with Hamas because of the ties he made with the Syrian regime. Khaled Meshal, the head of the Hamas politburo, who lives in Damascus, may have said yesterday that his organization rejects calls for a cease-fire with Israel, but he then added that it is possible all the factions would agree to a cease-fire along with most of the Palestinian public. It is obvious to Abbas and his colleagues that Hamas must now adapt its position to that of the Syrian regime, in part because no other Arab state would provide cover for Hamas were it ejected from Syria.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/514454.html
The rest of the Palestinians are too stupid to figure out that rejecting past peace offers, calling all jews "sons of monkeys and pigs," calling for israel's destruction and waging nonstop war against israel does not actually help palestinians in any way.
I hope that abbas succeeds, and that peace for both sides comes. But my fear is, what happens if peace comes, and palis get land, and then extremists take over the palestinians and moderates like abbas get killed or voted out?
What does peace mean to the most moderate Palestinians living in the disputed territories? And is Abbas indeed looking for peace or is he merely striving for peaceful co-existence? If he has real peace (one warmer than "cold") as one of his ultimate objectives, perhaps he will renounce his Holocaust denying history as he tries to pave the way toward such peace?
>>>"The rest of the Palestinians are too stupid to figure out that rejecting past peace offers, calling all jews "sons of monkeys and pigs," calling for israel's destruction and waging nonstop war against israel does not actually help palestinians in any way."<<<
Not if you count people like Walid Shoebat.
>>>"I hope that abbas succeeds, and that peace for both sides comes. But my fear is, what happens if peace comes, and palis get land, and then extremists take over the palestinians and moderates like abbas get killed or voted out? "<<<
If the peace will be an international accord as the Oslo Accords, then hopefully the US and some members of the EU will hold the PA accountable and at least impose diplomatic and economic sanctions rather than blame Israel. But I'm not willing to place any money on it.