Israel/Palestine: The Meaning of 'Relative Calm,' LA Times Style

There is the old Southern American "Jim Crow" apartheid joke about the Black man who goes to vote:

The Jim Crow white voter poll official tells the Black man, "First, it's gonna cost yas a hunnert dollars!" The Black man reaches into his pocket and pays $100. "Huh...???," the white "Jim Crow" poll official says.

"Well..., okay... Now, yas gotta reecite the Magner Cartar!," the Jim Crow white said. ...The Black man does: "By the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou, ...," and he finishes. The Jim Crow white poll official exclaims, "I'll be *dammmned*...!!"

"Hmmm... But *now*," the Jim Crow white says, "yas gotta reecite tha pay-try-otic Declaraa-shen of Innterdeepenndence! We can't let anyone vote who don't know that!" The Black man starts...: "When in the course of human events........it is the right of the people to alter or *abolish*" "--Whoa!," the Jim Crow white man says, "Not *that* one!!"

"How 'bout tha Eeeman-ci-paa-shen Proclerashen?," the Jim Crow white said: "That what freeed you! Ya *gotta* know that!" The Black man starts..., "Four score and seven years ago...," and he finishes.

"Gee...okay....!!, the Jim Crow white said. "How 'bout the Consteetushen o' tha Uuuni-ted States?" The Black man continues, "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union...," and he finishes [at the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote], "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

"Okay, okay!!," the Jim Crow white poll official says! "But *FINALLY*..., you gotta read this here note in *Chi-neese* from tha state O-fficial vota reg'stration office!" The Black man reads: "This is one nigger that *AIN'T* going to vote!!"

And *that's* where a viable "Palestinian state" is now and for the indefinite future. Israel is just a Jim Crow state filled with a bunch of redneck Jim Crow Jews.


THERE WILL *NEVER* BE A VIABLE PALESTINIAN STATE AS LONG AS ISRAEL HAS **NO** REASON TO ALLOW ONE.

*THAT'S* WHY ISRAEL IS NOT EVEN THERE AT THE LONDOND CONFERENCE.

AS LONG AS THE U.S. CONTINUES TO UNEQUIVOCABLY SUPPORT ISRAEL

-- ISRAEL, LIKE A SPOILED TEENAGE, HOMICIDALLY RECKLESS BRAT WITH A VERY RICH UNCLE (SAM) WHO NEVER EVEN CUTS THE BRAT'S 15,139,178.00 DOLLARS PER **DAY** ALLOWANCE OR OTHERWISE DISCIPLINES IT

-- OR AS LONG AS NO OTHER *EXTERNAL* CIRCUMSTANCES AND FORCES CHANGE

--LIKE ISRAEL BECOMING A INT'L PARIAH STATE LIKE THEN APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA DID

--OR LIKE IF THE MIDEAST *REALLY* STARTS TO UNRAVEL, OR AL-QAEDA'S RECRUITMENT ATTRACTION FORCES DOUBLE, IN A WAY THAT *CANNOT* BE MILITARILY STAMPED OUT

--IN MAJOR PART FROM ANGER DUE TO U.S. *UNEQUIVOCAL* *UNCHECKED* SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AND ITS OPPRESSION OF OVER 3 MILLION ARABS (MUSLIM, CHRISTIAN, OTHER & SECULAR) INSIDE GREATER ISRAEL

--AND THE EXILE OF ABOUT 3 MILLION MORE OUTSIDE ISRAEL (AND IRONIC NUMBER OF ALMOST *6 MILLION*)

-- THERE WILL *NEVER* *NEVER* *NEVER* BE A VIABLE, INDEPENDENT, PALESTINIAN STATE -- *NEVER*.

ISRAEL WILL *NEVER* *NEVER* *NEVER* SERIOUSLY NEGOTIATE AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T HAVE TO.

THIS CONFERENCE -- LIKE ALL THE OTHER "PEACE" CONFERENCES -- IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR "*STALL*"!

THE U.S. AND ISRAEL JUST *WANT* TO TURN ABBAS INTO ANOTHER ARAFAT: "PALESTINIAN CHIEF IN CHARGE OF PALESTINIAN GARBAGE COLLECTION SERVICES & POLICING PALESTINIANS FOR ISRAEL".

WHEN ABBAS FAILS THE LATTER, HE WILL BECOME ANOTHER FAILED WOULD-BE U.S.-ISRAELI PUPPET COMPRADOR -- WITH NOT EVEN THE SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE OF ARAFAT.

THE WESTERN -- ESPECIALLY THE U.S. -- IMPERIALISTS PROBLEMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST STARTED WHEN THEY PUT A EUROWHITE-SUPREMACIST SETTLER-COLONIALIST STATE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ARAB WORLD

--AND THEY CONTINUE WHEN THE U.S. THINKS THAT IT CAN MILITARILY OCCUPY A COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MIDDLE EAST.

HOW MANY AMERICAN LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST FOR ISRAEL?

-- AND HOW MANY UNTOLD HUNDREDS OF *BILLIONS* -- BEYOND THE MORE DIRECT TOTAL OF APPROX $100 BILLION

-- HAVE BEEN SPENT MASS MOBILIZING U.S. MILITARY GROUND FORCES AND MOVING OUR AIR AND NAVAL FLEETS AROUND TO PROTECT THAT ZIONIST COLONIAL STATE?

HOW *MUCH* MORE SHOULD OUR GOVT FOREIGN POLICIES -- CIVIL LIBERTIES, ACADEMIC FREE SPEECH, AND MEDIA FREEDOMS -- SHOULD BE DEFORMED BECAUSE OF ISRAEL?

WHAT ABOUT THE "ISRAELIFICATION" OF OUR OWN GOVT, MEDIA, UNIVERSITIES, & -- ESPECIALLY THE GOVT-POLICY-GENERATED MASS PARANOIA -- OF OUR SOCIETY?

NOW, FOR THE U.S. IN IRAQ (IN MAJOR *PART* A WAR FOR ISRAEL) ... THE THRILL IS *GONNNE*!!

AND, IN ISRAHELL, "THE PROMISED LAND" ... THE BLOOM IS LONG OFF!

ISRAEL IS NO LONGER LOOKING LIKE "THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY" -- LET ALONE -- HUH!! -- "A LIGHT UNTO THE WORLD".

THE U.S. AND ISRAEL HAVE GOT EVERYTHING THAT'S COMING TO IT -- BAD.

THERE WILL *NEVER* BE A VIABLE PALESTINIAN STATE AS LONG AS...as long as the palestinians continue to be idiots...

THANK GOODNESS WE CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON *THAT*!

JUST ASK THE *ORIGINAL* NAZIS!!

THERE WILL *NEVER* BE A VIABLE PALESTINIAN STATE AS LONG AS...Palestinian supporters like JA continue to be arrogant idiots...

And what about attacks which have been prevented?

And what about the attacks on the Security Forces?

February 25, 2005: Five Israelis were killed and 50 other civilians were wounded in a suicide bombing outside a Tel Aviv nightclub. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.


January 13, 2005: Six Israelis were killed and five other civilians were wounded in a double suicide bombing at the Karni crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The two suicide bombers used a very large explosive device to blast through a defensive wall that separates the Israeli and Palestinian sides at the crossing. Following the blast, the bombers crossed into the Israeli side, carrying explosives on their bodies, which they detonated.


January 4, 2005: Two adults were lightly injured when a mortar shell, fired from Gaza Strip, hit a school bus near Nissanit. None of the children were wounded.


December 15, 2004: Five motorists, an officer, three soldiers and a civilian were wounded from gunshots fired by a terrorist at Israeli vehicles on the Kissufim road in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Fatah claimed joint responsibility for the attack.


November 1, 2004: Three people were killed when a suicide bomber exploded in Tel Aviv’s busy Carmel market. At least 32 were wounded. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility.

http://www.adl.org/Israel/israel_attacks.asp

NON-CRITICAL THINKIFIER: "THERE WILL *NEVER* BE A VIABLE PALESTINIAN STATE AS LONG AS...Palestinian supporters like JA continue to be arrogant idiots..."


I ACTUALLY *LIKE* ARIEL SHARON AS AN OPENLY MILITANT JEW! -- IT'S GOOD FOR THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE!! -- IT WILL ACTUALLY *HASTEN* ZIONISM'S *FALL* THAT MUCH SOONER!

I BET BY 2020 THERE WON'T BE NO MORE ZIONIST ISRAEL!! -- THE END OF 'THE FOURTH REICH' !!

( SORT OF LIKE BUSH -- THROUGH HIS HEADLONG MILITARISM AND FOREIGN POLICY EXCESSES -- ULTIMATELY ENDING AMERICAN IMPERIALISM THAT MUCH SOONER!!

JFK GOT *CHEERED* IN BERLIN!! -- BUSH GOT **BOOOED**!!

-- AND WE'VE PASSED THE *1,500* AMERICAN IMPERIALIST TROOPS **DEAD** MARK IN IRAQ!!! -- NOT EVEN INCLUDING AMERICAN CORPORATE MERCENARIES! )

AND ISRAEL WILL INCREASINGLY AND UNAVOIDABLY BACK ITSELF INTO A SECULAR TRULY *DEMOCRACTIC* **ONE** STATE SOLUTION!! -- AND A *REUNIFIED* PALESTINE -- WITH MILLIONS OF PALESTINIANS -- AND EVENTUALLY MORE THAN JEWS!!

*PERFECT* AND POETIC JUSTICE!!

HA-HA-HA!!

:-)


( THE CHRISTIAN ANTI-JEWISH ANTI-SEMITISM WAS THE FEAR OF "TOO MANY JEWS"!

THE *JEWISH* ANTI-*PALESTINIAN* ANTI-SEMITISM IS THE FEAR OF "TOO MANY PALESTINIANS"!!

--IMAGINE THAT!: IN A DEMOGRAPHICALLY ARAB LAND!! )


OHHH, 'DEM ZIONIST DAWWGS JES' CRRRACK ME UP!!

HA-HA-HA!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Working with Mahmoud Abbas:
Changes to Israeli policy "on the ground"
Published: 24 February 2005
Briefing Number 134




Summary: Since the election of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian leader on 9 January 2005, Israel has taken several steps to meet Palestinian requirements. These measures are intended to boost Abbas’s authority among the Palestinian people, and this Briefing describes eight of them. These changes in Israeli policy demonstrate its willingness to take risks to build a better future, and to do what it can to create conditions for future diplomacy. The moves dispel the myth that Israel does not wish to strengthen moderate forces in Palestinian society. But many terrorist attacks are still being attempted by Palestinians.


Background – the Palestinian election of January 2005

Yasser Arafat died in November 2004. On 9 January 2005 Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian leader. There was a high turnout of Palestinian voters for the election. Israel eased restrictions on movement during the election to ensure that Palestinians could reach polling stations (despite the real risk that terrorists would exploit this easing of restrictions to attack civilian Israeli targets).

International observers acknowledged that the election was free and fair. US Democrat Senator Joseph Biden, who was present, said that the elections “could be in the USA…. they are very well-organised…” (Haaretz 9.1.05)

Mahmoud Abbas, in word and deed

In the run-up to his election, Mahmoud Abbas made statements which alarmed many Israelis. He reiterated his call for an unconditional right of return for Palestinian refugees. He used the expression “the Zionist enemy”. And he stated that he would not use force to restrain Palestinian violence against Israel.

Since the election, both his words and his deeds have moderated. Israel has responded positively. It has taken several steps to improve the life of Palestinians, which it characterises as “goodwill gestures” or “confidence-building measures”.

These steps are designed to strengthen the perception of Mahmoud Abbas as someone who can achieve improvements to the situation “on the ground” for his people, through his relationship with Israel. Here are eight measures which Israel has taken since the election of Abbas (sources: Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Israeli Government and IDF announcements)


Agreement that Palestinian security forces should assume responsibility for Northern Gaza area

In mid-January Israel agreed that Palestinian Authority security forces should take responsibility for the Northern Gaza Strip. Thousands of PA personnel moved into Northern Gaza, primarily to thwart continued Qassam rocket attacks against the Israeli town of Sderot, and other targets. For the previous two years, Israeli forces had entered this area periodically, in order to intercept Qassam squads (see Briefing 130 - Qassam Rockets Attacks Against Israel).


Israel’s preparations to withdraw from Palestinian towns

Israel’s Defence Minister has repeatedly stated during January and February that Israel wishes to withdraw from major Palestinian town, in phases, during 2005, and transfer security responsibility to Palestinian forces. The towns include Tulkarm, Qalkilya, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jericho, and at a later stage Nablus, Jenin and most of Hebron. This will end the Israeli military presence in these towns, which Israel reoccupied in 2002 (see Briefing 15 – Israel’s Reluctant Reoccupation of Palestinian Towns). The pace of the withdrawals depends on the extent to which terrorist-related activity in each town is curbed.


Israeli declaration of an end to military activity against Palestinians

At the Sharm el-Sheikh summit between Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas on 8 February 2005, Sharon declared an end to all Israeli military activity against the Palestinians. Abbas undertook to end all Palestinian attacks against Israel (though Hamas and Islamic Jihad refused to be bound by that commitment). Israeli officials stated that Israel would continue the “ceasefire” provided the Palestinians took measures to end terrorism, and they stated that Israel would only continue to take steps against Palestinian so-called “ticking bombs” – ie bombers en route to carrying out an attack.


Release of 500 Palestinian prisoners

On 21 February 2005 Israel released 500 Palestinian prisoners and so-called “administrative detainees” from Israeli jails, who were returned to their homes mainly in the West Bank. A joint committee was set up between Israeli and Palestinian officials to consider further prisoner releases. While Israel refused to release Palestinians who were imprisoned for killing Israelis, Palestinians demanded a release of all prisoners, whatever the reason for their detention.
Families of terror victims in Israel were angered and distressed by the release of prisoners.


End to targeted killings by Israel

For several years Israel has invoked the right of self-defence and targeted Palestinian leaders who organise or initiate acts of terror against Israeli civilians. On 28 January the Israeli Chief of Staff ordered an end to targeted attacks, unless there is an immediate threat by “active terrorist cells”. Israel agreed to set up a joint committee with Palestinian security officials to deal with the future of wanted Palestinian militants, as and when a ceasefire takes hold.

Relaxation of restrictions and queuing time at West Bank checkpoints

On 17 February the Israeli Defence Minister ordered Israeli soldiers to “facilitate a smoother passage” of Palestinians at West Bank military checkpoints. And he instructed them to reduce the waiting time in queues.
Reopening of industrial zone crossing points out of Gaza

Israel has reopened crossing points into industrial zones bordering Gaza, including the Erez and Rafah terminals. These had repeatedly been shut by Israel in the last year due to Palestinian attacks on them (see Briefing 126 – Sabotaging Recovery: attacks on Palestinian industrial zones and crossing points). Israel has also increased the number of work permits granted to Palestinian labourers to enable them to work inside Israel.


Return of Palestinians expelled from Bethlehem in 2002 for forcing their involvement in the siege of the Church of the Nativity

On 17 February Israel authorised the return to Bethlehem of 20 Palestinians who had been expelled to the Gaza Strip and to Europe for taking part in the siege at the Church of the Nativity in April-May 2002. Over 100 Palestinian gunmen had holed up in the Church for five weeks, surrounded by Israeli forces. (The siege ended peacefully). Not included in this decision were the ring-leaders of the siege, who remain exiled in Europe.


Israeli concerns

Inside Israel there are at least three criticisms of these Israeli policies “on the ground”:-

Palestinian terrorism still continues: Virtually every day brings reports of Palestinian gunmen or bombers who are foiled while on the way to carry out attacks on Israeli targets. Weapons are still being smuggled in to the territories, and there are frequent shootings and stonings. It is argued that Israel is relaxing its security arrangements, while the so-called Palestinian “ceasefire” is an illusion


Playing into the hands of the terrorists?: The second concern is that Israel’s measures may not have the desired effect. They are intended to strengthen Abbas as he creates a pragmatic way forward. But it is argued that they embolden the terrorists by making it easier for them to operate, and more likely they will escape with relative impunity.


The Oslo mistakes are being repeated: the third concern is that the mistakes of the Oslo process are being repeated. Most Israelis consider that its concessions in the context of Oslo were exploited by the Palestinians rather than being reciprocated by them. It is argued that Israel should await substantial reciprocal steps before changing its security policies now.

Conclusion

Israel’s policy changes dispel the myth that Israel does not wish to strengthen moderate forces in Palestinian society. The question now is how effective Mahmoud Abbas will be in curbing terrorism “on the ground”, not as a short-term move, but as a long-term change in the direction of the Palestinian people.



http://beyondimages.info/b134.html

>>>"I ACTUALLY *LIKE* ARIEL SHARON AS AN OPENLY MILITANT JEW! -- IT'S GOOD FOR THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE!! -- IT WILL ACTUALLY *HASTEN* ZIONISM'S *FALL* THAT MUCH SOONER!"<<<

Sharon has taken much of the edge out of his militancy. Let me remind you you're no prophet (not that sane folks her need such a reminder).

>>>"I BET BY 2020 THERE WON'T BE NO MORE ZIONIST ISRAEL!! -- THE END OF 'THE FOURTH REICH' !!"<<<

The Fourth Reich today is the overlooking-that-Blacks-have-gotten-massacred-in-SudanNOI.
Anyway, what are you willing to sacrifice if your bet is lost?

>>>"( SORT OF LIKE BUSH -- THROUGH HIS HEADLONG MILITARISM AND FOREIGN POLICY EXCESSES -- ULTIMATELY ENDING AMERICAN IMPERIALISM THAT MUCH SOONER!!"<<<

Bush seems, now more than ever, to be on the road to complete success in transforming Iraq into a democracy, though that wasn't his primary objective in invading that state.

>>>"JFK GOT *CHEERED* IN BERLIN!! -- BUSH GOT **BOOOED**!!"<<<

JFK didn't belong to that broad cadre of defeatists like even some not totally ultra-leftist Democrates nowadays do, like John Kerry, Al Gore, Moore and others. He would flip in his grave if he knew how so many of these people seek the UN's consent for military campaigns aimed at defending the US.

>>>"-- AND WE'VE PASSED THE *1,500* AMERICAN IMPERIALIST TROOPS **DEAD** MARK IN IRAQ!!! -- NOT EVEN INCLUDING AMERICAN CORPORATE MERCENARIES! )"<<<

Get back to me IF you cross the 10,000 mark.

>>>"AND ISRAEL WILL INCREASINGLY AND UNAVOIDABLY BACK ITSELF INTO A SECULAR TRULY *DEMOCRACTIC* **ONE** STATE SOLUTION!! -- AND A *REUNIFIED* PALESTINE -- WITH MILLIONS OF PALESTINIANS -- AND EVENTUALLY MORE THAN JEWS!!"<<<

There's never been a state of Palestiine, let alone unified at that. Actually there was in antiquity a unified state of Israel, before Muslim Arabs were even heard of anywhere.
Secondly, don't forget Palestinians now number some 3,700,000 in all rather than 4 million.

>>>"THE *JEWISH* ANTI-*PALESTINIAN* ANTI-SEMITISM IS THE FEAR OF "TOO MANY PALESTINIANS"!! blah blah"<<<

There's no antisemitism directed at non-Jews.

Bye-bye for now, non-compos mentis.

I didn't write the post by "JA=Fool".

NON-CRITICAL THINKIFIER (NOIR ANTAGONISTE): "The Fourth Reich -- [THAT'S ISRAEL] -- today is the overlooking-that-Blacks-have-gotten-massacred-in-SudanNOI."


==============================================================================

JA: >>>"-- AND WE'VE PASSED THE *1,500* AMERICAN IMPERIALIST TROOPS **DEAD** MARK IN IRAQ!!! -- NOT EVEN INCLUDING AMERICAN CORPORATE MERCENARIES! )"<<<

NON-CRITICAL THINKIFIER (NOIR ANTAGONISTE): "Get back to me IF you cross the 10,000 mark."

I *WON'T HAVE TO*!

NOT **HALF** THAT MANY AMERICANS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO **DIE** FOR THE WASHINGTON ZIONIST JEWISH NEOCONS' AND ISRAEL'S WAR.


(OHHH, 'DEM ZIONIST DAWWGS JES' CRRRACK ME UP!!)

NOIR JUIF ANTAGONISTE:
>>>""The Fourth Reich -- [THAT'S NOI] -- today is the overlooking-that-Blacks-have-gotten-massacred-in-Sudan NOI."<<<

Thanks for confirming.

>>>"AND WE'VE PASSED THE *1,500* AMERICAN IMPERIALIST TROOPS **DEAD** MARK IN IRAQ!!! -- NOT EVEN INCLUDING AMERICAN CORPORATE MERCENARIES! )"<<<

CT: Get back to me IF you cross the 10,000 mark.

>>>"I *WON'T HAVE TO*!

NOT **HALF** THAT MANY AMERICANS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO **DIE** FOR THE WASHINGTON ZIONIST JEWISH NEOCONS' AND ISRAEL'S WAR."<<<

Of course not. Bush may be gullible, but isn't as callous or unfortunate as both LBJ and Nizon were.

the IDF has thwarted dozens or more attempted bombings, and have an average of one major explosive cache per day since the election of the new hope, Mr. Abbas ymach shmo.

Notice too that she speaks only of suicide bombings; what about Israelis that have been murdered by missile attacks, shootings or stabbings?

Proof again that while figures do not lie, liars figure.

Meet the new Abbas y"sh, same as the old Boss y"sh.

arch-Zionist: "Notice too that she speaks only of suicide bombings; what about Israelis that have been murdered by missile attacks, shootings or stabbings?"


BOOO-HOOO...

BOOO-HOOO...

Of course, if Israelis are murdered you don't care. We already knew it.

(reprint of earlier post):


Personally, I *EXULT* everytime I see an Israeli Jew bit the dust. And the same goes for their American cousins! EVERY SINGLE JEW EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD is a just and appropriate target for anti-colonialist liberation! We need to start targeting *EVERY* synagogue, *EVERY* Jew community center, school and everywhere else that you racist devils preach and propogate your agenda.

BOUT TO MEET YO MAKER, JEWBOY? HA, HA HA!!!!!!!!!!

Forgery is bad. (Was that you, Critical Thinker?) Beating someone like JA is tough. But, you're making us Zionists look like we don't have any good arguments left. If you can't stand the heat, then go get a life.

@%<

Then you are also a forger.

Though that's what Noir Juif Antagoniste would love you to believe.

I won't deny I feel at toms tempted to forge him, but I wouldn't want to stoop to his level.

When I do take on this Jack Ass, I find him often an easy challenge.

Frankly, I would think you'd examine the possibilities that two other people (at least) could have forged J.A.

And I don't think the person above is Gehrig

You're right. It's a forgery. That wasn't me, since -- among other things -- I found that beating JA was so incredibly easy that I got bored by it.

@%<

I meant that somebody posted under your name.

Mar. 1, 2005 0:46 | Updated Mar. 4, 2005 9:53
J-m: London parley 'absolves' PA of fighting terror
By HERB KEINON AND DOUGLAS DAVIS



LONDON, England

The Prime Minister's Office was underwhelmed by the London Conference's concluding statement, saying it glossed over terror and didn't explicitly call on the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. It said Tuesday that if terror isn't dealt with, there will be no diplomatic progress.

"As long as the PA doesn't act immediately, thoroughly and effectively in sustained and targeted operations to dismantle the terror infrastructure, and as long as fundamental reforms are not implemented, there can be no progress according to the road map," it said in a statement.

One senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said that although Israel welcomed "international efforts at nation-building for the PA," and although Jerusalem believes that a democratic Palestinian state next to Israel will increase the chance for peace, the conference's concluding statement largely ignored terrorism and "almost absolved the PA of the need to dismantle the terror infrastructure."

In its only reference to terror, the statement said: "Participants condemned the bomb attack in Tel Aviv on 25 February, and expressed their determination that terrorism should be brought to an end, and not allowed to sabotage the peace process. They welcomed President [Mahmoud] Abbas's commitment to bring those responsible to justice."

This statement was considered far too tepid by Jerusalem. "If we want to establish a Palestinian state," the official said, "the road goes through fighting terror and dismantling the terrorist organizations."

He said that by omitting a clear call to dismantle the terrorist organizations from the concluding statement, the international community was sending the wrong message to Abbas – that it is somehow possible to move forward along the road map without first dismantling the terrorist organizations.

"It would have been good," he said, "if all the world leaders who spoke at the meeting would have repeated to the Palestinians that as long as they don't completely and comprehensively act to stop terror, dismantle the infrastructure and end incitement, they will not be able to realize their national aspirations."

He said that countries trying to dilute a categorical call to Abbas to tackle the terrorist organizations are not doing him a service, but are rather playing into the hands of the terrorist organizations that sooner or later will threaten his government.

"These organizations will sense that he is weak, and will use the time when he is not taking action against them to regroup to strike back another day," he said. "There will not be a democratic state that supports terror. If you want a democracy, you have to get rid of terrorism."

He said the London Conference had tried to satisfy everyone, but in the end "was not educational. Abbas must realize that those renegade groups do not threaten us, they threaten him. Their existence is an affront to the legitimacy of his government."

If the conference is not followed by PA efforts to eradicate terror on the ground, he said, "it will be just another meeting of empty declarations."

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, currently in Budapest, sounded a bit more positive, characterizing the meeting as "an additional important step" within the framework of implementing democratic and security reforms in the PA.

With that, he added, the determining test would be what actions were taken on the ground, not what declarations were pronounced or ceremonies attended. "I hope that the London meeting will turn out to be one of hope, and not one of lost opportunity," he said.


Mar. 1, 2005 0:46 | Updated Mar. 4, 2005 9:53
J-m: London parley 'absolves' PA of fighting terror
By HERB KEINON AND DOUGLAS DAVIS




Blair(right) and Abbas before meeting in London on Monday
Photo: AP

Advertisement




LONDON, England

The Prime Minister's Office was underwhelmed by the London Conference's concluding statement, saying it glossed over terror and didn't explicitly call on the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. It said Tuesday that if terror isn't dealt with, there will be no diplomatic progress.

"As long as the PA doesn't act immediately, thoroughly and effectively in sustained and targeted operations to dismantle the terror infrastructure, and as long as fundamental reforms are not implemented, there can be no progress according to the road map," it said in a statement.

One senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said that although Israel welcomed "international efforts at nation-building for the PA," and although Jerusalem believes that a democratic Palestinian state next to Israel will increase the chance for peace, the conference's concluding statement largely ignored terrorism and "almost absolved the PA of the need to dismantle the terror infrastructure."

In its only reference to terror, the statement said: "Participants condemned the bomb attack in Tel Aviv on 25 February, and expressed their determination that terrorism should be brought to an end, and not allowed to sabotage the peace process. They welcomed President [Mahmoud] Abbas's commitment to bring those responsible to justice."

This statement was considered far too tepid by Jerusalem. "If we want to establish a Palestinian state," the official said, "the road goes through fighting terror and dismantling the terrorist organizations."

He said that by omitting a clear call to dismantle the terrorist organizations from the concluding statement, the international community was sending the wrong message to Abbas – that it is somehow possible to move forward along the road map without first dismantling the terrorist organizations.

"It would have been good," he said, "if all the world leaders who spoke at the meeting would have repeated to the Palestinians that as long as they don't completely and comprehensively act to stop terror, dismantle the infrastructure and end incitement, they will not be able to realize their national aspirations."

He said that countries trying to dilute a categorical call to Abbas to tackle the terrorist organizations are not doing him a service, but are rather playing into the hands of the terrorist organizations that sooner or later will threaten his government.

"These organizations will sense that he is weak, and will use the time when he is not taking action against them to regroup to strike back another day," he said. "There will not be a democratic state that supports terror. If you want a democracy, you have to get rid of terrorism."

He said the London Conference had tried to satisfy everyone, but in the end "was not educational. Abbas must realize that those renegade groups do not threaten us, they threaten him. Their existence is an affront to the legitimacy of his government."

If the conference is not followed by PA efforts to eradicate terror on the ground, he said, "it will be just another meeting of empty declarations."

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, currently in Budapest, sounded a bit more positive, characterizing the meeting as "an additional important step" within the framework of implementing democratic and security reforms in the PA.

With that, he added, the determining test would be what actions were taken on the ground, not what declarations were pronounced or ceremonies attended. "I hope that the London meeting will turn out to be one of hope, and not one of lost opportunity," he said.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109561143451

Mar. 1, 2005 0:46 | Updated Mar. 4, 2005 9:53
J-m: London parley 'absolves' PA of fighting terror
By HERB KEINON AND DOUGLAS DAVIS


LONDON, England

(Continued from page 1 of 3)

The participants at the conference were confident that they had resolved the practical and procedural steps necessary for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

"The prevailing mood is one of optimism. The sense of expectation is palpable," declared UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, one of 30 high-ranking officials who attended.

The final communiqu called for direct talks leading to "a safe and secure Israel and a sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous Palestine, living side by side in peace and security."

The call was echoed by the Quartet – the US, the EU, the UN and Russia – which devised the road map and met on the sidelines of the meeting.

Following the day-long meeting, which focused on issues of governance and security as well as economic and social development, the Quartet insisted that the proposed Palestinian state be "truly viable" and not consist of "scattered territories." In a statement after the meeting, the Quartet noted "the fragility of the current revived momentum in discussions," and "encourages the two parties to continue on the path of direct dialogue and negotiation."

But the Quartet angered PA officials when it condemned last Friday's suicide attack in Tel Aviv, called for "immediate action by the Palestinian Authority to apprehend and bring to justice the perpetrators" and urged "further and sustained" PA moves against terrorism.

"We are very upset at the Quartet statement," said one PA official. "They are putting security as the first approach – as if they want the occupied Palestinians to give security to their Israeli occupiers."

Meanwhile, the PA pledged to pursue security reform, hold elections on schedule in July and fight corruption. In return, the international community offered support for PA security forces trying to stop attacks on Israelis, for parliamentary elections and for efforts to ensure order when Israel disengages from the Gaza Strip.

It is understood that a US-led international team will work with the PA to reform its security services, while an economic team, led by the World Bank and European Union, will help to reconstruct the economy.

It is also expected that an international donors' meeting will be convened in June, while the World Bank will lead a drive to encourage international private-sector investment and provide a new loan guarantee scheme for the putative Palestinian state.

At the meeting, Abbas committed himself to political, economic and security reforms – and to work "hand in hand" with Israel.

"Peace, which has now become the dire need of Palestinians and Israelis, is possible as long as we work in earnest," he told the gathering.

But Abbas insisted that PA security measures must be seen within the context of broader political moves to end the occupation: "We are forging ahead with reordering our internal affairs and are committed to honoring our obligations under the road map," he said.

"We have only one demand, and that is reciprocity in commitment based on the original text of the road map as presented by the Quartet."

Abbas condemned the Tel Aviv suicide attack and warned that "extremist elements are determined to sabotage any peace process and to sabotage any plans to solve political problems through peaceful means."

But, he said, the PA was "determined to pursue the peace path." The London meeting, he added, "addresses our needs to find a suitable atmosphere to open political paths to put an end to violence and counterviolence."

Mar. 1, 2005 0:46 | Updated Mar. 4, 2005 9:53
J-m: London parley 'absolves' PA of fighting terror
By HERB KEINON AND DOUGLAS DAVIS


LONDON, England

(Continued from page 2 of 3)

The participation of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, he said, was "living proof" of Washington's renewed engagement in the dispute.

"We expect from the Americans acts of support – economic, financial support – to the Palestinian Authority and society, and a political, diplomatic support for the implementation of the road map that has been agreed on.

"We expect from President [George W.] Bush to implement his own vision of a two-state solution, the birth of the Palestinian state and the ending of the occupation of 1967."

A 16-page draft text was circulated laying out how the PA proposes to reform itself. The document refers to the goal of a sovereign, democratic and contiguous Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel.

While the draft calls on Israel to dismantle restrictions that hamper economic activity, the PA is required to undertake reforms, which include the rationalization of the security and intelligence services.

Opening the meeting, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said there was "probably no more pressing political challenge than to move this process forward" because it held the key to challenging international terrorism.

The Palestinian issue, he said, was, "the cause most used – or abused – by those who try to rally support for extremism. When we make progress on this issue we are not merely enhancing the prospects for the people of Palestine and the people of Israel, we're also enhancing security of every one of the countries represented around this table today."

He said the delegates had a "united purpose, and that is to try to help bring about the vision of the two-state solution to the Middle East peace process which is an Israel confident of its security and a viable, independent Palestinian state."

Mar. 4, 2005 21:53 | Updated Mar. 4, 2005 22:03
Lebanese troops thwart attack
By ASSOCIATED PRESS



BEIRUT, Lebanon

Lebanese soldiers dismantled two Katyusha rockets that had been prepared for firing at an Israeli outpost on the south Lebanese border on Friday, security officials said.

The rockets were found at Tallousa, 100 kilometers, (60 miles), southeast of Beirut and six kilometers (2.5 miles) north of the Israeli border, the officials said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The rockets were wired to a battery and were ready to fire, the officials said. They did not say which guerrilla group was suspected of mounting the rockets for fire.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and radical Palestinian groups are known to have a strong presence in that area. The district is popular with Lebanese and Arab tourists who visit a tomb at Al-Abbad of a Middle Ages hermit.
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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109906439529

Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos GEES Colaboraciones nº 232 1


Moderate Mahmoud? Don't Ask the Impossible of the New
Palestinian Leader - Demand the Possible Instead

(Published i the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. January 13, 2005)

* Clifford D. May

Colaboraciones nº 232 14 de enero de 2005

Americans, Europeans, Israelis,
diplomats, reporters, editorialists -- just
about everybody wants Mahmoud
Abbas, the newly elected president of
the Palestinian Authority, to be a
moderate. So they keep saying that he is
a moderate as if, by wizardry, repeating
the word will make it true.
But Abbas is not a moderate. And that's
OK. Because, paradoxically, a moderate
could not, at this moment, facilitate a
breakthrough in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Abbas can, if he wants to. Think this
through with me.

Abbas (A.K.A. Abu Mazen) was
educated in Syria and the Soviet Union.
His doctorate was on what he called a
“secret relationship” between Nazis and
Zionists. Essentially, he blamed the Jews
for the Holocaust which he also argued
has been greatly exaggerated. In other
words, he is a conspiracy theorist and a
Holocaust denier – nothing moderate
about that.

He was a close associate of PLO leader
and terrorist pioneer Yasser Arafat. Abu
Daoud, who plotted the massacre of 11
Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich
Olympics, wrote that Abbas provided
the funds for that atrocity. Not exactly
something a moderate would do, is it?
Has Abbas changed his views in recent
years? Is he now, as the Washington Post
recently stated, "a strong and
courageous opponent of violence against
Israel and a strong supporter of
Palestinian compromises to move
toward a two-state solution"? No
evidence suggests that. Abbas has never
voiced opposition to terrorism -- not
even to the intentional slaughter of
children. Instead, he has praised suicide
bombers as “martyrs” and allowed
terrorists to carry him on their
shoulders.

What he has said is that said that such
tactics are now harming, rather than
helping, the Palestinian cause. "This is
not the time for this kind of act,” he
admonished Hamas terrorists earlier this
month. Nor has Abbas ever told
Palestinians that painful compromises
will be necessary. Indeed, in this
campaign, he said the opposite. He
called Israel the “Zionist enemy” and
insisted on the “right to return” – the
demand that, while Israelis must leave
all “Palestinian territories,” all of Israel
must be opened to settlement by
Palestinian “refugees,” their families and
their descendants – more than 4 million
people. That would mean the
destruction of the Jewish state, a
condition no Israeli leader can accept.
But, again, these facts are not necessarily
cause for pessimism. On the contrary, if
Abbas were really a moderate, he would
not have won this election; indeed, it is
doubtful he would have survived it. If
Abbas is not a moderate, what is he?
Perhaps – and here's the hope -- he is a
pragmatist, someone willing to say that
it is not realistic, at least at this point in
history, to pursue the dream of
destroying Israel, of killing the Jews or
driving them out once and for all, as
they long ago were driven out of Iraq,
Egypt, Libya and many other lands
where they had lived since long before
those places were conquered by Arabs.
A pragmatist would say that the Jewish
state is a reality, and that serious people
accommodate reality. Abbas has said
that the “intifada,” the terrorist war
launched against Israel in 2000 after
Arafat rejected the Israeli offer of
statehood at Camp David, has become
counter-productive for Palestinians. He
could add that if the birth of a
Palestinian state must await Israeli
acceptance of a “right” of Palestinians to
dominate them within their own
borders, there will never be such a state
– and that is too high a price for
Palestinians to pay.

Finally, he could point to the
unprecedented opportunity now within
the Palestinians' grasp: Despite
opposition from his own Likud party,
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has
decided to remove Israeli villages from
Gaza and turn the area over to the
Palestinian Authority. All Sharon is
asking in return is that Gaza not be a
terrorist haven.

Abbas could acknowledge that this is a
good deal for Palestinians. He could
insist that the PA keep its part of the
bargain – not because he opposes killing
Israelis (a moderate position) but
because if the P.A. does not, he is sure
Sharon will unleash harsh reprisals
against the killers and those who harbor
them (a pragmatic position). The U.S.,
Europe and, yes, even the U.N. could
help by saying to the Palestinians:
“Keep the peace and we'll provide aid,
we'll invest, we'll do whatever we can.
But keep up the terrorism and the
unrealistic demands of Israel and you're
on your own."

Arab leaders who claim they want to
resolve this conflict should be called
upon to prove it. They, too, needn't pose
as moderates. They need only urge
Abbas – strongly and publicly -- to take
the pragmatic course.

*Clifford D. May, a former New York Times foreign correspondent, is the president of the
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies a policy institute focusing on terrorism.