Showing posts with label Palestinians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Palestinians. Show all posts

Sunday, October 02, 2011

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: US Welcomes Israel Call For Return To Peace Talks

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: US Welcomes Israel Call For Return To Peace Talks
(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 2, 2011: The United States on Sunday welcomed Israel's apparent acceptance of a plan by the so-called Middle East Quartet to return to talks with the Palestinians, saying it was the best chance for peace.
Israel called Sunday for an immediate return to peace talks under the framework of a proposal by the Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
But the Jewish state said the plan included no preconditions -- an interpretation the Palestinians quickly rejected.
"We welcome the Israeli government's announcement today expressing readiness to resume negotiations with the Palestinians, as called for by the Quartet," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.
"The Palestinians expressed support for the Quartet approach on September 29," she added.
"The US once again calls on both parties to resume negotiations without preconditions, on the timetable proposed by the Quartet, as the best means to advance their interests, resolve their differences, and fulfill the president's two-state vision."
The Palestinians said earlier that Israel could not say it had accepted the Quartet statement without announcing a halt to Israeli settlement construction and a willingness to use the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War as a basis for negotiations on future borders.

Israel accepts Quartet call for peace talks

ABC Online - ‎6 minutes ago‎
Israel has accepted a proposal by international mediators to resume peace talks with the Palestinians within a month, but with no preconditions. But the proposal has again been rejected by the Palestinians, who refuse to negotiate until settlement ...

Washington welcomes Israel's decision to return to talks

Jerusalem Post - Herb Keinon - ‎16 minutes ago‎
US calls on both parties to resume negotiations without preconditions, on Quartet's timetable in order to fulfill US president's two-state vision. The United States welcomed Israel's announcement Sunday that ...

Palestinians accuse Israel of trickery as Netanyahu calls for return to peace ...

Telegraph.co.uk - Adrian Blomfield - ‎33 minutes ago‎
The Palestinian leadership has accused Israel of "playing a game of deception" after Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, accepted a new international proposal to resume peace talks. By Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem Israel gave its backing to ...

US welcomes Israel call for return to peace talks

AFP - ‎1 hour ago‎
WASHINGTON — The United States on Sunday welcomed Israel's apparent acceptance of a plan by the so-called Middle East Quartet to return to talks with the Palestinians, saying it was the best chance for peace. Israel called Sunday for an immediate ...

Israel to demand adjustment of Quartet Mideast peace plan, official says

Ha'aretz - Emil Salman - ‎1 hour ago‎
Despite Netanyahu's acceptance Quartet statement, top minister says Jerusalem will demand several changes in the document, insist on freeze of Palestinian UN membership bid at the Security Council. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on ...

Evoking my father's defiant Zionist spirit

Jerusalem Post - Menachem Z. Rosensaft - ‎1 hour ago‎
For one 'extreme Zionist,' love of the Jewish people and of the State of Israel was the most important element of Jewish leadership. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly last month, Palestinian Authority President ...

Turkish PM Erdogan translation correction

CNN (blog) - ‎2 hours ago‎
One note about last week's interview with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. The translation heard on the show had Mr. Erdogan saying that "hundreds of thousands" of Palestinians had been killed by Israel. That's how Mr. Erdogan's own official translator ...

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gulfnews.com - ‎2 hours ago‎
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas deserves admiration and applause for seeking membership of the United Nations (UN). His bid for UN membership represents the long-held and genuine aspirations of his people who have suffered too much for too long. ...

Israel Supports Proposal to Restart Mideast Talks

New York Times - Isabel Kershner - ‎2 hours ago‎
JERUSALEM — Israel on Sunday formally accepted a proposal by the international powers to return to peace negotiations with the Palestinians, but any immediate resumption of talks appeared unlikely as the Israelis and Palestinians ...

Ayalon defends Gilo plan despite Quartet condemnation

Jerusalem Post - Melanie Lidman - ‎2 hours ago‎
Deputy FM Ayalon: Palestinians seek to distract world from Quartet's call to resume peace talks, Gilo plans not matter of "political timing." Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon stressed that Gilo was not a settlement but an ...

Israel backs international plan to restart Mideast talks, with reservations

Winnipeg Free Press - Amy Teibel - ‎2 hours ago‎
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, waves to Palestinian children during an event to support the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. ...

Israel backs Mideast talks plan, with reservations

CBS News - ‎2 hours ago‎
(AP) JERUSALEM — Israel's government welcomed on Sunday parts of an international proposal to resume long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians but said it had concerns about the plan. The plan by Mideast mediators, known as the Quartet, ...

Israel backs international plan to restart Mideast talks, with reservations

Washington Post - ‎2 hours ago‎
( no / Associated Press ) - Christian worshippers pray during a prayer for peace in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011. By Associated Press, JERUSALEM — Israel's government welcomed on Sunday parts of an international proposal to resume long-stalled peace ...

Palestinian building boom in West Bank

Arab News - Arieh O'Sullivan - ‎3 hours ago‎
By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN | THE MEDIA LINE There is a Palestinian building boom going on in the West Bank that has increased the number of dwellings in the past four years by over 25 percent, according to the latest figures released by the Palestinian ...

Israel Accepts Quartet Proposal to Resume Peace Talks

Voice of America - ‎3 hours ago‎
October 02, 2011 Israel Accepts Quartet Proposal to Resume Peace Talks Robert Berger | Jerusalem As the Palestinians seek statehood recognition at the United Nations, Israel has given its official response to an international effort to revive the ...

Israel welcomes peace talks plan

Washington Post - Joel Greenberg - ‎3 hours ago‎
JERUSALEM – Israel on Sunday agreed to a proposal by international mediators to resume peace negotiations after the initiative was positively received by the Palestinians, but there were no signs that a dispute over Israeli ...

Israel Accepts Quartet Plan for Talks With 'Some Concerns'

Voice of America (blog) - ‎4 hours ago‎
Israel says it has accepted an international plan for resuming peace talks with the Palestinians while expressing some reservations, an announcement that drew Palestinian criticism. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel ...

Israel Welcomes Mideast Talks Plan With Palestinians, but With Reservations

Fox News - ‎4 hours ago‎
| AP In this photo provided by the Palestinian Authority, Aug. 31, 2011, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, sits with Israeli settler leader and peace activist Rabbi Menachem Froman during their meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah. ...

Nigeria silent on Palestinian UN bid

Ynetnews - ‎4 hours ago‎
AP Nigeria is refusing to say how it will vote when the United Nations Security Council decides on the Palestinians' request for UN membership, as increasing diplomatic pressure mounts on the oil-rich West African nation. ...

PA to resume talks only if Israel accepts preconditions

Jerusalem Post - Khaled Abu Toameh - ‎5 hours ago‎
PA spokesman: Israel must stop settlement construction, accept '67 lines as two-state basis; follows Israeli acceptance of Quartet proposal. The Palestinian Authority will return to the negotiating table with Israel only if it ...

Israel formally accepts Quartet formula for resuming talks

Jerusalem Post - Herb Keinon - ‎5 hours ago‎
Israel on Sunday formally accepted the Quartet's proposal for re-starting negotiations with the Palestinians, following a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his senior ministers. ...

MIDEAST: Israel, Palestinians consider Quartet plan for new talks

Los Angeles Times - ‎5 hours ago‎
REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- Israelis and Palestinians are struggling to respond to the latest peace initiative from the Mideast Quartet, with each side embracing the parts it liked and dismissing those it didn't. More than a week after the Quartet ...

PA officials: Israel's Mideast peace calls futile without settlement freeze

Ha'aretz - ‎5 hours ago‎
Israel's acceptance of a roadmap for peace by the Quartet on the Middle East is meaningless unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu freezes all settlement construction and recognizes 1967 borders, Palestinian officials said on Sunday. ...

Palestine's moment of truth — II

The Express Tribune - Tanvir Ahmad Khan - ‎5 hours ago‎
President Mahmoud Abbas's address to the UN General Assembly was by global consensus, his finest hour. A leader who never possessed the charisma and verve of Yasser Arafat and had often been derided as an eternal appeaser withstood ...

Israel backs Mideast talks plan, with reservations

Forbes - Amy Teibel - ‎6 hours ago‎
JERUSALEM -- Israel on Sunday welcomed parts of an international proposal for resuming long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians but said it still had some concerns about the plan. ...

Israel backs Mideast talks plan, with reservations

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Amy Teibel - ‎6 hours ago‎
AP JERUSALEM — Israel's government welcomed on Sunday parts of an international proposal to resume long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians but said it had concerns about the plan. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, ...

What next, Mr Abbas?

The Economist (blog) - ‎6 hours ago‎
IF BOTH Israeli and Palestinian leaders hoped to use the podium of the United Nations to bolster their domestic standing, their strategy appears to have paid off. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, last week went to New York widely condemned by ...

Egypt supports Palestinian conditions for talks

Khaleej Times - ‎6 hours ago‎
CAIRO — Egypt's foreign minister Mohammed Amr said on Sunday that his country supported Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's bid to join peace talks with Israel once there is a settlement freeze. 'Egypt supports the Palestinian president's commitment ...

Israel, Palestinians spar over Quartet peace call

AFP - ‎6 hours ago‎
JERUSALEM — Israel called Sunday for an immediate return to peace talks under the framework of a Quartet proposal, but it said the plan included no preconditions, an interpretation the Palestinians quickly rejected. Israel's apparent acceptance of the ...

Israel and Palestinian Authority argue over Quartet timetable

Deutsche Welle - ‎6 hours ago‎
Israel on Sunday accepted a timetable laid out by international mediators to resume Mideast peace talks, but the Palestinian Authority immediately dismissed the statement as an exercise in deception. Israel welcomed a call by international mediators to ...
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Saturday, September 24, 2011

DTN News - UNITED NATIONS NEWS: Palestinians Seek Statehood At U.N

DTN News - UNITED NATIONS NEWS: Palestinians Seek Statehood At U.N
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / UNITED NATIONS - September 24, 2011: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formally applied to the U.N. Security Council for Palestinian statehood, defying U.S. pressure to return to direct negotiations with Israel.

Despite the move, American and European diplomats frantically worked throughout Friday to try and lay out clearer terms for peace negotiations as a means to ultimately lure the Palestinian side away from the U.N. track.

European Pressphoto Agency
UNPALjp

Palestinians in Ramallah listened Friday to their leader, Mahmoud Abbas, argue for statehood at the U.N.

The so-called Quartet of powers brokering Middle East peace, which comprises the U.S., European Union, U.N. and Russia, outlined a one-year timeline by which to conclude negotiations on a creating an independent Palestinian state. This would include a requirement for the Israelis and Palestinians to provide comprehensive proposals on borders and security within three months and economic incentives from the international community to the Palestinian Authority.

"This is a concrete proposal to be negotiated without delay or preconditions," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

The Palestinians didn't formally respond to the Quartet's offer, but said privately that it didn't address their two most pressing requirements for returning to negotiations. These include a complete freeze on Jewish construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Israel's willingness to use its borders prior to the 1967 Six Day war as the baseline for talks, while recognizing the need for some territorial swaps.

"I don't think this is going to fly," said a senior Palestinian official in response to the Quartet's statement. "They ignored our most important requirements."

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
0923UNPAL

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hands over a formal letter for Palestine to be admitted as a state to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Tens of thousands of jubilant Palestinians gathered in the West Bank in anticipation of Mr. Abbas's speech to the U.N., while in New York, the prospect of the first serious peace talks in nearly three years seemed to suggest the possibility—even if faint—of a way forward.

Mr. Abbas drew standing ovations earlier on Friday when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly, calling for a "Palestinian spring." He spoke only moments after submitting a formal request for Palestinian statehood to U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon.

Mr. Abbas said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the principal issue standing in the way of stability in the Mideast and charged the international community with denying his people a homeland for over six decades.

"It is a moment of truth and my people are waiting to hear the answer of the world. Will it allow Israel to continue its occupation, the only occupation in the world?" Mr. Abbas said in his 45-minute address.

Young men throw stones at an Israeli checkpoint as President Mahmoud Abbas's application for U.N. recognition provokes mixed reactions. (Video and image : Reuters)

He proudly raised the letter he had presented Mr. Ban, smiled, and waved it to the room.

The 76-year-old Arab leader said he had been forced to go to the U.N. Security Council because the negotiating process under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had broken down. He charged that continued Jewish construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem was rapidly making a two-state solution to end the Arab-Israeli conflict unviable.

"The occupation is racing against time to redraws the borders on our land according to what it wants and to impose a fait accompli on the ground," Mr. Abbas said.

Mr. Netanyahu followed Mr. Abbas in addressing the General Assembly and directly challenged his narrative on the nature of the Mideast conflict. He said that the Palestinians' refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, rather than any settlement activity, was the primary motivator for the conflict.

The U.N. General Assembly

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Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Members of the Israeli delegation, left, left the General Assembly as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived to speak Friday.

"The core of the conflict is not the settlements. The settlements are a result of the conflict," Mr. Netanyahu said.

Mr. Netanyahu stressed that any efforts to forge a two-state solution without extensive negotiations on Israel's security could be disastrous for the Jewish state's security.

He reminded the General Assembly that Israel pulled out all of its security forces and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, but that the militant group Hamas filled the power vacuum in the Palestinian territory.

Responding to Mr. Abbas's statement that the Palestinians were armed "only with their hopes and dreams," Mr. Netanyahu said, "Hopes, dreams—and 10,000 missiles and Grad rockets supplied by Iran."

Still, Mr. Netanyahu challenged Mr. Abbas in front of the U.N. to immediately engage in direct negotiations with his government. He said that an independent Palestinian state could never be created through the offices of the U.N., which he said worked at times like the "theater of the absurd."

"I continue to hope that President Abbas will be my partner for peace…Why don't you join me? Mr. Netanyahu said to the General Assembly. "We've both flown thousands of miles to New York. So let's meet here today in the United Nations…What is there to stop us?"

The Palestinian Authority is pressing hard for the votes it needs to pass an application recognizing its statehood in the U.N. Security Council, despite the likelihood of a U.S. veto, Foreign Minister Riad Malki says in an interview. If the effort fails, he says, both the Palestinians and the U.S. will be worse off.

Mr. Abbas's submission to the U.N. Security Council was a direct rebuke of the Obama administration's foreign policy. And it called into question Washington's future role as the ultimate arbiter on diplomacy in the Mideast, a position it has held for the past 25 years.

U.S. officials have lobbied Mr. Abbas for months to return to direct negotiations with the Israelis, arguing it was the only path to peace. The U.S. Congress, meanwhile, has threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in annual financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority if Mr. Abbas goes forward.

U.S. and European officials said their primary focus in the coming days will be to convince Messrs. Abbas and Netanyahu to return to the negotiating table under the Quartet's plan. But they also said a push was already beginning inside the 15-nation U.N. Security Council to convince the majority of its members not to back the Palestinian bid.

Lebanon, the current president of the Security Council, said it would introduce the Palestinian application for statehood for discussion at the 15-nation council on Monday.

The U.S., as one of five permanent members of the Security Council, has a veto. But U.S. officials privately acknowledge that they worry about the impact of Washington's standing in the Middle East if it is forced to utilize it.

Journal Community

Mr. Abbas needs nine of 15 Security Council members to gain a recommendation for membership to the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority would then be required. But U.S. officials believe France and the U.K. are likely to abstain, while developing countries like Colombia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are undecided.

Palestinian officials acknowledge that a Security Council vote against their measure could have disastrous political consequences for Mr. Abbas.

Alternately, the Palestinians are also considering presenting a resolution to the U.N. General Assembly that would give the Palestinian Authority advanced standing at the U.N. and allow it to join such bodies as the International Criminal Court and the U.N. Human Rights Committee. Israeli officials worry the Palestinians could use these forms to charge Israeli military officials with war crimes.

Getting Out the Vote

Where members of the U.N. Security Council are believed to stand on the U.N. recognizing a Palestine state; nine votes are needed with no veto

YES

• Russia*, China*, Brazil*, India*, South Africa*, Lebanon*

ON THE FENCE

• Colombia*, Portugal, Gabon*, Bosnia-Herzegovina

LIKELY TO ABSTAIN

• Germany, Nigeria*, France, Britain

READY TO VETO

• U.S.

*Formally recognized a Palestinian state.

U.N. diplomats said such a resolution at the 193-nation General Assembly would pass by a large margin.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered in cities across the West Bank to celebrate the move and watch Mr. Abbas's speech on large television screens set up in central squares for the occasion. They were the largest public gatherings since the funeral of Mr. Abbas's predecessor, Yasser Arafat, in 2004. There were no rallies in Gaza, where the militant group Hamas is in control and opposed Mr. Abbas's UN initiative.

In the West Bank, the mood was jubilant as crowds made up of whole families gathered hours before the speech to sing, dance, chant slogans and wave Palestinian flags. Among the many posters and banners, a few criticized U.S. President Barack Obama, whose opposition to the statehood bid deeply disappointed Palestinians and Arabs across the Middle East.

Defying U.S. and Israeli opposition, Palestinian President Abbas asked the United Nations Friday to accept the Palestinians as a member state. Eduardo Kaplan has details and Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer provides analysis on The News Hub.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, seat of Mr. Abbas's Palestinian Authority, the crowd filled Arafat square and lined the rooftops surrounding it. It erupted in cheers and flag-waving when Mr. Abbas asked the U.N. to accept his application for statehood.

"It was an emotional moment for me," said Ghadir Aydieh, a 23-year old said, a Palestinian flag wrapped around her head. "He carried the message of the Palestinian people. It has given us some hope."

The gatherings were overwhelming peaceful, but the Palestinian security and police forces mobilized all 29,000 of its officers to prevent violence and clashes with the Israeli military.

Israel itself mobilized more than 20,000 riot police and security officials. Major checkpoints were manned with thousands of soldiers in riot gear, and there were between youths throwing rocks and Israeli soldiers at some checkpoints.

—Joe Lauria contributed to this article.

Write to Jay Solomon at jay.solomon@wsj.com

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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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