PLO Takes A Stand On Israels Heritage Theft

Ramallah – Ma'an - The Executive Committee of the PLO will not support talks with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu government in light of its decision to declare sites in Palestinian areas "Israeli heritage sites," the body announced after a meeting Wednesday.

"We will reject any kind of negotiations, even indirect talks," Secretary General of the PLO body Yasser Abed Rabbo said after the meeting in Ramallah.

Netanyahu declared the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem - both sites of historical value to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and both located on lands within the 1967 borders of what would be a Palestinian state - Israeli heritage sites, during his cabinet meeting on Sunday. It was not immediately clear what the practical implications of the move would be.

Abed Rabbo said the "extremist right-wing government in Israel is poisoning the climate and of working to destroy any serious steps that aimed at the launch of a peace process."

Reactions to the Netanyahu announcement were immediate, with Palestinians protesting in the streets, and popular resistance groups organizing rallies condemning the declaration of Palestinian sites "Israeli." The move was seen as undermining Palestinian claims to lands that negotiators hope will soon be part of a Palestinian state.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO body, said demonstrations were set for Friday to respond to what she called discriminatory Israeli decisions that threatening Palestinian heritage and holy sites. Netanyahu's decision is a "direct attack on Palestinian heritage and a crime against Palestinian culture."

The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron is already guarded by a heavy Israeli military presence. The mosque is divided, with one part closed off to Muslims. Tourists can enter the Jewish section, and are asked on entry, "Christian or Jewish?" by armed guards as they pass metal detectors.

Following the outcry, Netanyahu released a statement Wednesday, noting "Israel is committed to freedom of religion for worshipers of all faiths at all holy places." He said "the State is constantly acting to ensure proper conditions for prayer, for both Jews and Muslims."

Rachel's Tomb, on Palestinian land in Bethlehem, however, was annexed to Israel following pressure from settler groups. A 30-foot concrete wall circles the tomb, part of a Palestinian cemetery, which is no longer accessible to Palestinian Christians or Muslims unless they get a permit from Israeli officials allowing them to pass through the military checkpoints in the area.

In his statement, Netanyahu said Palestinian "claims" that the decision to declare their holy sites Israeli "are an artificial attempt to distort reality and sow discord." source

It's interesting how Netanyahu's statements are merely echoes of his own deplorable existence. Covered from the inside out, top to bottom in his own shit and that of the peons who voted him in. But that is beside the point. He says things like "distort reality" and "sow discord",, then like the snake that he is, pretending things are just need clarification:

In an interview to Israeli TV, Benjamin Netanyahu called the affair a "misunderstanding," saying there was no intention to infringe on Muslim freedom of worship. He said the intent was to protect and maintain the sites.

"This is not a political decision. It doesn't change anything in that sense. It is concerned with preserving heritage," Netanyahu said. Source

In other news:
Friday has been declared a Day of Anger by Islamic Jihad. Before the mainstream Israeli slaves in the press spin this into some sort of terrorist convention, here is the official description:

The day will be an opportunity for "Arab and Islamic nations to show solidarity with the Palestinians by carrying out rallies and popular conferences," a statement from the movement said. Source.

BREAKING NEWS~Abbas Killed Yassir Arafat

FATAH senior official Farouq Qaddoumi, the secretary general of the Fatah’s central committee says President Abbas helped to murder yassir Arafat. No matter how you look at this, FATAH is in trouble. Never mind about reconciliation with HAMAS, they have their own serious problems within, and have for some time. Perhaps if Abbas would stop working with Israel and the US as an agent against this own people, then he would have much more support and less internal problems:

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas was party to the plot to assassinate the late Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat, a senior Fatah member said on Monday.

Abbas conspired with the Israeli authorities to assassinate Arafat, who died in November 2004, Farouq Qaddoumi, the secretary general of the Fatah’s central committee, claimed at a news conference in Amman on Sunday.

According to Qaddoumi, shortly before his death Arafat entrusted Qaddoumi with documents about a secret meeting between senior Palestinian officials, Israeli officials and American intelligence officers.

The participants of that meeting included ‘Abbas, former Palestinian preventative security chief Muhammad Dahlan and Ariel Sharon, who was Israeli prime minister at the time.

They planned to assassinate Arafat and other leaders of Palestinian factions, Qaddoumi said.

According to the documents, Sharon told ‘Abbas and Dahlan they must work together to kill “all the military and political leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.”

Sharon, according to a summary of the documents presented at the news conference, said that “the first step should be to kill Arafat by poisoning him.”

Sharon said he did not want to expel Arafat without guarantees from the receiving country that the Palestinian leader would be put under house arrest. Without such a guarantee, “Arafat would go back to living on an airplane,” Sharon said, referring to Arafat’s extensive travels around the Middle East before he came to the Palestinian territories in the early 1990s.

Qaddoumi said he urged Arafat to leave the Palestinian territories at the time, but Arafat refused.

‘Abbas proposed, according to the documents, that Israel press Arafat into accepting the assassination of other “resistance leaders.”

Arafat was co-founder of Fatah, and later became the movement’s leader. He took Fatah from armed resistance to peace talks with Israel early 1990s.

Qaddoumi, who is also head of the political department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), accused ‘Abbas of despotic behavior within Fatah.

Qaddoumi’s accusations mark a new high in the tension between rivaling Fatah members.

Qaddoumi represents a segment within the Fatah organization that refuses to recognize the Oslo Accords that led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, and views Israel as an occupier and not as a potential partner for peace talks.

The run-up to the upcoming Fatah conference was marked by heated disputes within the organization over the venue. The final decision to hold it in Bethlehem was criticized by Qaddoumi, who refuses to hold the conference under what he calls the embrace of the Israeli occupier. He has reportedly proposed to hold a separate conference outside the Palestinian territories to compete with the main gathering.

“I think this is the last thread between Qaddoumi and Abu Mazen,” Shurab told The Media Line, referring to ‘Abbas by his nickname. “In making these statements, Qaddoumi cut any channel between him and Abu Mazen for reconciliation.” entire article here

New Palestinian Government in 2 Days?

Sounds too good to be true, and it is.....Only one big fat glaring problem, HAMAS is not included, so you can't really all it a government now can you. Not when you exclude a huge portion of the electorate and whom they voted for. Nice try tho.........

New Palestinian govt within 48 hours: Abbas
3 hours ago

RAMALLAH — President Mahmud Abbas said on Monday that a new Palestinian government will be formed within 48 hours, to replace the current cabinet headed by Salam Fayyad.

"A new government will be formed within the next 48 hours," Abbas told a meeting of his secular Fatah party.

According to Palestinian officials, Abbas will once again ask Fayyad to form the new government that will not include the rival Islamist movement Hamas.

But Abbas also said that a new Fayyad-led government will step down if Egyptian-brokered negotiations between Hamas and Fatah to set up a unity cabinet succeed.

"If the dialogue succeeds, the government will step aside for a unity cabinet," he said at the meeting in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah.

Hamas, which won the last Palestinian election in 2006 but whose government was boycotted by Israel and the West, reacted by accusing Abbas of trying to sabotage the reconciliation talks which have going on in Cairo.

"He is already penning the obituary of the (inter-Palestinian) dialogue, and this reflects the absence of any will to reach an agreement," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said in a statement.

"This decision could cement divisions."

Fayyad, a US-educated economist widely respected in the West, announced on April 1 that he would remain in office until the end of unity talks between Hamas and Fatah.

The two factions long been at odds and their feud boiled over when the Islamists grabbed power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after a week of deadly clashes, booting out supporters of Abbas's party.

The two factions have held several rounds of talks in Egypt trying to cobble together a unity government, with an initial target of March 31. But negotiations were adjourned last month to May 16.

source

PA Says Israel Rejects Negotiations

Israel’s refusal to commit to the creation of a Palestinian state amounts to a rejection of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, said top negotiator Saeb Erekat on Tuesday.

Erekat, the head of the Negotiations Affairs Department in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said that “Israel has to make a choice between continued occupation and abiding by its obligations.”

Erekat was speaking during a meeting with the Belgian Consul General in Jerusalem, Leo Peters, at Erekats office in the West Bank city of Jericho.

Commenting on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ surprise visit to Iraqi Kurdistan which began on Monday, Erekat said that the trip was part of efforts to resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees in Iraq. Abbas also visited Baghdad earlier this month as a part of this effort. source

Despite Israel's Objections~Sinn Fein Will Meet ALL Elected Palestinians

Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein is to once again go to Palestine to meet all sides in the conflict, however Israel refuses to meet him once again. Adams went over in 2006 and Israel refused to meet him then as well. Additionally, Sinn Fein has had many productive meetings with the Palestinian leaders both in Palestine and in Ireland. I would like to see Mitchell invite others from Sinn Fein over to possibly help as the Palestinian leaders have much respect for our people and could learn politically from them; however, the US would have to ensure they were not using us, or the Palestinians, for some ulterior motives. Anyway, Adams will be in Palestine next week, and will meet with all Palestinian leaders once again, despite Israel’s nose being out of joint. If interested I managed to locate both a video of Adam’s first trip in 2006 and also a video of Ahmad Yousef (Ismail Haniyeh’s Political Advisor) interview after meeting with Sinn Fein in Ireland. Today's articles below from the Irish Times and Adam's blog:

Adams to meet Hamas despite Israeli objections

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams confirmed today he will visit the Middle East next week despite Israeli government demands that he does not meet Hamas.

Mr Adams said he refused to give a commitment to avoid representatives from the Palestinian group and, as a result, he regretted that Israeli officials would not now meet him during his trip.

But the Sinn Féin leader said dialogue was vital to securing a peace settlement in the region and he appealed for efforts to secure an agreement that could satisfy both Palestinian and Israeli needs.

Mr Adams visited the region in 2006 and was in both Israel and Ramallah, but this time he will add Gaza to his list of destinations to witness at first hand the damage caused by controversial Israeli attacks launched in response to Palestinian rockets.

"I will meet with senior members of the Palestinian Authority. I again (as in 2006) asked for a meeting with the Israeli government or with government officials. But again this has been refused because I will not give a commitment not to speak with Hamas representatives.

“I very much regret the Israeli government decision.” Mr Adams added: “As the leader of a party which was censored and demonised and whose members were killed, I see dialogue between all sides as key to building a successful peace process.

“So I will meet with all sides and urge all sides to end all armed actions and to engage in meaningful dialogue.

“I believe there should be a complete cessation of all hostilities and freedom of movement for everyone.” Mr Adams said the region faced the challenge of bringing about a settlement on the basis of a two-state solution.

“This requires a sustainable and durable state for the Palestinian people. They share the region with their Israeli neighbours. Without doubt, the security of the people of Israel is linked inextricably to the rights, freedom and prosperity of the people of Palestine.

“But it is clear that finding solutions will require leadership on both sides, and a willingness to take risks, initiatives, and compromise.

“And it will need the international community, and particularly the USA, to play a very positive and active role.”

And here is a bit from Adam’s blog on his up coming trip:

So next week I will again visit Israel and Ramallah. But this time I will also travel into Gaza and Sderot and Ramallah where I will meet with senior members of the Palestinian Authority.

I again asked for a meeting with the Israeli government or with government officials. But again this has been refused because I will not give a commitment not to speak with Hamas representatives.

But it is clear that finding solutions will require leadership on both sides, and a willingness to take risks, initiatives, and compromise.

And it will need the international community, and particularly the USA, to play a very positive and active role. In this respect I welcome the appointment of George Mitchell as US Envoy to the Middle East.

If you want to read about his trip when he returns you can come back here or bookmark his blog HERE

Video of Adam’s 2006 Visit & Ahmad Yousef Interview are below

Ahmad Yousef after meeting with Sinn Fein in Ireland on finding solutions to their conflict:



Adams in 2006 on his visit: