Posted on 08/16/2007 5:54:34 AM PDT by SJackson
(IsraelNN.com) Just days after promising US lawmakers that his Fatah movement would not reconcile with Hamas, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is inviting the Islamist movement to kiss and make up.
Abbas called on Hamas to “return to national unity” following his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso Wednesday. "The split that happened as a result of Hamas's coup is temporary and will be removed," Abbas said. Hamas welcomed Abbas’s statements and invited him to negotiations in Gaza.
Hamas and Fatah briefly formed a unity government after hammering out a power-sharing deal in Mecca that they hoped would renew international aid to the Palestinian Authority. Western aid had been cut off since Hamas won PA elections in a landslide, though the PA as a while received more money than ever before with the help of Muslim donor countries.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office issued a warning Wednesday night that a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation would result in the breakdown of the nascent “diplomatic process” that is being hastily constructed by Abbas and Olmert.
Arabic-language papers repeatedly report that secret talks between Hamas and Fatah are ongoing.
More Fatah Good-Will Gestures to Hamas Fatah released nine Hamas terrorists in Bethlehem. The men had been arrested last months for organizing terror cells in Judea and Samaria.
Hamas hailed the move as another in a series of goodwill gestures, most notably the payment of a year’s salary to thousands of Hamas men in Gaza by Fatah using money transferred by Israel. The transfer took place just a day after Fatah Prime Minister Salam Fayyad promised Republican Congressmen that there would be no reconciliation with Hamas. Democratic Congressmen visiting Israel this week say they believe Fayyad’s claim that the transfer happened by accident, due to a “clerical error.”
Senior Palestinian Authority official Youssef Al-Zumour was arrested last week, however for allowing PA finances to be used in paying the salaries of 3,500 Hamas terrorists. Yediot Acharonot quoted PA sources admitting that Al-Zumour paid the salaries on purpose.
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Of course the Dems believed it. They never met a terrorist or dictator they didn’t like. Hey Nancy—time to crawl back into your burka and work some of that diplomatic voodoo of yours. It worked **SO** well last time.../sarc
geez!
a snake acting like a snake...
who’d a thunk?
So, how about all of those $$$$$$ that we gave Abbas to shore him up after Hamas kicked his rump in Gaza. Do we get that back now?
Carolyn
In matters of dealing with foreign potentates - don’t we have set protocol, like ambassadors and secretary of state, a president, etc for dealing directly with them?
Why are congresscritters/senators etc running abroad and sticking their noses in between the established channels, mucking up the waters?
(I mean, why, OTHER than for personal posturing and/or purposely mucking up things...)
Because Congress appropriates foreign aid, and there are many Congressmen opposed to providing aid to Hamas. In fact, if Fatah and Hamas kiss and make up before a substantial aid package is approved, I doubt GWB will be able to get the $ to them.
The only thing our representatives seem to have learned from their latest error is how to rationalize it.
If he makes a promise to Republicam congressmen, then perhaps breaks it, why should the Democrats be forgiving him?
Something seems amiss in the reporting.
With Hamas as "bad terrorists" and Fatah as "possibly not so bad terrorists" nobody will even look to pressure Israel to any concessions before "Palestinians" resolve their own problems trying to fight for the money and weapons - which could be a very long time and possibly, never.
Splitting "Palestinians" in two (or three) parties has been the best development in that area in the last couple of years... Even Arab countries are getting sick and tired of them as they are screwing up their various "peace plans" with Israel. It's a good thing!
The Bush administration is doing just that, pressuring Israel into final status talks with a terrorist government in control of only 60% of their population. And sending them weapons and $ to promote Jewhatred in the media and their schools. The administration requires nothing of the palestinians, if they did they'd tell them, and the Saudis, that negotiations are impossible until a stable, tolerant, anti-terror administration is in place.
As to aid, if they have the sense to make up formally, allow Hamas back in the government, after the aid is flowing, the Euros will certainly continue. My guess Condi will be back to her Hamas members in government are businessmen, not terrorists, and if we end aid it will be due to Congress. GWB wants a state very, very badly.
Actually they are doing exactly that, it just doesn't get a lot of press, and whatever little it does get certainly doesn't trickle down to FR. With Olmert in charge, if Bush and Condi really pressured Israel into talks and concessions it would be done already. Clinton had no problems doing just that and see actual implementation of "Land for more Intifada" process.
Condi's diplo-speak designed to "put Arabs to sleep" as they themselves characterize it, doesn't bother me in the least, that's what she is paid to do. Diplo-speak is cheap. Right now we have both Hamas and Fatah fighting with each other for spoils of "Palestinian Authority", so there is nobody to "talk to" and the rest of their neighbors can go on with their lives. I say, it's a win-win.
A Muslim chose to lie to America and buddy up with a fellow Muslim? I'm stuned I tell you!
It's filtered down just fine. The administration has been clear on it's positions, a sovereign palestinian state, no changes to the 1949 lines without Arab consent, an end to the occupation, cessation of a corridor connecting Gaza and the West Bank by Israel. There really isn't anything left to talk about other than the right of return.
Pressured into talks? Ohlmert and Abbas have been talking for weeks, both acknowledge that, and GWB is hosting a peace summit in November.
Of course the palestinian "government" is illegitimate given the loss of Gaza (GWB will negotiate with Abbas as head of the PLO), and Ohlmert's government is widely expected to fall, so it's a fools errand.
But why not invest our efforts here, the creation of a palestinian state is a cornerstone of American foreign policy according to GWB, and there are no pressing problems facing us in any other parts of the world.
Beating the Pubbies to it, response would have been the same either-way.
Of course!
GWB will negotiate with Abbas as head of the PLO
That's the point! "Negotiate" with "illegitimate" "government"... Hmm, that's like me "negotiating" with Mattel to provide me a flesh and blood Barbie or real F-22 Raptor.
Ohlmert's government is widely expected to fall, so it's a fools errand.
There you go! Quad erat demonstrandum! I love diplo-speak! In the meantime, we sign a $30B worth of military supply agreement (that's real, not a fool's errand) to go along with $20B sale to our "friends" Saudis (do we really want them to buy it from Russia and France?). And it makes us look politically good to Arabs and UN types as we "try" to bring "peace" to the "Palestinians"... (if only they stop fighting among themselves and renounce violence and stop demanding destruction of Israel - like that's going to happen!).
Fool's errand trying to "create" Palestinian state when "Palestinians" think it's a state of Israel - what can be better!
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