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Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad published a plan in August 2009 to unilaterally declare statehood after a two-year state-building process. The Fayyad plan involves numerous governance components that already exist within the various frameworks composing the Oslo Accords, which already enable the Palestinians to develop their state-building capabilities within the peace process, and not necessarily as a unilateral initiative outside the process. The only valid legal framework between the Israelis and the Palestinians remains the 1995 Interim Agreement, which represents the source of authority for the existence of the Palestinian governance and its component institutions. The Interim Agreement established that:...

November 05, 2009 At the J Street meeting By Lori Lowenthal Marcus The Washington conference of the new organization "J Street" took place on October 25-28. It was a fascinating but scary cultural experience. For three days I watched hundreds of intensely pious people sitting under an awning that reads "pro-Israel, pro-peace." But by far the dearest hopes of the folks on J Street were for the well-being, and especially the sovereignty, of a people whose leadership has stated repeatedly that its goal is to destroy Israel and murder Jews. I saw two overarching themes defining this conference: one, Iran...

What makes Obama think that a Palestinian state will make Iran hate Israel any less than it does now? You would think the President of the United States would give pause before engaging Iran. You would think the President of the United States would be wary of a country that has aided insurgents to kill American soldiers in Iraq. You would think the President of the United States would proceed cautiously towards a country that created Hezbollah, a terrorist organization responsible for killing 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut. You would think the President of the United States would be mindful...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will refuse on his trip to Washington to back the formation of a Palestinian state, an MP close to the premier said on Saturday, according to national radio. Netanyahu "will not make a commitment to Washington on the creation of a Palestinian state which would undoubtedly become a 'Hamastan'," Ophir Akunis from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party was quoted as saying, referring to the Islamic movement Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip and favours armed struggle against Israel. The hawkish prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Sunday ahead of his maiden meeting with...

While the outlines of a two-state solution are generally known, the maximum that any government of Israel will be ready to offer the Palestinians and still survive politically is much less than the minimum that any Palestinian leader can accept. The real gap between both sides is much greater than what is perceived, and that gap is growing. The level of trust between both sides has changed. There are fewer Israelis who believe that the real intention of the Palestinians is to have only a small Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Furthermore, there is less trust in...

It has become almost axiomatic in U.S. and European foreign policy circles that Israel and the Palestinians were on the verge of reaching a two-state peace agreement at the end of the Clinton administration, but that it was not finalized because of political circumstances in the United States, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority (PA). President Bill Clinton's term was coming to an end, Prime Minister Ehud Barak had lost his parliamentary majority, and Yasser Arafat preferred to resort to violence through a second intifada, instead of taking an offer that had been based partly on back-channel contacts with his key...

When asked about a Palestinian state, Gov. Huckabee stated that he supports creating a Palestinian state, but believes that it should be formed outside of Israel. He named Egypt and Saudi Arabia as possible alternatives, noting that the Arabs have far more land than the Israelis and that it would only be fair for other Arab nations to give the Palestinians land for a state, rather than carving it out of the tiny Israeli state. Gov. Huckabee, who has visited Israel nine times, also expressed support for moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and stressed the importance...

June 18, 2007 JINSA Report #674Message to the President as PM Olmert Comes to Washington [Ed. Note: this is part of a series about the demise of the Palestinian experiment in self-government and the implications for U.S. policy in the region.] Mr. President, in the interest of the Palestinian people, please withdraw formal American support for an independent Palestinian state. There are people in the region who have staked everything on you and still look to you for moral clarity. Israel and Jordan are the friends of American interests that the Palestinians never wanted to be, and they need...

HAIFA - The Arab world has never come to terms with Israel's existence within ANY set of borders whatsoever and is still seeking the annihilation of Israel and its population. The only reason the PLO ever wanted control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was to use them as bases for attacks on Israel. This is the only real use to which they will be put by any future Palestinian State. Palestinians are Arabs. The Arabs already rule 22 States. There is no reason why they should be entitled to a 23rd State, and creation of a 23rd Arab...

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas a "terrorist" and accused him of transferring more than $1 million to militants to carry out attacks against Israel, in an interview with Time magazine released Friday. Haniyeh aide Ghazi Hamad said Olmert's statements were "confused and irresponsible". Israel has been urging other countries to shun Haniyeh and the government, citing Hamas's refusal to recognize Israel or renounce violence...

Arab leaders will formally relaunch a five-year-old initiative on Thursday to trade peace for land and end the Arab-Israeli conflict which is at the heart of the region's problems. A summit, which began on Wednesday, has drawn several world and Muslim leaders who backed the Arab peace plan offering Israel normal ties with all Arab countries in return for its withdrawal from land occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. "The Arab peace initiative is one of the pillars for the peace process. This initiative sends a signal that the Arabs are serious about achieving peace," U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon...

GAZA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified militants stormed on Monday an office of the Palestinian state-run television in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Palestinian witnesses said. The militants briefly clashed with security members guarding the building housing the office of the Palestine TV before breaking into it, said the witnesses. The militants destroyed equipment in the office and smashed the transmitter connecting the office with the TV's headquarters in Gaza City, the witnesses added. General Director of the Palestine TV Mohammed Dahoudi accused the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) of being behind the storm and slammed the group...

I recall an old song that goes "What can I say, after I say I'm sorry". Well, folks, I've been humming that tune a lot of late, but it keeps coming out, "except I told you so!" For more years than I care to remember, I have been writing endless columns about the 'Big Lie' and the fact that what is trumpeted loudly, in every quarter, as 'the plight of the poor Palestinians' was, in fact, a travesty caused by their own Arab brothers. I seem to recall I also said once or twice that Israel is the prime candidate...

Far from freezing the defunct “Oslo” peace process as originally hoped by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria appears to have accelerated the birth of the State of Palestine. Sharon has long been a proponent of a protracted process, affording Israel the opportunity to amply evaluate the Palestinian Arabs’ compliance with their peace commitments. When he first introduced his “disengagement” plan, the prime minister asserted it would grant Israel the ability to play the game by its own rules and stave off what had been a wild rush to establish the region’s 22nd Arab state....

Sever Plocker Five million in five years Five million more Palestinians are expected to populate the Gaza Strip and the West Bank within the next five years Palestinian population will grow as emigrants return and new children are born Photo: AP Rand Corporation is a California research institute that has built its reputation as a conservative, strict, yet reliable and credible think tank. Last week, the institution published a complete study on the options of establishing and founding a Palestinian state. According to the report, the cost of a durable Palestinian state that sustains reasonable living standards is more than...

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - The creation of a Palestinian state is indeed "within reach" and could come sooner than expected if the Palestinians fulfill their commitments under the road map peace plan, Israel said on Thursday. The Palestinian Authority welcomed President Bush's comments in his annual State of the Union address Wednesday, when he said the creation of a Palestinian state was "within reach" and pledged additional U.S. aid to make it happen. "The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian territories are now showing the power of freedom to break old patterns of violence and failure," Bush said. Secretary...

New US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice’s upcoming visit to the Middle East next week has galvanized the region’s leaders into a frenzied round of travel and summit consultations. The centerpiece summit will bring together Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) at Sharm al Sheikh next Tuesday. Jordan’s King Abdullah has also been invited. Rice will take the place of President George W. Bush, who attended the last such forum, the 2003 Aqaba summit. There are other differences. Abbas will be coming from fruitful talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin...

There are many misconceptions regarding Arafat. These misconceptions are held by many unaware Americans and misguided individuals around the globe. The beliefs that Arafat was a man struggling for peace, a homeland for his people, or even a man at all, are all grievous fallacies. The true Arafat was a terrorist and a coward. The first lie that needs to be assessed is the notion that Arafat wanted peace. As you will see, Arafat did not want peace at all, instead, he was a terrorist of proportions equivalent to Osama bin Laden. Arafat and the organizations which he presided over...

Tony Campolo, one of American Christianity's most well-known evangelists, is doing the Gospel of Jesus Christ a grave disservice with misinformation, unscriptural political analysis and dangerously bad theology. In a speech in Canada recently, Campolo gave a rambling presentation explaining the absolute necessity of creating a new Palestinian state to win over the Muslim world. If Campolo really believes what he said in this speech, he is ignorant of history. If he doesn't believe what he said, he is a politically motivated liar misusing the Gospel to further a hopelessly evil political agenda. You decide for yourself. He claims firstly...

John Kerry And Howard Dean Are Out Of Step With America About Israel By Ariel Natan Pasko Jan 27, 2004, 00:10 EST Both Democratic wanna-be presidents, John Kerry and Howard Dean proved recently how out of step with the rest of America they are in regard to US policy vis-a-vis the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The leading US Democratic presidential contender, John Kerry, just said that the government in Israel currently lacks someone - i.e. Sharon - who can provide the goods in everything connected to negotiations with the Palestinians. Yet, according to a poll commissioned by the Zionist Organization of America...

I don't believe there is a true desire on the part of the Palestinian Authority or people, by and large, to actually form a state called Palestine . So what is it all about? Simple. The "Quest" for the state of Palestine is a way of focusing and concentrating militant Islamic power against a common enemy....The Jews and the west. Therefore, If a state was actually accepted and constructed, the Islamic struggle against the Jews would no longer have an ideological basis to operate from. And as such, the Jihad against the Jews in Israel would end. This is because...

US Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Sunday against instituting a Palestinian state that is smaller and weaker than envisaged by the Road Map peace process. Speaking to CNN, Powell said a unified Palestinian state should be created on the West Bank with connections to the Gaza Strip, rather than 'bantustans' - apartheid-like cordoned-off areas that were created in pre-1990 South Africa. "The West Bank should not be sliced off. This would be unacceptable," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell assured Europeans Tuesday that the Bush administration was determined to launch a Palestinian state and that any decision on Israeli population centers remaining on the West Bank would require Palestinian approval. Still, Powell lined up with President George Bush's assurances last week to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that "the realities that exist in the area" should be taken into account in a peace accord. Powell made the statements after a meeting with Javier Solana, the senior European Union's top foreign policy official. The White House on Tuesday played down any hint of friction with...

Happy New Year's Eve to all at Free Republic!!! Make your predictions for 2004. Good Luck!!!

From bad to worse Posted: December 4, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com It was bad enough when Secretary of State Colin Powell and President Bush were insisting that – no matter what – Israel remain committed to the disastrously misguided "roadmap" to create a Palestinian state as the lynchpin of a Mideast peace plan. Now Powell is considering meeting with an Israeli meddler and an Arab provocateur who have come up with a new plan to carve up the Jewish state – outside of accountability to the people affected. Imagine if, let's say, Ralph Nader began informal negotiations...

“Peace in the Middle East!” It is the cry of statesmen and politicians all over the world. It is the consuming issue of our troubled times as world leaders scramble to find the workable road map. But is real peace possible? And more to the point, is a Palestinian State a realizable goal? In the establishment of political theocracies in Arab societies, peace and friendly co-existence with infidels has never been part of their purpose for being. The Arabs have made this abundantly clear, repeatedly issuing fatwas against Israel and inciting the Arab population to violence. If we study the...

Is "political correctness" deliberate lying or voluntary insanity? How do we explain the lie (with no example to support it, and hundreds refuting it) that "Islam is peace"? Without violence, by which it began, spread, and now maintains itself, Islam would be an obscure cult, not a world religion. Islam made "converts" with the sword from France to China. With stunning swiftness and ferocity, Islam’s insatiable sword -- "more rapid than the Roman, more lasting than the Mongol [in] the most amazing feat in military history"1 -- compelled nations to submit to Allah. The massacres were larger in sheer numbers...

If you think this idea is insane, sign your name below opposing the formation of a Palestinian state next door to Israel, with its capital in Jerusalem, for the known murderer Arafat. Same story. Different murderer. Until there are absolutely no more bombings, a Palestinian state anywhere is horrific. Visit this web page and click to "Oppose" the formation of a Palestinian state near Israel: A list of your numbers (no names) will be sent to 459 congresspeople and major news organizations. Get others involved, and attest to your intolerance of the formation of a terrorist state.

Feb. 27, 2003 Sharon to Bush: We, not you, decide Palestinian statehood By GIL HOFFMAN In a lengthy speech introducing his new cabinet to the Knesset, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon confirmed today that the coalition guidelines do not require ministers to support Palestinian statehood. But such a proposal would be put to a vote if a peace agreement is ever reached, Sharon said. He said Israel was ready for "painful compromise" to make peace but would not concede on essential security matters. "A political process for a real peace has to be based on lessons learned," Sharon said. "The people...

Seventy-one percent of Americans believe that the Palestinians should not be given a state, since they have not fulfilled President George W. Bush's conditions for creating a state, which he outlined in his speech of June 24. These were the findings of a poll of 1,000 Americans conducted last week by John McLaughlin and Associates and sponsored by the Zionist Organization of America. Bush's conditions include "fighting terrorism, stopping the promotion of hatred in its media, ending the encouragement of murder in its schools, becoming a democracy, and respecting human rights." Approximately 13% believe the Palestinians have fulfilled these conditions...

TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND Americans also reject giving aide to Arafat government Results of a new national poll indicate 71 percent of Americans oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. A survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by John McLaughlin and Associates also shows that, by large margins, U.S. residents are opposed to giving aid to the Palestinian Authority and are in favor of Palestinian terrorists who kill Americans being handed over to the U.S. for prosecution. The poll was commissioned by the Zionist Organization of America. Other questions in the poll addressed whether Americans believe that the Palestinians' goal...

Jan. 31, 2003 Powell to Palestinians: terror won't produce statehood By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Palestinians on Friday "they cannot get a state by using violence" and that they must install a new leadership. At the same time, he renewed the Bush administration's commitment to resolving the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel, saying it was the most pressing problem in the Middle East. Appearing before a national conference of Americans interested in US foreign policy, Powell said the administration would resume its pursuit of a settlement now that Israel had concluded its...

U.S. WANTS ISRAEL'S ABSOLUTE OK FOR PALESTINIAN STATE JERUSALEM [MENL] -- The United States has asked Israel to relay its unconditional approval for a Palestinian state. The request was disclosed as a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a packed Israeli passenger bus in Jerusalem. At least 11 people killed and more than 40 were injured in the attack. Many of the victims were children on their way to school. Israeli officials said the U.S. request was relayed as part of a revision of the peace plan of the so-called Quartet. The Quartet, comprised of the United States, European Union, Russia...

Israeli leaders responded with concern Wednesday to remarks by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who declared support Tuesday for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and stressed that UN resolutions were binding on all Middle East nations, not only Iraq. Cabinet minister Danny Naveh of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's ruling Likud said Wednesday that he was "disturbed" by British Prime Minister Tony Blair's statements on compliance, and by possible comparisons between Iraq and Israel over the Jewish state's past resistance to certain Security Council resolutions. Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said Wednesday that while he viewed Palestinian independence as...

Jordanian FM: Arab states should join 'Quartet' committee By The Associated Press AMMAN, Jordan - Arab states should be allowed to join the "Quartet" committee charged with trying to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jordan's foreign minister said on Sunday. The so called Quartet comprises the United States, Russia, European Union and United Nations and has been leading recent efforts to end the two-year-long Mideast crisis. Marwan Muasher, the Jordanian foreign minister, said members of an Arab committee, including Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinians, Lebanon, Yemen, Morocco and Bahrain, have requested to join the Quartet. Muasher's call was carried...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration's response to a terror attack in Israel that killed five Americans is focused on diplomacy, with no indication there will be U.S. military retaliation. "We are responding by working with our Arab friends, and Israel of course, to track these people down," President Bush said Thursday. The United States already is at war with terrorists, Bush said. "This bombing in Israel showed how tough it's going to be," he replied when asked if the Americans' deaths took the U.S. fight to a new level. The president did not raise the option of military action...

Thousands Of Arabs Dance In The Streets Following Attack Thousands of Arabs living in PLO-controlled Gaza City took to the streets last night to celebrate the deadly bombing at Hebrew University. Music blared from speakers as Arabs, both young and old danced and sang into the late hours of the night. Several men climbed on to the roof of a car and threw candy into the crowd. The scene was reminiscent of the party that erupted in the Arab street throughout Yesha (Judea, Samaria, and Gaza) following the September 11, 2001 attack on America.

King Abdullah says Arab trust of U.S. is low Tue Jul 30,12:58 PM ET By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON - King Abdullah of Jordan said Tuesday the Arabs have little trust in the United States using its influence to pressure Israel to give up the West Bank, Gaza and part of Jerusalem. In a speech in Aspen, Colorado, the king publicly called on President George W. Bush ( news - web sites) to speed up his three-year timetable for turning over Israeli-held land to the Palestinians for a state. "We need to expedite this target date so that...

King Abdullah to urge Bush to adopt a plan that provides for a Palestinian stateMon Jul 29, 4:42 PM ET By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON - King Abdullah of Jordan will ask President Bush ( news - web sites) on Thursday to adopt a timetable leading to the establishment in three years of a Palestinian state on land held by Israel. The king will also ask that international monitors be stationed in the area to oversee actions by Israel and the Palestinian Authority ( news - web sites) and he may try to discourage Bush from approving an...

Report: Condoleezza Rice rules out Palestinian Authority role in statehood By THE JERUSALEM POST STAFF President George W. Bush plans to outline a new approach this week to reacing a Middle East settlement, including a movement toward setting up a Palestinian state, the Mercury News daily of San Diego has reported. However, the policy, according to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, would not be based on Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, the newspaper said. ``Frankly, the Palestinian Authority, which is corrupt and cavorts with terror . . . is not the basis for a Palestinian state moving forward,'' Rice told the...

Members of Congress and Palestinian leaders on Sunday questioned President Bush's support for an interim Palestinian state and urged stepped-up U.S. peacemaking efforts as Bush waited for the right moment to announce his Mideast plan. Bush and his advisers talked over the weekend about the details and timing of a long-awaiting speech outlining his ideas. White House officials would not rule out an address as early as Monday. Some aides want to see the president deliver it before he leaves Tuesday for a three-day summit in Canada of the world's industrial powers. The core of Bush's plan provisional statehood for...

<p>May 4, 2002 -- President Bush dramatically raised the bar this week on what he expects from any Palestinian state that might arise from Middle East negotiations.</p> <p>"A Palestinian state must be based on the principles that are critical to freedom and prosperity," he said. "Democracy and open markets, the rule of law, transparent and accountable administration and respect for individual liberties and civil society.</p>

King, Bush to discuss creation of Palestinian state — Muasher AMMAN (JT) — His Majesty King Abdullah will discuss early next month with US President George W. Bush a timetable for creating a Palestinian state, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marwan Muasher said on Monday. “His Majesty's visit to the United States ... will be devoted to the clarification of the plan of action that must start soon,” he was quoted by AFP as telling a press conference. Muasher said Bush's “plan of action” should result in the end of the decades long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the...

Christian activists back Israel Tuesday, July 9, 2002 BY DAVE MUNDAY Of The Post and Courier Staff      Christian Coalition President Roberta Combs and local Christian activist Earl Cox teamed up Monday evening to call on Christians to support Israel in its fight against terrorism.      Combs, who is from Hanahan, succeeded Pat Robertson in December as leader of a network that claims 2 million supporters. She's trying to gather 100,000 Christians outside the White House on Oct. 11 to send a message to President Bush that he must not negotiate with Arafat or pressure Israel to trade land for...

World Affairs Brief, June 28, 2002 Copyright Joel Skousen. Partial quotations with attribution permitted. Cite source as Joel Skousen’s World Affairs Brief -- http://www.joelskousen.comExcerpt: THE BUSH MIDDLE EAST POLICY SPEECHPresident Bush emerged this week to deliver his postponed policy speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Full text of GWB speech here] He waited for the briefest possible lull in terror to launch his new initiative, which attempts to please both sides, but provides no realistic solution. In its basic form, it is a typical 'carrot and stick' approach, offering all kinds of financial and other incentives to the Palestinians if they...

Jordan's King Abdullah(L) with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak review Bedouin guards of honor at Amman's military airport June 19, 2002. Both nation's foreign ministers cast doubt on proposals for a provisional Palestinian state being considered by the U.S. and criticized Israel's threat to reoccupy Palestinian land in response to new suicide attacks. Photo by Pool/Reuters Egypt, Jordan condemn Israel's military escalation Wed Jun 19, 1:18 PM ET AMMAN, Jordan - The leaders of Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday condemned Israel's military escalation in response to a Palestinian suicide bombing, with President Hosni Mubarak ( news - web sites) warning Israel...

WASHINGTON -- Back-to-back bombings in Jerusalem prompted President Bush on Wednesday to put his prescription for Palestinian statehood on hold. Bush had hoped to spur Israel and the Palestinian Authority to begin mapping a state with the support of the United States and the world community. But in light of the two Palestinian terror attacks in two days, administration officials said a presidential announcement at this sensitive stage in the Arab-Israeli conflict would be unlikely to have a positive impact. "It's obvious that the immediate aftermath is not the right time," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "The president wants...

<p>In the months that have followed the murderous attacks launched on September 11, President Bush has repeatedly, and correctly, emphasized that the war on terror must be fought both at home and abroad. He has recently underscored his determination to make advances on these two fronts by creating a real capability for homeland defense and by adopting, where necessary, pre-emptive measures against our enemies overseas.</p>

Peres says he expects any U.S. Middle East plan will call for establishing Palestinian state Mon Jun 17, 7:11 AM ET By VESELIN ZHELEV, Associated Press Writer SOFIA, Bulgaria - Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Monday he expected any U.S. peace proposal for the Middle East to include establishment of a Palestinian state and reform of the Palestinian authority ( news - web sites). "We don't expect that it should be a very detailed declaration but it will clearly include a vision that was already announced — namely two states for the two people — the Palestinian state and...

A Palestinian State? Just Say "No" One of the reasons that our nation thrives economically and remains resilient is our willingness to discard outdated policies and theories. After years of appeasement and "detente," President Reagan confronted the "evil empire" and brought about the dissolution of the Soviet bloc. Scientific and medical institutions routinely discard entrenched theories, technologies and treatments after new research either disproves them or offers more efficient and updated modalities. Even in academia where even sillier notions usually replace existing inanities, there is movement for change in regard to bilingual education, "Ebonics" and quotas -- policies that have...