Abbas says talks with Hamas have failed

AP through Yahoo! News ^ | 06/05/06 | AP

[The Blitherer]

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Moderate Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said Monday talks aimed at getting the Hamas-led government to implicitly recognize Israel have failed to produce agreement and he will now call a national referendum on the issue, a participant said.

"The dialogue has ended without results and we have no choice but to go ahead with a referendum," Khalda Jara of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian cited Abbas as telling participants at a meeting of Palestinian factions that included Hamas. She told The Associated Press that Abbas did not immediately set a date.

[Honestfreedom]

I fail to see the significance. Abbas is the lamest of lame ducks. That seems like the equivalent of Jimmy Carter calling a referendum in 1981.

[Enchante]

"Moderate Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas"

Oh, yeah, the great MODERATE Abbas..... moderate only compared to genocidal Hamas. Abbas merely wants to annihilate Jews more slowly, Hamas would prefer to do it all today if they could. Amazing that the MSM can dare to use the word 'moderate' for anyone associated with Fatah, etc. Guess he's just a 'militant' too......

[kinoxi]

as if thousands of armed militia didn't already say it...

[MPJackal]

I'd say it may be very significant. If the majority of Palis refuse to recognize Israel, it will be hard for the rest of the world to deny the truth.

[samadams2000]

Is their no George Washington among them???...(that of course is a giant joke)

[traderrob6]

If nothing else it will bring to light that the majority of Palestinians DO NOT want to recognise Israel thus removing the veil and exposing their true sentiments for all the world to see.

[romanesq]

Disagree. Very smart move by the Pallie Thug Authority over the Pallie Thug Beards.

They are going over their heads with a referendum that will make Hamas extinct.
Hamas knows it and doesn't want to have a vote make their existence worthless.

Hamas won based on the corruption of the Arafat thugs, but it wasn't a desire to return to the stone age. Pallies aren't that crazy.

[The Blitherer]

Yeah, but it will get Abbas off the hook with the international community. Additionally, even if Palestinians vote to recognize Israel in theory, it won't change anything in practice since Hamas is still in power and as an organization will never recognize Israel. Israel will continue to reject any talks with Hamas and the Left will have another reason to claim that the Palestinians just want peace and Israel is the source of all trouble in the Middle East.

[yellowdoghunter]

I agree. Let them have a vote. It is time for every Palestinian to be put on record as to whether they really want peace or not.

But, some would say they cast that vote when they voted for Hamas.

Also, a civil war may be unavoidable in deciding this issue.

[Enchante]

Yeah, well Yassir Arafart was almost their George Washington, except for the small matters of decades of terrorism, embezzling billions of aid dollars, founding and leading organizations of depraved genocidal thugs, etc. Aside from a few such minor flaws he could almost be called "the George Washington of Palestine."

[MrCruncher]

The rest of the world has been denying the truth for a long.

I expect nothing different.

[MPJackal]

Can't say I give a rats ass if they have a civil war. I hope both sides achieve total annihilation of each other. It's a win, win, win situation.

[thoughtomator]

The significance is that if they don't come to terms they will start shooting at each other in earnest.

Personally, I think both sides would be doing us a favor if it came to that!

[kinoxi]

I think the Pallies are crazy.

[MrCruncher]

Our boy Arafart is the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE Prize winner of "Palestine."

[romanesq]

I disagree. They are not all crazy. Evidence is shown in the reported 90% favorability to agree to two states paralleling the 1967 borders.

That shows the potential for the basis of an agreement. Not saying it will happen but if that is in fact true, it shows they are not represented by any of the powers that have been controlling them for decades including Hamas.

Abbas seems to know this and is playing the best card possible. Now if he can pull it off is something entirely different.

What Abbas has done is close to desperate. It would be similar to someone in the House proposing a referandum on immigration in order to stop the elites from ramming that Senate garbage down our throats.

You think the elites here would like to see that?

[lesser_satan]

Israel should do everything they can to foment a civil war in the PA. Let them slaughter each other by the thousands until they're either sick and tired of killing or there's nobody left. Either outcome would be quite acceptable to me.

[Bahbah]

Moderate Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas

Moderate compared to what! It's going to have to be something worse than Hitler.

[FreedomNeocon]

The difference is the clarity.

No more of this two-faced Arafat-speak where you can take diametrically opposite points of view simultaneously.

The people chose Hamas, and they had to deal with the consequences.

Now 'the people' will get to vote on weather to recognize Israel, because they can't come to an agreement (which would help release some of the aid they so desperately want)

Good outcome or bad outcome... honestly, I prefer either to the phony fantasy-land the whole situation existed in for over a decade.