Posted on 11/27/2006 11:48:17 AM PST by Alouette
Chaim Oron, who supports release of former Fatah secretary-general jailed in Israel, serving for several months now as mediator conveying messages to help maintain PA stability, strengthen moderate elements
Attila Somfalvi Published: 11.27.06, 21:06
After two years of being one of the well-kept secret in the political and diplomatic arena, the diplomatic activity of Knesset Member Chaim Oron (Meretz) was revealed Monday evening.
Oron has been mediating for two years now between former Fatah Secretary-General Marwan Barghouti, who is jailed in Israel , and the Prime Minister's Office.
He visited Barghouti several times in the past, and has become the confidant and faithful man of Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert and has conveyed messages from them to Barghouti and back.
Oron has also helped senior Palestinians wishing to visit Barghouti at the prison to receive permits from the Israel authorities, in a bid to reach a calm in the Palestinian street and maintain the stability and the control of the moderates in the street and in politics.
Oron has been operating independently, but over time has more than once led to a calm in the relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Oron's activity has been known by different elements for a while now, but was kept a secret.
Sources in the Israeli Left, including Chaim Oron, believe that Barghouti's release from the Israeli jail will bring about a calm and will enable reaching an agreement with the Palestinians.
Ready for a serious dialogue?
The same sources believe that Barghouti has changed since being jailed in Israel and that he has become more moderate and is ready for a serious and significant dialogue.
Barghouti's name was raised by PA senior officials as a person who must be included in the prisoner exchange deal for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
During a meeting last summer with MK Talab El-Sana, Barghouti said that he anticipates that if senior Palestinian prisoners are not released as part of the deal, this may lead to additional kidnappings.
Barghouti claimed in the same conversation that the Israeli government was responsible for the abductions. According to him, had Israel agreed to release Samir Kuntar, there would have been no kidnappings in Lebanon , and had it released Palestinian prisoners, it would have strengthened Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and prevented Shalit's kidnapping.
Barghouti added that "just as Gilad Shalit is important to his family and his country, so is every Palestinian prisoner.
According to him, it has already been proven that the prisoners are the Palestinians' real leaders, as they were the only ones who could have formulated the prisoners' document , which became the source of unity among the Palestinians.
He said that any real move must receive the blessing of the Palestinian prisoners, and therefore it is expected that a prisoner exchange deal for Shalit's release will also include senior Palestinian prisoners, otherwise it would lead to additional abductions.
Marwan Barghouti is a "moderate" like Charlie Manson is a "peace activist."
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Yeah, right! Barghouti is a terrorist and a murderer. If the Israelis are actually negotiating with him and end up letting him go free as part of some sort of misguided prisoner/hostage swap, then the government of Israel has become nothing but an engine of appeasement.
Like I said in my comments on another posting, I think Olmerde is surpassing Chamberlain and Daladier. Even Chamberlain woke up a bit after the March '39 takeover of the Czech rump state and started UK defense production increases and saw that Adolf wasn't someone any sane person could do business with (Stalin thought he could, but Stalin wasn't sane, he was a psycopathic murderer even worse than Hitler since he had more years to work his evil).
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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