Palestinians pledge to adhere to UN statehood plan (AFP)

RAMALLAH, Palestinian territories (AFP)-the Palestinians will follow their campaign to win UN endorsement for a unilaterally declared State despite U.S. opposition, a senior official Palestinian said.

"Now that (isrælske prime minister) Benjamin Netanyahu has proven that he rejects the peace process, there is no doubt that we must continue the strategic objective to turn to the UN in September," Nabil Shaath, a senior member of the Fatah movement, told AFP late Saturday.

Shaath, a former minister said that the objective of the Palestinians is to win recognition by the world body in their promised mode "in the 1967 borders," refers to the lines that existed before the year the six-day war.

It would mean a Palestinian State in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including annexed Arab isrælsk-East Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, said an official of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Liberation Organization, Yasser Abed Rabbo that Israel had to choose between negotiate on this basis or facing UN recognition of a State on the same lines.

In a keynote policy speech in Washington on Thursday, US President Barack Obama called for a Palestinian State based on 1967 lines, but said the Palestinian bid for UN recognition would bring them sovereignty.

Shortly before flying to Washington for talks with Obama, Netanyahu issued a scathing rejection of the 1967 borders as "reckless."

He demanded that Obama confirm former President George w. Bush's 2004 promise, as the borders of a future Palestinian State would have to recognise the mushrooming of isrælske settlements.

An aide to the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Fatah main described Netanyahu's position as "an official rejection of Mr. Obama initiative, international legitimacy and international law.

 

Palestinians grapple with the opposition plan UNITED NATIONS (AP)

RAMALLAH, West Bank – faced with opposition from the United States, a number of top officials quietly advise Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to drop plans to seek recognition for a State of Palestine in the UN this fall.

Top officials say Abbas remains committed to his plan — a result of the widespread opinion among Palestinians, two decades-and turn on-off negotiations with Israel have run their course, and that the current isrælske leadership is not a partner for peace.

Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press Thursday, said Abbas would like to "climbing from the tree" and find a mutually acceptable formula for restarting the negotiations, preferably based on the ideas presented by President Barack Obama recently.

At the same time, there is a widespread feeling that Abbas has announced his intentions so eye-catching, has left itself with little room to maneuver and can continue with the UN gambit just to avoid loss of credibility.

"We are caught by September," said an official. "We do not know what to do after that."

Concerns reflects a growing recognition of the fact that the project is problematic and the promise of a messy and unclear result which could change a little on the ground — and can backfire politically or even trigger new violence if Palestinians emerge disappointed at the outcome.

That was underscored this week when U.S. officials told a visiting Palestinian delegation to seek UN recognition, in the absence of a peace agreement was a "nonstarter" — in the latest indication that the United States would veto a Security Council decision.

"There is no clear Palestinian options," said Hani Masri, analyst, which is in close contact with Abbas ' inner circle. "Abbas go definitely to the UNITED NATIONS to maintain its credibility. But if there are other chance to come back to negotiations, he will do it ".

The Security Council, the UN's most powerful body, is charged with recommending membership for new Member States in the world body — a necessary step in the process. United States, has as one of five permanent members veto power over Council decisions.

The Palestinians has been to examine alternatives, such as asking the general Assembly, where they enjoy widespread support, on the recognition of a different kind.

The Assembly's decisions are not legally binding, and it has become increasingly clear that the approval would be a little more than a symbolic victory. Late last month said the Assembly's President, Swiss politician, Joseph Deiss, there is no way a Palestinian State could join the UNITED NATIONS without a recommendation from the Security Council.

The Palestinian officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, when they discussed the sensitive negotiations, said a number of top advisers now have second thoughts on the strategy for the United Nations.

They said that among them Yasser Abed Rabbo, the No. 2 official after Abbas of the Palestinian Liberation Organization; Abbas ' Chief negotiator, Saeb fine; and Nasser al-Qidwa, a former Palestinian Envoy to the United Nations and Chief Abbas perfume business.

All three declined comment.

Earlier this week, al-Qidwa recognised borders Abbas ' strategy in a closed collection of prominent Palestinian intellectual.

Al-Qidwa said the Palestinians must continue to try to rally support for their cause in the UNITED NATIONS ", but we should distinguish between download support and obtain recognition. We can not have recognition simply because the United States will veto it, "he said, according to a transcript obtained by The Associated Press.

Setting the UNITED NATIONS is a centerpiece Abbas ' foreign policy since a short-lived round of peace talks collapsed in september last year after the expiry of a isrælsk slowdown in settlement construction.

The Palestinians have demanded a renewed settlement construction freeze in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel counters that the Palestinians have never laid down such a condition before and the issue of settlements should be discussed in the negotiations.

The Palestinians want the UN to approve an independent State within the pre-1967 lines.

Such a vote would have little immediate effect on the Earth, believe the Palestinians will send a strong message to Israel to withdraw. Isræls prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejects a return to the lines before 1967.

Both Obama and France have recently offered similar formulas to restart negotiations, suggesting that the future borders will be based on pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed changes.

The Palestinians have embraced both proposals. Masri, analyst, said he believes they are even prepared to drop their long-standing demand for a full settlement freeze in exchange for the Obama formula. Israel, however, have reacted coolly.

Top Palestinian and isrælske dealers were in Washington this week meeting separately with U.S. officials in search of ways to resume negotiations. There was no word of a breakthrough.

Palestinian foreign minister Riad Malki, Abbas ' point man on the UNITED NATIONS preparations, said the Palestinians "is determined" seeking UN membership in September "unless the negotiations be resumed based on Obama parameters."

 

The Palestinians ' existential struggle

By Hasan Afif El-Hasan

U.S. media intentionally missed the opportunity to provide the public with insightful analysis in the essence of the Palestinian refugees peaceful demonstrations to commemorate the Nakbah "disaster". U.S. media reported thousands of Arab protesters marched on the borders with Syria, Isræls Lebanon and Gaza endorsement clash, left at least 15 people died in "an annual Palestinian ritual mourning the anniversary of the birth of Isræls." Many journalists echoed the isrælske accusations, Damascus and its ally Iran orchestrated unrest. U.S. media and the majority of the US public does not seem to take account of the situation for the Palestinians during the Nakbah when isrælske fighters expelled 750,000 Palestinians from their homes. Israel has been depicted as David, when it had been Goliath since its creation. And for us Christian right believe that Jews are presumed to have the Holy Land to fulfill God's promise in the Bible before bringing on Armageddon, which will cause Jesus to return.

The media failed to inform the public that these demonstrators are Palestinian refugees and their descendants, who had been purified by the Jewish military in 1947-48 from their homes in Palestine, where they, their fathers and grandfathers fine for centuries. And, unfortunately, the Palestinians have taken control of their own national narrative. Murdered Palestinians on May 14 of isrælske Sharpshooters were unarmed disparate refugees seek justice, and Isræls lived up to his brutal attacks. About third countries-the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian catastrophe has the story about ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their ancestral home-soil to know again, because its victims still await justice while the world looks other way.

In 1947-48 ethnic cleansing in Palestine is a crime that has not been treated in the legal area, but it is rooted in memory and consciousness of the Palestinians; and the perpetrators are the Jewish leaders of the "war for independence". The first Prime minister of Israel, Ben-Gurion, said in a speech to the 3 December 1947 Mapai:

"That is not 40%-Jews [Palestinians] in the area allocated to the Jewish State Such demographic balance questions. our ability to maintain Jewish sovereignty.Only one State with at least 80% of Jews are a viable and stable state. " He wrote in his book, rebirth and destiny, "Haganah … liberated Tiberia, and Haifa, Jaffa, and Safad.So on the day of fate [May 14 1948] as part of Palestine which the Haganah could operate was almost clear of Arabs [cleaned]. "

The cleaning was discussed, planned and optimized in David Ben-Gurion home. The isrælske historian, Simcha Flapan, wrote that "ad hoc cabal assembled for the sole purpose of image and design the fixed network of the Palestinians." This group, which included top-ranking leaders of the future state of Israel, Yigael Yadin, Moshe Dayan, Yigal Allon and Yitzhak Sadeh, drew the ethnic cleansing plans and supervision of their execution.

According to historian Meir Pail was military orders sent on 10 March 1948 to the Jewish units on the ground to prepare systematic expulsion of Palestinians from large areas of the country. Orders came with a detailed description of the methods used to remove the power of the people. These included large-scale intimidation, about the siege and bombard villages and population centres, setting fire to houses, property and goods, expulsion, demolition, and finally, planting mines among rubble to prevent any of the expelled inhabitants back.

Military units led by Moshe Kalman cleaned area of Safad Moshe Carmel, who later served as Minister for transport, uprooted most of Galilee, and future Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin cleared Lydda, Ramla and West jerusalem area from their original Palestinian people. Shimon Avidan, Commander of the Givati Brigade cleaned hundreds of villages and towns in the South. The perpetrators, which is called by isrælerne as "war of independence Heroes" not only cleaned but also committed some of the worst atrocities, accompanied by systematic weakening of the Palestinians.

From Isræls first days, its leaders are not acting according to the human ethics seeks compromise and peace. After the triumph in the 1967 war was Prime minister Golda Meir on the Palestinians ' rights. Her response was "what are you talking about? There are no Palestinians. "

International treaties have designated ethnic cleansing as a crime against humanity, which require special international tribunals to judge those accused if they have planned and carried out acts of ethnic cleansing. A special international criminal court was created in Håg against the former Yugoslavia leaders to prosecute the offenders and criminals and also in Arusha, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

The majority of the Palestinians today are refugees and will never be a solution to the Palestinian issue without addressing their right to return, but all the isrælske parties position is clear, "not the right of return for Palestinian refugees".
The ongoing Palestinian struggle with isrælerne is existential. The Palestinians wasted decades pinning hopes for achieving peace with justice in Washington without realizing that there is no moral political leadership in the United States when dealing with the Palestinian question. Israel has gotten his way to commit serious violations of international law and shall be screened by the U.S. veto any UN Security Council's condemnation. United States has defended Israel, while it has engaged with slow ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem, the colonization of the West Bank, the destruction of the Gaza Strip and hunger of the population is 1.5 million.

United States has the power to promote and enforce specific proposals for changing the Palestinians ' situation peacefully. But it is painful, there is no hope that comes along an American President who actually means to use his immense power, not because it will do him no political gains or get him votes, or new friends among the ultra-rightwing isrælske followers or the American Christian rightbut just because it is the right thing to do.

-Hasan Afif El-Hasan is a political analyst. His latest book, is the two-State solution already dead? (Algora Publishing, New York). He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

 

Palestinians set up at UN statehood bid in September (Reuters)

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)-the Palestinians will seek recognition as a UN Member State in September, where out of the impasse in the U.S.-mediated peacemaking with Israel, a senior Palestinian official said on Saturday.

Nabil Shaath called on President Barack Obama on Thursday criticized the planned step general Assembly UNITED NATIONS join those countries that have already endorsed a Palestinian State, taking account of the isrælsk-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Another Palestinian official, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said the drive to gain status as a State unilaterally could have same Israel must accept the requirement to extend a freeze of its settlement of the occupied territories, so that negotiations can resume.

But such approximation seen highly unlikely after the isrælske prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hosted in Washington on Friday, sparred with Obama over a new U.S. calls for the future Palestinian State to have an edge approximation in the West Bank border before Israel captured it in the 1967 war.

"Of course we want to go to the United Nations," said Shaath, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Reuters.

"Especially after Netanyahu used old pretext that he must be defended borders you can keep stealing our land, control the Jordan Valley and creating demographic facts on the ground." Diplomats see majority support for the Palestinians in the UN's general Assembly. But State vote would have first to be approved in the Security Council, where the United States--which insists on a negotiated peace agreement--have a veto.

"We urge President Obama to recognize the Palestinian State on the 1967 borders," said Shaath. "We are the United Nations in September, using all non-violent means."

"SYMBOLIC ACTS"

Isrælske defence minister Ehud Barak, who had earlier warned his countrymen that a pro-Palestinian "diplomatic tsunami" would Crest, welcomed Obama remarks on UN lobbying.

"The President has deleted September issue. It is very important, "Barak told channel two tv Isræls.

In February the United States struck down the Security Council proposals that would have branded the West Bank settlements as illegal. Analysts, noting that the other 14 Council members voted for, said the Palestinians seemed to be signaling that Washington was out of step with an international consensus.

Delivers a greater Middle East policy speech on Thursday, Obama warned Palestinians against "efforts to delegitimise Israel." He added: "symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September may not be able to create an independent State".

Obama questioned power-share deal forged last month between Abbas's Fatah faction and armed, rival Hamas Islamists who control Gaza and spurn the Jewish State viability.

But Palestinians, who long have complained about isrælske unilateralism, was encouraged by Obama's vision of borders ", based on 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps".

Israel denies Palestinian claims to the whole of their territory, which was previously held by Jordan, and now is peppered with Jewish settlements. Gaza, second half of the Palestinian polity, was evacuated of isrælerne in 2005.

Abbas spokesman Abu Rdainah said Palestinians preferred to pursue peace with Israel looks rather to the United Nations.

"Our position is to allow until September, to go back to the negotiating table based on a halt to the settlements," he said. "It would be our first choice."

(Written by Dan Williams; Editing by Alison Williams)

View the original article here

The Palestinians are more sceptical about Middle East talks (AP)

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Palestinian officials said Saturday that Isræls dismissive response to President Barack Obama new Middle East peace proposal evidence there is not enough common ground for meaningful negotiations.

Despite these skepticism seemed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas not hurry to announce his next move. He instructed his advisers to avoid public comment, probably to keep attention focused on isrælske prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there seems to be set on a collision course with Obama.

The US President said this week that isrælsk-Palestinian borders negotiations should be based on Isræls before the 1967 war lines with mutually agreed land swaps, adopt a formal long sought by the Palestinians but rejected by Netanyahu.

Finally, presents his own vision of the rough outlines of a peace agreement, pace Obama deeper into the Middle East struggle after more than two years on the sidelines. But he does not submit an action plan with his ideas, and responses from both sides announced that the chances of renewal talks largely on hold since 2008, still more remote.

Obama and Netanyahu is to resolve quietly lobbying group AIPAC on Sunday and Monday, respectively. The isrælske leader are planning also to deal with Congress on Tuesday. White House spokesman has said Obama will talk about the strong ties between Israel and the United States, but does not deliver a policy speech.

Strain in the relationship was apparent Friday after a two-hour White House meeting between Obama and Netanyahu. In the tv cameras, Netanyahu at times seemed to lecture Obama, and suggested the President's ideas are unrealistic, fail to say that "peace based on illusions" quickly.

Among Abbas ' senior aides, meanwhile, seemed to be some disagreement over tactics.

Chief negotiator Saeb fine said it is best for the Palestinians to keep quiet and let Netanyahu make the speech.

"We accept two States based on 1967 lines with agreed swaps ... and we wish Mr. Netanyahu say this sentence," said fine. "We hope to hear it in Congress on AIPAC in Hebrew, Arabic, Dutch, English, in all languages."

Well said it is too early to talk about what you should do if Obama fails to renew peace talks. Abbas ' aides have prepared to bypass the negotiations with a bid in September to win's recognition of a State in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

Another senior aide, Nabil Shaath, said he expects Abbas to renew his support for the UNITED NATIONS in the coming days — unless Obama somehow persuades Netanyahu to change course and accept the 1967 borders as a baseline.

"It is very clear that Obama attempts (to restart negotiations) was shot down by Mr. Netanyahu," said Shaath Saturday, add, unless there is an isrælsk reversal, "we will continue our work until September and will continue to search countries recognize Palestine."

It is unlikely Netanyahu will change course when he responds to a right-wing coalition home and told Obama Friday, to the 1967 borders would be "reckless." Netanyahu did not touch on the idea of swaps, which likely will allow Israel to annex parts of the West Bank with large Jewish settlements, provided it compensates the Palestinians with the same amount of isrælske soil.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said he is willing to resume negotiations, but Abbas said he did not make it, as long as Israel to stop building homes for Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Obama speech on Thursday, Abbas has since been consulting with Arab Foreign Ministers on the phone and heading to Jordan Saturday for talks with King Abdullah II. He is also to meet with the leaders of the PLO and his Fatah movement and has requested a meeting of Arab League Foreign Ministers later this month, said fine.

Obama has warned the Palestinians that a UNITED NATIONS bid would not get them a State.

But Abbas may not interrupt the move because of growing expectations at home, said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Executive Committee, the PLO. "I personally predict public is committed to the United Nations," said Ashrawi. "Netanyahu managed to undermine every single attempt to engage in serious negotiations".

There seems to be some confusion over what the UN's general Assembly be able to offer the Palestinians, if a recognition bid is the veto of the United States in the Security Council. An internal Palestinian document said the Palestinians should then ask the general Assembly to establish a UNITED NATIONS trusteeship in the isrælsk-occupied territories, while Shaath suggested the Palestinians at best could win an upgraded observer status.

In Israel, senior officials played down the potential damage isrælsk-US relations after the clash in Obama peace vision.

"I believe that when we hear all the details, it would be clear that the meeting was less dramatic than it was done," defense minister Ehud Barak, a centrist, told Israel television channel 2. "I do not think the President said you must go back to the ' 67 lines. He said you have to talk about borders on the basis of ' 67 lines with the relevant swaps. "

Netanyahu's blunt rejection of much Obama vision seemed still to further isolate Israel.

The Quartet of Middle East negotiators include the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia said it supports the President's parameters and is in "full agreement on the urgent need" to solve the isrælsk-Palestinian conflict.

___

 

Palestinians seek Arab consultation on Obama speech (Reuters)

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)-Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the Arab League Saturday to call for a discussion of President Barack Obama's vision of peace with Israel, a Palestinian official said.

The meeting will probably take place monthly at the end, said the official. Abbas has previously consulted with the Arab League on when designing Palestinian strategy vis-à-vis Israel, with which negotiations have been stalled since last year.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta)

 

Palestinians ask Subaru to act against spoof ad (AFP)

JERUSALEM (AFP)-the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday urged the isrælske branch of the Japanese automaker Subaru to act after an apparent parody ad showed one of their cars hit Palestinian young people.

The presumed ad, which appeared on multiple Web sites showed a familiar picture of a isrælsk settler leader running against stone-throwing boys in East Jerusalem last year in his Subaru vehicle.

Subject of the scene was the Hebrew slogan: "see who is going to be on your way ..."

"It is not clear whether this is a real advertising or whether a person is to make use of the Subaru logo" Palestinian Government statement said.

Nevertheless, they said, they had written for Subaru, invite them to take measures against this "terrible use of an image."

"We call on them to take all necessary steps to stop the spread of this abhorrent and disgraceful ad and condemn it," said the letter.

Subarus had Tel Aviv an immediate reaction.

The image came from an incident in October in which settler leader David Beeri hit and lightly wounded two masked stone-throwing boys, aged 10 and 11 of flashpoint Silwan neighbourhood in East Jerusalem.

The event was recorded by photographers and journalists who were there to cover the unrest, which often accompany Friday prayers.

 

Palestinians nix us bid to avoid UN settlement vote (AFP)

RAMALLAH, Palestinian territories (AFP) – the Palestinians have refused a compromise offered by Washington to revoke a UN resolution condemning the Jewish settlements, Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Thursday.

The resolution, are debated by the UN Security Council last Friday, contains a condemnation of Jewish settlement is built on occupied Palestinian land and calls to be stopped.

United States, who regularly uses its Security Council veto to stop anti-isrælske initiatives, has promised to oppose the resolution, and instead proposed a non-binding declaration condemning settlement activity.

"The American administration, through its United Nations Ambassador (Susan Rice), submitted a proposal to the Palestinian Ambassador and Arab Group to refrain from asking the Security Council to condemn and demand an end to isrælske settlements in the Palestinian territories, in particular in East Jerusalem," Maliki told AFP, say they refused the offer.

"Instead of a vote on the resolution the Security Council would issue non-binding declaration solid reject settlement activity and criticise the positions, in particular its Isræls failure to apply the roadmap," said he reference 2003 peace plan published by the Middle East Quartet.

Statement proposed would also put out the Security Council's readiness to send UN envoys "to explore close to realities on the ground", he added.

But the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas Thursday promised they would press ahead with the resolution, which was filed last month, representatives of the Arab countries.

"We want the Security Council so that it adopts a resolution demanding that Israel halt settlement activity," he said Thursday at a joint press conference with East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta.

"We hoped that the Quartet would the public a balanced statement speaks of 1967 and on security, but that does not happen, then, we have asked the Security Council to call on Israel to cease its settlement activity, a requirement that is done many times by the American Government," he said.

The resolution condemns the isrælske settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in line with the policy of the international community, including the United States.

Washington, however, against the resolution, the only way to solve such problems is through negotiations.

World powers currently seek ways to make Israel and Palestinians back to the negotiating table after talks broke in late 2010 in a dispute over Jewish settlement construction.

The Palestinians--who observer status without voting rights at the United Nations--is refusing to resume the negotiations, while Israel is based on the country they wish for their future State, but efforts to convince Israel to impose a new ban has failed.