Turkey's Gul: Hamas must recognise the Isræls right to exist (Reuters)

ISTANBUL (Reuters)-Turkey's President Abdullah Gul has urged the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas to recognise Israel's right to exist, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

In an interview a day after the United States's President Barack Obama gave a speech on the Middle East, yellow also hailed Obama's reference to the creation of a Palestinian State based on the Isræls the pre-1967 borders as "a very important step."

Turkey has considered Hamas as a key factor in the Middle East peace process, when it won the Palestinian elections in 2006.

Yellow said President Obama "has a point" when he said in his speech that Israel could not be expected to negotiate with a body that does not recognize Israel's right to exist.

Asked if he was willing to press Hamas on this issue, Gul said, "I have already advised them."

In a meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Ray in Ankara in 2006 Yellow said he told Ray, "you must be a rational" about recognise Israel's right to exist.

Gul said he believed Hamas was prepared to recognise Israel in pre-1967 borders, but want to happen at the same time with Isræls recognition of a Palestinian State.

Ankara's ties with former close ally Israel broke over its military operation in the Gaza Strip in 2008 and hostility was fueled by a isrælsk commando raid on the aid flotilla, which killed nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists in May last year.

Turkey has demanded that Israel end its blockade of the Gaza Strip and its aggressive stance on the Palestinian issue has created tensions between Ankara and Washington.

The paper said Obama speech was interpreted by Turkish officials as a significant if nuanced change.

Yellow also welcome Obama promise on debt relief and aid to Egypt and Tunisia as they struggle in the wake of popular revolutions. But he said much larger scale "Marshall Plan" for the Middle East was necessary.

Such a fund should be run by the World Bank and drawing on contributions from countries in the region, as well as from traditional donors in the West, say yellow.

(Writing by Daren Butler)

 

Hamas carries out isrælske collaborator in Gaza (AFP)

GAZA city, Palestinian territories (AFP) – Gaza Hamas rulers on Wednesday executed a Palestinian convicted of collaboration with Israel, the Interior Ministry said, in what was the first of the implementation for one year.

The man was referred to as only a.s., was executed by firing squad after being convicted on April 19, Hamas-Run Ministry said.

"This morning we executed A.S., which was condemned for collaboration with Israel," it said, adding that the death penalty was carried out in accordance with the law and after approval from the authorities in Gaza.

"He was sentenced to death by firing squad on 19. April by a military court in Gaza City, "said the statement, without giving further information about the details of his conviction.

The last time the Gaza Hamas rulers made a death sentence against Palestinians accused of collaboration was in April 2010, when the two men executed by firing squad--in what was the first of the implementation since the Islamists took power in 2007.

A month later, say three more people were executed on charges not related to cooperation, human rights groups.

Palestinian legislation all punishable by death is cooperation with Israel, murder and drug trafficking.

By law, all execution of orders must be approved by the Palestinian President before they can be implemented, but Hamas no longer recognises the legitimacy of Mahmud Abbas, whose four-year term ended in 2009.

In recent months, Hamas arrested several alleged collaborators and warned it would prosecute any "a traitor" working for the Jewish State.

March 30, a Gaza Military Court sentenced a man to death and sentenced another to 15 years of forced labour for collaborating with Israel. Both sentences are subject to appeal.

Isrælske security forces routinely use Palestinian informers to thwart militant attacks and assist in the murder of top militant.

 

Hamas unit bids on Netanyahu's European agenda (Reuters)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – isrælske prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to use a visit to the United Kingdom and France to produce the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Unit deal with Hamas Islamists as a blow to the already dim prospects for peace.

Netanyahu is due to hold talks in London with British Prime minister David Cameron on Wednesday and now French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Thursday.

It will be the isrælske leader first trip abroad since the surprise announcement last week that Abbas and his long time rival Hamas had agreed to a unity Pact that foresees the formation of a transitional Government and the Palestinian elections this year.

"This is a major problem and raises all kinds of questions, and that the question will be very much on the table," said isrælske government official Tuesday.

"If (the Palestinians) want for a unity Government with Hamas, there is no doubt, is a step in the wrong direction--a very negative steps."

Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip from the Fatah movement Abbas's in 2007, calls for the Isræls destruction in its founding Charter, although it has offered a long-term truce in exchange for a Palestinian State.

Israel refuses to negotiate with Hamas, and the United States and the European Union also shun group over its refusal to renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept the existing temporary isrælsk-Palestinian peace agreements.

"Of course, we want to process with the Palestinians to move forward, but until now was their refusal to engage in a problem and now their decision to bring in Hamas, antithesis peace, further exacerbated a negative situation," the official said isrælskeprovides an overview of Netanyahu's position.

In Paris, Sarkozy told L'Express weekly, he will press for the launch of a new isrælsk-Palestinian peace process until Palestinian leaders would ask the UN's general Assembly in September to recognize State on all the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"We will take an initiative before the summer with the Europeans, to restart, together with the Americans, the peace process," said Sarkozy. "France wants the peace process must be restarted before the difficult's meeting in September."

Sarkozy said he hoped he would hear back Netanyahu the Palestinians ' right to State.

"My whole life has been a friend of Israel, but there will be no security for Israel without a viable, democratic and modern Palestinian State."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday that the United Kingdom welcomed the deal to end the feud between the factions.

"Of course, plenty of detail must be drawn up and we will judge all by their actions and intentions. We will continue to work closely together on this, "said Håg during a visit to Cairo.

TALKS FIZZLE

U.S.-supported isrælsk-Palestinian negotiations on a lasting peace agreement was revived in September, but quickly became less likely after Netanyahu refused to extend a limited moratorium on construction in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-isrælske war and wanted by the Palestinians as part of a future Member State.

Palestinian leaders have defended unit agreement, said reconciliation with Hamas, reflects a deep-seated public wants to end the internal differences.

The new Government, they said, would be composed of a Europe of Nations and the peace negotiations with Israel would remain Abbass Palestine Liberation organisation, as Hamas does not hear the responsibility.

On Sunday, blocked in response to the step unit Israel transfer of 105 million dollars in customs duties and other charges which are collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, a Abbass probably will be raised in the British and French conversations Move.

Palestinian unit also could help bolster an expected bid by Abbas to win's recognition of a Palestinian State in September, Washington had set a deadline for a peace agreement when negotiations was revived briefly eight months ago.

Israel has mounting a diplomatic drive against any UN statehood ratification.

Netanyahu is due to address a joint meeting of the United States's Congress in three weeks, and is designed to focus on the regional upheaval, Iran's nuclear programme and the Palestinian question. He gave no specific details about what he will say.

(Additional reporting by Catherine Bremer in Paris; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

 

United Kingdom criticize Hamas ' sorrow bin Laden (AFP)

LONDON (AFP)-foreign minister William Hague on Tuesday criticized the militant Islamic movement Hamas for mourning for Osama bin Laden's death.

After Al-Qaeda Chief was killed by American forces, the leader of the Hamas Government in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniya, said: "we condemn any killing of a sacred Warrior or a Muslim and Arab person and we ask God to bestow his mercy upon him."

Speaking a day before the isrælske prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit to United Kingdom for talks, told Håg House that he trøde on device offers welcome to killings would help the peace process in the stalled Middle East peace process.

Håg said: "it would help to cause if it was possible to display across many different divides in the world very unit about what happened on Sunday evening and the removal of the author of some of the world's biggest terrorist acts from the scene.

"It would have been better for Hamas to join in the Welcome to which it would have been a leap forward in the peace process itself."

Netanyahu will hold talks with Prime minister David Cameron on Wednesday and is expected to point to a reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah Western-supported his efforts to block UN recognition of a Palestinian State.

Netanyahu on Tuesday called on the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas "totally cancel the" reconciliation trade with Hamas, which was signed in Cairo earlier in the day, and warned it was a "hard" of the peace process.