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Roadmap to peace in Israel finished- Abbas resigns

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by underoverup, Sep 6, 2003.

  1. underoverup

    underoverup Member

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    Is there about to be a new round of complete chaos in Israel?-- I think the answer is yes.

    Palestinian PM submits resignation

    The power struggle appears to be coming to a head
    Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has submitted his resignation to Yasser Arafat, following a power struggle between the two men.

    Mr Abbas - also known as Abu Mazen - offered to stand down before beginning a closed-door meeting with MPs in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

    Palestinian officials denied earlier reports that Mr Arafat had already accepted the resignation, saying the Palestinian leader was still considering it.

    Yasser Arafat will be left in charge and, for both Washington and Ariel Sharon's government, that is unacceptable.

    Israel said it was monitoring the developments, but would not accept "control over the Palestinian Authority [reverting] back to Yasser Arafat or one of his loyalists".

    British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the situation had "grave" implications for the peace process.

    "It is a further difficulty, a huge tragedy, that the Palestinians should be so divided," Mr Straw said.

    Last Sunday, US envoy John Wolf reportedly warned Palestinian officials that Washington would "not allow the fall of the Abbas government".

    Credibility 'undermined'

    In submitting his resignation, Mr Abbas may be hoping Mr Arafat will bow to international pressure and bring him back - or bring in another prime minister with more authority.

    Mr Arafat has refused to hand over crucial powers to Mr Abbas, limiting his ability to control militant violence and doing nothing to bolster his standing among ordinary Palestinians.

    Mahmoud Abbas has staked his credibility on its success and the renewed violence has undermined his position, our correspondent adds.

    Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi said the way forward should not concentrate on "power struggles" but on "how to build a system of government that will empower Palestinians to deal with external challenges".

    'Tainted by terrorism'

    In a speech to MPs reviewing his first 100 days in office on Thursday, Mr Abbas publicly admitted rifts with the Palestinian leader.

    "Either provide the possibility of strong support for carrying out [the mandate] or you can take it back," he said.

    Wrangling between Arafat and Abbas has helped stall the roadmap
    Mr Arafat still largely controls the Palestinian Authority's security services and Mr Abbas wanted that control transferred to him so that he could tackle militant groups.

    Mr Abbas was appointed prime minister after the US refused to deal with Mr Arafat, describing him as a leader "tainted by terrorism".

    Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers agreed on Saturday to take the first step towards outlawing the political wing of Hamas as a terrorist organisation, diplomats said.

    Ministers - meeting in the Italian resort of Lake Garda - had agreed to ask a group of intelligence services from all 25 EU members and future member states to examine the militant group and make recommendations.

    Commenting on the latest political crisis, the EU expressed deep concern at the "serious risk of dangerous instability" at the head of the Palestinian leadership.

    The EU, along with the US, the UN and Russia makes up the "quartet" of mediators in the Middle East peace process. Plans have been announced to bring the four parties together for a meeting on 22 September.
     
  2. Surfguy

    Surfguy Contributing Member

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    I think Arafat should either be killed or be expelled. I'm tired of his sickly old ass getting in the way of everything. Arafat accepted Abbas's resignation so the roadmap is definitely dead. No Palestine state while Arafat is in control. The way it should be. He chose terrorism over his own prime minister. Let them all live with this bad decision I guess.

    Surf
     
  3. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
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    Sharon, Hamas and company got what they wanted.

    This really sux. Big time. And someone will no doubt bump off Abbas for good measure as a "collaborator".
    Great. And the new "Berlin Wall" will keep going up and the States will do nothing.
     
  4. glynch

    glynch Contributing Member

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    Sadly Abbas appears to have been largely an Israeli/ American wish. He is an uncharismatic long time assistant of Arafat with little independent political support. One article I read said showed that he had the support of only 15% of Palestinians. Like it or not, Arafat is the George Washington of the Palestinian people and enjoys overwhelming support.

    I'm not saying Abbas isn't a nice guy and perhaps it wouldn't be better if he was the George Washington of the Palestinians. He just isn't.

    Reports I read were that Arafat and some of the Palestinians were willing to put Abbas forward in the hope that this would lead to some real movement by Israel and their US patrons.

    The Sharon types have long been looking for a Palestininian who will do a deal for less land and less real characcteristics of a real , independent country than Arafat and the vast majority of Palestinians will agree to now. Israel fights on for a bit more land and less sovereignity for the eventual Palestinian State.

    Many reports are that since Sharon has been prevented by Bush and international opinion from assasinating Arafat, he will exile Arafat. Sharon and Bush can get then perhaps get Abbas, but this may not work out for them. Often occupying pwers try to exile the real freedom leader, but often the deposed real leader or his movement returns to eventual power one the occupier tires.

    Most likely another leader with more support among the Palestinians will just arise to fight for a real Palestinian state. If he comes from the politcal wing of Hamas, or is deemed unmalleable most likely Sharon will continue with the serial assasination of Palestinian leaders hoping to wear them down.
     
  5. Franchise2001

    Franchise2001 Contributing Member

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    Arafat is a freaking joke. He has stolen everything away from the Palestinian people. Their money and hopes of peace with Israel.

    Abbas was just a puppet of Arafat and this proves it.

    Honestly, why do the Palestinians support Arafat so much? He's worth billions of dollars, he's from Egypt, and all he brings them is death and poverty.
     
  6. underoverup

    underoverup Member

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    I try so hard to learn and understand the problems in Israel and I am just continually left baffled by the policies and actions of those in power. It is as if they want war and nothing else, I think we are missing some political sub-plot in which conflict creates some sort of stability that is only understood in the Middle East. Sometimes, often actually I think the leaders of both sides are looking for a form of justified genocide-- what else could they be after?
     
  7. underoverup

    underoverup Member

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    Both sides sound ready for full scale attacks again-- it was only a matter of time I guess. :(

    Israel Closes West Bank and Gaza Strip

    By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer

    JERUSALEM - Hamas leaders are "marked for death" and won't have a moment's rest, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) warned Sunday, after Israel failed in an attempt to kill the top echelon of Hamas with a 550-pound bomb dropped on a Gaza City apartment. Israel also closed the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites).

    In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said Sunday that the next Palestinian prime minister needs clear control over security forces to crack down on terrorist groups or progress on plan for Mideast peace will stall.

    "That person has to have political authority and the determination to go after terrorism," Powell said. Otherwise, he said, the new Palestinian leader will be unable to restore life to the U.S.-developed peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians, known as the road map.

    Hamas threatened unprecedented revenge for Saturday's strike, with spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantisi saying Israel had "opened the gates of hell" with the attack on Hamas founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who escaped with a minor injury.

    Israel declared a high security alert and imposed a blanket closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Security officials said the Shin Bet security service tightened protection of Israeli leaders.

    Sharon told the Yediot Ahronot newspaper that Israel's campaign against militants would continue.

    "They are marked for death," Sharon was quoted as saying, referring to Hamas leaders. "We won't give them a moment's rest. We will continue to hunt them because they have only one objective: the destruction of Israel."

    In the West Bank, the search began for a successor to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who resigned Saturday after a debilitating power struggle with Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).

    Arafat has not yet accepted the resignation in writing, as required by law, but told Palestinian lawmakers he considered Abbas' Cabinet a caretaker government, implying recognition of the resignation. On Sunday, however, Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the leader hoped to persuade Abbas — also known as Abu Mazen — to remain and form a new government.

    "Abu Mazen remains Arafat's first choice. But if he insists on maintaining his resignation, there will be a new appointment, and that will be discussed now and tomorrow," Abu Rdeneh said, emerging from a closed-door meeting where Arafat and leaders of his Fatah (news - web sites) movement were discussing options. "Within 48 hours, we will reach a conclusion."

    Abbas insisted his decision was final on Saturday and told a confidant he felt abandoned by all sides and was deeply hurt. But a source close to Abbas said Sunday he might serve again if he reached a firm agreement with Arafat on his powers and on the cmoposition of the government beforehand. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said this would be difficult.

    Abbas himself sent mixed signals when asked Sunday if he would consider forming a new government. "It's something premature to talk about. My resignation is final," he told reporters as he left his office.

    At Sunday's meeting, many Fatah officlas said they hoped to convince Abbas to serve again, said Hussein Sheikh, a West Bank Fatah leader.

    Abbas' resignation left Israel and the United States without a negotiating partner, at least temporarily, and dealt a severe blow to the already troubled U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. The two nations refuse to deal with Arafat, saying he is tainted by terror and an obstacle to peace.

    If the resignation becomes final, Arafat has three weeks to name a successor. Among possible candidates is parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia, who is seen as a moderate and has credibility with Israel because he was an architect of the 1990s peace accords.

    In coming days, the Israeli Cabinet also will reconsider possible action against Arafat, including sending him into exile, said Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

    "As long as Arafat is in the region, he won't let any other leader develop," Shalom told Israel Army Radio.

    Government spokesman Dore Gold said all blame fell to Arafat "who refused to let Mahmoud Abbas rule as prime minister, who refused to let him dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism."

    The United States has blocked Arafat's expulsion in the past, and Sharon's security advisers have warned that Arafat could do more harm to Israel abroad than by remaining trapped at his West Bank headquarters in the town of Ramallah.

    Israel's airstrike against the Hamas leadership on Saturday came just hours after Abbas announced his resignation.

    A top Israeli security official said Abbas' departure released Israel from the last restraints in its war on the militants. With Abbas still in office, concern about harming his standing with airstrikes had always been a consideration, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

    Security officials said Sharon and his military chiefs learned early Saturday that Hamas leaders, including Yassin, his top aide Ismail Hanieh and chief bombmakers Mohammed Deif and Adnan al-Ghoul would meet at the apartment of a Hamas activist, Dr. Marwan Abu Ras, later in the day.

    Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, army chief Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, Shin Bet director Avi Dichter and Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Dan Halutz rushed to the army's Tel Aviv headquarters to supervise the operation, the officials said. Sharon kept in touch by phone, though he was reportedly busy at the time with preparations for the birthday party of his grandson Rotem.

    By mid-afternoon Saturday, some 10 top Hamas members were assembled at the home of Abu Ras, a university lecturer, the Israeli officials said. With Sharon giving the final go-ahead, an F-16 fighter plane dropped a laser-guided bomb on the home.

    The top floor was still under construction, and Yassin and the others apparently were on the ground floor. Sixteen people in the house were hurt, including Yassin.

    Yassin denied he was chairing a Hamas leadership meeting at the time of the strike. The air force used the smaller bomb than in previous strikes to avoid harm to bystanders, Israeli officials said.

    Arafat called Yassin on Saturday evening and congratulated him on his survival, Hanieh said.

    After being whisked away from Abu Ras' house, Yassin surfaced later Saturday at a Gaza City mosque and threatened revenge. Sharon "has to understand that he will pay the price for all his crimes, and the Israeli people will pay a high price as well," Yassin told thousands of supporters.

    However, the Hamas military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam, clarified Sunday that it was not threatening Sharon personally. "Each Zionist who occupies our land is a target for us, but we did not select a specific target and we leave this to the judgment of our fighters and their ability to reach targets," the statement said.

    About 3,000 students from the Islamic University marched in Gaza City on Sunday in support of Yassin, waving pictures of the bearded, quadriplegic leader.
     
  8. FranchiseBlade

    FranchiseBlade Contributing Member
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    Abbas wasn't a puppet of Arafat, and much the two have been at odds regarding control of the security forces. Arafat controlled the vast majority.

    On an unrelated note:
    Hello everyone:

    Sorry I haven't been around to debate much, but work has been really insane lately. I've also got a friends wedding that I'm supposed to help organize some things for, and other stuff, so I wont' get to respond to the replies from this.

    But don't worry or do worry, but I will be back once things settle down.
     

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