Abbas agrees to talk to Hamas

Fatah and Hamas have agreed in principle to launch a secret dialogue in Cairo, the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Wednesday. According to the report, a Palestinian source told the newspaper that Egypt's efforts to mediate between the two movements have succeeded and have yielded an agreement in principle to hold secret talks in Cairo. Meanwhile in Gaza: Hamas gunmen took control of a four-story office building of the rival Fatah group on Wednesday, a Fatah spokesman said. Fatah activists were ordered to leave the building without their belongings, said Fatah spokesman Hazem Abu Shanab. Since taking control of Gaza by force in June, Hamas has closed down most Fatah institutions in Gaza. Wednesday's raid came a day after four people were killed in what Hamas said was an attempt to carry out an attack on a Hamas security compound in Gaza City. Three of those killed were members of Fatah. Hamas said the assailants were killed when explosives they were handling exploded prematurely. Fatah activists said Hamas had attacked the group with rocket propelled grenades.

Treffen Abbas - Olmert ein Totalausfall. Jeder hält einen langen Vortrag und geht danach nach Hause. Nächste Woche ... irgendwann ... no timetable ... nach dem zu verschiebenden Termin. US Secretary of State announces official visit [next week] in attempt to bridge gaps between Jerusalem and Ramallah ahead of upcoming peace conference in Annapolis. State Department: "The hard work has already begun but the really hard work is about to begin" [Für solche Sprüche bekommen die sechsstellige Jahresgehälter.] Interessant wie die rechte Presse in Israel und ihre rechte Regierung es sieht: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas understands that the time is not yet ripe for a final status agreement with Israel, the Prime Minister's Office said following a meeting between Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Wednesday afternoon. The Palestinians, Olmert's office said, know that they have a long road ahead before they are ready for such an agreement. +++++ Fällt ein Mann aus dem 13ten Stockwerk aus dem fenster und bei jedem Stockwerk nach unten sagt er: "Bis hierher gings noch ganz gut."

Poll: New poll shows growing discontent with Hamas rule in Gaza. Legen wir diese Aussage mal auf den Prüfstand mit August-Daten. 1. 72 percent [68.3%] said they support a final peace agreement with Israel, and 55 percent [60.2%] called on Hamas to change its position toward the Jewish state. 2. It also found 52 [69.5%] percent of respondents consider Abbas' government to be the legitimate Palestinian ruling authority -former-r-f-question-, while only 26 percent [30.5%] favor the Hamas government led by Ismail Haniyeh. Sixty-four percent [61.0%] said they trust Abbas, compared with 36 percent [43,2%] who trust Fatah. 3. 58 percent [52.1%] of respondents said they are now afraid to express their political views following the Hamas takeover, and 60 percent [40%] say Hamas' paramilitary police, known as the Executive Force, has done a poor job respecting individual rights. 4. It said 42 [46.4%] percent would vote for Fatah, with just 15 percent [21.2%] support for Hamas. 5. and 47 percent said they are thinking of emigrating. In comparison, 33 percent [Falsch - 38.2%] said they were considering emigration a month earlier. Im Grundsatz drückt sich die Unzufriedenheit mit der Hamas sehr deutlich aus, jedoch strömt Diese nicht zwangsläufig in Fatah-Unterstützung. Wie in der "emigrating"-Frage ersichtlich dürften auch die israelischen Blockaden eine enorme Rolle spielen. Die "No-Trust"-Partei geht gestärkt aus der Kriese hervor. Allemal bedenklich für die Hamas ist die angegebene "15%" bei Wahlen aus dem Gaza-Streifen. Nachdem sie sich auf niedrigem Niveau im August gefangen und stabilisiert hat fällt sie nun auf Tiefsttände zurück. Die Daten sind noch nicht veröffentlicht und müssen selbstverständlich überprüft werden. Der "selbstkritische Hamas-Bereich" wird durch solche Umfragen sicher gestärkt werden.

Es geht wieder los: The Palestinian cabinet announced on Wednesday in its session that full monthly salaries for public sector employees will be paid on Thursday. Zusätzlich soll eine Einmalzahlung von 1000NIS ausstehende Gehälter "beruhigen". Arbeitslose und Zeitverträgler sind ausgeschlossen. Wie viele dieses Mal "vergessen" werden sehen wir in zwei Wochen wenn die Demos wieder los gehen. +++++ The Palestinian caretaker government in Ramallah is preparing to wage a "financial war" on its rival de facto Hamas government in the Gaza Strip to force them to retract June's military coup, Arab media outlets reported on Wednesday. They have adopted a series of measures to stop the flow of funding reaching Hamas' coffers and new laws have been ratified to "fight money laundering."

Hussein Shobokshi: The Syrian Tragedy and the Lebanese Comedy. +++++ Die libanesische Polizei hat unter dessen den Tod von Hayat Abdel Karim Dandache bestätigt. Die EKD veröffentlicht eine kleine Stellungnahme. Die Aoun-Tayyat-Partei war im Übrigen sehr früh an der Sache dran und hat hier mal ein kleines Lob verdient. Damit die Leute die sich mit dem Fall beschäftigt haben die Angelegenheit im Nachtrag visualisieren können veröffentlich ich hier ein bei der Tayyar gezeigtes Foto von der Frau.+++++ A tone of consensus held on Tuesday among government and opposition camps and their foreign supporters as Lebanon's rival factions inched forward in their bid to agree on a presidential candidate. Parliament is scheduled to convene on October 23 to vote on a successor to President Emile Lahoud, whose term - extended by Syrian fiat in 2004 - expires on November 24.

Haaretz-Editorial: The occupied territories and the Palestinians living there are slowly becoming virtual realities, distant from the eye and the heart. Palestinian workers have disappeared from our streets. Israelis no longer enter Palestinian towns for shopping. There is a new generation on each side that does not know the other. Even the settlers no longer meet Palestinians because of the different road systems that distinguish between the two populations; one is free and mobile, the other stuck at the roadblocks.