Truce Talk - Abbas is to credit

Etwas sehr hektisch schwingen sich die Protagonisten des Nahostkonflikts auf das Pferdchen "Waffenstillstand": Despite several days of relative quiet, Israeli leaders denied Monday that they were engaged in efforts to reach a truce agreement with Palestinian militant groups in Gaza or that they had reached any mutual understandings through Egyptian mediators. But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel did say that if the groups halted their rocket fire and the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, there would be "no fire from Israel." And representatives of the groups in Gaza said they were working to create a "calm atmosphere" to give Egypt a chance to broker a comprehensive deal between the warring sides. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, added to the speculation about an emerging understanding, saying be believed that Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, were "agreed in principle" on a truce. [...] The government recently ordered the IDF to exercise restraint in operations in the Gaza Strip, pursuant to what a senior government official termed new rules of the game forged in the aftermath of last week's military operation in Gaza. The official credited these rules, under which Israel will not attack Gaza as long as Hamas does not fire at Israel, with the recent lull in violence. Yet at the same time, he charged, they completely contradict last week's cabinet decision, which stated that Israel should keep up the military pressure on Hamas. Um es ganz einfach zu sagen: Solche Feuerpausen existierten [wie man schön an meiner death-toll-Liste erkennen kann] in der Vergangenheit, jedoch versucht nur vornehmlich Condis Riceauflauf mit Quark dem üblichen ein Clownsgesicht anzumalen. Worum es eigentlich geht? Its the oil, stupid!: With oil soaring to a record $108 a barrel amid mounting signs of U.S. economic turbulence, President George W. Bush said Monday that he was sending Vice President Dick Cheney to the Middle East to raise concerns about oil prices and to press Israeli and Palestinian leaders to move toward peace. [...] Rice apparently relayed a proposal for resuming the lull that Hamas had transmitted via Egypt, and on her departure last Wednesday, Olmert responded publicly, saying: "If they don't fire Qassams at us, we won't attack in Gaza." Since then, both sides have sharply reduced the volume of fire. [Nett gelogen. Riceauflauf mit Quark flog mitten in die beginnende Ruhepause und condradictete sich enorm: "I'm saying that we want the violence to stop," Rice said. "Call it what you will." ... Rice said during talks in Cairo that only negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority could lead to lasting peace and brushed aside Egyptian calls for a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza. Erstens mal sagt uns das wir ... immer hüpsch die wichtigen Sätze speichern sollten, da die Nachrichten-Agentur reuters mittlerweile den Text nach Wünschen von Riceauflauf mit Quark geändert hat, oder wir besuchen die Kanadier. Die lassen sich nicht von Riceauflauf mit Quark beeinflussen. Zweitens sagt uns das: Abbas hat Riceauflauf mit Quark WIRKLICH mit dem Abbruch der Verhandlungen gedroht und zwar so ernsthaft das Riceauflauf mit Quark [im Verbund mit den Europäern] Druck auf die Israelis ausübte. Das Zauberwort für alle Friedensverhandlungen. Im Übrigen ist es sehr schön von der Haaretz Olmert zu zitieren und uns den Schlüsselsatz von Abbas vom selben Tag und selben Artikel vorzuenthalten: The negotiations should definitely resume but after there is calm,' Abbas had told the news conference, adding Egypt was trying to convince Hamas to suspend the rocket attacks and broker a truce." [...] The senior government official said that in effect, the unofficial ground rules covered three possible scenarios:

* If the rocket fire stops completely, so will IDF operations in Gaza.
* If Palestinians fire only at Sderot and other communities near Gaza, Israel will respond primarily with aerial assaults.
* If rockets hit Ashkelon, Israel will respond with ground operations like last week's, in which over 100 Palestinians were killed.

However, the official warned, "beyond the temporary lull, the new tacit arrangement does not advance Israel toward its goals." This arrangement, he added, "completely contradicts the cabinet's decision [of last week], without proper procedure or cabinet approval." [Yep]

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged Israel to halt plans to build hundreds of new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Ban's spokeswoman said. "The secretary-general calls on the government of Israel to halt settlement expansion and reiterates that the fulfillment of road map [peace plan] obligations by both parties is an important measure underpinning the political process between them," Ban's spokeswoman, Michel Montas, said in a statement. [...] The Bush administration said Monday that Israel's plan for expanded Jewish housing does not help the progress of U.S.-backed peace talks. Israel's security depends upon a halt to "colonization" in the West Bank, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday, as he welcomed his counterpart President Shimon Peres for a five-day state visit. Usw...

Deutlich zurückhaltender auch Tschippi Llifny: Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni addressed senior Mideast experts in Washington on Monday, saying "We will not let Hamas choose when to attack and when to stop and regroup." Livni also stressed that weapons smuggling across the Sinai-Gaza border must be dealt with immediately. "There are two principles upon which Israel will not compromise," Livni told the dignitaries. "One - that the implication of establishing two sovereign states is that each provides its people with a complete national solution. This means that the Palestinian state will be responsible for providing a solution to all Palestinians, including refugees in camps who are being used as bargaining chips." [Da geht wohl einigen nach dem Anschlag in Jerusalem etwas die Düse.]

Zuheir Kseibati, "The Struggle over the Summit": In the maliciousness of Israeli policies, there is no contradiction between the alleged request for a "calming-down" period with Hamas in Gaza and the Defense Ministry's confirmed anxiety about the possibility of Hamas controlling the West Bank on the one hand and Olmert giving the green light to expand settlements in the West Bank on the other hand. Such a go-ahead provides further ammunition for Palestinian despair and proves correct the Hamas line that negotiations are useless, however much the Palestinians demonstrate their adherence to the option of peace and talks.

Während gerade übermittelt wird das die Saudis die syrische Einladung nach Damaskus zum Arab-League-Meeting angenommen haben ... The White House on Monday condemned delays in Lebanon's presidential vote as "unacceptable" and urged outside forces to stop meddling in the deadlocked political process. "We would highly encourage those who are interfering from outside of Lebanon to cease and desist and allow the Lebanese to move forward and elect a president," spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "We are very concerned." Such criticism generally targets Syria, which dominated its smaller neighbor for 29 years before pulling out in 2005 under international pressure. [Tja... hätten sich die Amis nicht eingemischt...]

Ich vertrete so nebenbei gesagt die Meinung das man diese Partei sofort vierbieten sollte: Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman said at a Knesset plenary meeting on Monday, addressing Arab MKs, that "a new administration will be established and then we will take care of you." Der Mann verstößt latent gegen israelisches Gesetz und es ist ziemlich schwach das sich noch kein Ermittler traut ihm den Zahn zu ziehen.