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| Middle East |
| Israeli, Palestinian activists gather to launch unofficial peace accord |
| 2003-12-01 |
| If an unelected American tried to negotiate a treaty with a foreign entity, they would be in prison for violation of the Logan Act - why should anyone take this seriously, since the Paleos haven’t met step one of any prior agreements? Israeli and Palestinian activists launched an unofficial peace treaty aimed at ending one of the world’s most intractable conflicts, backed by a gathering of Nobel peace prize winners including former President Still, strong opposition from legitimate Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and last-minute dissension within Palestinian ranks underscored the problems facing the plan -- dubbed the "Geneva accord" -- that resulted from two years of secret negotiations. "It is unlikely that we shall ever see a better foundation for peace," said Carter, after receiving a standing ovation from a packed Geneva conference hall. "The people support it. Political leaders are the obstacle to peace." "If we could just override the elected political leaders to foist this suicide pact on the Jooooos all would be right in the Middle East" Carter criticized the Bush administration, saying it had supported Israel but ignored the well-being of Palestinians. He also criticized Sharon’s government for allowing the number of Jewish settlements to skyrocket. but he had nothing to say about booming civilians with bolts and nails dipped in rat poison...what a f&*king asshole Carter said Israelis had to ask themselves: "Do we want permanent peace with all our neighbors or do we want to retain our settlements?" Palestinians also must halt violent attacks on Israelis, he said Actor Richard Dreyfuss, master of ceremonies at the event, said that "peace is far too serious to be left exclusively to governments." "we should let hollywood intellectuals take control, cuz we know best what’s needed" "People are terrified of the world they seem to be leaving to their children," he said. "(This initiative) is the people’s claim to their place at the table." Idiot The accord proposes borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state close to Israel’s borders before the 1967 Mideast war, giving the Palestinians almost all the West Bank and Gaza Strip and part of Jerusalem. Including the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall It calls for the removal of most Israeli settlements there and largely sidesteps the so-called "right of return" for Palestinians who fled or were driven out during the 1948-49 war that followed Israel’s creation and their descendants. It also divides sovereignty in Jerusalem. a bill of goods and a pig in a poke The negotiators claim their work is in line with the U.S.-backed "road map" for peace, which spells out a formula for negotiations but leaves trickier issues unresolved. In Israel, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz -- who like other current leaders opposes the initiative -- said the road map remained the Israeli government’s "basis for the continuation of talks with the Palestinians." Still, the Geneva plan has been welcomed by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and leaders of the European Union. collection of finer sellouts couldn’t be found. Colin is indeed sinking to new lows with this one Fifty-eight former presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other global leaders also released a statement Monday expressing "strong support" for the accord. "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has taken far too great a toll already," said the leaders -- most of them Western European but joined by former presidents Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union, F.W. de Klerk of South Africa and Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico. whoa - I’m...er, not impressed Work toward the accord began two years ago in an academic discussion at the University of Geneva between former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and Professor Alexis Keller. They enlisted then-Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo and began talks, with financial support provided by the Swiss government. Beilin got booted from political office by the voters Both Beilin and Abed Rabbo had participated in earlier peace talks, when moderate Ehud Barak was Israel’s prime minister. The talks broke down amid violence in early 2001, and Barak was soundly defeated by Sharon in a special election. "I’m confident this day will mark a new beginning in progress toward historical compromise," Abed Rabbo said Monday. "We’ve learned from our mistakes. We’re building on efforts we made in the past." Sharon says the plan is subversive, insisting that only governments may conduct such negotiations. His hard-line administration opposes the far-reaching Israeli concessions that are key parts of the Geneva Accord. The Israeli Foreign Ministry protested Switzerland’s backing of the plan, but the Swiss government maintains it only "facilitated" the discussions and had nothing to do with the content. The agreement debuted Oct. 12 in Amman, Jordan. Since then, negotiators mailed copies of the 50-page accord to every Israeli home and published it in Palestinian newspapers in hopes of winning popular support. but haven’t...wonder why? Most Joooos aren’t suicidal, apparently The auditorium for the ceremony featured a large sign declaring, "There is a plan." "not a good one, but it is a plan" An olive tree was on the stage. Some 200 Israelis flew by charter for the ceremony from Tel Aviv, as did 200 Palestinians from Amman, Jordan -- leaving even as both sides at home protested the deal. Two Palestinian Cabinet ministers and two influential legislators who helped negotiate the plan refused to go Geneva when they were threatened by militants. They changed their minds after they said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat backed their participation, overriding criticism from Fatah hard-liners. The Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades linked to Fatah called them "collaborators," a loaded term that often marks Palestinians for death. Masked gunmen also shot at the home of Abed Rabbo, who already was in Geneva. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #4 Actor Richard Dreyfuss, master of ceremonies at the event, said that "peace is far too serious to be left exclusively to governments." Translation: Only leftist celebrities can properly sell out the Israelis. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-12-1 5:39:13 PM |
| #3 Wow! These actors sure do a good job acting like intellectuals! However, they really should leave all the make-believe at the office instead of brining their work home. |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-12-1 4:34:37 PM |
| #2 Actor Richard Dreyfuss Star of "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "What About Bob". |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-12-1 2:26:42 PM |
| #1 should've referenced Charles Krauthammer's take on this last week - outstanding |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-12-1 2:11:45 PM |