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| Middle East |
| Paleos Shun Talks Amid |
| 2003-08-05 |
| JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday pulled out of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon because of a dispute over a prisoner release, dealing a new blow to a U.S.-backed peace "road map." As noted frequently, this "Furor" is a feint to divert attention from the fact the lying Paleos haven’t lived up to ONE of the actual roadmap steps. The prisoner release is a goodie, not part of the roadmap Wednesday’s meeting would have provided a chance to ease rising tension over disagreements that are frustrating efforts to build trust and fueling doubts that a shaky three-month truce announced by militants a month ago will hold. build trust? Bwahahaha The meeting had been due to coincide with Israel’s planned release of Palestinian prisoners Wednesday, a gesture which is intended to boost confidence but has dented it because the Palestinians say not enough inmates are slated for freedom. and they have done what? exactly? to boost trust and confidence? Nada! The army said 339 prisoners would be freed at four West Bank checkpoints and at the Erez border crossing in the Gaza Strip, revising a figure of 342 on a release roster published on Tuesday by the Israel Prisons Authority. Another 99 prisoners will be released in the near future, the army said. The Palestinians want an amnesty for all 6,000 of their jailed compatriots, saying this would show Israel is committed to the road map leading to creation of a Palestinian state by 2005 in territories occupied by Israel since 1967. "Abu Mazen canceled the meeting because it will only be ceremonial on the day prisoners are released, and he believes the Israelis are not doing enough to promote the road map," a senior Palestinian official said, using Abbas’s nom de guerre. A source in Sharon’s office confirmed the meeting had been canceled because of Palestinian "displeasure" at Israel’s intentions on the release of prisoners. Israel, for its part, accuses Abbas of holding up the peace plan by not cracking down on militants. It has ruled out any further troop withdrawals from West Bank cities after an ambush Sunday that wounded a Jewish settler and her three children. The Palestinian leadership say a crackdown on militant groups would spark a civil war. Abbas and Sharon have met several times in recent weeks in talks that have helped build confidence and promote the road map, but deep mistrust remains between the two sides. PROTESTERS DETAINED The road map does not specifically mention a prisoner release but requires implementation of a previous plan which called for release of "all Palestinians arrested in security sweeps who have no association with terrorist activities." Sharon says he favors a limited release to boost Abbas, who faces internal opposition to peacemaking. Militants say Israel’s failure to release more prisoners, and continued raids and killings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, threaten the truce they declared on June 29. The prisoner issue is one of several blocking progress. Like continued Paleo attacks (how do you define a cease-fire Rooters?) Another is a row over construction of what Israel calls a security fence in the West Bank to keep out attackers and what Palestinians call a "Berlin Wall" that grabs territory they want for an independent state. Israeli troops detained 47 foreign (read ISM) and Israeli activists who tried to block construction of the barrier near the West Bank city of Qalqilya Tuesday. A military spokesman said they had ignored the army’s orders to leave the area. Volunteers for the St. Pancake Brigade? |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #2 Enough already. Let's voiciferously side with Israel, state emphatically that we will NOT negotiate with ANY nation-state (or wanna-be nation-state) that uses terrorism as a means of achieving its end, and let the chips fall where they may. |
| Posted by: Flaming Sword 2003-8-5 3:50:28 PM |
| #1 The Palestinian leadership say a crackdown on militant groups would spark a civil war. If that's what it takes, then the sooner the better. At the very least, a civil war would demonstrate that there are some who aren't willing to place their faith in more acts of terrorism against Israelis as a way to get the Palestinian state they seek. The prisoner issue is one of several blocking progress. Strange, but I don't recall this prisoner "issue" being addressed in GWB's little roadmap, and it's pretty obvious at this point that Mazen isn't the answer. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-8-5 1:19:21 PM |