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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas calls on Abbas to reject direct talks |
| 2010-07-28 |
| Autoedited by Rantburg [Al Arabiya Latest] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, on Tuesday warned Paleostinian leader the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas not to re-launch direct peace talks with Israel, which it said "would only serve the Zionist occupation." "We warn (Abbas) of the consequences of returning to negotiations, either with Arab cover or under pressure from America, because this will deepen the divide and put our cause on the brink of collapse," Hamas big turban Salah al-Bardawil said in a statement. Abbas was to meet with Arab League ministers on Thursday to discuss whether to bow to months of U.S. pressure to re-launch face-to-face talks with Israel last suspended after the December 2008 outbreak of the Gazoo war. He has been engaged in U.S.-mediated indirect talks with Israel since May but has repeatedly said he will not upgrade the negotiations without a freeze on Jewish settlements and a clear reference for the talks. "Abbas's talk of a clearly defined reference as a condition for restarting direct talks with the enemy confirms that Fatah has committed a huge error by negotiating for the last 20 years without one," Bardawil said. It "bears responsibility for everything that has happened in the Paleostinian territories, the holy sites and the cause during this period of negotiations and concessions," he added. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 In vaguely related news, Egypt has refused to grant visas to four Iranian "diplomats" who are trying to enter Gaza. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-07-28 13:41 |