Hamas Chief Outlines Terms For Talks On Arab-Israeli Peace

wsj.com:

DAMASCUS -- The chief of Palestinian militant group Hamas said his organization is prepared to cooperate with the U.S. in promoting a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict if the White House can secure an Israeli settlement freeze and a lifting of the economic and military blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Read the whole story: wsj.com

Comments

[CigarGod]

"Israel’s late 1947-1948 “War of Independence” took six months to create a new Jewish state, excluding Arabs to the greatest extent possible. To accomplish it, widespread war crimes and atrocities were committed as about 800,000 people were brutally uprooted, ethnically cleansed, or murdered in cold blood. In addition, 531 villages and 11 urban neighborhoods in Tel-Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and other cities were destroyed and erased except in the collective memories of their inhabitants and descendants who’ll always consider them their rightful homes.

Shortly after, laws were passed to legitimize the seizure and exclusive Jewish use of Palestinian land. The June 1948 Abandoned Areas Ordinance referred to “any area or place conquered by or surrendered to armed forces or deserted by all or part of its inhabitant­s.” It gave the Israeli government exclusive jurisdiction rights, including “expropriation and confiscation (authority over) movable and immovable property, within any abandoned area.” It meant displaced Palestinians were prohibited from returning and claiming their property that by law was no longer theirs."

http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/07/israels-discriminatory-land-policies/

[JerryLevy]

This is laughably incorrect. 800,000 were brutally uprooted and ethnically cleansed, or murdered in cold blood but that took place in the dozen Arab countries surrounding Israel on the part of their governments and the people were Jews, not Arabs. They expelled their Jewish populations without property (over half of Israel's population are direct descendants of these refugees). Second, the Palestinian refugees were the result of the war of annihalation perpetrated on the new Jewish state by the surrounding Arab countries. Many of the Palestinians joined this war and voluntarily left Israel to join the Arab armies as they were promised by the Arab armies that once destroyed, they would be there to split the spoils of the war. Unfortunately for them, the Arabs lost the 1948 war and these very people who attacked Israel had no rights to simply return to Israel to live after having attempted to destroy it. Those Palestinians that did not join the war, stayed and lived well in the new Israeli democracy.

[betz55]

Palestinains living well in the new Israeli democracy? Really? Name 3 Mosques in Tel Aviv ? No? Thought so.

Name three Palestinains who were compensated when the illegal settler terrorists confiscated their land. No? Thought so.

Israeli militias in 1948 drove some 800,000 Palestinians from their homes, farms, towns and villages into exile in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring countries. Israeli historian Ilan Pappe’s book “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” details the deliberate Israeli policy of removing Palestinians from their land.

Israel was a very active participant in apartheid South Africa's nuclear program. Israel and SA were awfully chummy. Israel even got the idea of segregated Palestinian 'bantustans' from SA.

Their tactics would have made Joseph McCarthy proud: fearmongering, defamation of character, shameless disreagrd for the truth, and distortions of reality. Racist, hate based policies form the entire jewish ideology - these laws were meant to strip Palestinians of their human and country rights.

You can try and blame the Palestinains all you want, no one's buying.

The truth and time are not on your side and the long term intentions of the Israels, so carefully hidden all these decades by pointing the finger and whining their victim rhetoric at the Palestinains is over. The biggest rejectionist and obstructionist to peace has been Israel.

[joebiz]

The funny thing is that Mossad and Shin Bet "created" Hamas to countervail or counterbalance PLO and Fatah.

[JerryLevy]

Its a fact, if Israel could give up governing the West Bank and achieve peace, they would do it tomorrow. They have repeatedly tried to achieve a peace agreement with the Palestinians and have repeatedly agreed to a Palestinian state. If the Palestinians would agree to peace in return for getting the west Bank Israel would do it tomorrow. The problem is, the Palestinians are not interested in any two state solution. This article that says the terms for peace means that Israel must accept over 4 million hostile Arabs into their country is a classic example of the real terms for an arab "peace." Israel must destroy itself, nothing less.

[MemoryAlpha]

Observation:
Most Israelis want Israel to pull out of occupation. Virtually all Palestinians want the occupation to end. Most Americans even want it to end.

The only people who are pulling the strings to maintain occupation are those who are profiting -- the defense industry and immigrant settlers like Avigdor Lieberman.

[betz55]

Oh, that's rich. Israel wants land not peace, and hegemony over the Palestinains. Hamas is not illgally occupying land, Israel is.

Bibi was a mess the first time around and he will be mess the second time around. His vision of peace?

Go back to his Newsweek interview April20, 1998. “At the end of the final settlement, the Palestinians would have their own territory and the ability to govern themselves, but none of the powers that could threaten Israel.” Nothing has changed.

- Israel proposed 69 settlements, populated by 85% of West Bank settlers annexed by Israel. These settlements would reduce the Palestinian state by 10%, severely disrupt travel and daily life in the West Bank.

- Israel proposed "temporary control" of yet another 10% of land that housed the most extreme of settlers. Essentially this means that a foreign power would control the land of another sovereign nation.

- The remaining areas would be broken up by Israeli bypass roads and checkpoints, forcing Palestinians to live on bantustans like in apartheid South Africa, in a non-contiguous state.

- Palestinians were also expected to relinquish land considered most essential for trade and tourism.

- Israel would maintain very vital controls over Palestinian water, Palestinian borders, and Palestinian airspace.

Would Israel as a sovereign nation accept those terms for a state of their own? No? Why should the Palestinains.

Hamas has offered Israel a de facto acceptance of two states if Israel would return to its legal borders. Israel wants land

[CigarGod]

Have a cigar.

Jerry is like the last Edsel salesman on earth.
He just keeps believing.­...

[KarateKid]

When did George Clooney join Hamas?

[kapalabhati]

Yeah, no trouble wondering who will play him in the movie. That is one striking resemblance.

[zaz33]

Securing a settlement freeze and ending the siege.

I expect Israel will see these preconditions as unacceptable.

The Israeli people may want peace but the hard liners have their own agenda and will reject any overtures.

[riverhouse]

The USA needs to dump Israel from our welfare roles. Time to move on.

[colorperdaughter]

That's for sure.

[SFA]

A good link for everyone

http://tonykaron.com/2009/05/26/is-israel-planning-to-provoke-iran-into-war/

Who is Tony Karon :- senior editor at TIME.com

[Mikeeee]

Without even reading the article, all the evidence of the last 24 months says yes. If it wasn't Iran, it would be Lebanon again.
Always found it more than a little curious that Israel only attacks those weaker (Lebanon or the Palestinians within Israel) or too far away for a direct conflict (ie: invasion by who they attack)

[yankees]

First Khaled Meshaal is a coward as he lives in Damascus so he doesn't get his hands dirty. Hamas has lost most of their popularity in Gaza and is trying to stop Fatah in going to the Convention they are having in the West Bank. He is playing the Public Relations game once again. Israel give us everything and you get nothing, not even the right to exist as a Jewish state.

[CigarGod]

Seems prudent for him to live out of reach of the people who have made attempts..­..

Please show where Israel has ever said Palestine has a right to exist.
As the invader...­Israel has the first obligation to do so.....

[Darwin256]

The idea that Palestinians must recognize Israel's right to exist before there can be peace should be examined. I would like to know when a State does not have a right to exist. What of a state whose existence began with ethnic cleansing and whose future existence will require more? Israel's "demographic problem" is geting worse.

The idea that Palestinian attitudes and a chance to rearm threatens Israel's existence is a leap beyond logic and reality. Israel has the atomic bomb and a very impressive military. Palestinians do not want to be wiped out.

Regardless, if Palestinians cannot be trusted, then why trust them if they say "We accept Israel's right to exist"?

Plenty of nations do not trust each other. They do not let it stand in the way of peace.

[Doris]

if they don't recognize the right to exist, that is basically saying they will continue to try to wipe it out. that's what it's all about.

[CigarGod]

You mean that is what Israel is saying by refusing to accept Palestines right to exist?

[MemoryAlpha]

Double Standard:
That seems to be the Israeli strategy toward Palestine.

[JerryLevy]

Hamas is willing to accept a peace treaty whereby Israel agrees to its own destruction. Now there is a basis for talks. Let's get this guy to the White House for some meetings like we did with Arafat.

[MemoryAlpha]

Query:
What sort of country is Israel that its very existence must be fueled by constant military expansionism? Are you unaware that the era of colonialism is over?

[phute]

Stop with the gross misrepresentation - you only feed your own fantasy.

[Dennis]

Does anyone really believe that politicians who owe their high positions to unending strife are going to come to a peaceful solution? If peace were to break out the yahoos in the current leadership of both sides would have to find actual jobs.

[Doris]

when did this guy decide he was in charge - we don't even talk to terrorist groups and he's still the head of one. Hasn't he figured out he is no part of a peace plan?

[MemoryAlpha]

Observation:
"Terrorist" has become a functionally meaningless term as far as law is concerned -- see also: the Iraq War. It has become a purely political label and basically code word for racism against Arabs.

[Doris]

I don't agree.

[CigarGod]

Exactly.

[Darwin256]

As far as many Palestinians are concerned, Israel is a terrorist state, and when you look at what has been done to Gaza it is not hard to understand why.

[CigarGod]

Keep drinking the koolaide..­..it is we who have failed to recognize that there will be no peace without him and his group.

[phute]

Convenient dismissal thet serves Israel's intransigence.

[TJCole]

Hamas and this guy cannot be trusted no matter how much most you hate Israel, truth is truth and facts are facts...!

[who38]

Avi and Benny cannot be trusted no matter how much you love Israel; truth is truth and facts are facts....!

[Mikeeee]

I haven't seen any hate against Israel here. Generally the comments are about Israel's inability or refusal to apply the same rules it wants everyone else to live by to itself.

[MemoryAlpha]

Query:
As opposed to the US State Department?

Reference:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804

[phute]

You merely allude to truth and facts.....­...just talk.

[CigarGod]

Parrots have no idea what truth and facts are.....

[ktchvl]

The chief could double for George Clooney.

[AnnArky]

I didn't know George Clooney was The chief of Palestinian militant group Hamas.