Palestinians: Israel Settlement Freeze Failure Means No Talks

CAIRO — The Palestinian president is sticking to his refusal to resume peace talks with Israel unless it freezes all construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his position during a visit to Cairo Thursday, days after U.S. officials said they had dropped efforts to persuade Israel to temporarily renew curbs on settlement. Abbas said Wednesday the peace negotiations were in a crisis after the U.S. decision.

Israelis and Palestinians launched the latest round of peace talks on Sept. 2 at a White House ceremony. But weeks later, the talks broke down after a 10-month Israeli slowdown on settlement construction expired and the government refused to renew it.

Comments

[RubalKhali]

05:16 AM on 12/11/2010

Zionism=rascism Boycott, divest and sanction. jion the moral and just , deny Israel it's ill gotten gains.Israel+US$=fascism

[Saco A]

03:36 PM on 12/11/2010

Sure, for the Jews to have a nation state is racism.

Even the UN, which is a political body usually controlled by the Arab Countries and their oil dependents, declared this statement as false years ago.

Your inability to accept Israel's existence--in whatever borders--is the sole reason for this ongoing conflict.

[RubalKhali]

05:10 AM on 12/11/2010

Israel, go to war to prevent war, kill for peace, spy on America for their own good.It makes less sense to talk with Netanliarhu than to talk with him. Israel does not want peace, the apartheid state wants endless war and more weapons and 'aid' from America. Israel is why America is a target.

[jgarbuz]

08:12 AM on 12/11/2010

Yes, the massive Jewish empire will extend the whole 50 miles from the Mediterranean to the Jordan river, and for 200 miles from Eilat to Lebanon. This massive Jewish empire will be a whole 10,000 square miles, just bigger than that giant country New Jersey. From the seat of this powerful Jewish empire ,we will be able to control the whole universe. That's the plan.

[RubalKhali]

08:40 AM on 12/11/2010

"We must expel Arabs and take their places."
-- David Ben Gurion, 1937, Ben Gurion and the Palestine Arabs, Oxford University Press, 1985.

[RubalKhali]

08:41 AM on 12/11/2010

"Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you because geography books no longer exist. Not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either. Nahlal arose in the place of Mahlul; Kibbutz Gvat in the place of Jibta; Kibbutz Sarid in the place of Huneifis; and Kefar Yehushua in the place of Tal al-Shuman. There is not a single place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population."

-- Moshe Dayan, April 1969, Ha'aretz; quoted in Edward Said, 'Zionism from the Standpoint of Its Victims', Social Text, Volume 1, 1979, 7-58.

[Saco A]

03:34 PM on 12/11/2010

"Israel is why America is a target." - really. I thought that Islamic terrorism was the reason. Go figure, according to you the terrorists are victims too.

[mommamia526]

06:05 PM on 12/12/2010

No, no, no! Today it was the Swedes who were the target. Israel may, or may not, have a thing to do with it, although I have heard that some Swedes are NOT nice to Israelis, lately. I guess that made some Terrorists Mad as you know what. After all, not everyone can be not nice to Israelis. You have to be in the club and pay your yearly dues first.

[jeanrenoir]

09:49 PM on 12/10/2010

What a shock! I guess we're just supposed to give Israel carte blanche to "settle" the world if they want to, the way Europeans "settled" America, the English "settled" India, and the Spanish "settled" Latin America.

[mommamia526]

09:18 AM on 12/11/2010

Yeah, right?

[elisha job]

08:37 PM on 12/10/2010

http://www­.guardian.­co.uk/worl­d/2010/dec­/10/former­-eu-toughe­r-stance-i­srael

The group calls on the EU to:

• Put forward a plan to resolve the conflict, including a clear time frame, together with the US, UN, Russia, and Arab League.

• Reiterate its position that it will not recognise any changes to the June 1967 boundaries [of Israel], that a Palestinia­n state should be "territory equivalent to 100% of the territory occupied in 1967", and that its capital should be East Jerusalem.

• Refuse to upgrade ties with Israel unless settlement­s are frozen. "The EU has always maintained that settlement­s are illegal, but has not attached any consequenc­es for continued and systematic settlement expansion.­"

• Bring an end to the import of settlement products "which are, in contradict­ion with EU labelling recommenda­tions, marketed as originatin­g in Israel".

• Send a high-level delegation­, including Lady Ashton, to East Jerusalem "as a matter of urgency to draw attention to the erosion of the Palestinia­n presence there, and report back to the EU with an agenda of proposals to arrest and reverse the deteriorat­ion of the situation on the ground". The situation in East Jerusalem, it says, is the "most critical flashpoint and greatest threat" to a peace deal.

The letter praises "impressiv­e progress in the … developmen­t of the infrastruc­ture of a Palestinia­n state", in which the EU has invested billions of euros.”

[jgarbuz]

10:09 AM on 12/11/2010

Where was Lady Ashton in 1948 when the ENTIRE Jewish community of eastern Jerusalem was expelled by the Jordanian army?

[elisha job]

02:16 PM on 12/11/2010

Probably the same place she was when Israel launched a pre-emptive war against Eypt and expelled 800,000 Palestinian's from their homes. I guess?

[Tony Andrews]

05:21 PM on 12/11/2010

She was waiting for a further 8 years to pass before she could be born (in 1956).

[Thelonius]

07:45 PM on 12/10/2010

Please watch this video regarding Israel's control and limiting of fresh water to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/990.html

[Vlady]

08:21 PM on 12/10/2010

I also was surprised by watching the following video mixing Jewish song with pop dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIJoLFOmiKU

[martin2]

11:41 PM on 12/10/2010

Occupiers

[martin2]

11:40 PM on 12/10/2010

Like all occupayers these invaders Steal Control and Exploit the locals.

[jgarbuz]

07:16 AM on 12/11/2010

The Liberation of the Jewish Homeland from Imperialist Arab Islamic occupation will continue, inch by inch until the national homeland of the Jewish nation is rid of foreign Arab occupation.

[mommamia526]

09:21 AM on 12/11/2010

Yes, but at least they PAY. The Locals are happy to have a PAYING JOB!!

[basenji]

02:23 PM on 12/10/2010

"Former European leaders: Sanction Israel over settlement building

26 former top EU officials, including ex EU chief Solana and former German President Richard von Weizsacker, urge world powers to confront Jerusalem over its refusal to obey international law."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/former-european-leaders-sanction-israel-over-settlement-building-1.329767

[elisha job]

03:40 PM on 12/10/2010

Israel faces tougher line from EU after former heads call for Palestinian state:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/10/former-eu-tougher-stance-israel

The World is Catching a Clue, I Tell You.

[jgarbuz]

08:43 PM on 12/10/2010

Here are some plain facts:

Trade in goods

EU good exports to Israel 2009: €11.4 billion

EU goods imports from Israel 2009: €8.8 billion

Trade in services

EU exports of services to Israel 2008: €3.7 billion

EU imports of services from Israel 2008: €3 billion

The point is, that Israel buys more from the EU than it exports to the EU. If the EU cuts off trade with Israel, it loses more than does Israel in the trade.

And with markets like India, China and South Korea becoming more important to Israel, it almost doesn't matter to Israel.

[Cyrus Trance]

09:22 PM on 12/10/2010

Go read Oslo, the EU have no authority.

[karim banned]

03:49 PM on 12/10/2010

We in US push our head into the sand and ignore the rest of the world and fight Israelis wars to the last American.

[DeniseA]

04:08 PM on 12/10/2010

When have American troops ever fought for Israel?

[jgarbuz]

12:29 PM on 12/10/2010

Anna Mahjar-Barducci in Hudson: "Iran is planning to place medium-range missiles on Venezuelan soil, based on western information sources, according to an article in the German daily, Die Welt, of November 25, 2010. According to the article, an agreement between the two countries was signed during the last visit o Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Tehran on October19, 2010. The previously undisclosed contract provides for the establishment of a jointly operated military base in Venezuela, and the joint development of ground-to-ground missiles. At a moment when NATO members found an agreement, in the recent Lisbon summit (19-20 November 2010), to develop a Missile Defence capability to protect NATO's populations and territories in Europe against ballistic missile attacks from the East (namely, Iran), Iran's counter-move consists in establishing a strategic base in the South American continent - in the United States's soft underbelly. According to Die Welt, Venezuela has agreed to allow Iran to establish a military base manned by Iranian missile officers, soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Venezuelan missile officers. In addition, Iran has given permission for the missiles to be used in case of an 'emergency.' In return, the agreement states that Venezuela can use these facilities for 'national needs' - radically increasing the threat to neighbors like Colombia. The German daily claims that according to the agreement, Iranian Shahab 3 (range 1300-1500 km), Scud-B (285-330 km) and Scud-C (300, 500 and 700 km) will be deployed in the proposed base. It says that Iran also pledged to help Venezuela in rocket technology expertise, including intensive training of officers." http://bit.ly/eHlXfJ

[Tony Andrews]

02:23 PM on 12/10/2010

That's really interesting.

Perhaps you have something to add about the article.

[MarcEdward]

03:37 PM on 12/10/2010

Iran is planning to place medium-ran­ge missiles on Venezuelan soil

I seriously doubt this.
Maybe you haven't heard of the Monroe Doctrine or the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I bet Hugo Chavez sure has.
Utter horse manure.

[Tobias Riepe]

04:48 PM on 12/10/2010

Probably. Die Welt is not exactly the most reliable and well-informed newspaper in Germany. It is also the flagship of the Axel Springer AG. Every reporter's contract includes five basic principles which they are obliged to follow. These principles include - and I am not making this up - support for Israel; they do not include a commitment towards truth in reporting.

[jgarbuz]

07:31 PM on 12/10/2010

Oh, when did the Monroe Doctrine become international law? This is the kind of thing that is going to happen if the world wastes time on this phony "peace process" while Iran goes forward  with its ambitious plans. Remember, Israel is the "little Satan." Briinging down the Big Satan is the ultimate goal.

[martin2]

12:22 PM on 12/10/2010

We can be sure that the two heroic Palestinians cleansers Goldman and jg will be on the front line to help.

[Fractal122635]

04:30 PM on 12/10/2010

Exactly. Who'd have thought that Abbas would make Arafat look like a moderate?

[DeniseA]

04:10 PM on 12/10/2010

I hope they don't send their children to die as suicide bombers again.

[martin2]

11:50 PM on 12/10/2010

Denise research how many Palestinian children were suicide bombers?
How many Palestinians were murdered by IDF gas bombs snipers dime bombs napalm.
Which of course are more terrifying.

[gibranII]

02:00 AM on 12/11/2010

I think they are too busy trying to find food for that,

[muck-raker]

09:06 AM on 12/10/2010

Here is an all telling article: The USA and its partner want perpetual War and control over the countries that have OIL...take a look at map 6, its all there...The USA now has a expenditure of some 600 billion a year maintaining 700 military bases worldwide to keep the slaves in line.

US strategists, in an attempt to justify their military interventions in different parts of the World, have conceptualised the greatest fraud in US history, namely "the Global War on Terrorism" (GWOT). The latter, using a fabricated pretext constitutes a global war against all those who oppose US hegemony. A modern form of slavery, instrumented through militarization and the "free market" has unfolded.

Major elements of the conquest and world domination strategy by the US refer to:

1) the control of the world economy and its financial markets,

2) the taking over of all natural resources (primary resources and nonrenewable sources of energy). The latter constitute the cornerstone of US power through the activities of its multinational corporations.

The US has established its control over 191 governments which are members of the United Nations. The conquest, occupation and/or otherwise supervision of these various regions of the World is supported by an integrated network of military bases and installations which covers the entire Planet (Continents, Oceans and Outer Space). All this pertains to workings of extensive Empire, the exact dimensions which are not always easy to ascertain.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5564

[jgarbuz]

11:43 AM on 12/10/2010

The US has more natural gas than Saudi Arabia has oil. The US is being kept hostage by domestic and foreign oil interests who, like drug dealers, want to keep the US hooked on the black goo - just like the Tobacco companies on cigarettes.  The US could easily be 70% oil free within 5 years if it made up its mind to do it. But it won't because the Republican party in particular is almost totally dependent on the oil lobby contributions.

[Fractal122635]

04:31 PM on 12/10/2010

I love these oil conspiracies. So, why didn't we simply annex the Iraqi oil fields? Oops, there goes that theory.

[jgarbuz]

07:33 PM on 12/10/2010

I thought we were going to take a trillion dollars worth of oil out to pay for the war.  America is stupid, which is why the country gets poorer while the top 1% get richer than ever.

[Tobias Riepe]

04:29 AM on 12/12/2010

"So, why didn't we simply annex the Iraqi oil fields?"
Because setting up a puppet government and puppet companies is more efficient and has the advantage of tricking naive people into thinking it's not colonialism.

Plus, of course, the Iraq war quite obviously didn't really go as planned...

[guveqzero]

08:16 AM on 12/10/2010

Of course, Obama was the first to crack.

[jgarbuz]

07:46 AM on 12/10/2010

Under UNGAR 181 Jerusalem was supposed to become an international city, and the Jewish Agency reluctantly accepted it. Unfortunately, the Arabs violently rejected UNGAR 181 and the Jordanian army (then called the Arab Legion) seized eastern Jerusalem and beseiged the entire city, and threw all the Jews out of Eastern Jerusalem, ethnically cleansing it. And this is the way things stood till 1967. So it was the Arabs who rejected internationalization of Jerusalem. Now it is in Jewish hands and shall not be delivered up again.

[The-Brave-Hero]

08:41 AM on 12/10/2010

Didn't I answer you already? UNGAR 181 was mentioned as part of the declaration of establishment of Israel read and signed by David Ben-Gurion the founding father of Israel on Friday May 15th 1948. Therefore it is a binding to Israel as a State not anyone else.That's their borders when they were admitted to the UN and what Ben-Gurion signed.

Here, again :-) Ben-Gurion Friday May 15th 1948 declaring the establishm­ent of the state of Israel and quoting UNGAR 181 as bases for acceptance as a State http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=6ZDSBF5xt­oo

and here.. Declaratio­n of establishment of the state of Israel from Israel ministry of foreign affairs:
http://www­.mfa.gov.i­l/MFA/Peac­e+Process/­Guide+to+t­he+Peace+P­rocess/Dec­laration+o­f+Establis­hment+of+S­tate+of+Is­rael.htm”

[jgarbuz]

08:51 AM on 12/10/2010

Your explanation makes zero sense. The Arabs rejected 181 and therefore lost their right to a state. They gave it up, which is not ISrael's fault. There are no "do overs." They gave up their right to have a state, and Jordan occupied Judah and Samaria and called it "West Bank."

[Fractal122635]

04:32 PM on 12/10/2010

Sory but UNGAR was SUPPOSED to be binding on the ARAB state created at the same time. That the Arabs rejected it has now been used to flog Israel for 60 years.

[The-Brave-Hero]

08:42 AM on 12/10/2010

links again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZDSBF5xtoo

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/Declaration+of+Establishment+of+State+of+Israel.htm

[Fireslayer]

04:15 AM on 12/10/2010

All praise to the Israeli and Palestinian peace movement.

Some day God/Allah will look over us and deign there will be peace.

Someday, in my heart I do believe here will be peace some day.

[Woody Stemms]

09:58 AM on 12/10/2010

Sweet dreams ...

Harsh reality ...

Don't hold your breath.

[MarcEdward]

03:37 PM on 12/10/2010

Your lips to G-d's ears.
Even he has to be bored with this TV show.

[b525]

12:58 AM on 12/10/2010

I think it's wonderful that the Jewish diaspora have a place to rest their heads after the horrors of the holocaust and the oppression of Jews around the world for many centuries. I don't believe it is an accident that the Jews are in Israel and the state of Israel has been born. At the same time, the Israeli people must strive every day to NOT become like their abusers in Nazi Germany. It's seems that a great field of Judgement is being played out in the land of Israel and the very soul of the Jewish people is at stake.

Various U.N. and multi-national agreements down through the years have made the creation of the state of Israel possible, yet with those agreements, which give the Jews refuge from oppression, has come great responsibility and also stipulations to not oppress unjustly or harm the people who were in the land of Israel before the creation of the Israeli state.

It's of dire importance that Israel respects these peacemaking stipulations by the U.N. and other peace negotiating bodies. The state of Israel was created as a great act of mercy by the nations of the world after the crimes of WW2 and the Israeli people should not let pride get the best of them.

If the Israeli's give the Palestinians a measure of respect and a humane degree of sovreignty to manage their own affairs, the Palestinians will bless Israel beyond belief. This will take faith, trust and love.

[DC]

04:22 AM on 12/10/2010

The Palestinians were assured a state from early on. And have since fully recognized the Israeli State.

Repeating the meme "that they want an end to Israel" is a lie and justification to continue the aggression.

It would be like saying all Israelis want to Kill all Arabs. (Eventhough there are many Arab Jews)

Well some probably do, but to say this would make it true and is no basis for anything.

It would be like acknowledging your heinous constant dehumanizing of a people here on this site.

"By 1939, Britain was moving away from this position, and a white Paper recommended that an Arab state of Palestine be created.

In order to force Britain's hand and ensure a favourable outcome, the Jews commenced a program of terrorism, with the Stern Gang as the main participant. In 1946, the British headquarters in the King David Hotel were blown up. By February 1947, the number of British casualties in Palestine has risen sharply and Britain called on the UN to solve the Palestinian problem."

The History of Israel (1998) by Professor Arnold Blumberg

[DC]

04:23 AM on 12/10/2010

Correction¨:

Well some probably do, but to say this would NOT make it true and is no basis for anything.

[Fireslayer]

09:22 PM on 12/09/2010

So peace is cute and war is ugly.

Here is another cute ditty about a little thing called the Vietnam war which will look cute indeed compared to the regional war that is brewing if we cannot join together to shut this thing down,

Who has the roller skates and who has the key? Can we get together?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8o7iBTJKnA&feature=related

[Fireslayer]

10:15 PM on 12/09/2010

What is happening to this blog? Why is this not appearing on my comments?

What mischief brews here that a third way peace advocate will malice towards none is denied postings? Is calling for reconciliation a threat to anyone? Certainly not a violation of Huff policy?

Explain this to me, moderator so called?

[Woody Stemms]

10:04 AM on 12/10/2010

If you're not pro-Zionist, your comments are targeted.

[Mahmoodcohen]

08:55 PM on 12/09/2010

What a laugh...as Abbas' term of office has EXPIRED...yet he's making demands of the Israelis?? As who? As what? He no longer officially holds any office in the PA!

[Schweik]

09:14 PM on 12/09/2010

This is all Obama's doing, trying to drag two parties into negotiations neither of whom want or even able to sign off on. All to bolster his rather threadbare foreign cred.

Especially given the fact that Palestinains don't have a representative capable politically or militarily to enforce or stand behind any agreement he enters into.