Abbas Walks the Talk

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Abbas Walks the Talk

AP / Nasser Nasser

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and Qatar’s Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani chat during the opening session of the Arab League summit in Sirte, Libya, on Saturday.

The prospect of Palestinian-Israeli “proximity talks” in the Middle East has hit another expected bump: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend any such talks unless Israel halts settlement construction.

Abbas’ statement was made in the Libyan city of Sirte during an Arab League meeting of regional leaders who condemned Israeli settlement building and said the illegal expansion of settlers onto Palestinian land would end efforts to revive any Middle East peace process.

This comes after Israel announced a 1,600-home settlement expansion even as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the country earlier this month, a move that roughed up relations between the two staunch allies. —JCL

The BBC:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has ruled out attending indirect “proximity talks” with Israel unless it halts the construction of settlements.

Mr Abbas told an Arab League summit he would not resume negotiations as long as Israel maintained the “status quo” in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

He was seeking support after Israel appeared to refuse to back down in a row with the US over East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks have withdrawn from Gaza after an overnight incursion.

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TAGS: abbas al-jazeera arab arab league arab summit israel jerusalem libya palestine settlements sirte

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By courageous14u, March 28, 2010 at 8:41 pm Link to this comment

“NEW GAZA MEXICO-‘The Tension Is At Its Peak All Around The Settlement’s Borders and The Floridian Armada Has so Far Continued To support our cause.Although The individual struggles continue on the fringes of Our Claimed Territories,We have sustained Some Casualties,But our Resolve Has Completely Solidified Into The Very Cornerstones Of our New Gaza Settlement.‘said Ms.Jaquin Goshin, S
Sr.Security director New Gaza Territories.”
mexicandeadseascrolls at blogger com

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By Calabashe, March 28, 2010 at 5:57 pm Link to this comment

Rev. Lauren Unruh,

I watched your offering. Heartbreaking, absolutly heartbreaking.

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By Calabashe, March 28, 2010 at 7:18 am Link to this comment

There is a popular story about a Rabbi who goes to Kotel to pray for peace and comes away feeling like he was just talking to the wall.

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By brewerstroupe, March 27, 2010 at 8:20 pm Link to this comment

Israel must have stopped payment!

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By hidflect, March 27, 2010 at 3:42 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Unfortunately, the Israelis are able to play the Arab nations because they are racist themselves. They have a “ranking” of their own kind. Arabs in the UAE are top and the Palestinians are regarded as scum at the bottom. That’s one reason (but not the only one) why Egypt plays second fiddle to Israel’s internment camp. The same way the Poles let the Germans run the Warsaw Ghetto.

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By Rev. Lauren Unruh, March 27, 2010 at 1:01 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

My friend Tony in England gave me the heads up on this TV show. I think it is fully
appropriate to share it with you here, after all we do want peace, right?

Dispatches – Children Of Gaza (2010)
http://www.archive.org/details/ChildrenOfGaza

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By yours truly, March 27, 2010 at 12:54 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

There’s been near panic among Israel’s supporters these past couple weeks over statements by General David Petreaus, VP Joe Biden and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton to the effect that Israel’s intransigence vis a vis resolving the Mideast conflict, not only is why they hate us, it’s putting American troops at risk in Afghanistan. Not surprising, said alarm response from the settler-state’s backers. After all their worst nightmare has to be the breakup of the U.S.-Issrael alliance, and if anything can bring this about it’s a public that’s found out that the actions of its supposed friend, Israel,, have led to the death of American soldiers. Apparently the above cited trio are aware of the game changing potential of their words because they haven’t repeated them, nor has MSM, averse as it is to putting out anything that might turn things around. Except if, indeed, their words are to turn things around (specifically the Mideast conflict), they’ll have to be heard not just once, but over and over again. Which shouldn’t be a problem, though, because there’s a Left out there that’s long been looking for a way to undo this so-called special relationship.

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By skulz fontaine, March 27, 2010 at 11:26 am Link to this comment

Palestinians will get NOTHING from Israel except apartheid and more apartheid
and maybe a mite more murder. With a generous portion of white phosphorus
torture on the side for laughs. Abbas SHOULD call for that ‘third Intifada’ and be
done with it. Abbas should just declare Palestine a free and sovereign nation and
be done with that. What in hell is Israel going to do, war on Palestine again? Build
a wall around the first apartheid wall? Kill more Palestinian men, women, and
children? Bomb Lebanon again? Maybe Abbas should go and have a visit with
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Now that’d rattle Bibi for sure. Abbas and the
Palestinians sure as hell can’t count on Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, OR the Arab
League for a thing. Well, the Palestinians CAN count on the Arab League’s
appeasing Israel. Oh yeah.

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