Israel Rejects Peace Petition
The Israeli government has dismissed a petition calling for a cease-fire with Hamas. The document, which was written by some of Israel's leading writers and intellectuals, notes that "Israel has in the past negotiated with its worst enemies."
The Israeli government has dismissed a petition calling for a cease-fire with Hamas. The document, which was written by some of Israel’s leading writers and intellectuals, notes that “Israel has in the past negotiated with its worst enemies.”
Your support is crucial…Haaretz:
The signatories of the petition – which was organized by the sponsors of the Geneva Initiative and will be published today – include the novelists Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua, David Grossman, Meir Shalev, Judith Katzir, Eli Amir, Savyon Liebrecht, Yehoshua Sobol and Dorit Rabinyan.
The petition, titled “Agreement with [Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud] Abbas, cease-fire with Hamas,” reads: “Israel has in the past negotiated with its worst enemies … Now, the appropriate course of action is to negotiate with Hamas to reach a general cease-fire to prevent further suffering for both sides.”
“We believe Israel is facing an opportunity to promote the peace process ahead of the regional peace summit planned for November,” the document continued. “We urge the prime minister to strive to reach tangible agreements with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority and not miss this opportunity.”
BBC:
In response, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev described the petition as counterproductive.
“The position of the government of Israel and that of the European Union, Canada and the United States is that we must engage with the Palestinian moderates,” he said.
With an uncertain future and a new administration casting doubt on press freedoms, the danger is clear: The truth is at risk.
Now is the time to give. Your tax-deductible support allows us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes what’s really happening — without compromise.
Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and unearth untold stories.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference also rejects President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel—and the U.S. as a mediator in the peace process.
After more than two decades, Palestinians are increasingly questioning their leaders’ policy of reaching statehood through negotiations with Israel.
In response to the Palestinian refugee crisis, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said he was willing to cede some of his country's land, but Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected the offer; some Ukrainian soldiers are alarmingly wearing Nazi symbols on their helmets; meanwhile, Turkey refuses to join the coalition against Islamic State. These discoveries and more after the jump.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.