March 2, 2007

ABBAS CALLS IN HIS EUROPEAN TOUR FOR THE END OF THE EMBARGO AND FOR SUPPORTING PEACE BETWEEN THE PALESTINIANS AND ISRAEL. CHIRAC PRAISES THE PALESTINIAN AGREEMEN. THE PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP CALLS ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PRESS FOR THE END OF THE ISRAELI ATTACK ON NABLUS. A REPORT FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CONDEMNS THE ISRAELI POLICY OF APARTHEID AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. Several hours after the Israeli army concluded a large military offensive in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, troops re-invaded the city on Friday morning firing rounds of live ammunition and closing all entrances to the city. Local sources reported that dozens of military vehicles and armored jeeps invaded Nablus in an attempt to abduct resistance fighters after the earlier military offensive failed to achieve its goals. Israeli army sources reported that resistance fighters were hiding in an area in Nablus, but apparently troops were unable to locate them. Israeli soldiers withdrew from the city but the army said that it might carry out further invasions in the coming period. On Thursday, the Israeli army carried out a large-scale offensive in Nablus and surrounded several buildings in Al Makhfiyya neighborhood, in the northern part of Nablus. However, they failed to abduct any resistance fighters there. Eyewitnesses reported that the fighters exchanged fire with the invading forces and managed to escape in spite of the extensive siege. Several buildings were badly hit by shells and live ammunition fired by the Israeli army. The military offensive in Nablus started last Saturday, and on Thursday afternoon the army announced that it concluded its offensive after stating that soldiers managed to abduct several resistance fighters, and aparently managed to uncover three explosive labs. One civilian was killed during the offensive, fifteen others were injured and sixty were taken prisoner. Some of the abductees were released. The civilian who was killed was a 50-year old man identified as Anan Al Tibi. Israeli soldiers claimed that they fired at an Islamic Jihad fighter who was standing next to the man but the bullets missed the fighter and struck him. The army titled this offensive that began last Saturday as "Hot Winter", four military battalions and border police troops participated in the attack. One Israeli soldier was injured during the offensive; army sources stated that he was hit by shrapnel from an explosive in Al Casaba neighborhood in the city. Palestinian Legislative Council deputy, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, described the week's Israeli invasion of Nablus as a "heinous crime." It was carried out in full view of the international community, the prominent leftist said, against an occupied population unable to adequately defend itself. Dr. Barghouthi toured the battered streets of the northern West Bank city, including the Rafidiya Hospital area and the Old City's neighborhoods during Tuesday's reprieve from the attacks. "The destruction is vicious," he noted, "aimed at suppressing the power of our people." Although the zero hour is upon the Palestinians to form the national unity government, Dr. Barghouthi said that this attempt at sabotage must give impetus to increase cohesion. "Now is the time for us to close ranks and move forward." Dr. Barghouthi continued to say that by killing and torturing civilians inside their homes, by pushing medics underground to clandestinely deliver food and medical care, and by attacking the cities, Israeli forces are "showing the true face of occupation." The Nablus Director of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, Dr. Ghassan Hamdan, said that Israeli forces are preventing ambulances and medics from aiding the injured and infirm, curfew is ongoing, and television and radio stations, and journalists, have all been under attack. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah said that a Palestinian unity would be formed next week. Haniyah made the comments during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new campus of the Islamic University. "We are facing a new period and we need to spare no effort to form a national unity government based on the implementation of the Makkah Accord now that we succeeded in ending the internecine violence," Haniyah said, referring to talks between Hamas and Fatah in the Saudi capital that ended months of violence between the rival factions. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has met with top German officials, in a diplomatic push to gain support for a Palestinian unity government and the resumption of Western aid. Mr. Abbas held talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. Germany currently holds the European Union presidency. Mr. Abbas says the unity government, which includes Hamas, is committed to reject violence and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian accords. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Friday to help secure the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit as a first step towards resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking after a meeting with the Palestinian leader, Merkel said Shalit's release could lead to a prisoner exchange between the Israelis and Palestinians and further steps aimed at building confidence between the two sides. Germany has vowed to use its presidencies of the European Union and Group of Eight nations this year to reinject life into the Middle East peace process through the quartet of mediators, which groups the United States, the EU, Russia and the United Nations. "We discussed that it would be important that the soldier Shalit be released from imprisonment in order that a process of prisoner exchange could occur," Merkel told a joint news conference with Abbas. Merkel added rocket attacks on Israel must end and that the Palestinians should make efforts to reduce weapons smuggling. Abbas agreed with Merkel's calls but added that the release of Shalit, captured in June 2006, should be tied to the release of Palestinian prisoners by the Israelis. "I stress that Shalit should be freed and the question of missiles should be solved," he told reporters. "The calming of tensions between us and the Israelis must be comprehensive and, similarly, the smuggling of weapons must be ended." "On the other hand, there are over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners," he added. "We call for their freedom. We cannot say 'Freedom for Shalit' without saying 'Freedom for the Palestinian prisoners'. That is clear." Quartet representatives met in Germany earlier this week for talks on how to revive the peace process in the wake of a Palestinian deal to form a new unity government that includes Abbas's Fatah party and the Islamist Hamas. However, a decision on how to handle the new authority was delayed amid divisions between the United States and Russia on an aid embargo imposed on the Palestinians last year when Hamas, which Washington classifies as a terrorist group, came to power. In Paris, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made a last push to win European support for lifting a crippling international aid embargo in talks with French President Jacques Chirac. However, there were no signs of concessions by Chirac or any of the European leaders Abbas visited this week in their demands for the Palestinians' new coalition government to recognize Israel before the embargo is lifted. Asked after talks with Chirac whether he had received any guarantees of an eventual resumption of aid, Abbas only said: "We hope that the embargo will be lifted. If not, all we can undertake would be useless... and the Palestinian people would continue to suffer and the sanctions would continue to cause damage." Abbas said he was "extremely satisfied" with his talks with Chirac, and said France was ready to help "solve the problems between us and the Israelis." Before their talks, the French president welcomed Abbas "with great pleasure" and insisted that the Palestinians show their commitment to negotiations for a two-state solution. He did not make any comments after the meeting. The European Union has welcomed the power-sharing deal between Abbas' Fatah and Hamas, an effort to halt clashes between the two that have left more than 130 dead since May. The EU insists that a new unity government must recognize Israel if direct international aid is to be resumed. Foreign aid formerly made up about half the Palestinian Authority's budget. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asserted that factions whose candidates will assume posts in the incoming national unity government are not required to abide by the cabinet's stances. "The government is a coalition of numerous and different parties, therefore, only ministers and not their factions should abide by its stances," Abbas told a press conference in Cairo following a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. "The countries of the world welcomed the Makkah agreement but have demanded the Palestinians to be more clear on the principle of recognition instead of just talking of previous accords," with Israel, Abbas said. The Palestinian leader reiterated his commitment on the two-state solution and the signed agreements with Israel. The Palestinian leader, who arrived in the United Arab Emirates, is on a foreign tour to garner support for the unity agreement and urge Arab countries to help lift the political and economic boycott imposed by the West. Meanwhile, Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, began a visit to Russia to enlist its support for lifting sanctions on the Palestinians. "Our goal is to encourage the international community to lift the blockade on the people of Palestine and pressurize Israel to recognize the Palestinian state's right to exist," he said. Meshaal, who visited Egypt before Moscow, said he had Arab backing for the unity government. "There is an Arab consensus on Makkah's agreement which we have accepted as a base for forming a unity government." Russia is alone among the Quartet in maintaining diplomatic ties with the Hamas-led government and has criticized the economic embargo. Experts say that Meshaal was likely to try to use Moscow as the channel of communication to other Quartet leaders. "Meshaal needs Russia's assistance first and foremost in unblocking the international aid," Vitaly Naumkin, head of Russia's Arab Research Center, told the Vesti-24 news channel. He said Meshaal's visit to Moscow this time was different. "The West now views our contacts as useful." Cairo Monday 26/2 witnessed intensive Arab and international diplomatic moves with the aim of reactivating Mideast peace process, crystallizing a unified Arab stance towards lifting off the siege clamped on the Palestinian people and going back to negotiations table as an initial step towards establishing the independent Palestinian state. In this context, President Mubarak received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) with whom he reviewed efforts exerted for reactivating the peace process, shoring upthe Makkah agreement and lifting off the siege on the Palestinian people. The Palestinian President briefed president Mubarak on the results of his latest Arab and European tour and the meeting he had recently held in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Emerging from his meeting with President Mubarak, Abu Mazen said the Palestinian factions taking part in the new government are not committed to adopt the stances of such a government which will be similar to a coalition government among many parties adding the government stance is binding only to the ministers and not necessarily the factions they belong to. He said negotiations with Israel are based on the two_state_ vision, the agreements signed and the international legitimacy as well as the Road_Map. Abu Mazen said Arab and world countries have welcomed the Makkah agreement which includes two key elements: first an appeasement for putting an end to the tension on the Palestinian streets and second the national unity element. He said though many countries of the world have welcomed the Makkah agreement, yet they called on the Palestinians to announce their political platform. He said the world asks us to recognize so and so, instead of talking about international agreements and legitimacies. He said we should wait until the new government is formed as asserted by the Quartet. He hailed the stance of France towards the Makkah agreement, indicating that President Chirac informed him that he would convey Paris stance to the EU. Answering a question on the possibility of being exposed to house arrest like former president Yasser Arafat, President Abu Mazen said this was possible. He said the Palestinian people are suffering much as a result of the Israeli siege adding that he agreed with the Israeli Prime Minister on holding a meeting soon and that Olmert did not say he would boycott me. The meeting was attended by Yasser Abdrabbou, the member of the PLO executive committee, Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, Nabil Abu Redina the information advisor to the Palestinian president and Monther al-Dagany, the Palestinian Ambassador in Cairo. An official Palestinian source was cited as saying that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister designate Ismail Haniyeh and Chief of Hamas Political Office Khaled Meshaal would meet in Cairo within days for discussing a number of issues of interest to the Palestinian cause. The source said the meeting would focus on restructuring the security service and the attitude of the new national unity government towards the western community. The source said Abu Mazen would brief Haniyeh and Meshaal on the results of his European tour. In Cairo Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned an Israeli army operation in the West Bank city of Nablus, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported. Speaking after a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, Abbas said that Israel was crossing the red line. Israeli forces stormed Nablus to search for militants suspected of planning attacks against the Jewish state. Israeli soldiers raided dozens of homes and detained over 30 people. The operation has been the largest since the 2002 Defensive Shield operation in the West Bank. The meeting between Abbas and Moussa dealt with the latest developments in the Palestinian territories since Fatah and Hamas signed the Makkah agreement on forming a Palestinian national unity government on Feb. 8. The two sides also discussed Palestinian and Arab efforts to break an international blockade imposed on the Palestinians, means of reviving the Mideast peace process and the outcomes of Abbas' recent European tour. Hamas leader Khalid Mishaal has praised Russia's efforts to end Western embargo on the Palestinian administration during a visit to Moscow intended to win support for a new unity government, a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Mishaal's remarks came after meeting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and the special Envoy to the Russian President to the Middle East Alexander Sultanov. Moscow reiterated its support for the national unity government which Hamas and the rival Fatah group of President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to form earlier this month, the statement added. Mishaal, in a statement upon arrival in the Russian capital earlier Monday, said he would hold talks with Russian officials on the recently-crafted Makkah accord, designed to settle inter-Palestinian disputes, and prospects of lifting the Israeli blockade. The Luxembourg Presidency of the European Union announce that it will receive the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas on 2 March in Brussels. The Palestinian President will meet with the Prime Minister and current President of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, and with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and current President of the Council of the European Union, Jean Asselborn according to them. The discussions will focus on the relations between the European Union and the Palestinian Authority. Elements of Israel's four-decade occupation of the Palestinians are akin to forms of apartheid, according to a recent UN report on the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. John Dugard, the special rapporteur on human rights for the Palestinian territories, said the international community has identified the regimes of colonialism, apartheid and foreign occupation as inimical to human rights. "Israel is clearly in military occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories. At the same time elements of the occupation constitute forms of colonialism and of apartheid, which are contrary to international law," said the report. It criticized Israeli denials that international conventions on racism and apartheid apply to its laws and practices in the Palestinian territories. "Despite this denial, it is difficult to resist the conclusion that many of Israel's laws and practices violate the 1966 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination," the report said. Palestinians require permits where Israelis do not, house demolitions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem discriminate against Palestinians, and Jewish settlers are given preferential treatment over Palestinians, the report said. "The laws governing family reunification unashamedly discriminate against Palestinians," the report said. While claiming to be "less certain" that the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid is violated, the report concluded that such a purpose may be inferred from actions on the ground. Israel's Army inflicts serious bodily and mental harm on Palestinians: over 700 Palestinians are held without trial; prisoners are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment and Palestinians are denied freedom of movement, it said. "Can it seriously be denied that the purpose of such action is to establish and maintain domination by one racial group (Jews) over another racial group (Palestinians) and systematically oppressing them? "Israel denies that this is its intention or purpose. But such an intention or purpose may be inferred from the actions described in this report," it said.