June 3, 2005

AFTER HIS VISIT TO WASHINGTON MAHMOUD ABBAS STRESSES THAT PRESIDENT BUSH IS READY TO WORK FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT BRIEFS ARAB LEADERS ABOUT THE RESULTS OF HIS TALKS WITH THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION. EREKAT HOPES THAT THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT WILL IMPLEMENT "BUSH DECLARATION." NEW WARNINGS FROM ISRAELI THREATS AGAINST AL-AQSA MOSQUE. President George Bush met with the leader of the Palestinian people. Mahmoud Abbas, the first Palestinian president to visit Washington since peace talks collapsed in 2000, complained of Israeli settlement activity and said "time is becoming our greatest enemy." "We must end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict before it is too late," Abbas said. President Bush praised Abbas, saying: "You have made a new start on a difficult journey, requiring courage and leadership each day. And we will take that journey together. America wants to help." Standing with Abbas at a White House Rose Garden news conference, Bush said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah to consult with Israeli and Palestinian leaders about Israel's planned August pullout from the Gaza Strip this summer. Bush responded to Abbas' plea to help him shore up his credibility in the midst of expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank and taking disputed land for the West Bank security barrier, by announcing that $50 million in housing aid will be given directly to the Palestinian Authority to help build houses in the Gaza Strip. Previous aid to the Palestinian Authority had always been given through third party organizations because of alleged widespread corruption in the PA under the leadership of the late Yasser Arafat. "These funds will be used to improve the quality of life of the Palestinians living in Gaza, where poverty and unemployment are very high," Bush said. The US provides Israel more than $3.5 billion in annual aid. In an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, Abbas expressed concern that Bush's two-state vision was being undermined by Israel. Under a headline entitled: "Message to Sharon: Set My People Free," Abbas said: "Israel's ongoing settlement construction in the West Bank, it's insidious Wall, which, since not built on the 1967 border, is suffocating Palestinian cities and towns." Abbas said that the world's attention would focus on Israel's Gaza withdrawal but that the Palestinians did not see this move as a gesture of peace. "Rather, it diverts attention away from Israel's settlement expansion of the West Bank... and Palestinians fear the Gaza Strip will become a large prison," he wrote. Bush responded at the news conference by saying: "Israel should not undertake any activities that contravene road map obligations or prejudice final status negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Therefore, Israel must remove unauthorized outposts and stop settlement expansion." The president added: "The barrier being erected by Israel as part of its security effort must be a security rather than political barrier and its route should take into account, consistent with security needs, its impact on Palestinians not engaged in terrorist activities." Asked about the presence of Hamas candidates on the July 17 Palestinian ballot, Bush said the United States has not changed its views of the group. "Hamas is a terrorist group. It's on the terrorist list for a reason," he said. During questioning from reporters, Abbas said he envisioned the new Palestinian state, once officially established, will be "within the boundaries of 1967. That means those boundaries... should go back to the Palestinian people," Abbas said. The administration, however, has refused to reverse a statement it made last year declaring it "unrealistic" for Israel to return to pre-1967 borders and give up major settlement blocs in the West Bank. Canada's Prime Minister Paul Martin announced $9.7 million in aid for Palestinians and pledged to reactivate the peace process following a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas in Ottawa, a day after a US-Palestinian summit that Palestinian officials hailed as a "success" though US President George W. Bush set no dates (timelines) to his "verbal" promises to Abbas, who nonetheless said: "We take President Bush's public statements as commitments." Martin announced 12.2 million dollars (9.7 million US dollars) in aid for Palestinians following a meeting with Abbas, to be used for judicial reform, border management, to build houses for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and to help Palestinian women pursue university education. Hailing Palestinian Canadian relations as "important and growing," Martin said Canada will deploy 50 observers for the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections. Abbas on his part left the door open for greater Canadian involvement in the future: "I believe that Canada has an important role to play with respect to refugees. This is will be dealt with at the final stage and we hope that Canada will play a major role in those negotiations." "Canada has a very good reputation in the Middle East and has a balanced approach in the region and that would allow Canada to play an honest broker in the peace process," Abbas added. Abbas arrived in Ottawa from Washington DC after a "successful" summit meeting with Bush. The Abbas-Bush meeting was their second in 18 months, and the first time a Palestinian president has visited the White House since late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met the outgoing Bill Clinton in January 2001. "I am very pleased. The intensive talks I had with all senior American officials and with President Bush gave us the assurances we were seeking on the future of the peace process," Abbas told Reuters at his Washington hotel. "I think we have achieved what we wanted to achieve in this visit. We take President Bush's public declarations as commitments. We do not ask for more," Abbas said after meeting Bush. In a joint press conference with Bush, Abbas warned that: "Time is becoming our greatest enemy. We should end this (Palestinian Israeli) conflict before it is too late. It is the time for our people, after many decades of suffering ... to enjoy living in freedom." He urged launching the Palestinian Israeli final status negotiations but Bush was not forthcoming. "We need to immediately launch permanent-status talks to ensure we get a viable state," Abbas said. However Bush rejected Abbas' demand to directly move to final-status talks and skip the second phase of the UN-adopted "roadmap" peace plan, which stipulates the establishment of a Palestinian state with temporary borders. Abbas announced that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was ready to coordinate with Israel over the intended Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. "We assured the president (Bush) of the Palestinian Authority's readiness to coordinate with Israel to ensure the success of its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and areas in the northern West Bank, as well as its ability to assume its responsibilities upon Israel's evacuation," Abbas told reporters. "We see this as part of the process of ending the occupation," he added, warning: "As such this withdrawal should not be at the expense of the West Bank." "When we talk about two states, we are talking about a Palestinian state within the boundaries of 1967," he said. "That means those boundaries in our view should go back to the Palestinian people." Abbas also denounced the "illegitimate" Jewish settlements and the Wall of Annexation and Expansion Israel is building on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. "We expressed our deep concern over the continuation of Israeli settlement activities and construction of the Wall on our land, particularly in the area of Jerusalem," Abbas told the press conference. "These settlement activities -- in addition to undermining President Bush's vision of the establishment of a contiguous and viable state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel -- have contributed to the feelings of frustration, despair and loss of hope," Abbas said. He also addressed the US Administration's call for democracy. "We have chosen democracy as a way of life," Abbas said. "This was not an adventure. This was a determination and a strategy that democracy is the only way to move forward." However he indicated that: "We stress that democracy cannot flourish under occupation and in the absence of freedom." Abbas also said he told Bush that despite demands for him to dismantle Hamas and other anti-occupation groups, he achieved this "our own way." "Everyone wants calm and an end to attacks, and we have achieved this our own way. It is working," Abbas said. "I also explained to Mr. Bush that calm can not continue when people are starving, when they have no jobs and are deprived of the freedom of movement. Democracy without freedom is not possible, and these are requirements the Americans understand," he added. Of pivotal importance, Bush said that any enlargement of Israel beyond its pre-1967 war boundaries -- which did not include east Jerusalem, the West Bank or Gaza Strip -- must be agreed to by the Palestinians. "Any final-status agreement must be reached between the two parties, and changes to the 1949 armistice lines must be mutually agreed to. "A viable two-state solution must ensure contiguity of the West Bank. And a state of scattered territories will not work. There must also be meaningful linkages between the West Bank and Gaza," Bush told reporters. "This is the position of the United States today," the US President confirmed. "It will be the position of the United States at the time of final-status negotiations," he added. Reaffirming US commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state, he said: "We meet at a time when a great achievement of history is within reach, the creation of a peaceful, democratic Palestinian state," Bush told reporters as he stood next to Abbas in the White House Rose Garden. Bush reiterated his call on Israel to stop the expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land and to dismantle the so-called "un-authorized" and "illegal" settlement outposts, i.e. those outposts that were not authorized by the Israeli government. "Israel should not undertake any activity that contravenes roadmap obligations or prejudice final status negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem," the president said. "Israel must remove unauthorized outposts and stop settlement expansion," he said, adding that the wall "must be a security rather than political barrier and its route should take into account, consistent with security needs, its impact on Palestinians not engaged in terrorist activities." Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei described the results of the visit as very positive. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa hailed the summit as a "success." "It was a success for the Palestinian side and for the efforts to achieve peace in the region," Al-Kidwa told The Associated Press. "I don't think we've heard such a clear and comprehensive US position in the past." Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa said that the US President George W. Bush has assured President Mahmoud Abbas that the US administration thinks that any changes in the borders of the Hudna (truce) in 1949 should be applied according to Palestinian-Israeli agreement. In a statement, Al-Kidwa said that President Abbas discussed, with the US administration, the bilateral negotiations as well as the necessity of the US responsibility for implementing the Road Map. Al-Kidwa added that the US attitude, regarding the Hudna line, means depending on it as the borders of the two (Palestinian and Israeli) states. He added that such attitude reinforces the Palestinian belief that all the colonies are illegal and should be removed. Bush assured Abbas his vision to establish a viable and integrated Palestinian state, in presence of links between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Al-Kidwa said. President Bush assured also that Israel would not make any act contradicts the Road Map including any illegal steps in the occupied East Jerusalem or the West Bank, Al-Kidwa added. Al-Kidwa mentioned that the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Palestine in the coming weeks. Rice's visit is a part of a trip to the middle East. She will (separately) discuss with the Palestinian and Israeli sides different issues as well as the vision of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, he said. Regarding the expected Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Al-Kidwa said that such a withdrawal is not an end to the occupation, affirming that the 4th Geneva Convention would be implemented on Gaza even after the withdrawal. Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the US decision to expand the power of its security envoy to the Middle East General William Ward, as well as the expected visit of the US delegation before Rice's visit. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat told VOA, Bush's statements were greatly appreciated. "We appreciate very much the statements of President Bush concerning the end game of maintaining a two-state solution, his call upon the Israeli government to stop settlement activities and that issues reserved to the permanent status [i.e. a final peace agreement] - like [the status of] Jerusalem, settlements, borders and refugees - should not be pre-judged through unilateral steps," Erakat said. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat hailed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to the United States as a "big success." Speaking in an interview with the "Voice of Palestine" radio, Erekat said the most important achievement for Abbas' visit was that US President George W. Bush pledged that the final status issues like Jerusalem, borders, refugees, settlements and water " must be agreed upon through negotiations." "We really believe that this is a reiteration of the firm position of the United States toward the peace process," said Erekat. He added that another achievement was that Bush assured Abbas that the coming Israeli Gaza pullout was "the first step of the road map peace plan." Israel is to evacuate troops and settlers from all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four of 120 in the West Bank this summer. For other accomplishments, Erekat listed the new US aid of 50 million US dollars and Bush's calling upon Israel to stop settlement expansion. "Now that the position of President Bush and the United States is made clear, what is needed is to translate words into action on the ground," he urged. Apart from the new aid, Bush gave an unusually tough message to Israel to halt settlement expansion and other steps that could block a final peace deal. "The results of the meeting lived up to our highest expectations," PNA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad called Bush's $50 million commitment in direct aid to the PNA "an important sign of confidence in our ability to manage in a transparent and fully accountable manner." Abbas attended a working dinner with Rice and, before travelling to Washington, he met with Jordan's King Abdullah II to coordinate efforts to restart an international peace plan known as the "road map." Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Qods Committee, renewed to the Palestinian President his support to the Palestinian cause and to the "brotherly Palestinian people." During an audience that the monarch granted to the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, King Mohammed VI reiterated Morocco's will to keep on providing all forms of support to the Palestinian cause and to the initiatives taken by the Palestinian Authority to set up the institutions of a democratic Palestinian State. King Mohammed VI also reaffirmed he will pursue his efforts to gather the conditions conducive to the resumption of negotiations in order to achieve a fair, comprehensive and lasting peace, and to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with Al-Qods Asharif (Jerusalem) as its capital, on the basis of the commitments made by the two parties and in implementation of the roadmap. The Palestinian president, who had arrived in the North African kingdom on the same day for an official visit following his visit to the US, lauded the efforts the sovereign makes for the triumph of the Palestinian cause, the consecration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the defense of Al-Quds. Abbas also voiced his esteem for the Moroccan people, under the guidance of King Mohammed VI, for the full support it extends to the Palestinians. The Palestinian president, who was the guest of the TV show Maa Al Hadath (with the event) aired by the 1st Moroccan channel TVM, said his meeting with King Mohammed VI revolved around the present situation in Palestine, and the outcome of his visit to the United States, as well as the "position of the US about the settlement of the Palestinian issue and the American vision about the particulars of this settlement." He further noted his discussions with the monarch also tackled bilateral relations and the reactivation of the joint committee. The Palestinian president, who was accompanied by an important delegation, left Morocco on Sunday. President Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting in Algeria with President Abdul Aziz Bouteflika, in which they discussed bilateral relations, the US visit and the developments in the occupied territories. President Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting with the Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis. Abbas briefed Ben Ali about his visit to Washington, the latest developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the efforts exerted to restore peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis. The two presidents also discussed possible ways to promote the mutual relations between the two countries. Meanwhile Palestinian parliamentary elections scheduled for July 17 seems set for at least a two-month delay, according to a statement by the Central Elections Commission (CEC) as President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly prepares to send back the amended elections law to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) demanding commitment to the formula of 50-50 percent to proportional representation and district voting. The CEC said it needed at least two months from the time a new election law was ratified to prepare for the vote, and called on President Abbas to set a new election date as soon as possible. "The CEC decided to send a letter to the President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to inform him of CEC preparations in light of the legal conditions outlined above," a CEC press release said. However, the commission said it could carry out the election on time, but only based on the old law. "The CEC is ready to administer the legislative elections on July 17, 2005 in accordance with the presidential decree dated January 8th of the same year. The 3rd article of that decree stipulates that candidate nomination should begin on June 5th, 2005. The elections, however, would in this case be administered according to the current electoral law i.e. Law no 13 of 1995," the statement said. But political indications exclude this option. "The CEC is aware of the national consensus towards adopting a new electoral law," the commission's statement said. Accordingly the CEC "emphasizes that it legally requires a minimum of two months, from the date of adoption of the new law, to prepare for the elections. The CEC would also require, before candidate nomination begins on June 5th, a new presidential decree that amends the previous decree dated January 8th 2005." Meanwhile President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly prepares to send back the amended legislation to the PLC demanding commitment to the formula of 50-50 percent to proportional representation and district voting, which the Palestinian national and Islamic factions had agreed in the "Cairo Declaration" at the conclusion of their meetings in Egypt early this year, the Ramallah-based Al Ayyam daily cited informed sources as saying. The sources told Al Ayyam that Abbas had secured the approval of the ruling Fatah's Central Committee of the 50-50 basis. Israel began the release of about 400 Palestinian prisoners -- the second phase of the prisoner releases promised under a cease-fire agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. CNN said Palestinian prisoners began boarding buses from prisons in Israel for the ride to border checkpoints Thursday morning. About 500 Palestinian prisoners were freed in the first phase on February 21. Sharon and Abbas made their agreement in February at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The Israeli leader has said the prisoner release would strengthen the hand of Abbas, whom he has praised for making a "strategic decision to condemn violence and terrorism." Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs(MPA) said that the list of the prisoners, the Israeli government intends to release, does not include any of the prisoners who suffer chronic diseases or those were arrested before Oslo Accords. In a statistical report, the ministry pointed out that "the second released prisoners, declared by the Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon, is to include 900 prisoners". "The list of the would-be released prisoners was prepared only by the Israeli side without coordination with the ministerial committee that follows up the prisoners' affairs ", according to the report. The report added that among the would-be released prisoners estimated at 400 prisoners, there are 317 prisoners who are sentenced to less than five-year imprisonment, 79,3%, 82 prisoners who are sentenced to more than five-year imprisonment and less than 12-year, 20,7% and an administrative detention. The ministry made it clear that, among the 400 prisoners, there are 209 prisoners who still have less than a year to spend in the prison, 52,3%, 156 prisoners still have more than a year and less than five years, 39% and 35 who still have more than five years and less than 9 years, 8,7%. On the other hand Al Massar movement warned that threats by Jewish extremists against the sacred complex were "ticking bombs" and said the Israeli government must take responsibility for containing the threat. In the past few months, Jewish extremists have uttered numerous threats against the compound, which houses the Dome of the Rock (Omar Mosque) and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, as well as the Western Wall, the most sacred spot in Judaism. In response, Al Massar warned of the dire consequences which would result from any such move and called on Israel to act decisively. Al Massar called on the OIC to take action against serious threats that some Israeli fundamentalists want to attack Al-Aqsa and appealed to Israeli security to stop any attack like that. In February, dozens of police reinforcements were deployed around the compound for fear of an attack by Jewish extremists trying to sabotage the Gaza withdrawal. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will meet for talks on 21 June, officials have said. It will be the second meeting between the pair since Mr Abbas was elected to succeed late leader Yasser Arafat. At a previous meeting in February they agreed to a ceasefire that has largely held despite violent incidents. Mr Abbas is resting in hospital after undergoing a heart procedure in Jordan, a Palestinian official said. Doctors in Amman successfully carried out angioplasty, a procedure to clear out clogged coronary arteries, said an aide. The date for talks was set after discussions between chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Mr Sharon's chief of staff Dov Weisglass. The men said they would meet twice more before the summit to help prepare the ground. Mr Erekat said all joint working committees set up by the two leaders at their meeting in Egypt on 8 February would also be reactivated in the meantime. Meanwhile Palestinian attacks are likely to resume after Israel quits occupied Gaza unless it is followed by broader pullbacks in the West Bank, Israel's departing army chief said in comments published last Wednesday. The remarks by Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon, leaving office on Wednesday, clashed with views of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who bills the evacuation of Gaza settlements as "disengagement" from conflict but has denied any plans for further withdrawals. Under an Israeli-Palestinian truce deal reached in February, violence has dropped off dramatically ahead of Israel's planned evacuation from the Gaza Strip set to begin in mid-August. But in excerpts of an interview with the Haaretz newspaper to be published this week, Yaalon said the quiet might not last. "If there is an Israeli commitment to another move, we will gain another period of quiet," he said, referring to any future withdrawal from the West Bank, captured along with Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war. "If not, there will be an eruption ... Terrorist attacks of all types: shooting, bombs, suicide bombers, mortars, Qassam rockets," said Yaalon, whose tenure was marked by occasional public critiques of Sharon's tough approach to the Palestinians. "There is a high probability of a second war of terror," Yaalon said. Yaalon voiced doubt on whether a two-state solution, the underlying vision of the U.S.-led "road map" and other plans for Israeli-Palestinian peace, could be achieved in the near future. He cited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's calls for a "right of return" for millions of Arab refugees to ancestral lands now in Israel and Abbas's efforts to engage politically with Hamas. Any Palestinian state created under these conditions "will be a state that will try to undermine Israel," Yaalon said. On the other hand Israel continues its campaign against Syria as Israeli military officials said Syria test-fired three Scud missiles last week, including one that broke up over Turkey, The New York Times said. The missiles were fired last Friday from northern Syria in the first such missile tests by Syria since 2001, the Israelis said. "Little was especially startling about the tests, Israeli officials said, citing the unnamed Israeli officials, the Times said the missiles included one older Scud B, with a range of about 185 miles (200 km), and two Scud Ds, with a range of about 435 miles (700 km). Meanwhile the Jerusalem municipality will demolish 88 homes housing around 1,000 residents in an Arab neighborhood to build a national park, an Israeli newspaper reported on Tuesday, quoting a top city planner. The city order would be one of the largest demolition projects in the area since Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem in 1967. The move would cause an uproar among the Palestinians who want this part of the city as a capital for their future state. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the demolition plan, warning of serious damage to the already fragile peace process. "I urge the Israeli government not to do this demolition, and to give peace a chance," he said. The 88 houses are located in east Jerusalem's Arab neighborhood of Silwan, outside the Old City, Haaretz said. The daily cited Jerusalem city engineer Uri Shetrit as saying that the plan is to raze the homes and build a national park in the neighborhood to create an area without Palestinian residents near Jerusalem's Old City. Shetrit claimed that most of the 88 buildings were built without building permits, adding that he ordered city officials to deal "most forcefully" with the construction violations. Shetrit also said that the area marked for demolition was designated a "green zone" in 1977, making any construction illegal. He noted that he depends on zoning violations to justify demolition orders. He said that homes built before 1967 will not be demolished, explaining that the city is banned from destroying buildings built without permits that are older than seven years. "The building offense runs out, but there's no statute of limitations on using the illegal house, so we can bar residents from entering their homes even if we can't destroy them," he said, noting that it would be easier to destroy an abandoned house later on. Palestinians and Israeli human rights activists say that Israel is using zoning and other administrative tools to limit the growth of the Palestinian population in Jerusalem. Palestinian residents also complain of the difficulties they face in obtaining building permits in east Jerusalem, and that they have no choice but to build illegally. Danny Seideman, an Israeli human rights activist, said that Israel demolished about 160 homes in 2004, noting that all the houses were spread across all Arab areas in Jerusalem. In Silwan, "the intention of the municipality is very clear, and that is to rid the area of its Palestinian residents," said Seideman, who chairs Ir Amim, a Jerusalem settlement watchdog. Wadia al-Fahari, a Palestinian resident, was quoted as saying that some of the houses date back to the 1940s and 1950s and that they were built on private Palestinian land. The Palestinian residents will use all legal means to resist the demolitions because "we have nowhere to take our wives and children and old folks", Fahari said.