Feb. 26, 2008
Israeli Leader Dampens Peace Deal Hopes
Olmert "Not Sure" Plans For Accord With Palestinians Can Be Reached By Year's End
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Palestinians carry the body of Hamas militant, Hamouda Sharafa Tufha, killed during an Israeli army operation, during his funeral in Gaza City Thursday Feb. 7, 2008. Israeli ground forces backed by warplanes exchanged fire with Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing a teacher and six militants in escalating violence that is hobbling peace efforts. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
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Palestinians mourn over the bodies of Hamas militants during their funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday Feb. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
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An Israeli woman injured in a suicide bombing reacts as she is brought to the hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel, Monday, Feb. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Diego Mitelberg)
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This image taken from video on Israel's Channel 2 shows a victim of a suicide blast in the southern Israeli town of Dimona arriving at a hospital on a stretcher on Feb. 4, 2008. (Channel 2)
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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert delivers his speech during a seminar at a Tokyo hotel Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. Olmert is on a four-day visit to Japan. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
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Interactive Mideast Conflict Events, key players and a history of the world's most unstable region.
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Photo Essay Annapolis Summit U.S. hosts high-stakes Mideast peace conference at U.S. Naval Academy.
Olmert, speaking to a business forum in Japan, said, however, that his government was "absolutely determined" to end the decades-long conflict with the Palestinians.
"The desire is to make an agreement within the year 2008," he told business leaders in Tokyo. "I'm not sure we will be able to achieve it, and certainly not to implement it in the year 2008."
President Bush oversaw a Mideast peace summit in November where he announced that Israel and the Palestinians would aim to achieve a comprehensive peace deal by the end of this year. Mr. Bush has said repeatedly since the summit in Maryland that that goal could be achieved.
But disputes over contentious Israeli construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank have been a drag on the talks.
Additionally, Olmert has said repeatedly that no accord would be implemented as long as Islamic militants committed to Israel's destruction remain in power in the Gaza Strip. Hamas violently wrested control of the territory in June from forces loyal to Abbas, whose now controls only the West Bank.
Despite his skepticism on the timing, Olmert said his government would make every effort to settle its long-standing differences with the Palestinians, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
"We are absolutely determined to make a giant step forward so that we will be able to conclude once and for all this historic conflict between the Palestinian people and the people of Israel," he said.
In related developments:
Katsav, who has insisted he was the victim of a witch hunt, left office in disgrace in June after four former female employees accused him of a series of sex crimes, including rape. Facing indictment, he agreed to a plea bargain that allowed him to avoid the gravest charges.
(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Under the deal, Katsav agreed to plead guilty to two counts of sexual harassment and resign just two weeks before his seven-year term was up.
Now that the plea bargain has been approved, Katsav will receive a suspended sentence with no jail time. The original charges could have carried a sentence of up to 20 years.
Berger reports women's groups said the plea bargain sends the wrong message to women who press charges on sexual harassment, and they petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn it.
The court, however, ruled that the deal was reasonable, reports Berger, who adds that the case tarnished the ceremonial office of the president, who was supposed to be the moral voice of Israel.
Women's rights and good-governance groups, bolstered by a public outcry, had petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the agreement shortly after it was announced eight months ago.
"This is a sad day," said Yifat Matzner, an attorney for a women's rights group that appealed the plea bargain.
Katzav's lawyers hailed the ruling.
"President Katzav was accused of the most serious crimes: two rapes here, another rape there, and was presented ... as a serial sexual offender," attorney Avigdor Feldman told reporters. He called the final charges "a tiny, shriveled-up indictment."
Quote
Attorney for Women's rights group
In announcing the plea bargain, Mazuz said one of his considerations was the reputation of the Israeli presidency and his desire to avoid a prolonged trial with painful headlines - a point whose legal validity critics questioned.This is a sad day.
Yifat Matzner,Attorney for Women's rights group
Opponents of the deal had hoped the Supreme Court would take the rare step of declaring the plea bargain unacceptable and either overturn it or send it back to Mazuz for revision.
Katsav's accusers charged that he repeatedly fondled them, kissed them, exposed himself to them and - in two cases - raped them while he served as president and earlier, as tourism minister.
Although Israel's presidency is a largely ceremonial position, the allegations roiled the country by portraying the man who was supposed to be Israel's moral compass as a predatory boss who forced himself on female employees.
Katsav suspended himself several months after the charges emerged in July 2006 in order to fight them, but refused to resign until the plea bargain forced him to do so. Israeli elder statesman and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres replaced him as Israel's ceremonial leader in July.
In an interview shortly after he quit, Katsav said he agreed to sign the deal only to relieve the strain on his family.
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Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 60 CommentsThe British Mandate over Palestine came to an end on 15 May 1948, heralding the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the establishment of Israel in 1948."
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Ottoman rule over the eastern Mediterranean lasted until World War I.Under the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, it was envisioned that most of Palestine, when freed from Ottoman control, would become an international zone not under direct French or British colonial control. Shortly thereafter, British foreign minister Arthur Balfour issued the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which laid plans for a Jewish homeland to be established in Palestine eventually.
As I said. There has never been a Palestinian state. The British did not take over from the Ottoman''s until the end of WWI. Since the beginning of time those who win the war are allowed disposal of the land. The Ottoman''s lost. The British won. The British chose to dispose of the land by giving the Israelis their own homeland. Palestine has NEVER, I repeat the word NEVER been an independent state in the history of the area going back over 3200 years. So why should the Israelis sacrifice their safety to give them what no one else would?
The website above is for those who persist in the belief that the Palestinians are the innocents, the victims.
Posted by Prinzowhales
Nazi bs perpetuated by an antisemite
Posted by lfitts1 at 03:02 PM : Feb 26, 2008
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A lie posted by a liar who can give no rebuttal but this typical Zio-Nazi smear.
Posted by sara48909 at 07:35 PM : Feb 26, 2008
THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THEY REALLY WANTED!!!!
DUH!!
Posted by sara48909 at 07:40 PM : Feb 26, 2008
Obviously you''ve never heard of the Ottoman Empire, the Mandate of Palestine, or UN resolution 181.
"The objective of the League of Nations Mandate system was to administer parts of the then defunct Ottoman Empire, which had been in control of the Middle East since the 16th century, "until such time as they are able to stand alone."
The borders of the Mandate for Palestine extended from the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the British Mandate of Mesopotamia to the east, the French Mandate of Lebanon to the north, the French Mandate of Syria to the northeast, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kingdom of Egypt to the southeast and southwest respectively.
The British Mandate over Palestine came to an end on 15 May 1948, heralding the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the establishment of Israel in 1948."
Would you like to try again?
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And they are still in refugee camps because they CHOOSE to be. Anyone whose family has lived somewhere for 60 years chooses to be where they are. Just as people in the US tell minorities that if they should help themselves out of their poverty, the same can be said for those who choose to call themselves Palestinians even though it has been 60 years since a member of their family has lived in Palestine. These people have been born in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lebonan. As I said before if they had been born in the US they would be US citizens. Let them be citizens in the countries where they were born and have grown up. Simply calling yourself Palestinian because your ancestor was born in Palestine is no different than someone of Irish ancestry living in the US calling themselves Irish and demanding land in Ireland because the British chased the Irish out.
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My referral was to those who have never lived in Palestine, those who are the grandchildren or great-grandchildren, or great-great grandchildren of those who left Palestine. In addition, there were those who chose to leave surrounding areas when they could have stayed. No one forced anyone outside of the 1948 Israeli borders to leave. However they did leave and yet now their descendents insist on the right of return, even though those who originaly left have died. And by the way people can and do choose to flee. It happens every day somewhere in the world. Pick up a book, look at the television, turn on your computer.
Look up the definition of "nakba".
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Posted by hungry1968 at 10:30 AM : Feb 26, 2008
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You should read your history books. They lived peacefully because their land was divided between Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. And if they attempted to rise up they were summarily punished. As I said the Palestinians NEVER had a state. They were ruled by whichever Arab country had taken their land. There was no reason for the UN NOT to give Israel their homeland since the Palestinians had NEVER had ruled themselves in the first place.
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The Palestinians were offered almost everything they asked for in 2000. The only thing the Israelis refused was to allow the Palestinians who were not born in Palestine the right of return. Arafat refused and called for the Intifada. Israel has never been offered a peace agreement in which all sides recognized their right to exist AND agreed to refrain from attack.
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Since when is a monarchy a democracy? King Abdullah II wasn''t elected as a king. He appoints and dismisses all judges. Appoints and dismisses the council of ministers. Makes amendments to the constitution. Runs the military and has the power to declare war. He has the power to dissolve the National Assembly when HE chooses. Jordan does not meet the definition of a democracy. Please make a point of learning about a subject before you try to refute the comments of another.
lol, The Native Americans might appreciate that. Maybe we could move in on Mexico, squat on their land, cry that we''re being persecuted by evil extremists and then find someone stupid enough to pour billions of their cash into us and try to hold off the rest of Mexico, Spain, and possibly Central and South America. We could shove the Mexican Nationals to the south, cut off their electricity, food, and health supplies, and just let them die slowly. If we could get Acapulco in the deal, then we could just sit under palm trees and drink margaritas while some other country supports us.
(snort)
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Posted by lfitts1 at 05:37 PM : Feb 26, 2008
All they have to do is to give up the territory they squatted on in the wars after the UN gave them their country. It ain''''''''t gonna happen as long as we pour dollars into them.
Posted by RowdyTexan2
So I guess it is time to move out of Texas and the other 49 states and return the territory to the native americans who are the rightful owners--better get packing
Posted by lfitts1 at 05:37 PM : Feb 26, 2008
she didnt think of that, her mind geared toward bashing bush
All they have to do is to give up the territory they squatted on in the wars after the UN gave them their country. It ain''''t gonna happen as long as we pour dollars into them.
Posted by RowdyTexan2
So I guess it is time to move out of Texas and the other 49 states and return the territory to the native americans who are the rightful owners--better get packing
was done on purpose..
You need to learn how to spell
All they have to do is to give up the territory they squatted on in the wars after the UN gave them their country. It ain''t gonna happen as long as we pour dollars into them.
Posted by Prinzowhales
Nazi bs perpetuated by an antisemite
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