Abbas Calls For New Dialogue With Hamas

Palestinian Leader Does About-Face On Policy Towards Islamic Militant Movement

(AP)  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday for new dialogue with Hamas, in what appeared to be an about-face after insisting for a year that he would not talk with the Islamic militant movement unless it first gave up control of Gaza.

Hamas, whose gunmen seized the Gaza Strip by force last June, immediately welcomed the offer delivered by Abbas during a televised speech.

Abbas gave no details about his proposal, including whether he would personally take part in talks or would seek mediation by Arab states. It also was not clear from his wording whether he had dropped all preconditions.

If Abbas were to start negotiating with Hamas, he could jeopardize the broad international support that he gained after Hamas seized Gaza in five days of fighting with Abbas' security forces. The West hoped its backing would lead the moderate Abbas to a peace deal with Israel.

But the Palestinian president has engaged in months of peace talks with Israel that have yielded no tangible results. Earlier Wednesday, Abbas' chief negotiator said it would take "a miracle" to meet the year-end target for a deal set by President Bush.

A close Abbas aide, Nimer Hamad, said circumstances dictate that the Palestinian factions resume dialogue.

"The failure of the peace process, the tragic situation in Gaza, the entire Palestinian situation require thinking courageously of an exit," Hamad said. "We hope that Hamas will respond positively to the call."

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu greeted Abbas' offer with warmth. "We welcome this call by the President Abbas to launch a national dialogue, and we consider it a positive step," he said.

Abbas' speech started off by criticizing Israel for continued construction in West Bank settlements and other acts that he said dampened peace hopes.

Then he called for a new "national dialogue" among Palestinians that could "end the internal division that harms our people, (our) cause."

Abbas said if talks succeed, "I will call for new legislative and presidential elections." Abbas won a presidential ballot to succeed Yasser Arafat, who died in 2004, but Hamas swept Abbas' Fatah movement out of power in 2006 parliamentary elections.

Over the past year there have been several efforts, notably by Egypt and later by Yemen, to repair the rift between the rivals, but to no avail.

The lack of apparent progress in peace talks with Israel has troubled the Palestinian leader.

This week, he had a particularly tense meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The leaders spent much of the time complaining - Abbas about construction in Israeli settlements, Olmert about Palestinian attempts to keep the European Union from granting Israel closer ties.

The internal Palestinian divisions have weakened Abbas' negotiating position, and Israel has said no peace deal can be implemented as long as Hamas rules Gaza.

Hamas has persistently rejected demands by the West that it recognize the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept previous peace deals. Since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Hamas and other militant groups have stepped up rocket attacks on Israeli border communities.

Israel and Abbas' administration restarted peace talks at a U.S.-hosted summit in November and set a year-end target for reaching an agreement.

The lead Palestinian negotiator, Ahmed Qureia, said Wednesday it is increasingly unlikely the sides can meet their jointly stated goal.

Speaking at a Fatah meeting, Qureia said negotiating teams were working on all key issues of the conflict, including the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees and the final status of Jerusalem.

But "gaps still exist," he said. "If we continue in negotiations, progress can be made, but not final progress. I don't think that we can reach an agreement this year unless there is a miracle."

Israeli officials have said a framework agreement, as opposed to a final deal, was the most likely outcome of the talks. A growing corruption probe that threatens to topple Olmert has cast further doubts on peace prospects.

[trishab4]

So Abbas has decided to "negotiate" with the democratically elected MAJORITY Palestinian leadership of the Palestinians, has he?

Re: "Then he called for a new "national dialogue" among Palestinians that could "end the internal division that harms our people, (our) cause."

Gee....ya think?

Posted by FeelFree4U at 04:35 AM : Jun 05, 2008

-Well yeah, Abbas is like an upset barking dog. He barks when he''s hungry and needs to eat. So AIPAC and Zionists give him a bone to chew on, pretending to negotiate with Palestinian Authority and Hamas in order to set a durable solution for the Palestinian people. Of course it''s all lies and more lies. Then it''s all over again!

[geegeemama]

notaliberal4
hahahahha you make me laugh so bad, is so funny that Israel people and supporters go to the bible and try to find a justification to kill and exterminated Palestinians. But what happened with rest of the bible?, like accept Jesus Christ as a God''s son???
Read gospel 5:37-38, Jesus Christ die to redeem the Hebrews and they don''t even knowledge him as God''s son, just pity!

[factsearcher]

Get the jews out of the Palestinian territories and connect the West bank with Gaza, then establish a Palestinian state, regardless of what the US says.


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Posted by gce65

Do you honestly think that if israelis give 100% of the land to palestinians...peace would come out of it??
Please don''t be naive...take Gaza as the perfect example of what would happen... a corral for terrorism...hamas, hezbollah and alqada would fight for that little piece of land, train terrorist and send them to a neighborhood near you.

[factsearcher]

Maybe if the Jews and you americans practiced this BS that you preach, 5.7 billion people wouldn''''t hate Americans and Jews



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Posted by RobRoyh390


Haven''t you heard the news????????????
We are practicing what we preach!
There''s an offical Black nominee for president!!!
So, suck it!

[juwboy]

jn122736 said that:

Jews have been run out of many countries or hated because of MONEY.

Since the vast majority of Jews have lived in abject poverty throughout history, this viewpoint is untenable.

jn122736, name a country that Jews have been kicked out of because of MONEY.

There is a perfectly good reason why Jews have been expelled from, or hated in, many countries.

It isn''t MONEY. It cannot be, because, as I just said, the majority of Jews have been poor throughout history.

So what is the reason?

jn122736, why don''t you spend some time researching Jewish history instead of wasting ours with your ignorant opinions?

[deacon20081]

I guess Dubyas meetings didn''t go too well.

[gce65]

Get the jews out of the Palestinian territories and connect the West bank with Gaza, then establish a Palestinian state, regardless of what the US says.

[robroyh390]

Jewish people are no different from catholics, muslims, christians, buhddists, atheists and the rest.
Believing in something different than you doesn''''t entitle humanity to hate, discriminate, label and do actions against the them.



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Posted by factsearcher at 10:14 AM : Jun 05, 2008"

Maybe if the Jews and you americans practiced this BS that you preach, 5.7 billion people wouldn''t hate Americans and Jews

[factsearcher]

I don''t understand.. with all the rapes, oppression, assasinations and plain inhuman killings that exists in other countries'' government... the world is still blaming Israel and referring to it as the bad ones..I don''t get it...
There''s more good that has come out of israelis than bad...not that they''re the greatest...hey, we aren''t either... but they have survived generations and generations of dicrimination and almost extermination.
Ephd, I wonder the same thing.
Why are there so many people hating the jewish people? even before UN created Israel???? Because let state real history here.... the land of Israel was not stolen...was given by the UN.

[ephd]

Your references to superstition (Deuteronomy 28:16 and Leviticus 26:44) for explanations instead of a logical answer have no credibility. Religion and logic are mortal enemies.

Posted by jn122736 at 11:55 AM : Jun 05, 2008

I understand your response. As a scientist I agree that one can not simply read the bible for answers to to worlds problems (especially when religious conflicts is to blame for many of them). My response was tounge in check. You gave an emotional reponse (it all money) so i did as well. Honestly, I do not know why Jews are hated so. Listen, Blacks are mistreated as well. The whole world had slavery at one point. To what "inherent" characteristic do you attribute that hatred.
By the way, the fact that America supports Israel in the way it does, actually supports what I asked. How is it that people are so obsessed with the jews, a tiny minority, for the bad and for the good.

[jn122736]

"Israel remains an empty desert for thousands of years, and within 100 years of the Jews return, it goes from a territory ruled by the turks and later English to a major world power. Jews make up 0.1 % of the population, were thrown out of many countries as you noted, and yet are responsible for numerous contributions to science and technology. So what is it with the Jews Why are they so hated. Here is a possible answer. Read Deuteronomy 28:16. But to understand hoe the jew survives, despite the world''''s repeated efforts to destroy the jews see Leviticus 26:44
Posted by ephd at 08:37 AM : Jun 05, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ephd, I see you have no answer either. You use the same accusation that is always used, hate/anti-Semetism.

Even asking a question triggers the same accusation.
However, I must admit that my question was a bit sarcastic, since the answer really is quite obvious.

As for Israel becoming a world power because of the Jews;
Without the protection of the western world, the United States in particular, the Jews would not have been able to move into Israel in 1948,

They would be driven out tomorrow if the United States suddenly lost the ability to defend them (and at the rate we have been going the past 8 years that may not be too long).

Your references to superstition (Deuteronomy 28:16 and Leviticus 26:44) for explanations instead of a logical answer have no credibility. Religion and logic are mortal enemies.

[factsearcher]

Jewish people are no different from catholics, muslims, christians, buhddists, atheists and the rest.
Believing in something different than you doesn''t entitle humanity to hate, discriminate, label and do actions against the them.

[ephd]

Sri Lanka ...

[ephd]

Noe if Jewish land squatters and SHRUB will just do the will of the elected palestinian people,
peace would be possible.....

Posted by Quetzal666- at 08:44 AM : Jun 05, 2008

Yes, because the Islamic fundamentalists waging war throughout the rest of the world (cechnya, indonesia) would suddenly become peaceful, right?

[ephd]

Heck, even the man who a large portion of the world considers the son of God - was born through a Jewish woman. Israel remains an empty desert for thousands of years, and within 100 years of the Jews return, it goes from a territory ruled by the turks and later English to a major world power. Jews make up 0.1 % of the population, were thrown out of many countries as you noted, and yet are responsible for numerous contributions to science and technology. So what is it with the Jews Why are they so hated. Here is a possible answer. Read Deuteronomy 28:16. But to understand hoe the jew survives, despite the world''s repeated efforts to destroy the jews see Leviticus 26:44

[ephd]

Is it because the rest of the world is evil or is it something inherent about Jews? The one word that seems to fit into every situation is %u201C%u201Dmoney%u201D%u201D.

Posted by jn122736 at 07:05 AM : Jun 05, 2008

Excellent question jn122736. How is it that the world is so obsessed with hating jews. Jewish people make up 0.1% of the world''s population, and yet some how they are blamed for all of the worlds problems. There are countries in which minorities are rape, tortured, and murdered on a daily basis and yet the UN as singled out Israel on a continuing basis for resolution after resolution while ignoring the terror being inflicted on people throughout the rest of the world. Even if you consider Israel guilty of those crimes as well, how is it that the UN is so singularly focused on the one tiny state while virtually ignoring the trashing of human rights throughout the rest of the world. How is it that Hitler was so blindly obsessed with murdering jews that he ran his country into the ground to kill them rather than devote resources to his war. You think its because of "Money." What is this obsession with hating the jews

[bluestardad]

AMERICA NEEDS OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST!

THERE IS NOTHING IN THERE SHE NEEDS!

[jn122736]

Yes, "democratically"-elected Hamas assassinated all of their political opponents immediately after the election so that "democratic" elections could never be held again in Gaza, thus emulating Hitler''''s first act in Germany in 1933 after he was "democratically" elected.

Anyone who believes that Hamas are "democrats" is, in all likelihood, the feeble-minded offspring of a pig''''s rear end -- someone just like you, FeelFreek4U, a subhuman Arab posing as a patriotic American.
Posted by juwboy at 04:56 AM : Jun 05, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

juwboy; perhaps you (or anyone else) can answer one troubling question I have never been able to find an answer to; Why is it that the Jewish people seem to have always been run out of, hated or at least strongly disliked, in every country they have ever been in throughout history?

The only answer I have ever heard is anti-Semitism, which, to my mind at least, is simply an accusation, NOT an answer.

Is it because the rest of the world is evil or is it something inherent about Jews? The one word that seems to fit into every situation is %u201C%u201Dmoney%u201D%u201D.

[juwboy]

Yes, "democratically"-elected Hamas assassinated all of their political opponents immediately after the election so that "democratic" elections could never be held again in Gaza, thus emulating Hitler''s first act in Germany in 1933 after he was "democratically" elected.

Anyone who believes that Hamas are "democrats" is, in all likelihood, the feeble-minded offspring of a pig''s rear end -- someone just like you, FeelFreek4U, a subhuman Arab posing as a patriotic American.

[feelfree4u]

So Abbas has decided to "negotiate" with the democratically elected MAJORITY Palestinian leadership of the Palestinians, has he?

Re: "Then he called for a new "national dialogue" among Palestinians that could "end the internal division that harms our people, (our) cause."

Gee....ya think?