[ 31/08/2010 - 11:56 AM ]
GAZA, (PIC)-- Member of Hamas's political bureau Ezzat Al-Resheq condemned Egypt and Jordan for declaring their intention to take part in the direct talks slated to take place in early September between Fatah's authority and the Israeli occupation state, describing it as unfortunate.
"The participation of Egypt and Jordan in the direct negotiations to be held between Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli occupation in Washington is unfortunate, and we call upon the Egyptian and Jordanian brothers not to participate in this game designed to liquidate the Palestinian cause; we do not want them to be false witnesses to it," Resheq told Quds Press on Monday.
"The reason behind Abbas's insistence on going into the direct talks is obvious, he is unable to say no, and there are also American threats to cut off the aid given to his authority in the event he refused to partake in the negotiations, so he is entering into the talks, despite the opposition of the popular unanimity," the Hamas official stressed.
"Now is the time for Oslo authority to desist from tampering with the Palestinian cause, stop running after the mirage of negotiations with the occupation and tell frankly, even for once, the Palestinian people that its choices have failed and not worked," he added.
In the same context, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted on condition of anonymity a high-level official from the Palestinian Authority (PA) as saying that the PA knows well that it cannot impose a freeze on Israel's settlement expansion.
The official said that the PA is aware that after September 26, settlement construction would resume fully, especially in the wake of the clarifications made by the US administration about the political obligations of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu towards his governmental coalition.
He noted that the PA fears that its talks with Israelis could fail because the sole beneficiary from that would be Hamas, asserting that the PA has no intents to thwart the negotiations.
Maariv newspaper, for its part, quoted Israeli military sources as saying that the Zionist institutions intend to initiate widespread construction campaigns in all Palestinian lands after the [alleged] freeze in Israeli settlements expire.
The Israeli command of the central region told Maariv that the Israeli settlers plan to carry out illegal acts against the Palestinians and embark on building settlement outposts throughout the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem after the freeze date ends.
For his part, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan expressed his strong belief that Abbas would make considerable concessions on vital Palestinian issues during his negotiations with Israelis.
In a statement to Palestine newspaper, Hamdan said that the PA-Israeli direct talks are intended to save Washington's face and give the Israeli occupation state an opportunity to make further gains at the expense of the Palestinian rights and constants.
He emphasized that Abbas and his authority are fully aware that their political survival is dependent on Israel and the US administration which gave them the legitimacy to stay in power.
In a related incident, the Hebrew radio disclosed Tuesday that Abbas met secretly Israeli war minister Ehud Barak in Amman following the latter's meeting with the Jordanian king last Sunday.
It affirmed that Abbas-Barak meeting took place in a house located in Amman and was part of the preparations made ahead of Washington talks.
The radio claimed that Barak and Abbas discussed what it called the goodwill gestures that can be made by Israel for the Palestinians in the West Bank.
For his part, Netanyahu reassured his Likud party that it would be difficult to extract geographical concessions from him during his talks with Abbas next Thursday in Washington.
Speaking at a Likud party toast for the Jewish new year on Monday, the Israeli premier said any peace agreement would be based on the "recognition of the Jewish nation's right to a homeland."
"We will not make do with documents or promises. We want actual arrangements on the ground that will safeguard the state of Israel and its citizens," Netanyahu added. "No one can teach me what love of the land of Israel is. We want true peace for generations to come, and only Likud can achieve true peace."
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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