Friday, October 06, 2006

ROADMAP TO NEVER NEVER LAND

Rice meets Abbas as the road map to peace lies in tatters 05 October 2006

On 24 June 2002, President George Bush strode into the White House Rose Garden and announced to the world his vision of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. The Bush speech, some 30 drafts in the making, put the onus on the Palestinians to enact democratic reforms in the vain hope that they would ditch their veteran president, Yasser Arafat. But, nevertheless, it gave rise to the road map for peace, which bound Israel and the Palestinians to a timetable that was meant to lead to a final and comprehensive settlement by 2005.

With that deadline long past, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was shuttling
between the Palestinian leadership and Israeli government yesterday in an attempt to put the peace process back on the rails.

The three-phase road map, guaranteed by the US, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, grouped together as the Quartet, never even fulfilled the promises in its first phase under which the Palestinians were to rein in the militants, and Israel to freeze settlement building. Israel took it upon itself to execute Palestinian militant leaders, and forged ahead with settlement building on the West Bank.Israel's unilateral steps consigned the Quartet to the role of bystander. In three and a half years, the road map has led nowhere. Despite Israel's pullout from Gaza, the territory's 1.4 million Palestinians remain hemmed inside a prison by
an Israeli blockade backed by tanks and warplanes. International sanctions have brought hardship to government employees whose wages have been unpaid for months.

But the shock waves from the Lebanon war and Iraq have brought a new push for Middle East peace. Tony Blair has pledged to make reviving the peace process a personal priority during his remaining months in office. The Prime Minister has discussed the Middle East conflict, Lebanon and the broader issue of terrorism with the leaders of Pakistan, Turkey and Spain in the past week.While Ms Rice was in the region, the International Crisis Group published a statement yesterday signed by 135 former world leaders, including John Major and Jimmy Carter, calling for fresh thinking and the injection of new political will to resolve the conflict.

As long as the conflict lasts, it will generate instability and violence in the region and beyond, it said.And more ominously, a group calling itself al-Qa'ida in Palestine posted a five-minute video on the internet attacking those who work in the service of the Jews. Israeli intelligence has said in the past that al-Qa'ida does not have a foothold in the Palestinian territories.Ms Rice, who was lectured on Tuesday by the leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia about the link between the Palestinian conflict and others in the Middle East, acknowledged Palestinian hardship after talks with President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

I told the President we are very concerned, of course, about the humanitarian conditions, she said. I said we would redouble our efforts to improve conditions for the Palestinian people.
But she gave no sign of any softening in the administration's stance that could lead to the lifting of the international economic sanctions aimed at forcing the Islamic Hamas government to recognise Israel and renounce violence. Mr Blair made it clear last month that, if a unity government took such steps, do- nor countries would re-engage.Mr Abbas said yesterday that his attempts to form a coalition government with Hamas were at an end, amid factional fighting between Fatah and Hamas. He hinted that he might fire the government using his constitutional powers and call fresh elections, but that is an initiative that could backfire against Fatah,
still in denial about their election loss.Ms Rice is seeking to bolster the authority of the Palestinian President who, despite his marginalised role, remains the only possible interlocutor for Israel. Hamas is branded as a terrorist organisation by Israel.

The Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, was scathing about her visit, saying she cares only to rearrange this region and to rearrange the Palestinian scene in a way that serves the American and Israeli agenda.Yet the framework set down in the road map remains the only game in town. We've not shelved the road map. Everyone knows what we are aiming for, said a Downing Street source, who noted that Mr Blair intends to return to the region at an unspecified date. We need small steps, confidence-building, and a process of dialogue.Mr Blair's standing in the Middle East is at a low ebb, however, because of his association with US policy.Initiatives come and go. It's very difficult to see a way out at the moment, said a Western diplomat in Jerusalem.

THE ROAD MAP TO NOWHERE

Four years after George Bush unveiled his Middle East plan, Condoleezza Rice arrived to find peace as far away as everThe road-map promise,Palestinian terror infrastructure to be dismantled and visible efforts made to arrest attackers of Israelis.

What happened

Suicide bombings against Israelis continue despite publication of the road map, backed by George Bush. Israel begins building separation barrier, which is condemned as an illegal land grab. Palestinian government undermined by Israel, which targets militants.

The promise

Israel to freeze all settlement activity and dismantle illegal outposts.
What happened Some illegal outposts are dismantled although settlers return. Governments of Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert forge ahead with settlement blocs on occupied land in the West Bank. Unilateral Israeli moves have created new facts on the ground which will complicate future final status negotiations on a two-state solution.

The promise

Free, fair and open elections to be held in Palestinian territories.
What happened Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is elected in January 2005. But rival Hamas wins 2006 elections. Abbas's authority is irreparably weakened, and talks with Hamas on coalition government break down.

The promise

Creation of an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders in 2003.
What happened Unilateral pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank is completed in September 2005. But Gaza subjected to economic blockade and military incursions continue. Ehud Olmert unveils unilateral separation plan, which threatens to leave the separation barrier as a new border.

The promise

Two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians, to be achieved by 2005, to lead to comprehensive peace.

What happened

Israel launches full-scale war in July after Hizbollah militia in Lebanon, allied to Syria and Iran, capture two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border incursion. © 2006 Independent News and Media (NI) a division of Independent News & media (UK) Ltd

RICE ABBAS REMARKS

Haniyeh accuses of US of trying to rearrange Mideast

Gaza City, Oct 05: Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas today accused the US of trying to rearrange the Middle East to suit American and Israeli interests. Haniyeh spoke as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in the region for talks with the moderate Palestinian President mahmoud abbas. While the US supports Abbas as a legitimate negotiating partner, it
considers Hamas a terrorist group, and Rice was not meeting with any of its members. She cares only to rearrange this region and to rearrange the Palestinian scene in a way that serves the American and Israeli agenda, Haniyeh said.

Since winning legislative elections early this year, Hamas has refused international calls to renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist, despite painful sanctions that have caused widespread hardship for the Palestinians. Abbas has been pushing Hamas to form a power-sharing agreement with his Fatah group. But he announced today that the talks have broken down in the wake of factional fighting that has killed 10 people in recent days.Haniyeh said Hamas considers dialogue the only way to solve international disagreements. I don't think turning the back on this dialogue can serve the higher interests of the Palestinian people, he said. Bureau Report


Remarks With Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas After Their Meeting
Secretary Condoleezza RiceRamallah, West BankOctober 4, 2006,(11:00 a.m. EDT)

PRESIDENT ABBAS: (Via interpreter) …including our relations with various countries in the world searching a peace process that will end the Arab-Israeli conflict. And so the Palestinian question by means of setting up an independent Palestinian state that would live peacefully alongside the state of Israel.

We discussed the issue of forming a national unity government, and we addressed the issue of how talks on the national unity government have been disrupted, and today we say that any government to be formed has to be fully committed to all the commitments of the Palestinian Authority towards the Arab world and to the international community and has to honor all kinds of agreements that were signed in the past between the PA and the Arab parties. Up to this moment, there are no indications that these conditions are going to be met.We also spoke about the prisoners. And we said that Egypt is making a big effort to release the Israeli soldier and in return it is a must to release Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel. And finally we spoke about the crossing points and we raised the issue of the need for keeping (inaudible). In addition to this, we spoke of the security condition, the deteriorating security conditions especially the events of the last two days, the reasons of which are very well known and I don't want to go into details of what happened in those days.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you for a warm reception. May I begin by wishing Ramadan Karim to everyone. This is, of course, a time when Muslims around the world are celebrating this holy time of Ramadan, a time of family and a time of faith. I might note that many Americans of Muslim faith are these very days also observing Ramadan, and it is in part why the United States has such great respect for the great religion of Islam. It is a part of us as Americans as well.I want to thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership. I had a chance to brief the President on the fact that we met last night in the GCC+2 and that much of the conversation was about how to support the Palestinian people in this time of considerable difficulty, how to support President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, and how to create the conditions in which the Palestinian people can be served by the kind of government that the President talked about in his United Nations speech, a government that is able to deliver for the needs of the Palestinian people, that observes the Quartet principles and that can form the basis then for movement forward on what we all desire, especially President Bush, and that is a two-state solution, a solution in which a democratic Palestine and a democratic Israel can live side by side in peace.

We discussed a number of specific issues. I told the President that we are very concerned, of course, about the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories, about the economic situation. It is a great sadness during this time, of course, of Ramadan that Palestinians, many of them are deprived of basic needs. And I said to him that we would double our -- redouble our efforts to improve the conditions of the Palestinian people. The Quartet talked about this. We talked about this last night. And we want very much to work toward better conditions for the Palestinian people.We talked also about the security situation, the need to improve the security forces, the President's -- of the Palestinian Authority. And of course, as the President said, we understand that some of the economic hardships are of course caused by the lack of mobility, the lack of movement and access, and I will of course see what I can do to make sure that some of those crossings are indeed open longer and more frequently so that economic activity can
return.

Mr. President, I think that you know that we have great admiration for you and for your leadership, that President Bush when he met with you restated again his strong commitment to a process by which Palestinians and Israelis can move forward to the day when there are two states. We know we have a lot of work to do in between, but you have the strong commitment of the United States to that cause and the personal commitment of me and the personal commitment of the President.
Thank you very much.

PRESIDENT ABBAS: (In Arabic.) QUESTION: (In Arabic.)
SECRETARY RICE: First of all, let me say that I think President Abbas has enormous respect from the international community and in the United States. And it is indeed because of that respect for the President that the United States, even after the election of the Hamas government, which we fully recognize the Palestinian people’s elections as legitimate -- but after the refusal of that government to accept the international norms, the agreements that the Palestinians have accepted, the United States found a way to get humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people by reprogramming some of our assistance for the Palestinians. That’s, in
large part, because of our respect for President Abbas and what he’s trying to do. There is an international mechanism for support to the Palestinian people and again, I think in recognition of what the President is trying to do.

But obviously, we would like to be able to do more. And I’ve been discussing with the President ways that we might be able to better address some of the great needs that are there with the Palestinian people, but more than that, how we can facilitate a dialogue, how we can facilitate discussions between Israel and the Palestinians about the key issues that really do relate to
economic development, to the ability of the Palestinian people to move within their territory, ways to end the violence, ways to make possible a life for the Palestinian people that is not subject to the kind of daily humiliations that we know have been associated with the occupation.
That is my program here with the President and because he is a leader that people respect, he is going to continue to have not just the attention of the international community, but its very intensive efforts to try to break through some of the deadlocks that have been there. And I think we will make progress.

QUESTION: President Abbas, do you think it's possible that the next step will include elections and what specifically are you doing to prevent a civil war?

And to Secretary Rice, first of all on Iran. MODERATOR: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: Sorry. President Abbas, do you think it's possible that the next step will include elections? And secondly, what are you doing to prevent a civil war between Hamas and Fatah?And to Secretary Rice on Iran, how dead do you think negotiations are? Are they finished with Iran? And do you anticipate holding a meeting this week with your P-5+1 counterparts to discuss what specific sanctions to impose on Iran? And secondly, what specifically, tangibly, concretely do you expect to get out of this trip and are there ways that you anticipate restarting the peace process?

SECRETARY RICE: How many questions, Robin? (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT ABBAS: (In Arabic.)

SECRETARY RICE: Let me take the second question first since it relates actually to the Palestinians. The first is that I do hope that we can come to some understanding about how to make the agreement on movement and access more functional. Clearly a lot has happened since that agreement was signed, but it's still important that Carni be able to operate. It's still important that there be at least some openings at Rafah. I'm glad to know that it was opened a couple of times during Ramadan, but I think we need to work on those issues. Those are the kinds of on-the-ground things that make it easier for the Palestinian people.

I think we will also discuss ways that we might make more resources available at least for some of the needs that have been identified by the international community for the Palestinian people. And finally, I am here to hear from the President what we can do to support him. I think that General Dayton is here. We are working very closely on some security plans. I think that we want to make sure those security plans are now really implemented and that we can move them forward. Because obviously security, the movement and access, economic development, well-being are all interlinked.

And sometimes, Robin, what is necessary is to go step-by-step and try on the ground to really improve conditions. And so I'm trying to facilitate that. I know there have been some good meetings between the Israelis and the Palestinians at the official level, and we hope that those will continue. General Dayton is working on some of those security issues, but it's my hope that it will not be very long before there can be a meeting between the President and Prime Minister Olmert. I know that they will choose the time, but we hope that it will take place in the near future.

As to Iran, I have read very briefly the statement that Javier Solana made to the European parliamentarians. I would share his assessment. Iran has not decided to suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities. There have been months of negotiations.

There has been patience beyond the August 31st deadline that was set by the UN Security Council resolution. There has been a lot of patience when you go all the way back to the fact that the Paris agreement is now more than two and a half years ago.

So I think we have come to a time when the Iranians have to make their choice and the international system has to act accordingly.

And it seems to me that acting accordingly is very much spelled out in Resolution 1696 that means action under Article 41 of Chapter 7. I will tell you whether or not we're actually going to have a meeting on Friday. I think we have left open that possibility.

But when we do, I have to say that I think the logic of the -- of bringing to a close the open-ended negotiations with the Iranians that that's become -- that it's become quite evident that that's what we're going to have to do.
Thank you.2006/T23-7

Thursday, October 05, 2006

WORLD LEADERS WANT MIDEAST PEACE

WORLD LEADERS WANT MIDEAST PEACE

Former leaders call for settlement in Arab-Israeli conflictCall to end Israeli occupation, end boycott of Palestinian Authority, and recognise Israel.

LONDON - More than 100 former world leaders, foreign ministers, diplomats, and religious leaders have put their names to an open letter published in The Financial Times on Wednesday calling for progress towards a settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Organised by the International Crisis Group and signed by former world leaders such as US president Jimmy Carter, British prime minister John Major and president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, the letter calls for urgent international action.Everyone has lost in this conflict except the extremists throughout the world who prosper on the rage that it continues to provoke. Every passing day undermines prospects for a peaceful, enduring solution,the letter, with a total of 135 signatories, reads.

As long as the conflict lasts, it will generate instability and violence in the region and beyond.Former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Dalai Lama and the Reverend Desmond Tutu also signed the letter, which includes eight Nobel Peace Prize winners (including Carter, Gorbachev and Tutu).The goal must be security and full recognition to the state of Israel within international recognized borders, an end to the occupation for the Palestinian people in a viable independent, sovereign state, and the return of lost land to Syria,the letter reads.

It calls for a new international conference, ideally held as soon as possible and attended by all relevant players, at which all the elements of a comprehensive peace agreement would be mapped, and momentum gathered for detailed negotiations.The letter also calls for an end to the financial boycott of the Palestinian Authority, talks between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, and parallel talks between Israel, Syria and Lebanon.Other notable signatories to the letter include: former German foreign minister and current EU foreign policy chief Joschka Fischer; former NATO supreme allied commander Wesley Clark; former Indian prime minister I K Gujral; former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung; former US secretary of defense Robert McNamara; former British foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind; and Shlomo Ben-Ami, the former Israeli foreign minister.

8 ARAB STATES MEET WITH RICE

LAND FOR PEACE

JOEL 3:22 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain. 40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

Published: 10/03/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)Eight Arab states join in peace process

Agencies Cairo: Eight Arab countries are banding together to meet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her trip here, in hopes of relaunching the deadlocked Arab-Israeli peace process and making headway on other regional issues.During their meeting with Rice today, the ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt and Jordan are expected coordinate efforts to buttress the stature of the moderate Palestinian leader and stem Iran's growing influence.The trip comes as some Arab countries have in recent weeks halted dealings with the Palestinian group Hamas.

They want it to join a unity government that supports a 2002 Arab League plan that would offer peace to Israel in exchange for land and they have even started funnelling aid through Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Arab diplomats say.Yesterday Rice arrived in Saudi Arabia on the first leg of a Middle East tour, for talks with King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal.On the aircraft to Jeddah, Rice told journalists she intended to hold talks with King Abdullah about ways to help Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

PEACE PROCESS CHRONOLOGY SINCE 1947

Chronology of the Middle East conflict
By FT Reporters
Published: July 30 2004 16:02 Last updated: August 11 2006 16:40

The creation of Israel in 1948 has bought neither the peace nor security hoped for by the Jewish state’s founders, but a series of more or less bloody conflicts with the Palestinians, who claim the same land, and the country’s Arab neighbours. Read a chronology of the main developments in the conflict and see the territorial changes since 1947.

1947-1948

1947 Britain gives up its mandate over Palestine to the newly formed United Nations. The UN General Assembly approves a plan to divide Palestine into two states - one Arab and one Jewish.

The plan is accepted by the Jews but rejected by the Palestinians.
1948 David Ben-Gurion, head of the Jewish Agency, which had supervised mass Jewish immigration to Palestine, declares the foundation of the state of Israel on May 15.
On the same day the US recognises the new Jewish state, followed shortly by the USSR.

Map shows Israeli territory after the 1948-49 war

1948-49 The day after the state of Israel is declared, Arab armies from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq invade Israel. In the ensuing war Israel seizes control of a larger area of Palestine than it had been allocated by the UN, including half the designated international zone of Jerusalem. Jordan takes control of the other half of Jerusalem and the West Bank.
January 5 1949 Israel holds first national elections. David Ben-Gurion confirmed as the new prime minister with his Labour Party winning 57 of the 120 seats in the Knesset or parliament.
December 26 1949 The Knesset unanimously adopts a resolution declaring Jerusalem to be an integral part of Israel.

1956 President Nasser of Egypt nationalises the European-owned Suez Canal. Britain and France (the main shareholders) act with Israel to try to restore ownership of the canal to the Suez Canal Company. Israel invades Egypt and almost reaches the canal. Britain and France move their forces into the canal zone to “keep the combatants apart”. Following US pressure all three countries withdraw.

1964 The Palestine Liberation Organisation formed. The PLO claims to be the sole representative of the Palestinian people and vows to reclaim their land and destroy the state of Israel. Yassir Arafat took over the chairmanship of the PLO in 1969.

1967-1977

Map shows Israeli controlled territory after the six day war
June 5 1967 - The six day war President Nasser orders the UN peace keeping force to leave Egypt’s border with Israel and closes the Strait of Tiran, blocking access to the Israeli port of Eilat. Israel sees this as an act of war and invades the Sinai desert, virtually wiping out the airforces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

Israel captures East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, the Sinai from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. About 389,000 Palestinians leave the West Bank for Jordan.
November 1967 The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 242 calling for the “withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied during the recent conflict” in return for peace, an end to frontier claims and recognition of the right of every state to “live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries. The resolution becomes the basis of international efforts to agree a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

October 6 1973 On Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Syria and Egypt begin an offensive against Israeli held territory. After initial losses Israel regains almost all the land taken during the six day war.

1977 Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian President, pays an historic visit to Jerusalem. Addressing the Knesset he accepts the existence of Israel but states that peace in the Middle East depended on Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Arab territory and on recognition of Palestinian rights.

1978-1995

Map shows territory Israel agrees to withdraw from after Camp David
September 1978 US President Jimmy Carter invites President Sadat and Menachem Begin, the Israeli prime minister, to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. The two sign a peace treaty in which Israel returns the Sinai desert to Egypt. Diplomatic relations between the two countries are established.

1982 Israel invades Lebanon. After the PLO launches terrorist attacks on towns in northern Israel from bases in Lebanon Israeli troops enter Lebanon and surround Muslim West Beirut forcing PLO fighters to leave after a siege.

Christian militia enter Palestinian refugee camps, Sabra and Chatila, in Lebanon and massacre the civilian inhabitants. An Israeli inquiry subsequently finds the government indirectly responsible for failing to react to reports the gunmen entering the camps.

1985 Israel withdraws from most of Lebanon but maintains a security zone along the border policed by Israeli soldiers.

1987 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank launch an intifada (uprising) against Israel’s continuing occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

1991 The Madrid Conference establishes a framework for peace talks. Committees are formed to establish bilateral deals between Israel and its neighbours. The PLO is represented by Palestinians in a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation.

1993 After secret meetings the Oslo accords are agreed in Norway. They provide for mutual recognition between the PLO and the state of Israel and limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

1994 Israel and the PLO sign an agreement to grant Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.

May 13 1994 Israeli forces complete withdrawal from Gaza Strip.
July 25 1994 Israel and Jordan sign a joint declaration formally ending the state of war between them.

September 28 1995. Israeli-Palestinian Interim Peace Agreement signed. (Known informally as the Taba agreement or Oslo II.) The agreement provided for elections to an 82-member Palestinian Council and for a Palestinian Executive President, as well as the progressive withdrawal of Israeli forces from West Bank towns and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
October 25 1995 The PNA takes control of the West Bank town of Jenin.

1998-2000

Map shows proposed Camp David II settlement
October 23 1998 After nine days of talks in the US Yassir Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, sign the Wye River Memorandum in the presence of President Clinton. The agreement outlined a three-month timetable for the implementation of the 1995 Interim Agreement and facilitated the beginning of the final status talks.

September 4 1999 Israel and the Palestinian National Authority sign the Wye Two agreement in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, detailing a revised timetable for outstanding provisions of the Wye River Memorandum.July 20 1999 Syria declares a ceasefire with Israel.

April 2000 Palestinian negotatiors withraw from ‘Final Status’ negotiations in Eilat, in protest at Israel’s proposals to expand the Israeli settlement of Ma’aleh Edomin in the West Bank.

May 2000 Israel completes withdrawal from Lebanon. The withdrawal descends into chaos as the retreating Israeli forces are attacked by Hizbollah guerillas.

July 25 2000 The Camp David summit between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, hosted by President Clinton, collapses with no prospect of convening another summit in the near future. Despite progress on many issues, the disputed status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees prove to be the sticking points.

September 28 2000 Palestinian frustrations over continued Israeli settlement building, which accelerated after the Oslo accords and the slow pace of negotiations erupt into a second uprising, or intifada, which is to prove much bloodier than the first.

The violence follows a visit by Ariel Sharon, the Likud leader (later to become Israel’s prime minister), to the sacred site in Jersualem known as Temple Mount to Jews and Haram al Sharif to Muslims. Several Palestinians are shot and killed in the ensuing protests, which then escalate throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, sparking the second Palestinian intifada.

2000-2004

Many of the areas granted autonomy under the Oslo accords are re-invaded and there is a dramatic deterioration in the living conditions of the 3.5m Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as Israel seals off the Palestinian territories. The second intifada is marked by a series of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians carried out by militant Palestinian groups - hardening the attitude of the Israeli public towards the possibility of peaceful coexistence with their Arab neighbours.

Relations between the two sides are further soured by Israel’s targetted killings of Palestinian militant leaders and by tank and helicopter raids into Palestinian towns and refugee camps, in which houses are bulldozed and civilians killed.

Despite international protests, Israel begins the construction of a wall to seal off the West Bank from Israel. It is proposed that large swathes of Palestinian land be confiscated so that the wall can be routed around Israeli settlements.

Several initiatives aimed at re-starting the peace talks, including Clinton-sponsored talks on the eve of the Israeli election that brought Ariel Sharon to power in early 2001, the Tenet plan of June the same year, which focused on security co-operation, and, more recently, the ‘road map’ drawn up by a quartet including the US, the European Union, Russia and the UN, fail to end the violence or rekindle the hopes of Oslo.

Map shows route of Israel’s West Bank security barrier

2004-2005

In early 2004, Ariel Sharon presents a plan for unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians, involving the removal of all Israeli settlements in the Gaza strip and four settlements from the West Bank. Mr Sharon pushes his plan through the Knesset in the teeth of fierce opposition from Israel’s settler movement.

November 2004 Yassir Arafat dies after a mystery illness, clearing the way for Mahmoud Abbas - a staunch opponent of the intifada - to be elected president of the Palestinian Authority two months later. Mr Abbas’s election is followed swiftly by talks with militant Palestinian factions to secure a temporary cease-fire and by the deployment of Palestinian forces in the Gaza strip to prevent attacks on Israel.

February 2005 Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon announce a bilateral cease-fire at a summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, paving the way for the formal resumption of peace talks based on the ‘road map’ and for Israel to co-ordinate its planned withdrawal from the Gaza strip with the new Palestinian leadership.

March 16- 17 2005 The Israeli army begins to pull back from the West Bank town of Jericho, the first area to be returned to Palestinian Authority control since Israel reoccupied the territory in 2002. The next day thirteen Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, issue a statement agreeing to a conditional truce, after meeting in Egypt.
May 2005 George W. Bush welcomes Mahmoud Abbas to the White House for the first time with a promise of $50 m in direct aid to develop Gaza after Israel’s planned withdrawal and a renewed commitment to an independent Palestinian state. George W. Bush had refused to deal with Yassir Arafat.

August/September 2005 Benjamin Netanyahu, standard-bearer of the Israeli right, resigns as finance minister, a week before the start of the evacuation of Jewish settlements in Gaza and part of the West Bank. Israel completes its unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Mr Sharon fends off a challenge to unseat him as leader of the ruling Likud party.
November 2005 Ariel Sharon quits the Likud party to form a new party called Kadima, campaigning on a platform of establishing permanent borders for Israel for the first time since its foundation in 1948.

2006

January 2006 Ariel Sharon suffers a catastrophic stroke and his deputy Ehud Olmert, steps in as acting prime minister and leader of the Kadima party.

The militant Islamist movement Hamas, which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings inside Israel, sweeps to power in Palestinian legislative elections in a massive popular rejection of the ruling Fatah party, led by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. The incoming Palestinian government faces international isolation and a financial crisis as a result of a cut-off in external funding.

March 2006 Ehud Olmert is confirmed as prime minister after the victory of his party, Kadima, in Israeli parliamentary elections. Pledging to fix the country’s borders unilaterally by 2010 after strategic withdrawals from the West Bank, Kadima campaigned on a platform of completing Mr Sharon’s vision for unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians.

Mr Olmert says he will retain the large settlement blocs close to the pre-1967 border where most of the 250,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank live. Israel will keep Maale Adumim, Ariel and Gush Etzion as well as some smaller settlements in the Jordan valley. Mr Olmert also states that Israel will complete the construction of its West Bank barrier by the end of 2006. The barrier will enclose more than 250,000 Palestinians on the Israeli side, including those living in predominantly Arab east Jerusalem. Palestinians see the barrier as a grave violation of international law that will kill off the prospect of a two-state solution by removing the viability of a future Palestinian state.

April 2006 The US and EU suspend direct aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Jun 2006 Israeli shells kill at least seven Palestinian civilians, sparking fresh violence in the Gaza Strip. Hamas militants attack an Israeli border post, killing two soldiers and capturing Corporal GIlad Shalit. Hamas demands the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for information on Israel’s kidnapped soldier. Israel responds by launching an assault to force the release of Corporal Shalit. Israeli forces detain at least 64 Hamas representatives, including 38 MPs, in the West Bank.

July/August 2006 Hizbollah militants launch an attack on Israeli forces near the Lebanese border, capturing two soldiers and killing seven. Israel imposes a naval blockade of Lebanon and begins airstrikes against Hizbollah strongholds. Hizbollah responds by launching rocket attacks on Israel. Conflict between Israel and Hizbollah escalates, as thousands of Lebanese civilians and foreign nationals flee the country. Hundreds of Lebanese civilians, as well as dozens of Israelis, are killed in the course of the violence.

International leaders push for an end to hostilities, but they repeatedly fail to reach consensus on a lasting ceasefire plan. As Israel calls up thousands of reservists and prepares to expand its offensive, Mr Olmert warns that the Israeli military campaign will not end until an international peacekeeping force is deployed into Lebanon. Hizbollah threatens to begin rocket attacks on Tel Aviv if Israel does not halt its push deeper into Lebanon, but also declares that it will abandon its rocket attacks if Israel abandons its offensive.
The Financial Times Limited 2006

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

RELIGOUS LEADERS IN PEACE PROCESS

Religious leaders take part in Mid East peace process The World Today - Monday, 2 October , 2006 12:30:00Reporter: Eleanor Hall

ELEANOR HALL: As Condoleezza Rice prepares for her visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, regional religious leaders have suggested they may be able to play a role in the peace process. The right Reverend Riah Abu El-Assal is the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, and he says has already held some promising talks with the Hamas Prime Minister.The Bishop is visiting Australia at the moment and I spoke to him earlier.(To Riah Abu El-Assal) What role can religious leaders like you play in peacemaking?

RIAH ABU EL-ASSAL: In the first place, to normalise relations between the monotheistic faiths; to help people recognise the otherness that is in the Other; to do away with what we call wrong theology that puts blame on Almighty God, that God by divine order promised this land to this party or that party, as if God is a real-estate agent.So we resist this. We try to help people understand that all people are created in the image of God, that life with dignity is a sacred right for every human being, and that violence and war will not bring peace closer.
ELEANOR HALL: Of course, not all religious leaders preach that sort of tolerance. There are religious leaders inside the territories and inside Israel who preach exactly the opposite.

RIAH ABU EL-ASSAL: Well, there are a few people here and there, I mean, in both camps, who preach a different theology, a different sermon.But those are the minority, they are not the majority. We stand with the majority and the majority of the people of Israel are wanting peace. The majority of the people of Palestine are wanting peace.There are a few factions here and there who resist. We say no until we get so far, and then we say yes.

ELEANOR HALL: What sort of influence can you as a fellow religious leader have over those more extremist leaders?

RIAH ABU EL-ASSAL: We do, I think we're under an obligation to see to it that we relate to them first.
We... I personally do not ignore them. When the Hamas government came about, I was the first religious leader in the Christian community to go and say, okay, congratulations. Now in what way can we be of help? And what way can we assist to bring the reality of the situation with the Palestinian people to the world at large?And I found in the Prime Minister someone who is able to listen and ready to stretch a hand and say, Well, we need your help.For example, he would say, Would you introduce me to A and B and C? Now, if we were to do what the American administration and the Israeli Government did by saying well, they do not exist after they've been allowed to run for election, in my opinion, that's foolish.It will add to the extremism that is already there. But if we were to recognise them and challenge them to become more pragmatic, to become more realistic about a peaceful settlement, in my opinion, we would have won.

ELEANOR HALL: What sort of response did you get from the Prime Minister when you put some of those challenges to him?

RIAH ABU EL-ASSAL: He was extremely encouraged and encouraging. He asked me, for example, to prepare a letter, which he's ready to sign, he said, You put it on paper and I will sign, which I will do...

ELEANOR HALL: What... recognising Israel?

RIAH ABU EL-ASSAL: I mean, recognising the reality that the Israelis have right to a state of their own in as much as the Palestinians have a right to a state of their own in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.

ELEANOR HALL: If the Prime Minister though is prepared to have you write a letter which he will sign, do you understand why he won't come out publicly and say, "The Hamas Government recognises Israel"?

RIAH ABU EL-ASSAL: I don't think he will hesitate. Israel will have also to be challenged to recognise the state of Palestine.So far there is no recognition. They speak of a viable... sometimes they speak of a viable state for Palestinians.The Palestinians have lived in Palestine for so long, and in my opinion, are entitled very much the same like the Israelis to a state on Palestinian soil in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.Only then there is hope for a better future for both communities.

ELEANOR HALL: And that's the right Reverend Riah Abu El-Assal, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem who is in Australia at the moment as the guest of the Anglican Board of Mission.

Monday, October 02, 2006

RICE GOES TO MIDEAST

YOM KIPPUR (ISRAELI REPENTENCE AND WORLD REPENTENCE ALSO DAY)

Rice sees moderates as key to MideastBy Nicholas Kralev,THE WASHINGTON TIMESSeptember 29, 2006

U.S. officials see the struggle between moderates and extremists not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the defining issue in the Middle East, the State Department said yesterday in announcing that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit the region next week.Although Miss Rice attaches critical importance to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and will explore ways to revitalize it, her more ambitious task will be to urge moderates in the region to unite against extremists, said department spokesman Sean McCormack.This is a trip designed to lay the foundations potentially for moving the [peace] process forward,Mr.

McCormack told reporters.There seems to be a genuine desire among leaders in the region you start to see some of those emerge in Saudi Arabia, in Egypt, as well as others to try to move that process forward. He acknowledged that some people subscribe to a view of "the Palestinian-Israeli dispute being at the heart of all disputes in the Middle East but said he does not agree.I would just look at the issue a little bit differently,he said.It will be a frame for Miss Rice's conversations during her trip.He said the secretary will visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel countries that are on the side of moderation because they have an interest in a more stable, peaceful, prosperous Middle East.

In Egypt, Mr. McCormack said, Miss Rice will discuss with President Hosni Mubarak the importance of continuing the democratic reform process. Asked about Egypt's mixed record on promoting democracy, he contrasted that country with forces for extremism and violence such as Iran, Syria and Hamas, the militant group that controls the Palestinian parliament and government. Miss Rice plans to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Fatah party, but we are not going to talk to a Hamas-led government, and we are certainly not going to advocate others, including the Israelis, talking to a Hamas-led government,Mr. McCormack said.

It will be the secretary's first visit to the region since July during Israel's border war with Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday that he hoped to meet with Mr. Abbas soon, but Mr. McCormack said there were no plans for a three-way meeting involving Miss Rice. Middle East analysts were doubtful that Miss Rice's trip would produce significant results.I don't see what is achievable at this moment,said Danielle Pletka, vice president of the American Enterprise Institute. Islamists are riding high, dictators are feeling comfortable, and the United States seems at best confused about how to deal with both Iran and Iraq.

If democracy is the centerpiece [of Miss Rice?s trip], that's terrific, because the solution of most problems in the Middle East is broadening the democratic base,she said. That seems to have been put on the back burner. David Schenker, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the only benefit from Miss Rice's visit would be the show of high-level attention to the region at a time when the administration stands accused of lacking interest in Arab-Israeli affairs. This is also a critical time for Lebanon, and lending her support to [Prime Minister Fuad] Siniora's government ... is very important, Mr. Schenker said.Mr. McCormack, asked whether Miss Rice might go to Beirut, said he had no additional stops to announce.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

ISRAEL NEEDS NEW POLICIES

Israel needs radically new policies toward the ArabsBy Yaron Ezrahi and Ariel Ezrahi

In the long run Israel will not be able to live peacefully in the Middle East if it continues to regard itself, and be regarded by its neighbors, as a spearhead of the Western struggle against violent Islamic forces. Whereas shortly after September 11, 2001, this struggle focused on militant Islam, outraged by terrorist acts the leaders of the West and of Israel have become less and less discriminating between violent and moderate Islam.When Israel is perceived as a Western outpost in the heart of a largely Muslim region, when the conflict between the West and radical Islam takes global dimensions, it is even more unwise and dangerous for Israel to place itself and its youth in the front line of this war. The latest war in Lebanon demonstrated again that Israel's vulnerability does not reside in the strength of its not-so-large army. Israel's weakness lies in its extreme sensitivity to the loss of life of even a few soldiers and citizens.

Despite the domestic criticism of the decision in the last war to choose the strategy of massive air strikes over ground attack, a choice which dramatically increased casualties on the Lebanese side, it was heavily influenced by the desire to spare the life of Israeli soldiers. This concern overpowers the desire of Israeli right-wing leaders to put Israeli youths in the front line in the global conflict against radical Islam.

The Israeli Army should of course prepare itself for the worst-case scenarios. But a wise Israeli leadership thinking about Israel's long-term future in the Middle East should consider a radical break with past policies in the conflict. Instead of just preparing for the next round it is time to focus on sharply reducing the other side's motives to attack. For decades Israeli leaders have refused to dismantle settlements and end the occupation, the main trigger of Muslim hostility.

They eagerly assumed the role of spokespersons for the free world in the Middle East, repeating provocative slogans like our mission against 'the axis of evil, or echoing condescending Western references to primitive Islamic civilization while broadcasting their support for imposing Western -style liberal democracy on Muslim societies. These attitudes and Israel's policies have put it on a collision course with the entire Islamic world.

Adding insult to injury Israeli leaders have arrogantly used their country's relative economic strength to declare their intention to create a new economically and technologically modernized Middle East, drastically changing the way of live of Israel's neighbors (for their sake, of course), without asking them for a mandate. On top of that, for decades Israel has given televisions in the Middle East the excuse to broadcast pictures of Israeli border guards harassing and humiliating Palestinian children and women at checkpoints, killing civilians in the course of hunting terrorists, blowing up houses, and cutting villages by erecting security walls. The anguish over Israel's responsibility for such deeds and the moral criticism of that Israelis have against their own government should not distract them from realizing that they have done an excellent job in providing radical Muslims with powerful visual support for their efforts to demonize Israel as an evil anti-Muslim Jewish state.This has facilitated their efforts to undermine pragmatic attempts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict by redefining this regional conflict in global religious terms.http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Especially following the inconclusive Lebanon war, it is time for Israel to consider a courageous turn in its general orientation and policy toward the Middle East. The Iraqi Scud missiles over Tel Aviv, the Qassam missiles over southern Israel, and now the 4,000 Iranian- and Syrian-made rockets Hizbullah launched over northern Israel, should not teach Israel to abandon diplomacy backed by deterrence. But they can help convince Israelis to try adopting a radically new course of action.Especially now when the Muslim world feels humiliated, when a moderate majority of Muslims is paying a heavy price for the terror of a minority of violent fundamentalists, Israel could exploit its special position as a society consisting of Eastern and Western Jews as well as a large Muslim minority. It is a society with equal cultural and historical bonds to East and West, allowing it to serve as a bridge between the two worlds, rather than as a Western front against the Muslim world. The challenge Israel must face is not how loud can its voice be in the Western choir President George W. Bush has been trying to conduct, but how to develop an authentic Middle Eastern voice drawing on its roots in the two traditions.

Israel can also strive for mutually beneficial regional economic cooperation. A national Israeli commitment to reviving the Dead Sea-Red Sea canal project involving Palestinians, Jordanians, and Israelis would be a sign of the new orientation. Another would be a vigorous revival of the instruction of Arabic language in Israeli schools as a requirement, which would be helpful in raising new generations of Israelis more capable of appreciating, and participating in, the great richness of their neighbors civilization. Such an Israel will also be a better ally of the United States and a more helpful partner in changing counterproductive Western policies in the Middle East.

Yaron Ezrahi, a senior fellow emeritus at the Israel Democracy Institute, serves as an international political consultant. Ariel Ezrahi is an international lawyer based in London. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with the Common Ground News Service.