Wednesday, November 07, 2007

HOPE GROWS

Hope grows for Mideast peace By PAUL HAVEN, Associated Press Writer Tue Nov 6, 7:36 PM ET

LISBON, Portugal - Israel's foreign minister said Tuesday that an upcoming peace conference in the United States offers a crucial opportunity for progress, amid growing optimism that this time — just maybe — momentum for peace is real and sustainable. But despite the signs of hope, a slew of obstacles remain: Syria may not come to the Annapolis, Md., meeting, Saudi Arabia has yet to endorse the emerging peace framework, and the Israeli, Palestinian and U.S. leaderships all find themselves in weakened political states.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Tuesday that the Annapolis conference would be during the last week of November, and that the Americans would issue the invitations in the coming days. Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia said the conference would convene on Nov. 26, citing a date for the first time.

And in Portugal, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni voiced unflinching support for the U.S.-backed road map for peace, which she called the only agreed plan in town — in the world.She praised the Palestinians for making the right steps on the ground, an apparent reference to security measures taken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.Livni's comments came at the end of an EU-Mideast summit in the Portuguese capital, part of an intensified diplomatic push by Washington and the European Union to lay the groundwork for the Annapolis meeting.Livni said the U.S. peace talks — which are expected to bring together Israel, the Palestinians and other Middle Eastern powers — offered an important opportunity, but were just one more step on a long road.
We believe in the need to take this opportunity to find common ground with Palestinian leaders, she said. Annapolis is part of a process. ... No less important is the day after Annapolis.Livni said the Arab world must support the moderate Palestinians.We expect them to support the process, to support any compromise the Palestinians need to take in order to achieve peace with Israel, and not to dictate the outcome, she said.

That peace is even a possibility is nothing short of remarkable.

Olmert, who is battling corruption allegations and the fallout from Israel's less-than-successful summer 2006 war in Lebanon, has seen his popularity plummet; Abbas has been weakened by the Islamic hardline group Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip; and President Bush is in the twilight of an unpopular presidency.

Great things are seldom achieved by governments in such positions.

But optimists say the leaders' woes could actually be a boon to the process, with all three hoping to remake their legacies by bringing concrete results where those before them failed.With just a few weeks to go before the conference, much is left to be ironed out.Syria, which is among the countries likely to be invited, said it would attend only if discussions included the return of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed. The position has been rejected by Israel, even though a peace deal involving a return of the Golan was close in the 1990s.Saudi Arabia, a crucial powerbroker, has been reluctant to endorse the meeting until there are clear signs that major issues will be addressed seriously there.

And then there is the reality on the ground.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed doubts about peace efforts while the Hamas militant group controls the Gaza Strip. Hamas — which has never retracted calls for Israel's destruction — overran the territory in June, routing troops loyal to Abbas. Barak said Israel could not begin implementing a peace agreement until Abbas disarmed Hamas in Gaza, a demand that could hamper peace efforts because Abbas has little control over Gaza.
Barak has been saying for weeks that it was only a matter of time before Israel launched a large-scale military incursion in Gaza, but on Tuesday said he did not want to jeopardize the Mideast conference, saying Israel had no plans to invade in the near future to halt rocket attacks out of the area on southern Israel.
Israel and the Palestinians are yet to agree on a written set of principles outlining a future peace agreement ahead of the conference, and negotiators say they have made little progress. The Palestinians want the document to address core issues in the conflict: future borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, the status of disputed Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

Israel wants a much vaguer document.

But Olmert has said he is prepared to discuss these issues after the conference — and he sounded determined to make progress in a speech this week in which he said that there is no reason to suffer the same foot-dragging which previously characterized our discussions.At the Lisbon gathering, European officials at the Lisbon gathering said that after years of false starts, they sensed things were different this time around. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said there was a new hope, a new optimism about the prospects for peace, while Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado said the talks in Lisbon revealed an enormous convergence of positions between the Israelis and Palestinians about how the negotiations are proceeding. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's commissioner for external relations, told the closed-door meeting that she hoped the world was on the brink of making progress toward settling this terrible, long-standing conflict, according to a transcript of her remarks. She acknowledged that there was a long way to go before peace could be achieved, but added hopefully that an Asian proverb teaches that: A journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step. Associated Press writer Barry Hatton in Lisbon and Laurie Copans in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Monday, November 05, 2007

ABBAS ALL SIDES WANT PEACE

Abbas: All sides want peace By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer Mon Nov 5, 4:16 PM ET

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that all sides want to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians before President Bush leaves office, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed what could be the start of the first serious bargaining in seven years. Abbas said he has received encouraging signs from Israel and from the United States, which would act as a broker for any comprehensive settlement of the six-decade-old conflict. He gave no details.

A settlement is a top priority for the Bush administration for the remaining 14 months of Bush's term, and Rice was encouraged by what she called solid commitment from the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to bear down for what would be difficult negotiations on the final terms of a Palestinian state.I agree with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that there is a real possibility to achieve peace, and I want to reiterate that we are serious about using this opportunity to reach this historical peace, Abbas said following a meeting with Rice.It marks the first time the two leaders have publicly pledged to work together under even a loose deadline.
Israeli leader Olmert had said Sunday that vigorous peace negotiations could go far toward establishing an independent Palestinian state before Bush leaves office.He pledged continuous negotiations following a U.S.-sponsored peace conference later this year, which both Abbas and Rice agreed Monday would be the goal. Bush intends the meeting to launch formal peace negotiations, which broke down amid violence seven years ago.

I'm quite confident that the will is there on both sides that people want to end this conflict, a smiling Rice said. Israel and the Palestinians were moving toward an understanding that a U.S.-sponsored conference can be a forum to restart long-stalled peace talks, she said.Rice also met Monday with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Ahmed Qureia, the Palestinians' chief negotiator working with Israel to draft a blueprint for future peace talks. Neither side announced any progress in writing the draft since Rice's last visit to the region three weeks ago, and Rice had said she did not expect to win its completion on this trip.The document is supposed to be the centerpiece of the Mideast peace conference to be held in Annapolis, Md., later this year.
The Palestinians want the outline to mention the principles for solving each of the key disputes, such as agreement to divide disputed Jerusalem without deciding now on the details. Israel has been cool to addressing this and other key issues like final borders and a solution for Palestinian refugees from the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948.

The Palestinians also insist on setting a deadline for peace talks, saying that after more than a decade of failed peacemaking they need to know when the process will end. Israel has rejected firm deadlines, which have been set and ignored in the past.The participation of regional powerbrokers like Saudi Arabia that don't have diplomatic ties with Israel is considered vital to the conference's success. But they have been reluctant to endorse the meeting until they have a clear sign that major issues that have derailed talks in the past will be addressed seriously there.On Monday, Rice said Arab states were sending clear signals they want the Annapolis conference to succeed.The United States has not issued invitations or even announced an exact date for the session, but Rice and her aides say they are not worried that it will be poorly attended. The session would include Abbas, Olmert and perhaps Bush, along with the top diplomats from Arab states, some large European powers, the United Nations and Russia.

Earlier Monday, a Palestinian negotiator said Rice should hand timetables to Israel and the Palestinians for meeting previously agreed short-term peace obligations, such as an Israeli settlement freeze and a Palestinian arms roundup, to boost trust ahead of a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference.It seems that the Israelis haven't read their obligations, said the negotiator, Saeb Erekat.Israelis say Palestinians have not met their obligations either, including reducing violence. Israel and the United States are bargaining only with Abbas and other moderates based in the West Bank, freezing out Islamic Hamas militants who violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in June. The United States and Israel consider Hamas a terror group and refuse all dealings with it. The seaside Gaza Strip is the smaller of two Palestinian territories that together would make up an eventual Palestinian state. But the U.S. and Israeli focus now is on making the West Bank a working model of what that state could look like. Rice had said beforehand that she would ask Abbas about a recent meeting he held with Hamas officials. Rice told reporters Sunday that she was not concerned about the meeting and takes Abbas at his word that he will not negotiate with the militants.

RICE URGES BOLD PEACE MOVES

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

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 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; 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 JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) 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 with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) 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.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

LOOKOUT FOLKS THE EU WILL BE GUARENTEEING ISRAELS SECURITY, THE BIBLE SAYS ITS THE EU AND SINCE NATO TROOPS ARE FILLED WITH EU TROOPS WATCH FOR NATO TO PROTECT ISRAEL TILL THE EU GETS THEIR STANDING ARMY TOGETHER.

U.S. Mulls Heading Int'l Force in Judea and Samaria

(IsraelNN.com) Israel and Western nations, headed by the United States, have been discussing a plan to bring an international force to patrol Judea and Samaria, Reuters News Agency reported. The proposal also would include the Gaza region, but planners admit that the control of Hamas would make it difficult to deploy forces there.The Palestinian Authority (PA) previously has objected to the presence of foreign troops, and opinion in the Israeli government was negative before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's latest proposals to turn over most of Judea and Samaria to the PA.The idea of an international force in the PA areas is a preliminary idea, that has not been discussed at the Cabinet level, said Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin. However, Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon, who has led the program to divide Jerusalem with the PA, said that government sentiment has shifted from previous opposition. NATO and UNIFIL are considered in Israel as a success. In the past we were totally against intervention, he told Reuters.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

THE EU DICTATOR

REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS. 10 HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES ON THE SCENE BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR, COMES FROM 1 OF THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3 COUNTRIES RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT STARTED THE EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE 7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM SATAN,HE COMES FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION. JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE EARTH.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

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.

7YR TREATY BY PROOF

GENESIS 2:2-3 GOD RESTED THE 7TH DAY
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

LEVITICUS 25:1-9 THE 7 YEAR SABBATICAL
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.
3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.

God has always dealt with Israel in 7's, it just makes sense the last dealing with Israel and the World will be a 7 yr treaty. God rested from creation on the 7TH DAY. Every 7TH YEAR Israel is suppose to rest the land. And the 7X7=49 YRS and the jubilee is the 50TH YEAR.

Now the scriptures that a week in Israel history is 7YEARS.

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

Isn"t this interesting it comes from the same Person whos name was changed to Israel,(JACOB) and Israel and Jerusalem is the places dealt with in Daniel 9:24-27.

GENESIS 32:27-28
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

1 CHRONICLES 17:6-14
6 Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars?
7 Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel:
8 And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth.
9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,
10 And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house.
11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.
13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:
14 But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.

MATTHEW 24:32-35
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:(MAY 14,1948 ISRAEL BECOMES A NATION IN 1 DAY).
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.(JERUSALEM IN JEWSH HANDS JUNE 6-10, 1967).

DANIEL 9:24-27
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people (ISRAEL) and upon thy holy city,(JERUSALEM) to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,(7X7=49 YRS) and threescore and two weeks:(62X7=434 YRS) the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (69x7=483 YRS TO THIS POINT, THE FINAL 7 YR TREATY IS IN THE NEXT VERSE TO FULFILL THE 490 YEARS OF DANIELS PROPHECY.
9:27 And he (THE FUTURE ROMAN PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3RD TEMPLE DESECRATED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.(WW3)

Mideast meet could be last chance to stop extremism: Jordan Sun Nov 4, 10:01 AM ET

AMMAN (AFP) - Jordan warned on Sunday that a US-sponsored Middle East meeting could be the last chance to advance the peace process and stop chaos and extremism in the region. It is important to come up with the suitable atmosphere and careful planning for the meeting, which could be the last chance to achieve the required progress in the Middle East peace process, Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib told EU ambassadors at a meeting.Losing such a chance might lead to more chaos and extremism in the region, state-run Petra news agency quoted Khatib as saying.Washington has called the meeting, expected to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, later this month in an effort to jumpstart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks following the June takeover of Gaza by the Islamist group Hamas.Khatib said the meeting would be a key opportunity to find permanent solutions to final status issues between the Palestinians and Israel, including Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.The European Union has an important role in making the meeting a success and creating peace and stability in the Middle East, added the minister, whose country is a key US ally.Jordan has repeatedly called for a clear agenda for the meeting embracing the core issues.

Olmert: We Come to Annapolis with Joy and Hope
by Gil Ronen NOV 5,07


(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave a speech Sunday regarding the upcoming Annapolis conference that exuded optimism and a belief that Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) are entering a new phase in their relations. Speaking at the annual Saban Forum at the Jerusalem King David Hotel, Olmert said that everything was on the table: All of the historical questions that overshadow the argument between us and the Palestinians are on the agenda. We will not evade any one of them, and will not avoid discussing each one of them.Olmert repeated his claim that Israel has a partner in the form of the current PA leadership. Mahmoud Abbas… and Salam Fayad… say publicly, without hesitation, despite all of the difficulties it entails, that they want to live in peace with us, he said. This is an opportunity, we must seize it.

Olmert said that the PA was obliged to fight terror and to change its interna. There is a chance that we can reach real accomplishments, maybe even before the end of President Bush's term.l reality but added: We should also remember that the Road Map demands a series of steps by Israel. These, like the Palestinians' commitments, have not yet been implemented.We will not waive the Palestinians' obligations, according to the Road Map, and we will not evade carrying out our own, down to the last one, Olmert announced. Some of them are not comfortable, some will create significant political difficulties, I am aware of that.

Annapolis a starting block

Olmert said Annapolis would not be a venue for negotiations, but would kick-start a negotiation process: It will provide an international stamp of approval for negotiations on a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians... Annapolis will be the starting block for a continuous, serious, profound negotiation process that will not avoid any issue...If we and the Palestinians act determinedly, he said, there is a chance that we can reach real accomplishments, maybe even before the end of President Bush's term.His body language exuding conviction, Olmert said: I am excited with the opportunity to contribute to an opportunity. I know all the excuses and reasons for saying no, but I feel in the depth of my heart that it is time! This is the spirit with which we approach Annapolis... We come with good will, joy and hope.

Protesters carry torches

1,500 people marched Sunday evening from the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem to the King David hotel, to protest the meeting there between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Quartet envoy Tony Blair and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.The protesters said the three were discussing a declaration of principles that included a return to pre-1967 borders and the redivision of Jerusalem. They carried torches and signs that called Mahmoud Abbas Abu Bluff.

Israel, with US support, says peace possible by end of 2008 by Ron Bousso Sun Nov 4, 4:11 PM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he may be able to make peace with the Palestinians by the end of 2008 as the United States vowed to defend Israel's security during the difficult process. If we act decisively together, we and the Palestinians, there is a chance for us to reach real achievements, maybe even before the end of President (George W.) Bush's term, he said at the Saban Forum think-tank in Jerusalem.There is no intention to drag out the negotiations without end. There is no reason to again hit the foot-dragging that characterised our talks in the past, the premier said.Israel and the Palestinians have been engaged in intensive talks in an effort to draft a joint statement outlining a solution to the decades-old conflict ahead of a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland expected later this year.

The two sides plan to launch intensive bilateral talks on a permanent agreement following the international meeting, aimed at reviving a peace process that has been dormant for seven years.
The Palestinians have repeatedly demanded that the joint statement include a clear timetable for the negotiations, but Israel has insisted on a looser document based on a 2003 peace blueprint known as the roadmap.At the same event US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice vowed to defend Israel as it pushes ahead with the peace process, saying that it was time for all sides to make the difficult decisions necessary for a lasting peace.All Israelis should be confident that America is fully behind you, that we are fully committed to your security and that you can thus be bold in your pursuit of peace, she said.Rice, on her eighth visit to the region since the begining of the year, warned that if peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians flounder, extremists would take over the Palestinian leadership.If we do not act now to show the Palestinians a way forward, others will show them a way forward, Rice said. Failure is simply not an option.Around 2,000 Jewish settlers protested against the talks in central Jerusalem, saying they would lead to painful concessions on the fate of the city, which they call the indivisible, eternal capital of Israel.

We know perfectly well that with the concessions envisaged by Olmert, Hamas will end up in the West Bank and the heart of Israel will be within the range of their rockets, Shaul Goldstein, a protest leader, said.The Islamist movement Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since a bloody takeover in which security forces loyal to Abbas were defeated nearly five months ago, has also rejected the conference.It's well-known goals are normalisation with the Arabs, the hardening of internal divisions and the preparation for the coming attack on Iran and Gaza and Syria and Lebanon, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said in Gaza City on Sunday.
Special Middle East envoy Tony Blair nevertheless insisted that despite the differences between Israel and the Palestinians, everyone involved in the negotiations knows what a final agreement will look like.The irony is the final settlement is not hard to see. It is visible in the distance, the house on the hill. But the path to it is utterly fraught, he said.Israeli negotiators and their Palestinian counterparts have been divided for weeks over a joint document which will form the basis of future negotiations, and until now have not written a word.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has pushed for a document with a timetable that addresses the most hotly contested issues of the conflict -- the borders of a Palestinian state and the fate of Jerusalem and the refugees.

On Sunday, Olmert said he was not opposed to discussing the so-called final status issues, but that he preferred to wait until after the conference that Washington hopes to convene before the end of the year. Annapolis will be a stepping stone for continued, serious, deep negotiations that will not overlook any topic, Olmert said. No firm date has yet been announced for the US meeting, and Arab powers likely to be invited to the conference have been sceptical about its chances of success without any serious effort to address the concerns of all involved. On Monday, Rice will meet Abbas, Ahmed Qorei who heads his negotiating team and prime minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah. The Palestinians have asked that Rice put more pressure on Israel, insisting that Israeli security will only come with a larger political settlement. The statements of some Israeli officials that consider Israeli security more important than the establishment of a Palestinian state hinder an agreement, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. The establishment of a Palestinian state is what will guarantee the security and stability of the whole region, he added.

Rice assures Israel and urges bold peace moves By Sue Pleming and Alastair Macdonald Sun Nov 4, 4:12 PM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Condoleezza Rice urged Israel on Sunday to be bold in pursuing peace with the Palestinians after Israeli leaders warned her there could be no deal on a Palestinian state until their own security was guaranteed. In Jerusalem to negotiate on a planned peace conference, the U.S. Secretary of State assured Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert the United States was committed to ensuring Israel's survival and said it was time to take difficult decisions.Olmert said that despite questions over Palestinian leaders' ability to rein in militants hostile to Israel, he was ready to negotiate on all core issues after the initial conference, to be hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush, and held out the possibility of a breakthrough before Bush steps down next year.But Rice, who will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Monday, cautioned that it was still too early to set a date for the conference at Annapolis, Maryland. U.S. officials have penciled in the week beginning November 26.

It is time for us all to make difficult decisions for the sake of peace, Rice said in a speech to an audience that included Olmert. All Israelis should be confident that America is fully behind you, that we are fully committed to your security and you can thus be bold in your pursuit of peace.Earlier, on Rice's eighth visit in a year -- and third in six weeks -- to the region, Israel's chief negotiator told her the situation was more complicated than ever, and said Israel would only accept a Palestinian state if Abbas ensured, under the U.S.-backed road map accords of 2003, that his state posed no threat to Israel.They need to understand that the implementation of future understandings would be implemented only according to the phases of the road map -- the meaning is security for Israel first and then the establishment of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told reporters as Rice stood at her side.Abbas says Israeli occupation hampers his security efforts.

THREATS

Olmert, speaking later at the same event as Rice, noted the threats Israel faced, both in the occupied West Bank where Abbas's Fatah faction holds sway and in the Gaza Strip, which was seized by Hamas Islamists in June. Nonetheless, he said, Israel wanted to take the opportunity Abbas's overtures presented.We have reasons to delay, he said. But ... we have a partner and we are not willing to delay the negotiations to a time when our partner might be unable to fulfill the task.If we and the Palestinians act with determination there is a chance of making significant achievements, maybe even before the end of president Bush's term, Olmert added.Annapolis will be the springboard for continuing serious and intensive negotiations that will not pass over any issue and will avoid no controversy, he said, conceding that Israel too had yet to fulfill its road map commitments. Notable among these is an obligation to rein in Jewish settlement in the West Bank.Several hundred torch-bearing demonstrators marched nearby to protest at his apparent readiness to discuss dividing Jerusalem between the two states. Some said they opposed any Arab state on land they believed was given to the Jews by God.Abbas said in Ramallah that the Palestinians had met 90 percent of their commitments and Israel must now do its part.Rice and Olmert both noted they were speaking on the 12th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jew hostile to his plans for peace.Speaking of a rise of violent ideologies, some sponsored by Iran or linked to al Qaeda, Rice warned that if Palestinian leaders were unable to deliver on hopes for a state then the moderate centre could collapse forever and the next generation of Palestinians could become lost souls of unbridled extremism.

She stressed: Failure is simply not an option.

Israel and the Palestinians are at odds over a joint policy document for the conference, after which they would negotiate on core issues such as borders, the fate of Jerusalem and millions of Palestinian refugees. Israel also opposes Abbas's push for a deadline to conclude a deal, which Abbas would like by August.
(Additional reporting by Adam Entous, Ari Rabinovitch and Eli Berlzon in Jerusalem and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah)

Saturday, November 03, 2007

ISRAEL SEEKS A YR DEAL

Israel seeks deal with Palestinians within a year Fri Nov 2, 4:22 PM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hopes to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office, an Israeli government official said on Friday. In separate remarks, Olmert's deputy said talks with the Palestinians on core statehood issues, including the future of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees, would immediately follow a U.S.-led conference due late this month or early in December.

There are big advantages to reaching an agreement before the end of Bush's term. This is the right thing to do. It is the best thing to do for both sides, the official quoted Olmert as telling German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.The official said Olmert wanted to seize the opportunity because it was impossible to know how committed the next U.S. administration would be to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Olmert also wants to take advantage of a commitment by the Bush administration that Israel can keep control in any peace deal of large Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank, on land it occupied in the 1967 Middle East War, the official said.The Palestinians, who have been trying to formulate with Israel a joint document for the coming conference in Annapolis, Maryland, have said they want a peace accord by August, when the campaign for the U.S. election in November 2008 heats up.

Bush will leave office in January 2009.

Speaking on Israel Television, Vice Premier Haim Ramon said: Immediately after Annapolis, when we begin to hold negotiations on a permanent agreement, certainly we will talk about Jerusalem, refugees, borders and Israel's security.

Palestinians want a timeline for a peace deal, but Israel opposes such a condition, fearing renewed violence should the talks collapse.Olmert also has said he would not implement an agreement until Palestinians fulfilled their commitments under the U.S.-backed peace road map that charts reciprocal confidence-building steps leading to statehood.Israel has said the Palestinians have failed to carry out their obligation to crack down on militants. Palestinians point to Israel's failure to uphold its pledge in the 2003 document to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank.
(Reporting by Adam Entous and Jeffrey Heller; writing by Avida Landau and Jeffrey Heller, Editing by Tim Pearce; Reuters Messaging: jeffrey.heller.reuters.com@reuters.net))

Palestinian PM wants 2,000 inmates freed NOV 3,07

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Palestinian prime minister urged Israel on Saturday to release 2,000 Palestinian prisoners ahead of a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference, saying it was time for bold steps to raise hopes for peace. I think we need to really begin to see some bold moves in the direction of dealing with those issues of the here and now, for the people to buy into the process, Salam Fayyad said in an interview with The Associated Press. We need to rekindle signs of hope after years of deterioration.Fayyad said Palestinian negotiators have asked for the release of 2,000 of the 12,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails ahead of the conference, to be held in coming weeks in Annapolis, Md. We feel this is one area where a lot more can be done than has been done so far, he said.The prime minister also urged Israel to agree to a timeline for negotiating a final peace deal. He said that negotiators made progress in previous talks that collapsed in January 2001, and that a final peace deal could be concluded in a matter of months.
He said that after 14 years of peace efforts, it was important to set a deadline.Israel has balked at the idea, and U.S. mediators also appear cool to setting a timetable.