Olmert Returns to Harsh Criticism Following Diplomatic Mission (ARUTZ 7 NEWS)
By Alex Traiman After receiving a guarded response to unilateral withdrawal during his diplomatic mission in Washington, PM Ehud Olmert is returning to Israel Thursday to criticism across the political spectrum. Olmert’s trip included meetings with U.S. President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as well as a speech to a special joint session of Congress.Olmert received a generally warm reception from the Bush administration and the Congress, but Israeli politicians and analysts from both sides of the political spectrum are quick to suggest the mission was not so successful. Yossi Beilin, chairman of the leftist Meretz Party called Olmert’s speech “a dead end.
Olmert created in his speech an unreliable gap between his so-called commitment tonegotiations with [Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud] Abbas and the conditions he posed to Abbas in order to start negotiations," Beilin stated.Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres, a member of Olmert’s Kadima party and a primary author of the failed Oslo accords, was more impressed with Olmert’s first major international attempt at diplomacy.Peres was particularly pleased with Olmert's address to Congress that was written in part by famous author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. "It was an impressive speech, which clearly presented Israel's stance as a state supporting peace and firm in its war on terror.
In his Congress address, Olmert continually referred Israel’s desire to adhere to the U.S. proposed ‘Road Map to Peace’ which calls for the creation of “two states living side-by-side” on the basis of bilateral negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. However, Olmert also signaled that he would not wait long to find a suitable partner in negotiations, as Hamas is a terror entity.Bush did not seem overly impressed with Olmert’s “realignment” proposal, which calls for the expulsion of Jews from most of the communities located in the biblical provinces of Judea and Samaria. In a joint press conference, Bush responded to Olmert's plan to unilaterally jumpstart the peace process by saying, "No country can be expected to make peace with those who deny its right to exist and who use terror to attack its population.
The President continuously referred to Olmert’s suggested unilateral evacuation, as a “creative idea” as opposed to a formal plan or policy. Bush was adamant in his preference for bilateral negotiations to settle the ongoing conflict, stating, "No party should prejudice the outcome of negotiations on a final status agreement." And as both the U.S. and Israel recognize that negotiations with Hamas are currently impossible, Bush carefully suggested that unilateral moves are not the appropriate solution to the impasse.Former Foreign Minister, and current Likud MK Silvan Shalom, in an interview with the Jerusalem Post called Olmert’s mission “far from successful,” citing a major diplomatic disagreement on one of the three central goals of Olmert's mission. Shalom believes that Bush's vague language regarding Olmert's unilateral plan signifies a major policy disagreement between the two allies.
From the ceremonial point of view, he got everything. And also on the Iranian issue there is an agreement between the two governments. But on the convergence plan which was the main aim of the visit, there is a big disagreement," Shalom stated.Ari Shavit, a leading columnist of the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, summarized the United States' lack of interest in supporting Olmert's planned withdrawal. "[Olmert’s] radical unilateral process will disrupt the American strategy in the area and will bury U.S. President George W. Bush’s dream of stability and democracy in the Middle East,” Shavit said.While most government-sponsored Israeli media are hailing the success of the mission, most American media did not offer special coverage of Olmert's first diplomatic visit.In the Wall Street Journal, Former CIA Director James Woolsey cited Israel's failed Gaza pullout, as one of the central reasons America is against Olmert's plan. "The approach Israel is preparing to take in the West Bank was tried in Gaza and has failed utterly," Woolsey writes."Creating a West Bank that looks like today's Gaza would be many times the nightmare," Woolsey added.
Abbas to Hamas: 10 Days to OK Deal or Referendum in 40,By Hana Levi Julian
Arutz 7 news-PA President Mahmoud Abbas has given PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh an ultimatum: Accept a deal for borders within the ’67 line or the issue goes to a general referendum. In what appears to be a major showdown between the two Palestinian Authority leaders, Abbas warned PA groups that he will send the “Prisoners’ Plan” for a peace agreement to a national referendum within 40 days if it is not accepted by the Hamas-led PA government.
Haniyeh told the PA parliament there is an “international network” conspiring to “suffocate and starve” the PA population. He told the session, held simultaneously by video conference in Gaza and Ramallah, that the U.S. gave Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s unilateral withdrawal plan a green light during talks this week between the U.S. and Israel.“Israel is trying to set up a country with a Jewish majority and preserve Jerusalem as its capital,” he told PA legislators.
This shows the Israeli government wants to keep the occupation. Unfortunately, the Americans are on Israel’s side.”The Hamas chairman reiterated his pledge not to make concessions in order to reach a peace agreement with Israel and blamed the U.S. for the international freeze on funds to the terrorist-led PA government.Haniyeh praised the Fatah and Hamas terrorists who murdered and wounded Israelis in years past and who continue to do so.“These two movements have carried out qualitative attacks and operations against the Israelis, attacks that have been reason for glory for our people among all peoples of the Arab world and the Islamic world,” said Haniyeh in his speech to the PA parliament. (To listen to a translated clip of Haniyeh's speech, broadcast on CNN, click here.) “Scores of martyrs have become a kind of a Wedding Day for all of us, that they gather all of us around every grave of each martyr …. united and working together until we liberate Jerusalem and the Islamic and Christian holy shrines in Jerusalem, Fatah Chairman Abbas, meanwhile, said bluntly that the time had come for the PA government to wake up and do what it can to achieve peace with Israel. In his speech, Abbas stunned PA lawmakers by telling them that the best option left at this point is to accept the “Prisoners’ Plan” written together by imprisoned Fatah and Hamas terrorists in their jail in Israel.
Are slogans enough to feed the hungry?” Abbas demanded of the PA parliament. “We must stop with the slogans and start dealing with reality. We must stop dreaming and accept what we can take now. Let us not speak of dreams. Let us take the Palestinian state on the ’67 borders,” he stated.Abbas insisted that the majority of PA Arabs are willing to accept the deal. “There is a national consensus on this,” he said, adding that the current infighting between Fatah and Hamas is simply wasting time. “We shouldn’t have dialogue for the sake of dialogue,” he told the lawmakers. “We should have dialogue to solve our problems.” The two factions met Thursday to discuss ways to end the violence that threatens to plunge PA Arabs into what they fear will become a civil war. “The Israelis are killing our people every day and now we are busy with internal divisions,” said Abbas, referring to the assassination of the chief of the Fatah-aligned Preventive Security Service in Arab-on-Arab violence this week.“We must stop this,” Abbas repeated.
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