Israel, Syria to resume indirect peace talks: public radio SEPT 01,08
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel and Syria will soon resume indirect peace talks with Turkish mediation, Israeli public radio reported on Monday. An Israeli official would neither confirm nor deny the report, saying only that more talks were very possible.Israeli and Syrian envoys have held talks in Turkey -- without meeting face-to-face -- on four occasions since May, when the talks were relaunched after an eight-year freeze. They last round was at the end of July.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meanwhile travel to Damascus on Thursday to attend four-way talks hosted by Syria on Middle East peace, a government spokesman said in Ankara.The September 4 meeting will bring Erdogan together with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.France currently holds the presidency of the European Union, while Syria heads the Council of the Arab League and Qatar is the current chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council.The main issue dividing the two long-time enemies remains the strategic Golan Heights, seized by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community.Syria has demanded the return of the entire territory running down to the banks of the Sea of Galilee, Israel's main source of fresh water.Israeli officials have remained tight-lipped about the Golan but said they are willing to make major concessions for peace.
If the two sides meet it could be their last encounter before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert steps down to battle corruption allegations after a party leadership vote scheduled for September 17.
Egypt closes Gaza border after thousands cross Mon Sep 1, 10:17 AM ET
EL-ARISH, Egypt (AFP) - Egypt on Monday closed the border crossing between Sinai and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip after a brief opening allowed thousands in and out of the besieged territory, a security official said. The border crossing has been closed and there is no agreement between Hamas and Egypt over a new date to open the crossing, the official told AFP.The crossing was opened for the first time in weeks on Saturday.In that time, Egypt has allowed 4,545 Palestinians and Egyptians to cross, including 3,437 who came into Egypt and 1,108 Palestinians who headed to Gaza, the official said.The people allowed to cross included hundreds of Palestinians requiring treatment in Egyptian hospitals, as well as Egyptian nationals and Palestinians holding Egyptian passports, officials said.The Rafah crossing in southern Gaza is the territory's only one that is not under the control of Israel, which sealed off the Gaza Strip after Hamas seized power there in June 2007.Egypt has also refused to open the Rafah crossing permanently.
Muslims' holy month of fasting starts By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 1, 7:50 AM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - Most of the Muslim Mideast began the first day of Ramadan on Monday, but Iraqi Shiites, some Lebanese Shiites and Iran will start observing the holy month of fasting on Tuesday. Ramadan begins the day after the sighting of the crescent moon that marks the beginning of a new lunar month. Some Muslim countries use astronomical calculations and observatories, while others and particular sects in some countries rely on the naked eye alone, leading to different starting times.
Libya, for example, started the fasting period Sunday, and the state-run Libyan news agency reported that religious officials there had already spotted the first tiny sliver of the moon.This year's Muslim holy month comes at a time of high food prices region-wide — a burden for low-income people struggling to afford the special foods traditionally prepared for the meal that breaks the fast at each sunset. High food prices also complicate the usual practice of buying new clothes and other Ramadan treats.Hot weather also will likely create extra challenges this year, for observers who go without food or water during daylight hours.In Shiite Iran, 100 groups sent to different parts of the country on the order of Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, did not detect the moon Sunday night, said state-run TV. It said Ramadan would start Tuesday in Iran.In Iraq, Shiites will also begin observing the month on Tuesday, but Sunnis started on Monday and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called on Iraq to maintain peace and security during Ramadan.Lebanon's Sunnis and some Shiites did start Ramadan on Monday, but the Iranian-backed militant Hezbollah group and its supporters are to begin fasting Tuesday.In a gesture of goodwill ahead of the holy month, Egypt opened its sealed border crossing with Gaza over the weekend, allowing hundreds of Palestinians to leave the coastal territory for medical treatment in Egypt and other reasons, officials said.In Gaza itself, Palestinians are marking the holy month under the strain of an Israeli blockade that has lasted more than a year, since Hamas militants violently seized control of the territory. More goods have been entering Gaza since a June cease-fire went into effect, but a shortage of cooking gas has forced dozens of bakeries to cut back on the number of traditional Ramadan pastries they produce.In Ramallah in the West Bank, the atmosphere Monday was a little more upbeat than last year. Many homes were decorated with colored lights in the shape of crescents — the symbol of Islam. To cash in on the season's traditional soap opera television specials, shops offered a Ramadan special 50 percent discount on TV satellite dishes.
In Jordan, police distributed small booklets to motorists, urging traffic safety. Traffic accidents — a problem across the region during Ramadan — increase by an average of 70 percent during the fasting month in Jordan.In Dubai, newspapers published special editions with ads for Ramadan sales in the city-state's giant shopping malls and lavish meals at its luxury hotels.Ramadan can last either 29 or 30days, depending on when the first moon of the next lunar month is sighted. During the month, Muslims are expected to abstain during daylight hours from food, drink, smoking and sex in order to focus on spiritual introspection.Associated Press reporters around the region contributed to this report.
Iran says has not bought Russian missiles Mon Sep 1, 6:40 AM ET
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran denied on Monday it had bought Russia's advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, after Israeli defense sources said the Islamic Republic could take delivery of the weapons by the end of the year. Western and Israeli experts have said that if Tehran acquired the S-300 missile batteries it would make any strike by Israel or the United States on Iran's nuclear sites tougher.Iran is involved in a row over its nuclear plans. The United States and Israel say Tehran wants to build atomic bombs despite Tehran's denials. They have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute.Asked whether it had bought missiles from Russia, including the S-300 system, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said: No such thing is correct.He also told the news conference: Our missile and technical capability completely depends on Iranian scientific capability, as has been demonstrated so far.Iran has frequently announced test firings of domestically produced missiles, which military commanders say will target U.S. interests and Israel if Iran is attacked.There have been conflicting reports about whether Iran was buying the S-300 system. defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said last year Russia had agreed to deliver the missiles to Iran under a signed contract. Russia denied such plans.The U.S. Department of defense said in July that Iran was not expected to receive the anti-aircraft system this year.Those remarks followed comments by Israeli defense sources who said they expected Iran to take delivery by the end of 2008.First delivery of the S-300 batteries was expected as soon as early September, one Israeli source had said, though it could take six to 12 months for them to be deployed and operable.Western experts say many of Iran's missiles and other weapons it produces domestically are based on or modified versions of arms bought from others, such as China and North Korea.(Reporting by Hossein Jaseb, writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Dominic Evans)
ISRAELIS CAN'T EVEN PRAY ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT TO THE GOD OF ISRAEL KING JESUS, BUT MUSLIMS ARE ALLOWED ON, THAT IS AS UNFAIR AS POSSIBLY COULD BE.
Israel opens Al Aqsa mosque to some Palestinians for Ramadan Sun Aug 31, 6:58PM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel said Sunday it will allow some, but not all Palestinians to go to the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan that begins Monday. In a statement, the Israeli military said Palestinian men aged 45 to 50 and married could join Friday prayers at the mosque, the third most sacred venue in Islam.Palestinians in the occupied West Bank aged 30 to 45 holding a special permit issued by Israeli military authorities will be able to join them, while men over 50, and women over 45, will enjoy free access to the mosque.In addition, the Israeli authorities will extend opening hours at army checkpoints in the West Bank, and allow gifts to be taken to the 11,000-odd Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
The measures were unveiled as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas met in Jerusalem on Sunday in hope of reaching a peace agreement by the end of the year.Palestinians want to see East Jerusalem as the capital of their own state.
Palestinians reject partial peace accord By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 31, 5:09 PM ET
JERUSALEM - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Israel's idea of an interim peace agreement at a Sunday summit, a Palestinian negotiator said, insisting on an all-or-nothing approach that virtually ruled out an accord by a January target date.
The latest meeting between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was their shortest, lasting less than an hour. Neither side pointed to progress.Olmert entered the meeting in a weakened position after his decision to submit his resignation this month when his party picks a new leader. Just two days before Abbas arrived for talks at Olmert's residence Sunday, Israeli police passed through the same entrance to interrogate Olmert for the seventh time in a series of corruption cases.Abbas, too, is not in a strong political position, having lost control of Gaza to Islamic Hamas militants last year.Because of Israel's complicated political system, Olmert could still find himself in office next year, even if he resigns this month as promised. His aides said Sunday he hoped the Palestinians would sign a document outlining any agreements reached with Israel before he leaves office.But Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas flatly rejected that at the brief summit on Sunday.
We want an agreement to end the (Israeli) occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, Erekat told The Associated Press. President Abbas told Olmert that we will not be part of an interim or shelf agreement, he said. Either we agree on all issues, or no agreement at all.The Israelis had a more upbeat take on the Sunday summit.Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said significant progress had been made in the talks, but there are still considerable gaps between the two sides. He would not elaborate.With cameras rolling as the two stood in front of their flags, Olmert rebuked Abbas for meeting with released prisoner Samir Kantar during a recent trip to Lebanon. Israel traded Kantar and other prisoners for the bodies of two of its soldiers. Kantar was convicted of killing three people in a grisly attack in northern Israel in 1979.Olmert told Abbas he was upset by the meeting with Kantar, a murderer. Olmert said, You are a man of peace. You should meet people of peace. Abbas' response was not audible.
At a U.S.-sponsored peace conference last November, Olmert and Abbas pledged efforts toward a peace treaty by the time President Bush leaves office in January 2009.But frequent summit meetings and negotiating sessions since then have made little apparent progress on the core issues that have stymied peace efforts for decades — including borders, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.Erekat refused to confirm the private views of officials on both sides that some headway has been made on setting borders between Israel and a Palestinian state.Officials in Olmert's office said Israel has proposed giving the Palestinians all of Gaza, 93 percent of the West Bank along with Israeli land equivalent to 5.5 percent of the West Bank, as well as a land corridor through Israel to link the two separate territories. The Palestinians have said that offer is unacceptable.Instead, the Palestinians complain bitterly about continued Israeli construction in West Bank settlements, despite an Israeli pledge to halt the building as part of a 2003 peace plan that still serves as the framework for negotiations. Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo called settlement construction the most critical issue that threatens the whole peace process now.The Palestinians charge that Israel is swallowing up West Bank land they claim for their state. Israel counters that it is not expanding settlements; rather, building inside settlement blocs it plans to keep in a final peace accord.Associated Press Writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank contributed to this report.
Israel favours Mideast peace deal without Jerusalem by Ron Bousso
Sun Aug 31, 3:34 PM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel wants to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians by the end of the year but postpone a final agreement on the future status of Jerusalem, a senior government official said on Sunday. Both sides are interested in reaching a full agreement by the end of 2008 and believe it is possible, the official said after the latest meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.But since the question of Jerusalem is not solvable within this timeframe they will have to agree to postpone an accord on this issue and agree on a mechanism and a timetable for Jerusalem.There has been mounting pressure to show progress in slow-moving US-backed peace talks as Olmert prepares to step down to battle a graft scandal following a September 17 party leadership election.But Olmert's early departure from office would not interfere with the discussions, his spokesman Mark Regev insisted.
Media reports say that Olmert is pushing for a framework agreement to present to US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice next month in Washington.Also on Sunday, Israeli foreign ministry director Aharon Abramovich met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit in Cairo to discuss the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.Abul Gheit insisted that Israel should show understanding of the need to strengthen Palestinian infrastructure and improve Palestinian living conditions, his spokesman Hossam Zaki said.The peace talks were launched in November with the goal of reaching a comprehensive peace deal by the time Bush leaves office in January 2009, but the two sides remain sharply divided on the core issues of the conflict.These include not only the future status of Jerusalem, but final borders, the fate of some 4.6 million UN-registered Palestinian refugees, and the future of Jewish settlements on Israeli-occupied territory.
Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that Olmert has presented Abbas with a proposal that would lay out framework principles on core issues and create a five-year international mechanism for reaching an agreement on Jerusalem.Palestinians have demanded mostly Arab east Jerusalem -- seized and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six Day war in a move not recognised internationally -- as the capital of their future state.Israel considers the entire city its eternal, undivided capital.According to Haaretz, Olmert would have Israelis and Palestinians negotiate a solution for Jerusalem with input from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, Russia, and perhaps Egypt and Jordan.Officials close to Abbas neither confirmed nor denied the report, but the Palestinians have always insisted they will not accept a partial agreement that does not resolve all the core issues.President Abbas and the Palestinian leadership are determined to arrive at a complete agreement including all the issues, but this depends on how serious the Israeli side is, Nimr Hamad, an advisor to Abbas, told AFP.The Haaretz report was slammed by members of Olmert's government, including the deputy prime minister and head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party.This government has no public legitimacy, and certainly no legal legitimacy to sign any shelf accord or reach any understanding on Jerusalem, Eli Yishai said during Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting.
Yishai, a crucial coalition ally, has threatened to pull out of Olmert's government if the subject of Jerusalem is raised in the talks. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads Israel's negotiating team and attended the meeting, warned against a hasty agreement. Time consideration should not force us to make the grave mistakes of trying to bridge gaps in a way that will lead to a breakdown or give up critical issues for Israel only to reach some results, an aide quoted Livni as saying. Livni is a front-runner to succeed Olmert at the head of their centrist Kadima party and perhaps as prime minister.
