EU WANT PALESTINIAN STATE BY SEPTEMBER 2011

EU's Ashton targets Palestinian state by September
by Steve Weizman - 12:23PM FEB 15,2011

JERUSALEM (AFP) – EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday said the international community still sought to achieve a peace deal and a Palestinian state by September, despite the region's political turmoil.Despite the impasse in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the resignation of the Palestinian cabinet as well as Saab Erakat, their chief negotiator, Ashton said the goal was still achievable.It's a timeframe that everybody has signed up to, she told reporters in Jerusalem ahead of talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

I think that we have to try and reach that target, she said, while admitting it would be challenging.Ashton flew in for a one-day visit aimed at galvanising both sides into restarting peace negotiations which hit an impasse late September and look unlikely to resume any time soon.The deadline for achieving a peace deal was initially set by US President Barack Obama when he launched American-sponsored direct peace talks last September 2, only for the process to be suspended three weeks later.The Middle East peace Quartet -- the European Union, United States, Russia and United Nations -- earlier this month reiterated its support for concluding these negotiations by September 2011.Ashton met her Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday before going to the West Bank city of Ramallah where she met Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki, government chief Salam Fayyad and Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas.The analysis that I've just put to foreign minister Lieberman is that when you do have a situation of change... It's also a moment to reflect on whether it's time now to see progress on this issue, on these (peace) talks, she said.Israeli public radio quoted the firebrand Lieberman as telling his guest that the international community must find a way to block Iran's nuclear ambitions before asking Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians.

Ashton was later meeting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Her visit is part of a Middle East tour in the context of two massive popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia that deposed their longtime presidents and are shifting the region's strategic balance.The purpose is to recognise that there are changes going on, Ashton said. We've seen significant changes in Tunisia and of course in Egypt where the Egyptian people are now moving forward to determine their own future and where there's an opportunity for us to try and engage better and more quickly on resolving the issue of the Middle East peace process.Her trip also comes 10 days after a meeting in Munich, Germany, of Quartet diplomats.At those talks, the Quartet peacemakers called on all parties to undertake urgently efforts to expedite Israeli-Palestinian peace, terming it imperative because of the political turmoil in the region.The Quartet will meet again in March, before which their envoys are expected to hold separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Brussels.Ashton's visit comes a day after Fayyad and his government submitted their resignation to Abbas, who reappointed Fayyad and asked him to form a new cabinet ahead of elections planned for September.Erakat on Saturday resigned as chief Palestinian negotiator, and the Palestinians have decided to close their Negotiations Support Unit after thousands of confidential documents on peace talks with Israel were leaked to Al-Jazeera and the Guardian newspaper in London.

Obama says backs Mideast reform but must avoid chaos
FEB 15,11

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that Washington supports political reform throughout the Middle East but wants to make sure democratic changes do not unleash chaos and violence.Obama also told reporters that Egypt's transfer of power offers opportunity as well as challenge in the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Lebanon's Hariri joins opposition ranks
by Natacha Yazbeck - Mon Feb 14, 11:39 pm ET

BEIRUT (AFP) – Saad Hariri announced sixth anniversary of his father's murder that he will lead Lebanon's new opposition against a government his pro-West camp says will be under Hezbollah command.Today, we are in opposition because of... our commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and our belief in the need to protect the Lebanese from weapons, the outgoing premier said at a conference marking six years since the assassination of his father, former prime minister Rafiq Hariri.We do not and will not accept the presence of weapons when they are pointed at the Lebanese ... when they become a way to pressure members of parliament to breach the campaign vows they made when they stood for election.The UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon has been the focus of a long-running feud between Hariri and Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which last month forced the collapse of Hariri's unity government.The tribunal, which Hezbollah accuses of being under US-Israeli control, is reportedly readying to implicate members of the Iran-backed group in the Hariri murder.Sunni Muslim billionaire Najib Mikati, who was appointed with Hezbollah's backing, will succeed Hariri in heading the next government.Lebanon's Saudi- and Western-backed camp has accused Hezbollah, the only party that did not turn in its weapons after the 1975-1990 civil war, of using its arsenal to intimidate MPs into voting against Saad Hariri's re-nomination after the cabinet collapse.

The February 14, 2005 Beirut bombing that killed Rafiq Hariri and 22 others sparked a wave of massive protests that led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops under international pressure, after 29 years of domination by Damascus.Saad Hariri, who wept as he prayed over his father's grave in central Beirut on Monday, called on his supporters to rally en masse once again on March 14 as they did six years ago, when an estimated one million people gathered in the capital to demand Syria's military withdrawal.We began our march to freedom on March 14, 2005 and... we will resume it on March 14, 2011, he told thousands of cheering supporters.On March 14 we will once again say no: no to the hijacking of the voters' choice... no to armed internal domination.Hariri won two legislative elections after his father's murder and rose to the premiership in 2009 before Hezbollah and its allies quit his hard-won unity cabinet -- virtually paralysed since its inception over the tribunal -- on January 12.Shifting alliances have positioned the Hezbollah-led team as the new majority after Druze chief Walid Jumblatt moved away from Hariri and closer to the Shiite militant movement.Hariri had sought a guarantee that Mikati would see the tribunal through before agreeing to join his government, while Hezbollah has demanded Lebanon end all cooperation with the court.

Mikati, who was appointed prime minister on January 25 and has not yet formed his government, has thus far sidestepped making any public commitments.Sources close to Mikati have said his government would probably include representatives of Hezbollah and its allies as well as technocrats and centrists appointed by himself and President Michel Sleiman, who has positioned himself as politically neutral.

American Jewish leader made secret visit to Syria
By JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press – Mon Feb 14, 3:44 pm ET

JERUSALEM – A top American Jewish leader said Monday that a secret visit he recently made to Syria could be a sign that President Bashar Assad wants to improve relations with the West.Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, also said the international community should proceed with caution as the Arab world begins to embrace democracy.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Hoenlein confirmed his one-day December visit to Damascus at the invitation of Assad.Hoenlein said his mission was humanitarian, that he was not acting as an envoy for Israel, and that he spent hours discussing a variety of issues with Assad. There was no interpreter. It was just the two of us, he said.Hoenlein refused to divulge details.I assume my invitation came because he wants to improve some things, he said. Maybe out of all of this some good can come.Israel and the U.S. have expressed numerous concerns about Assad, ranging from Syria's poor human rights record to its support for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and links to armed anti-American groups in Iraq.Hoenlein's visit to Syria came several weeks before popular unrest erupted in Egypt, forcing longtime President Hosni Mubarak to step down last week. The developments in Egypt, as well as similar unrest that forced Tunisia's longtime ruler to flee the country, have fueled calls throughout the region for democratic reforms.

Hoenlein said he believes people in the Arab world are ready for democracy, but questioned whether the necessary institutions are in place for true reform.He stressed that neither Israel nor the American Jewish community should be a factor in any transition.These are decisions that people there in the region have to make, he said.

Palestinian cabinet quits in reform move by Abbas
By Mohammed Assadi – Mon Feb 14, 12:34 pm ET

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – The Palestinian cabinet resigned on Monday, in an apparent attempt by President Mahmoud Abbas to show his willingness for change in the wake of a popular uprising in Egypt.The new cabinet will be charged with preparing for elections that have been announced for later this year, and will also be expected to boost the government's profile as it seeks international backing in its standoff with Israel.Hamas, which has sour relations with Abbas, says it will not take part in the ballot or recognize the results -- a decision that will make it hard for Abbas to stage a credible vote.The latest reshuffle had been demanded by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who has spearheaded efforts to create institutions for a Palestinian state. The Western-backed Fayyad will retain his post and select new ministers, officials said.The cabinet resigned today and the formation of a new cabinet will take place as soon as possible, Ali Jarbawi, minister of planning, told Reuters.

Financed by international donors and engaged in security coordination with Israel, the Palestinian Authority has a limited mandate in the occupied West Bank. It lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas Islamists in a 2007 civil war.Abbas's credibility has been further sapped by stalled talks with Israel on a deal to establish an independent state, and the Palestinians have increasingly looked to build international consensus to try to pressure Israel into making concessions.Hamas, which rejects permanent co-existence with Israel, said the reshuffle was motivated by Abbas's fears that the Palestinians would follow the lead of angry Egyptians.
Unless Mahmoud Abbas carries out serious security and political reforms, his authority will be subject to the wrath of the Palestinian people, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in the Gaza Strip.

PUBLIC CRITICISM

Although several anti-Abbas protests bubbled up in the West Bank after the upheaval began in Egypt on January 25, he has not faced large-scale demonstrations in the territory, whose economy has strengthened significantly in recent years.However, 75-year-old Abbas has faced public criticism over the functioning of his government. Of the 24 posts in the outgoing administration, only 16 were staffed. Two ministers resigned and six are marooned in Gaza.Abbas said the new cabinet should focus on strengthening the preparedness of the national institutions for the establishment of the state of independent Palestine, according to the official news agency WAFA.On Saturday the Palestinian Authority said it would call legislative and presidential elections by September.The last election was in 2006, when Hamas won a majority in the parliament. It shared power with Abbas, but relations rapidly soured and the following year, the Islamists seized control of Gaza, leaving the PA in charge of the West Bank.(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Editing by Maria Golovnina)

Israel to build more east Jerusalem homes
by Steve Weizman – Mon Feb 14, 12:25 pm ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Jerusalem's municipal council on Monday approved the construction of 120 new homes in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Ramot in annexed Arab east Jerusalem, a councillor told AFP.It's not good news, Pepe Alalu of the opposition Meretz party said. They approved 120 housing units in Ramot... there were two permits authorised, one for 56 housing units and another for 64.The vote came on the eve of a visit by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who has said that east Jerusalem settlement building harms the prospects for relaunching peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.Alalu said that the municipal committee's decision did not require endorsement by the government.It's final,he said.Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib said the fact that such announcements had become commonplace did not detract from the gravity of the act.

This doesn't change the fact that this is all illegal and unacceptable, he told AFP. We criticise it, condemn it and expect the United States to be more effective in trying to prevent Israel from continuing the expansion of settlements, especially in Jerusalem.Israeli public radio said that the city was expected later on Monday to approve construction of 19 synagogues in the settlement of Har Homa, on Jerusalem's southeastern edge near Bethlehem.The radio quoted municipality sources as saying that Har Homa has 30,000 residents and only two synagogues, and there was strong public demand for more places of worship.The municipal spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.Ir Amim, a group that promotes coexistence in Jerusalem, accused Israeli authorities of boosting settlement construction in the city.The organisation said that since the expiry in September of a moratorium on West Bank settlement building, Israeli authorities have been going full speed ahead with an aggressive policy of construction in east Jerusalem.This policy makes Jerusalem a political battlefield, and undermines its stability, it said.Ashton is expected to hold separate talks on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad, as part of a Middle East tour.

The EU position on settlements is clear, Ashton said in a statement in December. They are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Recent settlement-related developments, including in east Jerusalem, contradict efforts by the international community for successful negotiations.Ramot, with a population of more than 41,000, is one of the Jewish neighbourhoods in Jerusalem that Israel built on land captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.US-brokered peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in September over the issue of Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem.The Palestinians have refused to return to direct peace talks since a 10-month Israel settlement freeze expired just three weeks after the negotiations resumed in September.They refuse to negotiate with Israel while it builds on land they want for their promised state.In March 2010, the interior ministry announced a plan to build 1,600 homes in Ramat Shlomo, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem.The announcement, which came as US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting, triggered a stern response from key ally Washington, souring relations for months.

Middle East and North Africa rocked by protests
– Mon Feb 14, 11:09 am ET

NICOSIA (AFP) – Shock waves from the ouster of presidents in Tunisia and Egypt continued to roll across North Africa and the Middle East on Monday, with peoples long subject to autocratic rule demanding to be heard.Despite many states cautiously welcoming the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, their own populations have been seized by the momentum and are demanding greater freedoms and reform.Following is a breakdown of events, both current and planned, in the Arabic-speaking world and in Iran.

ALGERIA: Opposition leaders planned a second protest march in the capital despite a long-standing ban on demonstrations, and France called on Algiers to allow anti-government protests to take place freely and without violence.

BAHRAIN: Bahraini police used tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters in the eastern village of Nuwaidrat, as security forces deployed in the tiny Gulf kingdom following Facebook calls for a February 14 revolt.

EGYPT: The new military regime called on workers to end a wave of strikes and civil disobedience that has threatened to paralyse the country in the wake of the fall of Hosni Mubarak's government.

IRAN: Thousands of defiant Iranian opposition supporters in Tehran staged what they said was a rally supporting Arab revolts as riot police fired tear gas and paint balls to disperse them, witnesses and opposition websites said.

IRAQ: Baghdad will on March 29 host its first annual Arab summit since the US-led of invasion of 2003, in the wake of popular uprisings that transformed the political landscape of the volatile but long autocratic region.

JORDAN: Justice Minister Hussein Mujalli joins a sit-in held by trade unions and describes a Jordanian soldier serving a life sentence for killing Israeli schoolgirls in 1997 as a hero, demanding his release.

LIBYA: Facebook groups numbering several hundred members have called for demonstrations to mark a day of rage in Libya on February 17 modelled on similar protests in other Arab countries.

MOROCCO: Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi was to meet the opposition to discuss parliamentary polls, with the impact of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia weighing heavily on the talks.

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas reappointed Salam Fayyad as premier and tasked him with forming a new government after his cabinet resigned.

SYRIA: Woman blogger Tal al-Mallouhi, 19, gets five years in prison after being found guilty by a security court of divulging information to a foreign country. Her blog focuses on the Palestinians, not Syrian politics.

TUNISIA: The country marked a month since the overthrow of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

YEMEN: Pro-democracy protesters clashed violently with police and supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, with clashes also reported in Taez south of the capital, where thousands of people joined anti-Saleh demonstrations.