Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address more than 60 ambassadors and over half the US Congress at the AIPAC conference Monday night. As Netanyahu reiterated that he will be a partner for peace for Palestinians, several Palestinian leaders ask what this really means.
Comments from Registered Members | (Register or log in to make your comment.) | brian 2009-06-13
There is a BIG difference between Jews and ZIONISTS. I believe a majority of the world's Jewish population does not support the Zionist movement which has created the "state" of Israel. At the turn of the century Jews and Palestinians were living side by side in peace. Money and the Zionist movement invaded the area and ever since then the British and the USA gov'ts have been subsidizing this conflict in an effort to control the oil reserves in this area. It is time for the USA to call in the Zionist' marker and demand a return of all illegally settled lands after the 1948 declaration and renew peaceful security measures based on first actions by their neighbors. At the same time the UN needs to "get it together" on all these issues and begin idicting leaders who promote terrorism and crimes against humanity...that includes EVERY COUNTRY, even our own! We must not forget that the white Christians moved all the native Americans to reservations, took lands from Mexico by force an | DMChoptiany 2009-05-29
Anyone who thinks that Bib will negotiate for peace with the Palestinians is dreaming. He has never negotiated honourably in the past and will not do so in the future. He has made is very clear that he does not support a 2-state solution and will not even impeded the expansion of settlements (let alone stop them). He continuously moves all conversations toward the Iranian nuclear smokescreen and away from the Palestinian situation. Lieberman will not even consider treating Arab Israelis as real citizens. Both want to make the currently multi-cultural Israeli state into an exclusively Jewish state (the only country in the world would be based on a single religion). It will be interesting to see how Obama is able to handle this situation. He could stop the annual gift of $3,000,000,000 plus additional military hardware to Israel, but the military/industrial complex would fight that change. So, for the time being, it is status quo. | ASFA81 2009-05-15
Negotiate with who?!
Arafat was offered by Barak (P.M.) 98% of the land he wanted and yet he rejected the offer. They were given guns, Billions upon billions of dollars to build up their economy and yet they still said no to peace. Now Hamas is control!@ Just read their charter:
Hamas Principles
The principles of the Hamas are stated in their Covenant or Charter, given in full below. Following are highlights.
"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).
"The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. "
"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are | dart 2009-05-09
What is the point of elected US politicians talking about a state who declares its right to be racist and wishes to eradicate their semitic neighbours whose land they occupy when they`re dependant on zionist electoral funds and approval.Netanyahu, a former furniture salesman, owes his rise in politics to wrmonger George Shultz and was an ardent promoter of the illegal Iraqi invasion.As the son of the secretary to the late right wing Jabotinsky he learned his politics from that era when many around him supported fascism.Israel is merely an extension if not the driver of the US miltary empire where might is right and the rest hot air.Obama has no will to change anything let alone run the country- though he`s doing a good job of duping the people along with the urbane Biden. | jpeterse 2009-05-06
It's confusing, like always. Netanyahu said in this clip that he advocates two-state. Did he say more sincerely elsewhere that he doesn't? I'd believe it, I guess. And Anapolis: was Israel a partner to that, did they sign to it? What does Anapolis entail? My gut feeling, like many of you perhaps, is that Israel has no real intention of a two-state peace. At any rate, they'd have less of a pretext for strident US financial aid. |
LIA TARACHANSKY, (VOICEOVER),TRNN: On Monday, May 4, US Vice President Joe Biden addressed the largest Israel lobby, the American Israel Political Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. He said: JOE BIDEN, US VICE PRESIDENT: And the president is strongly and personally committed to achieving what all have basically said is needed, a two-state solution with a secure Jewish state of Israel living side-by-side in peace and security with a viable and independent Palestinian state. But Israel has to work toward a two-state solution. You're not going to like my saying this, but not build more settlements, dismantle the existing outposts, and allow the Palestinians freedom of movement based on their first actions, access to economic opportunity, and increased security responsibility. TARACHANSKY: Addressing AIPAC by satellite from Jerusalem, Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to resume peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The fresh approach that I suggest is pursuing a triple track towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians: a political track, a security track, an economic track. The political track means that we're prepared to resume peace negotiations without any delay and without any preconditions, the sooner the better. The security track means that we want to continue the cooperation with the program led by General [Keith] Dayton, in cooperation with the Jordanians and with the Palestinian Authority, to strengthen the security apparatus of the Palestinians. This is something we believe in and something that I think we can advance in a joint effort. The economic track means that we are prepared to work together to remove as many obstacles as we can to the advancement of the Palestinian economy.TARACHANSKY: The Associated Press recorded the response of several Palestinian political leaders to Netanyahu's address. Chief negotiator Ahmed Qureia said:AHMED QUREIA, FORMER PRIME MINISTER, PALESTINIAN NATIONAL AUTHORITY (SUBTITLED TRANSLATION): Cap putting an end to settlement activities and dismantling of settlements centers, as well as bringing an end to the policies promoting the Judaification of Jerusalem, are the main preconditions before starting any negotiation.TARACHANSKY: In March, as Netanyahu struggled to assemble his coalition, he said:NETANYAHU: Palestinians should understand that they have in our government a partner for peace, for security, and for rapid economic development of the Palestinian economy.TARACHANSKY: But former Palestinian information minister and presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouti disagrees.MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, PALESTINIAN DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: Netanyahu and his government are proving every day that there is no partner for peace when he says he will not allow discussion of the issue of Jerusalem, he will not stop settlements, he will not respect the Annapolis process. And when he says he does not accept a Palestinian state as a solution, then that means there is no partner for peace in Israel. All the nice words that he could say will not change the real fact and the fact that with this policy, Israel is destroying the potential for a Palestinian state and Israel is destroying the potential for peace based on two-state solution.TARACHANSKY: Though saying he will enter peace negotiations without preconditions, Netanyahu said:NETANYAHU: For a final peace settlement to be achieved, the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the Jewish state.TARACHANSKY: In 1988, Yasser Arafat, from his position as leader of the Palestinian liberation organization, already recognized Israel's right to exist. Last month, the Palestinian authority's top negotiator, Saeb Erekat, reiterated this by saying the PLO has already recognized the state of Israel. He added that Netanyahu refuses to even mention a Palestinian state. In his first speech as foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman said that concessions to Palestinians would only invite war, and declared that Israel was not bound by commitments it made in 2007 in Annapolis.AVIGDOR LIEBERMAN, ISRAELI MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (SUBTITLED TRANSLATION): If someone thinks with concessions and every day says, "I'm willing to concede, I'm willing to concede," thinking he will bring peace, he won't. He will only bring on more conflicts and more wars [snip] and Annapolis was never ratified by the Israeli government. Neither the Israeli government nor the Israeli Knesset has ever voted on Annapolis.TARACHANSKY: Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum added:FAWZI BARHOUM, HAMAS SPOKESMAN (SUBTITLED TRANSLATION): Netanyahu and his government are proving every day that there is no partner for peace when he says that he will not allow discussion, he will not stop settlements, he will not respect Annapolis process. And when he says he does not accept a Palestinian state as a solution, then that means there is no partner for peace in Israel. All the nice words that he could say will not change the real fact and the fact that with this policy, Israel is destroying the potential for a Palestinian state and Israel is destroying the potential for peace based on a two-state solution.DISCLAIMER:Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. |
|
