Spoetnik
11-10-11, 17:40
'Abbas seems addicted to Israeli-Palestinian conflict'
Speaking before the European Parliament, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin says international support for Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN disregards the threat to Israel's existence.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Tuesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seemed to be "addicted to the conflict" and therefore is not the right person for direct peace talks with Israel.
Addressing the European Parliament in Brussels, Rivlin claimed Abbas was not prepared to leave the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the past.
"The attempt to avoid negotiations has become an addiction to the conflict itself. In any peace settlement, we shall have to leave this in the past. Abbas is not prepared to do so," Rivlin said.
"Mahmoud Abbas is mourning for the past, but he is not looking toward the future," Rivlin continued. "This is the tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
The Knesset speaker also referred in his speech to Israel's adoption of a statement by the Quartet on the Middle East – which includes the United States, the United Nations, Russia, and the European Union – that urges both parties to return to direct peace talks.
(...)
'Abbas seems addicted to Israeli-Palestinian conflict' - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-seems-addicted-to-israeli-palestinian-conflict-1.389379)
En in ander nieuws
Peace Now: PM's panel to legalize West Bank outposts encourages 'price tag' attacks
Lauding planned government task force to approve construction on private Palestinian land, Likud MK says Israel must advance Jewish settlement out of a recognition that the West Bank 'belongs to us.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned force geared at legalizing West Bank outposts is a "boost in the arm" to so-called "price tag" attacks, left-leaning NGO Peace Now said on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, the premier announced the formation of a panel that would mull the ways in which West Bank outposts built on private Palestinian land could be retroactively approved, saying the "committee will form recommendations regarding issues such as those raised in the various appeals to the High Court of Justice."
Speaking in response to Netanyahu's statement, Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer said that the forming of a panel to legalize West Bank outposts represented "a boost in the arm to the [initiators of the] 'price tag' attacks."
"The settlers' terror and intimidation are working, and instead of evacuating illegal structures built on stolen land, Netanyahu is demonstrating distrust of the State Prosecutor's Office, seeking to form a legal panel that would serve only the settlers," Oppenheimer said.
"Peace Now will continue to struggle against government attempts to assist violations against the low and protect construction criminals in the [Palestinian] territories," he added.
Referring to the reported plan to legalize West Bank outposts, Meretz ML Zehava Gal-On said earlier Tuesday that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein "must make it clear to Netanyahu that the robbery and theft of private lands cannot be legalize since it constitutes a criminal offence."
"Netanyahu's entire move is meant to further establish Israeli authority over the [Palestinian] territories and deepen the occupation," Gal-On said.
Culture Minister Limor Livnat, one of those who pushed for the task force, told Arutz Sheva radio on Monday that the goal was to examine the issue "without fear of what leftist groups will say. As the government, we need to govern."
Also commenting on the PM's announcement on Tuesday, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely said she "welcomed the decision," adding that the "prime minister has understood that moral values and those of the [Likud] movement do not permit the uprooting the people from their homes."
"It is important that we continue the advancement of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria out of a recognition that it belongs to us," Hotovely said, adding that a 2005 report criticizing West Bank settlement expansion was "politically biased and the time has come to change it."
Peace Now: PM's panel to legalize West Bank outposts encourages 'price tag' attacks - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peace-now-pm-s-panel-to-legalize-west-bank-outposts-encourages-price-tag-attacks-1.389390)
Of course, de Palestijnen zijn de bad-guys in de ogen van de Nederlandse regering :p.
Speaking before the European Parliament, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin says international support for Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN disregards the threat to Israel's existence.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Tuesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seemed to be "addicted to the conflict" and therefore is not the right person for direct peace talks with Israel.
Addressing the European Parliament in Brussels, Rivlin claimed Abbas was not prepared to leave the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the past.
"The attempt to avoid negotiations has become an addiction to the conflict itself. In any peace settlement, we shall have to leave this in the past. Abbas is not prepared to do so," Rivlin said.
"Mahmoud Abbas is mourning for the past, but he is not looking toward the future," Rivlin continued. "This is the tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
The Knesset speaker also referred in his speech to Israel's adoption of a statement by the Quartet on the Middle East – which includes the United States, the United Nations, Russia, and the European Union – that urges both parties to return to direct peace talks.
(...)
'Abbas seems addicted to Israeli-Palestinian conflict' - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-seems-addicted-to-israeli-palestinian-conflict-1.389379)
En in ander nieuws
Peace Now: PM's panel to legalize West Bank outposts encourages 'price tag' attacks
Lauding planned government task force to approve construction on private Palestinian land, Likud MK says Israel must advance Jewish settlement out of a recognition that the West Bank 'belongs to us.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned force geared at legalizing West Bank outposts is a "boost in the arm" to so-called "price tag" attacks, left-leaning NGO Peace Now said on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, the premier announced the formation of a panel that would mull the ways in which West Bank outposts built on private Palestinian land could be retroactively approved, saying the "committee will form recommendations regarding issues such as those raised in the various appeals to the High Court of Justice."
Speaking in response to Netanyahu's statement, Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer said that the forming of a panel to legalize West Bank outposts represented "a boost in the arm to the [initiators of the] 'price tag' attacks."
"The settlers' terror and intimidation are working, and instead of evacuating illegal structures built on stolen land, Netanyahu is demonstrating distrust of the State Prosecutor's Office, seeking to form a legal panel that would serve only the settlers," Oppenheimer said.
"Peace Now will continue to struggle against government attempts to assist violations against the low and protect construction criminals in the [Palestinian] territories," he added.
Referring to the reported plan to legalize West Bank outposts, Meretz ML Zehava Gal-On said earlier Tuesday that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein "must make it clear to Netanyahu that the robbery and theft of private lands cannot be legalize since it constitutes a criminal offence."
"Netanyahu's entire move is meant to further establish Israeli authority over the [Palestinian] territories and deepen the occupation," Gal-On said.
Culture Minister Limor Livnat, one of those who pushed for the task force, told Arutz Sheva radio on Monday that the goal was to examine the issue "without fear of what leftist groups will say. As the government, we need to govern."
Also commenting on the PM's announcement on Tuesday, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely said she "welcomed the decision," adding that the "prime minister has understood that moral values and those of the [Likud] movement do not permit the uprooting the people from their homes."
"It is important that we continue the advancement of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria out of a recognition that it belongs to us," Hotovely said, adding that a 2005 report criticizing West Bank settlement expansion was "politically biased and the time has come to change it."
Peace Now: PM's panel to legalize West Bank outposts encourages 'price tag' attacks - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peace-now-pm-s-panel-to-legalize-west-bank-outposts-encourages-price-tag-attacks-1.389390)
Of course, de Palestijnen zijn de bad-guys in de ogen van de Nederlandse regering :p.