Jimmy Carter on Palestine etc.

I think the Palestinians were already divided but the US and Israel are exploiting and exacerbating the division. In spite of the electoral support for Hamas Israel and the US did everything possible to prevent a unity government from working and have been quite straightforwardly giving military support to the Fatah and Abbas. In fact it is quite possible that Hamas struck in Gaza before Fatah were able to strike effectively at Hamas. This is an absolute disaster for the Palestinians. The US and Israel must be quite happy with the turn of events. Juan Cole thinks that in the long run the US, Israel policy is bad for Israel but since it weakens the Palestinians I don't see how it is going to be bad for Israel.


Jimmy Carter says U.S. aims to split Palestinians
19 Jun 2007 16:36:40 GMT
Source: Reuters


Background
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
More By Jonathan Saul

DUBLIN, June 19 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Tuesday Washington's support for the Palestinian Fatah group and the blocking of aid to Gaza were part of a mistaken policy aimed at dividing Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah dismissed Hamas from the government last week and formed a new cabinet in the occupied West Bank after gunmen from the Islamist group took over the Gaza Strip.

In a bid to shore up Abbas, the United States and the European Union pledged on Monday to lift a 15-month old embargo on the Palestinians imposed after Hamas won elections and rejected their calls to recognise Israel and renounce violence.

Carter, on a visit to Dublin, said the United States and Israel had done "everything they could to prevent accommodation between Hamas and Fatah".

"Lately, the United States has been giving military aid to Fatah in order to conquer Hamas in Gaza," Carter told reporters after addressing a human rights forum in Dublin.

"Fatah could not prevail because of the fervent commitment of some of the Hamas fighters and because of their discipline," he added.

Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas has said he still considers a 3-month-old unity coalition, in which he is prime minister, as the legitimate Palestinian government and accuses Abbas of participating in a U.S.-led plot to overthrow him.

Fatah has rejected a Hamas overture for "dialogue" and banned all contacts with the group.

Israeli and Western officials say Israel plans to tighten a financial clampdown on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that would choke off all but humanitarian and basic supplies.

Carter, who brokered the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt in 1978, said moves to give Palestinians assistance in the West Bank was an attempt to "reward them", while continuing to "punish" the 1.5 million aid-dependent Palestinians in Gaza.

"This effort to divide Palestine into two peoples now, I think it is a step in the wrong direction," Carter said.

"There is no effort being made outside to bring the two together."

BUSH CRITICISED

U.S. President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met in Washington on Tuesday and pledged to work together to strengthen Abbas against Hamas Islamists.

Carter, who was president from 1977-1981 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his charitable work, has been highly critical of Bush's Middle East policies. In May he described Bush's presidency as "the worst in history".

Carter told reporters that U.S-run detention camps, such as Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and U.S. anti-terrorism laws, were unacceptable even in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"This departure on human rights is completely incompatible with all the predecessors in the White House," he said.

"It's excused inadequately by the aftermath of 9/11 that the terrorism threat is so great that we can abandon our basic American principles on human rights," he said. "I strongly disagree with that."

The Palestinian Unity Government: A review of the Arab Press

This is a very limited review. There is nothing from Saudi Arabia for example. But even this limited selection exhibits at least some of the criticism emanating from "moderate" Arab states. Saudi Arabia is no doubt even more incensed since the Saudis were instrumental in aiding the deal which was negotiated in Mecca.


Review of the Arab press
AMMAN, Jordan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for Feb. 19:


The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi said Monday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will find himself in a serious crisis on the internal Palestinian front, as well as with the United States and globally. The independent Palestinian-owned daily said it appears Israel and Washington share the same conditions imposed on the incoming new Palestinian national unity government to restart the peace negotiations. The paper reported that Israeli and U.S. leaders were clear when they said they would not recognize the new Palestinian government unless it explicitly meets the conditions of the Quartet committee for peace. The daily added it was certain this government will not accept the American-Israeli conditions in recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and the previous accords, since they were not mentioned in Abbas' letter of designation to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. "We fear that President Abbas will come under such pressure and indirectly retreat from forming a national unity government by placing obstacles," it said. The paper insisted that Abbas' "body language" during his meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah Sunday indicates "he prefers to be a partner with America rather than with Hamas, and the coming days will determine this."


--


Egypt's al-Ahram said in its editorial it hoped that Rice's current tour of the region is meant to discuss resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and not an attempt to gather support for the U.S. policy on Iraq and Iran. The daily stressed that instead of going around in circles, the United States and Israel should not prejudge the next Palestinian government before it sees its nature and behavior, especially that it will include independent prominent figures who enjoy international respect. "The Palestinian people have the right to choose who should rule, so long as they abide by the law and international charters," as well as previous agreements regarding the peace process. At the same time, it said, the Palestinian factions should behave responsibly to protect their achievements and to avoid giving Israel pretexts to continue assaulting the Palestinians on the grounds of self-defense. The daily said it hoped Rice's separate meetings Sunday with Olmert and Abbas has achieved something that could ensure the success of their three-way summit in Jerusalem Monday.


--


Jordan's al-Ghad said in a commentary the U.S. administration is clearly unhappy over the Palestinian agreement to form a national unity government and that is why Olmert agreed with President George W. Bush to boycott it if it does not explicitly recognize Israel. The independent daily noted that Rice declared three conditions on the Palestinian government, saying the U.S. administration is being "creative in dictating to the Palestinians without justifications." It argued the Mecca agreement between the Palestinian Hamas and Fatah rivals tacitly confirms recognition of the previous agreements and international legitimacy. "What alternative does the American administration suggest?" it asked, insisting that Abbas cannot form a government without Hamas because it holds the overwhelming majority in the elected legislature and he succeeded in persuading it to commit to the peace process instead of early elections. "The only alternative is a coup d'état on democracy and a civil war. Is that what the American administration wants?" it said. The mass-circulation paper said it is clear the Mecca agreement is good, secures internal peace, protects the truce with Israel and ensures against obstructing the peace process with Israel; so when America takes a negative position towards this progress, "the only thing that we can say to it (U.S.) is go to hell!" It complained the Bush administration has weakened itself a great deal in the region by ignoring the advice of the moderate Arab countries on Iraq, "and it is now disregarding the efforts of this camp." It urged the moderate Arab countries to speak firmly to America and to support the next national unity Palestinian government by lifting the sanctions on it, adding the U.S. administration does not deserve to be taken into consideration so long as it continues to support the Israeli position all the time.


--


Syria's official daily Tishreen stated it is strange that Israel wants the Palestinians to heed to international demands while it considers the Quartet terms to be nothing more than ink on paper and was never committed to them in the first place. The state-run paper added in a commentary the pre-conditions declared by Olmert and Rice Sunday on the Palestinian government are "impossible" because Israel has proven after its interim Oslo accords with the Palestinians that it is not even serious in holding negotiations. In addition, it argued, the current U.S. administration only executes what Israel wants; "and this Israel has an aggressive plan as it plays with time to consolidate its occupation." The paper opined that Israel, with U.S. cooperation, invent pre-conditions to close all doors for a durable solution to the Palestinian problem and offer partial solutions that "quickly clash with the occupation's measures, which the Palestinians are blamed for." It insisted that America is only serious towards Israel and they divide their roles in "implementing the aggressive, colonialist schemes in the region."


--

US and Israel to boycott Palestinian Unity Govt.

The line that the US and Israel will not negotiate with terrorists is certainly unhelpful in resolving issues. These "terrorists" are democratically elected. So much for democracy. Not all democracies are equal apparently. The situation is ironic because Israel itself used terrorist tactics to gain independence. Also, it has negotiated prisoner exchanges with terrorists in the past. The US is alienating key allies in the Mid-East such as Saudi Arabia by taking this line. Hamas has in effect recognised Israel by the very fact of negotiating and accepting prior agreements. Note that Hamas is also required to renounce the US of violence. Come on, is Israel also going to renounce the use of violence and perhaps destroy its nuclear weapons as well!




US and Israel 'back boycott plan'
The US and Israel will not work with a new Palestinian unity government unless it recognises Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said.
He was speaking a day before three-way talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Ms Rice held separate talks with both men on Sunday.

Publicly, she said the US would "await the formation of a [unity] government before making any decisions".

Hamas, the largest group in the proposed Palestinian unity government, refuses to recognise Israel.

Mr Olmert said a Palestinian government that failed to accept conditions laid down by the quartet of the US, EU, Russia and UN "cannot receive recognition and there will not be co-operation with it".

"I spoke about this on Friday with the president of the United States, and I can tell you the Israeli and US positions are completely identical," Mr Olmert said in televised comments.

Power-sharing deal

The EU, US and Russia have maintained an economic boycott of the Palestinian government since Hamas won legislative elections in January last year.

After weeks of internal fighting, Hamas and the rival Fatah faction agreed last week to form a national unity government.

As a result, Ismail Haniya, of Hamas, resigned from his post as prime minister on Thursday and was asked by Mr Abbas, who heads Fatah, to form a new national unity government.

Ms Rice spent more than two hours in talks with Mr Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah. She then held talks in Jerusalem with Mr Olmert.

Before those meetings, Ms Rice said it was an important time to advance the vision of a Palestinian state.

Mr Olmert's comments will add to doubts about whether the US will engage with a new Palestinian unity government.

Many observers wonder whether the two embattled leaders, Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas, are strong enough to take the difficult steps towards peace, says the BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem.

Moderation urged

Speaking after talks with Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Ms Rice said now was "an important time to talk about how we advance the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and in freedom".


But she and Ms Livni both stressed that any new Palestinian coalition government must recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept past peace agreements.
Hamas' refusal to recognise Israel has led to a crippling ban on Western financial aid since the party came to power.

Meanwhile, factional fighting between Fatah and Hamas has claimed more than 90 Palestinian lives since December.

Mr Haniya now has five weeks to get a new cabinet accepted by the Hamas-dominated parliament.

But if Hamas maintains its position regarding Israel, there is concern that any talks brokered by Washington will be futile, correspondents say.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6372633.stm

Published: 2007/02/18 20:01:44 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Palestinian Unity government poses problems for US policy

By Bankrolling the unity government and helping form a unity government the Saudis have thrown a monkey wrench into US Israeli plans to sideline Hamas or even destroy it by arming Fatah.


Rice's Mideast Paradox
Palestinian Pact Bumps
Into Three-Way Talks
By NEIL KING JR. in Washington and CAM SIMPSON in Jerusalem
Wall Street Journal
February 16, 2007; Page A8

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will confront a paradoxical
question
when she arrives this weekend in the Middle East: Is peace among
Palestinians bad for potential peace with Israel?

Ms. Rice's trip to Israel comes as the two main Palestinian factions --
the
Islamist militant group Hamas and the Fatah party of Palestinian
President
Mahmoud Abbas -- are trying to cement a Saudi-brokered unity
government.
Their aim is to stanch the recent bloodshed between them and to win the
financial backing of the outside world.

The budding political alliance between Hamas -- which refuses to
recognize
Israel's existence or to renounce the use of violence -- and Fatah has
thrown a wrench into Ms. Rice's plans to start peace talks between Mr.
Abbas
and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Until a week ago, when Saudi
Arabia
jumped in to broker a settlement between the two factions, the Bush
administration was arguing that the time was ripe to start talking
about a
future Palestinian state.

Ms. Rice is sticking to her plans to hold three-way talks Monday with
Israeli and Palestinian officials. "You can't wait for the perfect
circumstances," she told reporters yesterday on the eve of her trip,
adding
that it would be a mistake not to keep ties strong with Mr. Abbas and
"take
advantage of his commitment" to eventual peace with Israel.

Skeptics, including some Israeli officials, are wondering if Ms. Rice
is
wise to proceed on this trip, especially when the Palestinian political
scene is in such turmoil. "We could use some time to sit back and
reassess
where we are right now," said one Israeli official.

The U.S. itself is sending mixed signals over whether it may be willing
to
interact with a unity government led by Hamas. Ms. Rice said the U.S.
wouldn't take a position on this question until the new government is
formed, but U.S. officials in Israel have told the Palestinians that
the
U.S. would shun the government if it doesn't embrace Israel, renounce
violence and agree to abide by previous international peace accords.

Ms. Rice's strategy in the past year has been to embolden Mr. Abbas and
his
secular Fatah movement, politically and militarily, believing that
would
force Hamas to yield to better terms for a unity government. Street
battles
raged between Fatah and Hamas, claiming scores of lives from within the
leadership ranks of the warring factions and among Palestinian
civilians.

That strategy has apparently failed, as the deal brokered by Saudi
Arabia at
Mecca last week would seem to require Mr. Abbas and the other
U.S.-backed
moderates to move closer to the Islamists -- not vice versa.

The Saudi deal, if it holds, also has thrown into question a core
premise
underlying the U.S.'s regional strategy over recent months. Ms. Rice
has
portrayed the moment as ripe for progress on the Israeli-Palestinian
peace
front largely because Sunni Arab states like Saudi Arabia appeared
eager to
help broker a deal. The U.S. logic was that Iran, and its aid to
militant
groups like Hamas, had become a greater threat to many Arab states than
Israel.

The Saudis, by summoning both Hamas and Fatah to Mecca last week and
then
offering them $1 billion in aid, have made clear that their main desire
is
to preserve intra-Palestinian comity while weaning Hamas away from
Iran.

Ms. Rice yesterday said she approved of the Saudi effort to stop the
fighting. "We want calm between the Palestinians as well," she said.

The U.S. finds itself in a delicate place, facing the possibility it
soon
could be leading the opposition against a unity government that the
Saudis
helped put together. Arab states are eager to see the Palestinians end
their
internecine fighting. If Ms. Rice comes out strongly against the new
government, she could create an even-greater backlash against the U.S.
across the region and beyond. The U.S. and Israel would largely be
alone if
they tried hard to scuttle it.

After her talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials, Ms. Rice is
scheduled to meet with an assortment of Arab ministers in Jordan before
flying Tuesday to Berlin. Talks there, with representatives from the
European Union, Russia and the United Nations, will be just as crucial,
because the U.S. may have to push hard to keep in place the current
international freeze on aid to the Palestinians if a new unity
government is
formed.