TASEK PAUH blogspot

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Agencies, Dec 15 - Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda's second-in-command, has purportedly condemned Arab leaders who attended the recent US-sponsored Middle East conference in the US city of Annapolis.

In an audiotape posted on the internet, a voice said to be that of al-Zawahri labelled the talks a "betrayal" to Palestinians.

Al-Zawahri said: "The Annapolis meeting was held to turn Palestine into a Jewish state."

"The tsar of Washington, the crusader, brought together 16 Arab countries and their paralysed league [as well as] Amr Moussa, the secretary-general, to sit at a table with the Israelis."

He also denounced the government of Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt, saying he had turned the country into a "base to supply the crusader war on Muslims and Islam."

The message was the 15th tape or video released by al-Zawahri this year, following an audiotape released in November in which he criticised Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, and announced that fighters in Libya were joining ranks with al-Qaeda.

However, the latest 20-minute statement has not been independently verified.

Labels: Luar Negeri, Palestin, Zawahri

Kudus Yolu, August 11 - Ismail Haneya, Prime Minister of the PA care-taker government in Gaza said during the Friday sermon that there is a five-point scheme that aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

He was delivering the Friday sermon at the central Mosque in Khan Younis. He said that this conspiracy, in which some Palestinian parties are taking part is based on five axes; separation between Gaza and the West Bank, tightening the siege on Gaza, eroding the legitimacy of the Hamas's elected government, destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian resistance, especially in the West Bank and entering into security and political deals with the Zionist enemy.

He stressed that these five axes have become a de facto "code of conduct" for some Palestinian, regional and international parties when dealing with the Palestinian issue.

Haneyya further said that his government rejects militarization of society and having numerous security agencies, as the case was in Gaza before Hamas took over, stressing: "We do not want a police state in Gaza"

He added that his government wants a strong police force, a national security agency which will protect the borders and internal security under the ministry of interior.

He said that after the collapse of the PA security agencies his government took over the responsibility and managed to control the situation adding that if such vacuum took place in any other place there would have been rife chaos.

Haneyya also talked about Abbas's presidential edicts and the illegal government that he set up in Ramallah and which started paying salaries to employees based on their political affiliation, denying those who disagree with it their salaries.

Haneyya said that Abbas was behind the closure of Rafah pointing to the fact that the Palestinian and the Israeli delegates to U.N. agreed to oppose a draft resolution submitted by Qatar and Indonesia to reopen the crossing.

"We will not surrender and the siege will not break our determination. They rely on America, we rely on Allah. They hide behind worldly powers we seek heavenly support and indeed there is a huge difference between both," Haneya said.

He also said that there are serious efforts to destroy the resistance in the West Bank through some suspicious security deals with the occupation government adding that whenever the PA security arrest a person or a group they claim that the arrested people where trying to setup an executive force in the West Bank.

He stressed that dialogue is the only way ahead for the Palestinians and expressed support for President Saleh's initiative.

Commenting on the autumn "international conference" called for by President Bush, Haneyya said this conference will be no more than a farewell party for Bush who has achieved nothing and all his plans failed.

Labels: Luar Negeri, Palestin

Gaza, July 29 - A senior Fatah official on Sunday accused Hamas of a campaign to detain members of the group in the Gaza Strip.

Picture (Reuters): Palestinians hold posters of Saeed Al Atabah during a rally calling for his release along with other Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The poster reads: "No peace without releasing all prisoners in all prison occupation".

Ibrahim Abu An Naja told a news conference that Hamas has been carrying out nightly raids on homes since defeating Fatah forces in the territory in a brief civil war last month.

"It is an attempt to eliminate [Fatah] ... But how can a 50-year-old movement like Fatah be eliminated?" Najah said.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri denied the accusation, saying that Naja's comments were "full of false accusations and lies".

He said Fatah complaints of an arrest campaign were aimed at covering up its own detention of Hamas members in the West Bank.

Zuhri said hundreds of Hamas men were "in the jails of the Palestinian security services in the West Bank", including one of its leading figures in the territory, Ahmed Doula. Agencies

Labels: Luar Negeri, Palestin

He also questioned the advantage of the Arab military arsenal if it will remain stocked in military storehouses and not use in defending Palestine and the Arab and Muslim Ummah.

In this regard, Rayyan asserted that the locally-made Palestinian rockets proved to be more advantageous and more effective than the Arab military arsenal, asserting, “Our locally-made rockets is a strong weapon in our hands that despite their limited range proved to be stronger than the rusting Arab arms”.

“It seems that Arab weapons were only destined to be used against fellow Arabs and not against enemies of the Arab and Muslim Ummah”, Rayyan charged.

He also lashed at security apparatuses in a number of Arab countries for chasing and arresting those raising funds in favor of the Palestinian people and to support the legitimate Palestinian resistance.

Finally, Rayyan affirmed that the road to liberation was clear before Hamas, and thus, Hamas, he added, will pursue its national venture regardless of the price it might pay for it.

Labels: Luar Negeri, Palestin

Israel could buy Palestinian gas

UK energy firm BG Group has confirmed it is in talks to agree a contract to supply Palestinian gas to Israel.

BG discovered the Gaza Marine field, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, off the coast of the Gaza Strip in 2000.

Any deal would represent a landmark in Middle Eastern relations, but BG said it would first require agreement between both governments.

Israel has previously vowed never to buy gas from its neighbour.

Lengthy negotiations

"We have been in negotiation with Israel for many, many months," said a BG spokeswoman.

Gaza Strip : The gas field is located off the coast of the Gaza Strip

"Most importantly, we need a bilateral agreement between both governments to get the go-ahead on this. We are working on that."

BG, previously part of British Gas, is seeking a 15-year contract.

According to press reports, BG is hoping to sign a $4bn (£2bn) deal that would see the Palestinian Authority receive $1bn in royalties.

Under the proposals, BG would transport gas from the Gaza Marine field through an undersea pipeline to the Israeli port of Ashkelon.

The field contains one trillion cubic feet of gas, and could reportedly supply 10% of Israel's annual needs.

If the project gets the go-ahead it would be a major boost to the economies in the Palestinian controlled territories.

Ongoing violence, especially in the Gaza Strip, has seen much economic activity grind to a halt, leaving the territories heavily reliant upon financial aid from overseas. Published by BBC on May 23, 2007.

Labels: Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

From KudusYolu, April 16 - PA premier Ismael Haneyya has affirmed on Sunday that his government has two main missions namely: ending the security chaos in the Palestinian arena, and breaking the unjust economic siege on the Palestinian people.

He also affirmed that the Palestinian people and its factions have done all what they believed could help weaken the siege and break it by forming the PA unity government with a political program that represents the common ground of the various political programs of the Palestinian factions.

The premier was speaking in a reception held in Gaza city on Sunday to honor Palestinian winners in the Quran memorization competition that was held in the Moroccan capital Rabat recently.

“We have done our part and agreed on a united political program; yet, the question is: what will the international community do in rescinding the 15-month-old economic blockade on the Palestinian people?”, Haneyya underlined.

On March last year, the USA and Israel along with their regional and international allies imposed crushing economic sanctions on the Palestinian people for democratically electing Hamas to govern them.

Although Haneyya acknowledged that there was some sort of change in the position of a number of EU countries regarding the embargo; yet, he noted that the changes were moving very slow.

But he warned, “If the siege persisted from few months more, the Palestinian people will definitely decide the path they will move on as they would lose confidence in the PA institutions to administer their internal affairs”.

Talking on his government’s security plan that was unanimously endorsed on Saturday, Haneyya appeared determined to end the security mess in the Palestinian arena, but he highlighted the role of the various Palestinian factions in helping his government achieve the mission.

“The Palestinian people deserve peace and order in their community because they have a noble goal; the liberation of their country, and thus, they need all what could bolster their steadfastness in the battle against the occupation”, the PA premier furthermore asserted.

Labels: Luar Negeri, Palestin

Israel urges world to shun Palestinian unity government

March 18 - After several months of fierce battles between members and supporters of Hamas, and the former ruling party Fatah, that claimed the lives of over 140, Palestinians announced yesterday installing a new government, hoping the new coalition will manage end the international aid cut that was prompted by Hamas victory last year.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on the international community to join Israel in shunning the new government, calling its platform "very problematic."

"We will not be able to pursue contacts with the government or its members," Olmert told the cabinet. "We expect that the international community will not be misled by the creation of the coalition government."

The new government was approved by a 83 to 3 to vote, with forty-one of the legislature's 132 members, most of them Hamas members held in Israeli jails, not participating in the vote.

And after the Parliament historic session, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in the new 25-member Cabinet.

On the other hand, the United States reacted with caution to the new Palestinian alliance, which replaced the anti-Israel government led by the Islamic Hamas, which has persistently refused to recognise Israel.

Washington criticised the initial policy speech by PM Ismail Haniya, describing it as disappointing.

In his speech, Mr Haniya said: "The government affirms that resistance in all its forms, including popular resistance to occupation, is a legitimate right of the Palestinian people.

"Our people have the right to defend themselves from continuous Israeli aggression."

In response to the news, Norway announced its recognition to the new gov. and said it would lift aid embargo, whereas Britain and the UN stopped short at explicitly promising that the aid would be lifted, saying that money would start flowing again only if the new alliance managed to control anti-Israel attacks.

Analysts however warned that there’s a possibility that the new Hamas-Fatah alliance would quickly fail over ideological differences as well as long-standing enmities between the two parties.

Syria praised and pledged full support to the new government.

"Damascus demands the lifting of the embargo imposed on the Palestinian people," by the West, a statement in state news agency Sana read.

Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad warned that the new alliance won’t survive for long unless the international community ended its aid boycott and increased assistance.

"We do face a very serious and crippling financial crisis," he said. "Without the help of the international community, it is not going to be possible for us to sustain our operations." - AJP and agencies

Labels: Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

The key posts of finance, interior and foreign ministers will go to men who are not members of Hamas or Fatah.

The list will be submitted to parliament on Saturday for approval.

Israeli officials have criticised the new government's platform which they say does not contradict Hamas' core principle of not recognising Israel.

US and European Union officials say they are waiting for the final outcome of the unity talks before deciding whether to lift economic sanctions imposed on the outgoing Hamas-led government.

Key tests

Israeli officials have made it clear they see the agreement as a step backwards, as it does not address their demands that the new government recognise Israel and sign up to past Israeli-Palestinian deals.

"It is difficult to see anything positive in this," an official told the BBC.

BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says the unity deal has had a difficult birth and there is still deep mistrust between Hamas and Fatah, the two factions whose bitter rivalry brought the Palestinians to the brink of civil war.

"We hope that this government will mark the start of a new era and enable us to turn the page," Mr Haniya told journalists after handing the list to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah faction.

Mr Haniya said if the Palestinian parliament approved the cabinet list, as it is expected to do, the ministers could go straight to Mr Abbas to be sworn in so the government could start work.

The key position of interior minister is being given to an independent academic, Hani Kawasmi.

Analysts say the main test he faces will be over whether he can impose control over Hamas and Fatah military chiefs who currently exercise huge power and autonomy.

The test for the incoming finance minister, Salam Fayyad, will be to reverse a trend in which money has flowed to the Hamas-led government through unofficial channels, because of the international boycott. alJazeera

Labels: Luar Negeri, Palestin

March 11 -Israeli policemen on Saturday killed a Palestinian young man after cruelly beating him in occupied Jerusalem, local sources said.

They identified the youth as Wael Karawi, 32, who was beaten to death this afternoon at the hands of Israeli policemen who focused their beatings on his head and other sensitive areas of his body.

The sources said that Karawi engaged the policemen in a heated debate before they started beating him with batons and only left him when he fainted.

The medical sources underlined that Karawi was killed on the spot after the brutal battering. See more pictures at kudusyolu.com

Labels: Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin, Ummah

March 7 - The leader of Hamas says he has been urged by Iran to continue their stand against Israel, as he announced that Iran will fund his party as western blockades against his government continue.

"We still look forward to get support [from Iran] to break the political and economic sanctions," Khaled Meshaal said on Tuesday during a visit to Iran.

Picture - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president (L) pledges funds to Meshaal, the leader of Hamas [AFP]

Meshaal, who arrived in Iran early on Tuesday, told a press conference with Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, that Iran had been giving financial and political support to the Palestinians since Hamas took office in March last year.

Mottaki told reporters that Iran would continue to provide money to Hamas, but he did not give any figures.

Iran is known to have given $120 million to Hamas since it took office following its victory in the Palestinian legislative elections.

Fighting Israel

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president has urged visiting Meshaal on Tuesday to keep fighting Israel, state television said.

The United States and Israel accuse Iran of "interference" in Iraq, through backing Shia fighters, and of sponsoring terrorism, including Hamas, which the US still labels as a terrorist organisation and Lebanon's Shia-led group Hezbollah. Tehran denies the charges.

"The [Palestinian] government should use its brave and pious forces to continue resistance against the Zionist regime [Israel]", Ahmadinejad told Mashaal at the start of his two-day visit to Iran.

Iran refuses to recognise Israel and Ahmadinejad has called the Israeli state a "tumour" which must be "wiped off the map".

Iran's support for the Palestinians has grown more vocal since Ahmadinejad came to power in August 2005.

Palestinian sovereignty

The major aid donors to the Palestinian Authority - the United States, the European Union and Canada - cut off aid because Hamas has refused to renounce violence and recognise Israel and the previous agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians.

At Tuesday's press conference, Meshaal was asked if Hamas had now recognised Israel.

The Hamas leader did not answer directly, but said: "The Palestinian government insists on June 4, 1967 borders [for a Palestinian state], full Palestinian sovereignty with Jerusalem as its capital."

He was referring to the international borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, which broke out on June 5 that year, in which Israeli troops captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Last month, Meshaal and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, signed a Saudi-brokered agreement in Mecca under which they would form a coalition government and Hamas promised to "respect" the previous agreements.

The United States and others are waiting for the coalition to be formed before declaring whether the Mecca agreement warrants a resumption of aid.

Mottaki said his government backed the Mecca accord.

"Iran supports this initiative, and it also supports any step toward achieving greater unity among Palestinians," he said. Agencies

Labels: Iran, Luar Negeri, Palestin, Ummah

March 6 - Four Israelis have been taken to hospital after two rockets fired from Gaza landed near the Gaza Strip's northern borders.

Picture - Al-Quds Brigades, of the Islamic Jihad movement, claim responsibility for rocket attack [AP]

Walid al-Umari, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Palestine, said the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, had claimed responsibility for firing the rockets on Tuesday.

The Israeli army said that two rockets were fired on Tuesday morning from Gaza and landed near the city of Askalan.

Israeli sources had recently urged authorities to launch strikes on resistance forces in the Gaza Strip if they continued to fire rockets at Israeli targets, al-Umari said.

The attacks came shortly before Israel's high court delayed the release of the first official report on the state's conduct during the Lebanon war, giving a respite to Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister. alJazeera more..

Labels: Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

Russia is working to draft a joint stand within the quartet committee to lift the siege, he elaborated and added that Russia expressed clear backing to the Hamas and Fatah agreement in Makkah.

Mishaal, in a meeting with the Palestinian community in Moscow, said that Hamas and Fatah have agreed on reforming the PLO in its capacity as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in the international arena.

He explained that the main elements of the Makkah agreement revolved around breaking the siege and securing international cooperation with the new unity government that is currently being formed.

The Hamas leader stressed that the Palestinian people refuse pressures from any party whatsoever, adding, "We believe that all pressures and dictates target one goal mainly to push our people into civil war". kudusyolu

Labels: Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

Labels: Berita, Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

Israel kills Palestinian fighter

February 21 - Undercover Israeli forces have killed an Islamic Jihad commander in the occupied West Bank.

The group identified the deceased as its commander in the northern West Bank.

Medical sources said that Mahmoud Abu Obeid, 25, the leader of the armed wing of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank city of Jenin was killed by Israeli special forces on Wednesday.

(Picture left - Palestinians carry the body of Abu Obeid)

He was shot dead in Jenin by special forces dressed up as Palestinians, witnesses said.

The unit ambushed his car at a roundabout before firing into the car, the sources added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Abu Obeid's death comes one day after Israeli police arrested an Islamic Jihad operative from Jenin at a flat in a Tel Aviv suburb on suspicion of preparing a suicide bombing.

Islamic Jihad last carried out a suicide attack in Israel on January 29, when three people were killed in the Red Sea resort of Eilat. Agencies

Labels: Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

Israel ups policing at al-Aqsa site

Israeli police have deployed in force on a planned day of Palestinian protest against controversial work near Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque.

To guard against possible unrest, 3,000 policemen and border guards fanned out around Jerusalem's Old City, as Israel tightened restrictions on those attending prayers on Friday.

Mohammed Hussein, the Palestinian mufti, and Raed Salah, the head of Israel's Islamic Movement, have urged people to mobilise against continuing Israeli excavations that Muslims say endanger the al-Aqsa mosque compound site.

Only Muslim men aged over 50 and in possession of Israeli identity cards are being allowed to attend Friday prayers at the mosque, although there are no restrictions on women. Communal Friday prayers are a religious obligation for Muslim men.

Al Jazeera's Barnaby Philips said men who had been prevented from entering the mosque were praying outside on the street and that at least three people had been arrested.

Illegal demonstration

A Jerusalem court has banned Salah from coming within 150m of the Old City walls for two months, after finding him guilty of participating in an illegal demonstration against the work and assaulting a police officer.

Salah vowed to ignore the Israeli court's order.

"I have the right to enter al-Aqsa," Salah told Al Jazeera. "We have the right to protect the al-Aqsa mosque and confront the Israeli occupation.

"I hope that 10,000 of our people will head towards al-Aqsa mosque today [Friday]."

Israel's increased police presence comes after 15 police and at least 20 Palestinians were wounded in clashes at the al-Aqsa compound on a similar day of protest against the Israeli works last Friday. Agencies

Labels: al-Aqsa, Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

GAZA, February 14 (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his Hamas-led cabinet will resign in the next two days to make way for a unity government with the rival Fatah faction, a government official said on Tuesday.

Haniyeh is expected to lead the new government, according to the terms of a deal agreed between Hamas and Fatah in Saudi Arabia last week which aimed to end factional warfare in Gaza and ease an economic embargo on the Palestinian Authority.

Picture - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a televised address in Gaza February 12, 2007. Haniyeh and his Hamas-led cabinet will resign in the next two days to make way for a unity government with the rival Fatah faction, a government official said on Tuesday.

"The prime minister will submit his cabinet's resignation within two days so that he can begin constitutional measures to form the unity government," the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

In Jordan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Russian President Vladimir Putin the step would take place in the next two or three days "if there are no unpleasant surprises".

Putin, speaking on the last leg of a Middle East tour, was heard telling Abbas at Amman airport that he hoped economic sanctions Western donors imposed on the Palestinian Authority after Hamas came to power last year would be lifted soon.

Haniyeh earlier said it was too soon to say when he will resign. Officials said he and Fatah's Abbas still had to finalise issues from the Saudi-brokered deal including naming an interior minister and deputy prime minister.

Haniyeh met leaders of 13 Palestinian factions on Tuesday, seeking to win support for the power-sharing deal with Abbas.

"Constitutional measures will begin to implement the agreement on the ground," said Palestinian cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad after the meeting.

"There are consultations between President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. We are working speedily and we do not want to waste any time," he said.

The two men could meet in the next two days, he added.

Differences Remain

Abbas and Hamas have also still to settle their differences over the fate of Hamas's 5,600-member "executive" police force. Fatah is pushing for the force to be broken up, whereas the Islamist group wants to keep the force together.

Fighting between Hamas and Fatah killed more than 90 Palestinians between late December and early February.

Hamas has rejected conditions set by the "Quartet" of Middle East mediators for restoring direct aid to the Palestinian Authority - recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence and acceptance of existing interim peace agreements.

The Quartet is comprised of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

Russia and some EU countries have welcomed Thursday's Hamas-Fatah agreement, which made no explicit commitment to recognise Israel. The United States has withheld judgment.

Israeli officials said the Jewish state was considering suspending contacts with Abbas if the unity government did not meet all three Quartet demands.

The move could increase pressure on Abbas and hinder U.S. efforts to revive long-stalled peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans a three-way summit with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Feb. 19. Reuters

Labels: Berita, Luar Negeri, Palestin

Haniya asks West to restore aid

AlJazeera, February 13 - Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, has appealed to the international quartet of Middle East mediators to restore economic aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in response to the recently-concluded Hamas-Fatah unity deal.

The Quartet, comprised of the US, the European Union, Russia and the UN, cut off direct funding of the PA after Hamas came to power last year.

The Quartet insists that for aid to resume, the Palestinian government must recognise Israel, renounce violence, and accept existing interim peace agreements.

Haniya, who is also a senior Hamas figure, said in a speech in Gaza city on Monday: "The American administration should reconsider its hasty position, which refuses to deal with the will of the Palestinian people.

"I say to the Quartet and to the European Union that this is the will of the Palestinian people, and they should respect it and they should work to end the status of siege."

The unity agreement that Hamas signed with Fatah, led by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, in Saudi Arabia last Thursday made no explicit commitment to recognise Israel.

A subsequent call by Abbas - in a letter to Haniya re-appointing him prime minister - urged Hamas to "abide by the interests of the Palestinian people" and "respect" past agreements and international law.

Israeli threat

Earlier on Monday, Israeli officials said that Israel was considering suspending contacts with Abbas if the unity government did not meet the Quartet's demands.

Such a step would not only increase pressure on Abbas, but also hinder US efforts to revive long-stalled peace talks, beginning with plans by Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, for a three-way summit with Abbas and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, in Jerusalem on February 19.

However, Israeli officials said that a suspension of contacts may only be temporary and that a final decision will not be made until the Palestinian unity government is in place, a process that could take a month or longer.

Israel's response also depended on whether Abbas and the new government could secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

"Gilad Shalit can serve as a test," Olmert said.

Key issues unresolved

Meanwhile in Gaza, Haniya cautioned that key issues remain unresolved despite the Mecca agreement.

In a televised speech on Monday, he said his government will resign in the near future, a formality to allow appointment of the new unity government.

Under the Mecca pact, Hamas and Fatah have agreed to a division of cabinet positions, but have not yet decided who will get the key post of interior minister, controlling most security forces.

Haniya nevertheless said both sides were committed to implementing the Mecca accord.

He said "all Palestinians have won in this agreement", adding that "when President Abu Mazen [Abbas] comes to Gaza, we will continue the negotiations on issues that remain." Agencies

Labels: Berita, Luar Negeri, Palestin

Occupied Jerusalem, February 12 - Israel may suspend contracts with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if his new unity government with Hamas does not meet international demands, Israeli officials said on Monday.

The unity deal and Israel’s response could hinder US efforts to revive long delayed peace talks as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans a three-way summit with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Occupied Jerusalem on February 19.

Israeli officials said any suspension may only be temporary. Top advisers to Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and other ministers were to meet later on Monday to consider the options. Agencies

Labels: Berita, Israel, Luar Negeri, Palestin

Gaza, February 11 - A new Palestinian unity government to be formed after a deal in Makkah between rival Fatah and Hamas factions will not recognise Israel, a political adviser to Hamas Prime Minister Esmail Haniya said yesterday.

Ahmad Yousuf said the unity government, which he expected Haniya to unveil within 10 days, would "respect" previous Palestinian peace accords with Israel but would not be committed to them, nor to recognising the Jewish state.

Recognition of Israel is one of three conditions set by the "quartet" of international Middle East negotiators for lifting sanctions on the Hamas-led government. The quartet also demands Hamas renounce violence and accept existing peace deals.

"The issue of recognition was not addressed at all [in Makkah]," Yousuf said.

"In the platform of the new government there will be no sign of recognition [of Israel], regardless of the pressures the United States and the quartet would exert."

The quartet - the United States, Russia, European Union and the United Nations - repeated its conditions on Friday for a resumption of aid, but withheld judgment on whether the new government met those conditions.

Aid boycott could lead to more violence

Yousuf said a continuation of the aid boycott imposed after Hamas trounced Fatah in elections last year could lead to more violence in Palestinian Territories.

More than 90 people were killed in factional warfare in Gaza since President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah threatened to call fresh elections after earlier unsuccessful unity talks with Hamas.

Yousuf said the quartet was due to meet again on February 21, by which time Haniya planned to have announced his new government "so it can be an introduction to end the siege of the Palestinian people". He said Saudi Arabia, which hosted the Makkah talks, had promised to work for an end to the boycott and he hoped that would persuade the quartet to lift the embargo. Reuters

Labels: Berita, Luar Negeri, Palestin