Joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration will address final status issues, says Rice

Joint declaration 'will address final status issues

Date: 18 / 10 / 2007 Time: 10:21

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

A political source in Jerusalem said Thursday morning that US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has reached an agreement with Palestinian and Israeli negotiators that the joint document (which will be) submitted to the Annapolis peace conference will address critical "final status" issues.

Those issues include the borders of a Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

The international conference is currently slated for late November in the US city of Annapolis.

The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz quoted an Israeli official saying, "The declaration will address all core issues and point to certain venues to be pursued through negotiation."

Rice met on Wednesday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and discussed ways of narrowing the gaps between the Israeli and the Palestinian negotiating positions.

Rice travels to London on Thursday to meet with the Jordanian King Abdullah II.

PFLP calls on PA to halt meetings with Israelis

Thursday October 18, 2007 11:32 by Ameen Abu Warda - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group nisreen at imemc dot org

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in a statement issued in Nablus, called on the Palestinian Authority to withdraw from the meaningless meetings with the Israelis, stop the coordination of security and, instead, prepare a nationally agreed plan to bring an end to the Israeli occupation.

In its statement the PFLP restated the importance of armed resistance and sees it as the only way to secure Palestinian rights.

It also called on all parts of the resistance to continue the armed struggle and not to put any trust in a so-called amnesty for wanted Palestinians.

The statement also called for the return of national unity and dialogue as a necessary condition for opposing and ending the Israeli occupation. The PFLP believes that in order to achieve this, Hamas must give up its military option, that the mutual incitement between Hamas and Fatah must cease and that political abductions in both the West Bank and Gaza should be brought to an end.

Finally,the statement called for a return to the rule of law and an end to the disorder in security arrangements.

Translated by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News

Hamas calls on Abbas to stop negotiations with Israel

[ 17/10/2007 - 12:33 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

In the light of the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people the latest of which was in Nablus and surrounding villages Hamas has called on Abbas to stop negotiating with Israel.

The movement said in a statement that it views with great concern "the continued Israeli aggression against, the people, the land and holy places in Palestine, the latest of which was the assassination of Basel Abu Sareyyah of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the murder of the elderly man Shaker al-Wazir and the arrest of a number of people in Nablus as well as the continuation with the aggression on and Judaization of Jerusalem the latest of which was the confiscation of 1100 Dunums (1 Dunum=1000 sq. meters) to extend Jewish settlements and the resumption of excavations at the Bab al-Mahgariba,"

The statement emphasized that all these Israeli occupation aggressions are taking place, yet the PA continues its security coordination with the occupation forces. These aggressions are taking place amid Arab and Islamic silence and at a time preparations are underway for the conference that Bush called for to liquidate the Palestinian cause and effect normalisation with Israel.

Hamas called the Arab and Islamic states to break their silence and take practical steps against the Israeli occupation, which still insists on Judaizing Jerusalem and threatening the Aqsa Mosque, by breaking the siege imposed on the Palestinians and halting all forms of normalisation of relations with the occupation.

The movement also called on Palestinian resistance factions, through its spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, to unite all over Palestine and defend the people, the land and holy places with the aim of achieving freedom from the occupation and sovereignty over Palestinian lands and holy places.

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