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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: AK2004 who wrote (274879)	2/16/2006 4:12:22 PM
From: Taro	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1570591

I got this story from a newslink on Reuters, UK. In the meantime the new Palestine cabinet elected by democratic vote is on an official visit to Turkey. Taro By Mohammed Assadi RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli defence officials proposed on Thursday punitive measures to weaken Hamas as the Islamic militant group prepared to assume control of the Palestinian parliament and announce a prime minister. A senior Hamas official in the occupied West Bank said the movement's newly elected legislators decided to pick Ismail Haniyeh, a 43-year-old Hamas leader viewed by many Palestinians as a pragmatist, to lead the next government. Haniyeh, who had been widely expected to get the nod, denied any final decision had been made. "Such an important position requires consultations between leaders in the (Palestinian) territories, in prisons and in exile. Nothing official has been reached so far, and when a decision is made, it will be published," Haniyeh told Reuters. In Tel Aviv, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz and advisers proposed a clampdown that included barring all Palestinians from working in Israel and from travelling across Israel between Gaza and the West Bank once the Palestinian parliament is sworn in on Saturday, officials said. Mofaz's ministry also recommended that Israel squeeze the Palestinian Authority financially by immediately stopping all tax revenue transfers and by exerting pressure on international donors to freeze all but humanitarian assistance. The goal would be to undermine Hamas and increase pressure on the Islamist militant group to renounce violence, recognise the Jewish state and accept past interim peace deals envisioning the creation of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. Israeli Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert planned to hold his own consultations on Friday to consider punitive steps which would take effect next week if approved. Pursuing a tough line on Hamas, which is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state, could boost Olmert's political standing in the run-up to Israel's March 28 general election. Opinion polls predict his centrist Kadima party will win on a platform of disengaging from the Palestinians. U.S. CAUTION In Washington, a U.S. State Department official cautioned Israel to take into account "the consequences of any move, especially with an eye to avoiding increasing any hardship for Palestinians". "We will see what government gets formed and what its policies are before we take decisions on our own policies, which are under review," the official said. Israel has said the inaugural parliamentary session would mark Hamas's ascension to power within the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian officials said Abbas would ask Hamas on Saturday to form a government that would respect peace deals with Israel and put a stop to violence. Hamas has said it expects to form its government early next month and announce a political programme that will not necessarily be in line with Abbas's own views -- potentially triggering a political crisis. Israeli officials said Olmert could adopt the Defence Ministry's recommendations or issue an ultimatum threatening to impose the restrictions if Hamas refuses to meet Israel's demands. However, the proposed restrictions on the ability of Palestinians to work and travel would be largely symbolic, since only a few thousand Palestinians would be affected. Israel has imposed strict limits on the number of workers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and on travel between the territories, since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Allyn Fisher-Ilan in Jerusalem; Wafa Amr in Ramallah and Saul Hudson in Washington)

To: AK2004 who wrote (274879)	2/16/2006 5:27:36 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1570591

re: that Palestine was mostly occupied by Arabs up until the late 19th century so you do not object to occupation just as long as it is not Jews, right? No, I said the fact that Jews are late arrivals to Palestine has contributed significantly to the resentment felt by Arabs. Would you not agree? re: when the Israelis will have to leave the ME again if would come to that then it would be only because too much radiation would be blowing in from the arab side We'll see.