Still Three Large Stumbling Blocks
June 22, 2006
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
Three large stumbling blocks came out of the winkin’, blinkin’, noddin’ meeting in Jord an, which we mentioned in
a previous blog.
They were, as given by Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, the precond iti
ons for meaningful negotiations to begin, which were:
1. The cessation of violence and disarming of terrorist groups.
2. Full implementation of previously signed agreements with the PA.
3. Formal recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a nation.
Begin Excerpts from Jerusalem Post Article
PM, Abbas agree to hold Official Summit
Amir Mizroch, THE JERUSALEM POST
June 22, 2006
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met at an informal breakfast hosted by Jordan’s King Abdullah II Thursday morning, also attended by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel.
Wiesel said Olmert and Abbas “embraced warmly” and had agreed to meet in a more formal setting “within two weeks.”
Wiesel added that preparations for a summit meeting were underway, which drew applause from the Nobel Laureates in the gathering.
“We have decided to meet in a manner of a few weeks, and this will not be the only meeting, we will meet more than just once,” Olmert told the gathering of Nobel Laureates in the Royal Tent.
Olmert added that the difficulty in reaching even a starting point of negotiations with the Palestinians stemmed from the fact that the current PA government, run by Hamas, had not accepted the three demands placed by the international community as a pre-requisite for talks: the cessation of violence and the disarming of terrorist groups, full implementation of agreements previously signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and a formal recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
Countering Abbas’ plea for an immediate resumption of negotiations, made at the Petra Conference a day earlier, Olmert said that Abbas was not the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority and that “the political power is not with him but
with a government run by
a terrorist organization condemned by the civilized world. I will fight terrorists, not negotiate with them.
As long as political power rests with the terrorists, we cannot negotiate,” Olmert said. He added that he was impressed with Abbas’ comments Wednesday against the firing of Kassam rockets, but that these comments were not enough and more action was needed.
Earlier, Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rudeineh told The Jerusalem Post that Thursday’s meeting “was not the one the Palestinians were hoping for” as it was not the start of negotiations, “merely protocol.”
Rudeineh also told The Post that although there were encouraging signs that Hamas was ready to adopt the so-called “Prisoner’s Document” which calls for a de-facto recognition of Israel, the referendum called by Abbas for July 26th would still go ahead.
Turning to the question of Iran, Olmert said that he has told world leaders that when this subject comes up, he “loses any sense of humor.”
“When I see a leader stand up in public and say that Israel should be wiped off the map, and at the same time this leader is making every effort to obtain nuclear weapons, I have no sense of humor. I have the collective memory of my people.
When someone threatens to wipe the Jews off the map I have to take them seriously, and when they are going for nuclear weapons I cannot have one day of rest,” Olmert said, adding that the prospect of Iran having nuclear weapons is “totally, absolutely intolerable.”
End Excerpts from Jerusalem Post Article
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