Washington, DC -- APN today welcomed news of a Fatah-Hamas deal. To the degree that the agreement provides for elections and a joint government, this is an opportunity that the Obama administration should not squander. Commenting on today's development, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee stated:"Today's announcement of a Fatah-Hamas deal to jointly form a government and to hold new elections is good news, and we hope that the agreement is implemented. While we still don't know all the details of the agreement, we know that a Palestinian government representing all Palestinians, with security and governance capacity in both the West Bank and Gaza, is vital to the achievement of a peace agreement.
"Clearly, it would be preferable if Hamas -- a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization with a long history of bloody attacks on Israel -- could be completely wished away. However, five years of U.S., Israeli, and international efforts to sideline Hamas have failed. The reality today is that the Gaza-West Bank split is a hurdle to peace efforts, raising questions about the capacity of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to implement an agreement.
"For years the U.S. has made the mistake of opposing Palestinian reconciliation rather than encouraging it; it should not compound this mistake by wasting this opportunity to engage a new Palestinian government. It should do so making clear that U.S. relations with this government -- including decisions about the future of our foreign assistance program for the Palestinians -- will be based solely on the positions and actions of the government. Unfortunately, there are many in Israel and the U.S., including inside the Netanyahu government and the Obama Administration, who will try to spin today's announcement as evidence that the Palestinian Authority is not a partner in peace. Such a reaction is at best mistaken; at worst it is a cynical pretext for not negotiating peace.
"This reconciliation announcement bolsters the conclusion that now is the time for President Obama to redouble his own commitment to peace. By laying out his own plan for peace -- including presenting substantive peace parameters and his plan of action for moving forward -- Obama has the opportunity to re-assert credible U.S. leadership, to forestall action at the UN in September, and to take the true measure of both the Israeli and the Palestinian governments' commitments to peace. He should not miss this opportunity."
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APN recently issued an Action Plan for President Obama, laying out specific recommendations for how he should move forward. That plan can be read here.
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Lara - c'mon, what are you smoking. Seriously. It' impolite not to share.
Mr. Netanyahu's step is good but other side Palestinian leaders and Hamas will not agree to this peace talks only will solve this problem Palestinian leaders have to participate in peace talks then not only these countries will be but also entire this region will be safe.
This step is most necessary as a politically-split Palestine is just a wasteful dogfight which cannot attempt to conclude any meaningful agreement with Israel and the other Holyland states...After achievement of this internal peace, Palestine can then attend to: UDI/Boundries/Ports of entry/The
'ARC'/new Town, City governments/ the General Assembly/new Capital 'campus' and town or city/agreement regarding access-to and no damage to the Islamic sites on the Temple Mount...After both Pal parties reconcile, their members can join in a real, nonpartisan, consensus government dispite what its detractors say...A good start and hopefully worthy of support by almost all Pals...'Play it, Sam' [Autumn in New York/September Song/Biladi played by small Pal group and sung by pianist]...Aaron Allen...
I hope you are correct;however,Hamas is not only "designated" a terrorist organization.It is along with anti
Jewish hatred as its program. How does one deal with this?
I support a 2 state solution,but suggest a more measured
response until we see evidence of change-if any. Michael Kaplan
Lest we forget. After the elections in Gaza (pushed by the Bush administration) and the overwhelming victory by Hamas it did not take long for the Fatah adherents to be eliminated in Gaza. Unless one believes that the Palestinian
administration on the West Bank is all that popular, there is a real possibility that Hamas
could triumph in the forthcoming elections. We might then have another Gaza to deal with, rockets and all, surely not a path to peace.
Be careful about what you wish for. It may come to pass with a result you would regret.
It's indeed a shame that the current Israeli gov't has repeatedly failed to move towards a long term solution. Options seem to be shrinking by the day and Israel has become much more isolated. Who are the West Bank settlements that defy logic, reason, and fairness? I am an old supporter of the country and remember a time when the Israeli leadership and people wanted out of the West Bank.
Following Biblical logic rarely succeeds.
Peace now please... smile :-)
This is a good time to recognize that the palestenians in gaza have as much right for peace as the west bank palestenians. For Israel's sake, along with everybody else's, Mr. Netenyaho should make peace with those palestenians that are willing to trade punches with him; the gaza palestinians.
I support this policy.
STATEMENTS OF U.S. PRESIDENTS
Date Pres Pop Statement
4/12/1980 Carter 61500 The settlements are not legal and are an impediment to peace
9/1/1982 Reagan 106595 A settlements freeze would help peace process. Settlement activity is in no way necessary for the security of Israel
3/3/1990 Bush 227500 We do not believe there should be new settlements in the West Bank or in East Jerusalem
1/7/2001 Clinton 387859 The settlements are inconsistent with the Oslo commitment
4/4/2002 Bush II 414,119 Israeli settlement activity in occupied territories must stop, and the occupation must end through withdrawal to secure and recognized boundaries, consistent with United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338.
5/18/2010 Obama 479,500 Settlements have to be stopped in order for us to move forward.
We give money, Israel gives us the finger!
Wow. Look at all of the naysayers here! I expected better from a site talking about peace.
I agree with the author; this time, this peace, is an opportunity not to be wasted. As it appears most here don't know, Mark Regev immediately pulled Israel away from ANY peace-table.
Hamas has proven themselves in the past few years. They have not been "terrorists", yet have had to deal with their population being terrorized by Israel. Hamas has stopped the more-extreme Gazans from lobbing non-explosive rockets into Israel. During Cast-Lead Ops, Isreal attacked homes, schools, hospitals, and medical clinics.
Excuse me, but if one IS terrorizing others, how is that one not the terrorist? AS Hamas and the rest of Gaza have generally not been doing this to Isreal, how are they the terrorists? When will you people (commenters) ever wake up?
Wow.
Btw; might I suggest a caption for your drawing up there?
"Look who has Obama's ear."
(-this should scare all Americans!)
pursue policy of ABSOLUTE neutrality twixt players
I think it is time for Israel to understand that peace will never prevail if they dont give the Palestinians their right to live decently in a country, where both Jews and Arabs lived in complete harmony once upon a time. Now is the time for Natanyahu to stop dreaming of the Great Israel, because this will never happen, this country is for both Arabs and Jews.
I used to think that Peace Now was malicious towards Israel, but after reading this incredible piece of nonsense I figure that Peace Now is just inane.
You have no idea what is in the PLO and Hamas agreement and how it will relate to Israel, but you still fully support it and expect Israel to respond positively?
I am torn between seeing Peace Now as either recklessly irresponsible or simply a social club for misinformed fools.
H.R. 2346 [111th]: Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009
This is an excerpt from the text of the bill (status: Enrolled Bill). Jump to this paragraph in the full text. .
Sec. 1107. (a) None of the funds appropriated in this title may be made available for assistance to Hamas, or any entity effectively controlled by Hamas or any power-sharing government of which Hamas is a member.
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I just realized that in the APN drawing of Abbas and Obama in conversation shows a Mogen David on Abass' lapel...While unintended, it does make one
wonder if oneday some of the people of Holyland wear a 'dual flags' pin with theirs on the left [its right] and the other on the observer's right with staffs crossed. Perhaps this cud be a symbol of neighborhood peace?..a subtle sign of the wearer's hopes and resolve?..Aaron Allen...
I'm generally a supporter of Peace Now, I do not believe the Netanyahu's government was serious in its peace negotiations. HOWEVER, I also don't believe everything the poor Palestinians do is automatically desirable. That is were I differ with the writer. She does not know what will happen, she does not know how the old/new partnership between these Palestinian factious will work out. For me the litmus test will be whether Hamas continues to stick with the its charter that calls for the destruction of Israel.
If Mr. Haniya's lamentations on the death of Osama bin Laden is any indication, that is not about to happen.
Peace yes, naïveté no. This is not the time to charge ahead, its time to sit and wait.