Abbas pledges to seek peace with Israel

[Violet_Crumble]

Mahmoud Abbas, sworn in yesterday as the Palestinian president, pledged to seek a negotiated peace with Israel - less than 24 hours after Ariel Sharon's government decided to suspend all contacts with the Palestinian Authority he now heads.

Mr Abbas called for a "mutual ceasefire", and promised that the new Palestinian leadership was determined to fulfil its commitments under the internationally agreed "road map" to peace, which include "visible efforts" to halt militant violence. He said that he expected Israel to fulfil its obligations too.

The scale of the task confronting Mr Abbas was underlined by another day of bloodshed in Gaza in which seven Palestinians were killed. An Israeli woman was critically wounded last night by a Hamas Qassam rocket attack from Gaza on the border town of Sderot.

In his first speech as Yasser Arafat's successor, the new president did not refer directly to Mr Sharon's freeze on relations with the PA, ordered in response to the bomb and shooting attack that killed six Israelis on Thursday night at the Karni cargo crossing into Gaza. Israel claims that some Palestinian security personnel connived in the attacks, and says it will not resume contacts, which were to have included a meeting between Mr Sharon and Mr Abbas, until the President takes decisive steps to halt violence.

But in a reference to the Karni and other attacks by Gaza's militants, Mr Abbas, popularly known as Abu Mazen, declared: "We condemn these actions, whether by the Israeli occupation forces or the reactions of some Palestinian factions." He is to visit Gaza this week and resume efforts to persuade the armed factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to halt the attacks. "This does not help bring about the calm needed to enable a credible, serious peace process," he said.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=601362

[bemildred]

1. I'm starting to think that he will REALLY replace Arafat.

Meet the new scapegoat, same as the old scapegoat.
So, like, when do we move him into the "compound" at Ramallah?
We need to get him a Christian wife and send her to Paris and
put a lot of money in his name somewhere. And he's really got
to start wearing the thing on his head ...

[Matilda]

3. It's a strange thing ...

when Palestinians kill a few Israelis, all Palestinians are held
accountable. But when an Israeli kills a child, it's an unfortunate
accident, and no-one's to blame.

[QueerJustice]

2. ``Abbas pledges to seek peace with Israel``

he just has a funny way of demonstrating this pledge?

:crazy:

[King Mongo]

4. ending the occupation (struggle)

He is doing a fine job of demonstrating it by seeking an end to the unnecessary occupation.