Excerpts: Hamas murders purpose is undermine Palestinian Authority. Islamists in

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:23:59 EST

Excerpts: Hamas murders purpose is undermine Palestinian Authority.
Islamists in Jordan oppose peace talks, Mubarak seeks US support. British,
German support ME peace talks. Egypts spy chief as candidate for president.
Saudi justice for terrorists. Iran-Lebanon relations. internal Lebanese
clashes more dangerous than any external war. 3 September 2010

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 3 Sept '10:" 'Palestinian negotiators real target of
Hamas attacks'"
By Hossam Ezzedine,Agence France-Presse

SUBJECT:Hamas murders purpose is to undermine Palestinian Authority

FULL TEXT:RAMALLAH - The latest Hamas attacks in the West Bank killed
Israeli settlers, but their real target was Palestinian peace negotiators in
Washington, observers said on Thursday(2 Sept).
The attacks, which sought to undermine efforts by the Western-backed
Palestinian Authority to prove it can secure a future state, highlighted the
bitter inter-Palestinian rivalry and the threat it poses to new peace talks.
The two attacks in 24 hours, which killed four Israeli settlers and wounded
two others, cast doubt on a US-backed Palestinian security deployment that
had been hailed as one of the few encouraging signs ahead of the latest
round of direct negotiations, beginning in Washington on Thursday.
"Hamas was left out of the negotiations, so this is Hamas' way of saying we
exist and we are willing and able to wreck any negotiations that don't
involve us. It's a political statement," Palestinian analyst Daoud Kuttab
said.
Or, in the words of Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri: "The real representative
of the Palestinian people is the power of the resistance."
By targeting the settlers, Hamas was also able to focus attention on what
many Palestinians see as a congenital flaw in the latest round of talks, the
failure by President Mahmoud Abbas to secure a complete settlement freeze.
"They are saying settlements are the core of the problem," Kuttab said.
In two decades of on-again, off-again negotiations, Hamas and other radical
groups still wedded to armed struggle have frequently sought to play the
spoiler with deadly attacks designed to derail the peace process.
But many Palestinians found it telling that Hamas had chosen to fight Israel
in the occupied West Bank instead of firing rockets from its Gaza enclave.
"I support the resistance, but the occupation was here long before the
Palestinian negotiators went to Washington," said Mamun Al Auda, 40, a civil
servant in Ramallah.
"It's clear that the goal was to derail the negotiations, and not to oppose
the occupation."
Omar Abdelrazaq, a senior Hamas leader in the West Bank, denied that the
group was trying to derail the talks, insisting "the negotiations have
already failed."
"Hamas wanted to say to the occupation that we are still here," he said.
Others warned that the attacks could worsen the factional divide that, since
the bloody 2007 Hamas takeover of Gaza, has split the Palestinians into
hostile rival camps.
Hamas wants "to destroy the direct negotiations and it is prepared to
further polarise Palestinians, between those who are with the negotiations
and those who are against them", Palestinian analyst Abdelmajid Suallem
said.
The attacks have heightened internal tensions, with Hamas accusing
Palestinian security forces in the West Bank of detaining scores of its
members in the largest wave of arrests in years.
The Palestinian Authority has denied arresting anyone in connection with the
two attacks, but says it has summoned an unspecified number of Hamas
supporters for "routine" security questioning.
Security has vastly improved in several once-restive towns in the West Bank
following the deployment of thousands of US-trained Palestinian forces over
the past three years.
Before the most recent violence, Hamas had not claimed an attack from the
territory since February 2008, when it dispatched two suicide bombers from
the southern West Bank city of Hebron to the Israeli town of Dimona.
The improved security has been hailed by Israeli and US leaders as one of
the most encouraging signs that the talks to be launched on Thursday might
achieve a historic breakthrough that has eluded past negotiations.
"Those opposed to the launch of the direct negotiations were able to use
these methods before, after they felt there had been progress," said Samir
Awad, a professor at the West Bank's Birzeit University.
That may have made the West Bank an appealing target for attacks, even
though the two shootings took place in areas under complete Israeli control
where Palestinian forces are not allowed to operate.
A retired Palestinian security officer who asked not to be named pointed out
that such attacks took place even before the creation of the Palestinian
Authority in the early 1990s, when the Israeli military was in full control.
"I think the Palestinian Authority is exerting every security effort, 100
per cent, but there will surely not be a 100 per cent result, and this is
true for any country," he said.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 3 Sept.'10:Islamists, professional associations
decry
peace talks"
By Mohammad Ben Hussein

SUBJECT: Islamists in Jordan oppose peace talks

FULL TEXT:AMMAN - Activists on Thursday(2 Sept) demonstrated near the
headquarters of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) to protest against the
resumption of direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Protesters held banners condemning Israeli policies in the Palestinian
territories and criticised Palestinian leadership for "succumbing to
pressure" and accepting to sit at the negotiating table with Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamzah Mansour, secretary general of the IAF, the political wing of the
Muslim Brotherhood, called on the Palestinians to resort to "resistance to
achieve their rights".
He accused the Palestinian Authority of "squandering the rights of
Palestinians during the talks", which kicked off in Washington on Thursday(2
Sept.).
"Talks are being held without terms of reference or a balance of power,
which means it will be in favour of Israel," Mansour said in a speech in
front of dozens of activists from the Islamist movement and professional
associations.
Mansour charged that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is not a legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people because "his term as a president
has expired and the Palestinians do not approve him as a leader".
"Negotiations in the past two decades showed that Israel was the only
beneficiary as it was able to expand settlements and enhance its grip on the
Palestinian territories by changing facts on the ground. These talks would
only serve the interest of Israel," he added.
Mansour called on the Arab League to withdraw the Arab Peace Initiative,
which calls for recognition of Israel in return for the establishment of a
Palestinian state built on 1967 borders, on grounds that "Israel does not
want peace."
He also called on the government to implement badly needed political reform
to confront what he described as the "Israel project in Jordan", in
reference to the so-called Jordan option.

+++SOURCE: Almasryaloum via Egypt Daily News 3 Sept'10:"Carnegie Endowment:
Mubarak seeks US support for the presidency ",Basant Zain-eddine

SUBJECT: Carnegie Endowment on Egypt: Mubarak seeks US support

QUOTE:"Middle East peace process was no less important than what is
happening in Egypt"

FULL TEXT:By participating in direct peace talks between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority (PA) slated to begin Thursday, President Hosni Mubarak
is seeking the continuation of US support for his presidency--or for the
succession of his son Gamal to the top post--according to a group of US
political experts at a conference devoted to Egypt's political future held
recently by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The experts, who included Carnegie Endowment professors as well as experts
from other international organizations, described independent Egyptian
presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei as "a credible opposition leader
whose agenda is not associated with foreign policy." They also described
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood opposition group as being "more capable than any
other opposition movement to mobilize the public."
During the discussion, experts also discussed Egypt's longstanding Emergency
Law and the sincerity--or lack thereof--of the United States' commitment to
promote democracy in Egypt.
Robert Kagan, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, said the Middle
East peace process was no less important than what was happening in Egypt,
particularly in light of the US influence on the "transitional period" Egypt
was currently passing through.
"There is no doubt the US will have a significant influence on the region
during this period," said Kagan.
He went on to say that everyone was waiting to see the US reaction to the
prospect of a Gamal Mubarak presidency, and whether Washington would allow
such a development to take place given the absence of free and fair Egyptian
elections.
"Everyone in Egypt and surrounding regions will see this as the US giving
its blessing to this latest chapter in Egypt's long history of
dictatorship," he said. "We must therefore be cautious when dealing with
these current events."
He went on to say that the elder Mubarak's participation in upcoming peace
talks between Israel and the PA gave him "significant influence" in the
region.
Kagan said Mubarak was essentially telling everyone, "If you want a peace
process, or strategic stability in the Middle East, then you have to support
me."
He also pointed out that the US "needed" Mubarak on certain issues, noting
that the Egyptian president had been "useful" to the US in regards to the
peace process and regional stability.
Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch and
expert in US foreign policy, said "significant changes" had taken place in
Egypt within the past five years, most importantly, the appearance of a
credible opposition leader such as ElBaradei.
Michele Dunne, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, said the
upcoming parliamentary elections would represent the "true test" for the
Obama administration vis-?-vis its stated commitment to promote Egyptian
political reform.

+++SOURCE: Egyptian Gazette 3 Sept.'10:"British, German support ME peace
talks"

SUBJECT: British,German support ME peace talks

FULL TEXT:LONDON - Middle East peace negotiators face a historic chance to
bring peace to their region, the foreign ministers of Britain and Germany
said Thursday during a joint press conference following a meeting in London.

"We appeal to all parties involved to create circumstances that would
allow the success of these peace talks," said German Foreign Minister Guido
Westerwelle.

He noted that the talks were "a chance," but noted that the start of talks
was "nothing more than that."
British Foreign Minister William Hague said his government would do
everything it could to support the talks.
"We look to Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and (Palestinian)
President (Mahmoud) Abbas to show the perseverance, commitment and courage
needed to achieve a sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian state
living in peace and security alongside a safe and secure Israel and their
other neighbours in the region," he said.

+++SOURCE: Egyptian Gazette 3 Sept '10:"Group promotes Egypt's spy chief for
president",Associated Press

SUBJECT: Egypt's spy chief as candidate for president

FULL TEXT:CAIRO - A group of activists have hung up posters around Egypt's
capital supporting the country's intelligence chief as a possible candidate
in next year's presidential elections.

Omar Suleiman the country's intelligence chief

Launched Thursday(2 Sept.), the campaign for Omar Suleiman is the latest
stab against an alleged father-son succession in which President Hosni
Mubarak, Egypt's leader of nearly 30 years, passes power to his son,
banker-turned-politician Gamal.
Mubarak, 82, and his son deny such a plan exists, but Gamal Mubarak's
political influence has been growing since 2000.
Opposition has been vocal against such a succession, floating names of
alternative candidates like Suleiman and former UN nuclear agency chief
Mohammed ElBaradei.
The posters call Suleiman a "real alternative."

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 3 Sept '10:":3-judge panel formed to try terror
suspects",By Adnan Shabrawi

SUBJECT: Saudi justice for terrorists
FULL TEXT:JEDDAH - A panel of three senior judges has been formed for the
much-awaited trial of terrorists arrested for taking part in a series of
terror operations across the country.
The trials are expected to take place after the Eid break in mid-September
in Riyadh and Jeddah, judicial sources said.
The panel includes two senior judges from Jeddah courts and one from Riyadh
courts, supported by an additional group of judges, and a 15-member
administrative team.
The panel will start the trials in Jeddah and then move to Riyadh after four
months for further trials. In addition to the three senior judges, three
judges will help kick off the trials in Jeddah. The number of judges
involved in the trials is expected to increase to 12 by the end of 2010.
A team of the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) are preparing
the list of charges against the detained persons on terrorism cases.
One judge will be tasked to look into individual cases for which capital
punishment is not being asked for by the General Prosecutor.
Cases of suspects connected to terror networks or have the death sentence
demanded by the General Prosecutor will be looked into by three judges.
Suspects will have the right to legal representation before the court.
The panel is now reviewing the files and list of charges already prepared by
the BIP.
The trials will be public unless the judge or the plaintiff believes
otherwise, according to item 64 of the Saudi Judicial Defense Procedures. -

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 3 Sept.'10:"Iranian Ambassador after meeting
Hariri: Ahmadinejad in Beirut during October"
SUBJECT: relations

QUOTE:[Iran ambassador to Lebanon]:'the only enemy in this world, the
Israeli enemy' "

FULL TEXT:Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi said Thursday(2
Sept) that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Lebanon during
October.
Roknabadi's remarks came following a meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri
at the Grand Serail. Also present was Hariri advisor Mohammed Shatah.
The Iranian ambassador said that conveyed to Hariri regards from
Ahmadinejad's and Vice President Mohammad Rida Rahimi and recognition of his
efforts to enhance the commercial, economic, scientific and cultural
relations between the two countries.
"We spoke, in this context, about preparing documents in the economic,
commercial and other fields," Roknabadi told reporters.
"We also spoke about the latest developments on the Lebanese and regional
scenes, and stressed on the Iranian position which supports a stable,
secured, united and coherent Lebanon against the only enemy in this world,
the Israeli enemy," he added.
When asked if the date of Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon has been set,
Roknabadi said: "The date has not yet been set. The visit, however, will
take place during the coming month of October."

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 2 Sept.'10:"Jumblat: Borj Abi Haidar More
Dangerous than Any External War"
SUBJECT: Jumblat: internal Lebanese clashes 'more dangerous than any
external war'
QUOTE: " You [Lebanon, Saudi,Syria) leaders) are not the ones who come
up with solutions' "

FULL TEXT:Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said the slogan
of
arms-free Beirut was meaningless and warned that the Borj Abi Haidar clashes
were more dangerous than any external war.
In remarks to As Safir newspaper on Thursday(2 Sept)., Jumblat said the
deadly street
battles between Hizbullah and al-Ahbash gunmen last week came in reaction to
the tripartite summit held at Baabda between President Michel Suleiman,
Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
"As if there is someone who wants to tell the leaders: You are not the ones
who come up with solutions," the Druze leader said.
Warning that Lebanon was threatened by chaos, he said the Americans want to
fight Iran on Lebanese territories. "There are other countries who want to
fight Syria in Lebanon."
While admitting that Damascus and Riyadh could play a positive role in
creating stability in Lebanon, Jumblat said that Premier Saad Hariri,
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri "can (also)
do a lot."
About the slogan launched by pro-March 14 politicians to make the capital
arms free, the PSP leader said he found it meaningless and unenforceable.
/> Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA

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Excerpts: Hamas murders purpose is undermine Palestinian Authority. Islamists in