Chaos in Israel/Palestine

Published by You on 5 January, 2006 - 00:09

Salaam.

1. Sharon has had a 'significant' [url= which has led to massive bleeding in the brain - possibly life threatening.

2. In Gaza the Palestinians do not seem to be doing themseles any favours whatsoever. They have [url= the border, The Alqasa martyrs brigade have fired bullets, and their leader is accused of asterminding the kidnapping of the three britons.

The chaos continue. On both sides.

Is Sharon irrelevant? Are the Palestinians destroying any hope of a Paestinian future?

Submitted by *DUST* on 5 January, 2006 - 15:21

[b]Gaza's spiral into anarchy [/b]
By Alan Johnston
BBC correspondent, Gaza

Sudden protests have sprung up regularly in Gaza
Campaigning is under way in the first Palestinian parliamentary election for 10 years. But the talk in Gaza is not so much of issues and policies and the prospects for parties.

—

[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=, X-Men[/url]

Submitted by Omrow on 5 January, 2006 - 19:39

[b]Iran's President Ahmadinajad hopes for Sharon's death[/b]

5 Jan 2006

TEHRAN - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying he was hoping for the death of Sharon.

He told a group of Shia muslim clerics in Iran's holy city Qom: "Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Shatila has joined his ancestors is final."

Submitted by Medarris on 5 January, 2006 - 21:14

[b]DELETED.[/b]

—

Ya ALLAH Madad.
Haq Chaar Yaar

Submitted by You on 5 January, 2006 - 21:32

So you two have something you agree on? :twisted:

I would not 'want him dead'. He is irrelevant. One criminal wil be replaced with another.

The system needs to be turned on its head.

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by Omrow on 10 January, 2006 - 00:44

[b]Gaza's spiral into anarchy [/b]

Sudden protests have sprung up regularly in Gaza

" Everyone now suspects that this is planned chaos... planned to disrupt the elections " Dr Eyad El Surraj, Independent parliamentary candidate

Campaigning is under way in the first Palestinian parliamentary election for 10 years. But the talk in Gaza is not so much of issues and policies and the prospects for parties.
The focus is more on chronic law and order problems and whether the polls will be held at all.
Foreigners have been kidnapped. And every day there are angry anti-government protests. Public buildings are stormed as armed demonstrators demand jobs, or sometimes the release of prisoners.
There have been attacks on police stations, clan feuds and clashes between militia groups.
All this has to be kept in context. Much of the upheaval has been confined to the south, and to the town of Rafah in particular - and much of the turmoil has about it an element of show.
There have been few casualties, and very little serious, sustained violence. Protesting gunmen who occupy government buildings often leave as soon as they have made their point.
But the disturbances are more frequent now, and they are generating a sense of insecurity that deeply disturbs people here.
The chaos has its roots in many problems.
This society has been radicalised and traumatised by its confrontation with the Israelis, who occupied Gaza decades ago and only evacuated their settlers and troops last summer.
Thousands of Palestinians have been killed, injured or lost their homes during years of violence.
There are numerous armed factions that used to channel their violent energies into attacks on the Israelis - but they now have little on which to focus.
In this broken, crowded, poverty-stricken place there is an intense struggle for resources that can lead to lawlessness. A number of the kidnappings have been carried out by militia groups demanding jobs in the formal security agencies.

Power tangle

The best of governments would struggle to run Gaza. And the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, does not have the best of governments.
His ruling Fatah party is riven by infighting. It is a mess of competing power centres. And inevitably Fatah's lack of cohesion and centralised control is reflected in the working of the government it runs - the Palestinian Authority (PA).
"There is a disintegration in our situation here," says the independent election candidate, Dr Eyad El Surraj.
"There is a disintegration of the Palestinian Authority and its forces, which is a symptom of the disintegration of Fatah itself. There is no decision-making process. There is no leadership."
Nowhere are the PA's failings more painfully apparent than in the security field.
It is true that the numerous different security forces have been battered by Israeli assaults over the years.
But the various forces have also suffered from a lack of coordination and solid command. Rivalries between different units can be intense. In an incident last year one force ambushed another, and there was a shoot-out in Gaza City's main street.
Clans and militia groups are often ready to confront the police and military, and often the agencies of law and order back off and fail to make arrests.
Part of the problem is the degree to which the security forces and the armed groups that they ought to be controlling actually merge into one another.
International experts studying the security sector last year concluded: "Clan and family affiliations remain strong and challenge official loyalties. Affiliations with militia factions also obscure loyalties and give rise to divisions.
"Many troops and officers belong simultaneously to the armed forces and the militias originating from Fatah."

Deliberate lawlessness?

And those links create suspicions that the current upsurge in unrest has political overtones.
Fatah's main opponent, the Hamas organisation, suspects that elements in the political establishment are deliberately creating tension ahead of the election.
Fatah is facing its first parliamentary electoral challenge from Hamas in the current campaign. And Hamas clearly believes that some in Fatah fear they will lose out badly and are looking for an excuse to call off the election.
Dr El Surraj shares Hamas's suspicions.
"Some of the Fatah central command believe that they are losing their chance to stay in power and they don't want to relinquish that power to other parties - and this is particularly evident when you see all these signs of chaos.
"Everyone now suspects that this is planned chaos," said Dr El Surraj. "This is planned violation of the rule of law - planned to disrupt the elections."
Fatah, however, insists that it is in fact determined to enforce the law. In his New Year address, Mr Abbas again talked of the need to impose order in Gaza as a priority.
And the Fatah candidate, and the PA's chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has said that people understand that his party called the election as way to restore the rule of law.
But there is now a growing appreciation of the depth of the malaise in Palestinian society
Hafiz Barghouti, the editor of the newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadeed, has written: "It appears we are neither prepared to change, nor admit that we have failed in running our own affairs. Everyone is busy calculating how to make the biggest possible gains at the homeland's expense.
"While most Palestinians find it easy to blame the occupation for all our ills, it is a fact that the occupation was not as bad as the lawlessness and corruption that we are now facing."

[b]Gaza militants condemn disorder [/b]

The main Palestinian militant groups in Gaza have issued a joint statement calling on the government to end lawlessness in Palestinian territory.
The statement condemned the recent abductions of foreigners and attacks on government buildings in the area.
On Wednesday, two Egyptian soldiers were killed after militants bulldozed through Gaza's border fence with Egypt.
They were demanding the release of a militant arrested for kidnapping three British citizens last week.
British aid worker Kate Burton, her father Hugh, and her mother Helen, were abducted near the Rafah border crossing on 28 December.
They were released unharmed on 30 December.

Chaos

Masked gunmen read out the statement at a press conference in Rafah.
It was signed by the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Abu al-Rish Brigades; the Fatah Hawks; the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing; the al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad's armed wing; and the al-Nasir Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees.
"We condemn the death of the two Egyptian border guards and the kidnapping of the foreigners by people who are breaking the national consensus," the statement said.
The groups pledged to establish "a communal force to ensure the security of the motherland and its citizens if the Palestinian Authority does not fulfil its duties."
They also said anyone attacking Palestinian institutions and the border crossing at Rafah in the future would be treated as a suspect and an agent.
Correspondents say the militants appear to be acknowledging growing Palestinian and international pressure to halt the chaos in the Gaza Strip.
The announcement also comes amid concern over the security situation before parliamentary elections due to be held 25 January.

[b]Intifada toll Sept 2000 - Sept 2005 [/b]

The five years of the Palestinian intifada have cost more than 4,000 lives. Btselem, an Israeli human rights group, has been tracking casualty figures on both sides.
Most of the statistics cover the period from 29 September 2000 to 15 September 2005.

PALESTINIANS KILLED BY ISRAELIS

There are no figures to show the proportion of Palestinians who were combatants and those who were civilians.

3,218 killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and Gaza including 657 aged under 18, 187 killed in extrajudicial executions and 296, including at least 29 aged under 18, killed in the course of assassination operations.

56 killed by security forces in Israel
including one aged under 18

41 killed by Israeli citizens in the West Bank and Gaza
including at least three aged under 18

ISRAELIS KILLED BY PALESTINIANS

444 civilians killed in Israel
including 80 aged under 18

223 civilians killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
including 37 aged under 18

221 Israeli security forces killed in West Bank and Gaza

84 Israeli security forces killed in Israel

PALESTINIANS KILLED BY PALESTINIANS

112 killed by Palestinian civilians on suspicion of collaborating
50 killed by Palestinians in other circumstances

FOREIGN CITIZENS

Foreign citizens killed

32 foreign citizens, including at least two aged under 18, were killed by Palestinians in Israel
10 foreign citizens were killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and Gaza
15 foreign citizens were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
Killings by foreign citizens

3 Israeli civilians were killed by foreign citizens (for September 2000 to September 2004)

PALESTINIAN CITIZENS OF ISRAEL (for September 2000 to September 2004)

Palestinian citizens of Israel killed:

13 Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed in Israel by the Israeli police and border police.
4 Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
Killings by Palestinian citizens of Israel
(for September 2000 to September 2004)

3 Israeli citizens were killed in Israel by Palestinian citizens of Israel
1 member of the Israeli security forces was killed in Israel by a Palestinian citizen of Israel
* The above figures do not include:

Palestinians who died after medical treatment was delayed due to restrictions of movement

Palestinians killed by an explosive device that they set or was on their person

12 Palestinian citizens of Israel killed within Israel by the Israeli police in October 2000

One Jewish Israeli citizen killed within Israel by a Palestinian Israeli citizen in October 2000

Two Jewish Israeli citizens and one member of the Israeli security forces, killed by a Palestinian citizen of Israel in Nahariya in September 2001

Four Palestinian citizens of Israel killed by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) gunfire in the West Bank and Gaza

One Palestinian citizen of Israel killed by Border Police gunfire within Israel in July 2003

Five Palestinian citizens of Israel killed by an absconded IDF soldier on a bus in Shfaram, within Israel, in August 2005 and the shooting soldier, beaten to death by Palestinian citizens of Israel

ECONOMIC COSTS

The World Bank reported in 2004 that after almost four years of conflict and Israeli restrictions on movement that disrupt business activity, average Palestinian incomes had dropped by more than one third, and a quarter of the workforce was unemployed.

Nearly one-half of all Palestinians live below the poverty line. More than 600,000 people (16% of the population) cannot afford even the basic necessities for subsistence.

[b]Palestinian campaigners stopped [/b]

Israel says Palestinian political activity in east Jerusalem is illegal

Two Palestinian politicians have been stopped from canvassing in east Jerusalem by Israeli police, at the start of the Palestinian poll campaign.
The candidates were told no Palestinian political activity was allowed in the area, under Israeli law.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says he will postpone the vote planned for 25 January if Israel refuses to allow Palestinians in the area to take part.

His ruling Fatah party launched its campaign at Yasser Arafat's grave.

Rival Islamic militant group Hamas is making a strong challenge in the first general election in 10 years.

Correspondents say the election is seen as a major test for Fatah, which is regarded as corrupt and ineffective by large numbers of Palestinians.

Hamas warning

Israeli police stopped Hanan Ashrawi, from the Third Way party, and Mustafa Barghouti, standing as an independent, from canvassing on the first day of campaigning.

Ms Ashrawi told the BBC she was carrying election posters when officers arrived and told her it was illegal for her to campaign in the area.

She was allowed to leave but one of her assistants was detained.

A spokesman for the Jerusalem police said Israeli law stated no Palestinian political activity was allowed in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967.

But it is still unclear if Israel will carry out its threat to ban Palestinians from voting in east Jerusalem in protest at the participation of candidates from Hamas.

Mr Abbas said all Palestinian factions agreed there could be no election if such a ban goes ahead, but Hamas rejects delaying the poll.

"We have told them [Fatah] that postponing the election will lead to a vacuum and to a dark future," leading Hamas candidate Ismail Haniya told a rally in Gaza City.

Campaigns begin

Fatah has governed the Palestinians since the first and only parliamentary elections in 1996.

The party opened its election campaign at the late Palestinian leader's tomb in Ramallah in the West Bank.

With Mr Abbas on a tour of the Gulf states, Fatah campaign manager Nabil Shaath delivered the keynote speech to supporters and candidates.

"We will fight to finish the occupation and the wall [Israel's West Bank barrier] and the settlements and establish a Palestinian state in a peaceful resolution to the situation in our region," he said.

Fatah also had a "programme to stop the corruption and establish the new foundations for a Palestinian state", he added.

Hamas launched its campaign in Gaza City outside the home of its former leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel nearly two years ago.

Polls suggest Hamas could win up to a third of the vote.

[url= Reports[/url]

Submitted by You on 10 January, 2006 - 03:05

Quote:
[size=18]The whitewashing of Ariel Sharon[/size]

THE 'MAN OF COURAGE AND PEACE' STORY IGNORES HIS BLOODY AND RUTHLESS PAST

AS ARIEL SHARON'S career comes to an end, the whitewashing is already underway. Literally overnight he was being hailed as "a man of courage and peace" who had generated "hopes for a far-reaching accord" with an electoral campaign promising "to end conflict with the Palestinians."

But even if end-of-career assessments often stretch the truth, and even if far too many people fall for the old saw about the gruff old warrior miraculously turning into a man of peace, the reality is that miracles don't happen, and only rarely have words and realities been separated by such a yawning abyss.

From the beginning to the end of his career, Sharon was a man of ruthless and often gratuitous violence. The waypoints of his career are all drenched in blood, from the massacre he directed at the village of Qibya in 1953, in which his men destroyed whole houses with their occupants -- men, women and children -- still inside, to the ruinous invasion of Lebanon in 1982, in which his army laid siege to Beirut, cut off water, electricity and food supplies and subjected the city's hapless residents to weeks of indiscriminate bombardment by land, sea and air.

As a purely gratuitous bonus, Sharon and his army later facilitated the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila, and in all about 20,000 people -- almost all innocent civilians -- were killed during his Lebanon adventure.

Sharon's approach to peacemaking in recent years wasn't very different from his approach to war. Extrajudicial assassinations, mass home demolitions, the construction of hideous barriers and walls, population transfers and illegal annexations -- these were his stock in trade as "a man of courage and peace."

Some may take comfort in the myth that Sharon was transformed into a peacemaker, but in fact he never deviated from his own 1998 call to "run and grab as many hilltops" in the occupied territories as possible. His plan for peace with the Palestinians involved grabbing large portions of the West Bank, ultimately annexing them to Israel, and turning over the shattered, encircled, isolated, disconnected and barren fragments of territory left behind to what only a fool would call a Palestinian state.

Sharon's "painful sacrifices" for peace may have involved Israel keeping less, rather than more, of the territory that it captured violently and has clung to illegally for four decades, but few seem to have noticed that it's not really a sacrifice to return something that wasn't yours to begin with.

His much-ballyhooed withdrawal from Gaza left 1.4 million Palestinians in what is essentially the world's largest prison, cut off from the rest of the world and as subject to Israeli power as before. It also terminated the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict by condemning Palestinians to whiling away their lives in a series of disconnected Bantustans, ghettos, reservations and strategic hamlets, entirely at the mercy of Israel.

That's not peace. As Crazy Horse or Sitting Bull would have recognized at a glance, it's an attempt to pacify an entire people by bludgeoning them into a subhuman irrelevance. Nothing short of actual genocide -- for which Sharon's formula was merely a kind of substitute -- would persuade the Palestinian people to quietly accept such an arrangement, or negate themselves in some other way. And no matter which Israeli politician now assumes Sharon's bloody mantle, such an approach to peace will always fail.

[i]Saree Makdisi is a professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA. This article was first published on January 7, 2006 in the Los Angeles Times and is reprinted with the author's permission.[/i]

[url= Intifada[/url]

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by malik on 11 January, 2006 - 17:36

I pray murderer sharon dies plus all his supporters go to hell.

—

Ayatollah rightly named America as "Great Satan".

Submitted by You on 12 January, 2006 - 00:45

"malik" wrote:
I pray murderer sharon dies plus all his supporters go to hell.

Its not our job to condemn people to hell. I pray they learn the error of their ways.

After all going to hell in the afterlife will NOT improve the situation as it is now.

And why do you want Sharon dead? will his successor be any better? I doubt it. Probably worse.

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by Beast on 13 January, 2006 - 12:58

[b][size=16]Hamas drops call for the end of Israel as poll nears[/size][/b]

Hamas has dropped its long-standing call for Israel to be replaced by an Islamic state in its manifesto for this month's Palestinian elections.

The document, one of the rare occasions when Hamas has declared its policies in writing, does not repeat a tenet of its founding charter that all land west of the Jordan river should be part of an Islamic Palestinian state.

The wording suggests that Hamas is committed to watering down some of the policies that led to it being proscribed by Israel, America and the European Union as a terrorist organisation.

But the manifesto has not been totally cleansed of controversial language. It supports an armed struggle to regain Palestinian land, a struggle that involved numerous Hamas suicide bombs.

The manifesto appears to commit Hamas to a position that has been hinted at by its leadership over the past few years, namely an armed struggle to regain land lost in the 1967 Six Day War to form a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The group's founding charter remains unchanged, predicting that Israel will suffer the same fate as the Crusader kingdoms in the Holy Land in the Middle Ages.

The manifesto forms part of a delicate process whereby Hamas has begun to move in from the extremes of Palestinian politics.

Despite this, Israel's acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told President George W Bush that there could be no progress on peace in the Middle East if Hamas entered a Palestinian government.

Polling suggests that the group, a Palestinian version of the Muslim Brotherhood created in Egypt in the 1920s, could pose a serious challenge to the ruling Fatah party, founded by Yasser Arafat.

[url=

Submitted by *DUST* on 15 January, 2006 - 17:33


Quote:
[b]Israel allows vote in Jerusalem [/b]

The Israeli cabinet has ruled that Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem can vote in Palestinian elections on 25 January.
Israel had threatened to ban voting there, and is still refusing to allow militant group Hamas to take part.

Hamas said it would find other ways of campaigning and joining the ballot.

:roll: :evil:

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[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=, X-Men[/url]

Submitted by You on 15 January, 2006 - 17:35

Hamas is expected to win the elections, and be a major part of the new Palestinian Authority.

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by *DUST* on 15 January, 2006 - 17:37

"Admin" wrote:
Hamas is expected to win the elections, and be a major part of the new Palestinian Authority.

i know, which is y Israel wants to ban them. :roll:
—

[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=, X-Men[/url]

Submitted by You on 15 January, 2006 - 17:40

"*DUST*" wrote:
"Admin" wrote:
Hamas is expected to win the elections, and be a major part of the new Palestinian Authority.

i know, which is y Israel wants to ban them. :roll:

Dempocracy has a secret clause that the major powers must agree with the selection of the leadership by the people for it to be considered legitimate...

:evil:

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by *DUST* on 15 January, 2006 - 17:45

"Admin" wrote:
"*DUST*" wrote:
"Admin" wrote:
Hamas is expected to win the elections, and be a major part of the new Palestinian Authority.

i know, which is y Israel wants to ban them. :roll:

Dempocracy has a secret clause that the major powers must agree with the selection of the leadership by the people for it to be considered legitimate...

:evil:


exactly. :evil: [size=9](my first thought was 'who the HELL do they think they are...')[/size] :evil:
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[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=, X-Men[/url]

Submitted by Beast on 15 January, 2006 - 17:50

Israel needs a pretext to stop any more negotiating and to maintain the status quo.

Not recognising a Hamas-led Palestinian gov is that pretext.

Submitted by Omrow on 22 January, 2006 - 12:18

Denmark allows funding of Palestinan Militants:

[b]Danish T-shirts 'to fund rebels' [/b]

BBC Friday, 20 January 2006

The firm says Palestinian Leila Khaled was among its inspirations

A Danish fashion firm is to sell T-shirts inspired by rebel fighters, with proceeds to go to militant groups.

The T-shirts have as logos the initials of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The firm, Fighters and Lovers, says it will donate 5 euros (£3) for each T-shirt it sells.

The Colombian government has protested to the Danish authorities over the sale of the T-shirts.

"Financing terrorist groups is unacceptable and goes against all the international norms," Colombian Foreign Minister Carolina Barco told private Caracol Radio on Friday.

"Yesterday our ambassador contacted the Danish government, we sent a protest note and have demanded an explanation."

The designers say Palestianian militant Leila Khaled and Colombian rebel leader Jacobo Arenas were among their inspirations.

Money from the sale of the T-shirts will help finance Farc radio stations in Colombia and a graphics studio in the Palestinian territories.

'Legal problems'

The firm's website warns that purchasers "might experience legal problems because of US or EU 'anti-terrorist' legislation, outlawing financial support to organisations labelled as 'terrorists', including the PFLP and the Farc".

Under Danish legislation introduced in 2002, anyone found guilty of directly or indirectly financing terrorist groups can be jailed for up to 10 years.

Fighters and Lovers spokesman Bobby Schultz told AFP news agency he was unconcerned.

"We are absolutely not worried about being dragged to court and sentenced. It's our customers who decide to buy our T-shirts and support these groups," he said.

"And we have the right to fight for something, for justice or the right to education, which Farc and the PLFP are fighting for."

Drug trade

The Farc has been involved in a 40-year conflict with Colombian state forces and right-wing paramilitary groups, in which tens of thousands of civilians have died.

It has increasingly turned to the illegal drug trade to raise funds.
The PFLP, which combines Arab nationalism with Marxist-Leninist ideology, has carried out suicide attacks inside Israel and against Jewish settlements.

It sees the destruction of Israel as integral to its struggle to remove Western influence from the Middle East.

[b]Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine[/b]

Founded by George Habash after the occupation of the West Bank by Israel in 1967, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was formed as a resistance movement.

Combining Arab nationalism with Marxist Leninist ideology, the PFLP sees the destruction of Israel as integral to its struggle to remove Western influence from the Middle East.

It is believed to have about 800 members and operates in Lebanon, Israel, the Occupied Territories and Syria, where the PFLP has its headquarters.

During the 1970s the group fostered links with militant groups across the world, including the German Baader Meinhof organisation and Japan's Red Army.

Working with other groups, the PFLP pioneered aircraft hijackings as a high profile means of drawing attention to their movement, most notably the capture of an Air France plane en route from Paris to Athens in 1976.

The plane was flown to Entebbe in Uganda, where after a standoff, Israel launched a dramatic commando raid to rescue nearly 100 hostages.

During the 1970s, the PFLP was the second largest faction in the PLO, but pursued a markedly different strategy to Yasser Arafat's dominant Fatah organisation.

While Fatah attempted to build support for the Palestinian cause from Arab countries, the PFLP became disillusioned with what it saw as inertia among Middle Eastern leaders. Instead the PFLP enlisted backing from Russia and China.

After 1978 the group switched the focus of its operations to attacks on Israeli and moderate Arab targets.

Decline

But the decline and collapse of the Soviet Union during the late 1980s undermined the PFLP, and the group lost ground to the radical Islamic Hamas movement.

Attempting to bolster its position after the supposed 1993 PLO-Israeli peace accord the PFLP added its weight to a disparate group of Palestinian organisations opposed to the deal.

It boycotted Palestinian elections in 1996, but three years later, the PFLP accepted the formation of the Palestine Authority and sought to join Yasser Arafat's administration.

The succession of Abu Ali Mustafa, who replaced an ailing George Habash in 2000, was seen by many in Israel as heralding a return to the group's radical policies of 1960s, 70s and 80s.

And Mustafa's assassination by Israeli forces in August is a sign, say some analysts, of how Israel sees the PFLP as a continuing force.

[b]PFLP [/b]

1967: Founded in the West Bank
1968: Hijacks Israeli plane in first major operation
1972: Involved in Tel Aviv airport massacre
1976: Participates in Air France hijacking
1978: Targets Israel and moderate Arabs
1993: Opposes Oslo peace accord

[url= September[/url]

[url= Transcript[/url]

[url= are PFLP[/url]

Submitted by You on 25 January, 2006 - 01:47

Quote:
[size=18]Hamas Reiterates Stand on "No Taboo" Israel Talks[/size]

GAZA CITY, January 23, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has reiterated that it was ready to hold “indirect” talks with Israel through a third party after the parliamentary elections slated for Wednesday, January 25.

"Negotiations are a means. If Israel has anything to offer on the issues of halting attacks, withdrawal, releasing prisoners ... then 1,000 means can be found," Reuters quoted senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar as telling reporters Monday, January 23.

As an example, he cited contacts the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah held with Israel, via German mediators, for the release of Lebanese held in Israeli jails.

"Negotiation is not a taboo," Zahar said. "But the political crime is when we sit with the Israelis and then come out with a wide smile to tell the Palestinian people that there is progress, when in fact, there is not."

Zahar, however, stressed that "our entry into the political arena in no way signifies that we are renouncing our right to resistance.

Palestinians vote in a parliamentary election Wednesday in which Hamas is running for the first time.

The group, popular among the Palestinians for its anti-corruption stand and extensive charity work, is expected to make a strong showing.

Its strong performance in polls in the lead-up to Wednesday's vote has raised the prospect of entering government.

Most opinion polls show Hamas trailing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, but the margin had narrowed to a few percentage points.

The main resistance groups have, meanwhile, announced that they agreed to maintain calm and stop fighters carrying weapons during the election.

The seven groups, including the armed wing of Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said they were ready to support the entire process until the results were declared.

[b]“Unafraid”[/b]

On the Israeli side, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will declare in a keynote speech Tuesday, January 24, that Israel is unafraid of the prospect of Hamas taking power in this week's Palestinian election.

"I am not afraid of the results of the election in the Palestinian Authority and I hope that, whatever the result, it will move Israel forward towards a settlement with the Palestinians," Israeli Maariv newspaper quoted Olmert as planning to say.

The speech, to be made at a security conference north of Tel Aviv, will be Olmert's first public policy address ahead of Israel's general election in March since he became acting premier following the collapse of Ariel Sharon, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He intends to declare that while Israel would prefer a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians, he cannot rule out the possibility of further unilateral withdrawals from Palestinian territory.

Israeli Labour party leader Amir Peretz vowed Monday to never negotiate with Hamas unless it revokes a call for Israel's destruction.

"On the one hand, we will never, under any circumstances, conduct negotiations with an organization which declares its intention to destroy the State of Israel, but on the other hand, we will never agree to a political deadlock," Peretz said in a live broadcast.

“Should Hamas rise to power and refuse to renounce its call for Israel's destruction, a Labour government would look for complete separation from the Palestinians.”

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a news conference Monday it would be difficult for the West to negotiate with or talk to Hamas "unless there's a very clear renunciation of terrorism".

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's external relations commissioner, said in Brussels the EU would not rule out working with a Palestinian government that included Hamas, provided it sought "peace by peaceful means" with Israel.

Well-placed sources told Israeli Ha'aretz newspaper Monday that the US and EU had promised Israel not to recognize any future Palestinian government that would include Hamas.

Hamas has already omitted from its election manifesto its long-standing call to destroy Israel, adapting to the rules of the political game.

In June of last year, an EU diplomat told AFP that the euro bloc had been in contacts with Hamas.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the meetings between Hamas and EU diplomats were held in the occupied Palestinian territories and abroad.

[url=

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by Medarris on 25 January, 2006 - 12:55

[b]IMPORTANT REQUEST:[/b]

Make dua for the holy party to be victorious.

—

Ya ALLAH Madad.
Haq Chaar Yaar

Submitted by *DUST* on 25 January, 2006 - 16:04

"Med" wrote:
[b]IMPORTANT REQUEST:[/b]

Make dua for the holy party to be victorious.


InshaAllah they will be.


Quote:
[b]High turnout in Palestinian poll [/b]

Palestinians are voting in their first parliamentary election for a decade, with the governing Fatah party facing a strong challenge.

—

[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=, X-Men[/url]

Submitted by Dave on 25 January, 2006 - 16:15

"Admin" wrote:
"*DUST*" wrote:
"Admin" wrote:
Hamas is expected to win the elections, and be a major part of the new Palestinian Authority.

i know, which is y Israel wants to ban them. :roll:

Dempocracy has a secret clause that the major powers must agree with the selection of the leadership by the people for it to be considered legitimate...

:evil:

Democracy is not just mob rule or popular will - Athens fell for a reason.

If Hamas wins then the result will be Israel having to negotiate with terrorists - this is dangerous to Israel, the United States and the world.

The greatest weapon we have against terrorists is to assure them that senseless violence does not bring nations to the negotiating table.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 25 January, 2006 - 16:18

"Don Karnage" wrote:
If Hamas wins then the result will be Israel having to negotiate with terrorists - this is dangerous to Israel, the United States and the world.

The greatest weapon we have against terrorists is to assure them that senseless violence does not bring nations to the negotiating table.

I wonder if you notion that Hamas is a terrorist organisation would hold any real substance or go down well with the MPAC members?

Seems to me, that you’ve adopted Mr.Bush ideology; you are either with us or with them?

And I am with them

Submitted by Dave on 25 January, 2006 - 16:21

"(*_Shazan" wrote:
I wonder if you notion that Hamas is a terrorist organisation would hold any real substance or go down well with the MPAC members?

Unlike certain members I say what I think - not what others want me to say. That last bit is called deception.

"(*_Shazan" wrote:
Seems to me, that you’ve adopted Mr.Bush ideology; you are either with us or with them?

Yer

"(*_Shazan" wrote:
And I am with them

Good to know your enemy.

Submitted by Dave on 25 January, 2006 - 16:34

[url= [url= [url= [url= [url=

"[i]Hamas has defied widespread criticism among Palestinians for using a young mother as a suicide bomber by publishing photographs of Reem Riyashi and her two small children posing with weapons.[/i]" - Guardian Unlimited

[i]"CNN - Hamas admits to fatal Israeli bus bombings - Feb. 25, 1996"[/i]

[i]"Europe adds Hamas, Islamic Jihad to terrorist list"[/i] - USA Today

[i]"Chicago Jews Denounce Hamas Bombing & Israeli Occupation"[/i] - Not in My Name

They are [url=, in business suits.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 25 January, 2006 - 16:39

"Don Karnage" wrote:
Good to know your enemy.

Ok buddy. Dirol

Political Islam is unacceptable but political Christianity and political Judaism (Zionism) is acceptable. They accuse us of treason and demand oaths of allegiance, something they never demanded from anyone else, not even those die-hard communists.

I’m little confused, that Hamas are terrorist according to Neo-cons comic books and the IDF are a happy bunch of Israeli citizens defending their land, and can use unlimited brutality on the Palestinians?

See you in mpac in few hour’s…InshaAllah

Submitted by Dave on 25 January, 2006 - 16:45

"(*_Shazan" wrote:
"Don Karnage" wrote:
Good to know your enemy.

Ok buddy. Dirol

Political Islam is unacceptable but political Christianity and political Judaism (Zionism) is acceptable. They accuse us of treason and demand oaths of allegiance, something they never demanded from anyone else, not even those die-hard communists.

I’m little confused, that Hamas are terrorist according to Neo-cons comic books and the IDF are a happy bunch of Israeli citizens defending their land, and can use unlimited brutality on the Palestinians?

See you in mpac in few hour’s…InshaAllah

Twit.

Find where in the last several posts I defended Israeli actions against Palestinians.

When you fail - apologize for your inappropriate and deceptive attempt to baggage me in with the IDF for exposing your terrorist heros.

Next, find where in the last several posts I said anything about Islam - at all, let alone political Islam.

And when you fail there too apologize for your inappropriate and deceptive attempt to baggage me in with the Neocons for exposing your terrorist heros.

In fact - copy your apologies for MPAC when you attempt to embarrass yourself "later." - Assuming your posting privileges aren't still revoked :roll:

Submitted by Beast on 25 January, 2006 - 16:47

I think it would be for the best that Hamas gets elected. But a Fatah/Hamas coalition would be even better.

Negotiaitions with Fatah can only go so far. Any deals made my Fatah will never be accepted by the hard-liners. But deals made by Hamas will carry much more weight.

So what if Hamas is a 'terrorist organisation'? Britain negotiated with the Sinn Fein/IRA and the Northern Irsih conflict is pretty much over.

But no doubt the Israelis will refuse to negotiate with Hamas because they want to maintain the status quo and keep getting money, arms, and politial support from the US.

Submitted by iRazor on 25 January, 2006 - 16:48

"Admin" wrote:
So you two have something you agree on? :twisted:

I would not 'want him dead'. He is irrelevant. One criminal wil be replaced with another.

[b]The system needs to be turned on its head.[/b]

Isnt it true though, if the system is turned on its head, its ass is sticking out?

Not a pretty site either way is it?

—

_____________- -SupeRazor- -_______________

Some ppl make their goals the stars.
They may live n die n never reach the stars,
but in the darkness of the night, those stars will guide them to their destination.
Becuz they made them in their eyesight

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 25 January, 2006 - 16:51

"Don Karnage" wrote:
Twit.

Wink

They want us to abandon our duty to defend ourselves through Jihad and tell us we should engage in the greater Jihad. Yet they have the right to defend themselves from attack. They have the right to vengeance against those who attacked them. When the Church of England General Synod declares the war against Afghanistan as justified, and the Zionist Israelis adhere to the principles of an eye for an eye based on the Old Testament, nobody associates violence with their religion.

Terrorism is now shorthand for Islam and Muslims. We are told the terror of the IRA and ETA and the armed Christian militias in the US are different kinds of terrorists. Only a [b]fool[/b] couldn’t work out that the difference is that they are not Muslims. When Muslims endorse the right to defend ourselves, and resistance from attack, and occupation, we are labelled terrorists (even though the Geneva Conventions distinguish between terrorism and resistance movements).

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