Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Abbas: Signs document to join international organizations, says Israel procrastinating. - Friedensgespräche zwischen Israel und Palästinensern gescheitert

Abbas has signed a document requesting to join UN agencies and international organizations, according to a report by Channel 10.
The move flies in the face of current US brokered negotiations, which US secretary of State John Kerry has proposed in recent days and which Israel has reportedly agreed to.

In recent talks, Israel has reportedly agreed to go through with a fourth prisoner release with additional prisoners in return for the release of Israeli spy Johnathan Pollard jailed in the US, and an agreement from Abbas to extend peace talks until April 2015.


During this time, the Palestinians have proposed not would agree not to follow through with seeking unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN.

[jpost.com]
1/4/14
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  • Abbas signs Palestine request to join 15 UN bodies
Officials on both sides say move doesn’t end talks; PA sources: It’s a response to Israeli refusal to release prisoners...

“The Palestinian leadership has unanimously approved a decision to seek membership of 15 UN agencies and international treaties, beginning with the Fourth Geneva Convention,” Abbas said on television after signing the demand.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Derek Stoffel tweeted Tuesday evening that the Palestinian Authority had made the move in response to Israel’s unwillingness to fulfill an obligation to release a fourth round of Palestinian prisoners, some of them Arab Israelis.

Stoffel quoted sources in Abbas’s office as saying the peace process would continue regardless of Tuesday’s move. Officials in Jerusalem were also quoted by Channel 2 news as saying that the move didn’t necessarily signal an end to the talks.

After the announcement was made, a meeting scheduled for Wednesday between Abbas and US Secretary of State John Kerry was canceled, Palestinian sources said.

“We salute the American efforts. But Israel is procrastinating,” Abbas reportedly said before signing a series of documents to apply to the UN bodies.......http://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-signs-palestines-application-to-join-15-un-bodies/#ixzz2xevbkrkC
1/4/14
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  • Friedensgespräche zwischen Israel und Palästinensern gescheitert....

Palästinenserpräsident Mahmoud Abbas unterzeichnete nach Zustimmung seines Kabinetts live im Fernsehen den Antrag zur Anerkennung Palästinas als Mitglied bei 15 UNO-Gremien.

 (DiePresse.com)
Live im Fernsehen aus Ramallah übertragen, hat Präsident Mahmoud Abbas nach einstimmiger Zustimmung seines Kabinetts den Antrag zur Anerkennung „Palästinas“ als Mitglied bei 15 UNO-Gremien bzw. Vertragswerken unterzeichnet. Dieser Schritt bedeutet nach israelischer Lesart das Ende der Friedensgespräche. US Außenminister John Kerry hat seine für Mittwoch angesagte Reise nach Ramallah abgesagt.

Abbas rechtfertigte seinen überraschenden Schritt mit Israels Verstoß gegen die Abmachung, bis Samstagabend weitere 400 palästinensische Gefangene „ohne Blut an den Händen“ freizulassen. Die Verzögerung entstand, weil Israel von den Amerikanern verlangt hatte, den seit fast dreißig Jahren in den USA einsitzenden Spion Jonathan Pollard freizulassen. Während eines Kurzbesuches von Kerry in Jerusalem am Montag wurde offenbar mit Premierminister Benjamin Netanyahu abgesprochen, dass Pollard noch vor dem Pessach-Fest freikommen werde.

  • Daraufhin hatten die Palästinenser offenbar ihren „Preis“ für eine Fortsetzung der Friedensgespräche erhöht und Freilassung von 1000 Gefangenen gefordert, darunter israelische Araber, die wegen Mordes verurteilt wurden und prominente Gefangene wie Marwan Barghouti. Das hat Israel bisher strikt abgelehnt.

Doch die Vorfreude vor allem der israelischen Rechten, den Spion bald in Israel zu sehen, war verfrüht. Der US-Bürger Pollard, der als jüdisch-amerikanische Marinesoldat strenggeheime Dokumente an die israelische Botschaft in Washington weitergegeben hatte, erklärte im Gefängnis, dass er sich weigere, im Tausch für „palästinensische Terroristen“ freizukommen.

Der Versuch von Präsident Abbas, von der UNO als Staat anerkannt und Mitglied in UNO-Gremien zu werden, gilt den Israelis als „Zerschlagen des Porzellans“ und als Verstoß gegen die Osloer Verträge. Noch für den Abend wurde eine Erklärung von John Kerry zu den dramatischen Entwicklungen in Ramallah und Jerusalem angekündigt. Kerry hält sich in Brüssel auf.

http://diepresse.com/home/politik/aussenpolitik/1585275/Friedensgespraeche-zwischen-Israel-und-Palaestinensern-gescheitert?from=rss
1/4/14



5 comments:

  1. Kerry cancels Mideast visit after Palestinians renew UN bid...

    Abbas promised to continue negotiations until end of April, U.S. secretary of state says.

    American efforts to reach a "deal" to extend the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have reached a severe crisis Tuesday evening. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry canceled his planned visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah barely two hours after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed 15 international treaties the Palestinian state is interested in joining, and after earlier in the day Israel issued 700 new tenders for housing units in Jerusalem neighborhood across the Green Line.

    In a press conference in Brussels, Belgium Kerry attempted to play down the crisis, and noted that it is premature draw conclusions about the day's events.

    "We urge both sides to show restraint," he said. Kerry added that none of the treaties signed by the Palestinian president has anything to do with UN agencies.

    "Abbas has given me his word that he will continue to negotiate until end of April," Kerry said.

    The American secretary of state said that no agreement has been reached "regarding the release of any prisoner." According to him, there are many possibilities and the decision is up to the Israeli cabinet. Kerry added that efforts to extend the negotiations will continue, but emphasized that "it is up to the parties to make decisions."

    Unanimous PLO vote

    Less than two hours earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he had signed 12 documents that the PA would use for its application.

    Abbas made the announcement.in a surprise address at a meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's action committee.

    Israeli officials said Jerusalem estimates that Abbas' step is an attempt to exert last-minute pressure on Israel and the United States to improve the Palestinian side of the deal to extend the peace talks, which were due to end on April 29. The Prime Minister's Office has yet to comment on the matter............http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.583264
    1/4/14

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  2. Palestinians sign international conventions to press Israel; U.S. hopes to keep talks going...

    (Reuters) - A surprise decision by the Palestinian leadership to sign more than a dozen international conventions giving it greater leverage against Israel left the United States struggling to put peace talks back on track.

    U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry canceled a visit to the de facto Palestinian capital, Ramallah, planned for Wednesday after President Mahmoud Abbas made the announcement on Tuesday in a meeting of senior officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

    "My team is on the ground meeting with the parties even tonight. We urge both sides to show restraint while we work with them," Kerry told reporters in Brussels, where he was attending a ministerial meeting of NATO. He noted that Abbas said in his statements that he would be in touch with the Americans Tuesday evening.

    "The important thing is to keep the process moving and find a way to see whether the parties are prepared to move forward. In the end this is up to the parties," he added.................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/02/us-palestinian-israel-usa-idUSBREA301ZE20140402?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    2/4/14

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  3. PA official: Israel's failure to release prisoners torpedoed peace talks ...

    Israel's failure to carry out a fourth release of Palestinian prisoners expected on Saturday lead to a breakdown of negotiations, a Palestinian official told Army Radio on Wednesday.

    Palestinian Authority Minister for Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqi expressed his pessimism over the continuation of talks between the sides past their April 29 deadline, and called on Israel to reconsider its position on the final installment of a commitment to release 104 long-serving prisoners as a gesture for resuming negotiations in July.

    Qaraqi indicated that the Palestinian demand for Israel to free 14 Arab Israeli inmates in the release had served as a central reason for its failure to materialize.

    He noted previous prisoner exchanges - included that for Gilad Schalit - in which Israel had released Arab Israelis, saying "this time, Israel turned this into a big problem.".......http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/PA-official-Israels-failure-to-release-prisoners-torpedoed-peace-talks-347249
    2/4/14

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  4. Négociations israélo-palestiniennes - La Ligue arabe convoque une réunion d'urgence le 9 avril...

    La Ligue arabe a convoqué une réunion d'urgence des ministres des Affaires étrangères le 9 avril au sujet des négociations de paix israélo-palestiniennes, qui traversent une grave crise, a annoncé mercredi le chef de l'organisation panarabe, Nabil al-Arabi.
    La réunion abordera le refus d'Israël de libérer un groupe de prisonniers palestiniens, a indiqué à la presse M. Arabi, en référence à un des principaux points de contentieux entre les deux parties. Le président palestinien Mahmoud Abbas a appelé à cette réunion, a indiqué M. Arabi, ajoutant que celle-ci serait l'occasion d'"examiner les développements à la lumière du refus d'Israël de libérer un quatrième contingent de prisonniers et prolonger les pourparlers". Un accord conclu sous l'égide du chef de la diplomatie américaine John Kerry a permis la reprise en juillet pour neuf mois des négociations de paix. En vertu de cet accord, la direction palestinienne avait suspendu jusqu'à la fin des pourparlers, fixée au 29 avril, toutes les démarches d'adhésion aux organisations et conventions internationales, y compris les juridictions susceptibles de poursuivre Israël. De telles démarches sont possibles depuis que la Palestine a obtenu le statut d'Etat observateur en novembre 2012 à l'ONU. En contrepartie, Israël s'engageait à libérer en quatre phases 104 prisonniers incarcérés avant les accords d'Oslo de 1993, dont les trois premiers groupes ont été relâchés. Mais l'Etat hébreu n'a pas libéré le quatrième contingent comme prévu samedi dernier. Et mardi soir, la direction palestinienne a décidé de demander d'adhérer à 15 agences et traités internationaux, à commencer par les Conventions de Genève sur la protection des civils, a annoncé le président Abbas. Les Palestiniens souhaitent que M. Kerry poursuive son initiative de paix, a cependant déclaré mercredi un dirigeant de l'Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP), Yasser Abed Rabbo. (Belga)
    http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/1080934/negociations-israelo-palestiniennes-la-ligue-arabe-convoque-une-reunion-d-urgence-le-9-avril
    2/4/14

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  5. U.N. accepts Palestinian treaty applications...

    United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has verified that the Palestinian applications to join 13 international conventions were “in due and proper form” and has accepted them, the Associated Press reported.

    U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday that Ban informed all 193 U.N. member states of his acceptance.

    After Israel failed to carry out a planned prisoner release a few days after the end of the March deadline, the Palestinians retaliated by signing letters of accession to 15 international conventions. Thirteen were deposited at the U.N., one in Geneva, and one in the Netherlands.

    The Palestinians are seeking wider international recognition. Meanwhile, Israel on Thursday placed further sanctions against the Palestinians.

    This will further complicate U.S. efforts to keep peace talks from collapsing before the April 29 deadline.

    An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the Jewish state would deduct debt payments from tax transfers which the Palestinian Authority routinely receives, and limit access the government’s bank deposits in Israel.

    On Wednesday, Israel said it was limiting its contacts with Palestinian officials, citing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s signing of U.N. human rights conventions last week.

    In return, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat lashed out Thursday at the Israeli move to freeze the transfer of taxes collected on behalf of the Palestinians, saying the move amounted to “theft.”

    Erakat called the sanctions an act of “Israeli hijacking and the theft of the Palestinian people’s money,” telling Agence France-Presse that the decision was a “violation of international law and norms by Israel” in revenge for the Palestinians’ move to join a raft of international treaties as a state.........http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/04/11/U-N-accepts-Palestinian-treaty-applications.html
    11/4/14

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