'Hamas, Fatah to stand firm on unity'

Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas (L) and Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Meshaal (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180332.html

Hamas' Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad says major Palestinian factions will hold firm in implementing their recent unity agreement.

“We will try to seriously implement the agreement. We are facing a lot of challenges and obstacles but I think there is a strong will inside Hamas and inside Fatah in order to go forward and to implement, honestly, the agreement of reconciliation,” Hamad told Press TV.

He was making a reference to the April 27 agreement between the two Palestinian main factions, Hamas and Fatah, in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to set up a transitional unity government and hold elections.

To that end, Hamad said, Hamas and Fatah “will form committees regarding the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), security and other issues.”

The senior Hamas official expressed optimism that “in the future we will see more unity between Palestinian factions in order to work together against the [Israeli] occupation.”

Hamas, which controls Gaza, and Fatah, which rules the West Bank, have been at odds since the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006.

Differences between the rival groups peaked in June 2007 when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a bid to "foil a coup plot" by some Fatah elements.

Fatah in response sacked the Hamas government and set up a parallel cabinet in Ramallah.

Lebanese to hold rallies on Nakba Day

Israeli military forces have tightened security measures near Palestinian cities ahead of the Nakba Day (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/179967.html

Thousands of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are set to march towards the borders of occupied Palestinian territories to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of Nakba Day.

Nakba Day, or the day of catastrophe, marks the 63rd anniversary of the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli army and the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their land in 1948.

The Israeli soldiers wiped nearly 500 Palestinian villages and towns off the map during the offensive, leaving the Palestinian refugees dreaming of an eventual return to their homeland more than six decades later.

Organizers of the rally expected 50,000 protesters to march towards the villages of Bint Jbail and Maroun al-Ras on Sunday, where intense fighting broke out between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters during the 2006 summer war, Jerusalem Post reported.

Thousands of Israeli troops are on high alert across the occupied lands due to the protests in the run-up to Sunday's commemoration of the Nakba Day.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians gathered in Jabaliya and Nuseirat refugee camps in the northern and central parts of the Gaza strip on Friday to commemorate the Nakba Day.

On the same day, thousands of demonstrators held Palestinian flags and a giant key symbolic of their optimism to return home in the West Bank town of Beit Lahm (Bethlehem).

In Jordan, hundreds of protesters, heeding a call from Palestinian Facebook organizers, took to the streets in the capital Amman and called for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state on Friday.

'Hamas-Fatah deal to end divisions'

Palestinians celebrate the unity deal between Hamas and Fatah in the streets of the West Bank city of Hebron on May 6, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/179438.html

Nearly most Palestinians believe that Hamas-Fatah unity deal will heal the divisions among Palestinians, a new survey has revealed.

According to a survey conducted by the Qatar-based Aljazeera channel, 69 percent of respondent assume that the deal would end years of rifts among Palestinians while 31 percent believe in the opposite.

A total of 20,821 people took part in the survey.

The two key Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, signed a unity deal last week that calls for the formation of a joint interim government and the holding of presidential and legislative elections within a year.

The deal, however, does not rule on issues such as whether to recognize and negotiate with the Israeli regime.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, and Fatah, which rules the West Bank, have been at odds since the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006.

Differences between the rival groups peaked in June 2007 when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a bid to "foil a coup plot" by some Fatah elements.

Fatah in response sacked the Hamas government and set up a parallel cabinet in Ramallah.

Freedom Flotilla II to set sail in June

The Mavi Marmara, which led the first Freedom Flotilla to Gaza

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/179100.html

International activists plan to deliver large quantities of humanitarian assistance to the blockaded Gaza Strip with a new aid flotilla in late June.

The Freedom Flotilla II will set sail for Gaza in the third week of June.

The aid flotilla is being organized by a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups, most of them based in Europe, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

The mission is named after the first Freedom Flotilla, which Israel attacked on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring around 50 others.

The organizers announced the departure time after a meeting in Paris, saying the convoy will have around 15 vessels and over 1,000 activists.

The Turkish Islamic aid group IHH (the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) has said it expects the convoy to be at least twice as big as the previous one.

The mission will depart from various European ports, including Marseille, France.

Israeli military officials have confirmed that preparations are under way to stop any new flotilla.

Israel urged to free Palestinian funds

A recent photo of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178655.html

The UN has called on the Israeli regime to release tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, after Tel Aviv blocked the funds following a unity pact between main Palestinian Fatah and Hamas factions.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday that Tel Aviv should not withhold tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority over the recent reconciliation of the two influential groups.

"The Secretary General ... noted that Palestinian unity is a process which is just beginning now, and thus, it would be best to assess it as it moves forward," Reuters quoted the UN chief as saying in a telephone conversation with Netanyahu on Friday.

"He also urged Israel not to stop transferring tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority," the report added.

On Sunday, Israel blocked the transfer of $105 million in customs duties and other levies it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority after a reconciliation pact was inked between Palestinian Hamas and Fatah factions.

Ban said that "he was convinced that realizing a negotiated two-state solution as soon as possible is in the best interest of both the Israeli and Palestinian people."

He also “hoped Israel will make decisive moves towards a historic agreement with the Palestinians."

The UN chief reiterated that the United Nations has consistently supported the idea of a Palestinian unity.

Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' political chief, and Mahmoud Abbas, the acting chief of the Palestinian Authority -- dominated by Fatah -- endorsed an understanding deal the representatives of the two sides had reached late last month in Cairo.

Ban further reaffirmed UN support for Palestinian unity and has said that he will study the unity deal carefully.

The Israeli premier had earlier said he would not negotiate with the Palestinian Authority under the reconciliation deal with Hamas.

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been on hold since they were resumed in Washington in late September after Tel Aviv refused to extend a 10-month partial freeze on Israeli settlement activities.

The Palestinians have repeatedly announced that they will not resume talks with Tel Aviv while Israeli settlement expansion continues on occupied territories.

Israel has condemned the unity pact as a “tremendous blow to peace.” Hamas flags have been flowing across the West Bank for the first time in several years, following the reconciliation agreement.

Palestinians rejoice Fatah-Hamas unity

Palestinians celebrate the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas during a rally in Gaza on May 4, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178638.html

Palestinians have once again held rallies to celebrate the signing of a unity deal which put an end to years of division between leaders in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Friday rallies were held in at least three West Bank cities -- Ramallah, Al Khalil (Hebron) and Tulkarem, AP reported.

Similar rallies were held on Wednesday after the signing of the reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah.

Thousands of Hamas supporters took to the streets chanting, “O Abbas, O Haniyeh, we want national unity,” and “The Islamic resistance movement salutes Abu Mazen,” in reference to acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

The streets of the West Bank cities were filled with green flags of Hamas as demonstrators chanted slogans welcoming the reconciliation deal.

People in the town of Bil'in, which holds weekly protest rallies against what they commonly describe as 'the Israeli apartheid wall,' carried a coffin to symbolize the death of the Palestinian division.

The Israeli wall, which has been reportedly financed by the US, has annexed around 60 percent of Bil'in, a village in the Ramallah district, to build illegal settlements. Villagers in Bil'in have held non-violent anti-wall demonstrations for more than six years now.

Many countries consider the wall, built on occupied Palestinian land, as illegal.

The unity deal comes as the UN General Assembly is expected to discuss the establishment of an independent Palestinian state during a meeting in September.

Israel rejects UN 'diktat' on peace

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178487.html

Prior to a UN meeting to discuss an independent Palestinian state, the Israeli prime minister says Tel Aviv would not accept a UN “diktat” to resolve the dispute with the Palestinians.

In a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Benjamin Netanyahu said regional peace can only be achieved through negotiations, Israeli news source Ynet reported.

“A serious quest for peace can only happen through negotiations, through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and not through a UN diktat," he said.

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been on hold since they were resumed in Washington in late September after Tel Aviv refused to extend a 10-month partial freeze on Israeli settlement activities.

The Palestinians have repeatedly said that they will not resume talks while Israeli settlement continues on the occupied land.

The UN General Assembly is expected to discuss the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in September.

France has expressed its support for a Palestinian state but some other European members hold reservations.

In an interview published by local magazine l'Express on Wednesday, Sarkozy said that Paris would be willing to recognize an independent Palestinian state if "the peace process remains stalled in September."

Netanyahu is also expected to meet with US President Barack Obama on May 20, to discuss the formation of a Palestinian state under a unity government between two main Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah.

The Palestinian movements, which have been at odds since Hamas came to power in the 2006, signed a reconciliation deal on Wednesday in a move to form a unity government.

The move, however, has caused major concerns for Israel and the US.

Netanyahu had earlier said he would not negotiate with the Palestinian Authority under the reconciliation deal with Hamas.

Israel angry at Palestinian deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178268.html

Israel has voiced anger at the reconciliation accord signed between main Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah, aimed at forming a Palestinian unity government.

Following the inking of the deal in the Egyptian capital on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "What happened today in Cairo is a tremendous blow to peace," AFP reported.

Earlier in the day, Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' Political Chief and Mahmoud Abbas, the acting Chief of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is dominated by Fatah, endorsed an understanding deal the representatives of the two sides had reached late last month in Cairo.

The two factions have been at odds since the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas emerged victorious in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006.

Following the polls, Fatah set up headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, thus limiting the governance by Hamas to the Gaza Strip -- a comparably smaller portion of Palestinian territories.

The deal calls for the formation of a joint interim government and holding of presidential and legislative elections within a year.

It, however, does not rule on issues such as whether to recognize and negotiate with the Israeli regime.

At the turn of 2009, Israel brought negotiations with the PA to a halt by launching a war on the Gaza Strip, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead.

Resumed negotiations hit another deadlock in September 2010 after Tel Aviv refused to extend a partial freeze on its expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

UN chief welcomes Palestinian deal

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/177414.html

Despite Israeli efforts for denunciation of Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreement, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the unity deal.

“The secretary general welcomes efforts being made to promote Palestinian reconciliation and the important contribution of Egypt in this regard," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement on Friday.

“He hopes that reconciliation will now take place in a manner that promotes the cause of peace, security and non-violence,” the spokesperson added.

Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal will meet Fatah leader and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas at the Arab League headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on May 4 to sign the Egyptian-brokered deal.

The Palestinian movements, which have been at odds since Hamas came to power in 2006, reached an initial agreement on all controversial issues, including the elections and the formation of the interim unity government.

They have also agreed to hold the elections within one year.

“The United Nations will study carefully the agreement as soon as the details are available," Nesirky noted.

The agreement, however, has sparked an outrage among Israeli officials, who have threatened the Palestinian Authority with retaliatory measures if the deal is signed.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton recently that Israel expects the EU to adopt a cautious approach in respect to the Fatah-Hamas agreement.

US warns against Palestinian unity deal

Acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas (L) in a meeting with US President Barack Obama (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/177256.html

US lawmakers have warned that Washington would halt its aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) should the Fatah party form a unity government with Hamas.

In the wake of an announcement of a unity deal between the two sides by acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas, the lawmakers said that US funding could not flow to a unity government, Israeli news source Ynetnews reported on Thursday.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv before they make their statement regarding the US funding to a Palestinian unity government.

"The Palestinian Authority has chosen an alliance with violence and extremism over the democratic values that Israel represents," said the group.

"US taxpayer funds should not and must not be used to support those who threaten US security, our interests and our vital ally, Israel," said Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chairwoman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

The United States has given an average of about $400 million per year to the Palestinian Authority headed by caretaker Prime Minister Salam Feyadh. Total US funding since 1994 has topped $3.5 billion.

Israel, a close ally to the US, is mainly concerned over an agreement between Hamas and Fatah, two Palestinian factions that have been at odds since Hamas came to power in the 2006 general elections.

Netanyahu said on Thursday that "The Palestinian National Authority needs to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas."

The Israeli premier added that peace with both sides is impossible because Hamas aspired to destroy Israel.

Israel launched a three-week devastating war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in December 2008, leaving 1,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, dead and thousands of others displaced.

Hamas, Fatah agree on unity government

A Palestinian woman holds her national flag during a demonstration calling for unity between Hamas and Fatah in the northern occupied West Bank on March 08, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/177025.html

Palestinian Hamas and Fatah factions have reportedly reached an understanding on forming a transitional Palestinian unity government and holding future elections.

Delegations representing the two factions came to the understanding on Wednesday in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, where they had just resumed unity talks, the Egyptian Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

The 'complete understanding' came "after talks on all the points, including the formation of a transitional government with a specific mandate and setting a date for elections," it said.

The development is expected to be followed by signing of a reconciliation agreement between all Palestinian factions in Egypt.

Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006.

The dispute marginalized the faction's governance to the Gaza Strip -- a comparably smaller portion of Palestinian territories.

The Israeli regime also reacted to the victory by laying a crippling siege on Gaza and maintaining regular deadly attacks on the impoverished strip.

Fatah, however, set up headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank with Hamas arguing that the faction works in cahoots with Tel Aviv.

Last year, Hamas complained about an arrest campaign against its members led by the so-called security forces functioning under Fatah's leader, Mahmoud Abbas, declaring that its rival faction works "in close coordination with those of the Israeli occupiers" in the West Bank.

No-fly zone over Gaza

Arab League Amr Moussa

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/174324.html

Arab governments are planning to ask the United Nation's Security Council (UNSC) to impose a no-fly zone over Gaza in the near future.

At the end of a meeting in Cairo, Arab League (AL) chief Amr Moussa said, "The Arab bloc in the United Nations has been directed to ask for the convention of the Security Council to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and impose a no-fly zone."

Twenty Palestinians have been killed in recent Israeli attacks on Gaza. The Islamic Hamas Movement fired a number of rockets at southern Israel that only injured a student, according to official Israeli sources. The “disproportionate military response” by Israel against Palestinians has been a source of international protests against Tel Aviv.

It is the first time that the AL is requesting the UN in support of the residents of Gaza to take a practical action to stop Israeli attacks. Two years ago, when Israel attacked Gaza and killed 1,400 civilians, the AL demanded an immediate end to the siege on the territory, but never took any action to realize this and the Egyptian government even aided the blockade by constructing an iron wall on the the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza strip.

Israel's recent response to the Palestinians’ hand-made rockets was beyond expectations and drew criticism from the United Nations secretary general who refused to throw out justice Goldstone’s report on Israel's war crimes in Gaza.

Both the Israeli and Palestinian sides have called for a ceasefire but Israel's foreign minister says that Hamas should not be given a new chance to boost its power and has called for Palestinian government in Gaza to be eliminated. Avigdor Lieberman's views regarding Gaza show that he thinks the recent developments in the Arab world have not affected the issue of Gaza and Palestine.

Previously, sources close to acting Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas had said that the heavy bombardment of Gaza by Israel was aimed at preventing him from travelling to the region and preventing a Palestinian reconciliation deal, which is strongly opposed by the US and Israel.

The implementation of a no-fly zone will meet resistance from the pro-Israel camp at the United Nations. It is not clear what other options the AL will pursue in case of veto by the West. However, there are still signs indicating that Israel and its allies will face more difficulties in the international community.

Due to its geographic situation, Israeli aircraft are forced to leave Israel’s airspace in order to strike Gaza. Prior to the fall of Hosni Mubarak, Israel’s use of Egypt's airspace to carry out raids was met with silence from Cairo, but Defense Minister General Tantawi, who heads the ruling Egyptian military council, has warned in his personal Facebook page that the Egyptian army will severely respond to any violation of the country’s airspace.

Israel usually uses unmanned aerial vehicles to bomb Gaza while the firing command comes from a ground base in Israel.

Even if the UN bans Israeli aircraft from flying over Gaza, what will be the outcome? Israel has never accepted or acted upon any one of the UN Security Council’s resolutions regarding Palestine. For Israeli leaders, refuting the hypothetical resolution is no difficult. Furthermore, a no-fly zone would not prevent Israel’s ground incursions and artillery fire against Gaza, which have been the main sources of Palestinian mortalities and damage to homes.

It so appears that the Arab uprisings and the popular revolts will deter Israel from attacking the Palestinians. But Israel has maintained its old mechanical views; as if nothing ever happened.

Last week, the Israeli military sent two American Apache helicopters to the Port of Sudan to bomb a taxi. It is believed that the target inside the taxi was supposed to be a Hamas official but the Sudanese government identified the victims as Sudanese nationals. This security scandal was met with silence from the Israeli side, apart from the fact that the violation of Sudan's sovereignty is in contrast to international laws.

Kidnapping a Palestinian engineer in Ukraine and transferring him to Israel is not a source of pride for Israeli spy services. Instead, it serves to further anger people who are already tired of similar events.

The Israeli government acts as if it views itself as invincible from the recent developments in the region. But Israeli papers warn that Israel does not afford to ignore the recent tsunami in the Middle East.

Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot says US President Obama will not stand by Israel at the UN General Assembly in September to prevent Palestine from gaining international recognition as a state, and that the silence crisis continues between Washington and Tel Aviv. The Ha’aretz daily has called on officials to think of the next step after Palestine is recognized as a state, as if it believes the statehood of Palestine is imminent despite Israel's fierce opposition.

Israel's reaction is again mechanical regarding this issue, too: “unilateral measures in Palestine gains recognition as a state.” One of these measures may be announcing the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank as part of Israel. Implementing this threat wouldn't make any difference on the ground. The 1967 territories are internationally recognized as occupied territories and account for 20 percent of historical Palestine.

The AL's demand for a no-fly zone over Gaza is not a comprehensive plan but the league's unification with the Arab people indicates that the revolutions in the Arab world, upon gaining victory, will sooner or later take the issue of Palestine as their first priority.

Hamas vows to rain rockets on Israel

Palestinian Hamas' leader Mahmoud al-Zahar (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/173985.html

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has vowed to continue firing missiles into Israel until Tel Aviv halts its attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said on Saturday that Palestinian groups will continue targeting Israel until Israeli troops stop their attacks on the blockaded sliver.

Al-Zahar also stressed that the Palestinian nation will, by no means, recognize the Israeli regime and will continue to resist Israel's aggressions until all occupied territories are liberated.

The Hamas official added that over the past three months Israeli forces have killed over 45 Palestinians.

This comes as Israeli warplanes launched yet another aerial attack against the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

The airstrikes have continued for the past four days, leaving more than 19 Palestinians dead and over a dozen others injured.

The latest Israeli attacks are among the deadliest since the Tel Aviv regime began the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza War.

Hamas says Tel Aviv has stepped up its aggression against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip due to the recent uprisings and revolutions in Arab states in the Middle East and North Africa.

Meanwhile, in response to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Palestinian resistance fighters have fired missiles into Israeli towns.

But there have been no reports of any casualties or damage.

The Israeli regime laid an economic siege on the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after Hamas took over the administration of the enclave.

The blockade has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

Some 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including the freedom of movement and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

Moussa: Israel's nukes arsenal disturbing

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120946§ionid=351020206


After a European Union's top diplomat made remarks against Iran's nuclear program, Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa has denounced Israel's possession of its vast nuclear arsenal.

"I wish to mention that Israeli nuclear activities are very disturbing and threatening to us," Moussa said in response to statements made by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton on the alleged threats posed by Iran's nuclear activities.

"We should not speak only about Iran, but be unconcerned about military and nuclear adventurism in the Middle East," the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted the Arab League chief as saying as he referred to Israel's hundreds of nuclear warheads.

"If we are against any nuclear actions, we [should stop] mentioning only one country,” he added

"The relation between us and Europe is indeed [one of an] old history and common destiny," he said. "Since there is a common destiny, then the threat to our own security is very important. We have to be fair and objective and strategic about what we do."

Moussa expressed support for international talks with Iran and called for help to establish diplomatic negotiations and to prove that Iran's nuclear case is not a threat to the region.

Citing "concerns" over Iran's domestic capabilities to enrich uranium, The US and its allies accuse Iran of the "intention" to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels and have gone to great lengths to prevent the country from producing fuel for its medical and industrial needs.

World powers, most of which possess and continue to develop vast nuclear arsenals that have been tested and even used in military confrontations, have been lobbying for a “symbolic” tightening of economic measures against the Tehran government.

As a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Islamic Iran insists that it neither believes in atomic weapons, nor, as a matter of religious principles, does it intend to access such weapons of mass-destruction.