Can Israel afford any more "Goodwill" to Abbas?

By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer Mon Aug 18, 11:44 AM ET
JERUSALEM - Israel said Monday it will free two of its most prominent Palestinian prisoners — a militant mastermind from the 1970s and a gunman elected to parliament while behind bars — among 199 inmates to be released as a goodwill gesture to embattled Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
While the move will give an important boost to the moderate Abbas, it drew fierce criticism from some Israeli politicians, who said it could undermine attempts to free a captured Israeli soldier held in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

What has Israel gained? Is there a limit to goodwill?

Erekat

Erekat: PA baffled over 'Jewish Israel'
By GIL HOFFMAN AND JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat appeared to soften his position Thursday but still rejected Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's call for explicit Palestinian recognition of Israel as "the Jewish state," saying he was baffled as to why Olmert wanted to "poke us in the eye" over the issue.
Asked by The Jerusalem Post whether he recognizes that the Jewish nation has historic rights here, Erekat said: "Israel has rights in the Middle East and the majority of Israelis are Jews. And when we recognized Israel, we recognized the composition of the state." Erekat had told an Arabic satellite TV interviewer earlier this week that the Palestinian Authority "will never acknowledge Israel's Jewish identity."

How does this simple statement "poke them in the eye"? Why is it so hard to say and affirm in writing?

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He said the Palestinians were not imposing new preconditions for negotiation, and that Israel's move was akin to "me asking you to acknowledge Israeli responsibility for Palestinian suffering since 1897."

Huh? Last I heard country called Israel was established May 14, 1948 at which time all the Arab countries started a war to wipe out the Jews and the Jews fought back and won. Erekat's statement is so wrong on so many levels. He should be living in Egypt because he's certainly in de-Nile (denial).

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The refugee issue, Erekat said, "must be negotiated by the parties" and "resolved in a just and agreed upon manner."

Suddenly he's negotiating. Abbas declared he wouldn't compromise.

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Israel, he said, "cannot force us to accept terms."

That's because Israel treated the Arabs incorrectly from the beginning when Israel won all the wars. Israel should have treated them like loosers and make them surrender and then start from negotiating from there.

"Both sides should honor their obligations under the road map" peace plan, he said.

Now he's talking "honoring the obligations under the road map." "Honor" he doesn't know what the word means. This is the same negotiator from Arafat's reign. Arafat the Godfather of terrorism who fully funded suicide bombers and the Karin A.

AP Editorial article

Why don't we see headlines saying, "Arabs talk peace but Kassams, suicide bombers, preaching a death cult, etc. hurts prospects for a Palestinian state." ? The entire is one sided completely slanting to show how bad Israel is. It basically says if those mean pesky Israelis would only stop building settlements there would be peace in our time. The piece completely ignores all the murder, mayhem and brainwashing that continues minute by minute by the Arabs. After Israel withdrew from Lebanon and Gaza its ridiculous to blame Israeli settlement growth as the impediment to peace in the region. In Gaza the Israelis uprooted and displaced thousands of its own citizens for the hope that peace would ensue. They've shown that the bricks and mortor mean nothing if the Arabs would reciprocate with peace. Instead they continue their culture of death, suicide bombs, etc. unabated.

Where's the journalistic integrity? Why didn't the article quote people from the Yesha Council? Why only Atabs and Peace Now?

Israel talks peace, but expanding settlement hurts prospects for Palestinian state
The Associated Press
Published: November 7, 2007
BETAR ILLIT, West Bank: The rattle of jackhammers splits the air on a windswept West Bank hilltop as workers smear mortar and lay bricks at a new apartment building in this sprawling Jewish settlement.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he's ready to make a deal that would give the Palestinians a state in the West Bank. But realities on the ground — outlined in a new report Wednesday showing vigorous Israeli construction in the West Bank — could have momentous implications for the latest U.S. peacemaking push.
"Everything that Israel is doing on the ground is of course an obstacle to what are trying to achieve," said Rafiq Husseini, a top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Nonetheless, he said, the Palestinians want to negotiate "until the last minute."
The Palestinians said Monday that they have received assurances from the U.S. that Israel would meet its short-term obligations under the "road map," a U.S.-backed peace plan. In its initial stage, Israel is supposed to freeze West Bank settlement construction and dismantle dozens of settlement outposts scattered across the territory.