Posted on 05/30/2005 10:51:01 AM PDT by Crackingham
The era of suicide bombing in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be over and the culture of violence is changing in the region, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an interview aired on Sunday. Abbas made his comments hours after Israel's government agreed to release 400 Palestinian prisoners and days after landmark talks with President George W. Bush, who sought to strengthen the Palestinian leader, in part, by not demanding publicly that he crack down on militants. In an interview broadcast on ABC-TV in the U.S. last night, Abbas renewed calls for Hamas to renounce violence and enter into dialogue with Fatah.
"The climate right now is ready for political negotiations," said Abbas.
"Hamas should reach that conclusion that now the way is the political way and not any other way," he said.
Abbas said violent attacks in the Gaza Strip area had been reduced by 90 percent since his government took office four months ago. Asked whether the era of suicide bombing was over, Abbas said: "I believe it is over. We have started to deal with the culture of violence, we stopped the culture of violence and the Palestinian people have started looking at it as something that should be condemned and it should stop."
In a bid to bolster Abbas, Israeli Cabinet ministers voted 18-3 in favor of the releasing the prisoners, nearly four months after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged to free 900 detainees at a Middle East summit in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort.
"Israel has complaints about the Palestinians, even very serious complaints, relating to the implementation of the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings," Sharon told the Cabinet. "But even those who believe the events of the coming months could strengthen extremist terrorist forces must understand the need to bolster the main, moderate element of the Palestinian Authority and carry out what we promised," he said.
Sharon was referring to Israel's planned evacuation in August of all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank. Israel also declared itself ready to allow the United States to mediate a coordinated pullout from Gaza with the Palestinians.
"We are willing to see an American contribution to a coordinated withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," said the official in Sharon's office.
Translation: Expect more suicide bombers.
"era of suicude bombing----over" Well, yeah they're running out of accomplices. Syria went home for instance. They are probably getting low on powder. Besides could it be that since GW put up some big bucks to help Abbas build houses that he sees it would be bad Karma to doublecross Bush? Bound to be a few virgin hunters who don't get the word tho.
Now that Abbas can pay these terrorists off with US taxpayers monies. But that will be temporarily until the palis get what they want. Then look out.
Doubt it.
You don't take folks with a 7th century mentality and magically transform them into modern thinking people. That will take at least a generation of hard, toiling work to do.
I don't know if that will end it. Today Gaza, tomorrow Jerusalem? Appeasement never works. I think it was Dave Barry who once said that a million years from now, when the earth is just dust and cockroaches; the cockroaches in the Middle East will still be trying to kill each other.
Plus Ca Change, Plus C'est La Meme Chose
Other vacuous promises.
Peace in our time.The era of big government is over.
We will believe it when it happens.
Right ! .... Now they will just launch rockets at each other !
So was the era of Big Government. Clinton said so.
I'll believe this......after another million or two of the Islamanazis are killed....
Peace with these brain washed lunatics, will come ONLY after they have been bled white..
Semper Fi
I'm still trying to figure out why this guy has two names.
Thanks for the ping!
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