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Bush forces Hamas down Israel’s throat in Jerusalem. Olmert government is stunned
DEBKAfile Exclusive ^ | January 9, 2006, 11:53 PM (GMT+02:00)

Posted on 01/09/2006 7:46:28 PM PST by strategofr

Sunday night Jan 8, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice discussed the forthcoming Palestinian elections to the legislative council on the telephone with Palestinian Authority chairman Abu Mazen.

Jerusalem was not briefed, DEBKAfile’s political sources report.

Twelve hours later, the US consul in Jerusalem Jacob Walles visited Abu Mazen’s office in Ramallah with an oral message from President George W. Bush. According to our sources, it was a presidential guarantee that all the Palestinian parties running for election on Jan 25 would be allowed to campaign openly in East Jerusalem, eligible voters in the city would be permitted to cast their votes through local post offices, and the voter slips of all Palestinian parties without exception would be available in the balloting booths.

The Israeli government was not informed of the extraordinary step taken by Bush over its head and in respect of Israeli sovereign territory.

The step has some disturbing implications:

1. The Bush administration took advantage of Ehud Olmert’s having been less than a week in the job of acting prime minister and treated his reluctance to undertake firm decisions - as long as prime minister Ariel Sharon’s condition was uncertain -as a leadership vacuum in Jerusalem. Without a word, administration officials marked down the goings-on around Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem and Olmert’s slowness to rise to the challenge.

3. Olmert’s failure to come down decisively on the Jerusalem issue has a serious consequence: Washington’s intercession enables the terrorist Hamas group to fly its green flags and hold rallies on Temple Mount with its standard calls for jihad against Israel, as well as piling its voter slips at Israeli government post offices as an option for the Palestinian voter. By this device, the backhanded recognition of a Palestinian terrorist organization sworn to destroy the Jewish state has been thrust down the interim government’s throat.

4. The Bush administration showed no consideration for Olmert’s efforts to find his feet as head of government, bid for the leadership of Kadima party and fight a tough election.

Governing circles in Jerusalem were stunned by the White House action. They asked if Bush wanted Binyamin Netanyahu and Likud to win the March election having awarded him the edge on the Jerusalem issue. Part of the shock derived from the Israeli ministers’ mistaken conviction that Abu Mazen would postpone the election to prevent the Hamas beating his ruling Fatah. DEBKAfile’s sources repeatedly reported that the White House would insist on the Palestinian vote taking place on schedule – even at the price of a Hamas win and regardless of Sharon’s indisposition and a transitional administration very much at sea in Jerusalem.

There are still hopes in Israeli government circles that the two US officials David

Welch and Elliot Abrams due this week will help moderate some of the particulars of the Bush pledge to the Palestinian leader. But the chances of this are slim.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: elliotabrams; hamas; israel; palestinians
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To: Txsleuth

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1554759/posts


21 posted on 01/09/2006 8:21:38 PM PST by Sabramerican
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Comment #22 Removed by Moderator

To: strategofr
I THOUGHT I heard a report on FOX today that elections would be held in Jerusalem on time but that no party named as a terrorist group would be allowed to campaign. Is this right?

Nam Vet

23 posted on 01/09/2006 8:22:15 PM PST by Nam Vet (The Democrat Party of America is perfectly P.C. * .(* P.C. = Patriotically Challenged)
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To: strategofr

Debka.


24 posted on 01/09/2006 8:24:12 PM PST by rwfromkansas (http://www.xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
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To: Sabramerican

Thanks...

That article says that Sean McCormack said that the plans for the Palestinians voting in Jerusalem would be the same as in the past...

but it didn't say what "way" that was..

Do you know?


25 posted on 01/09/2006 8:24:55 PM PST by Txsleuth (Official Snow Flake! Merry Moosemuss, starting Monday)
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To: Sabramerican

"I believe the current Administration is severely anti Israel."

Really? And how many more of our tax dollars would it take you ta change your mind?


26 posted on 01/09/2006 8:26:34 PM PST by NYTexan (Where is MY Global Warming???)
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To: Txsleuth

I believe (I may be wrong) that Jerusalem's Arab residents could vote - also due to American pressure- but only by mail. that is not the current Administration position no matter what
McCormack said.

Please note. Arabs in Jerusalem are not disenfranchised. If they wish they may vote in Israeli elections.


27 posted on 01/09/2006 8:28:49 PM PST by Sabramerican
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To: William Creel
Do a quick search for Jerusalem Election. We'll know for sure in a couple days.

Jerusalem Post (multiple stories)--http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1136361047693&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FshowFull

Ynet--http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3197753,00.html

Arutz Sheva-- http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=96311

Ha’aertz--http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/667685.html

Reuters--http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-01-09T195408Z_01_ARM922079_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-JERUSALEM.xml&archived=False

BBC--http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4596768.stm

Guardian-- http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5533574,00.html

Boston Globe-- http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/01/09/palestinians_to_be_allowed_to_campaign_in_east_jerusalem_police_say

CNN--http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/09/palestinian.elections/

World News Service--http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=126737&region=6

AFP (multiple sites)-- http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/January/middleeast_January241.xml&section=middleeast&col=

Al Jazeera--http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B4CAA326-BF34-4726-9B61-75489623ECE5.htm

28 posted on 01/09/2006 8:28:50 PM PST by SJackson (Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy. B. Franklin)
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To: NYTexan

I believe Israel should refuse American foreign aid.


29 posted on 01/09/2006 8:30:28 PM PST by Sabramerican
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To: Sabramerican; Txsleuth

Access to the West Bank was eased as well. To my knowledge there was no voting in Jerusalem. No reason Scott McCormack should know that. He probably doesn't read FR.


30 posted on 01/09/2006 8:30:54 PM PST by SJackson (Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy. B. Franklin)
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To: strategofr
Well, now we know who'll replace the people of Israel (extreme irony and sarcasm regarding some Christian doctrines). And BTW, Debka is a lot more reliable than many US religious identity (if not in belief) rags posing as newspapers.

Two United Methodist gatherings urge selective divestment from Israel (official anti-Israel United Methodist Website)
http://www.umc.org/site/c.gjJTJbMUIuE/b.886089/k.A105/Two_United_Methodist_gatherings_urge_selective_divestment_from_Israel.htm

...and the Episcopalian Church of presidents:

The Church Stares Into the Abyss (The dhimmitude of the Church of England)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1435084/posts

(Anti-Semitic) Anglican group urges Israel sanctions
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430566/posts

Anglicans Call for Sanction on Investment in Israel to Uphold Justice
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430772/posts

Now you know part of why I left. Sooner or later, all will have to choose.
31 posted on 01/09/2006 8:32:25 PM PST by familyop ("The Romans and their Empire were but a bauble in comparison to the Jews." --President John Adams)
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Comment #32 Removed by Moderator

To: Sabramerican

"I believe Israel should refuse American foreign aid."

They would already be wiped off the map without it!!!


33 posted on 01/09/2006 8:32:45 PM PST by NYTexan (Where is MY Global Warming???)
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To: SJackson

This election is the last thing Abbas wants. He will explain that to Rice. Pressure on Israel will ease. Olmert will act tough and refuse to have Arabs voting in Jerusalem. There will be no election. Israel will be blamed Worldwide.

Win Win Win

Olmert owes one to Rice. Rice to get her pound of his flesh at another occasion.


34 posted on 01/09/2006 8:35:05 PM PST by Sabramerican
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To: NYTexan

You haven't a clue but don't let that stop you.


35 posted on 01/09/2006 8:36:37 PM PST by Sabramerican
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To: NYTexan
"Really? And how many more of our tax dollars would it take you ta change your mind?"

It's very doubtful that more tax dollars would help our obsessed, busy-body world of nations to conquer Israel permanently, but leaders can dream of such power.

[Plague of frogs croaking]

Bush and Sharon disagree over Israel's future
Wednesday June 27, 2001
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,513410,00.html

President Bush Calls for New Palestinian Leadership
The Rose Garden
June 24, 2002
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/06/20020624-3.html
"So I challenge Israel to take concrete steps to support the emergence of a viable, credible Palestinian state."
[. . .]
"The United States, the international donor community and the World Bank stand ready to work with Palestinians on a major project of economic reform and development. The United States, the EU, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund are willing to oversee reforms in Palestinian finances, encouraging transparency and independent auditing."

Quartet Joint Statement
Summary
July 16, 2002: Text of a joint statement issued by the "Quartet" (United Nations, Russian Federation, the United States and the European Union) following their meeting in New York
[Document behind the link.]
http://europa-eu-un.org/articles/sk/article_1489_sk.htm
"The new international Task Force on Reform, which is comprised of representatives of the U.S., EU, UN Secretary General, Russia, Japan, Norway, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and which works under the auspices of the Quartet, will strive to develop and implement a comprehensive action plan for reform."

Most Americans Support Right of Jews to Live and Build in Judea-Samaria
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/927783/posts
June 10, 2003
"By a margin of nearly five to one, Americans oppose the Bush administration's demand to halt all further Jewish construction in Judea-Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza . . . The poll, carried out by John McLaughlin & Associates, surveyed a scientific sample of 1,000 American adults on May 21, 2003.

Sharon presses Putin to drop UN resolution on road map
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1013908/posts
4 November 2003

Rice: Israel Must Withdraw from More than Gaza and Samaria
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1333354/posts
February 1, 2005
36 posted on 01/09/2006 8:37:38 PM PST by familyop ("The Romans and their Empire were but a bauble in comparison to the Jews." --President John Adams)
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To: NYTexan
They would already be wiped off the map without it!!!

Israel did not receive American foreign aid until the 1970's.

37 posted on 01/09/2006 8:38:32 PM PST by Alouette (Neocon Zionist Media Operative)
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To: Baraonda

God bless our president.

Not when Bush does this crap to Israel.


38 posted on 01/09/2006 8:39:27 PM PST by jwh_Denver (Meet the new year, same as the old year.)
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To: Sabramerican

Good luck with your position! :)


39 posted on 01/09/2006 8:39:38 PM PST by NYTexan (Where is MY Global Warming???)
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To: Sabramerican; SJackson

There seems to be a propensity for these countries to encourage the "extreme" groups to c'mon and join them for the elections...

Like Hamas in the Palestinian elections...

And, I saw yesterday...which got NO PLAY, that I saw...that the Prime Minister of Afghanistan, is inviting the TALIBAN, and even Mullah Omar...to come back and participate in their new government...incredible.

I guess, if it works, it would be genius, but, I have the opinion that once a terrorist, always a terrorist.


40 posted on 01/09/2006 8:41:33 PM PST by Txsleuth (Official Snow Flake! Merry Moosemuss, starting Monday)
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