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Here We Go Again by Jo-ana D'Balcazar Oct 15, '03 / 19 Tishrei 5764 Unquestionably, the Arab-Israeli conflict, which goes back to biblical times, took a modern form since the partition of Palestine on November 27, 1947 by UN Resolution 181, and it appears a favorite topic for politicians. Since then, Arabs who first rejected the partition and Israelis who accepted it have been involved in constant battles with no real solution. The "peace" cycle continued after the failed 1993 Oslo Accords with the handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat, the fruitless 2002...

Oct. 15, 2003 Israel angered by Swiss sponsorship of "Geneva Initiative" By ASSOCIATED PRESS Israel's government is angered by Swiss sponsorship of an unofficial peace plan worked out between former Israeli and Palestinian politicians and veteran peace negotiators, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday. The still-unreleased 50-page document, worked out primarily under the sponsorship of Switzerland, has no official standing, but outlines a solution to generations of conflict and includes a map of a future Palestinian state alongside Israel. On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said the government was peeved at the Swiss, who helped fund the...

Oct. 15, 2003 Straw commends "courage" of Geneva Initiative negotiators By DOUGLAS DAVIS LONDON Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Photo: AP British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw yesterday praised the "courage" of Israeli and Palestinian "negotiators" who were involved in the Geneva Initiative. According to some media reports, British officials played a central behind-the-scenes role in drafting the "agreement," which would give Palestinians sovereignty over the Temple Mount while nullifying the Palestinians' right to return. Addressing parliament, Straw did not refer to Britain's involvement, but he said: "I commend the courage of all of those involved, especially Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed...

Oct. 13, 2003 Ministers steer clear of 'Geneva' deal By GRACE B. MCMILLAN Not a single minister in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cabinet is expected to support the Geneva Initiative hammered out over the weekend by a team of Israeli leftists and Palestinians in Amman. Former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, who initiated the plan, had expressed hope of attracting support from Shinui and Likud MKs. The two sides in Amman agreed to bring the deal to their governments for approval. But Shinui leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid released a statement criticizing the initiative and National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Partitzky, who considers...

Oct. 13, 2003 Riskin: Efrat to outlast Yossi Beilin By GIL HOFFMAN Residents of Efrat are not losing any sleep worrying about the Geneva Initiative, Efrat Chief Rabbi Shlomo Riskin said on Monday. The plan, hammered out by a group of Palestinians and Israeli leftists over the weekend, would leave the 8,000 resident Gush Etzion community outside the borders of the State of Israel as part of a final-status agreement. But Riskin said he does not expect the initiative of former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian Culture Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo to gain enough legitimacy to threaten Efrat....

A First Look at the Geneva (Swiss) Agreement 21:00 Oct 12, '03 / 16 Tishrei 5764 (IsraelNN.com) Senior government officials have released strong statements opposing today signing of the “Geneva/Swiss Agreement” in Amman. According to Giora Inbar, a retired IDF brigadier-general and one of the Israelis who participated in the ceremony, the agreement brings new hope to the area. He explained that he and his colleagues see a true willingness by the PA to work towards peace with Israel. He did not offer any explanations as to the past ten years of attacks since the signing of the Oslo Agreement,...

Oct. 9, 2003 Barak deplores leftists' 'Swiss Agreement' By TOVAH LAZAROFF AND GIL HOFFMAN Former Labor prime minister Ehud Barak has harshly criticized the "Swiss Agreement", an alternate peace agreement with the Palestinians penned by Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo. He called it "irresponsible and damaging to the State of Israel," Y-Net reported. He said that if the Labor Party wants to be taken seriously, it cannot be a party to such initiatives that "confuse both the public and our friends alike." A group of left-wing and Labor politicians left for Jordan on Thursday evening to sign the agreement....

Oct. 9, 2003 Report: Leftists, Palestinians near 'Swiss Agreement' By JPOST.COM STAFF Leftist Israelis and senior Palestinian officials are near a deal on a permanent settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute along the lines of discussions under way in the late days of the Clinton administration, the Hebrew website Ynet reported this morning. The negotiators, described as being from Israel's left and working with the knowledge of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, are scheduled to meet later this week in Jordan to finalize the reported breakthrough agreement, Ynet said. Labor Party sources told the Jerusalem Post the two prime drivers in this...