Egypt Calls 4-Nation Summit on Palestine
RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY, 22 June 2007 — Egypt yesterday called a four-way summit to discuss Palestine. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Jordan’s King Abdallah to attend the summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday, Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the PLO’s executive committee, said here yesterday.
A day after the summit, Mubarak is to hold talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a press statement later that the summit would discuss the situation in the region after the military takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas and was aimed at bolstering Abbas and newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Sources in Olmert’s office confirmed that Israel had agreed to take part in the summit. According to the sources, Olmert intends to bring to the summit Washington’s views on the situation in Gaza and the new Palestinian government. He hopes, said the sources, the meeting with the Jordanian and Egyptian leaders would help cement the new Palestinian regime in Ramallah as a viable partner in the peace process.
Israelis are split on their government’s decision to support Abbas in his trial of strength with Hamas. Asked: “Should Israel come to the help of Mahmoud Abbas in Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank)?” 47 percent of respondents said yes, while 38 percent said no.
The difference was only twice the 4.5 percentage point margin of error given by the pollsters.
Egypt has strong domestic security concerns over Hamas’ rule in neighboring Gaza. It fears its power there will boost the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s strongest opposition movement, which is close to Hamas. It also fears Gaza could become a stronghold for Iranian influence in the region.
In a speech Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit blamed Iran for the Gaza takeover, saying, “Iranian moves encouraged Hamas to do what it did in Gaza, which is threatening Egypt’s national security because Gaza is on the border of Egypt.”
“This requires Cairo to impose restrictions over the progress of its relations with Tehran,” Aboul Gheit said, according to Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Youm. “Iran is trying to assemble all the cards in its hands to have an influence over Arab issues.”
The PLO yesterday threw its full support behind Abbas, backing his decision to fire Hamas militants from the government and form a new Cabinet, a senior member of a top PLO body said.
It also recommended dissolving all Palestinian militias, which would include not only Hamas’ Executive Force, but also the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades of Fatah.
Hamas rejected the PLO’s rulings as “illegal and not legitimate.”
Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a press statement later that the summit would discuss the situation in the region after the military takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas and was aimed at bolstering Abbas and newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Sources in Olmert’s office confirmed that Israel had agreed to take part in the summit. According to the sources, Olmert intends to bring to the summit Washington’s views on the situation in Gaza and the new Palestinian government. He hopes, said the sources, the meeting with the Jordanian and Egyptian leaders would help cement the new Palestinian regime in Ramallah as a viable partner in the peace process.
Israelis are split on their government’s decision to support Abbas in his trial of strength with Hamas. Asked: “Should Israel come to the help of Mahmoud Abbas in Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank)?” 47 percent of respondents said yes, while 38 percent said no.
The difference was only twice the 4.5 percentage point margin of error given by the pollsters.
Egypt has strong domestic security concerns over Hamas’ rule in neighboring Gaza. It fears its power there will boost the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s strongest opposition movement, which is close to Hamas. It also fears Gaza could become a stronghold for Iranian influence in the region.
In a speech Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit blamed Iran for the Gaza takeover, saying, “Iranian moves encouraged Hamas to do what it did in Gaza, which is threatening Egypt’s national security because Gaza is on the border of Egypt.”
“This requires Cairo to impose restrictions over the progress of its relations with Tehran,” Aboul Gheit said, according to Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Youm. “Iran is trying to assemble all the cards in its hands to have an influence over Arab issues.”
The PLO yesterday threw its full support behind Abbas, backing his decision to fire Hamas militants from the government and form a new Cabinet, a senior member of a top PLO body said.
It also recommended dissolving all Palestinian militias, which would include not only Hamas’ Executive Force, but also the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades of Fatah.
Hamas rejected the PLO’s rulings as “illegal and not legitimate.”
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 6:30 PM
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