Quartet to discuss Palestinian future
June 22, 2007
by Steven Erlanger
JERUSALEM: Diplomats from the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations plan to meet Tuesday in Jerusalem, a day after the Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, according to Israeli, Russian and UN officials.
Both meetings are scheduled to discuss the impact that the seizure of power in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, the radical Islamic group, will have on the region and the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
The four envoys from what is known as the Quartet, charged with promoting Middle East peace, will not be at the foreign-minister level, but will try to remain unified on their attitude toward Hamas. The United States and European Union classify Hamas as a terrorist organization and will not deal with it, while Russia does. Moscow, like Saudi Arabia, has been urging the Quartet to put a national unity government between Hamas and Fatah back together.
But Washington has thrown full support behind the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, of Fatah, and his naming of a new, non-Hamas emergency government in the West Bank. The Egyptian summit meeting will also support Abbas, and Israel is expected to offer to hand him back much of the Palestinian tax money it refused to pass on to a Hamas-led government.
Abbas has said he would not negotiate any longer with members of Hamas, whom he called "murderous terrorists" who attempted a coup and even tried to kill him, charges Hamas has repeatedly denied.
Israel separately said that it continued to evacuate badly wounded Palestinians from Gaza for medical treatment inside Israel and was delivering milk, animal feed, medical supplies and fuel oil to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, since the main crossing at Karni remains shut. Israel says the Palestinians have not organized the Karni crossing at their end; Hamas officials say they are prepared to do so, but Israel does not want to coordinate with them.
UN aid agencies said in Geneva on Friday that it was vital to reopen Karni, which can handle up to 200 trucks a day, to avoid a longer-term crisis. Kerem Shalom can only handle 15.
by Steven Erlanger
JERUSALEM: Diplomats from the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations plan to meet Tuesday in Jerusalem, a day after the Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, according to Israeli, Russian and UN officials.
Both meetings are scheduled to discuss the impact that the seizure of power in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, the radical Islamic group, will have on the region and the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
The four envoys from what is known as the Quartet, charged with promoting Middle East peace, will not be at the foreign-minister level, but will try to remain unified on their attitude toward Hamas. The United States and European Union classify Hamas as a terrorist organization and will not deal with it, while Russia does. Moscow, like Saudi Arabia, has been urging the Quartet to put a national unity government between Hamas and Fatah back together.
But Washington has thrown full support behind the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, of Fatah, and his naming of a new, non-Hamas emergency government in the West Bank. The Egyptian summit meeting will also support Abbas, and Israel is expected to offer to hand him back much of the Palestinian tax money it refused to pass on to a Hamas-led government.
Abbas has said he would not negotiate any longer with members of Hamas, whom he called "murderous terrorists" who attempted a coup and even tried to kill him, charges Hamas has repeatedly denied.
Israel separately said that it continued to evacuate badly wounded Palestinians from Gaza for medical treatment inside Israel and was delivering milk, animal feed, medical supplies and fuel oil to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, since the main crossing at Karni remains shut. Israel says the Palestinians have not organized the Karni crossing at their end; Hamas officials say they are prepared to do so, but Israel does not want to coordinate with them.
UN aid agencies said in Geneva on Friday that it was vital to reopen Karni, which can handle up to 200 trucks a day, to avoid a longer-term crisis. Kerem Shalom can only handle 15.
Labels: EU, Israel, Russia, United Nation, United States
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 12:39 AM
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