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[postfundie]

Execution style killings, Hamas fighters overtake Fatah's offices, and the Guardian will Run the following article as the top story on it's web page.........





Secret UN report condemns US for Middle East failures


Envoy's damning verdict revealed as violence takes Gaza closer to civil war

Read Alvaro de Soto's end of mission report

Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem and Ian Williams in New York
Wednesday June 13, 2007
The Guardian


The highest ranking UN official in Israel has warned that American pressure has "pummelled into submission" the UN's role as an impartial Middle East negotiator in a damning confidential report.
The 53-page "End of Mission Report" by Alvaro de Soto, the UN's Middle East envoy, obtained by the Guardian, presents a devastating account of failed diplomacy and condemns the sweeping boycott of the Palestinian government. It is dated May 5 this year, just before Mr de Soto stepped down.

The revelations from inside the UN come after another day of escalating violence in Gaza, when at least 26 Palestinians were killed after Hamas fighters launched a major assault. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the rival Fatah group, warned he was facing an attempted coup.

Mr de Soto condemns Israel for setting unachievable preconditions for talks and the Palestinians for their violence. Western-led peace negotiations have become largely irrelevant, he says.

Mr de Soto is a Peruvian diplomat who worked for the UN for 25 years in El Salvador, Cyprus and Western Sahara. He says:

� The international boycott of the Palestinians, introduced after Hamas won elections last year, was "at best extremely short-sighted" and had "devastating consequences" for the Palestinian people

� Israel has adopted an "essentially rejectionist" stance towards the Palestinians

� The Quartet of Middle East negotiators - the US, the EU, Russia and the UN - has become a "side-show"

�The Palestinian record of stopping violence against Israel is "patchy at best, reprehensible at worst"

Mr de Soto acknowledges in the report that he is its sole author. It was meant only for senior UN officials, and its wording is far more critical than the public pronouncements of UN diplomats. Last night, Mr de Soto, who is in New York, told the Guardian: "It is a confidential document and not intended for publication."

In January last year, the Quartet called on the newly elected Hamas government to commit to non-violence, recognise Israel and accept previous agreements. When Hamas refused to sign up to the principles, the international community halted direct funding to the Palestinian government and Israel started to freeze the monthly tax revenues that it had agreed to pass to the Palestinians. Several hundred million dollars remain frozen.

Mr de Soto, who had opposed the boycott, said this position "effectively transformed the Quartet from a negotiation-promoting foursome guided by a common document [the road map for peace] into a body that was all-but imposing sanctions on a freely elected government of a people under occupation as well as setting unattainable preconditions for dialogue".

The EU said yesterday that there was an imminent risk of civil war if fighting went on, and UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon urged support for Mr Abbas's efforts "to restore law and order".

In the heaviest day of fighting in Gaza for months, Hamas appeared to make its first concerted effort to seize power in Gaza. There was a wave of co-ordinated attacks, which appeared to overwhelm the larger but less effective Fatah force. "Decisiveness will be in the field," said Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing.

Fatah's central committee called an emergency meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and said it would suspend the activities of its ministers in the government. Fatah would pull out of the government if the fighting failed to stop, it said.

For the first time in several weeks, fighting spread to the West Bank when Fatah gunmen attacked a Hamas television studio in Ramallah and kidnapped a Hamas deputy cabinet minister from the city.

The day began with a rocket attack on the private house in Gaza of Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister and a Hamas leader. He was in the building but was not hurt. Fighting spread across Gaza City and within hours Hamas fighters issued warnings over loudspeakers calling on all Fatah security forces to pull out of their bases and return home. At about 2pm Hamas gunmen seized control of several small Fatah bases and one large base in northern Gaza, where there were heavy casualties when Hamas fighters fired mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at the compound.

Several Fatah officers complained that they had received no orders during the day. Mr Abbas tried calling for a truce, and later Fatah ordered its officers to fight back



http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2101677,00.html

[My 2 Cent]

DeSoto is a fairly respected diplomat, and its seems he has a logicical conclusion that Israel and Western powers set unrealistic and unattainable goals for Palestanians leaving them to suffering a humanitarian disaster, no rights to work education basic human rights, or any prospects for negoiation to improve matters. Even before the democratic election of Hamas, western powers like the US did nothing except set pre-conditions for negoation with the now lamented 'moderates'.

Israel is not interested in peace, and the guardian is right report of deSuto's claims. The palestine nation is now at war. Tongiht Israel is making offers to the PLO to transport its soldiers to fight in Gaza. Israel's heavy hand has finally got a defacto hamas islamic state on its borders (israel was the one who sponsored the rise of hamas in gaza after 1987) - Israel may have left it too late to save Fatah, but this civil war weakens if not destroys the hopes for a unified Palestinian nation so its not all bad from the Israeli prespective.

its taken a full forty years, but it seems the occupation has finally broken and shattered palestine.

[EFLtrainer]

Your thread title is extremely misleading, unless it was sarcastic/satirical. The article seems to be even-handed and, more importantly, accurate.

What, exactly, is the problem?

[freethought]

[postfundie]

[cbclark4]

Assistance vs. meddling.

The tragedies.

Darfur do something do nothing?

Bosnia right thing wrong thing?

Is Lebanon Syria?

Is Gaza Hamas?

Is Hamas Palestine?

Where is Jordan?

Where is God?

cbc

[khyber]

cbc...you're posts have become very poetic.
I like.

[cosmo]

[EFLtrainer]

There once were two peoples making war
Just what in the hell was it all for?
For cousins were they
Although I should say
Not unlike the Hatfields and McCoys

So, they lived and they loved and they died.
Yes, so many on every side.
They all cried out, "Mine!
This land is not thine!"
And killed several more with great pride.

Where and how will this war ever end?
If neither side is willing to bend?
It won't, I am sure,
While powers endure
and means are justified by the ends.

[contrarian]

In the Israeli / Palestinian conflict the UN chose sides along time ago. The actual workers tend to be a buch of whining do-gooders. Yes I am a Zionist but I just cab't tolerate the intellectual dishonesty that abounds.

For some reason the Palestinians can be forgiven for starting war after war and Israel is somehow the bad guy for winning the wars. Ludicrouse

[EFLtrainer]

Contrarian, you've got a serious problem with your stance: in this conflict, Israel is every bit the terrorist that the Palestinians are. The evidence, for example, on the US ship they attacked is irrefutable at this point. We have direct quotes from leaders of Israel stating they intentionally provoked hostilities from Palestinians.... etc., etc.

Because these things are more widely known now, people not looking to support an agenda are looking at Israel more critically. It is dishonest, by the way, to conflate critique of Israel's policies with support for suicide bombers. But, seriously, just how much is there to say about that that wasn't said twenty years ago?

1st Bombing: "That's horrible!"

2nd Bombing: "That's horrible!"

....


....


....

1,200th bombing: "uh... ditto."

So, yeah, Israel is FINALLY getting some bad press, and rightfully so. Hell, for decades I was a staunch supporter of Israel vs. the Palestinians/Arabs. I didn't even question there was anything to question about the issue. History, true history, can be eye-opening.

[My 2 Cent]

[contrarian]

Prior to 1948, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Hitler's "friend" advocates drinving the Jews into the sea and exterminating them. He gets help from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordon as a couple of hundred ex SS mercenaries.

They were awarded well over half, of waht is now Israel and the West Bank. But they went to war and lost

In 1956 the Israelis took the Sinia and then gave it back when the US objected - whereby Eisenhower sold out the Frenchm Israelis, Brits and the Hungarians - all in about one month.

1967 Egypt, Jordan and Syria decide and the Palestinians decide on a new final solution for the Jews. Drive them into the sea and exterminate them.

They lost again, big time.

1973 the Egyptians attacked to take back the Sinia and get their butts handed to them. The get is all back when the make peace with the Israelis. Israel had the chance but did not wipe out an Egyptian Army of 250,000.

Your comments on the attacks one the Liberty are, as usual simple bull pucky. Enough said.

Suicide bombing on non military targets is a truly evil thing concieved of and supported by an agressive and nasty religion. You need to learn some hostory, not to revise it.

[EFLtrainer]

[Summer Wine]

You have to give it to the Israeli's they have pretty huge balls.