Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in as Palestinian Authority president yesterday and started his job with two crises: Israel cut contacts with him until he reins in militants and two top election officials resigned amid allegations of irregularities in the vote that brought Abbas to power.
In the Gaza Strip, six Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in two separate incidents yesterday, two days after Palestinian militants killed six Israeli civilians at a Gaza cargo crossing. The renewed violence dampened expectations -- that had been fanned by the election victory of the moderate Abbas -- that the two sides could break out of their deadlock after more than four years of fighting.
PHOTO: EPA
In his inaugural speech in Ramallah, Abbas said he extends his hand in peace to Israel, called for a cease-fire and said he was committed to the US-backed "road map" peace plan.
However, he made no direct mention of how he would deal with the militants -- the most pressing item on his agenda. Abbas only said he would enforce the rule of law and "deepen the dialogue" with various Palestinian factions, an apparent reference to his attempt to negotiate with militants.
Abbas did not refer to Israel's decision to suspend contacts until he takes action against the armed groups. Israel announced the boycott Friday, in response to the attack on the Gaza crossing, with one Israeli official saying the gunmen had apparently set out from a Palestinian Authority base.
Israeli officials welcomed Abbas' call to end violence, but said he must now translate that into action.
Abbas struck a largely conciliatory tone yesterday, saying Israelis and Palestinians are "destined to live side by side and to share this land." He condemned all violence, including the Gaza attack.
He called on Israel to halt military operations, including targeted killings of wanted Palestinians.
"We are seeking a mutual cease-fire to end this cycle of violence," he said.
He said the Palestinians are ready to meet their obligations spelled out in the road map, and that Israel must do the same, including halting Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and Gaza.
However, the road map also calls on the Palestinians to disarm militants, a step Abbas is unwilling to take. He has said he would try to persuade, but not coerce, the armed groups to halt attacks. After the Gaza crossing attack, Israel warned that Abbas is quickly running out of time.
In new violence yesterday, six Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire.
Near the Gaza-Egypt border, an Israeli tank fired shells and machine guns, killing two Palestinians and wounding 10. Among the injured were four children under the age of 16, two of them in critical condition, hospital officials said. The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear.
In Gaza City, Israeli troops moved into a neighborhood to stop what the army said was Palestinian rocket fire on the nearby Jewish settlement of Netzarim. Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, witnesses said. The army said troops shot at militants who fired anti-tank rockets.
Militant groups sent mixed messages in reaction to Abbas' speech, saying they reserve the right to continue attacks, but also that they believe they can reach a deal with the new Palestinian leader. Members of militant groups have suggested that a truce is possible if Israel guarantees it will halt military operations.
"Regarding the issue of resistance, it will continue until the Israeli attacks come to an end and its army gets off our land," said a spokesman for the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent group with ties to Abbas' Fatah movement. The spokesman only gave his name as Abu Mohammed.
Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said Abbas offered an olive branch to the Israelis.
"I hope they will have listened carefully and they will reconsider their position and come back to the negotiating table," Erekat told reporters in Ramallah.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, praised Abbas' call to end violence.
"But of course Israel waits for that statement to be implemented as policy," Regev said. "We understand that he can't do everything on day one, but we hope he will start."
Abbas, meanwhile, suffered another blow when two top election officials resigned yesterday, over allegations of voting irregularities in the Jan. 9 presidential vote that brought Abbas to power.
The officials, Ammar Dwaik and Baha al-Bakri, said they had been pressured by Abbas' campaign on election day to abruptly change voting procedures.
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Tsunami waves were possible in three areas of Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Services said yesterday after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the nearby Kuril Islands. “The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, after the latest seismic activity in the area. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System in Hawaii said there was no tsunami warning after the quake. The Russian tsunami alert was later canceled. Overnight, the Krasheninnikov volcano in Kamchatka erupted for the first time in 600 years, Russia’s RIA
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
RSS