Palestinian and Israeli leaders talked about the need for peace after President Yasser Arafat swore in the Cabinet he wanted, ending a two-month internal stalemate that had stymied contacts over an end to three years of violence and progress along the US-backed "road map" plan.
The Palestinian parliament approved Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's new Cabinet on Wednesday by a vote of 48 to 13 with five abstentions, after a two-month vacuum that followed the resignation of the first premier, Mahmoud Abbas, on Sept. 6.
PHOTO: EPA
In another development, a Palestinian was sent from the West Bank to Gaza by the military. Moshref Bethor arrived in Gaza early yesterday, Palestinians said, the second to be expelled this week. Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was not among 18 who recently received expulsion orders but had agreed to go to Gaza for two years instead of serving time in jail.
But Bethor said he had no idea he was being taken to Gaza. He said he thought he was being taken to a different detention facility for further questioning.
Qureia and Arafat, addressing parliament before the vote, blamed Israel for three years of violence, but both called for an end to the bloodshed.
Arafat appealed directly to the Israelis.
"The time has come between us and you ... to get out of this cycle of destructive war ... the last three years of this destructive war are enough," he said.
Qureia called for implementation of the "road map" plan, which calls for a halt to violence and leads through three stages to a Palestinian state in 2005, requiring the Palestinians to dismantle violent groups and the Israelis to halt settlement construction in the West Bank -- steps neither has taken.
"We call on both sides to stop targeting civilians and work to bring about a mutual ceasefire with clear and agreed upon terms," Qureia said. "Let's help each other stop this cycle of hell."
Speaking to Canadian fund-raisers Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not refer directly to the new Palestinian Cabinet, but he repeated his peace offer.
"We are prepared to make painful compromises for the sake of real peace," he said, but ruled out compromises over security issues. He did not elaborate.
Arafat's presence as the power behind the Qureia government troubled both Israel and the US. They had called for sidelining Arafat and turning authority over to Qureia and his government, but Arafat retained control.
However, the Israelis were not quick to write off prospects of accommodation with the new Palestinian team, possibly reflecting public impatience with the Sharon's government's inability to restore calm.
"If the new Palestinian government is serious about pursuing peace and takes action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, they will find Israel to be a real partner," said Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
Raanan Gissin, Sharon's spokesman, urged Qureia to bring a halt to militant attacks on Israelis and consolidate the security forces under one authority.
"We're prepared to give Ahmed Qureia a grace period and judge him by the results," Gissin said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese