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.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
UNSCHEDULED VISIT: ‘It’s a very bulky new neighbor, but it will soon go away,’ said Johan Helberg of the 135m container ship that run aground near his house A man in Norway awoke early on Thursday to discover a huge container ship had run aground a stone’s throw from his fjord-side house — and he had slept through the commotion. For an as-yet unknown reason, the 135m NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just meters from Johan Helberg’s house in a fjord near Trondheim in central Norway. Helberg only discovered the unexpected visitor when a panicked neighbor who had rung his doorbell repeatedly to no avail gave up and called him on the phone. “The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don’t like to open,” Helberg told television
RSS