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Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. (AP)
Last update - 20:51 08/02/2008
Palestinian PM says he sees no peace accord with Israel in 2008
By Reuters and Haaretz Service

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday a lasting peace accord with Israel was unlikely in 2008 despite renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running conflict.

In an interview with Reuters in the Texas capital, Austin, where he is on a private visit, he highlighted the lack of progress on the issue of Israeli settlements and military incursions into the West Bank as among the chief obstacles in the "road map" to peace and Palestinian statehood.

"I do not believe, though, that the final resolution ... will be complete in the course of this year. I don't think that is likely," Fayyad said.
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On a trip to the Middle East last month, U.S. President George W. Bush said he believed a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians would be signed before he leaves office in January 2009.

The U.S. government will assess and judge whether Israel and the Palestinians are meeting their obligations under the 2003 road map as part of a push for a Palestinian statehood agreement before Bush leaves office.

In the interview, Fayyad said: "The short-term track is not moving as well as it needs to for the political process, for negotiations. In particular, the lack of an adequately firm commitment with regard to settlements," he said.

Israel has yet to fulfill its road map commitments to halt settlement activity and uproot outposts, but Israeli officials have said Palestinians have a long way to go to meet their security obligations under the road map.

Fayyad repeated his government's criticism of Israeli military incursions into West Bank towns like Nablus in pursuit of Palestinian militants, saying such actions undermined its own efforts to impose law and order.

"Our efforts are undermined, our credibility is undermined particularly in areas where we have made progress," he said.

Palestinian forces last year began executing a plan devised by Fayyad's Western-backed government to crack down on armed militias.

Israel fears any West Bank areas it hands over to the Palestinians could, like the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, be used by militants as launching points for rocket attacks on Israeli towns.

International Middle East envoy Tony Blair said Thursday that Palestinian security forces had significantly improved and were starting to carry out their part in a long-stalled road map peace plan.

Fayyad said militias linked to the militant Palestinian group Hamas and others were also not helping matters for his embattled government.

Asked if his government wanted them to disarm, he said: "Yes, of course. All militias. Hamas and everyone else."

Hamas rejects cease-fire proposal
Hamas has rejected a proposal put forth by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to broker a cease-fire between the Islamist group and Israel.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum described the proposal as "an extortion attempt" and said that Abbas allows Israel to continue its "massacre."

In Ramallah, the Palestinian Liberation Organization executive committee called on Israel to stop "operations of killing and destruction ... including aggression against houses and schools" and also issued a statement expressing its opposition to rocket fire on Israel and other attacks on Israeli civilians. It said the violence hurt the Palestinian cause.

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      1.   we let terrorrists into the US?? 07:56  |  vik 08/02/08
      2.   End the qassams and the terror... 08:07  |  MarkC 08/02/08
      3.   If you want peace, find a "tool" for peace to gain Israels attn 08:09  |  Natallie Durson 08/02/08
      4.   Is peace more than just a nice dream ? 08:34  |  Malka Ziv 08/02/08
      5.   did he tell george and condi its hopeless? 08:49  |  v hardman 08/02/08
      6.   youre right mr fayyad... 09:02  |  ravi 08/02/08
      7.   not that palestinians ever contribute to peace 09:12  |  matt 08/02/08
      8.   Peace? Get a little threat parity, then come talk to me 09:24  |  Natallie Durson 08/02/08
      9.   OH, REALLY? 09:28  |  indrajaya 08/02/08
      10.   TO TALK ABOUT THE SO-CALLED LEADERS IS WASTING TIME 09:29  |  ... 08/02/08
      11.   Fayyad is An American Citizen 09:36  |  Palestinian 08/02/08
      12.   premonition 10:48  |  scanadu 08/02/08
      13.   #4 It might seem that way 10:51  |  Outsider 08/02/08
      14.   Haaretz need to stop pussyfooting around. `Isr fears`, ISR KNOWS 10:57  |  Pavel 08/02/08
      15.   ravi - you are so wrong it is not funny 11:00  |  Avi 08/02/08
      16.   THERE WILL NEVER BE PEACE 11:01  |  indrajaya 08/02/08
      17.   Anti-peace Israelis 11:03  |  Minda 08/02/08
      18.   peace accord 11:10  |  Ralph 08/02/08
      19.   MRS. RICE LIED ! NO NEW MIDDLE EAST, ITS SAME. 11:16  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 08/02/08
      20.   SO YOU DO RECOGNIZE PALESTINE, HAARETZ ! 11:21  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 08/02/08
      21.   I MADE A DECISION HAARETZ 11:24  |  ... 08/02/08
      22.   It`s never felt like a "peace process" 11:27  |  Sam 08/02/08
      23.   this Jewish left winger wholeheartedly supports thesettlements 11:48  |  George 08/02/08
      24.   THAN YOUR HATE LIVES DEAR İNDJAYA 11:52  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 08/02/08
      25.   No peace until the Hamas Factor is settled. 12:02  |  Stephen. 08/02/08
      26.   MY BABY HAARETZ ! I LOVE YOU, YOU ARE MY ANGLE 12:15  |  ... 08/02/08
      27.   # 16, ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 12:25  |  indrajaya 08/02/08
      28.   The "Rape" Israel Mob Rattling Inside The Cage, A Vice Called Pal 12:27  |  Joseph . E 08/02/08
      29.   "unlikely" 12:29  |  justajew 08/02/08
      30.   Peace is not in Israels interest 12:30  |  Natallie Durson 08/02/08
      31.   Same as Abbas so is Fayyad a Terrorist in Suit 12:33  |  Joseph . E 08/02/08
      32.   ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!! 12:48  |  MJ 08/02/08
      33.   No peace accord w/Israel in 2008? 13:20  |  Walter 08/02/08
      34.   West Bank expansion 13:40  |  Sam 08/02/08
      35.   Reply to No. 1 13:52  |  Jackie 08/02/08
      36.   q. arises h. bush/blair/olmert/abbas known 14:02  |  bozhidarevski bob 08/02/08
      37.   What a boomerang! The settlements are as thorns to our enemies . 14:21  |  Joseph . E 08/02/08
      38.   More Harm than Good 14:43  |  Dorothy 08/02/08
      39.   Peace starts where terror ends. 14:49  |  Steven 08/02/08
      40.   Pals don;t want peace 15:00  |  Hilda 08/02/08
      41.   Wow, amazing discovery 15:03  |  El-Birawi 08/02/08
      42.   NO PEACE WITH ISRAEL ...EVER 15:14  |  TripleJump 08/02/08
      43.   22 nations isnt enough ? 15:15  |  alan 08/02/08
      44.   Peace Not Possible in 2008 15:22  |  Yaakov Sullivan 08/02/08
      45.   Furthermore, who is it that wants to continue 15:29  |  Yaakov Sullivan 08/02/08
      46.   San, that position is blinding you 15:34  |  Yaakov Sullivan 08/02/08
      47.   Not quite George, not quite 15:41  |  Yaakov Sullivan 08/02/08
      48.   Well Israel doesn`t want peace 15:45  |  Stephen Murray 08/02/08
      49.   cant wait for the daily 16:17  |  sam i am 08/02/08
      50.   Tests of Israeli seriousness 16:20  |  Tosefta 08/02/08
      51.   MJ from Nowhere #32 16:40  |  Yaakov Sullivan 08/02/08
      52.   No peace possible with incitement and kassams 16:48  |  David 08/02/08
      53.   Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Pals = CHAOS 16:57  |  maurice 08/02/08
      54.   inrijaya the ignorant , arab masses, thieves 17:01  |  charro 08/02/08
      55.   He just noticed that? 17:05  |  Mary 08/02/08
      56.   Natallie Durson,tell us about "HONOR KILLING" 17:13  |  Vlad 08/02/08
      57.   Reply to Yaakov Sullivan in New York City 17:14  |  Johnny Weintraub 08/02/08
      58.   Natallie Durson,how many Arab democracies there are in the World? 17:15  |  Vlad 08/02/08
      59.   Present State of Affairs 17:45  |  Yaakov Sullivan 08/02/08
      60.   15...avi...just say it 17:48  |  ravi 08/02/08
      61.   "we love peace" 17:51  |  Vlad 08/02/08
      62.   There was never a Lasting Peace Deal. 17:53  |  The Archives 08/02/08
      63.   NATALLIE DURSON-Peace is not in her interest 18:15  |  io 08/02/08
      64.   Remove Illegal outposts first 18:16  |  Benny 08/02/08
      65.   Yaakov- "They (Pals) have recognized Israel" 18:24  |  Sam 08/02/08
      66.   Yaakov Sullivan 18:38  |  Alan M 08/02/08
      67.   What? Awww. How disappointing. 18:51  |  Gideon Reader 08/02/08
      68.   Would s-body please explain what this "peace" would entail? 18:52  |  AliciaYasmeen 08/02/08
      69.   Yaakov 18:57  |  Robert 08/02/08
      70.   HA HA; Peace deal unlikely EVER 19:09  |  FACT CHECKER 08/02/08
      71.   Further, Robert, your claim that 80-90% 19:25  |  Yaakov Sullivan