Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., March 16, 2008 Adar2 10, 5768 | | Israel Time: 11:34 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (Daniel Bar-On / Jini)
Last update - 22:23 13/03/2008
Abbas accuses Israel of committing 'ethnic cleansing' in Jerusalem
By News Agencies
Tags: United Nations, Iran 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" in Arab East Jerusalem by banning the building of Palestinian homes and cutting the city off from the occupied West Bank.

Abbas told a summit of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), being held in Senegal's capital Dakar, the success of U.S.-brokered peace talks depended on Israel showing willingness to live up to the spirit of the process.

"Our people in the city [Jerusalem] are facing an ethnic cleansing campaign through a set of Israeli decisions such as imposing heavy taxes, banning construction and closing Palestinian institutions in addition to separating the city from the West Bank by the racist separation wall," Abbas said.
Advertisement
"What is taking place on the ground today is in total violation of [the peace process]," he said.

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned Abbas' comments as inflammatory.

The future of Jerusalem, which Israel regards as its "complete and united capital" in a claim that has not been recognized internationally, is one of the most divisive issues facing Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.

Peace talks between Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faltered late last year after Israel announced plans to build hundreds of new homes in and around East Jerusalem.

Israel says the construction is within areas it intends to keep in any future peace deal with the Palestinians. It defends its construction of the West Bank barrier by saying it protects Israel from attackers, but the International Court of Justice has termed the project illegal.

Commenting on Abbas' remarks, Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said "the peace process faces many obstacles and leadership should not be contributing to those obstacles through inflammatory statements."

Israel, Regev said, "is committed to a historic reconciliation with the Palestinian people, the government of the Palestinian Authority is our partner in that process and we have to work to build confidence and trust".


The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state and fear Israel's building of settlements is an attempt to dilute their presence in the city and cut them off from the West Bank.

Palestinians in East Jerusalem complain of having to go through elaborate bureaucratic processes to get a building permit and some believe the rules are meant to force them to leave the city.

Livni: Israel to halt West Bank settlement activities

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday characterized the expansion of West Bank settlements as "unhelpful" and said Israel had decided to stop settlement activities.

Israel's plan to build hundreds of homes in an existing settlement outside Jerusalem - announced after a Palestinian gunman killed eight Israelis at a religious seminary last week - has sparked an international outcry that was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday.

In an apparent bid to ease pressure from Israel on the issue that has threatened to derail fragile peace talks, Livni told students at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts: "It's not the Israeli government policy to expand settlements these days."

Livni characterized the planned construction as private building and "not dramatic."

"Basically, I don't think that it helps," Livni said. "We decided to stop settlement activities."

She added that Israel would "need to dismantle more settlements" under a peace deal for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that U.S. President George W. Bush has said he hoped to see before he leaves office in 2009.

Livni said Israel's 2005 troop pullout from the Gaza Strip, which removed some 8,000 Jewish settlers, was a signal Israel would eliminate more controversial enclaves for peace.

She also seemed to rule out any plan by Israel to recapture Gaza despite the latest border tensions, saying: "Israel left the Gaza Strip not in order to come back."

Livni, who has headed Israeli negotiations with the Palestinians since talks were jump-started by a U.S.-brokered November summit, said, "time is of the essence" for reaching a peace deal, as militants gained ground in the region.

She said Israel needed little world involvement in mediating a peace deal, and hoped moderate Israelis and Palestinians were determined enough to do so on their own.

"I believe there is hope, I believe there is opportunity," said Livni. "I know the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the sexiest conflict in the world and everyone wants to be involved," said Livni, who visited Washington earlier in the week. "I think the world should leave it to us. There is no need to push us. It is about our lives."

FM: Tighten pressure on Iran

Earlier Wednesday, Livni urged the international community to tighten pressure, including economic sanctions, on Iran to halt its nuclear program and said: "The clock is ticking."

"We must increase the pressure on the Iranian leadership now if we want to avoid difficult dilemmas in the future," Livni said in a speech to Massachusetts state lawmakers after a visit to Washington this week.

"The United Nations and the international community at large have recognized that economic sanctions, especially on Iran's energy sector, are the best means to pursue Iran to change its dangerous course," she said.

The West accuses Tehran of following a program that could lead to nuclear weapons but Iran insists its development is for peaceful power generation only.

Livni said there were plenty of ways to put pressure on Iran but said: "The clock is ticking."

The UN Security Council last week imposed more sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend nuclear enrichment and other sensitive activities. Western analysts doubt they will deter Tehran from its nuclear program.

"There are many who would like to see the flames of fire in the Middle East grow higher," Livni said in Boston.

"When the Iranian regime denies the Holocaust, furthers the destruction of a fellow state, supports terror and violence while pursuing a nuclear weapon, it must be stopped," she said to applause from the Massachusetts lawmakers.

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has questioned whether the Holocaust took place.

"We are determined to continue our quest to reach peace with those of the Palestinian side who ... have embraced as we have the vision of two states for two peoples," Livni said.

  • EU: Iran's remarks against Israel 'unacceptable, uncivilised'
  • PM on Japan visit calls for tougher Iran sanctions in wake of IAEA report
  • Ahmadinejad tells West: Accept Israel's 'imminent collapse'
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Not even for Natalie
    A Haredi actor quits Natalie Portman's latest film due to rabbis' protests.
    Al-Jazeera boycott
    Al-Jazeera slams Israeli boycott as attack on free expression.
      1.   tick tick tick goodbye mullah junta 22:01  |  frenz 12/03/08
      2.   Not what Peres said yesterday 22:38  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/03/08
      3.   Tick On Clock!! 22:50  |  Cool B 12/03/08
      4.   First, let Israel come clean about its nuclear program 23:12  |  Natallie Durson 12/03/08
      5.   Give it a rest, Livni 23:33  |  Clickfool 12/03/08
      6.   Iran`s dirty game 23:43  |  ScotGuy 12/03/08
      7.   Clock 23:57  |  Firefighter 12/03/08
      8.   Send your own son to fight Iran, Livni! 01:12  |  Lee Kaplan 13/03/08
      9.   Forget about Iran and look inside 01:27  |  Fred 13/03/08
      10.   Wanted: Someone to do Israel`s dirtywork 01:49  |  gearoid 13/03/08
      11.   9 Fred,quite right! The geopolitics of the region have changed& 02:17  |  lakshmi 13/03/08
      12.   Let Livni and posters talk of sanctions 02:39  |  Fortuna Benmayor 13/03/08
      13.   FIGHT YOUR OWN DAMN WAR! 03:44  |  Pablo B 13/03/08
      14.   Clearly the Bush Junta`s removal of Fallon 04:35  |  Mark Lincoln 13/03/08
      15.   Natallie Durson 04:38  |  Yosemite 13/03/08
      16.   If Israel starts a war with Iran 05:03  |  Harold 13/03/08
      17.   # 13 Yosemite - In case you hadn`t noticed 06:44  |  Natallie Durson 13/03/08
      18.   HUUUU..WE"RE SCARED TO DEATH, LIVNI 07:08  |  indrajaya 13/03/08
      19.   building not helpful 07:17  |  rm 13/03/08
      20.   First calling for international condemnations, 07:49  |  Kris Lazar 13/03/08
      21.   We should put right the truth. 08:21  |  Jean Van Daem 13/03/08
      22.   Israel Doesn`t Need the US To Defend It 08:34  |  Dave Levy 13/03/08
      23.   Re Natallie#4 08:50  |  Esther 13/03/08
      24.   Nonsense: We WILL Continue To Build Here In OUR Land 08:53  |  Yishai Kohen 13/03/08
      25.   Then wouldn`t that make targeting civilins legit 09:09  |  Tupac 13/03/08
      26.   Yosemite: Were you eating popcorn watching CNN on 9/11 09:19  |  Tupac 13/03/08
      27.   But let`s not talk about the 750 new homes outside Jerusalem 09:27  |  Clickfool 13/03/08
      28.   Nuclear program never threatened anyone, Natalie 09:38  |  SLAVO 13/03/08
      29.   Settlemets 09:39  |  HAPPYSETTLER 13/03/08
      30.   A BUSTED LIAR 09:48  |  indrajaya 13/03/08
      31.   For Harold # 14 09:56  |  Clickfool 13/03/08
      32.   Sexiest FM 10:00  |  Charlie 13/03/08
      33.   she is delusional 10:14  |  aj 13/03/08
      34.   Livni is a liar: Jerusalem is part of the West Bank 10:15  |  Sami 13/03/08
      35.   Livni lies 10:38  |  Ana 13/03/08
      36.   Jerusalem, the undivided capital of Israel. 10:39  |  Wise Saba 13/03/08
      37.   The Settments Enterprise`s Demise is Just a Matter of Time 10:39  |  Mr. Know-it-all 13/03/08
      38.   For Wise Saba # 34 10:55  |  Clickfool 13/03/08
      39.   TO ej 10:56  |  Omar 13/03/08
      40.   easy promises 11:02  |  rm 13/03/08
      41.   #36 Clickingfool 11:17  |  Wise Saba 13/03/08
      42.   Jeremiah 31 11:43  |  American Christian 13/03/08
      43.   No End To The B-S 11:47  |  MB 13/03/08
      44.   God didn`t say it would be easy 11:47  |  American Christian 13/03/08
      45.   8 Lee - Silly and Untrue 11:49  |  S Judah 13/03/08
      46.   # 23 - Esther .. I have no clue what yuo are saying here 11:57  |  Natallie Durson 13/03/08
      47.   Joke 11:57  |  Abe 13/03/08
      48.   Nehemiah vs. the Arabians 11:58  |  American Christian 13/03/08
      49.   Nehemiah didn`t have peace talks 12:02  |  American Christian 13/03/08
      50.   The State of Israel 12:08  |  American Christian 13/03/08
      51.   to STUPID SABA 12:16  |  Omar 13/03/08
      52.   The Promised Land to the Jewish People. All of it. G-d never ever 12:25  |  Jules 13/03/08
      53.   Durson Muslims lead all groups in terror and 12:27  |  Lynn 13/03/08
      54.   # 25 Tupac....not hardly legit or right 12:30  |  Lynn 13/03/08
      55.   Livni in La-La Land 12:36  |  MacBeth 13/03/08
      56.   Livni is a liar, just like Olmert 12:38  |  peacelover 13/03/08
      57.   Fair game 12:38  |  Salem 13/03/08
      58.   if this is a lie, will you resign Livni girl ? 12:41  |  mehmet 13/03/08
      59.   Kris Lazar #20 12:44  |  ulf 13/03/08
      60.   # 57, SALEM 12:45  |  indrajaya 13/03/08
      61.   The Leftists buckle under pressure 12:49  |  Brod 13/03/08
      62.   # 51 Omar the Towel Head 13:00  |  Wise Saba 13/03/08
      63.   for CLICKFOOL 13:02  |  chasaboy 13/03/08
      64.   Draculas sister,.... at Harvard University. 13:08  |  Stephen. 13/03/08
      65.   #37 the idiot who titles himself as know it all knows f all 13:10  |  v hardman 13/03/08
      66.   Israel to halt West Bank settlement 13:13  |  Voice of Reason 13/03/08
      67.   What I always wanted to know about Israel...... 13:22  |  Swiss (Dino) 13/03/08
      68.   Iran military shells three Iraqi villages today 13:23  |  Lynn 13/03/08