Palestinian PM Abbas submits his resignation.

[syzygy]

cnn link

a pity. the palestinians finally recieved a leader who valued his authority as moral and political leader and who wasn't cut out of arafat's mold. it
seemed to dawn on this man that new measures were required, measures that did not amount to holding the terrorist's hands and cooing soft
words to them about how they should ease up on their campaigns of mass murder. oh, the novelties.

all to predictably arafat's lapdog erekat accused the usual bogeymen, blaming 'the United States and Israel for his decision, accusing the two of
making statements supporting him without backing those words with practical measures.' al-jazeera link

the worst aspect of this tragic farce is that arafat now has to decide whether to accept or decline this poor man's resignation. :disgust:

 

[Czar]

second time he offeres his resignation

 

[syzygy]

Originally posted by: Czar
second time he offeres his resignation

yes and that only makes this more difficult to accept. abbas can't just walk away. most impressive though, as his fortunes decline, his numbers continue
to hover about the basement, and knowing he will never make the kind of friends that count, he still plugs away and, in fact, jacks up his rhetoric with the demands for 'new measures'. the man has brass where it matters.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

The roadmap depended on one man more than anyone else, Abbas, not that I gave it much chance. It seems Abbas was not the yes man Arafat wanted. Eventually Abbas might have made some progress, but he wanted to wrest some power from Arafat, and we certainly, if unintentionally undermined him by patting on the back too much at the beginning. Bush should have realized that close association with the US would automatically discredit Abbas in the eyes of the Palestinians.

No Abbas = RIP road map.


Again, in the short run it made little difference, because the road map wasnt going anywhere, but the potential for transfer of at least a portion of power to a more responsible individual would have been beneficial.

 

[OldSpooky]

Report from the BBC

There's a chart at the bottom of the article that shows the power division between the two men - it seems that Arafat retains control of the intelligence services and heavy hitting armed units of the Palestinian Authority. I think Abas is serious about cracking down on terrorists, but he can't do so while Arafat retains control over intelligence, since without intelligence Abas' units wouldn't even know where to look for terrorist cells.

Of course this assumes that Arafat's groups don't share information (which I suspect is probably the case given the rivalries between Arafat and Abas).

 

[Czar]

Abbas is definetly the only man with any power who realy wants to work towards peace

 

[Aimster]

If you want peace you cannot be working with terrorist

 

[JackStorm]

It would be a damn shame if he were to resign...

 

[BOBDN]

From the BBC

Arafat 'accepts PM's resignation'

 

[Czar]

Originally posted by: BOBDN
From the BBC

Arafat 'accepts PM's resignation'

dumb shít :|

there goes the only hope this time around, think peace will only come when both arafat and sharon die of old age because neither of them are going anywhere

 

[MovingTarget]

Sigh....so much for the peace prospects over there for a good while...it actually seemed like it had a slim chance for a while...

 

[LilBlinbBlahIce]

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

 

[Drift3r]

Well Sharon got what he wanted in the end after all ! It doesn't matter who you put up front they are going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Israel will always do what it pleases, and no one is really trying to stop them, least of all the US. They want violence to stop, yet don't really try. They give aid to Israel, there seem to be no consequences for Israeli attacks on Hamas non-violent leaders (From the news I heard, the Hamas leaders included a spiritual leader, not even a military target it would seem).

 

[Deleted member 4644]

When I read this I almost cried.... not because Abbas is a great guy... not because I think his resignation will actually have any specific impact on an already horrible situation.... but because it is yet another blow to... to...anything but the worst extremists I guess.

I have personally spoken with Frm. US Ambassador Ross at length about Abbas. Again, Abbas is not a perfect man, but he was a faint, faint, glimmering light in a land of intense darkness.

Mourn with me for those who will die in the coming years.. on both sides :frown::disgust::brokenheart::|:moon::music:

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Israel will always do what it pleases, and no one is really trying to stop them, least of all the US. They want violence to stop, yet don't really try. They give aid to Israel, there seem to be no consequences for Israeli attacks on Hamas non-violent leaders (From the news I heard, the Hamas leaders included a spiritual leader, not even a military target it would seem).

Ridiculous. Every member of Hamas is a terrorist. A member of a terrorist organization is a terrorist. WTF is a non-violent terrorist?

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Yeah, because they were scared of Abbas. Please. They did what they felt was necessary, Abbas or no Abbas.

 

[ConantheBarbarian]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Israel will always do what it pleases, and no one is really trying to stop them, least of all the US. They want violence to stop, yet don't really try. They give aid to Israel, there seem to be no consequences for Israeli attacks on Hamas non-violent leaders (From the news I heard, the Hamas leaders included a spiritual leader, not even a military target it would seem).

Ridiculous. Every member of Hamas is a terrorist. A member of a terrorist organization is a terrorist. WTF is a non-violent terrorist?

Same thing I say about the IDF.

 

[JellyBaby]

If they keep eating the roadmap they'll never find the route to peace. Maybe next time someone can memorize it.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: ConantheBarbarian

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Israel will always do what it pleases, and no one is really trying to stop them, least of all the US. They want violence to stop, yet don't really try. They give aid to Israel, there seem to be no consequences for Israeli attacks on Hamas non-violent leaders (From the news I heard, the Hamas leaders included a spiritual leader, not even a military target it would seem).

Ridiculous. Every member of Hamas is a terrorist. A member of a terrorist organization is a terrorist. WTF is a non-violent terrorist?

Same thing I say about the IDF.

Yeah, most misinformed, media puppets would. You're not alone.

 

[ConantheBarbarian]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: ConantheBarbarian

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Israel will always do what it pleases, and no one is really trying to stop them, least of all the US. They want violence to stop, yet don't really try. They give aid to Israel, there seem to be no consequences for Israeli attacks on Hamas non-violent leaders (From the news I heard, the Hamas leaders included a spiritual leader, not even a military target it would seem).

Ridiculous. Every member of Hamas is a terrorist. A member of a terrorist organization is a terrorist. WTF is a non-violent terrorist?

Same thing I say about the IDF.

Yeah, most misinformed, media puppets would. You're not alone.

Nah, only intelligent people who are able to comprehend the truth know. You're not alone.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: ConantheBarbarian

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: ConantheBarbarian

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Israel will always do what it pleases, and no one is really trying to stop them, least of all the US. They want violence to stop, yet don't really try. They give aid to Israel, there seem to be no consequences for Israeli attacks on Hamas non-violent leaders (From the news I heard, the Hamas leaders included a spiritual leader, not even a military target it would seem).

Ridiculous. Every member of Hamas is a terrorist. A member of a terrorist organization is a terrorist. WTF is a non-violent terrorist?

Same thing I say about the IDF.

Yeah, most misinformed, media puppets would. You're not alone.

Nah, only intelligent people who are able to comprehend the truth know. You're not alone.

It's got nothing to do with intelligence. It has to do with first-hand knowledge and experience. Sadly, when you consider this big world, I am almost alone.

 

[LilBlinbBlahIce]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: ConantheBarbarian

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: ConantheBarbarian

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce

AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned Saturday. Within hours, Israel launched a missile strike against top Hamas leaders, including its founder

Now Israel has carte blanche to do whatever it pleases, I'm sure they are not mourning the resignation of Abbas. RIP Road Map, RIP.

Israel will always do what it pleases, and no one is really trying to stop them, least of all the US. They want violence to stop, yet don't really try. They give aid to Israel, there seem to be no consequences for Israeli attacks on Hamas non-violent leaders (From the news I heard, the Hamas leaders included a spiritual leader, not even a military target it would seem).

Ridiculous. Every member of Hamas is a terrorist. A member of a terrorist organization is a terrorist. WTF is a non-violent terrorist?

Same thing I say about the IDF.

Yeah, most misinformed, media puppets would. You're not alone.

Nah, only intelligent people who are able to comprehend the truth know. You're not alone.

It's got nothing to do with intelligence. It has to do with first-hand knowledge and experience. Sadly, when you consider this big world, I am almost alone.

You may have been there for however long you were serving with the IDF, point is YOU ARE GOING TO BE BIASED. No one ever thinks their side is wrong. I am pretty sure Hamas does not consider itself a terrorist organization just as I am pretty sure people serving in the IDF consider themselves the good guys fighting for the right cause. You may beleive protecting illegal settlements and shooting kids throwing stones at you is just, at the same time they might beleive that shooting at that settlement or dispaching a suicide bomber is also just, point is you're both wrong. And for you to say that we are all media whores just because we were not sitting in the tank next to you is ridiculous, there is no friendlier media to Israel than the American one, but some truths are just so ugly that they can only be sugar coated so much.

 

[0roo0roo]

thats right, theres no difference between targeting civilians for maximum casualties and targeted operations against militants while trying to minimize casualties at the expense of your own safety.

no difference at all!!

keep repeating this and it might become true!

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: LilBlinbBlahIce
You may have been there for however long you were serving with the IDF, point is YOU ARE GOING TO BE BIASED. No one ever thinks their side is wrong. I am pretty sure Hamas does not consider itself a terrorist organization just as I am pretty sure people serving in the IDF consider themselves the good guys fighting for the right cause.

What does Hamas consider themselves, if not a terrorist organization? Freedom fighters? Blowing up kids on their way home from school? Freedom fighters? You have got to be kidding me. They know good and well that they are terrorists, but they think it's worth it to achieve their politcal ends.

You may beleive protecting illegal settlements

I personally think the settelments are a bad idea, but I don't think that the penalty for living in a settelment should be violent death. So yes, I believe in protecting the lives of the people who live there.

and shooting kids throwing stones at you is just,

That's a crock. Never happens. Don't believe what you read. If there is shooting, it is rubber bullets.

at the same time they might beleive that shooting at that settlement or dispaching a suicide bomber is also just,

No they don't. They just think it's worth it to achieve political ends.

point is you're both wrong.

How so?

And for you to say that we are all media whores just because we were not sitting in the tank next to you is ridiculous

Well, I think most of what passes for news from that region is terribly skewed to reflect the political viewpoints of whatever network it may be.

there is no friendlier media to Israel than the American one

I know, if this is what counts as friendly media, can you imagine the news in Europe?

but some truths are just so ugly that they can only be sugar coated so much.

Apparently not. Alot of people support Hamas and Arafat etc.