 |
 |
 |
|
|
Illustrative photo of Fatah militants (Flash90)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| By Israel Insider staff October 3, 2007 |
|
| |
 Bookmark to del.icio.us |
| |
Senior Fatah officials are warning that if the Mideast conference planned for November fails to meet their ultimative demands, an intifada worse than than Al-Aqsa Intifada of 2002 could break out. that violence caused the deaths of more than 1500 Israeli civilians and soldiers, especially due to suicide bombings.
"If we don't prepare well for the conference so that it will result in something positive, the repercussions will be more dangerous than what happened after the failure of Camp David," said Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Fatah parliamentary list. Ahmed is a close affiliate of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Several of Palestinian demands, which they have said are non-negotiable, would cause deep distress for the government of Ehud Olmert. The demands include a full withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders, full sovereignty over east Jerusalem, and admission of responsibility for the refugee problem and unspecified compensation. Not only right wing MKs but also key ministers in Olmert's ruling coalition, have expressed fierce opposition to all of these issues.
Israeli Defense officials stressed that the PA chairman does not full control the West Bank, and has lost all authority in the Gaza Strip, endangering Israeli security in the event of a deal handing over sovereignty and more powers to Abbas' government. Recent reports have noted that Hamas is equally as strong as Fatah in the West Bank, and more committed.
"We need to be realistic and realize that Abbas will have extreme difficulty in delivering on any of his commitments," an Israeli security official involved in the talks told The Jerusalem Post. "There is also a real chance that the Palestinians will pull out of the [international] summit even before it takes place due to Israel's refusal to commit itself on final-status issues."
American officials, perceiving the increasing dissonance between the two sides, are reportedly considering postponing the conference to late November, Haaretz reported.
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
