| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Ousted Fatah leader Qureia hints elections unclean |
| 2009-08-14 |
| Ma'an/Agencies - "The forgeries in Iran were much smaller than what we had in Palestine," the Israeli news website Ynet quoted former Palestinian Prime Minister and Central Committee member Ahmad Qureia as saying. The site ran an unsourced interview Thursday, where the ousted Qureia alleged that "arrangements were made behind the scenes that led to having some of the names pushed aside and other names forced in," and accused election winners Muhammad Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, and Tawfiq At-Tirawi of being "coordinators with the occupation." Qureia wondered out loud about a connection between the men's alleged ties with Israel and their win at the ballot boxes. The allegations follow a series of elections recounts from the Sixth Fatah Congress, where 2,241 members cast their votes for 18 spots in the party's Central Committee and 80 spots in the Revolutionary Council. Results from the first set of elections were affirmed Wednesday following two recounts and quiet accusations of elections irregularities. A Central Committee election upset saw formerly 19th place aide to Palestinian President and Fatah Chair Mahmoud Abbas, At-Tayyib Abdul Rahim, rise to 16th place, while 18th place went to a tie. Qureia himself called for the first recount after he got the 20th highest number of votes, meaning he would no longer be a member of the top body. "There will be no harmony within the group that was elected," said Qureia of the newly elected Central Committee. He called the entry of Abdul Rahim "shameful" and asked "How does such a thing happen?" |
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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Fatah elections: Seven members miscounted; Abdul Rahim in |
| 2009-08-13 |
| Ma'an - Elections Committee Chair Ahmad Sayyad announced the final results of the Fatah Central Committee, confirming a 19-member leading body and announcing new numbers for the votes of seven elected members. The announcement followed two days of counting and re-counting, with Fatah officials releasing preliminary results Monday, confirming them Tuesday, then announcing a tie, with Abbas' aide and Secretary General of the Palestinian Presidency At-Tayyib Abdul Rahim as having gained 16th place, he was number 19 with 637 votes on first count. In the final re-count, requested by ousted former member of the committee Ahmad Qureia, Abdul Rahim remained in 16th place, with the would-be bumped Shtayeh ending in a tie with formerly 17th place Fatah member Abbas Zaki. The number of appointed members was reduced to three, following the announcement of the expanded number from elections. Results are listed below with numbers changed from the preliminary announcement changed in bold. 1 -- Muhammad (Abu Maher) Ghneim: 1,338 + 30 = 1,368 2 - Mahmoud Al-Aloul: 1,112 -10 = 1,102 3 - Marwan Barghouti: 1,063 4 - Nasser Al-Kidwa: 964 5 - Salim Za'noun: 920 6 - Jibril Rajoub: 908 7 - Tawfiq Tirawi: 903 8 - Saeb Erekat: 863 9 - Othman Abu Gharbiya: 854 10 - Muhammad Dahlan: 853 11 - Muhammad Al-Madani: 841 -20 = 821 12 - Jamal Muheisen: 733 13 - Hussein Ash-Sheikh: 726 14 - Azzam Al-Ahmad: 690 15 - Sultan Abu Aynein: 677 16 - At-Tayyib Abdul Rahim: 637 + 26 = 663 17 - Abbas Zaki: 641 + 1 = 642 18 - Muhammad Shtayeh: 638 + 4 = 641 18 - Nabil Sha'ath: 645 - 4 = 641 Following the announcement of the latest results, Sayyid noted, "as head of the elections committee I hereby announce the official results as supervised by President Abbas, and with the acknowledgement of Presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeineh said that the elections were free, clear and so accurate." |
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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Qurei: 'We will reject any agreement that does not make Jerusalem the Palestinian capital' |
| 2008-09-03 |
| Ma'an -- Palestinian leaders will not sign a peace agreement with Israel that does not guarantee the status of East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, said Palestinian chief negotiator Ahmad Qurei on Tuesday. Qurei met with the envoy of the international Quartet, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday at Qurei's office in the town of Abu Dis, in East Jerusalem. The meeting addressed the results of recent meetings between the Palestinian and Israeli negotiators. Qurei reaffirmed the Palestinian position that any agreement must address all the core issues, including Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Any agreement must address these issues in a binding way. Qurei, the former Palestinian prime minister, also said that Israel's policies are threatening to destroy the peace process. He said settlement construction in Jerusalem aims to turn the city into a purely Jewish entity, and mentioned the controversial excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the area of the Mughrebi Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, activity that has sparked concern that the iconic Mosque is under threat. Qurei called on the international Quartet along with to seek a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation of territories captured in 1967, and guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Furthermore, he said, the question of Palestinian refugees should also be solved in accordance with UN resolution 194. For his part, Blair expressed understanding the Palestinian attitude. He reiterated his rejection of Israel's expansion of settlements expansion and construction of new settlements. In order to achieve just peace, he said there should be tangible results, the first of which is ending Israeli occupation and giving the Palestinians opportunity to establish a democratic state. Blair also stressed the necessity to improve economic situation in the Palestinian territories which deteriorated as a result of Israeli siege. |
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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | ||
| Olmert: 'The Syrians know what we want and we know what they want' | ||
| 2008-05-23 | ||
"The Syrians know what we want and we know what they want," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday, the day after the opening of diplomatic negotiations with Damascus were announced.
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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |||
| Abbas: Poll delay if Jerusalem blocked | |||
| 2006-01-03 | |||
The Palestinian president has said he will delay parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 January if Israel bars Jerusalem Arabs from voting.
 It is the first time Mahmoud Abbas has said he may postpone the poll.
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| Israel-Palestine |
| PA outlines strategy for Gaza control |
| 2005-04-27 |
| The Palestinian Authority outlined plans on Tuesday to take immediate control of all land and property in the Gaza Strip vacated by Israeli settlers after their departure from the territory this summer. Hours after the announcement, two Qassam rockets exploded in the Israeli city of Sderot next to the Gaza Strip after nightfall, witnesses said. A spokesman of the Israeli rescue service said there were apparently no casualties. Speaking after a meeting of his Cabinet designed to prepare for this summer's historic pullout, Prime Minister Ahmad Qorei said the government would not allow anyone to profit personally. "We are preparing both at the administrative and security levels to take control of the situation on the ground," Qorei said. The Palestinian Authority would "take control of all the land, and all issues concerning private property will be examined by a special tribunal." Qorei also warned anyone tempted to try and buy a house directly from one of the 8,000 settlers that such a transaction would be considered illegal. "Any purchase by Palestinians or a third party of lands to be evacuated or on which settlements are built will be considered illegal," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has predicted that the pullout, expected to start in July or August, will be followed by widespread looting. The Palestinians are determined to prove Sharon wrong, with one Cabinet member revealing that several plans drawn up to deal with the aftermath of the withdrawal have already drawn up by ministerial commissions. |
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| Israel-Palestine | ||
| Qurei replaces Arafat's aides | ||
| 2004-12-15 | ||
 The Arabic-language newspaper, Al-Quds Al-Arabi, reported Wednesday that Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei will replace six cabinet ministers who were considered close aides to the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Historic meeting between President Assad and PA leaders |
| 2004-12-06 |
| Syria's President Bashar al-Assad met on Monday PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei and Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath in the first official Palestinian visit to Damascus since 1996. Talks during the meeting dealt with the situation in the occupied Palestinian lands and the underway preparations for the Palestinian elections. According to SANA, "President Assad stressed Syria's support to the Palestinian people's resistance and national unity in the face of the forthcoming requirements." For his part, Abbas underlined importance of the Syrian-Palestinian coordination and consultation in the face of the current challenges. In a joint press conference following their meeting, Abbas expressed pleasure over his visit to Syria and meeting President Assad, adding that talks between dealt with many issues of common concern. He also asserted importance of coordination and consultation between the two sides as soon as possible to deal with issues of common interest in the region, pointing out to the importance of the national dialogue among the Palestinian factions. Qurei said that the most important result that could stem from this visit is reaching a serious, clear and frank coordination between the Syrian and the Palestinian sides. He also pointed out to the importance of coordination among the Palestinians, Syrians, Jordanians, Lebanese and the other Arabs since all sides seek a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. |
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| Israel-Palestine |
| PLO Seeks 'Timetable' for Implementing 'Roadmap' |
| 2004-12-05 |
| Palestine Media Center - PMC (Official PA website) www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=741 The PLO Executive Committee on Saturday affirmed its commitment to the peace process, urged a balanced, simultaneous and reciprocal implementation of the UN-adopted "roadmap" for peace in the Middle East, and reiterated the Palestinian demand that Israel's unilateral plan for "disengagement" from the Gaza Strip be an integral part of the Quartet-drafted blueprint. In a statement released following a meeting by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Palestinian leadership demanded a "timetable" for implementing the roadmap under the supervision of the Quartet of the US, UN, EU and Russian mediators. PLO chief Mahmud Abbas chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei, and Minister of local government Jamal Al-Shobaki. The PLO demanded that Israel take "urgent measures" to lift the siege and closure it is imposing on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, end its military incursions, and stop its extra-judicial killing policy in order to facilitate Palestinian elections, the statement said. Local elections are scheduled for December 23, presidential elections for January 9 and legislative polls for mid-2005. PLO Chairman Abbas briefed the Committee on his latest meetings with Palestinian anti-occupation factions in Gaza City and confirmed that national dialogue will continue until the Palestinian house is put in order. |
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| Israel-Palestine |
| Palestinian official denies Jordanian security visit to Jenin |
| 2004-06-12 |
| Reports of a visit by a Jordanian security delegation to Jenin to discuss security arrangements in case of Israeli pullout are "false," a local Fateh movement official stressed to KUNA on terms of anonymity Saturday. The official said, however, that there was a visit by the Jordanian Moral Guidance and Television to Jenin for three days and the objective of the visit is to discuss boosting performance of a Jordanian field hospital. The official added that "several Aqsa Martyrs Brigades members had requested members of the delegation to leave the city, assuming they were there to discuss security arrangements amid talk of a Jordanian role in the West Bank." The official pointed out that Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades later understood and appreciated the situation and the delegation is still in the city. The visit was arranged with the Palestinian Authority, he added. Palestinian sources in the city earlier said the Jordanian delegation had already left the city after a two-hour ultimatum by the brigades. The PA last week protested to the Jordanian government over press reports that Jordanian officers had toured towns Northeast the West Bank without coordination with the PA. Jordan denied the incident. Still, PA Prime Minister Ahmad Qureiâ in press statements last week welcomed a Jordanian security role in the West Bank, much like the Egyptian role in Gaza. He also stressed there is Palestinian-Jordanian coordination on this issue. |
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| Middle East | ||
| Egypt pushes for Palestinian truce | ||
| 2003-11-18 | ||
An Egyptian mediator and Palestinian leaders have agreed to seek a ceasefire from resistance groups. But a senior Palestinian official on Monday said such a ceasefire would succeed only with US pressure on Israel.
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| Middle East | ||
| Palestinans yet to resolve impasse | ||
| 2003-11-06 | ||
Palestinian leaders have failed once again to resolve a dispute holding up the formation of a new government that has already dragged into overtime.
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