Clinton abandons 'settlement freeze' compromise after Fatah negotiates with Hamas
Those of you who are longtime readers know that I don't like to use DEBKA as a sole source. However, in this case, I have independent confirmation of part of the story, so I'm going to run with it.DEBKA is reporting that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has given up on efforts to reach a compromise on the 'settlement freeze' between Israel and the 'Palestinians' because 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton abandoned her efforts to achieve a compromise Saturday after learning that Abbas had hardened his line and opted for secret diplomacy with Hamas terrorist planners in Damascus. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refrained from stating his intentions regarding West Bank construction. He stated from the outset of the US peace initiative that Palestinian pre-conditions for direct talks were unacceptable. The Americans backed off pressure to change his mind after discovering Abbas' double game.Read the whole thing.
On Saturday, debkafile reported:
Deep in the gloom behind frantic US efforts to rescue the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks from collapsing when Israel's 10-month construction freeze runs out Sunday, Sept. 26, debkafile's counter-terror sources report a new stumbling block has appeared on the diplomatic track.
In New York, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Abbas Friday, Sept. 24, not to walk out of the talks with Israel after only two sessions. Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who delayed his return home, and negotiator Yitzhak Molcho met with US and Palestinian officials to join the effort. They all appeared to be struggling for a compromise on the settlement construction issue that would keep Abbas talking, without compromising the government's position at home.
In fact, they found themselves grappling with a new impediment: This week, Abbas sent a high-ranking delegation of his own Fatah party to Damascus for secret talks with top Hamas leaders, thereby swinging the critical focus of the Israel-Palestinian peace talks to a new internal Palestinian track led by the radical Hamas and Syria, the foremost opponents of the US-sponsored peace talks with Israel. Abbas was apparently supported in this shift by Egypt.
The Fatah delegation consisted of Azzam al Ahmad, Gen. Nasser Yusuf and Sahar Basiso, head of Fatah General Intelligence, sat down with Hamas' leader Khaled Meshaal, head of its politburo Mussa Abu Marzouk and Izzat Rishak, intelligence chief.
The delegation's composition was an added complication and hindrance to diplomatic progress.
Rishak personally orchestrated the first attacks on the West Bank on Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, in which four Israelis were murdered and two injured. debkafile's counter-terror sources report that these were the opening shots of a major Hamas terror campaign, designed to peak with the most devastating terrorist strike yet, which Rishak is in charge of planning. He is using the same perpetrators. They are still at large because Hamas imported unknown terrorist talent from Syria whose faces are unknown to the Shin Bet. However, a furious hunt is on to catch them in time.
It should be an interesting night.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:48 PM
2 Comments:
Don't know whether to laugh or cry - are Clinton and Obama pretending Hamas doesn't exist, isn't a force that someone is going to have to reckon with if there is going to be a peace agreement??
If Hamas and Fatah reconcile, the prospects for successful talks are exactly zero. They were always slim to begin with. And the PA is doing nothing to help Obama look good.
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