Sunday, July 30, 2006

Did Israel scupper a viable peace initiative?

IndyMedia publish a full version of this:

...just prior to the current crisis, senior Hamas leaders were in active dialogue with Israeli religious leaders in a round of bilateral peace negotiations... Ongoing negotiations had resulted in a breakthrough peace "understanding", which was to be announced at a press conference in Jerusalem to mark the launching of an extraordinary peace initiative. Israeli Prime Minister
Olmert had been briefed extensively about the initiative ... Also due to attend the conference were ... senior Palestinian delegates.

The meeting was to announce a joint Israeli-Palestinian call for the release
of Corporal Gilad Shalit who had been abducted by Hamas in Gaza, along with
proposals for the beginning of the release of all Palestinian prisoners...

Just hours before the meeting was due to start, the Israeli Shin Bet
internal Security Service arrested [2 Palestinians] and warned them not
to attend the meeting, under threats of detention. The meeting, which
offered a major opportunity to obtain Shalit's release and launch a new
framework for peace, was thrown into disarray. The next day, the Israeli
Defence Force (IDF) invaded Gaza, ...




I have just given the essence here. The full text is up on Indymedia and other free sites, but not on mainstream news sites. Naturally. Shades of the 1990 April Glaspie story.

The actions of Blair in tying us in with Israel and US are totally unacceptable. We have a civic duty to disobey governments that have strayed too far from the paths of rationality and morality. How close are we to that point?

Is anyone else ready to pledge to discuss the actions of Blair at 9:00 am to 9:05 am on Monday mornings, instead of working? A mini general strike?

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