With the Election of Mahmoud Abbas, Palestine may look forward.
international |
politics / elections |
other press 
Monday January 10, 2005 13:38
by benjamin
Now all eyes are on Israel.
Abu Mazen has been elected with a clear mandate to lead the Palestinian people, in full and fair elections a bit like the ones you get for school classroom which you're supposed to do around 14-16 years old, except President Jimmy Carter generally doesn't observe them.
He can't observe all the elections you know.
But if you're a school teacher you can ask his team for help in explaining how elections work, and get your kids to regularly take part in democratic practise.
You'll also have to get them to do regular polling and ensure that they don't fall into the trap of thinking an election only comes once every few years.
You'll have to teach them with much patience about the ways of modern dialogue and the search for concensus which transcend the problems of the classroom and effect us all.
Arrival Statement of the NDI (National Democratic Institute) and Carter Center Delegation to the 2005 Presidential Election of the Palestinian Authority :-
http://www.cartercenter.org/doc1959.htm
Results of the election :-
http://libe.com/page.php?Article=267026
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1386862,00.html
Abu Mazen has met with the Representative of the EU, the Portuguese Javier Solana today whilst representatives of both militant groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have indicated they will work with the newly elected government.
http://www.lavanguardia.es/web/20050110/51173741708.html
link to the Palestinian Israeli site bitter lemons a site of dialogue and the search for concensus and the way to Peace.
Saleem = Shalom
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2Foreign Minister Shalom will not be attending the investiture of M. Abbas (Abu Mazen) tomorrow.
only a few days after Ariel Sharon telephoned the democratically elected and international "aren't we pleased to see him at last" successor to Yasser Arafat, (pity about him eh?) Ariel has let it be know.
oh yes let it be know-
He's breaking off all communication with the Palestinian authority and its democratically elected and international welcomed leader who by the way hasn't even been sworn in yet. Because on Thursday members of all three militant groups in Palestine went and attacked a border crossing.
Ariel of course has managed to cobble together a coalition to support the "return to the road map" timetable the withdrawl from bits of occupied bulldozed starving land, and hasn't said a word about you know the effin big WALL.
Ariel we recall smiled when Arafat's death was reported saying it would mean peace was closer.
Ariel's doing his job, its not a nice job, its the job of leading the ghetto-state into the XXI century far beyond the twee images of his european jewish ancestors who we believe happily sang "if I were a rich man", "sunrise sunset" and so on, but then again they weren't that rich at all really, and 6 million of them died instead.
As we must remember.
His new foreign minister Mr Shalom has voiced his concern meantime at the "harry is a nazi" story, and his new bank chief mr Fischer still hasn't left MIT to take up the job.
Mr Abbas has to end all the terror now.
or else...
Isreal will keep the border crossings closed, those same border controls which were "relaxed" to allow the leader of the Palestinian people to be elected in an accountable and internationally recognised way.
And he'll finish building the biggest wall in recorded history.
Tomorrow the leader of the Palestinians will be sworn in. And he's got a very tough job ahead of him, that of stopping suicide bombers.
What can we say?
Israel is not a racially pure state, thanks to the truth of LOVE and human nature many young Israelis have slept with other people and fathered or mothered their children. And they always did.
In fact there is no such thing as racial purity.
But Israel is living behind the biggest wall in recorded history.
What else can we say?
Shalom = Saleem.
If Israel has a foreign minister Shalom,
then Palestine should have a foreign minster Saleem. There must be one in the phone book, if there are any phone lines left working. Perhaps one could be found out in the pan-palestinian soldarity support network.
Check your telephone book, and see if there are any "Saleem"s. If there are, then phone that person up and suggest to them, that they could have a job, representing the foreign interests of the Palestinian state, and that will mostly mean "not being talked to by the Israelis" and trying to persuade the Syrians not buy tippy toppy over the wall type rocket launchers. And asking Europe for more investment money for hospitals and roads and farms and stuff.
Indeed it might even be a moderately well paid appointment. And it might help if they speak arabic. But english or french will do.
The english for "Shalom" or "Saleem" is Peace.
The french for "shalom" or "saleem" is Paix.
oh and-
Isaiah 40:1-3
Israeli prime minister's senior aide Dov Weisglass met here with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat on Wednesday, the Army Radio reported.
according to the Chinese-
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/26/content_2511583.htm
and the scottish- (yesterday was Burns day)
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=96682005
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