[Peace-discuss] no green light?

[C. G. Estabrook]

Note what's happening here. Bush-Rice and the Israelis were working hard to make 
a compliant Fatah government the comprador jailers of the Palestinians -- up to 
and including Rice's staging an armed coup two years ago to overthrow Hamas, the 
democratically-elected Palestinian government.  (See David Rose, "The Gaza 
Bombshell.")

Abbas and Fatah have now lost whatever credibility they had left with the 
Palestinians by acquiescing in the Gaza massacre.  By boosting them, Obama is 
not only quite in line with the Bush (and Clinton) administration's policy but 
also -- obviously to the rest of the world -- moving against democracy in the 
Mideast, as they did.  --CGE

========

	Obama vows to seek 'durable' Mideast peace in Abbas call
	Jan 21, 2009

US President Barack Obama promised to work towards a "durable peace" in the 
Middle East during a phone call to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on 
Wednesday, Palestinian officials said.

Obama called the Palestinian leader a day after taking the oath of office and 
assured him that he intended "to work with him as partners to establish a 
durable peace in the region," Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.

Obama told Abbas that the president was the first foreign leader he called since 
taking office, Rudeina said.

"This is my first phone call to a foreign leader and I'm making it only hours 
after I took office," Rudeina quoted Obama as telling Abbas.

Obama and his secretary of state-designate Hillary Clinton vowed to deal with 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict immediately after taking office.

During his inauguration speech on Tuesday, Obama pledged a new approach to the 
Muslim world.

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and 
mutual respect," he said.

Source: AFP American Edition

[After the report based on statements from Palestinian President Abbas's 
spokesman (that Obama placed his first call to a foreign leader to Abbas), White 
House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs put out the following statement.]

"This morning, the President placed phone calls to four Middle Eastern leaders: 
President Mubarak of Egypt, Prime Minister Olmert of Israel, King Abdullah of 
Jordan, and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. He used this 
opportunity on his first day in office to communicate his commitment to active 
engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term, and 
to express his hope for their continued cooperation and leadership. In the 
aftermath of the Gaza conflict, he emphasized his determination to work to help 
consolidate the ceasefire by establishing an effective anti-smuggling regime to 
prevent Hamas from rearming, and facilitating in partnership with the 
Palestinian Authority a major reconstruction effort for Palestinians in Gaza. He 
pledged that the United States would do its part to make these efforts 
successful, working closely with the international community and these partners 
as they fulfill their responsibilities as well. The President appreciated the 
spirit of partnership and warm nature of these calls."

[Note the order of the names listed.]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/