Netanyahu seeks 'new solutions' to Palestinian conflict JERUSALEM (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that creative thinking was needed to end the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. "We will need to think creatively, and in new ways, about how to resolve complex problems," he told reporters at the start of Israel's weekly cabinet meeting. "In order to reach practical solutions, we will need to think about new solutions to old problems," the right-wing premier said, without unveiling specific proposals. "To succeed, we will need to study the lessons of the 17-year effort at negotiations and to embrace original thinking, to think outside the box," Netanyahu said, referring to the 1993 Palestinian autonomy accords. The prime minister insisted, however, that he was "willing to achieve an historic compromise with our Palestinian neighbours so long as it maintains the national interests of the state of Israel with security first and foremost." The two sides relaunched direct peace talks at a Washington summit on Thursday after a 20-month hiatus, but the negotiations will face a major test later this month when an Israeli settlement moratorium expires. The Palestinians have insisted that if Israel does not renew the partial freeze on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank when it expires on September 26 the peace process will come to an end. Netanyahu, under pressure from right-wingers who dominate his ruling coalition to resume construction, has said settlements should be discussed alongside other core disputes that have bedeviled past attempts at peace, including the final status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Netanyahu plan to hold twice-monthly talks starting with a September 14-15 meeting in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat warned on Sunday that should the latest attempt to clinch a peace settlement fail, the moderate Palestinian leadership would disintegrate. "We hope to bring (about) a Palestinian state. If we fail to bring it now, then I think we'll go home," he told AFP, adding that such a scenario would spell the end of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. The collapse of the moderate Palestinian leadership, which has been pursuing a peace deal with Israel since the 1990s, would leave the Islamist Hamas movement -- sworn to the Jewish state's destruction -- at the head of the national movement. "If we have an agreement, (Hamas) will disappear, and if we don't have an agreement, then we will disappear," Erakat warned. "I really hope that we can make it, God willing." Netanyahu seeks 'new solutions' to Palestinian conflict JERUSALEM (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that creative thinking was needed to end the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. "We will need to think creatively, and in new ways, about how to resolve complex problems," he told reporters at the start of Israel's weekly cabinet meeting. "In order to reach practical solutions, we will need to think about new solutions to old problems," the right-wing premier said, without unveiling specific proposals. "To succeed, we will need to study the lessons of the 17-year effort at negotiations and to embrace original thinking, to think outside the box," Netanyahu said, referring to the 1993 Palestinian autonomy accords. The prime minister insisted, however, that he was "willing to achieve an historic compromise with our Palestinian neighbours so long as it maintains the national interests of the state of Israel with security first and foremost." The two sides relaunched direct peace talks at a Washington summit on Thursday after a 20-month hiatus, but the negotiations will face a major test later this month when an Israeli settlement moratorium expires. The Palestinians have insisted that if Israel does not renew the partial freeze on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank when it expires on September 26 the peace process will come to an end. Netanyahu, under pressure from right-wingers who dominate his ruling coalition to resume construction, has said settlements should be discussed alongside other core disputes that have bedeviled past attempts at peace, including the final status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Netanyahu plan to hold twice-monthly talks starting with a September 14-15 meeting in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat warned on Sunday that should the latest attempt to clinch a peace settlement fail, the moderate Palestinian leadership would disintegrate. "We hope to bring (about) a Palestinian state. If we fail to bring it now, then I think we'll go home," he told AFP, adding that such a scenario would spell the end of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. The collapse of the moderate Palestinian leadership, which has been pursuing a peace deal with Israel since the 1990s, would leave the Islamist Hamas movement -- sworn to the Jewish state's destruction -- at the head of the national movement. "If we have an agreement, (Hamas) will disappear, and if we don't have an agreement, then we will disappear," Erakat warned. "I really hope that we can make it, God willing." Barbers shut down shops in Peshawar suburb after Taliban death threats Peshawar, Sept 5 : Barbers in Sheikhan village, a suburb of Peshawar in Pakistan, have reportedly closed down their shops after receiving death threats from the Taliban, who have started re- emerging in the area. Militants have imposed a ban on shaving beard, and have threatened to kill barbers who violate the restriction. "Terrorists kidnapped barber Ali Asghar two weeks ago. They released him only three days ago, with a warning that he would be killed if he restarted shaving beards in his shop," the Daily Times quoted a barber- Muhammad Nasir, as saying. Following the warning, all barbers in the region had closed down their shops, he added. Terrorists had imposed ban on shaving beard earlier also, before the military operations in Bara and its neighbouring areas. However, terrorists have started resurfacing in the region and imposing their own laws on the locals. Pakistani rulers are silent on Indian atrocities: Saeed Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding the Mumbai terror attacks , has alleged that the flood situation worsened in Pakistan after the neighbouring country released waters in Pakistani rivers. "The Pakistani rulers are silent on Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir and the building of dams on Pakistani rivers. We must not forget that in the current floods, more devastation has been caused after India released water in Pakistani rivers," he claimed while addressing a gathering on Saturday at Jamia Masjid Al-Qadsia, the JuD's headquarters in Lahore . Saeed said Pakistan will have to stop the construction of dams on its rivers 'by force' and for this purpose, it will have to 'liberate' Jammu and Kashmir from India. "Now we are left with only one option -- free Kashmir to save Pakistan," he said. Saeed, also the founder of the banned Lashker-e-Tayiba, said that though there were more rains than usual this year, the people must try to find out the 'real reason' behind the floods. "Besides building dams on Chenab, Jehlum and Neelum rivers, India is constructing dams on rivers coming from Afghanistan. Similarly, to stop the waters of the Indus river, India is building the world's second largest dam in Kargil so that it can flood Pakistan at will," he claimed. Saeed accused foreign powers of providing resources to India to build dams on 'Pakistani rivers'. He claimed that thousands of JuD volunteers are engaged in relief operations for flood-hit people, including Christians, Sikhs and Hindus across Pakistan. He criticised the government for not initiating coordinated efforts to deal with the disaster. Pakistan thanks Iran for flood assistance TEHRAN, Sept. 5 (MNA) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his profound gratitude to the Iranian government and people for providing help to the flood-stricken people of his country. Zardari made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar in Islamabad on Saturday. “Iran was one of the first countries that rushed to deliver aid to the flood-stricken people in Pakistan,” Zardari told the Iranian interior minister. Najjar said the Islamic Republic will do everything it can to help the Pakistanis who were affected by the floods. So far, Iran has sent over 500 tons of humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, including tents, blankets, medicine, and food. Najjar also expressed his condolences to the Pakistani government over the death of a number of people in Quetta and Lahore in recent suicide attacks. According to Pakistani police officials, 59 people were killed and nearly 200 more were wounded in three suicide bombings targeting Shia Muslims last week. On Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also held talks with the Iranian interior minister and the Leader’s special representative to Pakistan, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad-Hassan Rahimian. In the meeting, Gilani thanked Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for their concern over the natural disaster in Pakistan. Najjar also conveyed to Gilani the condolence messages of the Leader and the president over the devastating floods and said Iran is ready to send more humanitarian assistance to Pakistan. The floods have ruined 3.6 million hectares (8.9 million acres) of fertile farmland, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said farmers urgently need seeds to plant for next year’s crops. The Pakistani government’s official death toll from the floods has reached 1,760, but disaster officials have said that number will likely rise “significantly” when the missing are accounted for. During his visit, the Iranian interior minister also met with a number of Pakistani Shia scholars and called on all the world’s Muslims to increase their unity in order to stand up to the hegemonistic powers. One killed, three hurt in Israeli air strikes on Gaza GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories : Israeli warplanes launched three strikes against the southern Gaza Strip, killing one, wounding three and leaving one more missing, Palestinian medical and security sources said. Two raids Saturday targeted smuggling tunnels running under the border with Egypt at Rafah, wounding two people. One of the tunnels collapsed, killing one person. Another person was missing and a third was seriously injured, witnesses said. The other raid targeted a former base used by the armed wing of the Islamist movement Hamas that seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the three raids, saying that one was aimed at "a tunnel dug in the direction of Israeli territory" for attacks across the border. The air strikes follow the firing of a rocket from Gaza into Israel by Palestinian militants on Saturday, which caused no casualties or damage, according to the Israeli military. The incidents follow the meeting Thursday in Washington of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to relaunch direct peace talks following a 20-month hiatus. Hamas threatened Thursday to keep up its attacks on Israel after carrying out Thursday two attacks against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank that killed four people and cast a pall over the relaunch of the talks. Israeli government discusses peace talks progress Jerusalem, Sep 5: The Israeli cabinet was summoned Sunday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to consult about the most recent round of direct peace talks with the Palestinian, reported Israeli media. At the start of the meeting, Netanyahu said he still sees no solution to the dispute over resuming settlement-building in the West Bank once a 10-month moratorium ends Sep 26. That issue of the moratorium is a major hurdle in peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian officials, which were launched in Washington Thursday. Palestinian negotiators have threatened to break off the talks if Israeli construction projects in the occupied territory begin anew. On the other hand, right-wing members of Netanyahu's coalition have threatened to leave the government if the moratorium is extended. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Friday that the peace talks could end unsuccessfully, noting that the ongoing talks might be the region's "last chance". The next round of talks is set for Sep 14-15, somewhere in the region, possibly in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Clinton and Washington's Middle East envoy George Mitchell are expected to attend. |
