Page 9 - Aruba Today
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Friday 1 April 2016
Palestinian president reaches out to Israel, backs talks
MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH commitment to a two-state Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting in Cairo. Abbas reached out to Israel
Associated Press solution to the conflict. The on Thursday saying he opposes near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israelis and suggesting the vio-
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Palestinian president also lence would stop if the defunct peace process resumes again.
— Palestinian president said that if peace talks re-
reached out to Israel on sume, it would “give my (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Thursday saying he oppos- people hope and nobody
es near-daily Palestinian would dare go and stab or Bank city of Hebron late ficers at the scene. ian leaders amplified on so-
attacks on Israelis and sug- shoot.” last year. Israel says home demoli- cial media. Palestinians say
gesting the violence would U.S mediated Israeli-Pal- The Palestinian, Ehab Mas- tions are an effective tool the violence, often carried
stop if the defunct peace estinian peace talks col- wada, stabbed the Israeli, to deter attacks, but critics out by teenagers in appar-
process resumes again. lapsed in 2014. Gennady Kaufman, out- say the tactic amounts to ent suicide missions,
Mahmoud In the interview, Abbas side a site holy to Jews and collective punishment. is rooted in frustration at
Abbas made the remarks called on Netanyahu to Muslims. Maswada was Israel blames the attacks nearly five decades of Is-
in an interview with Israeli meet with him “at any then shot and killed by of- on incitement by Palestin- raeli military occupation.
Channel 2 TV’s “Uvda” pro- time.”
gram. Israel has accused “I want to see peace in my
him of failing to condemn life,” he said.
the wave of Palestinian at- As for the current situation,
tacks on Israeli civilians and he said the security coop-
security forces that erupt- eration between the Israeli
ed in mid-September. military and
The attacks, mostly stab- Palestinian security forces
bings but also shootings continues and that if it
and car-ramming assaults, were not for his forces, the
have killed 28 Israelis and violence would be much
two Americans. bloodier now.
Over the same time, at He added that Palestinian
least 188 Palestinians have security forces have raided
died by Israeli fire. schools and confiscated
knives from students and
Israel says most were at- told them not to carry out
tackers, and the rest died attacks.
in clashes with Israeli secu- Earlier Thursday, the Israeli
rity forces. military demolished the
Abbas said the violence home of a Palestinian man
stems from “lack of hope, who fatally stabbed an Is-
lack of trust” in Prime Min- raeli civilian in the West
ister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
Iraqi PM moves to reshuffle Cabinet amid fight against IS
SUSANNAH GEORGE threatening to become a current hard situation.” the government by himself In a televised speech from
more destabilizing factor The parliament now has 10 launching a separate sit- his tent erected inside
SINAN SALAHEDDIN — at least in the eyes of days to confirm al-Abadi’s in inside the Green Zone, the Green Zone, al-Sadr
the domestic audience — nominees — or potentially which is home to key gov- warned that if the parlia-
Associated Press than the authorities’ battle gridlock the process further. ernment offices and for- ment failed to vote, he
against the extremist Islam- Thursday’s developments eign embassies. would pull out his ministers
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s ic State group. come against the back- On Thursday, all roads from the Cabinet and call
Al-Abadi came before the drop of weeks of protests leading to the Green Zone for vote of no confidence
prime minister proposed parliament on Thursday to by thousands of follow- were closed and riot police in al-Abadi’s government.
tell lawmakers that he has ers of the influential Shiite and security forces were Last August, al-Abadi pro-
a new Cabinet lineup to reduced the number of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. His deployed around the area. posed a sweeping reform
Cabinet ministers to 16, from supporters have continued Shortly after the parliament package to combat cor-
the country’s lawmakers the previous 21-member their sit-in outside the Iraqi session, al-Sadr called on his ruption, cut government
government. He submitted capital’s heavily fortified supporters to end their sit- spending and merge min-
on Thursday, after weeks the names of nominees for Green Zone, following the in, but to continue “peace- istries, but his efforts have
14 ministerial positions, but cleric’s calls for political ful protests in all Iraqi prov- been stymied by sectarian
of pressure from support- said he would not replace reform and an end to cor- inces every Friday to put tensions and struggles to
the current defense and ruption. On Sunday, al-Sadr pressure on lawmakers to contain the Islamic State
ers of a radical Shiite cleric interior ministers, “given the ramped up the pressure on vote on the new Cabinet.” group.
who have staged rallies in
the Iraqi capital and a sit-
in next to the government
headquarters to demand
reforms.
The political crisis has
rocked Baghdad and put a
significant burden on Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi,
