BBC Monitoring Headlines, Quotes From Palestinian Press 15 Jun 07

Jun 15, 05:24 AM

Current Headlines: The following is a selection of headlines and quotes taken from the Palestinian press published on 15 Jun:

Headlines

Al-Quds: President [Mahmud Abbas] announces state of emergency and dissolves government An emergency government will be formed soon.. Hamas rejected his order ... EU suspends aid to Gaza due to fighting It said that the aid will only be resumed after the violence ends ... [Prime Minister [Isma'il Haniyah]: current government is legitimate and will continue its work He considered president's decision to dissolve government rash ... Five children die in Israeli shelling in Gaza Strip Two more men died in Israeli operations in the West Bank

Al-Hayat al-Jadidah: Hamas takes control of security headquarters including presidential compound in Gaza and 27 citizens die More than 100 people have been killed in six days of fighting ... Gazans wonder how life conditions will be under Hamas People in Gaza expressed concern that financial difficulties will increase under the administration of the Islamist group

Al-Ayyam: [Hamas-led] Executive Force executes Fatah commander and critically injured [activist] in his sickbed They put the body of Samih al-Madhun on the hood of a vehicle and drove paraded it around the streets of Gaza

Quotes

Al-Quds: [From editorial] "The Palestinians will not benefit from internationalizing the conflict [between Fatah and Hamas]. In addition, Hamas's monopoly in controlling Gaza will increase the suffering of the people there and will tighten the siege around them. The only way out of this bottleneck, whether the militants want this or not, is to end the fighting and allow the legitimacy to return via a referendum because the Palestinian people is the source of authority."

[From commentary by Ibrahim Sha'ban] "In light of the increasing and clear inability of the Palestinian Authority [PA] to put an end to the bloodshed and stop the deterioration on all spheres, we would not be surprised if the PA takes a brave decision to dissolve itself and return the mandate to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)There is concern that we might deteriorate back to the times of military coups and dictatorships that do not allow any freedom of opinion."

Al-Hayat al-Jadidah: [From commentary by Umar Hilmi al-Ghul] "The only option we have now is to remain silent and astonished while our tears silently drop form our eyes for the incredible suppressive and miserable condition, and for the death of our national enterprise and enlightened national culture. Dear leaders and people: Allow me to extend to you my condolences on the occasion of our demise and death in Gaza."

[From commentary by Hafith al-Barghuthi] "We are facing a pre- prepared destructive plan against the Palestinian Authority that could end in different scenarios. Nevertheless, we need to react to the developments with a rational vision even if what is happening there is catastrophic because the incidents show that the coup against the PA was successful. Hamas's quick declaration that northern Gaza is a closed military area was a message to Israel that no-one will any longer fire rockets at it from this area This is paving the way for a long-term truce that Hamas is proposing to Israel in return for allowing it to establish an entity in Gaza without any disturbances. This means that Hamas is giving Israel peace in return for an Islamic state."

Al-Ayyam: [From commentary by Ashraf al-Ajrami] "There is no need to stress the fact that the Israeli government is benefiting from the new reality [in Gaza]. It proves its point of views and pretexts that it is trying so hard to market in the world that there is no Palestinian partner. Consequently, no-one should ask it to take any steps towards reinvigorating the peace process."

[From commentary by Hasan Khadir] "The PA's future is uncertain, especially after losing the last reason for its presence. It would be an illusion to think that Gaza will not be any different than what it was before Hamas took control of it, especially in terms of security because it will deteriorate. Gaza is going to witness chilling and quick Talibanic changes as well as a vengeance that we have never seen before. The truth is that 1.5 million Palestinians have become hostages in the Gaza Strip."

Sources: As listed

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Newsfile. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.