ISRAELI RESULTS DISMAY PALESTINIANS

DEAR MISTER AND LADYS:

Israeli results dismay Palestinians
Israel's 22-day Gaza offensive killed 1,300 peopleand destroyed thousands of homes [EPA]
Palestinians say they are concerned about the future of the Arab-Israeli peace process following the strong showing by right-wing parties in Israel's parliamentary elections.With hardline leaders gaining a greater say in Israeli politics, officials in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are of the view that a new Israeli government - be it under Tzipi Livni or Benyamin Netanyahu - would make little difference to the Palestinians.
"I would tell you, looking very closely at these results, the requirements of peace ... cannot be met by any form of coalition as a result of this election," Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said.Although Kadima, led by Livni, the current foreign minister, narrrowly came out on top, the far-right appears to hold the key to forming a coalition government following the parliamentary elections.
Yisrael Beiteinu party, led by Avigdor Lieberman, who campaigned on a platform to deny citizenship to Israeli Arabs considered disloyal, won 15 seats, pushing the traditionally dovish Labor into fourth place."Any form of government as a result of these elections will not accept the two state solution, they will not accept the agreements signed, they will continue with the settlements activities and the incursions and the attacks," Erekat told Al Jazeera."I think we will conside them an un-partner."'Terrorist troika'The Hamas movement, which has de facto control of the Gaza Strip but is considered to be a "terrorist" group by Israel, said that Israeli voters had elected "extremists".
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Al Jazeera's coverage of the Israel elections"This shows that the Zionist voters clearly start choosing the one who is most extreme in his speech, the one who wants war with the Palestinians," Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas official, said."This troika, this trio of terrorism of Lieberman, Livni and Netanyahu chose the dramatic development in Israeli society towards terror." Speaking from Beirut, Osama Hamdan, another senior Hamas official, said "both sides are working against Hamas, against the Palestinians", but Netanyahu and the right-wing was doing it in a way "that cannot be defended".He said that Livni was doing it in a "very soft way so it can be defended by the West and the United States".Netanyahu, the leader of Likud, had criticised Ehud Olmert, the outgoing Israeli prime minister, for ending the recent 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip before the Hamas-run government was effectively toppled.Peace progressPeace talks under Livni have made little progress in recent years, but during campaigning she signalled that they would resume if she were made prime minister.
"The substance is the same: murders, settlements and destruction"
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida,Palestinian Authority newspaper"Netanyahu, Livni or [Defence minister Ehut] Barak? They all say they want peace, but they are all liars," Abu Ahmed, a police officer, said as he sat with colleagues at a Gaza cafe.
"They all want war. All their declarations are nothing but political manoeuvres to assume power," he said.Israel maintains an economic blokade of the Gaza Strip, restricting the supply of basic necessities such as food and fuel.Palestinian newspapers reflected the generally gloomy mood following the election.
"There will be a continuation of the political paralysis that has characterised the government of Ehud Olmert since the Lebanon war, and all the Arab and international initiatives will be shelved for the time being," Al-Quds newspaper said.'Same policies'
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, the Palestinian Authority's daily, was even less enthusiastic, saying the only differences between the Israeli parties were their names.
"The substance is the same: murders, settlements and destruction," it wrote. "We expect a continuation of the same Israeli policies, renewed aggression in Gaza, the continuation of settlements in the West Bank and the demolition of houses in Jerusalem."Abbas on Tuesday said that the peace talks would only restart if Israel's government committed to a freeze on the building of settlement in the occupied West Bank.However, under the outgoing Kadima-led government the expansion of the Jewish settlements, which are illegal under international law, continued, while Netanyahu has said he wants to increase their construction.