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Jun 21, 2007 - Immediately preceding the confirmation ceremony
of Israel's "covenant with many," the church which
is the body of Christ (Colossians 2:18 & 24) will be caught
up to meet the Lord in the air: The call focused on the ongoing situation following the takeover of the Gaza Strip last week by the Islamic militant Hamas group, aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. "President Abbas told Mr. Bush that this is the time to resume the political negotiations and to revive the hope of the Palestinian people," Abu Rdeneh said. He said Bush affirmed his support for Abbas' policies and the measures he's taken. The White House said Bush called Abbas "to express support for him and the Palestinian moderates." Bush welcomed Abbas' suggestions and ideas "and said clearly these are areas for a lot of discussion the rest of this week," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Washington. Bush will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday. "He (Bush) will raise these issues with Prime Minister Olmert so all parties involved can discuss them and can discuss the best way forward to what everyone wants, which is a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel," Johndroe said. 06/21/2007 The regional summit is scheduled to take place at the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Prime Minister's Office Spokesman David Baker on Thursday
confirmed there will be a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday,
saying the purpose of the summit will be to strengthen moderates
and to further the Israeli-Palestinian agenda. Senior aide to Abbas Yasser Abed Rabbo said Thursday that the Palestinians demand concrete results from the gathering, and warned that if it ended without results, it would cause more harm than good. Saeb Erekat, another senior Abbas adviser, said Thursday that Abbas will call for a resumption of peace talks with Israel at the summit, arguing that only progress toward Palestinian statehood can serve as a true buffer against Hamas. "The most important thing to realize is that time is of the essence," Erekat said. "We need to deliver the end of occupation, a Palestinian state. If we don't have hope, Hamas will export despair to the people." As immediate steps, Erekat said, Abbas will ask Israel to remove West Bank checkpoints that disrupt daily life and trade, and to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in Palestinian tax funds Israel froze after Hamas came to power last year. Olmert reached an understanding with United States President George W. Bush during his visit to Washington on Tuesday that it is necessary to support Abbas, a senior political source in Jerusalem said Wednesday. The decision to aid Abbas was made despite skepticism about his chances for success, in view of past experience. Olmert and Bush agreed they must not allow the impression that Abbas failed because Israel or the U.S. failed him. On his return leg from the U.S., Olmert told reporters that he is satisfied with his visit and noted the great opportunity in the fact that Hamas is no longer in the Palestinian government. Meanwhile, for the first time since the new Palestinian government was established, senior level contacts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were initiated on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke Wednesday on the telephone with Salam Fayyad, the PA prime minister, and discussed the implications of the Hamas takeover in the Gaza Strip. Livni stressed the importance of the establishment of the new government in the PA, saying that "it enables progress in matters that have been at an impasse during the period of the unity government and enables progress in the peace process." Sources in Livni's office said that the conversation with the Palestinian PM was coordinated with Olmert. Livni and Fayad had been in close touch during the months prior to the establishment of the Fatah-Hamas unity government, and met occasionally to discuss the political horizon of the Palestinian track. In his first address to the Palestinian people since the Hamas takeover of Gaza, Abbas went on the offensive Wednesday and angrily lashed out at the Islamic militants, accusing them of trying to build an empire of darkness in the Strip and pledging he would not talk to murderous terrorists. Abbas was uncharacteristically harsh in his verbal attack on Hamas. He said the group attacked national symbols, including the home of Yasser Arafat. "There is no dialogue with those murderous terrorists,"
he said. Abbas delivered the televised speech to the Palestine National Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization, seeking approval for his recent steps, such as declaring a state of emergency, dismissing the Hamas-led unity government and setting up an emergency cabinet of moderates. He also hinted at the possibility of replacing the Palestinian parliament, where Hamas has a majority, with the Palestine National Council. Such a measure would be necessary since under current rules, the emergency government would require parliament's approval after a month. He said Palestinian travel documents would in the future only be issued from the West Bank and if recognized internationally, as expected would mean Gazans can no longer travel abroad. Security personnel will be deployed in force in the West Bank
to restore "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
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