Israel-Palestine: Former Israeli Head of Negotiations "No Agreement in Foreseeable Future"

Udi Dekel, who headed Israel's negotiating team during the Ehud Olmert Government, has declared, "I do not believe that in the foreseeable future there is a possibility of an agreement with the Palestinians on all the issues, especially on the problematic core issues."

According to Dekel, the main mistake of the Olmert Government, which was in power from May 2006 to March 2009, was the inability to implement any point agreed upon during negotiations:

The biggest mistake was that everything was based on the premise that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. We thought at the time that this could provide the necessary flexibility in the negotiations, but in practice, every time someone showed flexibility, the other side tried to pin him down. Therefore, I suggest that the model be changed and that whatever is agreed is implemented.

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Dekel added that because "the Palestinians understood that the Americans were closer to their position on the issues of Jerusalem, the borders and security, [they] opted to wait it out", and discussions were stalemated:

The Palestinian approach was in principle the demand of 100 percent of their rights from 1967. The practical aspect interested them less. They are not willing to discuss any further compromise. We tried to build scenarios, some of them were imaginary, about specific compromises, but we found the Palestinians taking an approach of 'all or nothing.

Dekel now proposes adoption of a plan, floated by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, under which the focus would be the swift establishment of a Palestinian state, with borders and security the first issues to be negotiated:

The rest (of the issues) would be discussed in parallel but the establishment of a state would not be conditional on an overall agreement. The two sides are not ready for this at the moment and we should not believe that there is a way to get the sides to understand that this is the only relevant solution in this time frame.

Iran and Israel: The Start of a Beautiful Friendship?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vY-4zWKsJM[/youtube]

It happened not in Casablanca but in Madrid, during a tourism fair....

An Israeli delegation, headed by Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, was taking a stroll around the other exhibits when they stumbled upon the Iranian booth, manned by Tourism Minister and Vice President Hamid Baghaei. Baghaei was shy at first but he then presented Iran's wonders and invited Misezhnikov to see them first-hand.

This is the second beautiful encounter between Iranian and Israeli officials this month. The director of foreign relations for Iran's football team, Mohammad Ali Ardebili, began 2010 with a New Year's greeting to the head of the Israel Football Association's legal department, Amir Navon. The Israelis replied with "happy new year to all the good people of Iran" and hopes for "a happy soccer year".

Alas, as with every new relationship, there are lows as well as highs. Iranian state media quickly denied the flirtation in Madrid, insisting, "(The) Zionist regime published a blatant lie in order to distract global attention from its crimes in Gaza." And football's Mr Ardebili also backed away from the special moment during his phone call, "Are you talking from Israel? I can't speak with you. It's a mistake, it's a mistake."

To which we can only reply, "Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry."

Israel-Palestine: United Nations "Stop the Occupation of East Jerusalem"

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Israelis about the continued settlement construction in East Jerusalem.

Having already expressed concerns over the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, Ban said at a meeting in New York:

Settlement construction violates international law and contravenes the Road Map, under which Israel is obliged to freeze all settlement activity, including the so-called ‘natural growth.’

This is in no one’s interest, least of all Israel’s. Settlement activity undermines trust between the two parties, seems to pre-judge the outcome of the future permanent status negotiations, and imperils the basis for the two-State solution.

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In the absence of talks, confidence between the parties has diminished. Tensions have risen in East Jerusalem. People in Gaza and southern Israel continue to suffer from violence. If we do not move forward on the political process soon, we risk sliding backwards.

It bears repeating that the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory. A way must be found, through negotiations, for Jerusalem to emerge as the capital of two States living side-by-side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all.

Gaza: United Nations Warning on Health Situation

The United Nations has warned that the health situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating and called on Israeli officials to immediately open the border crossings.

“The continuing closure of the Gaza Strip is undermining the functioning of the health care system and putting at risk the health of 1.4 million people in Gaza,” Max Gaylard, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a joint statement with the Association of International Development Agencies.

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Repair and maintenance of facilities are hampered because construction materials are not allowed into the territory. (During Operation Cast Lead, 15 of Gaza’s 27 hospitals were damaged and 43 of its 110 primary health-care facilities were either damaged or destroyed.) Certain types of medical equipment, such as x-ray equipment and electronic devices, are very difficult to bring in, and health professionals in Gaza have been cut off from the outside world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also stated that many specialized treatments, such as for complex heart surgery and certain types of cancer, are not available in Gaza and patients are therefore referred for treatment to hospitals outside Gaza. However, many patients have had their applications for exit permits denied or delayed by the Israeli authorities and have missed their appointments, with some dying while waiting for referral.

“The Government of Israel has a legal duty to guarantee the right to health for people in Gaza. The humanitarian community calls for the crossings into Gaza to be reopened,” concluded the statement.

Palestine: Hamas to Recognize Israel?

The Jerusalem Post reports that, following a meeting in Hebron with British millionaire David Martin Abrahams on Wednesday, Aziz Dwaik, a Hamas senior representative and the elected speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council in the West Bank, said that Hamas has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to alter its charter.

Dwaik stated that all Hamas leaders, including Damascus-based leader Khaled Mashaal and Gaza-based leader Ismail Haniyeh, have voiced support for the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 boundaries. He added: "The [Hamas] charter was drafted more than 20 years ago. No one wants to throw anyone into the sea."

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Meanwhile, Abrahams told the newspaper that he would urge British Foreign Minister David Milliband to "consider the implications of Hamas's positive overtures."