Palestine-Israel Update: Heavier Clouds Over the "Proximity Talks"

On Thursday, U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell spoke with Abbas and urged him not to walk away from indirect peace negotiations with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he believes indirect talks with the Palestinian Authority will continue as planned early next week despite the crisis. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley added:

I don't think that that report that's been circulating for the last 24 hours is accurate," Crowley said. "As far as I know, we are still moving forward. We have not heard from the Palestinians that they have pulled out.

Before US Vice President Joe Biden left for Jordan, he said in Tel Aviv University the US was interested in “putting everything back on the rails.” However, the Palestinian Authority’s chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat said that the PA would start the indirect talks “if Mitchell informs us that the Israeli plan has been canceled.

Following Biden's golden statement in Tel Aviv University, saying that the US has no other friend like Israel, in an interview with Haaretz, Shas chairman and Interior Minister Eli Yishai who authorized 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem emphasized the "unique relationship" with Washington. He said:

Our relationship with the Americans is above all else. It is an alliance that has survived complicated periods, and I had no intention of harming those ties, or to challenge the American administration, or to present obstacles to this important visit by the Vice President.

On Friday, with anticipation of renewed Jerusalem riots in response to a recent government decision to expand settlements in East Jerusalem, Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered Israeli Defense Forces to impose a general closure on the West Bank, preventing Palestinians from entering Israel. The West Bank will be sealed off for 48 hours.

Comments

[GREENFELD MEIR]

ONE OF THE PROBLEM IN ISRAEL THAT ISRAEL AFRAID FROM UNITED STATE THAT IN MANY CASES HAS DIFFERENT INTEREST THE ISRAELI DOING BASIC MISTAKE NOT STANDING UP AGAINST UNITED STATE SOONER OR LATER . UNITED STATE WILL TURN THE BACK ON ISRAEL . WE THE ISRAELI HAS TO LEAVE OUR LAND BECAUSE THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT GIVE UP THE BROUGHT US TO ISRAEL TO SUFFER . NO LAND NO HOUSES . UNITED STATE AND EUROPEAN INTERFEAR IN ISRAEL AFFAIR . JOE BIDEN DONT HAVE THE RIGHT TO COME TO ISRAEAL AND TELL US WHAT TO DO . YOU THE ISRAELI ARE "CHICKEN " AND CORRUPTED . I WILL GIVE BACK YOUR $ 4 BILLION MR AMERICA THE BUY US AND DESTROY MANY ISRAEL LIFE MR NATNUHO GET OUT FROM YOUR POST AS PRIME MINSTER . WE HAVE TO STAND UP TO THE TERRORIST AND PEPLE LIKE JIMMY CARTER AND JOE BIDEN . WHICH SUPPORT THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL .
I POSTED BEFORE AND I KNOW FAIR WELL AMERICA ISNT FIEND OF ISRAEL ALSO THE EUROPEAN . THIS CHANGING THE LAW IN ISRAEL JUST DESTROY ISRAEL FURTHER FOR DESTNCTION . I EVEN COOL OF ANY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ISRAEL AND AMERICA . DEFINITELY I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS DIRTY MONEY THAT USA BUY US WITH CORRUPTED 4 BILLION DOLLAR A YEAR .
THE END OF ISRAEL IS COMING . IF THE CANNOT STAND ON THEIR OWN .
ARE THE CORRUPTED USA WITH 10 TRILLION DOLLAR DEBT . GO TO EGYPT AND AND TELL THEM THE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT ON THE LAND . THE ISRAELI HAVE TO REPLACE THIS GOVERNMENT . THAT THEY ARE ANTI ISRAELI