Sunday
Sep202009
Israel-Palestine: No Progress but Obama Presses for Talks on Tuesday
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 8:47
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Barack Obama’s Message to Muslims: “Eid Mubarak!”
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On Saturday, despite Palestinian and Israeli officials blamed each other for "being responsible for the failure of U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell's last round of talks in the region", Washington announced that both sides are ready for a tripartite meeting in New York next week.
According to Agence France Presse, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that "the road is now blocked", since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not agree on a full freeze on construction of Israeli settlements. Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy responded, "The Palestinian Authority is...preventing such a meeting and the renewal of the diplomatic process by setting preconditions."
An American statement declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas would hold joint meetings with President Barack Obama on Tuesday in New York: "These meetings will continue the efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Special Envoy George Mitchell to lay the groundwork for the re-launch of negotiations, and to create a positive context for those negotiations so that they can succeed."
A senior Netanyahu aide was quick to declare victory, "The meeting will be held without preconditions, as the prime minister had always wanted."
Barack Obama’s Message to Muslims: “Eid Mubarak!”
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
On Saturday, despite Palestinian and Israeli officials blamed each other for "being responsible for the failure of U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell's last round of talks in the region", Washington announced that both sides are ready for a tripartite meeting in New York next week.
According to Agence France Presse, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that "the road is now blocked", since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not agree on a full freeze on construction of Israeli settlements. Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy responded, "The Palestinian Authority is...preventing such a meeting and the renewal of the diplomatic process by setting preconditions."
An American statement declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas would hold joint meetings with President Barack Obama on Tuesday in New York: "These meetings will continue the efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Special Envoy George Mitchell to lay the groundwork for the re-launch of negotiations, and to create a positive context for those negotiations so that they can succeed."
A senior Netanyahu aide was quick to declare victory, "The meeting will be held without preconditions, as the prime minister had always wanted."