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.
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:
On Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. At the press conference, Clinton tried a different tactic in address both Israel and Palestine, she suggested that resolution of the borders and the status of Jerusalem would break the deadlock on the settlements dispute, “Resolving borders resolves settlements, resolving Jerusalem resolves settlements. I think we need to lift our sights and instead of being looking down at the trees, we need to look at the forest.”
Clinton and Judeh also stated that negotiations should begin as soon as possible and be bound by deadlines.
Judeh then echoed the US Secretary of State, “If you resolve the question of borders then you automatically resolve not only settlements and Jerusalem but you identify the nature on the ground of the two-state solution and (what) it looks like.”
Clinton did not give any details regarding U.S. Mideast special envoy George Mitchell’s so called “letters” guaranteeing both sides’ demands, saying moreabout the general framework of the process:
There is a hunger for a resolution of this matter, a two-state solution that would rebuke the terrorists and the naysayers, that would give the Palestinians a legitimate state for their own aspirations and would give the Israelis the security they deserve to have.
This is a year of renewed commitment and increased effort towards what we see as an imperative goal for the region and the world.
Following the Israeli Government’s decision to build 700 more apartments in East Jerusalem, the White House press secretary Robert Gibbs expressed Washington’s concern over the future of the peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel:
Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations. Rather, both parties should return to negotiations without preconditions as soon as possible.
We believe that through good faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome that realizes the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem, and safeguards its status for people around the world.
Eleven days ago, former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin told the Meretz Party leadership that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was close to finalizing an agreement with the Obama administration for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, envisaging a two-state solution based on 1967 borders:
* Timetable: Netanyahu is willing to accept the U.S. proposal to allot 24 months to talks, but does not want to announce that the goal is to reach a deal by the end of that period.
* Borders: Netanyahu has agreed that the goal of the talks is to end the conflict on the basis of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders, the exchange of agreed-upon territory, and a Jewish state with recognized and secure borders that will meet Israel’s security needs.
* Jerusalem: Netanyahu has agreed that the status of Jerusalem will be discussed in the negotiations, but has not agreed to any preconditions on the issue.
* Refugees: Netanyahu said he was willing to discuss the refugee issue only in a multilateral framework.
* Previous agreements: Netanyahu is willing to commit to all previously-signed agreements.
* Arab Peace Initiative: Netanyahu is not willing to support the plan, but is willing to say both sides are taking into consideration international initiatives, including this one, that contribute to the advancement of the peace process. Read the rest of this entry »
Approximately 1000 Israeli Arabs, including members of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, gathered Thursday on the Israeli side of the Gaza border to protest Israel’s continuing blockade of the area. They were “met” by about 500 people, including 100 international activists, on the Gaza side.
The rhetoric was far from muted. Israeli Arab MK Jamal Zahalka said that Defense Minister Ehud Barak enjoys ”classical music and killing children in Gaza” Following his criticism, Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh declared that Gazans were “much stronger” a year after Israeli’s invasion in Operation Cast Lead. He added, “We have overcome the occupation, and will meet at the Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem, which will remain Arab and Muslim.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday that he sees no chance for a comprehensive Israel-Palestine agreement in the next 10 to 20 years. He added:
“We think that if we make more concessions everything will work out. Even if we return the last grain of sand, and divide Jerusalem, and agree to all the demands, nothing will change and we will be in the same situation….Israel has proved more than any other country that it is ready for painful concessions….
We brought here a group of terrorists from Tunisia, we gave them guns and a government….We need to tell the world that there are no “magic solutions”. We will not get to a permanent agreement in the coming decade, or the one after that. The Palestinians are even unable to reach a stable peace agreement among themselves.”
On the matter of peace talks with Syria under Turkish mediation, Lieberman said:
“I am not picking a fight with anyone but unsuitable things were said by the prime minister of Turkey.
As long as I am foreign minister, and as long as Israel Beiteinu is the senior member of the coalition, there will not be Turkish mediation between us and Syria, but rather only direct talks, in Jerusalem and in Damascus.”
Lieberman’s comments come as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to visit the Palestinian Embassy in Ankara, marking the first anniversary of the war in Gaza. During his visit, Davutoglu is expected to reiterate Ankara’s emphasis on the urgent need to lift the blockade on Gaza.
Last week, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke with the Wall Street Journal’s Charles Levinson about a wide range of issues including : the future of peace talks with Israel and the Obama Administration’s role; Israeli settlements; boycotts; the possibility of a third Intifada; alleged CIA links to Palestinian “torture”; and the Goldstone Report on Gaza.
Abbas’ message in the interview was that he was siding with a “wait and see” approach following his re-election as the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Abbas indicated that, with the international community supporting the Palestinian Authority on the status of the settlements and Jerusalem, there was no need for a call to a third Intifada – although he would like to see more pressure from Washington on Tel Aviv.
Q – A recent opinion poll shows that 57% of Palestinians support you over Hamas, which got just 37% support, a big change over polls from just two months ago. The Fatah and PLO leaderships have similarly asked you to remain in office. So can you start by explaining why you decided not to run for reelection?
Is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in trouble with the growing opposition to his “concessions” regarding the status of West Bank settlements, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights?
On Wednesday, the Knesset voted in favour of continuing legislative work on the Golan Heights and Jerusalem Referendum Bill, by an overwhelming majority of 68 to 22, with one abstention. The bill requires that any withdrawal from east Jerusalem, the Golan, or another area under Israeli sovereignty would first have to go to a referendum.
More than one-third of legislators from the “centrist” party Kadima supported the bill and the majority of Labor ministers were absent. Defense Minister and Labor member Ehud Barak, who was critical of the bill in debate, still voted in favour whereas the opposition Kadima leader Tzipi Livni voted against. Read the rest of this entry »
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.”
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Following the Israeli Government’s decision to build 700 more apartments in East Jerusalem, the White House press secretary Robert Gibbs expressed 
Eleven days ago, 
Approximately 1000 Israeli Arabs, including members of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, gathered Thursday on the Israeli side of the Gaza border to protest Israel’s continuing blockade of the area. They were “met” by about 500 people, including 100 international activists, on the Gaza side.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman 
Last week, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke with the Wall Street Journal’s Charles Levinson about a wide range of issues including : the future of peace talks with Israel and the Obama Administration’s role; Israeli settlements; boycotts; the possibility of a third Intifada; alleged CIA links to Palestinian “torture”; and the Goldstone Report on Gaza.
Is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in trouble with the growing opposition to his “concessions” regarding the status of West Bank settlements, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights?
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