On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mideast special envoy George Mitchell will meet Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.
Following the meetings in Washington, Mitchell will travel on Sunday to Paris and Brussels for meetings with his counterparts from the “Quartet” of Middle East peacemakers (the US, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia )and European diplomats before a forthcoming visit to the region.
During his Europe visit, Mitchell expected carry letters of “guarantees” outlining the US position to both Palestine and Israel. According to these “guarantees”, Washington will consider the Palestinian demand for a return to the pre-1967 borders s and a full halt to expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jeruslaem. Israel’s concern over retention of sovereignty over some of its settlements and a limited “right of return” of Palestinians into Israel will also be guaranteed by Washington. Read the rest of this entry »
One PA official stated that Netanyahu was now apparently ready to recognize the pre-1967 borders as the basis for future talks and was ready to swap territory between the two countries. He added, “We’re beginning to hear new things from Israel. For the first time an Israeli government is willing to negotiate with us on the basis of the 1967 borders, and this is an encouraging move.”
“Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians could be relaunched as early as February,” added another PA official in Ramallah.
Meanwhile, Egyptian sources told the Cairo-based daily Al-Ahram on Monday that Barack Obama’s administration will put forward a plan whereby Israel would commit itself to the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years of the launch of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. Read the rest of this entry »
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from meetings in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Netanyahu said, “I was very encouraged by the commitment of President Mubarak toward promoting the peace process between us and the Palestinians. I expect and hope to see such readiness on part of the Palestinian Authority.”
In Cairo, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit praised Netanyahu and his proposal on restarting peace talks with the Palestinians. despite the Israeli decision to build 700 more apartments in East Jerusalem. Gheit said, “I can’t talk about details, but the prime minister was discussing positions that surpass in our estimate what we’ve heard from them in a long time. I can’t say that he has come with changed positions, but he is moving forward.”
Iran: Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s funeral, attended by hundreds of thousands, dominates the news. Our liveblog will keep you up to date with the news, and we have video footage from the funeral in Qom and demonstrations in other cities. There is also video and English translation of an interview with Montazeri’s son Saeed, speaking about his late father’s last words and views.
A guest blog from Iran Review offers an in-depth look at Tehran’s current perspective on nuclear talks.
Israel: Following a meeting with Egypt’s intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Israel’s Foreign Minister Lieberman made the stunning statement: “Egypt has more to fear from Iran than we do”.
Israel/Palestine: Ali Yenidunya reveals that Hamas “provided evidence” for the British arrest warrant for Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni.
On Sunday, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer.
Barak said: “We’re always happy to see him. I hope we have fruitful talks here.” He and Suleiman talked about the “central role” of Egypt in talks with Palestinians, Egypt’s wall on the Gaza border preventing smuggling, the Iranian “threat”, and the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
The most striking part of the visit came true at the end of the meeting between Lieberman and Suleiman. Lieberman stated that “Egypt has more to fear from Iran than we do.” He added, “The greatest danger in the Middle East today is Iran, which is a greater threat to moderate Arab nations than to Israel. Tehran is attempting to duplicate the model of Hezbollah in Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen.”
Earlier, Mitchell was in Ankara to ensure Turkish leaders, who had criticised Israel over its conduct in the Gaza War, were on board: “Turkey is a crucial ally of the United States and an important force for peace and security in the Middle East.” Read the rest of this entry »
9:35 p.m. A member of the Hamas negotiating team in Cairo says a cease-fire agreement with Israel will be announced within 72 hours. Israeli officials have offered no comment on the claim.
12:30 p.m. Interesting and little-noticed development in Cairo. High-ranking Fatah officials met the Hamas delegation on Tuesday, raising the possibility of a reconciliation. Hamas had earlier said that it would not attend a 22 February meeting in Cairo to discuss Palestinian unity, but Fatah’s Azzam el-Ahmed says that the Gazan leadership is now considering attendance.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mideast special envoy George Mitchell will meet Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.
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Following claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from meetings in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Iran: Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s funeral, attended by hundreds of thousands, dominates the news. Our 
On Sunday, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer.
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