The question: what did the secret internal Foreign Ministry report distributed to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad mean? The document declares that the US administration will not put much effort into the upcoming indirect negotiations, opting instead to focus on November’s Congressional elections.
Why was this released in the wake of the visit of Vice President Joe Biden to Israel? Was this a message to Washington over the previous “unwanted” Ametrican statements on settlements in East Jerusalem and West Bank or was it just an example of Israel trying to box in the Obama Administration by revealing, through a well-timed leak, the supposed US policy?
Then there’s the Hamas question: on Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed to Hamas to argue that an early deal for a Palestinian state is unlikely, given the strength of the organisation in the Gaza Strip.
Here’s the background: last Friday, US Mideast Special Envoy George Mitchell’s deputy, David Hale, said Israeli-Palestinian understandings since the Annapolis talks would not be binding.
Following the approval of two conditions (the outlines of a border deal with Israel and a complete Israeli settlement construction freeze) by the Palestinian Liberation Organization executive committee, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he hoped for direct negotiations in the near future, but reiterated that any permanent settlement would require recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and a long-term guarantee of Israel’s security.
Thus, the clear difference between two disputants’ mentalities: on one hand, Ramallah is considering indirect talks as a basis to be consolidated in order to move to the next round of direct talks; on the other hand, West Jerusalem sees indirect talks as a way to block preconditions.
In the midst of Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s permission for the construction of 112 housing units in the settlement of Beitar Ilit, despite the construction freeze in the West Bank settlements, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived Israel on Tuesday while Mitchell moved to Ramallah for further talks. Read the rest of this entry »
Indirect Israel-Palestine Dialogue: On Wednesday, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, found political cover to enter into an indirect dialogue with Israel, as 14 ministers of the Arab League agreed in Cairo that the PA should engage in indirect negotiations with Israel for a preliminary four-month period. The Arab ministers also mentioned that no progress will be possible without a complete settlement freeze, indicating that the four months will be an assessment process.
“Despite the lack of conviction in the seriousness of the Israeli side, the committee sees that it would give the indirect talks the chance as a last attempt and to facilitate the US role,” said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.
What makes the U.S. special is the fact that it has maintained its good relations with Israel over the years. Its support is not based on the financial pockets of the Arab states.
Everyone is waiting for the Palestinians to come to the negotiating table.
Not so fast, replied opposition leader Tzipi Livni. She warned the Israeli leadership that the US support should not be taken as granted and then launched into criticism of the Netanyahu Government:
Israel is a state that is threatened in its very neighborhood. Every blow to our relationship with the U.S. can create wide-ranging strategic problems.
The Israeli leadership doesn’t understand Israeli interests. We cannot expect the U.S. to defend our interests where this lack of understanding exists. Israel can’t request help from the U.S. without giving it the proper tools to do this while facing the international community.
Iran: Strange happenings within Iran —- newspapers being closed down but one quickly reopens; more pressure on President Ahmadinejad; claimed footage from yesterday’s first day of the “Mohareb” trial. All this and more, including tributes for the victims Professor Ali-Mohammadi and Seyed Ali Mousavi, and is available in our live weblog.
On the advice of an EA reader Scott Lucas took a “reality check” on the Regime’s position in Iran and concluded: Yep, They’re Still in Trouble.
Haiti: The most recent posts from Josh Shahryar’s Humanitarian Liveblog on the Haitian crisis can be read here and those from his News Liveblog here.
Israel/Turkey: Following Israel’s Defense Minister Barak’s visit to Ankara, Foreign Minister D-G Yossi Gal will today hold official strategic dialogue meetings with Turkish officials,
Israel/Gaza: Tzipi Livni appeared on CNN’s Amanpour on Monday. She said she would travel to Europe “For Israeli Soldiers” – despite the possibility of arrest. We have a transcript of the interview and will try to post the video later.
On Monday, the former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni appeared on CNN’s Amanpour guest. Livni defended the Gaza War Operation Cast Lead because it ”regained deterrence” to Israel and stated that the blockade on Gaza will continue as long as there is no official representative of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: ”Gates are open to Gazans when it comes to humanitarian needs”.
Speaking about the arrest warrant issued for her by a British court because of Gaza, Livni said that she is willing to travel to any part of Europe as a “test case” for IDF soldiers to travel and see the free values of the free world.
AMANPOUR: Tonight, on the one-year anniversary of the end of the war in Gaza, we look at the troubled Middle East peace process, which President Obama has also made a center point of his foreign policy.
And from Jerusalem, we have an exclusive interview with Tzipi Livni, head of the Israeli opposition party Kadima. She had served as foreign minister during the previous Israeli administration throughout the Gaza war.
Following the issuance of an arrest warrant by a British court against Israel’s former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Istanbul-basedMazlum-Der, an Islamic human rights group, petitioned a prosecutor on Friday to start legal proceedings against Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The warrant is sought for alleged crimes committed against Palestinians during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.
So far, Turkey’s Justice Ministry has rejected similar moves. Barak is expected to arrive Ankara on Sunday.
Josh Shahryar, who also live-blogged Ashura, concludes that, for the first time in 200 days, Iranians decided “enough was enough”. His overall assessment, “Iranians are not punchbags“, offers provocative thoughts on non-violence and self-defence.
The question: what did the secret internal Foreign Ministry report distributed to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad mean? The document declares that the US administration will not put much effort into the upcoming indirect negotiations, opting instead to focus on November’s Congressional elections.
Iran: The situation remains tense today. As 
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