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After Dropping Freeze Bid, U.S. Formulates New Turkey-Iran Deal

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had the thankless task of writing finis on the Obama administration’s intense two-year effort to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to discuss peace. Her speech to the Saban Forum early Saturday, Dec. 11 was much awaited as Washington’s first comment on… Continue reading

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Why Did U.S. Peace Process Diplomacy Fail; What Happens Next?

It’s pretty remarkable that only after two years has the Obama Administration perhaps begun to get the first point: peace is not in the cards. One might also hope that it won’t take ten years to understand that the reason for this… Continue reading

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Palestinian Authority to Cancel All Security Commitments to Israel

Khana Amira, a senior Palestinian official, told the newspaper that the Palestinians are also considering canceling its other security commitments to Israel, including fighting terror… Continue reading

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Several Latin American Countries Recognize a Palestinian State with the 1967 Borders

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, sent an official letter to Ramallah recognizing a Palestinian state with the 1967 borders. Argentina made a similar declaration, but stated that it did not conflict with Israel’s right to… Continue reading

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PA Is Hindering The Solution For The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israel is not hindering the solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather, it is the PA who is unwilling to stand up and say to its people the truth, the need for true compromise. These are excerpts from… Continue reading

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Israeli Cabinet Will Only Consider A Final US 90-Day Settlement Freeze Proposal

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed his Cabinet Sunday on the U.S. 90-day settlement freeze proposal to entice Israel to renew limits on settlement construction and revive stalled peace talks with the Palestinians… Continue reading

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Israel Slams Obama’s Remarks On Housing Plans in Jerusalem

The statement was a response to President Barack Obama’s remarks in Indonesia when he was asked whether “Israel’s advanced planning for more than a thousand new homes in Jerusalem” undermines… Continue reading

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Jordan’s King: Tensions, Conflicts and Violence Will Continue If Peace Talks Fail

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Thursday urged intensified international efforts to make progress in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the state-run Petra news agency reported. At a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu El Gheit and… Continue reading

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Palestinians Will Declare Independent State In August 2011

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said the PA will declare an independent Palestinian state in 2011. “The deadline is next summer, when the Israeli occupation of the West Bank must end,” Fayyad said… Continue reading

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One Palestinian Cartoon Shows Why There Isn’t Peace

After fifteen years of following the Palestinian Authority (PA) media on a daily basis, I’ve never seen anything that sums up the problem of why there’s no peace better than this cartoon in al-Hayat al-Jadida, the official PA newspaper. If only the Western mass media ran this cartoon the situation would be crystal-clear and… Continue reading

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Why Israel Won’t Define Its Borders In Advance Of Negotiations

First, beginning with the 1993 Israel-PLO agreement, it has been clearly mutually agreed that the issue of boundaries would be settled in negotiations. Negotiations are supposed to be a give and take process: Israel would give more on boundaries if it got more on other issues… Continue reading

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International Conference On Palestine: No Option But Resistance

The Second International Conference on Palestine hosted by Tehran, was inaugurated on Saturday with the participation of Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani. He stated during his speech on Saturday that there is no option for Palestinians but resistance… Continue reading

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Palestinian President Abbas Presents Four Alternatives If Peace Talks Fail

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is urging Arab leaders to consider alternatives if peace talks with Israel fail, including pressing the United States to recognize a unilateral declaration of statehood and, if it were to fail, to take the demand to the United Nations. President Abbas presented his four alternatives, which he described… Continue reading

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Arab League Summit Supports Abbas’s Decision To Halt Talks With Israel

The Arab League announced on Friday that it supports Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to stop peace talks with Israel following Israel’s refusal to halt building in West Bank settlements… Continue reading

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Arab League to Give US One Month to Save Peace Talks

Diplomats at Arab League meeting in Libya say some countries suggesting return to indirect talks to avoid total breakdown of negotiations; Moussa blames Israeli negativity for impasse in peace process… Continue reading

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Netanyahu Is Blaming The PA If Talks Fail

Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Libya for the Arab League meeting and is seeking backing for his decision to quit direct talks with Israel until the settlement construction moratorium is renewed. There’re no… Continue reading

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Continuing the Peace Talks Is Vital For Israel

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting that continuing the peace talks with the Palestinians is a vital interest for the State of Israel… Continue reading

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Netanyahu Agrees to Two-Month Freeze Extension

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting Netanyahu said “we are in the midst of sensitive diplomatic contacts with the US administration in order to find a solution that will allow the continuation of the talks. Now is…” Continue reading

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PM Netanyahu Calls On PA President And Leadership To Continue Peace Talks

In a statement issued by the PM’s Office, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority leadership to continue the peace talks in order to reach an historic peace agreement within one year… Continue reading

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PLO says, No Talks Until Israel Halts Settlements

Direct talks with Israel will not resume unless it halts the building of Jewish settlements on occupied land, the Palestinian leadership said on Saturday… Continue reading

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Says Freeze is Not the Main Goal of Negotiations

“Whoever offered the idea to freeze settlements as a main goal and priority didn’t see the real goal of the negotiations, which is to define borders,” Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the London-based Arab newspaper al-Hayat in an interview… Continue reading

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Why Netanyahu Rejected a US Offer to Extend the Construction Moratorium

Contents of a White House letter have been published saying what the Obama Administration will offer Israel if it extends the moratorium on building inside West Bank settlements for two months. The specific proposals reveal again how the White House doesn’t seem to understand the situation, or perhaps is… Continue reading

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European Union Foreign Policy Chief Urges Israel to Reinstate Settlement Freeze

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, rushed to the region for talks with Abbas and Netanyahu on Thursday and Friday, underscoring the sense of urgency. A U.S. emissary is also racing against the clock to salvage Mideast peace negotiations facing collapse because of a spat over Israeli settlements. The EU is part of the Middle East Quartet, which… Continue reading

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Abbas Looks For A Way to End Peace Talks

Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas claims that he can’t negotiate with Israel if Israel once again begins to construct buildings on existing settlements after a nine-month freeze on construction. Let’s evaluate this statement… Continue reading

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The Arab League Refuses to Recognize Israel as Jewish State

While negotiations on a future peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians have just been resumed, the Arab League draws a line in support of the Palestinian decision not to recognize a Jewish State. As a consequence, the members of the Arab League will also not… Continue reading