Ohhhh, maybe you mean Mitchel assurances to Abu Mazen that "Bibi" here to stay!! Abu Mazen must not participate in this farce, if he really the President of the PLO !

Salma, I heard Mitchell promised a case of bukra ba mishmish delivered asap to Abu Mazen see if he will share some with you

including end to arab incitement, recognition by all arab countries, release of Gilad Shalit and acceptance of Israel's right to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria

Any assurance that would bring Abbas to the table based on what he has said would not only prevent Bibi from entering talks but would cost Obama the November elections.

Once Obama cowered to Netanyahyu and reversed his position on the settlements, he lost any and all credibility he might once have had. Because of his cowardice, his word, and that of the US, is worth nothing in the eyes of the Palestinians or anyone else for that matter, so who really cares what the US promises as it is clear that they still speak with a forked tongue.

Johnathan you seem to forget that the automatic Muslim majority in the UN (100+ votes out of 170) means that the general Assembly is always against Israel. The UN via the Quartet is already in the process with the Security council and Director General representing the UN. Any additional "assistance" from them would not help. Until the Palestinians and their Arab backers are interested in letting Israel exist at all there can be no negotiations.

monger as portrayed by the Muslim-Arab world and its advocates, has been eager, very eager to achieve an accommodation of peaceful coexistence between the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel, and the Muslim-Arab world, both local and regional, but has been facing time and again with a wall of refusal. Mr. Netanjahu of course is not unique among Israel's leaders. Every single leader of the state of Israel, since its proclamation in May 1948, has offered a hand of peace to the Muslim-Arabs, only to be rejected, and when finally peace deals have been signed and implemented, e.g. with Egypt, with Jordan, they turned out to be cold peace implementation. It appears there is only one reason for this rejection: Israel demands that any peace deal will be accompanied by two simple acts: 1) An acceptance by the Muslim-Arab counterparts of the right of Israel to be - not only the fact that it is - to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people. And, 2) an acceptance of a peace deal as the "end of the conflict". So far the Muslim-Arab leadership, both local and regional, has refused to meet these two simple requirements since they contradict the very ethos and goal of the Muslim-Arabs which is the hope to bring the demise of Israel sooner or later, through a full scale war or in stages. Accepting these two points will neutralize, at least in theory, this desire, thus the refusal. And thus the lack of trust that we, Jews, develop about the Muslim-Arab world's real intention... People of true good will must therefore impress upon the Muslim-Arab leadership to finally accept that which has been accepted by the rest of the international community: that Israel has the historic, ethical and legal right to be, to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and that a peace deal must be viewed as a peace deal, one that ends the conflict.

The only thing he can offer Abbas in assurances is that he will crack down on Israel and make sure that every single one of his demands is met. Obama is not and never is gong to get tough with Abbas he just gets tough on Israel. Providing he doesn't destroy us first we still got to deal with this man and his hostilities and arab loving attitudes to Israel till November 2012. These are going to be a very long and painful couple of years.

The only end product of direct talks is no peace and no Palestinian State. The answer is a US dictated solution with the threat of permanently abandoning its role as an intermediary. If that occurs the world should impose a comprehensive economic embargo on Israel to force them into an equitable peace. The world is too interdependent to allow Israel to flagrantly violate international law with impunity. Their actions on the West Bank constitute the single greatest reason why America is embroiled in two wars and that is confirmed in the 9-11 report and the recent testimony of Gen. Petraeus in May before the US Senate. Israel holds all the cards in direct talks which is why those talks can't work.

If you want to give half a capital to the Palestinian Arabs, why don't you give them half of Washington, D.C.?

I fully agree with you. US are hated by 1.6 Billion Muslims because we are backing Israel. Our tax payers' dollars are paid to Israel to occupy others lands and kill innocent people. The Palestinian State map has to be imposed if nothing can be obtained through negatiations.

Obama looks to be boxing in Netanyahu and Abbas, which will somewhat force both to agree to modified Saudi Plan which US, EU and Russia have already agreed on. If Netanyahu doesn't deal in good faith in talks then Obama will back PA going to UN to declare itself a state based on 67 greenline. Abbas will also be under massif pressure to sign peace deal based on modified Saudi Plan with land swap.

If the US holds that independence must be directly negotiated with the occupying power in order to be legally effective, then the US is denying its own history and its own Declatation of Independenc from Great Britain. L:ike the American colonies, Palestine cannot wait till doomsday for an Israeli rightist government to recognize its independence. If a people will be independent, it must say so openly, then defend that statement with all its might against any and all opposition.

Dont be silly, israel doesnt have all the cards, both sides have power in this. For the palastinians until the peace starts then they have more building in east jerusalem and the west bank. For Israel until the peace starts, there will be more terrorist action and international pressure. This is like i always said, it's the the bargain war where each side wants the other to break and get a better deal. And you think that because of israel wanting the settlements USA attacked iraq? If so then you are a fool. Sadam was in sonstant war with israel and never agreed to make a ceasefire as long as israel exists BUT Sadam was also VERY aggresive to his nighbores (iran for example) and every single major power in the world hated him (even USSR at their time). Even his own people hated him as he gave them no freedom and extrem poverty, much like the bad cases of africa today. You're american government does actualy care for the outside world and has responsibility for that as the world's largest superpower. A shame if you think otherwise and ONLY care about americans. You're tax payer money just given away to israel? look again, usa invests in specific places like weapons development that later serve to USA ends. About a year ago Israel made some weapon techonology and wanted to sell it to china but USA said no, so it was a no. What i mean is USA help to israel is always an investment back from the days of the cold war and until today as they have influence in the middle east thanks to that. Also note Israel NEVER made a war for gaining land, all the major land gains israel had was a war forced opon us and by this i mean the 6-day war and the independance war. Only a fool will say USA give Israel money just so israel can expand. Remember the USA government is not run by the jews and more then that, they are not stupid. Or in other words they will not just give and not gain