Abbas refuses to negotiate. He places more and more preconditions for talks. When Netanyahu froze settlements for 6 months, Abbas found other excuses not to negotiate. If the friends of the palestinians are genuinely pro-palestinian and pro-peace, and not just anti-israeli or anti-jewish they should make it clear to Abbas that both sides need to compromise for peace. Both sides can spend forever and a day devising preconditions to avoid negotiations but this will not help either peoples.

Read #20 michael; it's an excellent post and an answer to yours. And what does being an American newspaper have to do with anything? There are newspapers in Israel that Israelis don’t agree with either; all of them have people who disagree with them. Get off your high American horse. We are as multi-opinionated as Israelis.

there r always such nice pictures of palis leaders lol

he's wrong... if he doesn't, he's wrong. if he freezes, he didn't freeze enough, if he doesn't, well... take a guess. seems to me the problem lies in nyt's prejudice... am i right or am i right?

Yes, and it looks like Haniyeh found a new boyfriend.

Whatever Israel does, they always find an excuse to blame Israel, but who reads that paper? The half educated, pseudo intellect liberal jews. Anyway the jewish people around the world are happy; one young jewish man is free again and one jewish family is happy again! May HaShem curse the nemies of Israel!

Bibi knows that Abbas has no support among the people. Hamas is the true murderous leadership of Israel's dissident population, and they are the ONLY people worth talking to (that is, until you are ready & willing to obliterate them).

Don't make me laugh. It is not April 1 yet. Israel chose to free an Israeli soldier, nothing else. The only difference between Extremist Fatah and fundamentalist Hamas visavi Israel is that Hamas is at least honest and openly calls for Israel's destruction, whereas "moderate" Fatah "only" does this in Arabic in order not to embarrass its Western bankrollers.

LET THE NEW YORK TIMES MEDDLE FROM NOW ON WITH ITS NATIONAL INTERNAL US AMERICAN BUSINESS WITHIN THEIR OWN TERRITORY. MR. B. NETANYAHU DID A JUST JOB IN THAT CASE.

The NYT praises the Arab Spring, even though Egyptians now have free hand to abuse Copts, and then condemn PM Netanyahu for negotiating with Hamas. Where's the symmetry? With whom should Israel have negotiated> The PA? They are powerless in Gaza, and that's where Gilad Shalit was held. PM Netanyahu simply, and clearly, exemplified what sacrifices Israel will endure in order to save a life (one Israeli in trade for 1,000 Palestinians - who values life more? you do the math.) As to settlements: Why stop the rightful development of homes, whether they end up in Israel or Palestine after a peace agreement, when the Palestinians will not give up the so-called Right of Return? Where in history has a peace agreement ever included the forced invasion of enemy civilians on a peace partner? When will the NYT focus on the rights of the Kurds, or the Greek Cypriots, rather than condemning Israel for every step he diplomats tak?