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Kerry talks peace, Palestinians with Netanyahu
Attila Somfalvi
Published: 09.04.13, 15:05
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23 Talkbacks for this article
1. Negotiations without conditions.
Jusanz77 ,   Vzla.   (04.09.13)
The only condition that must accept Israel, "Negotiations without conditions.".It comes to mind that when Israel agreed to freeze the constructions in Judea-Samaria for ten months, Abbas rather than sit down and negotiate, put a new condition every day to start negotiations.
2. Negotiations without conditions.
Jusanz77 ,   Vzla.   (04.09.13)
Negotiations without conditions. The only condition that must accept Israel, "Negotiations without conditions". It comes to mind that when Israel agreed to freeze the constructions in Judea-Samaria for ten months, Abbas rather than sit down and negotiate, put a new condition every day to start negotiations.
3. Bibi becomes a bigger COWARD every day........
Esther ,   Israel   (04.09.13)
G-d help us if he does what I think he wants to do. NO place in Israel will be safe.
4. Preconditions? what preconditions?
mira ,   nyc   (04.09.13)
So let's get this straight: Abbas has now added even more preconditions -- he now demands that prior to negotiations even beginning, Netanyahu should give him a settlement freeze, a map of borders, and release of prisoners. Why not also resettle all Palestinian refugees inside Israel prior to negotiations beginning? That would totally solve all the problems, because then we won't need negotiations at all.
5. This Abbas is a piece of work
Chopper4 ,   CPT, South Africa   (04.09.13)
This guy can not make up his mind what is a top priority. First it is settlement freeze is a top priority, then this morning it was goodwill gesture is top priority and now it is free prisoners is top priority. All those things will fall into place if there was peace! Peace should be top priority and not the other excuses!
6. Abbas does not want peace
Richie ,   Dublin, Ireland   (04.09.13)
Just look at what is being said by both leaders. Bibi says he "is going to make a serious effort to end the conflict once and for all". Now that's positive. Abbas, on the other hand, says that the release of prisoners is a top priority for resuming peace talks. He also wants Bibi too present a map of proposed border for a future Palestinian star. before peace talks can begin. He's also demanding a settlement freeze or else he will not negotiate. Now it's quite obvious which side is interested in peace. And Israel has, in the past, released Palestinian prisoners, has put a freeze on settlement building and presented the Palestinians with maps of proposed borders and land swaps. And all to no avail. The Palestinians walked away and increased terror attacks. Pressure should be put on the Palestinians to stop messing about and to sit down and negotiate. As it is it's like Groundhog Day. We've heard all this before from Palestinian leaders and it just shows they have no interest in agreeing peace with Israel.
7. Peace talks, by all means: talks that would lead to Peace-
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (04.09.13)
for-Peace, now!! But, nowhere in history has the party that initiated the war - the Arabs in this case - and lost the war, would also dictate the terms for peace. At the most, such terms ought to be negotiated, directly and without ANY preconditions. P.S. Any accommodation of peaceful coexistence ought to be based strictly on the fundamental elements of international law designed for this purpose, i.e. San Remo conference, 1920; League of Nations decisions, 1922; UN Charter, Article 80, 1945; and, UN Security Council Resolution, 242, 1967. And, at the end of the process the Palestinian Arab leadership ought to accept Israel's RIGHT to be, to exist as the SOVEREIGN NATION-STATE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE,; and, to accept a peace treaty as THE END OF THE CONFLICT AND ALL OF FUTURE DEMANDS.
8. Running out the clock won't work any longer, ICC on horizon
Steve Benassi ,   Silver Bay, MN USA   (04.09.13)
9. No Arab country, including the imaginary "palestine",
A ,   Belgium   (04.09.13)
should be allowed to take part in negotiations until they declare before the UN and the world that they recognize Israel as the legitimite and undeniable home of the Jewish people. Otherwise, they may as well stay home and play with their camels.
10. A. Belgium @ 9
Katie   (04.09.13)
LOL. I thoroughly enjoyed the remarks from A. Belgium @9. Wish there was more quirps similar. I'm getting fed jup with the political side re the Arabs. The arabs need to shut the Hell up, and to do that, ignoring the arabs is the best method. Try it!
11. Want to get Abbas to the table for talks?
Harry Wright ,   UK   (04.09.13)
FREEZE all funding of the PA. Abbas will run to the table and will talk so much, you won't be able to shut him up. Yeah, and tell him that settlements will not be frozen but that settlement expansion will be accelerated.
12. Don't reward Abbas for playing hard to get!
Harry Wright ,   UK   (04.09.13)
Impose a penalty that will HURT him! Stop treating him like royalty - treat him like what he is, a gutter snipe.
13. Best peace talks ever!
Harry Wright ,   UK   (04.09.13)
Kerry talks to Netanyahu. Kerry talks to Abbas. Netanyahu and Abbas do not speak to each other. Kerry runs back and forth between Netanyahu and Abbas relaying messages. Kerry = best messenger ever. Yeah! Best peace talks ever!!!!! Everybody else, KEEP OUT!
14. As long as they don't "do" peace: I'm fine with that!
tom ,   tel aviv   (04.09.13)
15. Talk with bibi and Kerry
Leib ,   New York   (04.09.13)
Talk is cheep it is all just talk ask the Obama and his men
16. End ALL talks with genocidal terrorist P.A.
Chaim ,   Israel   (04.09.13)
Israel should no more talk to the genocidal terrorist P.A. than America should talk to Al Quaeda. The P.A. needs to be totally defeated and driven from our land forever.
17. this is just too funny....
les ,   canada   (04.09.13)
two fools trying to fool each other..while they both know "peace and two states" with the palestinians is IMPOSSIBLE!
18. jewish guilt and arab communication
marv   (04.09.13)
its okay for jews to feel guilty about nakba and arab land but that arabs are sitting on jewish land, the entire west bank andpart of east bank is no problem for levy and haaretz. 24/7 channels should be beaming out non stop to arabs the truth,that they are sitting on historic jewish homeland. Whys is it that only feiglin and kedar and a few others beelive ths? many israelis are like bibi and barak- just a few more concessions. Well why not, since you feel guilty, give away the whole land to the arabs and move to the united states. The jews who have had inhumanity happen to them are still sick when leading soldiers do not believe in real israeli right to the land. Then get out, go somewhere else.
19. No need for negotiations
Gee ,   Zikron Yaakov   (04.09.13)
We have negotiated, we have signed agreements, and the Arabs have violated all of the same. No more talking until the Arabs fulfill ALL of their previous obligations
20. #13. "Kerry = best messenger ever. "
A ,   Belgium   (04.09.13)
That's a good one, I suppose that's how he stays so thin. Too bad he's only chasing his own shadow.
21. THE US AND ISRAEL
SJOERD VAN DER VELDE ,   UNIVERSE/MULTIVERSE   (04.10.13)
THE US IS NOT A NEUTRAL, UNBIASED, INTERESTLESS PARTY IN THAT CASE BECAUSE IT SERVES A US INTEREST IN THE FIRST PLACE AS ANY OTHER NATIONAL PARTY DOES. A PARTY AS THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION CAN BE CONSULTED FOR ADVISE WHETHER TO ACCEPT IT NOT, OR DO SO. AS BOTH THE US AND ISRAEL HAVE A UNO MEMBERSHIP AND PAYED/PAY CONTRIBUTION.
22. More pre-conditions
Get Real ,   UK   (04.10.13)
Now also the release of terrorists. Difficult to decide who are the least sincere about reaching proper agreement with Israel. Turkey or the PA.
23. #7 Say Hi to UNSC446 and Bye to Ariel
On the Balcony ,   Akko   (04.10.13)
Jehudah, despite the polemics of a few fringe propagandists, the San Remo Conference and League of Nation’s mandate decisions are as irrelevant to resolving today’s situation as are the borders described in the Torah. We must start with UNSC 242 but we cannot ignore other UNSCR resolutions like 446, nor the ICJ’s advisory opinion which are far more relevant to current international law than San Remo or the defunct League of Nations. Attempting to exact preconditions is a normal posturing and political pandering. Remember, it is Israel who refused to comply with the Quartet’s mediation efforts, insisting instead on direct negotiation as a precondition for peace talks. No matter what demands are being made now, once the parties are sufficiently motivated, they will sit down. Israel has every reason to be motivated because, for the first time, Palestine has a realistic if unpredictable alternative – the International Criminal Court. Our government has long known we will have to surrender settlements, which is why there has been no push to negotiate from our side. However, if before it was to our advantage to “build build build” while letting the peace process flounder, the looming threat of an ICC ruling against the settlements now makes it to our advantage to negotiate. Our choice is between negotiating our own borders or having uncertain borders imposed upon us. You can whine about the unfairness of this as much as you want too but it will not change the reality. The government should actively start preparing us for the inevitable. We are going to lose settlements –Ariel will be particularly painful but it too is all but certain to be abandoned. We must change our expectations and perspective. Instead of viewing every settlement we must return as a loss, we should view every settlement we can keep as a victory.
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