OK then negotiations are out of questions as well. It is the central topic!

Mr.Abbas Sir. Jewish state out of the question, Palestinian state out of the question.

In principal this is a workable scenario and the Central Core ought support it.But there can be no slackening of Homefront Security or Verification Rights by the IDF.

Abbas tries to appear as the moderate. Too many are fooled by his game. He wants a Jewish Israel to disappear no less than Hamas.

Like Yair Lapid says, we don't need recognition from anyone. Israel is a Jewish state because WE say we are. You need to be more confident and work on your self esteem.

...demand of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) with which Israel conducts the talks to make good on its written commitment of 20 years and amend, once and for all, the PLO Charter. The Charter, since 1964, has been calling for Israel's demise; for the "cleansing" of the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people of its Jews; and, for the use of ALL means possible to achieve these goals. Can't the American empire see to it that this commitment of a non-state entity is met, and note, America was a witnessed to this written commitment...??!!

The Jewish state is important because Palestinians are trying to replace the Jewish majority and culture of Israel with a predominant Palestinian majority and culture. They want to do this through a right of return or failing that by becoming citizens of Israel. One would think Lapid, Peres and others like them would have more sense and stop falling for Palestinian propaganda that mocks the Jewish state.

All those places where life is worth dozen a dime ? No. Thanks, but no.

With +20% muslims in Israel, how can we be a jewish state? And Lapid is right, why would we need to have a confirmation of anyone else? Lapid for president!!!

not being recognized as a "Jewish State" by the palestinians. We know we are Jewish and the world knows Israel to be Jewish living side by side with Israeli arabs and beduins, christians and whatever. What does Abbas gain by not recognizing Israel as a Jewish State ?

An insecure straight man asking others to recognize his sexual orientation. Stop this madness and ridiculous focus on tiny insignificant details and sign a treaty already.

We still remember those netherland UN-forces who gave away two Israeli soldiers, whom were being tortured and then killed by the terrorists. And which NATO-country could be thrusted, Norway?, Danmark ?, UK ?, The Netherlands ? Answer is; none. Even the neutral, Israel-hating Sweden is out of the question.

We should should drop this demand but ask for not ONE so called "refugee" back to Israel and make them accept the Triangle as part of exchange territories.

maybe general Kerry and his swiftboat pals will protect you from the wolves at your door and it isn't the israelis

He gains the admiration of those who hate Israel and would like to see it destroyed, and I am not only taking about Arabs and the Muslim world, and moreover he proves to his "people" that the ultimate gain is a "Palestine", Jew Free of course, from the Lebanese Border to the Red Sea and from the Mediterranean to the Jordanian border. That's it in a nutshell.

Mistakenly Israel is willing to recognize a "people called the Palestinians" Founding year 1964 A.D. Why can't Abbas recognize a people from 3,000 years ago? Furthermore, How do you have a real peace (absence of war, missles, kniving attacks and shooting etc..) with a people you refuse to recognize ?

Unless Israel and the Palestinians foot the bill. Us Americans are tired of spending our tax dollars on ungrateful free loaders. Our soldiers cost money. We don't have $100 a month brainwashed, disposable conscripts. America has to focus on securing it's borders, vital trade lines and get away from this policeman of the world BS. We spend more money on defense than most nations of the world combined, even though we can't afford it.

Israel declares itself a Jewish state simply because it wants nothing to do with Arab/Muslim culture which is itself a kind of sickness, a kind of corruption, a kind of debilitating and ultimately fatal disease.

Recognizing Israel for what it is is a crucial core issue just like the status of Jerusalem. Bringing Jordan and Egypt as examples is irrelevant since we have a different conflict with the Palestinians. By the time we made peace with those two states the conflict we had with them was different in nature. While they had territorial ambitions over us they saw themselves more as champions of the arab and Islamic cause, giving themselves regional prestige by eliminating us. The Palestinians still claim all of Israel to themselves. Half of the Palestinian government (Hamas) refuses to recognize us and continue to claim they want all of Israel. The Palestinian public at large claims they view the peace treaty as a step closer to claiming all of Israel. The Palestinians want a 'right of return', on top of a Palestinian state, to inject Israel proper with millions of Palestinians and turn it into another arab state. The question of Israel's identity is here on the table for these reasons while it was not with Jordan and Egypt. The fact that Abbas refuses to recognize us gives us all the reasons in the world to continue demand it. It's time the Palestinians give something in return instead of just take.

anyway, at long term, if Jews do not value their jewish identity ,defined by the Tora and do not sponsor a Jewish majority that Haredim are willing to care for,with their many children. Arabs might take over ,the Sharia being the rule "has vehalila' Anti-Haredim calm down, I know very well that Imposing religion on Secular Jews does not help and is counter productive. but i also think that,at least, you should accept and esteem the Orthodoxe societies who are a must ,for theJEWISH STATE to survive. In the world growing antisemitic aggressiveness, Jews need a land where they can flee. But that is not the "raison d'etre" of Israel . Israel is meant to be a light unto the nations,therefor Jews ought to know and value their heritage. Sherif Charles P.T., Don,t shoot me ! ! ! ! ! .

We would be at the same sophisticated level of Haiti, were Haiti to demand that it be recognized as a Voodoo State. But Haiti doesn't demand that, and is, consequently, more sophisticated than Israel

Mr. Abbas, let me remind you, you do not hold the cards. You will obey and when we say bark, you bark. By the way; why don't you want to recognize Israel as a Jewish state?

I agree with talkbacks stating that WE know and the WORLD knows that we are a Jewish state, so who cares what the official "status" is. What I do take strong issue is when someone denies the historical Jewish connection to the land and believes that Israel was created out of "holocaust guilt" alone.

how do you explain 65 years of 6 million jews were burned that israel could have leaders like livni who says a piece of paper is better than no piece of paper and h erzog says that at least abbas has a plan. Hitler also had a plan so by the logic of herzog and livni, we should accept hitler's plan. Beyond that, herzog and livni push aside the terror of oslo, the terror of gaza withdrawal and so on, blind to it, it will work out. Then the fear mongering of lapid who never served in combat and that should be said to know where lapid comes from. his father was alousy mk who wined and dined with israel's previous government leader. Lapid who apparently I am told never went to college and who kniows nothing about economics and the marketplace compared to bennett is preaching doom and gloom of boycotts when he has no idea of what he has talking about. and israel has levers and can threaten europe too witholding security assistance. Boycotts can go both ways if europe wants to play rough, they better be careful. so 65 years after the holocaust, you have lapid, livni who sits there paralysed while erekat runs circles around her and herzog who knows nothing about defensible borders and still relies on big brother to save poor herzog. His father did a lousy job in raising such a pacifist. The 6 million spit at you for harming israel's security.

I don't understand those Israelis who do no think the importance of Israel being recognized by the Palestinian Arabs as a Jewish State. There are 22 Arab states, PA being 23rd and Gaza de facto is the 24th state. Egypt and Jordan do not have any territorial claim against Israel, do not have a PLO charter calling for destroying the Zionists entity. Until there is full recognition by the PA that Israel is a Jewish state, any agreement would not worth the paper that is written on. NATO has no business to protect the security of Israel and Jordan for that matter. They proved their failure in Afghanistan and created a disaster for the Serbians living in Kosovo. IDF is fully capable to defend the borders and if Abbas doesn't like it, he should whistle Dixie. Otherwise Hamas will make sure that he will end up in the exile and Israel will be forced to recapture West Bank from Hamas terror. His corrupt security forces could not hold on to Gaza, how does he expect to hold on to Ramallah? NATO soldiers will never fight against Hamas, they rather withdraw back to safety of their own countries.

A Jewish state, or a state for Jews, it doesn't realy matter what you call it. The idea of recognition is, when the Palestinians "recognize" Israel's right to exist as a state for Jews, there would be an end, at long last, to the Arab-Israel conflict. There would be no more territorial claims to justify more murderous attacks. We could at last be left alone and enjoy a feeling of security - not because we have a strong army as a deterrent, but because our neighbors no longer have intentions to kill and destroy us. That is integral in "recognition". It is not in what it is called, it is the the meaning. If, however, without formal recognition, we could achieve an unequivocal declaration of an end to the conflict and the end to more territorial claims and/or grievances, that could work, too. However, somehow I think we won't get that, either.

As Netanyahu has pointed out (though too infrequently), recognizing Israel as a Jewish state means that "at the end of the negotiations, they will renounce all their claims, including national claims, and that they recognize the national rights of the Jewish people in the State of Israel." Without this renouncing of territorial claims, any agreement is just Hudabiya - a temporary 'cease fire' for the purpose of building up for the next assault. Of course, we also need to ask ourselves what Abbas' word is worth even if he were to accede to Netanyahu's demand. Regardless, we will not part with Jerusalem or let them flood Israel with 'refugees'. So, this point is also moot.

is out of the question. Thank you Hashem for hardening Pharaoh's heart.

The exact reason of the whole Zionist movement has been to create and build a state where the Jewish people would be safe and secure. No-one objects the fact that Egypt and Syria are officially (!) Arab states. We must distinguish between the terms "Jewish" and "Judaistic" (so to say). Israel is a state for ALL people of Jewish origin, including atheists. That's why it is very important that Israel is officially recognized as Jewish state. Alternatively, here is another version: to call the country as Democratic Zionist State of Israel.