Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumIsrael imposing agenda on Mideast talks: Palestinians
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) A top Palestinian leader Thursday accused Israel of imposing its own agenda onto Washington's Middle East peace push, pressing issues that overshadowed Palestinian demands.
The remarks by senior Fatah party member Nabil Shaath came after US Secretary of State John Kerry's 10th visit to the region to try to push a framework for final status talks as an April deadline for the negotiations loomed.
"Israel has succeeded in really persuading Mr Kerry to change the agenda of the discussions," Shaath told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"Today, you will see Mr Kerry going back and forth, discussing nothing but two issues. The two issues have never been in our agenda: the Jewishness of the state and (security in) the Jordan (Valley)," he said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hC9wj4xr8zn8j0YDrlcdlEUGi-qw?docId=7af9ad14-5b16-4567-9c00-eced731f969b
sabbat hunter
(6,825 posts)instead of recognizing it as a jewish state, the Palestinians can agree to call Israel the Jewish homeland.
A bit of semantics perhaps, but I think the difference in the wording is key and could lead to something.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)There appears to be a foregone conclusion that the settlement blocs are a done deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Israel retain a fourth settlement bloc in addition to three it has already demanded in negotiations with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been working to hammer out a framework peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
The settlement bloc in question is in the vicinity of Beit El, adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank. Israel has already laid claim to three other settlement blocs Ariel, Gush Etzion and Ma'aleh Adumim. Settlement blocs refer to areas in the West Bank where the majority of Jewish communities are located.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.568919
sabbat hunter
(6,825 posts)We agree.
Israel needs to pull out of the WB entirely, with the exception of the Old City.
aranthus
(3,385 posts)I can't see the Palestinians ever saying something that could hint at the Jews being in Israel as a matter of right. And then there's Israel's demand about the Jordan Valley, which are a non-starter.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)this extra caveat is a more recent invention designed to be a deal breaker