U.S. says will push hard for Palestinian statehood

[Barack_America]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will push hard for Palestinian statehood despite a new rightist government in Israel but anticipates a rough road ahead, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

"We're going to be working hard to see what we can do to move the process forward. But we're under no illusions. It's not going to be easy," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

"We have to engage constantly and remind the parties of their obligations and to try to set up a framework, a process for getting us toward that goal of a two-state solution," Wood added, referring to the goal of separate Israeli and Palestinian states, living side by side in peace.

Israel's new foreign minister angered Palestinians and raised the prospect of tension with Washington on Wednesday by saying Israel was not bound by a deal to start negotiations on establishing a Palestinian state.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/usPoliticsNews/idUKTRE5316TN20090402

---

This week seems to be full of good news on the foreign policy front.

[LeftishBrit]

1. Encouraging

[UndertheOcean]

2. very encouraging

[Soylent Brice]

3. wow. wasn't expectng that.

rec

[Barack_America]

4. I'm going to guess that neither was Netanyahu.

:rofl:

Welcome to office, Bibi!

[L0oniX]

5. blah blah blah ...50+ years of blah blah blah. There's no point in giving a shit about it anymore.

They have been and are going to continue to exterminate the Palestinians and take all their land ...slowly.

[Barack_America]

6. Tell that to the Palestinians trapped in Gaza.

C'mon man, you can't give up hope. This statement coming out just after Netanyahu was sworn in might *actually* mean something.

[L0oniX]

13. You've got to be kidding. How can anyone reasonably think that Israel will stop the extermination?

They will never go back to the 1967 boarders and so there will never be peace. There will only be more extermination and taking Palestinian land. They won't stop until they wipe out the Palestinians and that's why they kill Palestinian mothers and children.

[hack89]

18. Considering that the Palestinian population is undergoing explosive growth

I am not sure that extermination is a good choice of words.

[No Elephants]

24. IMO, "extermination" is never a good choice to describe the killing of humans. Hitler

chose it, but we don't have to follow that example.

I feel the same about "cleansing."

It's mass murder or genocide, not getting rid of insects or of dirt.

[burning rain]

19. Highly unlikely reverting to the 1967 borders would result in peace...

but I think that that's the least-bad solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Similar situation with the Israel and Lebanon status quo: Israel takes fewer casualties not occupying southern Lebanon.

[excess_3]

7. simple solution, recognize Gaza as a country

Israel can't stop such an act.
.............................
everybody wins

[cali]

8. that solves absolutely nothing and the Palestinians would never

support it. They want and deserve a viable state.

[The Stranger]

9. That is making the perfect the enemy of the good.

And saying the Palestinians "would never support" having their own state is completely bizarre.

It is for them to decide -- self-determination of peoples.

[muryan]

17. That would be productive

Recognize it as a country so it can immediately be labeled a failed state. If you think a palestinian state has any viability in the future without the cooperation of Israel then you're out of your mind.

Instead of making knee-jerk decisions that lead to this mess in the first place we actually sit down and think. Israel has to make concessions, so does Hamas. Thats how the world works

[Holly_Hobby]

10. I have a really dumb question

Please excuse my ignorance, but I haven't been paying attention for a long time to this issue.

Whatever happened to Palestine?

[harmonicon]

12. +1

[Soylent Brice]

25. a most excellent question indeed.

[Jefferson23]

11. I'm anxious to see what "push hard" translates to by the US.

[wroberts189]

22. Perhaps cutting off aid to Isreal..no mo missiles... nt

[and-justice-for-all]

14. 2 state solution is the only solution...

where NEITHER have control over Jerusalem.

The real bitch, is going to be getting Israel to give back those lands that do not belong to them in the first place.

[Idealism]

15. Rhetoric abounds in the Middle East no matter who is in US office.

I pray this will be different.

[EVDebs]

16. Breaking the Taboo on Israel's Spying Efforts on the United States

Breaking the Taboo on Israel's Spying Efforts on the United States
http://www.alternet.org/audits/130891/breaking_the_taboo_on_israel%27s_spying_efforts_on_the_united_states/

[UndertheOcean]

20. kick !

[ProudDad]

21. He'll have to figure out a way

to get rid of those damn settlers in the West Bank first.

They've got ALL the high ground and best land in the West Bank and they're religious fanatics -- heavily armed terrorists...

[wroberts189]

23. good news indeed. nt