by Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post Israeli officials continued to express optimism on Sunday that direct talks with the Palestinians were imminent, even as Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that more needed to be done to bridge the gaps between the two sides. Aboul Gheit’s comments followed a meeting in Cairo between Prime Minister…
by James D. Besser, The Jewish Week President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu staged a diplomatic dance in Washington on Tuesday meant to show the world — and their respective constituencies — that they are still in step. But the carefully choreographed atmospherics belied potential difficulties ahead and many unanswered questions, starting with…
By Israel Today Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas indicated in his meeting with US envoy George Mitchell that he has a problem with Israel behaving like a democracy when it comes to the land-for-peace process. Details of the meeting provided over the weekend to Ha’aretz revealed that Abbas pressed Mitchell to in turn press Israel to…
By Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post The stated goal of the nascent diplomatic process should be a historic reconciliation between Jews and Arabs, and not just a two-state solution, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Sunday, on the eve of US Middle East envoy George Mitchell’s next visit to mediate indirect talks. Ayalon, speaking to…
By Jonathan Tobin, commentarymagazine.com If there were any lingering doubts in the minds of Democrats who care about Israel that the president they helped elect has fundamentally altered American foreign policy to the Jewish state’s disadvantage, they are now gone. The New York Times officially proclaimed the administration’s changed attitude in a front-page story this…
By Yoav Sorek, The Israel Initiative Last weekend was marked by Abbas’s threat to leave the Palestinian Authority leadership, which may bring anarchy to the PA – and by the rumors about a deal between Obama’s administration and Abbas regarding the founding of a Palestinian state – a real nightmare to every one who seeks…