Kerry and Indyk at the State Department in Washington. – Photo: Reuters
The officials said Indyk had already informed the Brookings Institute – where he is vice president and director for foreign policy – that he might soon be returning to his post, from which he took a leave of absence nine months ago.
An Israeli official told the New York Times on Monday that Israel had in the past received “a specific commitment from the American administration” that it would not be expected to negotiate with a Palestinian unity government if Hamas did not meet the criteria set by the Middle East Quartet: recognition of Israel, renunciation of terror and a commitment to honor past agreements.
Obama and Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, September 30, 2013. Photo: Bloomberg
The Middle East Quartet – comprising the United Nations the United States, the European Union and Russia – has been involved in mediating the peace process since 2002. Continue Reading »
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Tuesday that he does not believe Habayit Hayehudi party will leave the coalition if Israel releases Israeli Arab prisoners as part of a deal to extend peace talks with the Palestinians.
Foreign Minister Lieberman at press conference in Knesset, March 25, 2014. Photo: Olivier Fitoussi
Speaking at a press conference with his Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz, Lieberman was referring to recent threats made by Habayit Hayeudi leader and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett.
U.S. President Barak Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry should drop their Middle East peace efforts and “move on and devote their attention to other major international challenges like Ukraine,” the New York Times wrote in an editorial on Tuesday.
Kerry, right, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in Washington last week. – Photo: AFP
Instead of continuing to promote peace negotiations, the paper wrote, the United States should “lay down the principles it believes must undergird a two-state solution, should Israelis and Palestinians ever decide to make peace.” Continue Reading »
By Tova Dvorin
The calls of Syrian opposition activist Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani to make peace with Israel have caused a furor in Damascus Sunday, after he provided an interview with Israeli media and expressed support for the Jewish state.
President Bashar al-Assad – AFP photo
“We have the same enemies and similar interests,” Al-Labwani stated Friday evening, in a special interview with Walla! Continue Reading »
By Elad Benari
A member of the Syrian opposition recently said that “it is in our interest today to engage in a peace process” with Israel.
Syrian Opposition Activist Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani Makes the Case for Peace with Israel on Syrian Orient News TV
The comments were made by opposition activist Dr. Continue Reading »
Washington denied an Israeli radio report Wednesday that the Obama administration was planning to free Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for spying on the United States for Israel, as a way of revving up stalled peace talks.
Demonstrators holding placards of Jonathan Pollard during an Israeli protest for his release. – Photo: Reuters
“There are currently no plans to release Pollard,” said a statement issued by the U.S. National Security Council and the U.S.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman received a few weeks ago a classified legal opinion that paves the way for making Arab areas of Israel part of a future Palestinian state.
The document’s authors concluded that the move would comply with international law on condition that it were done with the consent of the Palestinians, did not leave anyone without citizenship and included a mechanism for providing compensation, similar to the one used with Jewish settlers during Israel’s 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
A relaxed Benjamin Netanyahu appeared Sunday evening on the hit comedy show “Matsav Hauma” (“State of the Nation”) jousting with the hosts on topics ranging from Israeli politics to the Iranian threat and reiterating his stance on negotiations with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu in ‘Matsav Hauma.’ – Photo: Niv Eshet Cohen
“The right wing says you can’t talk to [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas,” said host Merav Galili. “Maybe without the ruckus of the tractors building settlements you could hear him better?”
The Palestinian Authority will ask the United Nations to change the color of the demarcation line that represents Israel’s pre-1967 borders, replacing the Green Line with a red one.
An activist symbolically paints the Green Line in Jerusalem, June 2013. Where’s the red paint? – Photo: A. Daniel Roth
The Green Line, the product of the 1949 Armistice Agreements, became known as such simply because of the ink color used on the map. The Palestinians, however, say this arbitrary choice is sending out the wrong message. Continue Reading »
Israel may block further prisoner releases if the Palestinian leadership refuses to extend negotiations by another year, top minister Jacob Perry told Israel Hayom in an interview to be published Friday.
A prisoner released from an Israeli prison is welcomed by relatives in the West Bank city of Ramallah early December 31, 2013. – Photo: Reuters
Perry, who joined Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party and then the government as minister of Science and Technology in 2012 after serving as head of the Shin Bet security service and a long career in business, is considered to be dovish.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a unilateral end to peace talks in his speech at the annual AIPAC conference, a top Palestinian official said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Netanyahu addressing the AIPAC conference. – Photo: AFP
In his address to a gathering of the pro-Israel lobby, Netanyahu reiterated his demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a nation-state of the Jewish people.
“President Abbas, recognize the Jewish state,” Netanyahu declared. “In doing so you will tell your people that, though we have a territorial dispute, Israel’s right to exist is beyond dispute.
WASHINGTON – It was tough not to notice the significant differences between U.S. President Barack Obama’s withering criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Bloomberg interview published on Sunday, and the praise he heaped on the Israeli leader in front of the cameras at the White House a mere 24 hours later.
Obama and Netanyahu during a meeting at the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2014. – Photo: AFP
Netanyahu was surprised when he landed here Sunday and immediately had to face the headlines about Obama’s comments.
Netanyahu addressing journalists during a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. September 15, 2013 – Photo: AFP
Upon landing, Netanyahu told reporters that he was committed to negotiations for a final settlement and was waiting to see proof that the Palestinians were as well.
“It takes at least three to dance the Middle East tango,” Netanyahu said.
By Ryan Jones
Opponents of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are often asked what alternative they would propose, assuming that that status quo is unsustainable. The simple answer for many has been to propose a one-state solution whereby Israel annexes Judea and Samaria and grants the Arabs living there Israeli citizenship.
That was precisely the argument offered by Israeli human rights lawyer Calev Myers, who has done much to defend Israel in a recent debate on i24News (see video below). Continue Reading »
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Israeli New Shekel Exchange Rate