Having harped about the need to abandon the “indirect” peace talks in favor of direct talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today angrily rejected an offer to begin those direct talks during a visit with US envoy George Mitchell.
According to officials, Mitchell presented the proposal for direct talks that included reference to the Quartet position that any negotiations begin on the basis of the 1967 borders. It also made reference to the fact that the international community doesn’t recognize Israel’s annexation of any territory since 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem.
In 1967 Israel launched the “Six Day War,” in which Israeli forces invaded on a number of fronts and occupied the West Bank, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and at least temporarily the Sinai Peninsula.
Israel maintains that the invasions were “preemptive” in nature, but they kept the occupied territories to this day and have installed large numbers of settlers in them. The Netanyahu government is now seeking a peace deal which would permit the Palestinians to establish a state, with strict limitations, in only a portion of the occupied West Bank, in return for them embracing Israel’s eternal occupastion of the rest of the seized territory, including East Jerusalem.
Is Benny finding excuses not to discuss a Palestinian State again? How surprising!
Then Israel has been inventing excuses since 1967 and have achieved a certain consummate skill. In 43 years no excuse has been left out. Soon, they may even use 'the dog ate my homework' excuse.
During the 43 years, they have been building settlements as if their lives depended on it. And committing genocide. Their excuse? God told us to!
There's only one answer. God will have to front the International Criminal Court.
The '67 borders are anathema to the State of Israel. It does not matter to them how much they enlarged their boundaries in the 1948 war, in which hundreds of Arab villages were bulldozed and almost 3/4 of a million Palestinians were driven from their homes. But, really, to no avail. The Palestinians are there, indeed, were there at the outset, and are there in great numbers now. And the Palestinians should be recognized as a nation that has had almost everything taken from them, yet they have not given in, and are actually quite an incredible study in courage, good spirit, and compromise. Their leaders have not been as good. If they had a colossus as benefactor, as does Israel, the story would be different.
My God, could it possibly be that Obama is finally waking up to the idea that doing the right thing might be a good way to go?
Or, more likely, Mitchell, took the bit in his teeth, like Carter used to do on key peacemaking missions…doing the right thing just is not Obama's way, anymore than it was Bill Clinton's way.
Poor Bibi, no one believes the Zionist canard that they were about to be attacked in 67. It was a land grab that was well planned. The whole settler monstrocity was no accident, which is why the entire world does not give any legitimacy to Israel’s theft, and ongoing state terrorism.
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism.
"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."
Zuhir Mohsen, PLO terrorist agent.
Exactly…all those people living in their farms and homes with their families for the last thousand years are just figments of the rest of the worlds imagination. Why do Zionists think they can post their propaganda here? Do you clowns not realize the people who read this site are not your average Americans? We actually know what the apartheid state is doing to these people. Your lies don't work here.
So… since the Palestinians do not exist, Its OK to take their homes and commit genocide on these pseudoPalestinians? This is the same mentality that allowed the european Zionist to invade the middle east because that horrible European Hitler used Mossad-like tactics on them.
using God to justify killings and sabotage. this shows they have no limits.
The ONLY 'peace' Israel wants is to kill all of the Paestinians and to take all of their lands.
I think you mean the converse Tonyjoec. C.f., Hamas' charter.
The story that this report is based on is one week old. What has happened since?
Israel, US…, what’s the different when it comes to occupying or steeling peoples wealth or their land. US militarism regime is still in Japan and occupying a island, in Germany is the same so as in Italy, England and many more countries around the world.., off course the regime pays these so called “government” corrupted up to their nose with peoples money.., because that’s the nature of a militarism regime and capitalisms economical structure.., so if any of us think for a moment that US or Israel will leave the occupied land…, you are making a big mistake. In the other hand, Israel would leave the occupied territories stolen by its apartheids regime if what is called the ”international community” (what a joke) conduct and implement a total boycott in helping Israel in terms of economics, political and stop doing business with it. This is the only language that works for Israel and Israel would ever understand, in the other hand.., they are not going to implement such major because Israel is the only “friend” (thieve) with a WMD in hand and in full cooperation with “international community” and its thieveries apparatus called NATO.
We are seeing a switch in the way Israel is perceived. Only a few years ago to criticize the Zionist state would result in all sorts of persecution…the zionist controlled media and Congress duct taped all that did not buy into the Zionist line.
It's a whole different story now and the Internet smashed the propgands machine. Netanyahu does not want peace talks because it would be about borders…only when they kill off all the Palestinians it is THEN they will say, "Let us talk peace."
Rename the "Peace Process" the Piece Process. This would be more accurate.