Abbas Confirms: Israel Peace Talks Over

No Progress in Latest Round of Negotiations

The latest round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, kickstarted by a Mideast Quartet demand that the two sides engage in some sort of talks, have come to an end today. PA President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed that the talks were “over.”

As has been the case in the past, the talks have accomplished nothing at all, with apparently no progress made toward Palestinian statehood. Israel expressed openness at continuing the talks, and Abbas said he is going to consult with the Arab League on the possibility of additional meetings.

None of the Israel-Palestine peace talks have resulted in concrete progress on a Palestinian state. The latest round of talks appears to have been the silliest yet as the two sides angrily bickered over whether or not to call them a “renewal” of the talks or a “resumption” of the talks. It is unclear if they settled on a term.

Meanwhile, jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti made a rare public appearance in an Israeli court, saying that he believes that peace will only be possible once Israel withdraws from all territory occupied in 1967. Israeli leadership has ruled this out, insisting those borders were “indefensible,” though Israel won that war.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.