Though they aren’t officially over until April 29, the signs are that the Israel-Palestinian peace talks are pretty well dead, with US efforts to try to salvage or extend the talks ending in failure.
The talks had been going nowhere fast, but really collapsed over the weekend, when Israel reneged on its last round of prisoner releases. That, and subsequent Palestinian applications to several UN conventions, have brought negotiations to a standstill. Bizarrely, Israeli officials claimed the prisoner releases were cancelled to punish the Palestinians for the conventions, even though the conventions were signed four days after the release was scheduled.
US officials are pointing the finger at Housing Minister Uri Ariel, an opponent of the peace talks who they say deliberately sabotaged their last-ditch efforts to negotiate a continuation.
The US effort would’ve included releasing convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard in return for an Israeli settlement freeze and a Palestinian agreement to continue the talks.
Ariel threw a wrench into that on multiple fronts, claiming Pollard didn’t want to be released, and then announcing tenders on 708 new settlement housing units.
US officials also promised to do everything they could to oppose any UN recognition of the Palestinians. The PA insisted they could withdraw their applications to conventions if Israel follows through on the prisoner releases, though this seems unlikely to happen at this point.
Israel will never give up what it has stolen, Ye,t this nonsense, called "peace talks" has been going on for decades and the results have been and always will be, ZERO.
If America were serious about these "peace talks", they would just announce that we have failed to get a voluntary agreement and refer the whole deal to the UN to sort out. But, no – we are not serious and the last thing we and Israel want is international oversight. We are the small-town magistrate that wants to fix the speeding ticket for our buddy.
I'm waiting for the headline some day that will say:
"US Aid to Israel on the Brink of Collapse"
or better yet,
"US Cuts off Israel Aid"
I'm 68 years old and have been hearing of Mid-East peace talks all my life. And the result – very little left of Palestine.What a bizarre joke that anyone with a couple of functioning brain cells can take these "negotiations" at all seriously. Israel is a disgusting rogue band of criminals whose economic power, media control, and mendacity have completely infected the USG and turned us into a terrorist state where truth, honor, and human values have been destroyed behind a mask of righteousness.
We are a sick country and Israel is the disease.
Why would the Palestinians care about Pollards release?
sounds like a group of opportunists deciding the fate of millions of innocent palestinians and israelis. how about a referendum for peace? apparently the politicians are incapable at best, or unwilling most likely, to establish any form of "peace".
Israel was never interested in peace. It never took the negotiations seriously. It is all a P.R. game for the benefit of the media. I have been hearing about mideast "peace talks" all my life. What is there possibly left to talk about? the whole thing is a farce.