Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
Hillary Clinton’s latest efforts to restart peace talks met with a rebuff from the veteran Palestinian negotiator over the weekend. According to Saeb Erekat “You cannot have discussions on borders while the territory you want to set up your state on is being eaten up by the settlements.” David Hulme Bookmark It Hide Sites $$(‘div.d4104′).each( [...]
The White House has issued a statement (September 5) about the Israeli government’s latest building plans. Hoping to retain settler support and then follow up with a freeze on construction to meet US demands, PM Netanyahu announced the latest permissions–Helena Cobban comments. David Hulme Bookmark It Hide Sites $$(‘div.d4091′).each( function(e) { e.visualEffect(‘slide_up’,{duration:0.5}) });
Helena Cobban has a very detailed run down on the latest Israeli-Palestinian behind-the-scenes negotiations over prisoner releases that could free key Hamas and Fateh militants from Israeli hands, and one Israeli soldier held in Gaza since 2006. All of this could be the precursor to declaration of another truce between Hamas and Israel. At the [...]
I welcome the news that New York state’s Bard College and Jerusalem’s Al Quds University will offer joint programs beginning next academic year. According to the New York Times, “The plan, relying largely on outside financing, includes a liberal arts honors college and a master’s degree program in teaching, both located at Al Quds and [...]
Israeli author, David Grossman has a reasoned piece in the NYT today about the current Israeli campaign to crush Hamas. He argues for a 48 hour unilateral ceasefire on Israel’s part. Grossman, whose eldest son was killed in the 2006 Lebanon War, maintains that such an approach taken early in that conflict, would have put [...]
Ahmed Qurei, the chief Palestinian negotiator, stated on Saturday that the Palestinians have rejected an Israeli proposition to annex a portion of the West Bank in exchange for some of its own territory. Qurei went on to explain that the Israeli land was “…not an equal trade in size and quality.” The rejected offer comes [...]
The Palestinian-Israeli Crossfire site, bitterlemons, has four perspectives on the ceasefire and domestic politics. This is a very useful site with regular commentary from multiple viewpoints on important dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict. David Hulme Bookmark It Hide Sites $$(‘div.d3884′).each( function(e) { e.visualEffect(‘slide_up’,{duration:0.5}) });
On Thursday, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry met with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Salah Bashir, to speak about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It was stressed by the minister that the main conflict in the Middle East is that of Palestine and Israel. He went on to emphasized that the [...]
Tony Blair has called for the Gaza Strip to be brought back into peace process, so that a two-state solution can remain a proposed negotiation between Israel and Palestine. Blair emphasizes that even though Hamas has been in control of the Gaza Strip since 2006, instead of having the West push their ill feelings onto [...]
Israeli security evacuated the “Peace House” in Hebron this afternoon. About 600 soldiers and police forces were used and about two dozen minor injuries occurred. Protesters also fought with police at the entrance to Jerusalem, which they had blocked off. The evacuation followed a peaceful conference including Ehud Barak and the Yesha Council. The Hebron [...]
