Yes, the Israelis and Palestinians are “very, very close” to direct talks. Yet someone failed to mention that they’re also very, very close to direct war.
Can someone please, PLEASE stop with the crappola! Enough already!!! Middle East peace is a sham; a falsehood believed only by the most gullible and ignorant of all people, which ironically enough is the overwhelming majority of the human race. Nevertheless, please stop with this nonsense. Those of us who actually possess more than a reptilian brain realize that Middle East peace is just propaganda; it will never come about, not as long as religion is still around. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Israel and the Palestinians are closer than ever to resuming direct peace talks, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s spokesman said Thursday after she consulted with key Middle East players.
“We think we are very, very close to a decision by the parties to enter into direct negotiations. There are details that are still being worked out,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.
He declined to elaborate on the details.
Crowley said Clinton consulted with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judah, a key Arab peace broker, and Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who represents the diplomatic Quartet.
The Quartet — composed of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union — could issue a statement in support of direct peace talks that have been suspended since December 2008.
“We believe that, if we reach the point we hope to arrive at, that… members of the Quartet will demonstrate their support for the process; we will demonstrate our support for the process.” Crowley said.
“And we will outline… specifics of where we go from here,” the spokesman said.
“We’re not at that point yet. There are still details that we’re working through. We’re not going to do the negotiation in public,” Crowley said.
“We want to make sure that the parties have the right understanding of what they’re agreeing to and… we’re able to move this process forward with the appropriate set of expectations,” he added.
Israel says it is prepared to enter direct negotiations, but without preconditions, such as a halt to Jewish settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinians have been standing by demands that have held up talks for months, namely a complete freeze of Israeli settlement activity and set guidelines regarding the negotiation of final borders.
The Palestinians also want a set timeline for an agreement addressing all the core issues of the conflict that does not exceed 24 months.
They reluctantly agreed to indirect negotiations in May following months of pressure from the Quartet, but they say they have achieved little.
