Ted Belman. What is the role of his “facilitators” like Indyk? Do they have any power? Can they dictate? Are they mediators, or G-d forbid, arbitrators? How can Kerry interfere in negotiations this way. What happens if Israel insists on 100%? That 15% is Ariel and probably Maaleh Adumin. But there is confusion here. 80% of the Israeli settlers are within 5 miles of the greenline. Kerry is suggesting that these settlers will remain in Israel and the rest (120,000) won’t.
US officials estimate that Israel will lose about 15 percent of “major settlement blocs” in Judea and Samaria in any final status deal worked out with the Palestinian Authority.
Sources in Washington reported that Secretary of State John Kerry said in discussions with members of the House of Representatives described as “mostly pro-Israel” that Israel’s interested are being safeguarded, according to an article published in the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot.
It appeared that all core issues were raised during the initial meetings in Washington between Israeli and Palestinian Authority negotiators, including the question of when to raise the issue of the status of Jerusalem.
“We had a good start,” Kerry told lawmakers.
One of the U.S. representatives told a journalist that Kerry said he believes approximately 85 percent of Israel’s largest “settlement blocs” will remain under the state’s sovereignty.
Kerry’s reply to the question of whether the PA will be willing to formally recognize Israel as a Jewish state was noncommittal, however: “That’s one of my goals,” he said. “A homeland for the Jewish people.”
Israel was already recognized in 1948 by the United Nations as a “homeland for the Jewish people,” so that point is not at all new. Moreover, the specific language marks a difference between a “homeland for the Jewish people” as opposed to “a Jewish state.” One does not hold the same meaning as the other – though the Arabs accept neither.
The author says: “Israel was already recognized in 1948 by the United Nations as a “homeland for the Jewish people,” so that point is not at all new.” Palestine west if the Jordan was also recognized in 1920 at San Remo and in 1922 by 52 nation states as a Jewish National Home that was to mature into a reconstituted Jewish state when the Jews attained a population majority in the area they were to govern and were capable of exercising sovereignty. In 1924 the US and the UK entered into a treaty to that effect. How many times does Israel’s status as a Jewish State need to be reaffirmed?
9 Months -sounds like term of pregnancy for Rosemary’s baby! Mazel Tov!! Who’s the lucky mother – Tzippi Livni? Who’s the Obstetrician – Dr Martin Indyck? The fetus, will of course, require the release of prisoners with blood on their hands. Who will be the Sandak (GodFather), to hold the baby when the 15 percent is cut off – John Kerry, or perhaps the ‘honorary Jew’ Barrack Hussein Obama (heard he has yearly Passsover Seders)?
Will the baby has its father’s (Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen) eyes, the eyes of a Holocaust denier, a JudenRein State?
Bibi should answer all calls from the US by saying; “Hello, Jonathan (Pollard)? Have you landed in Israel?” If the answer is anything but yes, he should immediately hang-up the phone.
Enough useless concessions with nothing to show for it but contempt, increased terrorism, diminished respect and self-esteem.
If Israel decides to strike a deal, American pressure won’t be a factor.
Oslo was an Israeli initiative and any deal with the PA is likely to come because Israeli leaders in all likelihood want to make a deal now.
Israel is an elected dictatorship so any deal they want to see happen is going to be implemented with little difficulty. Yamit will stop by later to tell you how easy it was to leave the Sinai and Gaza.
This notion that Kerry is holding a whip hand over Israel is a myth. Israel is at the Washington talks for its own reasons and the Obama Administration’s involvement will having to do with the final outcome.
Jews do not demand to know from their leaders what they will do and their leaders believe they are the gods who will determine the future. If kerry is a problem it is because israel allows it. Every podunk fool on the face of the earth is able to publicly disagree with the US except apparently Israel. Therefore, I assume that Israel agrees. Now that Israel is powerful it has become powerless.
Netanyahu is playing for time against Obama:
Obama won re-election, and is now a lame duck president with nothing much to lose. He is thus free to pursue his (liberal) jihad against Jewish Israel. He has given Netanyahu nine months to make impossible concessions to the savage, Jew-hating arab muslims, in the name of a delusional “peace”.
This is a win/win for Obama. Obama wants Iran to get nukes to threaten Jewish Israel, and to keep the Saudis as an American client state. He now has at least nine months more for this to happen, with Israel forbidden to attack Iran.
In addition, when the peace talks inevitably fail, Obama will blame only Jewish Israel, and let Abbas pursue the UN palestinian statehood card. The only thing that currently keeps the Jew-hating UN from accepting palestine as a full member state, is the US veto in the Security Council. Obama will have many options: vote in favor, abstain and let palestine win without America, let the Jew-hating EU institute a boycott against Israel as the “new South Africa”, let Israel be found guilty in “international courts of justice”, etc.
It is unclear how far Obama will go. Israel will soon lose American support no matter what, as the Republicans become a permanent minority, and the permanent majority Democrats come to consist solely of white liberal, black, and latino Jew-haters.
It is my gut feeling that Netanyahu will not sell out Jewish Israel. He knows that a return to 1949 borders is suicide, and even if he tries to do so, he will not only be booted from the Likud, but may start a civil war as well.
the US is doing what leftist Israeli Jews and the GOI have told them is what Israel wants. US Jews think that haaaretz and jewish leftists are the will of the Israeli people. US jews likely accept the libel of illegal jewish settlement because everyone including Israel does. No one told them different including the GOI. Everything going on outside Israel is a reflection of the actions and inaction of Israelis. Material benefits get israelis on the street but the release of murderers and the giving away of YS does not
BB can give away 100% of settlement in C without a referendum. he has sent Livni to negotiate on Israels behalf with Indyk. He has sent the wolves to parlay with wolves and come up with an agreement for their dinner. The appointment of Livni by BB made it clear that there will be no one to speak for the settlements. If Israeli jews are willing to give YS to those who urinated on jewish holy sites, after receiving it as a gift, then I fear there is no reason for a jewish existence in the rest of israel. In time I expect the rest of Israel to become a state where Jews again become a hunted minority. It is not about numbers but about giving power to your enemy. The muslims do not have the numbers in europe but they are ascending to power through their action. they will ascend to power through jewish inaction and suicidal tendencies.