Washington – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people as a condition for renewing peace talks is unacceptable to the United States, the State Department said during special envoy George Mitchell’s visits to Ramallah and Cairo.
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The State Department released statements saying that the United States would continue to promote a two-state solution. In Ramallah, Mitchell met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Mitchell’s talks also seem to indicate that the United States does not accept Netanyahu’s position that the renewal of negotiations should be postponed until the Iranian nuclear threat is removed.
The demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people was raised for the first time about 18 months ago in talks between Israel and the United States ahead of the Annapolis Conference. Then-foreign minister Tzipi Livni demanded that the conference’s closing statement mention a nation-state solution, a formulation meant to neutralize a Palestinian demand for refugees’ right of return.
However, the Bush administration accepted the Palestinian objection that the issue should be subject to negotiation.
I can’t imagine that Palestinians will all of a sudden change their minds if Abbas recognizes Israel. Why should this be a requirement? It won’t mean much anyway.
I think we are finish: we are starting to feel the new obama administration
I believe that if the PLO does not recognize Israel as a Jewish state, then Israel does not have to recognize ‘Palestine’ as an Arab State.
What does this mean? That the existing arabs that reside in Israel will stay where they are, AND the existing Jews in Yehuda and Shomrom will also stay where they are. There will be a state NEXT to Israel of arabs and Jews. Then, the Jews can legally form their own militia and show people what midda k’neges middah really means, without the interferance of Peace Now. The arabs will turn and run like they always do.
This entire discussion is really a matter of semantics. The trouble is that in diplomacy, semantics matters. The refusal to recognize Israel is the foundation for the Arab countries to legitimize further aggression, terror, and atrocities against Israel, and it creates the language that will create support from other countries, including the new Obama-USA.
And, yes, the anti-Jewish Obama that we feared is emerging in his policies. I was advised by someone well connected in politics to refrain from writing anything negative about Obama, since he is our president and we need to get his support for issues that are prominent on our agenda. But the fears I had are now becoming facts that are reported in the news, almost daily. Obama is slowly selling Israel down the river and empowering radical Islam. The same goes for the domestic issues that relate to the Jewish community in America. I wish we had enough to launch impeachment proceedings. It’s getting more scary every day.
the state dept was always like this. not anything new
How can there be talks with a peace partner that does not recognize the existence of the other ‘partner’? Sort of absurd and a waste of time to continue talking with one who does note your validity.
Even though it wouldnt make a diffeence, if the arabs reconizie a country that has been around before their sun gd allh decided to show up. as well please look in history books i dont see a people called “palestinians” where did they come from egypt, jordon ect.. This is a time we jews all types must stand together to show that we will not tolerate our country to be shredded into little peices for all differnt types of arabs to have because their own countiers dont want them. There are no refugees, the countiers that these arabs werer born in dont want to take them back. It is after pesach the matzah is still fresh in our stomachs where did we go when we left egypt ? to newyork, there is only one place for jews and its in isreal, and we have to safe gurad it. git zimer
Since when do we need the arabs to recognize an israeli state it will make no difference whatsoever its like saying america has to be recognized by canada. kisemek!!!
Obama is doing a good job and the country’s entire foreign policy does not focus on our specific needs. The frum did not support Obama so why do you expect hakaras hatov
u guys have such a blind hate against abama that u didn’t even read the article before writing your comments. this positition was taken by the bush administration.
i dont recognize the state of boro park …….but it exists.
I don’t think that this is so much of an Obama issue as it is a generational issue. The younger the politician, the less likely he or she is to remember when it was “plucky little Israel” against the terrorists. As far as they (and much of the media) know, the Palestinian problem was created by the 1967 war (never mind that Fatah and the Fedayeen were launching attacks for a decade and that the PLO had been established a few years earlier). They don’t remember when Gaza was Egyptian and the the “West Bank” was Jordanian. They don’t know that the “Palestinians” are the only group that is stateless since the post-WWII collapse of European colonialism and role of Trans-Jordan in keeping them stateless They certainly don’t remember the slaughter of about 20,000 to 30,000 Palestinians by their fellow Jordanians in “Black September.”
Give credit to Arafat and his allies: they have done a phenomenal PR job! Israel is now seen as an aggressive, colonialist, apartheid, regime that is trampling the rights of millions of poor people.
US meddling will not matter soon anyway because there will be too many problems at home for Obama to bother with the Middle East. In the end nothing will happen and if need be the EY defence forces will be able to attack Iran as well.
this is so totally absurd it boggles the mind here Israel is asked to negotiate with the palestinians and they refuse to recognize their partners in negotiating. Now the Us is dedicated to a two state solution but pray tell me who will be the other state will it be a none entity?
Hoping some one in the Israeli government reads this. Please Chazak!!! Do not give to Obama and his minions. No matter how much access Jews have to the White House or how Jewish Mr. Emanuel is or how many Seders the President attends It is what he and Sec. Clinton actually do that matters. — Please stand up to these folks please do not cave or retreat one inch. Whatever has been done has not worked. To repeat the same failed policies again and again defines insanity and Bibi I doubt you are insane.
Reply to #1 :
No, its not the State of Israel (or Eretz Yisrael if you prefer) that is finished.
As loyal Jewish citizens of America, we have an obligation to warn decent American non-Jews about the disaster that the illegal alien criminal imposter Obama is bringing upon America. America may soon join the junk heap of all the other empires in the last century who attempted to prevent the return of the Jews to Eretz Yisrael. This return was promised by Hashem in our Torah and any empire that opposes it will bring their own destruction.
“And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem”. Zechariah 12:9
I’ll tell you what they are worried about…………..Just ask Haman in the Megilla: “Kol Zeh Eyno Shoveh Li………”
It is all shtus.
“He won’t regognize me!”
“He won’t regognize me!”
I said it first.
No, you didn’t. I said it first.
Teacher, he called me a terrorist.
But, Teacher, he said I am doing Holocaust-like things.
Everyone back in your own seats.
Chaid, put the Uzi away.
MohaMad, you put your strap-on bomb away.
Let’s all sing “Kumbaya”
“We have to both sing it in Hebrew.”
“No, we have to both sing it in Arabic.”
Next Day’s Headlines:
“First Grade Teacher Shoots Self in Front of Class”
Hashem: “I know I promised no more floods….. what else do we have in our arsenal?
How about a giant meteor…?????”
so does this mean the us does not really see israel as a state also?
Its the old “sacrafice Israel so that the arabs will be our friends” state dept. mato. Israel is just on the front. They will hate or kill any infidel. Thank G-d Congress still sees who the enimy is. Hashem Yishmor.