New York, NY – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed to find a “way forward” on the stalled Middle East peace process as she began a crunch meeting Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Ahead of the talks, President Barack Obama and Clinton led global criticism of Israel’s latest plans to build 1,300 houses in occupied east Jerusalem, where the Palestinians want to form the capital of their future state.
This week’s announcement prompted Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to call on the United Nations Security Council to urgently debate Israeli settlement building, again complicating the US task.
“The prime minister and president Abbas are both very committed to a two-state solution and we are going to find a way forward,” Clinton said alongside Netanyahu before their meeting began in New York.
“We’re going to be talking about everything and I’ll be saving my comments beyond what I’ve already said for my talks with the prime minister.”
Netanyahu said he was “serious” about progressing the peace talks which ground to a halt in September shortly after their launch when a 10-month Israeli moratorium on West Bank settlement construction expired.
“We’ll be talking about how to resume and continue this process to get a historic agreement with peace and security between us and the Palestinians,” Netanyahu said.
“We also hope to broaden it to many other Arab countries… we are quite serious about doing it and we want to get on with it.”
Sources on both sides have clarified that the two will try to solve their differences in the joint meeting. Clinton intends to prepare the ground for a construction freeze which will allow the resumption of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Palestinians are refusing to talk to the Israelis until the settlement ban is reimposed.
She refused to answer questions on the disagreement between Netanyahu and US President Barak Obama over the construction in east Jerusalem.
Nobody deserves East Jerusalem except the Jewish people. It will never be a capitol for any state but Israel.
I read somewhere that there were never any 1967 “Borders”, only cease-fire lines. There has never been a sovereign Arab nation in Palestine, except for Jordan.
Does peace serve the interests of Israel or the Arabs? What about the US?
Another winner, who can’t speak honestly. A puppet of the messiah”s, she’ll speak out of herbackend, and have no meaning. Will she kiss the Muslin’s this time around like she did w’Arafat’s wide? More BULL!
Why didn’t he ask her why she gave the Palestinians (aka Hamas) $150 million as an “investment” Why is she playing both sides?
Cut ALL foreign aid! We can’t afford it!
she can meet all she wants with the change in congress obama has lost support his wings have been clipped but he caqn cause problems
Clinton stop going after the Jews trying pushing the arabs around for a change. Are you a man or a mouse. Sorry I insult the mouse. I am from Peta
I don’t get it, has anyone ever heard of giving back land won in a war?? that’s besides for the fact that each of these wars wrre not instigated by Israel!? fisrt they get attacked, and in order to save themselves go out to war and win….. what is so hard for eveyrone to understand?
NOT AN INCH BIBI – we’re all backing you…………………………………
hillary and bill are both IRRELEVANT!!! dont even have discussions