Biden arrives in Israel amid signs of peace process renewal
Vice President to address Israeli public on peace process, Iran nuclear program and U.S.-Israel relations.
By Barak Ravid Haaretz Service Tags: George Mitchell Middle East peace Israel newsU.S. Vice President Joe Biden will arrive in Israel on Monday afternoon, to deliver a message to the Israeli public about U.S.-Israel relations, the Iranian nuclear program and the Middle East peace process.
The vice president's visit comes a day after the PLO's executive committee approved a proposal allowing the Palestinian president to begin indirect negotiations with Israel through U.S. mediation, effectively ending a 14-month breakdown in communications between the two sides.
Palestinian officials warned, however, that they would walk away if the outlines of a border deal with Israel have not emerged after four months. They also ruled out subsequent direct talks without a complete Israeli settlement construction freeze.
U.S. special Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, arrived in Israel over the weekend for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in effort to see negotiations relaunched.
Mitchell held a four-hour meeting in Jerusalem with Netanyahu on Sunday. The two will meet again on Monday, after which Mitchell will head off to Ramallah to for talks with Abbas.
"If there is a desire to get to direct talks through a corridor then I think the sooner the better," Netanyahu, referring to U.S.-mediated "proximity talks", told reporters at the start of his meeting with Mitchell.
Mitchell said he hoped for a "credible, serious, constructive process" leading to comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
A brief statement issued by Netanyahu's spokesman after the session said the Israeli leader and Mitchell "had a good conversation ... on moving the diplomatic process forward". The statement did not reveal whether the two had reached an agreement on the tangible resumption of talks, which the United States has offered to mediate.
Both the PLO and the Arab League have expressed skepticism about Israel's intentions, but said they want to give U.S. mediation a chance.
Renewed talks would mark U.S. President Barack Obama's first success in the Israeli-Palestinian arena. In coming months, Mitchell is expected to shuttle between Abbas' headquarters in Ramallah and Netanyahu's office a half hour away in Jerusalem.
The Palestinians broke off the talks when Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip in December 2008 to stop daily rocket fire from the coastal territory.
Netanyahu has said he prefers direct peace talks, but would accept mediated negotiations.
For more than a year, the Obama administration has been laboring to get both sides negotiating again, disappointed to discover that its plan to fast-track peacemaking would be frustrated by deeply rooted conflicts and domestic politics.
The U.S.-mediated talks are expected to focus on guidelines for discussing the key issues that have divided Israelis and Palestinians for decades: final borders, the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees, and a resolution to the rival claims to Jerusalem.
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where did you dream up the idea that biden isn't madly in love with israel? his whole career has been nothing but kissy-kissy smoochy-smoochy with israel. he's even called himself a zionist at heart. he's not a bought and paid for lackey of aipac, but for all intents and purposes, he might as well be. just turns out he's one of those that aipac doesn't need to buy or coerce. he's already blind.
Just what would you have Israel do to defend itself against external aggression and threats, that you think it must do unilaterally, without the countenance, support, aid, or acceptance of the international community. Just what would you have Israel do, if it unilaterally got itself involved in a war, for example, with Iran, without the coordination of the US, the EU or the Quartet, and Israel was not able to handle alone the consequences of that war (e.g.the closure of the Straits of Hormuz) and the US and the EU declared neutrality: no financial, military, or political support to either party. After you finished calling everyone anti-semites, what would happen then? You must have the answers or else you would not have submitted your bellicose and accusatory statements.
no. 5, paddy, you are absolutely right. it is time that the zionists and the palestinians are starting to use their brains in stead of their instincts. no one is superior to the other, no people is superior to other peoples. we are all equal on this planet!
Bidens past is not one of love towards Israel to say the least. The Americans have been sending another person every week to convince Israel that It is better to let the Americans take care of the Iranian problem,while they have been sitting on their hands from the beginning of the episode. This in the end will be Obamas downfall and not his making peace in the middle east. Now he has a new problem of turkey turning off the water to the euphrates river with a series of dams. Syria is pretty much left with practically no water.
And anyone who disagrees is an anti-Semite? Well as an Israeli Jew, I'm telling you that your logic is screwed!
The time has also come for the Israel to accept International Law, basic human rights and the many UN resolutions passed against it. The time has come for the Israelis to cease giving the "finger: to the rest of the civilised World. The time has come for Israel to demolish it's illegal "security wall". (which it can re-build on Israeli land) The time has come for Israel to loose the stupid idea that they are "chosen" and superior to all others on this planet. The time has come for Israelis and Jews in general to shed themselves of the "victim-skin" and realise that they are in fact now the perpetrators, creating victims. The time has come for "pigs to fly"!
Negotiations are the only solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Mr. Abbas is seriouse about ending the conflict, and the majorty of the Palestinian people want to see an end to the humaliating Israeli military occupation. The Israeli public needs to exert pressure on Mr. Netanyahu in order to make peace with the Palestinians. By accepting to end the conflict based on the two states solution-22% of historical Palestine, and a sympolic return of some palestinian refugees into Israel, the Palestinian had provided the ultimat concession. Mr. Netanyahu end the conflict don't manage the conflict.
The guy with hoof in mouth disease? The guy who was selected because it sent the message that if Obama were whacked an impotent democrat would be president so no one had to worry? America did get change, from a deluded 'Decider in Chief' and a Malevolent Vermin-President Cheney', to two impotent guys. We didn't get the change we wanted, but then who can imagine we would ever be given the choice of real change when a few rich folks and corporation are allowed to select who will have to chose from?
Of not now when? The time has come for Israel to issue demands that force the PA to look like they are serious about peace. The time has come for Israel to stop sitting back and allowing the rest of the world to say what they must do in exchange for peace that never comes. The time has come for Israel to demand that the Temple must be rebuilt. Side by side with the Dome of the Rock.
Israel should not be fooled or be intimidated by the loose canon. Those who want to see Israel be a sitting duck of the fanatics' nuke cannot and must not be trusted as friends of Israel. And those who try to distract Israel from defending itself against external agressions and threats of annihilation should be treated as AntiSemites.