Arab League chief: This round of Israeli-Palestinian talks will be the last
Amr Moussa's hopeful words contrast comments made earlier this week, when he said he had 'little hope' that talks would be successful.
By The Associated PressArab League chief Amr Moussa predicted on Friday that the latest round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will be the last.
Israeli-Palestinian talks resumed in Washington this week and are meant to continue later this month.
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Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa attends an emergency meeting concerning Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in Egypt on June 2, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
Speaking at a news conference in Italy, Moussa said Arabs are ready for full peace with Israel in exchange for a pullout from the lands Israel occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem.
He continued by stressing that Arabs were ready to have normal relations with Israel and that there was no alternative but to achieve a real peace.
Moussa's remarks sharply contrast comments he made this past Sunday, when he said that he had little hope that direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians would be successful.
"We are hoping that talks will succeed but we are all very pessimistic about the viability of the peace process because of the past experience," Moussa told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a political conference in Slovenia on Sunday.
"The only reason [for the hope in the success of the talks] is the sincerity of President Obama and his wish to achieve something good in his presidency," Moussa said.
He said Obama had given the Palestinians assurances that Israel would stop settling new territory during talks that are due to last for one year.
"If we find that during that year Israel continues to build settlements, there is no use in waiting for the full year [of talks]" Moussa said.
The 10-month freeze is set to expire on September 26. Palestinian officials have declared that talks would break down if Israel resumed construction in the settlements after that date. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained mum on whether or not he would extend the moratorium.
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why should isreal have to give up anything why don't you get out of jerusalem totally quit shooting rockets in to isreal and maybe then peace could happen you lost the territoriesback in 1967 and thats that
This cynical Arab League manipulator has been working hard to mainatin Palestinians in a permanent state of apartheid throughout the Arab world for his entire career. Are we still reporting on his empty words?
If the pals could stop exploding and cursing Israel long enough to make peace, that would be a miracle. They can't so don't expect any changes from the terrorist pals.
There is no reason that the PA will decides on UDI, Unilateral Declaration of Independence, after all the UN did partitioned tyhe Mandate of Palestine , 55% for JEWS and 45% for the Arabs MUSLIMS/CHRISTIANS. The JEWS accepted it then, now is the turn of the others.
There is a great chance for peace with a part of the Palestinians. The PLO needs the peace with Israel against the Hamas. House of King David, family of Avicenna, Maimonides etc.
Arab regimes are good fot nothing and would do anything to stay afloat. They made themselves available to serve the West and Israel oftem against their own people's interesta. Last and just peace need serious and sincere efforts to address the vital interests of all parties. PA of Abbas and cronies as well undermocratic despotic Arab regimes cannot deliver and all concessions they made are futile and useless. Israeli people must be told, if needed , these Arab poltical primers. The alternative for Israelis is facing jihadis who would submerge Palestine from all sides and coming from every corners of the world. Dictatorships in Jordan , Egypt etc. which protect the borders may not be there soon.
Arab regimes are good fot nothing and would do anything to stay afloat. They made themselves available to serve the West and Israel oftem against their own people's interesta. Last and just peace need serious and sincere efforts to address the vital interests of all parties. PA of Abbas and cronies as well undermocratic despotic Arab regimes cannot deliver and all concessions they made are futile and useless. Israeli people must be told, if needed , these Arab poltical primers. The alternative for Israelis is facing jihadis who would submerge Palestine from all sides and coming from every corners of the world. Dictatorships in Jordan , Egypt etc. which protect the borders may not be there soon.
The number one issue at this point is that if talks do fail, UNDER ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN IT BE AT ALL PERCEIVED TO BE ISRAEL'S FAULT. The translation of this is (as painful and sickening as it may be to be making one concession after another in return for absolutely nothing), just extend the settlement freeze for another few months and DO NOT JUST HAND THE PALESTINIANS ON A SILVER PLATTER THE OPPORTUNITY TO STORM OUT OF NEGOTIATIONS BECAUSE OF "ISRAELI INTRANSIGENCE ON THE SETTLEMENT ISSUE"... As an AIPAC member for a very long time please just believe me when I tell you that even among the most pro-Israel members of Congress there is very little, if any, sympathy for the settlements and it will be a total and utter disaster for the settlement issue to be seen as what "killed the talks". Even if Abbas does sign a deal, we all know that Hamas will try to torpedo it and it will totally inflame the Palestinian infighting. Israel will appear as the "peacemaker" and the Palestinians as the side "so disorganized and weak that they can't enforce it," and when they can't enforce it then Israel will no longer be bound to follow it anyway. Just bite the bullet and do what is necessary to put the ball in the Palestinians' court so that if things get screwed up (which they probably will) it can indisputably be perceived, (even by the average idiot), as the PALESTINIANS' FAULT, NOT ISRAEL'S.
Don't jump into wrong conclusions: He is a bad man. & wicked.
Negotiate oh Palestinians!You will get some things not all.Remember the Arab League,pace amr moosa,is behind you.Obama has said,a settlement cannot be imposed.There are no secret documents.
The only thing blocking peace is settlers' lobbies and their obsession with the occupation and the illegal settlements. The day Israel goes back to its legal borders of 1967 (with a few territorial exchanges possible) will be the day peace begins. Will settlers let Israel enjoy peace at last?
or what ?
Mrs Clinton is all worried about israeli security, No matter , and No care about Palaestin, all important is Israel .with this idea do the wrold expect peace.
The last thing the Arab league wants is for the Palestinians to be free, because afterwards the spotlight would be on them. It is easy to make a case for Arab freedom as well. In most Arab countries, the governments and the ruling classes that prop them up are rotten to the core. Egypt, Amr Moussa’s own country, being a prime example of a state rotten from the top to the bottom.
It is pretty obvious that the settlers and their helpers will not stop building settlements, nor will t hey disband and leave the existing ones. What reasonable people, who have had their lands stolen, villages razed and population cleansed would ever agree to "peace talks" until the former injustices are undone. The Israelis who post here such statements as "build, baby build," are the reason there will be no peace, but endless war.
Palestine is for all, Jews, Christians and Muslims. Threr is only Palestine. There is no such thing as Israel accept in the minds of the delusional... Wake up people, wake up
I agree this will be the last round of talks. Big Daddy US is giving its spoiled child a whole year to complete the take over of the West Bank. After that, there won't be much to fight over?
WAS ALSO: EGYPTS AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS FOR MANY YEARS AND VERY MUCH RESPECTED. I sincerely hope that if he decides not to run again as the leader of the Arab League that he does consider running for the LEADERSHIP OF EGYPT OR DOES GO BACK TO THE UNITED NATIONS. HIS DIPLOMATIC SKILLS ARE SORELY MISSED.
His message is: If this round does not bring peace, than the war is only a solution. That is why this round is the last one
"we are ready to have normal relations with Israel" Israelis will no longer be able to fall back on the phrase 'Israel right to exist.
Was there peace? Did they have diplomatic relations with Israel?
It's easy to complain about the Arab League only coming up with a peace proposal decades after 1967. But the same goes for Israel. Where is the Israeli peace initiative since 1967? Looks to me like the Arab League is about a decade ahead of Israel. Israel can choose to continue to wallow backwards in 1967, or Israel can put forward her own peace initiative. But don't complain about the Arab peace inititative being late in coming when Israel still hasn't put forward one of their own.
You (Amr Moussa) said: "This round of Israeli-Palestinian talks will be the last." I heard: "Forget about peace, let's just go to war!"
This is the last opportunity for Israel to have the assistance of its chief supporter mediating the talks so it may be the best opportunity for an agreement. The Palestinians have a back-up two step process. They will prove that they can govern and have a 20 or 30,000 trained police force. They will declare unilateral statehood with the UN in 2011. If the current talks fail and the failure is with Israel, the Palestinians have a stronger case for state hood in 2011.
Moussa said Arabs are ready for full peace with Israel in exchange for a pullout from the lands Israel occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem.
israel is successor to the 1922 mandate and occupied under a mandatory power all the territory ! in 1967 they recaptured from jordan egypt and syria the lands they had invaded and occupied unlawfully. would you like to rephrase????
he has always been anti-israel. its funny how these stupid characters are so predictable in the things they say. amr-moussa always with his threats. erekat always trying to claim that israel is committing genocide. etc etc. amr-moussa wishes that israel would just disappear, and hopes that israel will negotiate itself to death. well guess what, amr-moussa...these negotiations will either be fair, real and allow for the goal of a creation of a palestinian state and a jewish state, or yes, they will be the last, until you come back once again crawling, bloodied, bruised and having lost yet another opportunity to live in peace.
The change does however clearly demonstrate how very little influence any external party (besides the US of course) has over the process. Forget the Arab Leauge, the Quartet... this is an exclusively US show and outsiders will only be allowed in on invitation. Still that such a peek inside could cause such a paradigm shift in Moussa's thinking implied that he percieved that the US intends to see this thing through, that it US now deems it in its national interest to have it so.
I think to some extent that President Abbas' attitude towards negotiating with Bibi is reasonable. However, regardless if Israel continued to build settlements or whatever, peace negotiations shall continue anyway. Simply because if those settlements are build in thousands in places where the Pal state will be, they will be evacuated and demolished. So on this basis negotiations can continue and I think this should be considered by Abbas and other Arabs during these negotiations. Let Bibi build and then destroy, who cares! He must and he will surrender when an agreement is reached.
Easier said than done. The problem with building now is that it established hard facts on the ground on one hand and also shows that future intentions and declarations regarding desire for peace can not be trusted. And where will we be without mutual trust? My idea is to agree on final borders first order of business then let the Israelis build all they want on their side of the border.
all arab nations will recognise israel within it's borders, the islamic and arab nations are all recognising this, the doha accord and so on, this is your LAST CHANCE, take it or lose it, your drunk on your own power along with your arrogance you will fall and heavily.
"He continued by stressing that Arabs were ready to have normal relations with Israel and that there is no alternative but to achieve a real peace" - The Arabs have progressed from the days of yore, leaving it them behind to focus on future security and prosperity... Do you REALLY want peace with your neighbors, O'Israel? What exactly IS it that keeps you so firmly fixed in the past - at the expense of the future?
What exactly IS it that keeps you so firmly fixed in the past - at the expense of the future?
first of all they should recognize the right of the Jewish people to have their own State again, as before, Israel and denounce violence Shalom from Holland
but as noted is that the real goal of Israel? One year hence will provide the answers.
It is becoming even more frightening. I also believed until recently that it was Medieval Nostalogia but now terrifyingly I see that the Right Wing in Israel wants nothing less than Biblical Talmudic Laws and that together with Modern Nuclear and Chemical Weaponry is exactly what Israel is trying frighten the World of when pointing the finger at Iran. Iran is a pussy-cat in comparison right now.
occupied land, seizing the land, illigal settlement, gaza blockade, attacking the Pa, violeting the air and land of Pa by israeli, forces, forgery the passport,do you really expect the global to trust israel
He has already laid out his preconditions, so how can peace talks succeed.
how can you negotiate with someone while he is stealing your home?
The core problem has always been that the Palestinian side has long been led by violent control freaks who are obsessed with taking genocidal vengeance against Israel's Jews for the horrible crime of existing in the region, coupled with the eagerness of regional dictators to provide every disgruntled faction and every trembling psychopath with weapons and explosives, the unwillingness of moderate Palestinians to stand up to their brutal Palestinian rulers (especially in Gaza) and the complete willingness of 3rd world regimes and leftists to offer support and praise to the terrorists who deliberately slaughter pregnant women at point-blank range rather than having these terrorists drawn and quartered. If none of these problems existed, there would be no settlements and no fence. There would be an international border. But poor Palestinians would still be able to make a very good living crossing into Israel each day, the way they could do almost every day until the Arafat Intifadah destroyed their world.
Will be the first to cry and demand that the IDF do something to stop the Hizbullah rockets from raining down on you. What idiots the Liberal Left are....
Israel's pre-condition is that it wants to keep breaking the laws. Even it's own, forbidding the entry of it's citizens and residents from entering a hostile entity.
Heroes of democracy and Jewish values.
If Israel can be 17% arabs, why can't Palestine have 10% Jews? Or is Palestine going to be an apartheid state?