Netanyahu heads to Washington as settlement building casts shadow over peace talks

None of them represent the Palestinian people. How can peace even be attempted if there is no representation chosen by one of the concerned parties?

Yet he claims that the Likud is the only party that can forge an everlasting peace with the Palestinian people. you got it wrong Netanyahu. You and the Likud party are the only ones who can damage any peace process and the only ones who set out to completely destroy any chance for peace.

From my vantage point in the USA it would appear as though Israel will do whatever it can to undermine the peace talks and guarantee their failure with her political posturing over the settlement issues. How unfortunately

israel will offer a full retreat from west bank to behind the seperation wall and the rest of the westbank will be changed for land in the desert next to gaza, nazareth and the triangle area will be given to the palestinian, and all of that for accepting israel as a jewish state and israeli army will have millitary bases under the NATO on the palestinian jordanian borders, jerusalem will be splitted and the old city will be an international zone ( this point is agreed on since long time ago and its well known), after a year of negotiations peace will seem very approachable, but the israel settlers along with hamas will start a holy war in palestine that will exceed any other wars in the past, and this war will change the map of the area in the benefit of the palestinians. time to change have come, muslims are strong and getting stronger, the palestinian state borders will be 50% of historical palestine, and this will happen after 20 years, israel will never live to see its 100 years independence day.

PLEASE! Get your heads out of the sand. THE REAL issue is that Israel exists. Have a look at all PA maps, their coat of arms, etc. It has always been and will always be "from the river to the sea". Israel's existence is a NAQBAH. Why else glorify "shahids" who slaughter Israeli citizens? One lonely, last thought. Abbas has no mandate, He represents who, given his term ended over 1 year ago? Even if all settlements we removed tomorrow, do you really think there would be give and take on "refugees"? You kow, those nth generation refugees... They forget that given that logic, we too are nth generation refugees. But then, according to the PA there was NEVER a Jewish presence in the land, EVER (oh yes, according to Abbas there was no Shoah)... Where was the objection to the Egyptian & Jordanian occupations (and the Jordanian annexation) between 1948 and 1967? Have a look at the PA charter of 1968, renouncing any claim to "the West Bank and Gaza" which they recognised as belonging to Jordan & Egypt...

No israel, No Palestine. One State Solution is the best for all. One Man, One Vote, Equality for all inhabitants. Equal Pay for Equal Work, Equal Water Rights. No Apartheid, No Segregation...A Very True Secular Democrac Let us call it: “State of Holy Land”.

Netanyahu's goals are an Israel that stretches from the Mediterranean to the Jordan river with a network of Jewish settlements to control and suppress the Palestinians. He is following in the traditions of European colonialism and USA robber barons.

The Israelis and the Palestinians are impossible to deal with. It's like trying to deal with your kids. 60 years of doing the same thing, Wye, Camp David, Oslo, Annapolis, Wye II, Camp David II, "proximity talks", now this. It's insane! It's time to lean on the parties to submit the Middle East dilemma to Binding Arbitration. They need to apply something along the lines of the Doctrine of Eminent Domain. You can take someone's property for the greater good but you must pay for it. Each party picks an arbitrator; the two arbitrators pick a 3rd arbitrator; the three arbitrators hear the cases of the respective parties and render a decision. The UN chips in some money to justly compensate those who lost property when the UN created Israel as a refuge and homeland for Jews who had been persecuted, murdered, enslaved and made homeless by the Germans. The UN gets the money from member states and benefactors. (Maybe the Germans chip in a little extra.) As far as the settlers go, let them stay where they are presuming that they legally acquired their land and paid for it. If they didn't pay for it they should. No one has the right to give away someone else's land for no compensation. The borders would be adjusted to something reasonable and practical. If the settlers find themselves in Palestine they can immigrate to Israel or elsewhere or stay where they are and become Palestinian Jews. Israel has Arabs. Palestine will have Jews. it's the same thing. That's my peace plan. It's as good as anything out there! Call it the Mike I peace plan.

Becaue the word peace is not within the "real" dictionarty of this man. Sending him to a peace negotiation is like sending Osama Bin Laden to a conference on modern art or sending the British Queen to Socialist International. Complete and utter waste of Israel's taxpayer's money except of course that it is not because the whole thing is a set-up to confuse the world to give the false impression that Israel is really interested in peace. How can you be interested in peace while continuing to build settlements (you do not stop even for a week for formality's sake, very brave and honest indeed!!!)

The Tarzan comics had a number of articles on the fiendish monkey trap. A hole was made in a tethered coconut just big enough for the monkey's arm to get inside to grab a treat. But once the monkey had his hand around the treat he could not get his hand out without letting go. His greed was his doom.

get it, everyone? "I assume...", "no guarantees..." blah blah blah Bibi is mouthing vague meaningless mantras...getting ready to give in and freeze again settlements. Only...he will claim victory as he does so!! The suckers who voted for him only care that he yells 'Not one inch." So long as he's yelling that he can give away the store and the poor friers won't notice a thing...

Now they have run out of excuses for their year of refusal to negotiate they go back to what they have had for a year and demand an open ended commitment with nothing coming from them that in any way creates hope for a peaceful solution with an end to further demands

Mr. prime minister , Let me please ask you some questions ; What is your definition to the Palestinian state ? Are you looking to the whole Arab population or you just see only the Palestinians in your way ? Do you have good intentions for real peace or are you still playing a puplic relation propoganda ? Are you really concern about the fate of Israel ? Do not be shy and answer this question ; Are you intend to make fool of the Arabs ! And my last question ; Who are you ?

eat my Volvo

This issue is particularly revealing of elements in Netanyahu's personality. First, a basic principle. If you are discussing with another side sharing the land (or a pizza), it cannot be done while one party keeps devouring the land (or the pizza). Some form of a freeze is obviously a necessary condition for peace talks. If this thought did not occur to netanyahu on his own, he could have gotten a clue from the fact that the Roadmap included a freeze in the FIRST phase. This is basic. What decision did the Netanyahu government take? 1. The freeze applies to outside the current line of buildings, not to building WITHIN the currently built area. 2. The freeze will last for only 10 months. 3. The freeze will not be renewed. What do these elements indicate? The first element shows that Netanyahu has some sense of realism, and understands that a territorial exchange is acceptable to the Palestinians, so he takes advantage of it. The two other points are clearly unreal. Was it conceivable that the talks will be concluded in only 10 months? Would the Palestinians even conceive of talking peace with no freezing? I think Netanyahu has enough realism to realize that, but since he was dealing with his right wing partners Lieberman and most of Likud members, he decided to deceive them for now, present a nicer picture, and when the time comes he would try to wriggle out of it. All this shows Netanyahu as a creature of pressure; when pressured he acts, many times deceptively. Ultimately, he is not a courageous leader. He did not fight out the good fight then. Now he will pay some extra political cost for cheating his followers.

After the Gaza-Jericho First agreement (Oslo), Israel was to give Gaza and Jericho over to Palestinian control. Arafat then started an argument: What is meant by "Jericho"? Israel thought it was the city, but Arafat claimed it meant the "District of Jericho" as was used by Jordan, a much larger area. It took months to agree on some compromise, and all this with the understanding that Oslo is a first leg towards a much larger Israeli evacuation in a peace agreement. I hope Abbas does not repeat Arafat's mistakes. Yes, he is legally correct when demanding a complete halt to settlement construction, and even in East Jerusalem, which international law forbids. But better accept some "effective freeze" which would allow only small scale construction, and move on with the larger peace deal. In return for the "freeze" concession, the Palestinians will get some good Israeli concession, such as a larger Area A. The opening declarations are not too comforting, unfortunately.

However...the Pals have done nothning in good faith towards Israel. The world wants Israel to be the bad guy all the time. What promise has Abbass made us? I know Hamas promised to continue its rediculous campain of murder and distruction. That they promised. So you cant blame Israel everything even if you want to.

maybe it would make us look better...?!

Only a temporary cessation of fighting can be negotiated also known as a “truce”. True Peace will only come when one side or the other totally defeats and subdues the other side. Just like in WW II. If Israel ever wants Peace then Israel will have to totally destroy and subdue the Palestinians or the Palestinians will have to totally destroy Israel. G-d forbid! Then and only then will there be true Peace. To understand this just look at the history of the world.

How transparent does it need to become that Abbas has no interest in reaching an agreement and will always have a reason for his rejection-ism? I may be wrong but I think this time he goes to far. It would not surprise me to hear even Obama (of all people) take Abbas to task for this ridiculous charade.

I really don't trust Bibi. But i still hope that he may choose to do the right thing. Go Bibi!

The settlements were built and encouraged by the Politicians to give them something to wail over the destruction of. That is the painful concession, the bulldozing of other people's homes. No politician's home will be touched or at risk. Abbas should focus on getting borders and sovereignty. Netanyahu has said what he wants. Will he ever tell Israelis the costs of what he wants? An agreement like some here have proposed is perfect if you want renewed conflict and deaths on both sides. If you want actual peace, both sides have to be partly satisfied and willing to make do with the rest. Successful negotiations are not a football game. Winning should not be the goal. Mutual satisfaction should, instead.. The settlements kept can be traded for the water needed in other places. And if the settlers don't like the Phoenix landscaping, they can move out of the desert.

And Jews building is an issue? No way. The Arabs are trying to establish facts on the ground, and all the more so that Jews should build everywhere; by right.

Quoting Bibi: "but the framework of negotiations is the way it was established, without preconditions". ...How can he say that when he himself is coming with the most controversial of preconditions at this time: "No freeze after 23rd Septmber..." . It's as if only Israel has the priviledge of Armagodden...

but don't cede an inch to your enemies. They've had years to recognize Israel as the 'Homeland for The Jewish People.' They refuse. Don't extend the freeze past it's due date.

As usual the Arabs want to be rewarded for their recalcitrance. A year ago Netanyahu, under severe US pressure, agreed to suspend building in Judea and Samaria IN EXCHANGE for direct peace talks. Israel kept its end of the bargain while the Arabs sat on their hands and refused to talk. Now they are willing to talk but want a limited term concession – that was kept to the letter – to be extended. Is there no limit to their forked-tongued nerve? If they are only willing to talk while construction is suspended they had an entire year in which to do so.

that is the crucial issue... it doesn't matter who is coerced to perform plays there or not... it's the primal issue of land theft, that is by no means crucial for Israel's survival... we have ample uninhabitated lands in Galilee and Negev...