Report: PA to quit direct peace talks if settlement construction continues

This is just pathetic already on Abbas and the Pals. They know that Israel has had a freeze and they did nothing. Now, they know that Israel cannot keep freezing construction and it was something that Israel had said NO to and no preconditions. Now the second that the Pals agree they add a precondition. This is all POINTLESS. Abbas and the Pals wont recognize Israel's right to exist, they only want all of what they want and Hamas wont agree anyway. There should be no peace talks until Hamas and Abbas figure it out. Until then, Israel is only negotiating against itself.

and Bibi et al will quit if there is NO construction... only the messiah remains equanimous...

Israel must demonstrate good faith. Abbas has detailed proposals on the table. It is time for Israel to respond positively.

It seems that every Israeli Government coalition has its strengths and weaknesses within its membership. Indeed it's usually indicative of the Israeli populace. The Palestinians must understand this notion and the Israeli opposition parties must understand this as well. To derail any peace negotiations because of provocative measures by either parties means that one does not understand the gravity of how complicated the issues are. I think PM Netanyahu comprehends this position he's in as would any other Prime Minister of Israel.

The Palestinians. Laying an ultimatum even before the talks have started,means quite clearly,that they are going to find one excuse or the other to make a U turn & get out of this morass.Watch. Only one Jewish State & So Many Arab States Invited to Washington for the conference.not a clever move, Besides All you people make me laugh ! What about Hamas !? The sword of Damocales is hanging above their heads. It;s a foregone conclusion that nothing constructive will come out of this Conference,& Abbas will run away at the very first opportunity. And pray what's so bad with his present situation ? Galavanting all over the world every week,never a time to be with his people,to listen to them to hear them to help them. Is this called a nation builder ! Show me another such example ?.

The US and the world can't be trusted with Israel's security. There is nothing to be gained from these talks if it means going back to the 67 borders and the US gave assurances to that. http://ralphsrant1.blogspot.com

It is all Israel do this and Israel do that, how about for once asking Palis to do something. Anything. How about acting like Human Beings? how about not training their kids to act like ...., how about stop dreaming throwing jews out and start realizing how well u can live together, and finall, how about start acting like a real country, like having a sewer system, and people having work instead of being fed by UN.

Israel can’t look weak... especially when it’s negotiating... so it has to say that if talks don’t begin then the freeze is over... This is the timeline... talks start... then the freeze gets continued... (The government would fall apart if The PM tried to impose the freeze without direct negotiations...) end of story... the real question is can the talks get past all the usual distractions... i.e Hamas, hizbollah, settlers... Heredi... Lieberman... Iran... Syria.. Islamic Jihad... if Obama can distract Bibi and Abbas for long enough to get a treaty signed... then peace is within our grasp...

Would you enter a poker game where your opponent insists it has the right to take chips from the pot and your stack?

even if the palestinians will leave the direct negotiations because the israelis continue to build, i consider the decision to start direct talks a progress. Because the whole world will get a unknown information: the official position of netanyahu about future borders, future of the settlements, east jerusalem. Every power in the world can form its strategy after it has this information..... the palestinians....the israelis....the saudis.....barak and labour.....the EU......kadima....abbas.....the americans......peres......hamas......obama administration......the jordanians......the egypts etc.

The PA should quit this stand-up comedy charade altogether. They need to reconcile with Hamas and understand what the Palestinian national struggle is all about. Their leadership is broken and you can't sit and negotiate with anyone when you are not whole. There can never be a peace process without the inclusion of Hamas. Natanyahu is not a peacemaker. Obama has proven to be spineless when it comes to taking a courageous stand and not flip flop.

This continues to be a ridiculous issue. If Muslims and Christians can live in Israel, why can't Jews live in Palestine. Let them build and then they can pay taxes to and vote in Palestinian elections just like everyone else there. Just make it clear to these people that the homes they are building may one day soon be in the State of Palestine - something they should have thought of when they built in the first place.

While you can spin this to suit your personal needs the fact remains the settlements are not considered legal by the intl community as is well defined everywhere on the net, see wikipedia. You can have your way or have peace. Not much choice there unless your only concerns are what's best for you personally vs what's best for israel. I have stopped my financial support toward israel until this stops and we show in actions we want peace. As they say, do what you've always dbe and you'll more of the same. I think it's time to stop isolating ourselves in the global community. After all were Jews and were not a backward self-interest people...its these few that make us appear that way to the world.

Quite simple really.

Tell him now: you climb out, you fall all be yourself. Gotta teach these thieves sometime.

Its the only fair solution now. This solves "right of return" and "settler" issues, allowing Arab and Jew freedom of movement within the country. Voters can make new laws and define new borders.

the constructions in the west bank will procede. Netanyahu is clearly window dressing, claiming peace within a year will not happen. Israel will not give up the west bank and east jerusalem. There is nothing left to say

israel will make sure of that .

We all know that Israel prefers expansion over peace. Peace has nothing to offer Israel. It is a wonder that Obama has not noticed this. Any peace agreement Israel makes will include evacuating at least some settlements, giving up at least some control over the Palestinian areas, and making some other consessions as well. Oh, it will also energize Israels right wing to violence and cause the Israeli government ro fall. All this will happen with the very best deal Israel can get. What does Israel get for making peace? An easing of pressure from America and everybody else. That's all. Of course Israel will insure that any deal they make will include many billions in new aid from America every year., but that's a quibble. America was made to serve Israel. Anyway, we all know that none of this will happen (except for the new American aid). The idea is to role play and pretend its going to happen, so historians can talk about Obamas peace effort without smiling. If Israel will not suspend their expansion while the peace talks are going on, then they obviously don't take it too seriously. That's a nono. If America is paying Israel all these big bucks to role play, the least we can expect is that Israel will role play. Come on Bibi, it's not that hard!

Of course the Palestinians must stop talking if settlement building continues. There will actually be nothing to talk about as their state erodes away whilst they are talking.....

On teh one hand Abbas says yes lets meet face to face. other hand No if you are going to continue settlements. It would seem that this usual refrain from teh palis is getting stale. Either they want a state within a year or they do not! Abbas is foot dragging and frankly i am getting fded up with pali intransigrence. He can damn well sit down and negotiate everything or he cannot. Do not use what ISrael is doing as an excuse because settlements can be uprooted of required. Abbas needs to go one way or then other

How can anyone go for negotiations, for instance, on the borders, while Israeli bulldozers are digging at the hear of the future Palestinian state. I think it would be ironic and stupid if Palestinians leaders would accept that, for a logical point of view. We know that Palestinians are always the ones who loose. But I am really encouraged by President Abbas' stance of the peace negotiations. The guy doesn't want to be part of useless negotiations and he must be supported. In any case, consequences for the Palestinians might be cumbersome, if Abbas' stance was not favorable by Israel's supporters i.e. the US. The sad reality is that there is a Palestinian leader who challenged his people and promoted ideas of peaceful, diplomatic resistance as well as the establishment of a state but he is pressured and not supported. That is the biggest loss in this stage.

Jewish 'settlements' which are entirely legal according to international law and treaty are a problem for the PA. As stated last week, they do not want any Jews in Palestine. Every single Jew will have to leave and never come back. They insist on a racist apartheid state! This can never be allowed to happen. The UN should be outraged. The UK should be outraged. The USA should be outraged. But they are silent. This is utterly shameful and disgusting. Stop these 'negotiations' now and start moving the Arabs out of the Land of Israel back to Jordan and Egypt.

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 Netanyahu did not think of this ahead of time, 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 reality, 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 and the US even conceive of talking peace with no freezing? I think Netanyahu has enough reality 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 wiggle 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.