UN chief: Direct peace talks 'must not be wasted'
Negotiations are the only way for the parties to resolve all final status issues, Ban says; al-Sharq al-Awsat reports PA will opt out of direct negotiations if settlement freeze not extended.
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies Tags: Israel news Middle East peace Mahmoud Abbas Ban Ki MoonUnited Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Saturday that upcoming direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians "must not be wasted."
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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon |
| Photo by: Reuters |
In a statement issued after the announcement that direct talks would take place in Washington on September 2, Ban said he "welcomes the decision by both Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to begin direct negotiations, following the statement of the Quartet and at the invitation of the U.S. government."
"Negotiations are the only way for the parties to resolve all final status issues and he [Ban] calls upon both sides to show leadership courage, and responsibility to realize the aspirations of both peoples," the statement read. "We should all be aware that this is an opportunity that must not be wasted."
Israel and the Palestinians accepted on Friday an invitation by the United States and other powers to restart direct talks on Sept. 2 in a modest step toward forging a peace deal within 12 months to create a Palestinian state and peacefully end one of the world's most intractable conflicts.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President Barack Obama on Sept. 1, before formally resuming direct negotiations the following day at the State Department in Washington.
However, the al-Sharq al-Awsat report Saturday stated that the Palestinians will opt out of direct negotiations if Israel would not extend its present freeze on West Bank settlement construction beyond its September 26 expiration date.
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I doubt any of his eastern education includes the history of Israel. This is not something he should be medddling in.
If THAT long!
57 years!
Israel has already taken everything they want from the Palestinians and America. There is nothing left to bribe Israel with. This means that for Israel, peace is nothing but sacrifices. Give up land, give up control, give up security, give up domestic harmony. The things that could be used to bribe Israel into peace, like a tougher stance on Iran, an F-35 deal, more and more money, and the elimination of Palestinian "pre-conditions", have already all been given to Israel free of charge. These were pre-conditions from Israel although they were careful not to call them that. America bribes Israel into coming to the table, and then Israel upsets the table and departs, with bribes clutched firmly in hand. Deja Vu all over again.
BinBoy and his unyielding maniac supporters -- who call me an Arab and all others terrorists, anti-semitics, lefists, communists or some other epithet -- will not accept international law or The Quartet's guidance. They think they are inherently above the law, and that 10,000 years ago a big-shot landowner made them a lucrative promise.
Not being pessimistic, just realistic. There was a quote on CNN today--referring to the talks--that sums it up pretty well: the unwilling leading the unable. Israel's PM has no interest in peace. Palestine's PM isn't even in power anymore, and never held all that much power in the first place. Plus, how enthusiastic would you be to negotiate with someone who is annexing more and more of your territory even as you are speaking with them? It would be like trying to negotiate with an alligator that was in the process of devouring you.