Behind the scenes at the Washington peace summit

if mubarak realy is interested in peace he wouldn't be wasting his time on trying to coerce the Israelis and concetrate on bring the pa into reality. the pa's idea of compromise is Israel giving until there is no Israel, they are not interested in peace but domination.

Abbas was attending his own political funeral.

Netynahues words were so well staked he played it to the American people that he is a man of peace were facts on the ground speak otherwise

"Netanyahu arrived in Washington with very little credit to his name and many promises he has yet to keep." Tell us, Ravid, what does Abbas have credited to his name, and what promises has he yet kept? Only weeks ago he was boasting that he's conceded nothing. Compromise? Even were the word it in his vocabulary, Abbas couldn't deliver a pizza, much less deliver and enforce a peace agreement.

The sense of ill at ease apparent at the dinner will seem absolutely lighheaded. netanyahu heads a group of messiance, racist extremists who are bent on colonising what remains of Palestine. They are zealots who are driven by one theng and one thing only and that is confiscating more land and building on what they have already stolen. They exhibit the same panicky behaviour we saw in the late 50s on the part of the French settlers in Algeria. It is this faction that netanyahu will have to contend with. It could well lead to a civil war with these messianists considering the State a rodef. netanyahu simply cannot mainstain the current position of his right extremist coalition, and if he gives in the least bit, he will be attacked like Rabin. It will porve to be the greatest ripping asunder of zionism since its inception in the 19th cent.

For starters, how can peace talks begin when there isnt even an agenda to follow?? The Palestinians along with the majority of the world, including EU, are asking for a sovereign Palestinian state with the 1967 borders. It is hard line Israelis that want to make this impossible. All Pali factions, including Hamas, would sign a peace treaty on those boundaries. Second. Israel needs to stop asking for recognition as a Jewish state, or for "legitimacy" to its existence. The reason it exists is power, not legitimacy. There are Jews that lived in historic Palestine for thousands of years, as Palestinians, and continue to call themselves Palestinians. They were not denied the right to live on the land of Palestinian with their Muslim and Christian brethren. With all of this, the state of Israel now exists because of a politically driven movement. I think it is enough that the Palestinians and the world will recognize your existence as a state, and make peace with you. But to ask them for recognition of your "legitimacy"...thats silly. Lastly, if these peace talks fail....i mean when they fail..it will become apparent that the two state solution is no longer viable because of Israeli policy and settlements. The only solution left will be a one state with historic Palestine as the new borders of Israel. Me personally, I would be fine with this as long as Jewish, Muslim, and Christian people living on the land were given equal rights. For this to occur, zionism must fall.

This problem will only be solved by imposing a peace treaty by America. There is something wrong there and the current administration is getting to recognize it. It is never too late to disengage from full unquestionable support to Israel.

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”.

Apathy best describes the atmosphere on both sides. This can be easily turned into support by Netanyahu via movement on the settlements issue. All talk of his inability to do so is foolishness, he does not need the support of his right-wind coalition to act and they know it. If they collaspe the government they simply take the fasttrack to irreverence, there might not even be need of a election. On the Palestinian side clearly the grand design is to set Gaza afloat, this is already clear yet there are no mass protests in the West Bank , and it's not that they are being suppressed by the PA security apparatus, the will is absent. As far as the settlements go the formula is pretty simple, make public the list of blocs that both sided already know are to be annexed and begin the process of preparing to remainder for evacuation. This would effectively take settlement building out of the equation, the annexed blocks would effectively be seem as Israel proper, the concern over wichh would then move to land swaps. Of course this would mean Israel would then have to confront the many small and far flung settlements and their ideological/fanatical residents but this is simply unavoidable. If Israel is not prepared to do this then it would put the lie to their seriousness in the framework of these talks. the Palestinian sid

If Netanyahu caves ib to the Pro-Arab President Obamam he is really stupid. To agree to meet with these murderous terrorist Arab thugs on a week when they murdered 4 innocent Jews in idiotic. To yield any of Judea Samaria or Jerusalem to these Arab terrorists is national suicide. Join the Facebook group called "American Jews Against Obama" to learn more

The talks will fail, as the always have in the past. The only solution to the conflict is a one state muliticultural state--like the US--for Palestinians and Israelis, for Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druzes. This will truely make Israel strong and the envy of the world.

But they are a minority and our leaders must stand together, unite and strenghten one another to do what's necessary to prevent these minorities from ruining everything.

Abbas doesn't have the power to sign. Palestinians view him as a traitor. Whatever is agreed upon will mean nothing because Palestinians will not consider themselves obliged to accept any agreement

Without Jesus there will NEVER be any peace, other than the false one that the anti-Christ puts together then breaks the 7 year peace treaty after 3/12 years.

It can be done.

For now only

God Bless you both and I pray for successful peace.

You have the most to give. And get rather luft...Jewish nation, security, So you need to maneuver through this nightmare quite well.........

US aims is only and only support Israel, one way gudgement does not work, thease meeting has been arranged in many previous presidents, but this time seemes that israel has a 100% support from US for the aim od israel security.PA demands are being ignored , gaza seige is being ignored, illigal settlements are being ignored, and so on.... and on.........., with this amin anubody expect peace, not for sure

On the other hand i'm afraid to see such a historic photo with opposite intentions. Meshal and Lieberman! Let them go hell.

..the negogiator should not be a partial one (US). This is just to boost Obama. FREE PALESTINE!

It's interesting to note: running up to the talks, Abbas was the one who was full of hope and looking to the future, while Netanyahu was more apt to be icy. Now, apparently, the roles are switched. I wonder what's behind that, if it isn't just political posturing.

probably symbolises the whole situation... a sort of limbo with friends and foes rubbing shoulders under Obama's benign roof... ah well, hope-and-pray...

I can understand the leaders' feeling of awkwardness in each others presence considering the peculiar circumstances of the meeting, and I'm confident that this situation will be obviated by subsequent meetings. They should be prodded into negotiating a peace agreement in the interest of their citizens and the entire middle east.

The reason that Israels politicians are the worst liars is that they are never held accountable for what they say, Because of this, they put very little effort into their lies. In the end, the Americans know and understand this, but circumstances force them to proceed anyway and in a serious manner.

Hamas, et al, are much worse and the issues to be negotiated are very complex and the alignments on the positions quite intractable, so Washington shouldn't hold its breath. Welcome to the biblical prophecy of Jerusalem becoming a burdensome stone for all nations!

Hamas, et al, are much worse and the issues to be negotiated are very complex and the alignments on the positions quite intractable, so Washington shouldn't hold its breath. Welcome to the biblical prophecy of Jerusalem becoming a burdensome stone for all nations!