Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at crunch time, Kerry says

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

JERUSALEM — The United States will help Israel and the Palestinians establish “fixed, defined parameters” for a permanent peace deal, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Thursday, as troubled negotiations enter a new year and lurch toward a spring deadline for an accord.

Five months into the talks that he pushed both sides to begin last summer, Kerry is stepping into a more direct role as mediator. The immediate goal is an “agreed framework” to guide the final and most difficult phase of talks on how to settle the decades-old conflict, Kerry said.

“This is not mission impossible,” Kerry said at the outset of his 10th visit to Israel as America’s top diplomat. He arrived as news spread that former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is near death. The hawkish leader became a forceful advocate for a peace deal in his last years in office. He has been in a vegetative state since a stroke in 2006.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Kerry that a recent spate of terror attacks has renewed doubt about Palestinian commitment to the peace effort. He accused Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of helping to incite violence and hatred by warmly receiving Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis who, as part of the peace talks, were recently freed from prison.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/israeli-palestinian-peace-talks-at-crunch-time-us-secretary-of-state-john-kerry-says/2014/01/02/11cc4b38-73cd-11e3-bc6b-712d770c3715_story.html

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Haaretz: Kerry: Netanyahu and Abbas will have to make difficult choices in coming weeks

Jerusalem Post: Kerry to Netanyahu: Israeli-Palestinian peace not 'mission impossible'

Al Jazeera America: Kerry in Middle East in bid to revive faltering Israeli-Palestinian talks

AP: Kerry: Mideast peace still possible despite rifts

Reuters: Netanyahu gloomy as Kerry returns for peace talks

[azurnoir]

1. It's all going according to plan and Netanyahu is considerate enough

to wait until Kerry leaves to announce the new settlement construction

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-wont-announce-settlement-expansion-until-after-kerry-visit/

[karynnj]

3. It is hard not to be cynical given things each side does

and their comments before each step.

However, another way to look at it is:

1) Either side could have refused to be involved in negotiations --- but both sides joined.

2) Both sides agreed to do things they did not want to do. The Palestinians deferred continuing their quest of recognition through the UN. Israel released prisoners and made the West Bank check points move a bit faster -- though they are still atrocious. They did these as things to "build up trust" -- which seems in short supply on both sides.

3) They are still talking --- earlier talks broke down much faster and from some comments they are speaking of things that in the past were always deferred as - we will do those last.

So, it is clear that this was never going to be easy. It is also clear that the solution has to reached by Israel and the Palestinians. There is no common ground in which both are in their comfort zone. The only way there will be any agreement is if both make choices they are not happy with because both see the status quo as worse than the agreement.

At this point, the fact that the RW of Netanyahu's party and (the settlers even more) really is not happy with Kerry AND Palestinians are also not happy. If one side was happy while the other was complaining - that would be worse.

One thing that should come out of this is whether there really can be a two state solution. Kerry himself said for w=several years that that window was closing. Building settlements has made that more the case. It seems that any solution will have to include abandoning some settlements. A few trips ago, Kerry spoke of the fact that the Palestinian state had to be real and not "swiss cheese" - ie not filled with holes belonging to Israel. If this fails now, I really can't see anyone continuing to back a theoretical two state solution.

At that point, the only reasonable solution is a democracy where everyone has an equal vote - a solution some prefer now - but I can't imagine how one gets to that.

[Purveyor]

2. Should it seem that they are even getting close to an agreement "something" always (conveniently)

happens to scuttle the deal.

By Way Of Deception...indeed!

[karynnj]

4. Same as anywhere

Only when the vast majority on each side see that this is better than what will likely happen if they don't make a deal will things happen. Extreme people on both sides will try to blow up anything working. It will take a lot of strength from both sides.