Israeli defense chief proposes West Bank pullout

[dipsydoodle]

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's defense minister called for a unilateral pullout from much of the West Bank in published comments Monday, saying Israel must take "practical steps" if peace efforts with the Palestinians remain stalled.

The comments by Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared to put him at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has resisted making any major concessions to the Palestinians in the absence of peace talks. Negotiations have been deadlocked for nearly four years. Netanyahu's office declined comment.

Barak's proposal is unlikely to be implemented, at least in the near term. Netanyahu's coalition is dominated by hardliners who would be reluctant to embrace the plan. But Netanyahu is widely expected to call early elections in the coming weeks, and Barak may be trying to attract centrist voters to his party ahead of an upcoming campaign.

Speaking to the Israel Hayom newspaper, Barak called for uprooting dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, but said Israel would keep major settlement "blocs."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-24-07-24-57

[bemildred]

1. Interesting.

Much will depend on what "much of the West bank" means.

[azurnoir]

5. Much will depend on what happens this week

supposedly Abbas was to request nonmember observer state status at the UN but .......

Abbas adopts 'Dershowitz Formula' for resuming talks with Israel

Harvard jurist and well-known Israel advocate Professor Alan Dershowitz has secured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ agreement to a settlement freeze formula that he hopes will break the diplomatic stalemate and lead to a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

According to Dershowitz and other participants in a Monday night meeting with Abbas in New York, the Palestinian president also promised to make “a positive statement” about the connection between Israel and the Jewish people during his Thursday address to the United Nations General Assembly.

Sources at the meeting also revealed that Abbas has assured U.S. President Obama’s Administration that he would not press for a General Assembly vote on the Palestinian request for non-state recognition before the upcoming November 6 presidential elections.

They also said that Abbas had asked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stop referring to “wiping Israel off the map” and to replace that incendiary formulation with a call to “put Palestine on the map” instead.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-adopts-dershowitz-formula-for-resuming-talks-with-israel.premium-1.466794

but then....

A scheduled meeting between the president of the Palestinian Authority and American-Jewish leaders in New York yesterday was canceled after the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped in to voice its displeasure, according to Israeli newspaper Maariv.

Billionaire businessman Mort Zuckerman, a former leader of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, organized the meeting, with PA President Mahmoud Abbas according to the report.

Abraham Foxman, the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, and Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents, were also scheduled to attend the meeting arranged to coincide with Abbas’ visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Netanyahu’s office reached Zuckerman and said it was “unacceptable” to meet with the Palestinian leader when Abbas himself refused to sit down with Israeli leaders.

http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/09/25/u-s-jewish-leaders-cancel-meeting-with-palestinian-authority-leader-abbas/

[bemildred]

6. I'm skeptical about all that.

Maybe we could fill a few hot air balloons with it.

[azurnoir]

7. well the meeting with Dersh raised my eyebrow so to speak

but the second part I first came across in Ma'an and then did a search for other sources, perhaps I'll do the same with the meeting with Alan D too

[bemildred]

8. I'm skeptical that "much depends on" it, the story I don't doubt.

Although we both know how ductile facts can be.

Abbas has been rather quiet lately, or not getting much attention, take your pick.

[azurnoir]

9. Laying low perhaps? protests and all

but your right perhaps I'm being too optimistic about things

[King_David]

2. Sounds similar to what happened in Gaza nt

[holdencaufield]

3. Conveniently for the BDS Crowd

... even if Israel does withdraw from the West Bank, they can claim it's still occupied just like they do Gaza and keep their Israel-bashing industry in full-production. Win-win

[King_David]

4. Right you are

I have heard people here on DU claim Gaza is still occupied,rockets and all,notwithstanding .