US-set Middle East peace deadline expires

[webfact]

US-set Middle East peace deadline expires

WASHINGTON: -- A US deadline for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians has ended without an agreement being reached.

Direct talks had resumed in July after a three-year hiatus but quickly became strained.

The latest round was halted last week after the main Palestinian factions announced a political pact.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who brokered the talks, has meanwhile issued a statement denying he called Israel "an apartheid state".

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27199781

-- BBC 2014-04-29

[Ulysses G.]

A political pact with a terrorist group who has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel.

[chuckd]

Comments like the following won't help in the peace process...

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Exclusive: Kerry Warns Israel Could Become ‘An Apartheid State’

The secretary of state said that if Israel doesn’t make peace soon, it could become ‘an apartheid state,’ like the old South Africa. Jewish leaders are fuming over the comparison.

If there’s no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon, Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state,” Secretary of State John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door meeting Friday.

Senior American officials have rarely, if ever, used the term “apartheid” in reference to Israel, and President Obama has previously rejected the idea that the word should apply to the Jewish state. Kerry's use of the loaded term is already rankling Jewish leaders in America—and it could attract unwanted attention in Israel, as well.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/27/exclusive-kerry-warns-israel-could-become-an-apartheid-state.html

[Ulysses G.]

What a load of nonsense. Jews are the majority within Israel, but the non-Jewish minority enjoy full citizenship with voting rights and representation in the government. The Arab minority comprises 20% of Israel's population.
It is illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race. Arabs have served in senior diplomatic and government positions and an Arab - Salim Joubran - serves as a justice on the Supreme Court. Israeli Arabs have their own political parties and representation in the Knesset. Arabs are also members of the major Israeli political parties. Arab students and professors study, research and teach freely at Israeli universities. At Haifa University approximately 20 percent of the students are Arabs. Israel is nothing like an apartheid state and anyone who thinks so, does not know what the term means.

[Pralaad]

This peace talks and all peace talks before that were never meant to succeed.

Its like watching comedy, comedy is not suppose to have an end.

Abbas is really not interested in peace, because then the aid will be cut off.

Abbas claims to recognize Israel but days before makes contradicting statements.

Abbas now claims that the unity government with Hamas would be under his control, is he heavily medicated?

.

[ggt]

Another "thin red-line"...has come and gone...who listens to the US anymore...?

[marcusd]

Two thousand years of infighting and they think,it will stop soon? I have been hearing this garbage all my life.

[snip]

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

[Morch]

What a load of nonsense. Jews are the majority within Israel, but the non-Jewish minority enjoy full citizenship with voting rights and representation in the government. The Arab minority comprises 20% of Israel's population.

It is illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race. Arabs have served in senior diplomatic and government positions and an Arab - Salim Joubran - serves as a justice on the Supreme Court. Israeli Arabs have their own political parties and representation in the Knesset. Arabs are also members of the major Israeli political parties. Arab students and professors study, research and teach freely at Israeli universities. At Haifa University approximately 20 percent of the students are Arabs. Israel is nothing like an apartheid state and anyone who thinks so, does not know what the term means.

A good post there, UG.

I'd add that while Arab citizens are formally entitled to similar rights as Jews, there is a measure of inequality and discrimination.

That does not amount to Israel being an apartheid state, of course, and is not condoned by the courts.

Arab citizens of Israel actually got more civil rights than most Arab citizens of other countries in the region (certainly when it comes to politics and freedom of expression). At the same time, they are not subjected to some civic duties (namely, military or national service.

[Ulic]

Comments like the following won't help in the peace process...

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Exclusive: Kerry Warns Israel Could Become ‘An Apartheid State’

The secretary of state said that if Israel doesn’t make peace soon, it could become ‘an apartheid state,’ like the old South Africa. Jewish leaders are fuming over the comparison.

If there’s no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon, Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state,” Secretary of State John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door meeting Friday.

Senior American officials have rarely, if ever, used the term “apartheid” in reference to Israel, and President Obama has previously rejected the idea that the word should apply to the Jewish state. Kerry's use of the loaded term is already rankling Jewish leaders in America—and it could attract unwanted attention in Israel, as well.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/27/exclusive-kerry-warns-israel-could-become-an-apartheid-state.html

Statements like these may not help but they are true.

[Morch]

This peace talks and all peace talks before that were never meant to succeed.

Its like watching comedy, comedy is not suppose to have an end.

Abbas is really not interested in peace, because then the aid will be cut off.

Abbas claims to recognize Israel but days before makes contradicting statements.

Abbas now claims that the unity government with Hamas would be under his control, is he heavily medicated?

.

The financial aid to the Palestinians will not be cut off if a peace deal is achieved. It might actually grow, as they will be eligible to other method of external funding and financial aid. Abbas is more worried about political survival and maintaining his position, and making "courageous" (a-la Sir Humphrey) decisions is counter-productive to this aim.

Abbas did and does recognize Israel. He objects (and rightly so, in my opinion) to recognizing Israel as a "Jewish state".

He does basically accept that the borders will be drawn according to the 1967 lines. The other main issue of regarding territory is that East Jerusalem will be the Palestinian capital.

As for your last sentence - no, he isn't. He's just a politician. It exemplifies your first sentence - this is mostly show, and less substance. Or at least, the very same old themes rehashed over and over again. They don't even have an agreement on how to form this government, and no done deal on elections other than a time frame. There's no agreement on control of armed factions, and so far, very little sound bits from Islamic Jihad on the issue of reconciliation.

[Morch]

Two thousand years of infighting and they think,it will stop soon? I have been hearing this garbage all my life.

[snip]

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

Not sure what two thousand years of infighting you're on about.

Palestinians (or Muslims, for that matter) haven't been around that long.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is hardly "infighting".

The "infighting" within the Palestinian ranks is pretty recent in historical terms.

[Morch]

Comments like the following won't help in the peace process...

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Exclusive: Kerry Warns Israel Could Become ‘An Apartheid State’

The secretary of state said that if Israel doesn’t make peace soon, it could become ‘an apartheid state,’ like the old South Africa. Jewish leaders are fuming over the comparison.

If there’s no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon, Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state,” Secretary of State John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door meeting Friday.

Senior American officials have rarely, if ever, used the term “apartheid” in reference to Israel, and President Obama has previously rejected the idea that the word should apply to the Jewish state. Kerry's use of the loaded term is already rankling Jewish leaders in America—and it could attract unwanted attention in Israel, as well.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/27/exclusive-kerry-warns-israel-could-become-an-apartheid-state.html

I agree that these statements do not help the peace process, such as it is, and that Kerry should have taken better care with his words. Then again, nothing else helps much, so not sure it matters.

Taken in relation to the present state of affairs, Israel is hardly an apartheid state, so the indignation is understandable.

As UG's post details, the current situation is quite different.

However, if Israel was to drop the two-state solution, it would raise serious problems as to its democratic nature, assuming it does not intend to fully integrate all the Palestinians as citizens. In relation to this sense, the knee-jerk reactions from Israel and its supporters, are more in line with denial of a serious issue.

[Jingthing]

It's a shanda but really finally just FORGET about a two state solution.

The "dream" is really over.

[losworld]

What a load of nonsense. Jews are the majority within Israel, but the non-Jewish minority enjoy full citizenship with voting rights and representation in the government. The Arab minority comprises 20% of Israel's population.

It is illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race. Arabs have served in senior diplomatic and government positions and an Arab - Salim Joubran - serves as a justice on the Supreme Court. Israeli Arabs have their own political parties and representation in the Knesset. Arabs are also members of the major Israeli political parties. Arab students and professors study, research and teach freely at Israeli universities. At Haifa University approximately 20 percent of the students are Arabs. Israel is nothing like an apartheid state and anyone who thinks so, does not know what the term means.

Tell that to the African immigrants recently sent home by Israel. Israel is very close to an apartheid state. There is a wall built around Palestine. Israel has talked openly about its concern with growing minorites perhaps someday becoming the majority and gaining govt. You need to do a bit more research yourself.

[Morch]

What a load of nonsense. Jews are the majority within Israel, but the non-Jewish minority enjoy full citizenship with voting rights and representation in the government. The Arab minority comprises 20% of Israel's population.

It is illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race. Arabs have served in senior diplomatic and government positions and an Arab - Salim Joubran - serves as a justice on the Supreme Court. Israeli Arabs have their own political parties and representation in the Knesset. Arabs are also members of the major Israeli political parties. Arab students and professors study, research and teach freely at Israeli universities. At Haifa University approximately 20 percent of the students are Arabs. Israel is nothing like an apartheid state and anyone who thinks so, does not know what the term means.

Tell that to the African immigrants recently sent home by Israel. Israel is very close to an apartheid state. There is a wall built around Palestine. Israel has talked openly about its concern with growing minorites perhaps someday becoming the majority and gaining govt. You need to do a bit more research yourself.

The number of illegal immigrants from Africa that were sent back is rather small compared to the numbers present in Israel.

The supreme court of Israel ruling made even those deportations a hustle for immigration services. You may want to Google similar stories on how other countries deal with illegal immigration.

That does not make Israel an apartheid state.

The wall separates Israel and the Palestinian territory. The Palestinian are not Israeli citizens and most of them live under the PA's rule. If the wall was built as to separate between Arab citizens of Israel and the rest of the country, you'd might have a point. Building a wall between Israel and the aspiring-to-be state of Palestine, is not apartheid.

Israel's Arab minority is currently around 20% (with full parliamentary representation and rights), they are not going to be a majority anytime soon, though. So far, Israel did not annex neither the West Bank nor the Gaza strip (quite the opposite, if anything), so the question of having an extra few millions Arab citizens/residents isn't a reality yet. If this should come to pass and in a manner discriminating the Palestinians, then you may talk about apartheid.

[Ulysses G.]

What a load of nonsense. Jews are the majority within Israel, but the non-Jewish minority enjoy full citizenship with voting rights and representation in the government. The Arab minority comprises 20% of Israel's population.

It is illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race. Arabs have served in senior diplomatic and government positions and an Arab - Salim Joubran - serves as a justice on the Supreme Court. Israeli Arabs have their own political parties and representation in the Knesset. Arabs are also members of the major Israeli political parties. Arab students and professors study, research and teach freely at Israeli universities. At Haifa University approximately 20 percent of the students are Arabs. Israel is nothing like an apartheid state and anyone who thinks so, does not know what the term means.

Tell that to the African immigrants recently sent home by Israel.

You mean the illegal immigrants? Pretty much every country on earth deports them. That has nothing at all to do with apartheid. Neither does the wall. It has very effectively stopped Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel from Palestinian areas and targeting innocent civilians. If Palestinians do not want their movement restricted, they need to stop the terrorist attacks that it prevents and if they want their own country, they need to negotiate with Israel in good faith, sign a peace deal and be faithful to its terms.

[chuckd]

Comments like the following won't help in the peace process...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exclusive: Kerry Warns Israel Could Become ‘An Apartheid State’

The secretary of state said that if Israel doesn’t make peace soon, it could become ‘an apartheid state,’ like the old South Africa. Jewish leaders are fuming over the comparison.

If there’s no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon, Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state,” Secretary of State John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door meeting Friday.

Senior American officials have rarely, if ever, used the term “apartheid” in reference to Israel, and President Obama has previously rejected the idea that the word should apply to the Jewish state. Kerry's use of the loaded term is already rankling Jewish leaders in America—and it could attract unwanted attention in Israel, as well.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/27/exclusive-kerry-warns-israel-could-become-an-apartheid-state.html

Statements like these may not help but they are true.

If the statesments are so "true", why is Kerry trying so hard to weasel his way out of them?

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Kerry: ‘If I Could Rewind The Tape, I Would Have Chosen a Different Word’

April 28, 2014 - 8:52 PM

By Patrick Goodenough

(CNSNews.com) – Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday defended his support for Israel, declared that he has never stated that it was or intended to become an “apartheid” state, but acknowledged he should not have used the term in reference to Israel.

“I have been around long enough to also know the power of words to create a misimpression, even when unintentional,” he said in a statement. “And if I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word to describe my firm belief that the only way in the long term to have a Jewish state and two nations and two peoples living side by side in peace and security is through a two-state solution.”

“In the long term, a unitary, binational state cannot be the democratic Jewish state that Israel deserves or the prosperous state with full rights that the Palestinian people deserve,” he added.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/kerry-if-i-could-rewind-tape-i-would-have-chosen-different-word

[Ulysses G.]

Since when is Israel a 'superpower"? That is ridiculous.

[JesseFrank]

Comments like the following won't help in the peace process...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exclusive: Kerry Warns Israel Could Become ‘An Apartheid State’

The secretary of state said that if Israel doesn’t make peace soon, it could become ‘an apartheid state,’ like the old South Africa. Jewish leaders are fuming over the comparison.

If there’s no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon, Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state,” Secretary of State John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door meeting Friday.

Senior American officials have rarely, if ever, used the term “apartheid” in reference to Israel, and President Obama has previously rejected the idea that the word should apply to the Jewish state. Kerry's use of the loaded term is already rankling Jewish leaders in America—and it could attract unwanted attention in Israel, as well.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/27/exclusive-kerry-warns-israel-could-become-an-apartheid-state.html

Maybe US officials have finally seen the forest through the trees.