Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaches out to shake hands with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, but Kerry is about to explode. Photo by Reuters
Israel ‘Deeply Disappointed’ by Kerry’s Remarks on Peace Talks -- New York Times
JERUSALEM — In an unusually pointed rebuke of its ally, the United States, Israel said on Wednesday that it was “deeply disappointed” by Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks a day earlier that appeared to lay primary blame on Israel for the crisis in the American-brokered Middle East peace talks.
The Israeli-Palestinian dispute that has brought the talks to the brink of collapse appeared to be developing into an open row between Israel and the United States, even as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were said to be planning a third meeting here this week with American mediators to try to resolve the crisis.
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In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Mr. Kerry said that both the Israeli and Palestinian sides bore responsibility for “unhelpful” actions, but that the precipitating event of the impasse was Israel’s announcement of 700 new housing units for Jewish settlement in an area of Jerusalem across the 1967 lines, in territory the Palestinians claim for a future state.
“Poof, that was sort of the moment,” Mr. Kerry said. “We find ourselves where we are.”
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Update #1: Senior Official: Israel 'Deeply Disappointed' By Kerry's Accusations -- Haaretz
My Comment: Everyone knew that these talks would most likely end in failure .... but at least the U.S. tried. Unfortunately .... the perception in the Middle East is that this failure is just another indicator that U.S. influence in the Middle East is in decline .... and that maybe new alliances and policies should be pursued by America's allies in the region.
Update #2: This analysis sums up U.S. problems in the region perfectly .... Troubled Mideast peace effort compounds U.S. policy woes in region -- Reuters
3 comments:
"Thus, to blame the collapse on the decision to build apartments in Gilo—a 40-year-old Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem that would not change hands even in the event a peace treaty were ever signed and where Israel has never promised to stop building—is, to put it mildly, a mendacious effort to shift blame away from the side that seized the first pretext to flee talks onto the one that has made concessions in order to get the Palestinians to sit at the table."
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2014/04/08/why-did-kerry-lie-about-israeli-blame-peace-process-palestinians/
"Secretary Kerry, the official in Mr. Netanyahu’s office said, “knows that it was the Palestinians who said ‘no’ to continued direct talks with Israel in November; who said ‘no’ to his proposed framework for final status talks; who said ‘no’ to even discussing recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people; who said ‘no’ to a meeting with Kerry himself; and who said ‘no’ to an extension of the talks.”
The wording appeared designed to cast the Palestinians in the role of peace rejectionists, echoing the Khartoum Resolution of 1967. Then, after the Middle East war, Arab heads of state laid out the main principles of their approach to Israel, which became known as “the three no’s” — no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no negotiations with it.
The Israeli official added: “Iin the understandings reached prior to the talks, Israel did not commit to any limitation on construction. Therefore, the Palestinian claim that building in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, was a violation of the understandings is contrary to the facts. Both the American negotiating team and the Palestinians know full well that Israel made no such commitment.”"
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/world/middleeast/middle-east-peace-effort.html?hp&_r=1&referrer=
"Official: Israel never agreed to construction freeze
Responding to Kerry’s accusations, Prime Minister’s Office says Jerusalem ‘made no commitment’ to halt building in capital"
http://www.timesofisrael.com/official-israel-never-agreed-to-construction-freeze/
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