Current Events
Prophetic Significance of Peace
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See more recent articles: After December 31, 2014
Palestinian statehood bid fails to pass UN Security Council
Dec. 31, 2014 -
A Palestinian proposal calling for peace with Israel within a year and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by
late 2017 failed to pass a UN Security Council vote on Tuesday.
There were eight members in favor of the plan. Two were opposed and five abstained.
- Source: Haaretz
- Palestinians plan next steps after failed UN bid - CTV News
Prophetic Significance of Peace
US says opposes revised Palestinian UN bid
Dec. 30, 2014 - The UN will consider a resolution that calls for a withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces to
pre-1967 borders by the year 2017. The measure was endorsed by the Arab UN delegations yesterday.
The draft Palestinian statehood resolution to be brought to the UN Security Council is not “constructive” and fails to take into account
Israel’s security needs, a State Department spokesman said Monday in a clear indication Washington will veto the resolution if need be.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
-
Netanyahu: If world won't oppose Palestinian UN bid, Israel will - i24 News
US senator Graham threatens to defund UN over Palestine bid
Dec. 28, 2014 - Visiting in Israel, US Senator Lindsey Graham warned that an effort by the Palestinians to be recognized by the UN as
an independent state . . .
. . . will be met with “a violent backlash by the Congress that could include suspending funding to the United Nations. We will not sit
back and allow the United Nations to take over the peace process.”
- Source: Times of Israel
Palestinian draft peace plan put before UN Security Council
Dec. 18, 2014 - Jordan has submitted a resolution for a one year process resulting in a peace plan between Israel and the
Palestinians.
The text of the draft says a negotiated solution should be based on several parameters including the boundary . . .
that existed before the 1967 Six Day War, security agreements, and "Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two states".
In the past the US has vetoed resolutions it considers hostile to Israel, but it has not given any assurance so far that it would veto the resolution.
- Source: BBC
'Unilateral UN moves will lead to instability'
Dec. 16, 2014 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had a meeting in Rome to
discuss the fact that the Palestinians plan to ask the UN to recognize Palestine as an independent state.
In the meeting with Kerry on Monday, Netanyahu requested that the U.S. use its Security Council veto against a Palestinian resolution (which
could be proposed on Wednesday) to set a two-year deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state."
Netanyahu told Kerry that the Palestinian plan, without Israeli agreement, would have "destructive consequences."
- Source: Israel Hayom
Egypt cancels Hamas-Israel talks following Sinai attack
Oct. 26, 2014 - Egypt closed its borders to a high-ranking Hamas delegation because the Palestinians are thought to have been involved
in a terror attack that took place Friday in the Sinai.
The Hamas delegation had been set to resume indirect talks between the Palestinians and Israel over a
long-term Gaza ceasefire on Monday, but those talks were canceled.
- Source: Times of Israel
Pope Denounces Perversion of Religion for Violence
Sept. 21, 2014 - Albania is the first majority Muslim nation Pope Francis has visited since the Islamic State crackdown on Christians in Iraq.
He commended them for thier interreligious harmony, and called their Christian-Muslim coexistence was an "inspiring example" for the world. He said,
"This is especially the case in these times in which authentic religious spirit is being perverted by extremist groups, and where religious differences
are being distorted."
- Source: NewsMax
- Editor's Note: The need for world peace could be the basis of a prophesied "United Religions" that compromises the distinctive
aspects of all religions in order to avoid violence.
Gaza conflict: Israel and Palestinians agree long-term truce
Aug. 27, 2014 - A long-term ceasefire has begun between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. It calls for opening of
borders for humanitarian aid and building materials and an extension of the Palestinian's Mediterranean fishing zone.
Indirect talks on more contentious issues, including Israel's call for militant groups in Gaza to disarm, will begin in Cairo within a month.
The US and the UN supported the truce, but UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern that its failure to "tackle the root causes
of the crisis will do little more than set the stage for the next cycle of violence."
- Source: BBC
Hamas official: Language of Egyptian cease-fire proposal 'acceptable'
Aug. 26, 2014 - According to a Hamas official the new Egyptian cease-fire proposal to end the hostilities between the Palestinians and Israel in Gaza
would be acceptable to the Palestinians. Israeli officials have also said the proposal is “acceptable in principle,” but they will not agree to anything as
long as Hamas continues firing rockets and mortars.
The official said that . . . Israel had “failed to achieve its goals,” which were to “disarm the resistance and prevent tunnel construction.”
The proposal includes plans for rebuilding the Gaza Strip and expanding the fishing zone for local fishermen.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Abbas says Egyptian initiative only viable option for Israel-Gaza truce
Aug. 17, 2014 - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said that Egypt is the only possible source for a viable truce
between Israel and Gaza.
According to the draft cease-fire terms – Israel will stop its offensive against Gaza from the air, sea, and land and in turn, the Palestinian
factions will stop their attacks on Israel and will stop digging tunnels outside Gaza's territory in Israel.
Also, the border crossings between Israel and the Strip would be reopened.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Israel resumes strikes on targets after rocket fire from Gaza
Aug. 8, 2014
Israel resumed strikes on targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire from the area shortly after the expiration of a cease-fire between Israel and
the terror group Hamas, Israeli military officials said Friday.
- Source: Fox
-
Gaza war could lead to Abbas’s return and new hopes for Palestinian-Israeli peace - Washington Post
Bodies of Israeli kidnapped teens found, government confirms
Jun. 30, 2014 -
The search for Eyal Yifrach, 19; Gilad Shaar, 16 and Naftali Frenkel, 16, who were snatched while hitchhiking, ended even as Israeli forces were
conducting raids in the West Bank, where Hamas operates.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the kidnappings, and the Israel Security Agency identified two Hamas operatives from Hebron
as key suspects.
- Source: Fox
Liberman urges ‘regional agreement’ with moderate Arabs
Jun. 26, 2014 -
[Israeli] Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman called on Thursday for a “new political structure in the Middle East” that would entail a coalition of Israel and the moderate
Arab states uniting to face the common threat of Islamist extremism.
In a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry Liberman said that the current unrest in the region makes it too difficult to reach peace with the Palestinians.
He also said that Israel needs “an overall regional agreement,” with moderate Arab states.
- Source: Times of Israel
New Israeli President Opposes Palestinian State
Jun. 11, 2014 - Reuven Rivlin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, has been elected by Israel's parliament as their 10th president. He is known
to be opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Rivlin subscribes to the more popular of the one-state solutions, which proposes granting the Palestinians a form of extended autonomy. Under the proposal, the
Palestinians would be granted Israeli citizenship, but would vote for their own parliament.
- Source: Israel Today
Islamic prayers to be held at the Vatican
Jun. 8, 2014 -
For the first time in history, Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran will be heard at the Vatican on Sunday, in a move by Pope Francis to usher in
peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious leaders will be involved in the prayer meeting.
- Source: AlArabiya.net
-
Pope leads Israeli-Palestinian peace prayer - Al Jazeera
- Pope Francis peace plea at Israel-Palestinian prayer meeting - BBC
Pope Francis Gets Involved In Middle East Peace Process
Jun. 6, 2014 - Pope Francis will host an "intense prayer session" this Sunday with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
He told reporters that he is not getting involved in the stalled peace process, but observers say the prayer meeting is a bold move. Daniel Petri at the Catholic
University of America in Washington, said that his previous accomplishments make him “the world’s best politician.”
The pope is already seen as a maker of miracles by many of his followers. His prayer vigil for peace in Syria on Sept. 7, 2013 was followed by an agreement
a week later that prevented U.S. air strikes over the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons.
- Source: Voice of America
Germany 'very worried' about Israel's plans to advance settlement building
Jun. 6, 2014 - Because of the unilateral action by the Palestinians to form a unity government including Hamas, Israel announced plans for
an additional 1,800 new buildings in settlement areas. Germany is especially concerned about
the move. German government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz said that it will make efforts to continue the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians
harder.
The European Union also expressed disappointment:
"We are deeply disappointed that the Israeli Land Administration has published new tenders
for 1,466 housing units in settlements in east Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank," the EU said in a statement. "This move is unhelpful to peace efforts."
- Source: Jerusalem Post
-
Palestinians to appeal to UN over settlement expansion
- Times of Israel
-
US envoy condemns new settlement building plans - Tlimes of Israel
-
Kerry: US to monitor Hamas-backed Palestinian unity government
- Times of Israel
Fatah and Hamas agree on new Palestinian prime minister
May 30, 2014 - The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-ruled West Bank appear to be willing to establish a new unity government, and
have accepted the appointment of Rami Hamdallah as prime minister of the new alliance. Mahmoud Abbas has asked Hamdallah to form a government coalition. Observers
say the move will be opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It will also inhibit attempts to revive a peace process with Israel, and may upset
plans for donations to the Palestinians from the US, EU and the UK.
- Source: Thke Guardian
Pope Francis throws farewell curveball: Peace prayer summit in Rome
May 28, 2014 - Ending His historic three-day visit to the Holy Land, Pope Francis did something that his predecessors never did.
Pope Francis took the unexpected step of calling for a prayer meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, leaving people on both sides of the divide
abuzz with the potential implications.
Leaders from Israel and the Palestinians accepted the invitation to continue the pursuit of peace with the Pope in Rome.
- Source: Haaretz
-
How the pope triumphed over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Times of Israel
After meeting Peres, Pope set to speak with prime minister
May 26, 2014 - Yesterday Pope Francis visited the Yad Vashem holocaust museum. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and
former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau were in attendance when he spoke there. He asked God to “grant us the grace to be ashamed of what we men have done,”
adding that the Nazi genocide was a “massive idolatry” that must never happen again.
Today the Pope is scheduled to visit the Temple Mount and the Western (Wailing) Wall. He will also meet with Netanyahu.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
-
Pope Extends Dramatic Vatican Summit Invitation to Israeli, Palestinian Leaders - NewsMax
Official: Obama blames Israel for talks failure
May 18, 2014 -
For the first time since the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks halted, US President Barack Obama has directly blamed Israel for the failure of negotiations,
the New York Times reported Thursday.
President Obama complained that, "At every juncture, there was a settlement announcement." These announcements, according to Obama, "kept throwing a wrench
in the gears."
The president reportedly said that future talks between Israel and the Palestinians are still possible, and the U.S. would help them achieve peace if they
want to try again.
- Source: i24 News
GOP, Democrats Blast Kerry's Israel 'Apartheid' Comment
Apr. 29, 2014 - Secretary of State John Kerry was severely criticized, with some politicians even calling for his resignation, over remarks that Israel
could become an "apartheid state" if it doesn't reach a peace deal with the Palestinians.
The deadline for the current talks has come. There is no agreement. And Kerry has admitted that if he could rewind the tape he would have chosen a
different word. Nevertheless, he stood by his "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."
- Source: NewsMax
Coalition with Hamas will recognize Israel, Abbas tells Kerry
Apr. 25, 2014 - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State John Kerry that no action has been taken yet to form a unity
government between his Fatah party and Hamas would require Hamas to renounce violence and recognize the state of Israel.
Historically, Hamas has refused to adopt either of those principles. The Islamic Resistance Front has codified its intention to destroy Israel in its
charter, and is listed by the United States, European Union and Israel as a terrorist organization.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
- Palestinian leader Abbas 'still seeks' Israel peace talks - BBC
-
Israel's Netanyahu Tells Abbas to 'Tear up' Pact With Hamas - OneNewsNow
Israel suspends peace talks with Palestinians after Fatah-Hamas deal
Apr. 24, 2014 - Following yesterday's announcement of a unity agreement between Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas, which Israel considers a terrorist
organization, Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government have suspended peace talks.
"What has happened is a great reverse for peace, because we had hoped the Palestinian Authority [PA] president Abbas would embrace the Jewish state...
But instead, he took a giant leap backward."
- Source: The Guardian
- Update: Apr. 25, 2014 -
Fatah insisting unity government recognize Israel - Times of Israel
Netanyahu to Palestinians: When you want peace, let us know
Apr. 22, 2014 - As the April 29 deadline for the end of the peace talks approaches President Mahmoud Abbas threatens to dismantle the Palestinian Authority.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu criticized the Palestinian Authority on Monday, saying that its threat to dissolve and the ruling Fatah faction’s efforts
to forge unity with Hamas indicate a lack of desire for peace.
He said, "When they want peace, they should let us know. Because we want a genuine peace.”
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Decision Time: Will Obama Make a Last-Ditch Middle East Peace Push?
Apr. 10, 2014 - Peace talks have almost collapsed between Israel and the Palestinians, and Secretary of State Kerry has blamed Israel for
being more stubborn than the Palestinians. Some analysts think the process can still be salvaged if the U.S. would lay out a framework that the parties
would have to accept in order to continue, or reject and be considered the villains.
They could haggle over details later. The basic principles of such a plan — including limited right of Palestinian refugee return, a divided capital
in Jerusalem, some medium-term Israeli security presence in the Jordan River Valley — wouldn’t surprise anyone.
No one knows if President Obama will risk his own reputation by insisting on the adoption of such a framework.
- Source: Time
Moscow and Ramallah: The new alliance
April 7, 2014 -
Analysis: Palestinians may soon be the ones to threaten US (and Israel) by inviting Russia to the negotiating table as a partner and mediator.
The Palestinians have dared to resist U.S. pressure to make peace with Israel. One reason they may take the risk of losing American assistance is the
fact that Russia is returning to its cold-war positions and needs friends. Russia sees the Palestinian Authority as an ideal bridgehead to the Arab world.
- Source: YNET News
Netanyahu: Israel will respond to Palestinian unilateralism with steps of its own
Apr. 6, 2014 - Peace talks are faltering between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinians affirmed 15 international treaties and conventions last
week. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel was desirous of peace, it would not seek an agreement 'at any price.' And he added,
“Unilateral steps on [the Palestinians’] part will be met with unilateral steps on our part."
- Source: Jerusalem Post
- Israel readying war crimes complaint against Abbas, minister says - Jerusalem Post
Israelis, Palestinians begin to assign blame for possible collapse of peace talks
Apr. 3, 2014 -
Israelis and Palestinians began to jostle Wednesday over who should be blamed for the possible collapse of peace talks, even as their representatives met
with U.S. officials late into the night to try to keep the negotiations alive.
Palestinians acted unilaterally to become parties to 15 U.N. treaties, but they still told U.S. facilitators that they wished to continue the peace negotiations.
Israelis have withheld the release of prisoners because of the failure of the talks to produce a framework for further reconciliation between the two groups.
- Source: Washington Post
- Update Apr. 4, 2014 -
US sees role in peace talks coming to a close
Kerry leaves Israel after holding meetings with Netanyahu to save peace talks
Apr. 1, 2014 -
US Secretary of State John Kerry met ... with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, amid reports the US may
release Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard by mid-April as part of a wider package designed to resuscitate the negotiations.
Reuters reports that Israel would then release a fourth group of Palestinian security prisoners and would agree to release another
larger group of prisoners if peace talks are extended past the April 29 deadline.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
-
Pollard-for-prisoners deal said to be near completion - Times of Israel
Kerry returning to Israel amid push to extend talks
Mar. 31, 2014 - The deadline for progress on the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians is near (April 29), and there are still many obstacles to
any permanent agreement. Because of this Secretary of State John Kerry has changed his plans and is returning to Israel to try to salvage the process. He
will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.
The continuation of negotiations had come into question after Israel failed to go through with a previously agreed-upon prisoner release over the weekend and indicated that
it has no plans to do so without a deal to extend the deadline.
- Source: Times of Israel
-
Israel likely to release 26 prisoners in coming days - Jerusalem Post
Peace talks in crisis after latest PA-US meeting
Mar. 28, 2014 - Ziad Abu Ein, director-general of the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs, reported that Israel will not release a
final group of 104 prisoners unless Palestinians agree to continue peace talks. Israel has already released 78 prisoners, but the peace negotiations seem to
have reached a stalemate.
- Source: Times of Israel
TV report: Abbas said ‘no’ to Obama on 3 core peace issues
Mar. 24, 2014 - Mahmmoud Abbas has reportedly said 'no' to Obama on 3 core peace issues. He told him that the Palestinians:
- Refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state
- Refuse to abandon the Palestinian demand for a “right of return” for millions of Palestinians and their descendants
- Refuse to commit to an “end of conflict” under a peace deal
- Source: Times of Israel
Israeli official suggests Palestinians celebrating failure of peace talks
Mar. 21, 2014 -
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas returned from Washington on Thursday to a hero’s welcome in Ramallah, where he pledged not to give up the
Palestinians’ rights or betray their trust.
Abbas said he had resisted making concessions, “especially on the issue of recognizing Israel as a “Jewish state.” Some observers said it was reminiscent of
Yasser Arafat’s return from Camp David in 2000. At that time Palestinians were actually celebrating the failure of peace talks. Soon after that time the
second intifada broke out.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
IAF strikes dozens of Gaza targets after rocket attack
Mar. 12, 2014 - Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for up to 55 rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. There were no reports of casualties. In response
to the situation the Israel Air Force struck 29 targets in Gaza.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
-
Islamic Jihad tries to drag Hamas, and Israel, into escalation - Times of Israel
Arab League rejects Israel as Jewish state
Mar. 11, 2014 - US-backed peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is approaching a deadline next month. Israel is demanding
that they be recognized as a Jewish state but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says that he will never give in to that condition. Arab foreign ministers,
meeting in Cairo, agreed with Abbas. They said,
"The council of the Arab League confirms its support for the Palestinian leadership in its effort to end the Israeli occupation over Palestinian
lands, and emphasizes its rejection of recognizing Israel as a 'Jewish state'."
- Source: Al Jazeera
-
Israel PM says no deal unless Palestinians recognise Jewish state - Yahoo
Obama to Israel -- Time Is Running Out
Mar. 2, 2014 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Barack Obama tomorrow. The President will tell him that
Israel will risk international isolation if he fails to endorse the U.S.-drafted framework agreement for peace with the Palestinians.
And the president will make the case that Netanyahu, alone among Israelis, has the strength and political credibility to lead his people away from the precipice.
- Source: Bloomberg
White House: Obama won’t pressure sides over framework deal
Feb. 28, 2014 - President Obama will be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
soon. Contrary to some news reports, the White House claims that Obama will not put pressure on either side to accept the proposed framework for peace. The
meetings will be used only to “take stock” of the negotiations.
- Source:Times of Israel
Abbas ‘exploded with rage’ at Kerry over ‘insane’ framework proposals
Feb. 27, 2014 -
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas left talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris fuming at the proposed plan for a Palestinian capital in just one
Jerusalem area instead of all of East Jerusalem. the Kerry plan also called for Israel’s retention of 10 settlement blocs.
The Jordan Valley would not be part of a future Palestinian state, Palestinian sources told the paper, nor would there be an international force
stationed there.
According to reports, Kerry also demanded that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.
- Source: Times of Israel
- Jordan warns Israel: It may review peace treaty over Jerusalem debate - Haaretz
Hamas: Recognizing Israel is a 'Death Sentence' to the PA
Feb. 24, 2014 -
Ibrahim Dahbour, one of Hamas’s representative in the Palestinian Legislative Council, warned Abbas against giving up any of the "fundamental principles
of the Palestinian people" ... in particular with regards to the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.
Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu maintains that Israel must be recognized as a Jewish state in order for a peace agreement to be reached.
- Source: Israel National News
-
Israel-Palestine talks falter despite US efforts - Independent - UK
US expects delay on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Kerry framework rollout
Feb. 3, 2014 - US officials are saying that the current peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may take longer than the April 29 deadline
that was established. Difficulties over major issues, such as Mahmoud Abbas’s refusal to recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland, make it difficult to
even propose a framework for negotiations.
Abbas told The New York Times over the weekend that he would refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
- 'Kerry is putting pressure only on Israel' - Israel Hayom
Ya’alon: Israel ‘will manage’ without a peace deal
Feb. 2, 2014 - Yesterday U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned that failure to reach a peace agreement soon would result in unprecedented
diplomatic pressure on Israel and economic boycotts. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said he was hopeful that the peace talks will succeed, but if
they do not, he said, "We will manage.”
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ya’alon asserted that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not about territory, but rather hinged on
Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and its right to exist in peace after a deal is reached.
- Source: Times of Israel
Quartet to meet in Munich over stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
Jan. 31, 2014 - After six months of trying to get Israel and the Palestinians together for peace talks, the "Quartet" (representatives from
United Nations, United States, Russia and European Union) will meet in Munich on Saturday. They will discuss how to keep the process going.
But, with both sides far apart on many core issues including borders, security, the right of return for Palestinian refugees and the future status of
Jerusalem, many Palestinians and Israelis believe the talks are going nowhere.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Palestinian leader heads to Moscow. Abbas wants Russia to play “bigger role” in epicenter.
Jan. 22, 2014 - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive in Russia today, and plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. They will discuss bilateral relations and the progress of the United States-mediated talks
between the Palestinians and Israel. Nabil Shaath, Fatah’s Commissioner of International Relations, says the talks are deadlocked.
“Russia has played a huge role in reaching agreement with Iran and we are also seeing progress [in talks] on Syria. This brings us hope that the visit
[of Abbas] will ensure progress in settling the Palestinian-Israeli issue,” Shaath said.
- Source: Joel Rosenberg
Jerusalem Next 'Stumbling Block' in Peace Talks
Jan. 12, 2013 - Polls show that most Israelies are ready for the creation of a Palestinian state, but they are not willing to surrender the
eastern half of Jerusalem to become the Palestinian capital. Even if Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would give in to American pressure
on the issue the Knessed would probably not accept the idea.
On the other side, Palestinian leaders have repeatedly committed themselves to never signing any deal that does not include Palestinian control of
eastern Jerusalem, including the Old City and its Temple Mount.
- Source: Israel Today
-
Arab ministers back Abbas in rejecting ‘Jewish’ Israel - Times of Israel
Israel Rejects US Plans for the Jordan Valley
Jan. 5, 2013 - US Secretary of State John Kerry is pursuing shuttle diplomacy to try to bring Israel and the Palestinians together on
the details of a peace agreement.
Kerry has said a peace treaty will deal with all the core issues dividing the two sides. These include the contours of a future Palestinian state,
refugees, the fate of Jerusalem claimed by both as a capital, security, and mutual recognition.
- Source: Israel National News
Palestinian red lines make chances of US-mediated settlement slim
Jan. 4, 2013 -
US Secretary of State John Kerry met on Friday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah for a talk that lasted several hours. On Saturday
morning, Kerry was heading back for another round of talks with Abbas.
Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, told London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat reporters that Abbas has told President Obama that he cannot accept the
condition that Israel be considered a Jewish state. He also blamed Israel for the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat even though independent French and
Russian forensic experts have ruled out the possibility that Arafat was poisoned.
The time allotted for the peace negotiations runs out in April, and there are many obstacles, making it unlikely that they will succeed.
- Source: Times of Israel
John Kerry lands in Israel to lay foundations for 'framework agreement'
Jan. 2, 2014 - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has returned to Israel to try to stimulate peace negotiations. It is his 10th visit to the region
in less than a year. He hopes to establish the foundations of a "framework agreement" that could bring resolution to the nearly-deadlocked process.
The key sticking-points are still the question of borders, security, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. Kerry says he does not expect a breakthrough on
this trip. Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman surprised observers when he praised Kerry for his efforts.
- Source: Haaretz
-
Poll: Most Israelis, Palestinians support 2-state solution - Times of Israel
Go to stories before Jan. 1, 2014
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