Sep 02 2010
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks Doomed To Fail?
The first direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks of the Obama administration are set to begin today, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acting as mediator. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will represent Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas will represent the Palestinians. Hamas, the elected government in Gaza, was not invited to participate. In the lead-up it has been reported that neither Israelis nor Palestinians have high hopes that a mutually satisfactory result will be reached. The talks will focus on issues that fuel the longstanding conflict, including possession of Jerusalem. Palestinians want Jerusalem to be divided, and the Eastern half given over to Palestinian control. Reports are conflicting on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s stance on Jerusalem, with some saying his administration has indicated it may compromise, while others say he is firmly committed to Israeli control of the entire capital. The expansion of Jewish settlements is another policy matter that is politically divisive in Israel and a lightning-rod for international condemnation and Palestinian anger. An Israeli moratorium on settlement construction will end September 27 and the government has not officially supported an extension or resuming construction. This week has seen incidents that could fuel opposition to compromise on both sides of the conflict. On Tuesday an Israeli soldier who shot a 13-year old Palestinian girl 17-times was acquitted on all charges. On Tuesday four Israeli’s, two men and two women, were shot and killed by members of a political wing of Hamas.
GUEST: Khalila Sabra, Director of the Muslim American Society’s Immigrant Justice and Legal Clinic. She also sits on the Steering Committee of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Sabra recently returned from a trip to the region.
Find out more at www.masnet.org and www.endtheoccupation.org.
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