Welcome to Team Shalom Fry'd Daze. Fry'd Daze is a long running series dedicated to dialogue in the Middle East. Currently we are in our second year. These diaries are not intended to be a flame forum, but rather something where community members can meet and exchange ideas about I/P and/or issues that concern the Middle East.
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"Team Shalom is Team Peace. We are a group of Kossacks supporting a fair, pragmatic, and realistic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the two-state solution. We support Israel's continued existence as a Jewish and democratic state, with it existing alongside Palestine, a Palestinian and democratic state, as friends and neighbors. We believe this is the only way forward and the only way to achieve an enduring peace. This is the view endorsed by the overwhelming majority of the world's nations, including the Quartet, which consists of the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations."
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Ok... folks this week we are going to do something a tad different. Given that it is the week that President meets with PM Netanyahu of Israel, and both the Prime Minister of Israel and the President will speak at the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference, I want to show reactions from both Israelis and Palestinians regarding the Presidents speech of Thursday, May 19, 2011. For a transcript of this speech please visit canadian gals diary from yesterday.
Our first story is from the Israeli Daily Haaretz which has both Netanyahu's reactions and comments from Tzipi Livni (Leader of the Opposition Kadima Party). Netanyahu had a strong reaction to the Presidents speech, saying that Israel would not retreat to "indefensible borders", and that President Obama did not "understand the reality of Israel's situation". On the other other hand Oppisition Leader Tzipi Livni had this to say:
... "ending the conflict by adopting the principle of two national states, while safeguarding Israel's security, is a clear Israeli interest."
The Kadima MK criticized Netanyahu, saying that the policies of his government vis-à-vis the Palestinian-Israeli conflict "do not serve Israel's interests."
Livni called on Netanyahu to show leadership in his visit to the United States, particularly in light of Obama's speech. She said that the prime minister must "create the necessary conditions to renew negotiations with those who are willing to end the conflict out of an understanding that a true Israeli initiative that holds weight and has American and international backing is the only answer to the dangers and the opportunities of today."
Not only does Livni disagree with the Prime Minister about the "realities" faced by Israel, but so do dovish American groups like J Street and American's for Peace Now (the sister group to Israel's Shalom Achshav). As was mentioned in Another Americans diary J Street and a number of prominent Israelis posted this advertisement in the New York Times amd several European papers yesterday:
The ad, which largely copied the text of an ad that appeared in Haaretz on Wednesday, was placed in the Times by the left-wing Jewish lobby J Street in advance of Netanyahu's arrival in the United States today.
The Israeli signatories are affiliated with a group that demonstrated in Tel Aviv a month ago in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state. They included Israel Prize laureates, former Knesset members, former diplomats and former defense officials.
The text of the New York Times ad read as follows: "We, the citizens of Israel, call on the public to support the recognition of a democratic Palestinian state as a condition for ending the conflict, and reaching agreed borders on the basis of the 1967 borders. Recognition of such a Palestinian state is vital for Israel's existence. It is the only way to guarantee the resolution of the conflict..."
Haaretz is also reporting: UN Chief, Quartet stand behind Obama call for deal based on 1967 borders
In a statement issued Thursday night, Ban's spokesperson said that the secretary general "continues to call on the leaders throughout the region to reject the use of force, violence and repression, and to choose the path of comprehensive reform and inclusive dialogue.”
The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators -- the United States, Russia, the
European Union and the United Nations -- also stood behind the U.S. president's speech Friday, voicing "strong support" for U.S. Obama's vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
"The Quartet agrees that moving forward on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation for Israelis and Palestinians to reach a final resolution of the conflict through serious and substantive negotiations and mutual agreement on all core issues," the group said in a statement.
Now also ahead of the meeting it seems that President Obama had some choice words for Prime Minister Netanyahu: Obama to aides: Netanyahu will never do what it takes to achieve Mideast peace
In what seems to be a response to Netanyahu's comments, Obama aides told the New York Times that the U.S. president did not believe Netanyahu will ever be willing to make the kind of concessions that would lead to a peace deal.
Those comments, which seem to heat an already intense atmosphere between Netanyahu and Obama, comes just hours before a fateful meeting between the two leaders in the White House on Friday
According to Ynet the meeting just ended (an hour overtime) and the two leaders discussed all of the issues addressed yesterday.
In a similar vein, Ynet is reporting that aides to Palestinian President Abbas believed Netanyahu rejects peace
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has been revealed in his declarations and behavior once again to be someone who refuses to conduct a peace process".
In an interview with the Israeli Arab newspaper Kul Alarab, Abu Rudeineh responded to Thursday's speech by US President Barack Obama, who urged Israel to make "bold" moves and return to the 1967 borders in order to secure peace with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu "has chosen to crash into the wall of international law, the Road Map, and the Arab initiative", Abu Rudeineh said. "From his first day in power he has been avoiding reaching peace."
The Abbas aide also accused the prime minister of causing the former US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, to resign.
While it may true that PM Netanyahu is causing a block to peace the future partners of the P.A. Hamas also rejected President Obama's speech calling it a Total Failure
The (Arab) nation does not need a lesson on democracy from Obama," said Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Sami Abu-Zuhri. "Rather, Obama is the one who needs the lesson given his absolute endorsement of Israel's crimes and his refusal to condemn Israel's occupation."
"We will not recognize the Israeli occupation under any circumstances," the Hamas spokesman said, while adding: "We object to intervention in our internal affairs."
Abu-Zuhri also urged the Palestinian Authority not to endorse the American president's speech. He stressed the need to coordinate Palestinian positions in the face of what he referred to as "American-Israeli arrogance."
This coming on the heels of Hamas' current insistence that the "Zionist Project be ended" and that they will not recognize the right of Israel to exist.
Let's discuss... The diary will be updated with reactions from both the White House and the Israelis.
Shabbat Shalom.