I continue with optimism:
One of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's closest confidants said Friday that Israel should withdraw from "most" of the West Bank in a negotiated deal with the Palestinians and that a previous plan for a major unilateral pullback was no longer viable.
Vice-premier Haim Ramon, one of the politicians closest to Olmert, told Israel Radio that he favored reducing the Israeli presence in the West Bank to the "large settlement blocs" and that NATO forces could replace Israeli troops in the areas evacuated.
"In my eyes, the occupation of the territories threatens our very existence, our legitimacy and our international standing," Ramon said in the radio interview.
http://news.yahoo.com/...
Ramon: We should move quickly on final status accord of principles
Vice Premier Haim Ramon said Friday that Israel should move quickly to secure an accord on the principles of final status agreement with the Palestinians.
"I believe right now we have a partner," said Ramon. "I don't know for how long, so we must move quickly."
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Before we impeach the lot of them, can we see if a Palestinian State will result from this fiasco? I find it amazing that this is coming out of Condi's mouth:
"I believe that the Palestinians, who are intelligent people, entrepreneurial people, people who have the same aspirations for democracy and prosperity, are going to insist that the conditions are there so that the state can come into being.
"And I believe that Israel understands too that it has obligations that need to be met and need to be met now, because the future of Israel is not under the continued occupation of the West Bank. The future of Israel is in building a strong Israeli state in places like the Negev and Galilee, as the President said in his speech."
http://www.ynetnews.com/...
The Saudi King has been saying previous to 9/11, that solving the Palestine issue is the most important deterrent to Islamic extremism. And finally:
Official: Israel 'not far' from meeting with Saudis
Israel is "not far from a photo op with the Saudis," a senior government source said yesterday following a historic visit to Jerusalem on behalf of the Arab League by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan.
The source added that talks with the Saudis have been taking place via a third party for some time.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Let's see if the can finally get to final status agreements:
PA Chair says hopes for peace deal with Israel within a year
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he hopes to reach a peace deal with Israel within a year, after reportedly receiving a promise from U.S. President George W. Bush that he would push hard to complete a Mideast peace agreement before the end of his term in 2008.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert intends to start by formulating a declaration of principles with Abbas on the contours of a Palestinian state in Gaza and most of the West Bank, Olmert's aides said Thursday, confirming an earlier Haaretz report.
However, such a declaration would likely sidestep the most explosive issues, such as final borders, an arrangement for Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
And now this:
For the first time in the history of the Palestinian Authority, the government does not mention in its proposed political platform the Arabic word mokawamah, meaning "resistance" or "armed struggle." Instead, the new guidelines adhere to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's call for "national opposition to the occupation," supporting the Arab peace initiative.
The new PA program presented by PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad on Friday includes the attainment of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement consisting of pre-1967 borders, Jerusalem as the capital of both states and the honoring of past agreements between the two.
The platform also calls for a just and agreed-upon resolution to the refugee problem on the basis of UN resolutions.
http://www.jpost.com/...
And now the possibility of a third party:
Associates of PM Fayad planning alternative to Fatah and Hamas
A group of Palestinian politicians, business people and other key political players have been working in recent weeks on an initiative to form a new political movement that would not be affiliated with either Fatah or Hamas.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
For the kossacks that hate my diaries...PLEASE don't read them.
I am convinced there can be a negotiated peace in the Middle East and our National Security is intimately tied to it. I am disappointed that some dems think the solution is even more money spent on military budgets. All the crying wolf seems to be working for Israel's defense industry, as usual it's all about money, AIPAC wins again:
US ups funding for IDF missile defense
The US House of Representatives appropriations committee nearly doubled American funding for Israel's Arrow and short-range missile defense programs this week, bringing the 2008 total to $150 million.
The amount is not only more than last year's $135 million, but comes earlier in the budget process, holding out the expectation that the allocation will be increased considerably more by the Senate before the final bill is voted on in the fall.
Israeli officials see Wednesday's funding boost as a sign of growing awareness of the risks that Israel faces from the likes of Hizbullah and Iran, as well as appreciation for the success of the Arrow program.
"The Arrow program is one of the most advanced missile defense systems around and has been proven to work in tests," said Steve Rothman (D-|New Jersey,) a member of the appropriations committee who played a key role in pushing through the funds.
http://www.jpost.com/...
blah...blah....blah:
"It provides essential protection against ballistic missiles for Israel's civilian population, as well as US troops in the Middle East. In light of Iran's open hostility toward the US and Israel, I consider increasing the effectiveness of the Arrow system to be essential to our defense."
Money...money...money.
Such a disappointment. We have now started another cold war with Russia and China over missile defense. Think of all the billions that military contractors would lose if peace broke out.
UPDATE:
ARAB LEAGUE PEACE PLAN
First adopted by Arab League in 2002
Calls for "full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967"
Calls for Israel's "acceptance of an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital"
All Arab states would establish "normal relations... with Israel" and "consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended"
Calls for a "just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...