Leaders Gather in Annapolis for U.S.-Sponsored Middle East Summit, Hamas Not Invited
Delegates from over 40 countries, including Syria, are expected to gather in Annapolis, Maryland, Tuesday to participate in a US-sponsored Middle East summit. We speak with Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Policy Studies.
Ref. https://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/26/1515256
I thought more would have come out of this meeting in Maryland given all the hype it got:
QUOTE (CBC) |
Israeli and Palestinian leaders have reached agreement on a joint document intended to launch new negotiations toward the creation of an independent Palestinian state, U.S. President George W. Bush said in Maryland Tuesday. He added that the parties hope the talks will wrap up by the end of 2008. |
I think that people are having a hard time seeing Bush as a middle east peace keeper. As well, he is the first president in over twenty-five years that hasn't actually set foot in Israel. I have a hard time believing this is any more than a ploy to gain him some good credit in the eyes of the world before he flames out into obscurity and irrelevance.
It's a start. It is about as far as Clinton got when he tried to broker peace. At least they have agreed to sit down and talk, so that is the first step. Honestly, the best deal that the Palestinians can hope for is basically the one that they had on their laps when Clinton's team was the broker. The hard part for Palestine to swallow will be that this will be very close to a deal that they could have had decades ago, but said "no". The only thing I see different this go around are the heads of state (not that the attitude has changed) and the emergence of Ahmadjinedad's routine opinion on all that is Israel.
Rather off topic, but... The Irish hated the Brittish for far longer than there has been a Israel and after centuries of talk, there is now peace, so there is hope for Israel and Palestine too. |
I don't think these are very meaningful or serious talks if they don't involve the democratically elected leaders of the Palestinian people. There are clearly no key players involved from the Palestinian perspective so I fear this is just more of the same meaningless rhetoric that has been trumpeted and ignored in the past.
I'll second Konqs notion about Bush seemingly out of place at the negotiating table.
US criticises Israeli homes plan
The US secretary of state criticises Israeli plans to build 300 new homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
Ref. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/m...ast/7133446.stm
Forget about peace talks. If Israel is going to continue building houses on occupied land then there will never be peace.
I now view Israel's participation in these Bush led talks as a political stunt. You can't feed with one hand while you take from the other. Plans to build 300 new houses in East Jerusalem is clearly an effort to drive Palestinians away from Jerusalem. It will incite violence and futher hatred.
As Gaza Plunges into Darkness, Israeli and Palestinian Fighters-Turned-Peace-Activists Speak Out
The United Nations is accusing Israel of collectively punishing the Palestinian population in Gaza by cutting off fuel supplies as part of a blockade of the Gaza Strip. In the midst of the deepening crisis, we speak with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists Yonatan Shapira and Bassam Aramin. They are from a group called Combatants for Peace that is made up of former fighters from both Israel and the Occupied Territories. Shapira is a former captain in the Israeli Air Force and Black Hawk pilot squadron. Aramin was an armed member of Fatah and spent seven years in an Israeli prison. His ten-year-old daughter Abir was shot dead by an Israeli soldier last year.
Ref. https://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/22/as_g...s_into_darkness