The other day Ira Glunts did a fine post here saying that Israel has little interest in the peace process, and that Netanyahu is just playing intransigent foot-dragging tricks with Obama over a semi-fake issue, freezing settlements. I asked Glunts:…
Ira Glunts writes: The flap over the settlement freeze is an indication of the difficulty the U.S. will continue to encounter in any effort to obtain Israeli cooperation with Obama’s two-state solution plans. The Netanyahu government is not interested in…
Imagine if Hamas tried to set foot in the U.S. Capitol? Here’s a disgraceful interview with NY Congressman Eliot Engel, who went out of his way to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman last month. Reporter Jason Horowitz notes…
From the Israel Policy Forum site (quoting Yedioth Ahronoth): Ehud Barak is going to tell George Mitchell today that Israel plans to finish building 2000 units and won’t freeze construction in East Jerusalem. Oh–and freeze only lasts for three to…
A friend writes: More on that NYT piece about settlements. Here’s my favorite part, lede: “JERUSALEM — Israel would be open to a complete freeze of settlement building in the West Bank for three to six months …” 3rd graf:…
Ira Glunts writes: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet with George Mitchell on Tuesday to present an Israeli compromise to the U.S. demand that all settlement expansion cease. It has been in the Israeli press for a few days….
Two friends have pointed me to the New York Times’ story today on the Netanyahu government’s apparent willingness to cut a deal regarding settlements. The story is remarkable for its utter immersion in the Israeli discourse. “Where are the critical…
Rob Browne writes: I just saw this article by Amira Hass in Haaretz on a private Israeli security firm that is running a checkpoint and is implementing more severe restrictions on food that can be brought into Israel than the…
Yesterday Assaf Oron expressed skepticism about reports that Israel has eased movement in the West Bank by lifting checkpoints. Today Oron offers “some additional information confirming my suspicions, from Micheala, a Machsom-Watch activist (translated from Hebrew)”: In general the situation…