Comments on: Why Obama Wants Direct Talks Now

By: ML Denver

ML Denver — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:33:23 +0000

Tillkan and his like are responsible for the suffering of the Palestinian people. The Israelis have offered a two state solution many times, which if accepted would have produced a thriving and prosperous Palestinian State, along with a thriving Palestinian minority in Israel. Instead of helping Abbas with political cover to agree to a workable solution, Tillkan et. al. blame the Israelis for everything, which helps Abbas feel he must do nothing or face the wrath of his people. Tillkan et. al. prolong the suffering of the Palestinians while wrapping themselves in a cloak of being the friends of justice. The truth is the Palestinians seem to think they can destroy Israel with the help the world’s attempt to delegitimize its existence. Fortunately they will fail in this, but the tact condemns the Palestinian’s to continuing their long stagnation.

By: fw

fw — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:38:02 +0000

Would Abbas’s ‘capitulation’ to Israel include rejecting Olmert’s offer of terms more generous than Barak had put on the table?

And what relevance does any of it, even if it were true, have to negotiations now.

tillikan, if you have to lie to make your argument, as you do, it’s invalid.

Incidentally, it was the world community that voted to recognize Israel. The Palestinians rejected the offer of partition, and therein lies the seeds of their troubled history.

By: tillkan

tillkan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:11:05 +0000

For years people like Ibish and the U.S. administrations have been saying please give Abbas something to show for his constant capitulation to Israel. And for years Israel has only spit in his eye by expanding settlements, demolishing homes and villages, and generally digging in to the West Bank. So why should it be different now – Israel is obviously bent on completing the ethnic cleansing that started in 1948.

By: fw

fw — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:25:24 +0000

This line is nonsense, and pernicious nonsense at that.

Only the Palestinians could refuse negotiations and pretend that they’re still the victims.

They will never enjoy stronger international support than they have now.

There will never be more pressure on Israel and Netanyahu in particular than there is now.

Israel is commonly portrayed as illegitimate and is treated like a pariah.

Palestinians are treated like holy martyrs.

The Palestinians have a golden opportunity with a sympathetic U.S. president and a cheer-leading international community.

They have all the leverage they need, and they are passing the opportunity up, just like when they refused Barak’s offer and when they refused Olmert’s offer.

And what they are saying is insane. “Oh, those Israelis, they win when they negotiate, and they win when they don’t negotiate. We can’t do anything on our own behalf.”

Incompetence on the part of Palestinian leadership is the reason they don’t have a state now, and extrapolating from this latest bout of stupidity, is the reason they will be foregoing their best chance in years.

Why do people always lay the blame for stagnation on the part of Israelis? Saeb Erekat boasts about rejecting Barak’s offer and Olmert’s offer.

The world is treating them as though they have no agency of their own.

Step up to the plate and deal, or stop whining.

By: Marc R

Marc R — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:06:28 +0000

Miller’s analogy is an inapt one. US mediation may have been involved in the past, but those were still direct talks between the parties with them in the same room.