Delegations from the Israeli and Palestinian peace train collided again yesterday at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and later met jointly with American peace negotiator Martin Indyk. The meetings were characterized by their lack of characterizations, which is to say that both sides seem to be keeping their word about not revealing any information about the negotiations. Thus, all the intrigue has been left for others to create.
[Justice Minister Tzipi] Livni, speaking on Israel Radio before talks convened in Jerusalem, said “there will be dramatic decisions” by Israel at the end of the negotiating process. She said that in the meantime, both sides had agreed not to disclose details about their deliberations to build trust.
“We are arguing, but we are arguing inside the room,” she said.
While this is going on, Livni is currently engaged in a spat with Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, who seems bent on torpedoing the talks that his party ideologically opposes.
“It is no secret that there is at least one party (in the Israeli government) that sees negotiations as wrong, that opposes two states for two peoples,” Livni said, referring to the pro-settler Jewish Home faction.
She called on the main opposition Labour Party to “lend its support now” to the government’s efforts, suggesting such political backing could help achieve a land-for-peace deal.
Her comments led to this unexciting exchange, via the Times of Israel:
Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the Jewish Home party, posted a link to his Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon from the right-wing Israel National News site that bore the headline, “Livni: Jewish Home is making it difficult for me.”
Bennett was dismissive in his response to the article. And he was brief. He wrote, in a single Hebrew word, “Get over it.”
Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.
