Hillary Clinton speaks at the opening of a forum in Marrakech on Tuesday.European Pressphoto Agency
U.S. Reins In Its Expectations for Middle East Peace Talks -- Wall Street Journal
CAIRO -- The Obama administration is scaling back its ambitions for the Arab-Israeli peace process, focusing on maintaining some degree of low-level dialogue in the face of big divisions between the two sides.
U.S. officials began outlining Washington's diminished expectations as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton completes a one-week tour of the Middle East on Wednesday. She had tried to kick-start a new round of talks during stops in Israel and Arab capitals, but the divisions proved too wide to bridge.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused U.S. calls for a complete freeze of settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the Palestinians have ruled out resuming negotiations without the freeze.
Read more ....
My Comment: The U.S. policy of maintaining
U.S. officials began outlining Washington's diminished expectations as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton completes a one-week tour of the Middle East on Wednesday. She had tried to kick-start a new round of talks during stops in Israel and Arab capitals, but the divisions proved too wide to bridge.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused U.S. calls for a complete freeze of settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the Palestinians have ruled out resuming negotiations without the freeze.
Read more ....
My Comment: The U.S. policy of maintaining a dialogue between all the parties even though both sides have no interest to compromise or alter their positions has a certain appeal to me. Better have them talking .... instead of shooting at each other.
Unfortunately .... this is a policy that has been the policy for the past few decades, and it is now reaching a tipping point. Everyone has expectations, and if they are not met there will be disappointment. For the Palestinians .... they have clearly reached this point of disappointment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused U.S. calls for a complete freeze of settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the Palestinians have ruled out resuming negotiations without the freeze.
Read more ....
My Comment: The U.S. policy of maintaining a dialogue between all the parties even though both sides have no interest to compromise or alter their positions has a certain appeal to me. Better have them talking .... instead of shooting at each other.
Unfortunately .... this is a policy that has been the policy for the past few decades, and it is now reaching a tipping point. Everyone has expectations, and if they are not met there will be disappointment. For the Palestinians .... they have clearly reached this point of disappointment.