Middle East peace talks to resolve the so-called Israeli-Palestinian crisis have been coming and going most of my adult life and I’m no spring chicken — free range or otherwise. And now here they are again! But this time, as opposed to all those other times, the AP’s Robert Burns informs us, “the stakes are high.” Well, yes… but maybe not in the way Burns intended.
What’s really going on here? Let’s do a thought experiment.
The last time a hopeful world got transfixed by this roundelay (although this time it might not be paying much attention anyway) was back at the tail end of the Clinton presidency when Bill was trying to untie this Gordian knot and win himself a Nobel Peace Prize. Those discussions began at Camp David in 2000 and dribbled on to Taba in early 2001 when it all went south with the Second Intifada and an Israeli election.
Tons of books and articles have been written about this, I’ve even read and forgotten a few, but I recall enough to know that a lot of ink was spilled about just what percentage of the Palestinian demands were acceded to by the Israelis. Some said as much as 98%, while others said more like 90, or maybe even a paltry 88.
Now here’s the thought experiment part. I’m assuming most of the readers here — in this case I’d wager 99% of you — have been in negotiations themselves. When you got 98% or even 88% of what you wanted, did you walk away and start a war… okay, just walk away? And if you did, why did you do that … when you were so close to making a deal? You could obviously hang around in negotiations and get most, if not all, of what you wanted....
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Militants in Gaza, the coastal enclave controlled by Hamas, fired at least nine projectiles into Israel, causing no injuries. Israel responded with an air strike on Gaza, killing a 23-year-old Palestinian man.
The upsurge in attacks came during talks in Jerusalem, where Washington is pushing for a breakthrough in the peace process, launched a fortnight ago after nearly two years of stalled negotiations.
At the end of the second day, George Mitchell, the US envoy, sounded a cautious note of optimism, hinting that the two sides were making progress over the extension of a construction freeze in the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"We continue in our efforts to make progress in that regard and believe we are doing so," Mr Mitchell told reporters after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Jerusalem.
"The two leaders are not leaving the tough issues to the end of their discussions," he added. "We take this as a strong indicator of their belief that peace is possible."
Ahead of a packed day of meetings, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, had reiterated...(click here to read the full article source)Labels: accident, derail, frimer, hamas, israel, maze, maze art, maze cartoon, mazes, middle east, palestinian, peace process, puzzle, railroad, terror, terrorists, tracks, train, yonatan, yonatan frimer

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The United Nations Security Council approved a new round of sanctions against Iran last week for its refusal to curb the country's nuclear program, which the U.S. and its allies suspect is aimed at producing weapons. Iran denies that.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran favors a dialogue with the West, but will announce its conditions soon. He said the carrot-and-stick approach doesn't work and Iran will not make "one iota of concessions" to the West.
"You showed bad temper, reneged on your promise and again resorted to devilish manners," he said of the powers that imposed sanctions. "We set conditions (for talks) so that, God willing, you'll be punished a bit and sit at the negotiating table like a polite child," he told a crowd during a visit to the central Iranian town of Shahr-e-Kord. His speech was broadcast live on state TV.
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Hamas source tells al-Hayat newspaper 400 names agreed upon as part of exchange deal, but dispute remains over some 50 more prisoners, including Amneh Muna, who lured Israeli teen Ofir Rahum to Ramallah where he was murdered eight years ago Roee Nahmias Published: 12.01.09, 11:33 / Israel News
| Israel and Hamas agreed on the names of 400 prisoners to be freed in the first phase of an exchange deal for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, but a dispute remains over the names of 50 additional prisoners, a Hamas official told al-Hayat newspaper. According to Tuesday's report in the London-based Arabic languages newspaper, the official said that a dispute remains over the release of three female Palestinian prisoners – Amneh Muna, convicted of the murder of Ofir Rahum eight years ago, as well as Ahlam al-Tamimi and Qahira a-Saadi. |
In addition, negotiations are ongoing over the release of Arab-Israeli and east Jerusalem prisoners. According to the report, Israel has agreed to include 17 east Jerusalem prisoners in the deal, out of which 10 are to be exiled out of the territories.
The source also said that Israel has proposed to expel 130 prisoners, but Hamas objects and is working to minimize the number. According to the source, the decision of expulsion will depend on the prisoners themselves.
The source further added that intensives takes were ongoing, and that the German mediator is remaining in Israel to finalize the deal.
The parents argued that the State was turning its back on them, but Supreme Court President Justice Dorit Beinish said that she had heard that in the meantime, there is no deal.
Maze Portrait of Gilad Shalit - Headshot Maze in PDF Gilad Shalit Maze - PDF



Maze Portrait of Gilad Shalit - Headshot Maze in PDF Gilad Shalit Maze - PDF



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