Settlements remain obstacle in Mideast peace talks
Washington (CNN) - After two days of meetings and talks led by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli and Palestinian leaders leave Washington deadlocked over the contentious issue of Israeli settlements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met alone behind closed doors Thursday, in a State Department room just outside Clinton's office. The one-on-one meeting followed their on-camera pledges to move the peace process forward and their hardy handshake with Clinton in the middle.
But several diplomatic sources involved in the summit said the two leaders emerged from their meeting in a stalemate over whether Israeli settlements should continue.
The two leaders met with Clinton to give a readout of their meeting.
According to Palestinian delegation member Fadi Elsalameen, the two leaders were very blunt about their opposing views.
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Stop building the settlements or else it will undermine this entire process.
The "stalemate" could be resolved in about fifteen seconds if Obama told Israel that either they cave or all US assistance, military and economic, would stop very abruptly if they didn't.
The US needs to quit propping up the Israeli thugs–they're not worth the billions we waste on them.
Get these squatters out of there and let the Palestinians live in PEACE!
If the settlements are illegal they should go. End of discussion.
Little obstacle compared to Islam's view of Christian and Jews and its need to control them as minorities and not as people in control of their own destinies.
It is obvious; Israel must stop all settlement construction and dismantle the existing ones. After all, those lands were capture during the 1967 war and do not belong to Israel, they are making those expansions and constructions illegally. American people apparently do know that when the Israel state was created in 1949, there was also another state to be created and that was the Palestine state. The creation of the Palestine state has not become a reality because Israel is occupying there land. Israel must retrieve to its border in 1967 and let the Palestine state become a reality. If Israel does not do that, then US must revise the relationship with the Israeli state and stop sending the 3 billion in assistance that US gives to Israel every year, I bet they will understand that language.
Israel will break whatever agreement/treaty/accord gets signed-off on – just like they always do.
This will drive the GOP Tea Party crazy! You can bet on more attacks. Hold strong Democrats. President Obama "floats like a butterfly", but sting like a bee". Progressive talk show hosts/bloggers turn your fire to the right. After the election we will get back to what went right and what went wrong. Now is the time to fight for this President! Vote! Democrats!
How much more of the taxpayers money will be spent on this pointless effort? Israel will never give up the settlements or stop the aggression in Palestine, and Palestine will never agree to anything unless the settlements cease. History reminds us there has never been peace between these people, and there never will be. Let them continue to fight among themselves until they destroy each other. Why should the USA be the cash cow for both nations?
Opposing views ?
No kidding. Mahmoud Abbas wants all of Netanyahu's
people dead and gone from the face of the planet.
I'd say that's grounds for opposing views.
Obama and Hillary Clinton are like two childish clowns trying
to get involved in something they can not control.
Some people praise Carter for all his efforts in the Mid East
peace process. What process ? When has ANY U.S. President
brought peace to the Mid East ?
Ain't gonna happen.
The settlements wouldn't be a problem if Israel agreed not to use them as a reason to retain the land. I'm sure there wouldn't be many Israelis that would stay in their new settlement homes if they wound up living in Palestine.
"According to Palestinian delegation member Fadi Elsalameen, the two leaders were very blunt about their opposing views."
And I'm 100% sure the GOPers/conservatives will al lbe very blunt about why this all somehow means that Obama is a Muslim who hates Israel, Jews and America.
Seriously, reading the comment section for some of these artcles at this point is like clog dancing thru a talking point minefield of intellectual doggy droppings.
We the USA need to concretrate on our own problems here at home. How much is this costing the taxpayers? Don't we give them enough money and time? They have to work it out among themselves. Get Americans back to work.