Israel Matzav

Netanyahu's office tells Times they're 'deeply disappointed' with Kerry comments

An anonymous official in the Prime Minister's office has told the New York Times that Israel is 'deeply disappointed' with Secretary of State John FN Kerry's comments blaming Israel for the 'peace talks' collapsing. This is from the first link.

“Secretary Kerry,” the official in Mr. Netanyahu’s office said, “knows that it was the Palestinians who said ‘no’ to continued direct talks with Israel in November; who said ‘no’ to his proposed framework for final status talks; who said ‘no’ to even discussing recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people; who said ‘no’ to a meeting with Kerry himself; and who said ‘no’ to an extension of the talks.”

He added, “At the same time, in the understandings reached prior to the talks, Israel did not commit to any limitation on construction. Therefore, the Palestinian claim that building in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, was a violation of the understandings is contrary to the facts. Both the American negotiating team and the Palestinians know full well that Israel made no such commitment.”

He could have added that both the 'Palestinians' and the Americans knew full well that Israel never committed to including 'Israeli Arabs' in the fourth terrorist release. 

A Palestinian official close to the negotiations, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicate diplomatic situation, said in response that Israel was “undermining the American role in the peace process.” The Palestinian side, he said, “never raised any issue that is not already an Israeli obligation.”

Israel is obliged to stop settlement activity, the Palestinian official said, because it is considered illegal under international law. The Obama administration has described the settlements as “illegitimate.”

Israel has never accepted the notion that 'settlement activity' is illegal under international law, and no President other than Carter and Obama (modern history's two greatest failures) has called the 'settlements' illegitimate.

Israel’s failure to release the fourth batch of prisoners, the Palestinian official added, violated an American-brokered agreement. As for extending the talks, he said, Israel has so far “clearly shown no interest” in trying to reach an agreement establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

It was the 'Palestinians' who insisted that the fourth group of terrorists include 'Israeli Arabs.' Israel never agreed to that, and if Kerry told the 'Palestinians' otherwise, he lied. The 'Palestinians' then threatened to cut off talks if Israel didn't release 'Israeli Arabs' as part of the fourth terrorist release. So why release more murderers and then have the talks cut off anyway.

Not to mention that the 'Palestinians' never negotiated in good faith and never tired of telling the media that they were only continuing the talks to get the terrorists released.

While the details of the negotiations have been kept secret at Mr. Kerry’s insistence, little progress appeared to have been made, with the sides stuck over fundamental issues like borders, security, the future of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and Israel’s demand for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

The 'negotiations' have not gone anywhere anyway. And that was predicted by many (including me) from the outset. We ought to be more than disappointed by Kerry's comments. But did anyone really expect this administration to place the blame anyplace else?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, gestures, John Kerry, Middle East peace process, Palestinian terrorists, unilateral concessions

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:39 PM