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U.S. Pushing for Israeli-Palestinian Proximity Talks?

(Xinhua-China) David Harris - As U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell hopes he can bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, there are increasing signs that Washington favors proximity talks rather than direct negotiations. Eytan Gilboa, a senior researcher at Israel's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, thinks the idea of introducing proximity talks is mistaken. Washington appears to be set on making Israel and the Palestinians talk and is using whatever mechanisms it can to make that happen, "even though the conditions might not be right," he said. Gilboa believes the U.S. proposal to reach a final-status agreement between the parties within two years is "groundless," adding that the maximal concessions Israel is currently ready to give fall short of the minimal concessions the Palestinians are prepared to accept. Gilboa warns: "Only move ahead when the time is ripe. If the basic demands of both sides aren't anywhere close to one another, there's no point."
2010-01-14 08:19:53
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