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Lessons to Be Learned from the Kerry-Ya'alon Incident

(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - What was lost in the Kerry-Ya'alon incident was what Ya'alon said: that Kerry is obsessed with the Israeli-Palestinian issue; that the negotiations are being conducted not between Israel and the Palestinians, but by each side with the Americans, not a healthy way to negotiate; and that the security arrangements the U.S. is recommending are simply not acceptable. Ya'alon's comment that it was unwise to run the negotiations through the Americans, rather than directly between the sides, is not outlandish, nor is his claim that Israel seems to have made all the concessions up until this point. Is a pledge not to wage diplomatic war with Israel in diplomatic forums around the world - what the Palestinians "gave" to enter the talks - equal to Israel's release of 104 convicted terrorists? And as to Ya'alon's remark about the unacceptability of the U.S. security plan, is it not his job, as defense minister, to voice his reservations? No one should be mistaken: What Ya'alon said rather inelegantly, many other Israelis are thinking.
2014-01-17 00:00:00
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