Kerry winds up peace shuttle after Palestinians refuse to start talking without preconditions

There can be little doubt that Netanyahu means what he says  when it comes to the peace process and that he is not just playing a game as many suggest or hope. When I read how far he is will to go just to get negotiations started, I am horrified. Ted Belman

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 30, 2013, 2:04 PM (IDT)

US Secretary of State John Kerry wound up his fifth peace shuttle trip for reviving Israel-Palestinian peace talks at the end of a fruitless third conversation with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Sunday, June 30. Abbas turned down Kerry’s blueprint for both sides to forego preconditions and return straightaway to the long-stalled peace talks. The Secretary left Ramallah empty-handed after the Palestinians reverted to their three-point ultimatum: Israel must first accept 1967 borders as the basis for negotiations, release Palestinians jailed more than 20 years and freeze West Bank and Jerusalem construction.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Israeli cabinet Sunday that he had offered to join the Palestinians to negotiate a final settlement without preconditions or further delay.

Kerry plans to return in a few weeks to resume his peace push.

Saturday night, DEBKAfile reported Secretary Kerry believed he was close to a deal after both the Israelis and the Palestinians agreed to drop prior conditions for their meeting.
Read that earlier report here:

Barring unforeseen glitches, US Secretary of State John Kerry is reported by DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources Saturday night to be closer than ever before toward reviving the long-stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Since Thursday, June 27, he has been shuttling between Jerusalem and Amman, whittling down the gaps between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Saturday night, Kerry dared to start looking at a realistic prospect of them getting together in Amman and kicking off direct talks for a settlement of the longest Middle East dispute.

Behind a cloak of secrecy and “difficulties” used as red herrings, the US Secretary came up with a formula that has come close to acceptance. The gist is, as Netanyahu has demanded all along, that the two parties withdraw all preconditions, sit down together and reframe those preconditions as “demands” to be negotiated between them.

For instance, Netanyahu will no longer be required to pledge in advance an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 boundaries with minor adjustments – as Abbas has insisted until now, whereas the Palestinian leader will not have to recognize Israel as the national state of the Jewish people.

Both are close to accepting “the Kerry blueprint” whereby matters of principle will be thrashed out in the course of the direct talks and not predetermined beforehand.
The Palestinian leader’s demand for the recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state went the same way as the Israeli demand to put security issues at the top of the agenda. Netanyahu argued there was no point in acceding to the Palestinian demand for maps showing how Israel envisaged the borders of the two states, when those borders were bound to be affected in negotiations on the core issues of Jerusalem and security.

Our sources report that if both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders finally endorse “the Kerry blueprint,” we shall soon witness a landmark summit in Amman, hosted by Jordan’s King Abdullah, between Abbas, Netanyahu and Kerry, the matchmaker. This event will symbolize the restart of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks under the America aegis.

Kerry plans to have the process accompanied by a US mechanism for clarifying – or rather, defusing – disputes as they arise, smoothing them over diplomatically or moving past them to keep the talks on course. It will be headed by a respectable American figure, or possibly even himself.

The prime minister has steadfastly refused to announce another settlement freeze on the grounds that Abbas broke off talks in the course of the first one two years ago. However, the Palestinian leader dropped this demand some weeks ago when he saw Netanyahu quietly putting construction on a back burner.

Kerry and Netanyahu agreed in principle to oil the wheels of dialogue with a hefty injection of economic assistance to the Palestinians in the region of $4 billion for improving Palestinian living conditions on the West Bank.

DEBKAfile’s sources note cautiously that crises and upsets may still be ahead before the US Secretary can announce an early Amman summit and a breakthrough in his unrelenting drive to get the Israelis and Palestinians around the table. The Palestinian leader has made no move to withdraw his threat to turn to the UN in September, dissolve the Palestinian Authority and hand the keys to Ban Ki-moon, if the negotiations fail to satisfy the Palestinians or break down. This prospect may recede if the talks take off and go well.

June 30, 2013 | 18 Comments »
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18 Comments / 18 Comments

  1. 🙂 JUST LIKE A TV AD – The way the US and Israeli govt are trying to sell their message of land for peace reminds me of those TV ads for a cure for some minor ailment. They go like this:

    “Do you want to get rid of your fatigue? Or maybe that arthritis pain? Take BOGUX! Look at these happy folks having fun after taking their daily BOGUX pill.” Then, at the end of the commercial, a voice rushes the disclaimer as fast as technology allows it: Be warned that Bogux can give you dizziness, fainting spells, kidney disease, nausea, heart attacks, bulging eyes, complete hair loss, and cancer. – But you will get rid of your fatigue! 🙂

    Although I fail to see a single advantage from partition, the list of threats on the disclaimer line should make every Israeli Jew join the opposition to any more surrender of Jewish land.

  2. The conspiracy nuts were right!

    This article comes via Drudge Report –

    As part of a deal signed last week in Washington DC between the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and FEMA, Russian officials will provide “security at mass events” in the United States, a scenario that won’t sit well with Americans wary of foreign assets operating on US soil. http://www.infowars.com/russian-forces-to-provide-security-at-us-events/

    So while the US govt disarms Americans, it brings in foreigners to impose law and order.

    Have a happy Fourth of July celebration!

  3. Simple as this: They cannot have the land… period.
    What can anyone say that we already know about this situation? Every time I look at the Kotel and that ‘golden tumor’ atop I get irked as to “why” why, was it given to them?
    Its sickens me. After all who fought and died and had victory… it was given away?

  4. It seems to me that Kerry suffers from some obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD): it is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry; by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety; or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions. Symptoms of the disorder include excessive preoccupation with “palestinians”; repeated travels to the middle-east; extreme hoarding; excessive preoccupation with “Peace”, violent or religious thoughts; relationship-related obsessions; aversion to reality; and nervous rituals, such as opening and closing a door a certain number of times before entering or leaving his hotel room.

  5. oldjerry Said:

    Accept the fact that Abbas nor any other Arab will be a peace partner and move on.

    Don’t just “accept”. WELCOME the fact and stop the farce.

  7. @ SHmuel HaLevi 2: Yes and all too true. I actually envy the people of Egypt who are showing courage in going to the streets in their attempt to get rid of Morsi. They complain that they have voted again and again and Morsi ignores their will and betrays them. In Israel too the people vote and the government ignores the will of the people and continues to betray them. Perhaps it is time for Israelis to learn from the Egyptians.

  8. @ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
    Agreed rongrand. Bibi is a smooth talker but his actions never match his words. He is a terrible danger to Israel. Remember his promise to never let Iran cross a “red line”. Well it appears that Iran has already crossed that line but do we hear anything from Netanyahu ? No all we hear is the usual crap about negotiating with the enemy. As if this was possible. When will the Israelis wake up and get rid of that bum?

  9. @ rongrand:
    I detailed the following dozens of times. Netanyahu was and is only out for his Nobel and cash cuts as many as he can get Never had any other objective in mind. HE WAS a firm supporter of Sharon’s “disengagement” and never retracted.
    He is an untrustworthy speechster, nothing more.
    By now he is widely exposed as a dangerous fraud and we can expect only revenge against Jews from him, Livni, Lapid and their trash piles.

  10. When I read how far he is will to go just to get negotiations started, I am horrified.

    Bottom line is no negotiations are better than negotiations.

    Negotiations only benefit the Arabs as they give nothing only take.

    The Arabs don’t want peace.

  11. @ oldjerry:

    Bibi at this point is acting like a complete moron

    If his primary driving intentions are to do what is good for JEWISH Israel I could not agree with you more, Jerry.
    BUT!
    What if what is good for Jewish Israel is THE LAST THING on his mind?

  12. @ Viiit:
    Agreed. Abbas has made his position and the Palestinian position perfectly clear. They will not sit down and talk to Netananyu until Israel agrees to handing Israel over to the Arabs. Bibi at this point is acting like a complete moron. Accept the fact that Abbas nor any other Arab will be a peace partner and move on.

  13. Are we that stupid? It is not any longer even funny to bend and twist following the chase after Nobel’s by our trash and the infirm desire of intelligent people to endlessly articulate about “peace” with the islamic cult of death adherents.
    Islam produces mass murderers, not peace seekers. Look around men! Seep the coffee and wake up.
    We must have better things to do with our tax money other than wasting millions on the creep in chief birthday or to invest more millions on diplomatic stupidity.
    Hey Lapid! I found more of the money you are chasing after. Add it to the Oslo 3/4 of a trillion Shekels wasted.

  14. Jewish nation owes eternal gratitude to the “Palestinian” “president” Abbas.
    He alone protected our stupid nation from giving away the land that we miraculously regained after almost 2000 years exile.
    He is also a admirable role model for the Jewish people. In spite of the pressure put on him by the Americans, he did not budge.
    Not even after the Americans offered him a $4 billion bribe!
    BRAVO ABBAS!

  16. DEBKA is not reliable.

    The truth is the Arabs neither want to negotiate nor make peace with Israel.

    But they will try to string things along so they give the impression they’re willing to talk… for a price that’s too high for Israel to pay.

    Under the current circumstances, in truth, peace is impossible.

  17. This “peace process” game has gone on far too long and most sane people have gotten tired watching it. Doesn’t Netananyu have more important things to do than waste time and resources on this delusion that the Palestinians will accept an Israeli state with Jews. They will of course accept a Judenrein Israel with an Arab population.