Speaking to the cabinet during the Sunday weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told his ministers that the time has come for the PA (Palestinian Authority) to come to its senses and agree to enter into negotiations without preconditions. His comment follows a dramatic statement made on motzei shabbos during a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who stated an Israeli halt to settlement construction was never a precondition to negotiations, but a matter to be agreed upon during negotiations.
The PA however remains adamant, demanding a total and unconditional Israeli halt to construction as a precondition to resuming talks.
The prime minister told his ministers that US Mideast envoy George Mitchell, who arrived last week to lay the groundwork for the Clinton visit, will remain an additional day to give a last boost to jumpstart the talks, hoping to report back to the White House that the mission was successful.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel has made significant moves towards easing security restrictions on PA residents and motorists, removing hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints, a move that yishuv leaders’ fear has been carried out at their expense, leaving many communities in compromised security situations.
The prime minister released statements with the media present, speaking of Israel’s ongoing earnest efforts over the past 16 years, but the PA simply continues to lay down additional preconditions and stumbling blocks.
Minister of Science (HaBayit HaYehudi) Rabbi Dr. Daniel Hershkowitz cautioned that while the secretary of state’s message is a welcome one, there is an element of deception attached to it since the White House is indeed placing the settlement construction issue high on its agenda, seeking to squeeze Israel into halting ongoing community expansions.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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In the article (didn’t mark which page) it states: “The news about the (Syrian) desert nuclear plant came as a great shock to the IAEA”. I remember vividly that it was reported when the United States went to war with Iraq, that a long caravan of trucks were seen heading to Syria. Once in Syria they would be safe from the Americans. The question was, what was in those trucks? I sensed amid every report that I was able to lay my hands on, that just as all military planes had been sent in the first (US-Iraq) war for safety to Iran, here all nuclear, biological and chemical stuff traveled to Syria for safekeeping. As the return of these materials was deemed never to happen because the United States would be in charge of Iraq or at least install a government loyal to them, therefore it made all sense in the world that the Syrians would use the nuclear material to “start” a nuclear program of their own; and use the Iraqi biological and chemical substance to enhance their already existing biological and chemical weapons production. I’ve always wondered why when the United States is accused of lying that Iraq produced nuclear and biological weapons, why wouldn’t the United States stand by their charge and just say the truth that the material went westwards into Iran, and show the pictures they took of it. It seems that the United States has calculated that it’s better to absorb an accusation by the liberals that the United States went into a war on a wrong pretext, then risk loosing Syria in the international arena. Why is Syria is so important to the United States, the answer is because, without Syria on board, the wishful dream of creating a peaceful Palestinian state side by side with Israel cannot happen. If only our State department came to their senses and realized that the Arabs will NEVER agree to real peace, and therefore abandon this ridiculous idea of another Arab state for a “people” who never existed under a “Palestinian” nationality.
I goofed. My comment wasn’t meant for this article; but that’s what happens when we use such sophisticated technology like copy and paste. Copy from here and paste in there. Oops, pasted it in the wrong place. Hope evetryone enjoys the comment anyway, as a stand alone.