U.S.: Palestinians need not recognize Israel as Jewish state before talks

[shaayecanaan]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people as a condition for renewing peace talks is unacceptable to the United States, the State Department said during special envoy George Mitchell's visits over the weekend to Ramallah and Cairo.

The State Department released statements saying that the United States would continue to promote a two-state solution. In Ramallah, Mitchell met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Mitchell's talks also seem to indicate that the United States does not accept Netanyahu's position that the renewal of negotiations should be postponed until the Iranian nuclear threat is removed.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1079213.html

[Idealism]

1. I agree with the articles premise, but how asinine is this even as a topic?

Recognition is obviously already realize-- who are they negotiating with if they haven't "recognized" the other entity to exist? The silly word games politicians play with the media...

[aquart]

2. Uh, THEY ain't the silly ones here.

This "game" kills.

[Idealism]

3. I think you are missing my point

but thats ok. Silly article, silly post

[shaayecanaan]

4. Silly reply

the reason why people may have missed your point is because it was expressed in an extremely inarticulate fashion.

FWIW, I think this is a significant development. It is more evidence that Obama is willing to spend political capital on a peace agreement. I have been very impressed by the Obama administration these last couple of weeks, and its a long time since I felt that way about any American government.

[Igel]

5. One can recognize Israel as a state

without recognizing it as a Jewish state.

It would hurt their feelings, to say that it's a Jewish state. Upends the natural order of things.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

6. Don't miss the point: Bibi got the bird. nt

[Howardx]

8. exactly n/t

[bemildred]

7. Netanyahu backtracks on Jewish state recognition

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is not a pre-condition for holding peace negotiations.

A statement issued Monday from the Prime Minister's Office said that without that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, Netanyahu believes "it will not be possible to advance the diplomatic process and reach a peace settlement. However, the prime minister has never set this as a pre-condition for the opening of negotiations and dialogue with the Palestinians."

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/04/20/1004483/netanyahu-backtracks-on-jewish-state-recognition

[azurnoir]

9. Perhaps it was a bad translation n/t

[bemildred]

10. Trial balloon that got popped.

But this is all just talk, just warming up. I think we are going to have a bullshit offensive, a media war, over all this real soon now. Perhaps the Harman thing is the first fullisade.

[azurnoir]

11. Yes I am curious to see how the Harman thing pans out

and even more so as to who the "powerful person in Washington who is also a spy" is

[shira]

12. wow, AIPAC is getting their asses handed to them.....so much for the vaunted lobby

so is it time yet to relegate the fictitious "Israel Lobby" to the dustbin of history alongside the Protocols?

[bemildred]

13. Yeah, it is.

You will be happy to know I have never been one of the "AIPAC runs the USA" people.

[shaayecanaan]

14. re

to the dustbin of history alongside the Protocols?

Its good to see you acknowledge that the Protocols are in fact relegated to the dustbin of history. Most of the time you seem to insinuate that just about every public figure to the left of Atilla the Hun sleeps with a copy underneath their pillow.

[shira]

15. unfortunately the Protocols are still very popular in the middle east outside of Israel