Israel/Palestine

oberliner

(58,724 posts) Mon Jul 22, 2013, 03:51 PM Jul 2013

Israel premier fast-tracking peace referendum bill

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's premier announced Monday he is fast-tracking legislation that would allow him to put any peace deal with the Palestinians to a national referendum — an apparent attempt to silence hard-liners in his party and coalition government.

Benjamin Netanyahu spoke three days after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said progress has been made toward a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, stalled for five years.

Kerry has invited Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to Washington for preliminary talks, though wide gaps remain on the framework of the actual negotiations.

Netanyahu said Monday that a referendum is necessary to prevent a rift in Israeli society.

http://news.yahoo.com/israel-premier-fast-tracking-peace-referendum-bill-155141189.html

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Israel premier fast-tracking peace referendum bill (Original Post) oberliner Jul 2013 OP

I find this strange and interesting. bemildred Jul 2013 #1

Palestinian leadership matches Israeli PM's peace deal referendum pledge shira Jul 2013 #2

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

1. I find this strange and interesting.

Reply to oberliner (Original post)

Tue Jul 23, 2013, 07:28 AM

Jul 2013

As in: why are they doing this now? Is this just Kerry making his mark or something, or just some sort of distraction, or is there something real behind it?

I can come up with plenty of other theories, but none of them seem more plausible than Washington career-building or distractive happy talk, since Kerry is the new SoS, and there is plenty to be distracted from these days, it's the norm now, keeping everybody distracted, it's how we govern.

shira

(30,109 posts)

2. Palestinian leadership matches Israeli PM's peace deal referendum pledge

Reply to oberliner (Original post)

Tue Jul 23, 2013, 03:41 PM

Jul 2013

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/22/palestinian-israeli-referendum-peace-deal

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