Report: Israel to freeze settlements in exchange for tougher Iran sanctions

shaayecanaan

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Wed Aug-26-09 01:57 AM
Original message

Report: Israel to freeze settlements in exchange for tougher Iran sanctions

U.S. President Barack Obama is close to breaking the stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians by getting Israel to agree to a partial settlement freeze in exchange for a tougher U.S. stand against Iran's nuclear program, the British Guardian reported.

The report, which cites U.S., European, Israeli and Palestinian officials, said that Obama will be ready to announce the resumption of long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of September.

"The message is: Iran is an existential threat to Israel; settlements are not," the Guardian quoted one official close to the negotiations as saying.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1110230.html

I suppose the partial settlement freeze means essentially that projects already being constructed will be completed.

Its a good result, if it bears out. For mine, it would be good to see the Arab countries allow El Al flights to use their airspace. Its a significant good faith measure and its something that can be easily revoked if Israel isn't serious about playing ball.

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daedalus_dude

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Wed Aug-26-09 02:01 AM
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1. What the hell kind of deal is that?

:crazy:

What do settlements have to do with Iran? Nothing.

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Ken Burch

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Wed Aug-26-09 05:16 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. True, the settements were never going to stop the Iranian nuclear program

still, a freeze is a freeze. If it takes a weird reason for a country to do the sane thing, so be it.

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aquart

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Wed Aug-26-09 05:24 AM
Response to Reply #1

3. What does the Lockerbie bomber have to do with oil?

You negotiate for what you value. Like movie star contracts include money plus, say, white flowers in every hotel suite on the publicity tour.

Good negotiators do NOT take what they want most off the table before negotiations start just in case it annoys someone.

Obama's odd style of negotiating has you confused is all.

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daedalus_dude

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Wed Aug-26-09 06:42 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. Problem is that this situation sort of constitutes blackmail.

Edited on Wed Aug-26-09 06:44 AM by daedalus_dude

The settlements are illegal. The offer to stop something that one never had the right to do in the first place, in exchange for something (that might be a legitimate claim otherwise) does strike me as weird. Accepting such a proposal would amount to acknowledging Israels rightful ownership of those territories and acknowledging that they are willing to trade their property that they rightfully own for a service of some kind.

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Kurska

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Wed Aug-26-09 12:23 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Like it or not Israel does exercises Sovereign control over the occupied territories.

The idea that you're going to get Israel to stop doing what they want to do for nothing is the surprising one.

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dipsydoodle

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Wed Aug-26-09 11:06 AM
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5. Same subject ? Israel-US settlement deal 'close'

Israel says it is nearing agreement with the US on settlement building in the occupied West Bank, after its PM held talks with a US envoy in London.

The US wants Israel to comply with Palestinian demands that it stop all building before peace talks can start.

The US and Israel were "getting closer" to a "bridging formula", a spokesman for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Mr Netanyahu said earlier that he hoped talks with the Palestinians would restart "shortly".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8221559.stm

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