Feb 25 2010
Are serious negotiations around the corner or is this a mirage?
By Daoud Kuttab
Palestinians and many others around the world are trying to figure out whether the current US-backed push to restart Mideast talks will lead to serious negotiations or will it be just another act that leads nowhere.
The US peace envoy George Mitchell has been making the rounds trying to restart Palestinian-Israeli talks. Mitchell’s early obstacle was America’s own making. The newly elected president, Barack Obama, as well as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, raised Palestinian expectations by their insistence, soon after taking power, on Israel to totally freeze all settlement activity as part of its obligations to the roadmap. Later Obama reduced his call for a freeze to one for “restricting” activities.
In its latest approach, the US proposed a set of steps including Israeli release of Fateh activists as well as organising indirect talks for three to four months. Continue Reading »