Barack Obama on brink of deal for Middle East peace talks

[CHIMO]

Source: guardian.co.uk

Barack Obama is close to brokering an Israeli-Palestinian deal that will allow him to announce a resumption of the long-stalled Middle East peace talks before the end of next month, according to US, Israeli, Palestinian and European officials.

Key to bringing Israel on board is a promise by the US to adopt a much tougher line with Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons programme. The US, along with Britain and France, is planning to push the United Nations security council to expand sanctions to include Iran's oil and gas industry, a move that could cripple its economy.

In return, the Israeli government will be expected to agree to a partial freeze on the construction of settlements in the Middle East. In the words of one official close to the negotiations: "The message is: Iran is an existential threat to Israel; settlements are not."

Details of the breakthrough deal will be hammered out tomorrow in London, where the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is due to hold talks with the US special envoy, George Mitchell. Netanyahu met Gordon Brown today in Downing Street, where the two discussed both settlements and the Iranian nuclear programme.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/25/barack-obama-middle-east-peace

[Xipe Totec]

1. Don't tease me, Bro'

I've been disappointed too many times...

[CHIMO]

2. Brown upbeat on Middle East peace prospects after Netanyahu talks

[ixion]

3. so far, the 'deal' sounds like a crock

I don't expect much to come of it.

[bemildred]

7. Yeah, sounds like horseshit. nt

[bloomington-lib]

4. "Israeli government will be expected to agree to a partial freeze on the construction of settlements

The Israelis need to give back the land to the Palestinians, not just a partial freeze that won't last very long anyway. These kinds of deals is what gets the US in the shit we so often find ourselves in. I'm sure I'll get blasted for this but I'd rather see sanctions put on Israel.

[MichiganVote]

5. Hype and doubtful outcome

[geek tragedy]

6. Taking a very hard line against Iran is a painless concession to Israel.

It's not like there's anything to be gained from 'dialogue' with the fascist theocrats.

[ixion]

10. and a tragic irony, given that Israel has nukes, and talks about using them

whereas Iran has nothing.

Yet who are we coming down on? :eyes:

[Winterblues]

12. Yep there is absolutely nothing to ever be gained from 'dialogue'

Bush*/Cheney proved that..

[finisterre531]

13. Fascist Theocrats?

I guess you can call both Israel and Iran fascist theocrats

[tocqueville]

8. expect a war with Iran

The Iranians will never accept the deal with the current guys in charge, because all their defiance is based on the nuclear story. If the Allies impose en embargo, the Iranians will be crippled and the latent unrest can restart and new groups join the protest, which then becomes a real threat for the mollahs.

They will try to break the embargo, which leads to clashes at sea.

Then it will escalate. BTW the US is already conducting a proxy war in Yemen by backing the sitting govenment against Iran backed secessionist Shiites in the North. The recent battles there are not merely clashes but regular warfare, with tanks, heavy artillery, air support etc...

the Iranians have pissed off the Brits and the French with the unmotivated hostage takings, so there is popular support to get tough with them.

[Frank Booth]

9. At first, Obama demanded a complete freeze on settlements. Netanyahu ignored him. Then,

Obama demanded a temporary freeze on settlements. Netanyahu ignored him.

Now, Obama's demanding a partial freeze on settlements. . . .

I sense a pattern here.

[western mass]

11. You mean Obama pretends to make a deal...

and Isreal pretends to listen?

Somebody change the channel, I've seen this show before.

[steven johnson]

14. Amen, bro'