Epstein Secrets

rief, Thursday, 26 May, 2011 UNSCO Daily Press Brief Thursday, 26 May, 2011 Diplomacy: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday dismissed Benjamin Netanyahu's outline of a peace deal as a non-starter and said he is now setting his sights on UN recognition of a Palestinian state in the fall. (AP) Speaking

UN recognition of a Palestinian state in the fall. (AP) Speaking at the opening of a meeting for the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, Abbas said Netanyahu "has shown us, in addition to the many mistakes and distortions that he moved very far from the peace process. There was nothing that we could buil

in anything Israel wanted, including the newest weapons, NATO membership, maybe even EU membership. It could be a security windfall for Israel. Does Bibi have any surprise in him or do the Palestinians have him right: a big faker, hiding a nationalist-religious agenda under a cloak of security?" Gaza

Thursday that the opening of the Rafah crossing will be very problematic for Israel, but added that Egypt did not break any agreements with Israel. (Israel Radio) Israeli authorities opened Gaza's sole remaining commercial crossing terminal on Wednesday, for the limited import of building materials designate

f the bag when it comes to the question of Iran enriching uranium for its nuclear program, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to force President Obama to declare his red lines. The Bush Administration had drawn a red line at Iran "mastering the technology of enrichment" —

y of its peaceful intent, it could exercise all the rights of a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty — which would include enriching uranium. Netanyahu insisted that Obama draw his red line, and the President did so — at weaponization of nuclear material by Iran. The zero-enrichment demand was unte

events like a regional conflagration, widespread acts of terrorism and sky-high oil prices. "A war is no picnic," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio in November. But if Israel feels itself forced into action, the retaliation would be bearable, he said. "There will not be 100,000 dead or 10,000 d

t, and, in any case, continue to insist strongly that Iran is not on the verge of achieving a weapon. It is impossible to know what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning or why he has ignored American entreaties to give diplomacy a reasonable chance. There is, however, persistent speculation in Israel th

nning or why he has ignored American entreaties to give diplomacy a reasonable chance. There is, however, persistent speculation in Israel that Mr. Netanyahu wants to attack in the coming weeks in the belief that President Obama will be forced to support the decision because of his political needs in hi

ke Hezbollah. If Iran gets a weapon, other countries in the region may want one, too. But while Israel's defense minster, Ehud Barak, suggested on Israel Radio Thursday that Iran had made significant progress toward acquiring weapons capability — citing what he said was a new American intelligence report —

came too late," he said. His frustration is understandable. Since President Obama took office, the only direct negotiations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Mr. Abbas lasted a mere two weeks in September 2010. Both sides share the blame with Mr. Obama and Arab leaders (we put the greater

nd Mr. Abbas lasted a mere two weeks in September 2010. Both sides share the blame with Mr. Obama and Arab leaders (we put the greater onus on Mr. Netanyahu, who has used any excuse to thwart peace efforts). But the best path to statehood remains negotiations. The United States and its Quartet partners

rael are trying to downplay the war of words. "The main thing is not to get confused, not to get into a tailspin," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio last week. "Turkey is not about to become an enemy of Israel, and we have no cause to waste invective and energy over this." The trouble is that Er

lapsed. (Mann News) Shalit• Germany says Israel accepted a proposal by a German mediator to free Gilad Shalit, but Hamas did not sign off on it. PM Netanyahu said that he had accepted the proposal, but Hamas rejected the deal. It is thought to include hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Sha

eek, will not be allowed to enter the territory by sea. If necessary the ships will be towed into Ashdod Port and the equipment on board impounded. (Israel Radio) Organizers and participants of the second 'Freedom Flotilla' announced in Athens yesterday said that they plan to set sail for Gaza in the next fe