Epstein Secrets

m the former Soviet Union. It is the most populous community in the so-called Ariel bloc, a 40,000-strong chain of 15 settlements (Karnei Shomron, Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari's home, is one of them). Israel views Ariel Bloc as one of five "consensus blocs" it will be able to retain even after a fi

rst administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States at first resisted U.N. pressure to stop construction there, vetoing two Security Council resolutions condemning building there. In recent years, Washington's stance has toughened. When in 2010 the Israeli government announced plans to

f the "pessoptimism" of Habibi, the anniversary of whose death, on May 2, is fast approaching. I recall meeting the writer, who was a member of the Knesset for several years, struggling for peace—even calling his son "Salam," or peace. He was waiting for me at the airport just five days after the signi

The administration's priority is to hold together an international consensus against Russia, including even China, its longtime supporter on the UN Security Council. While Obama's long-term approach takes shape, though, a quiet debate has roiled his administration over how far to go in the short term. EFTA0068

e prominent coalition members — Tzipi Livni, who is helming the peace talks and Yair Lapid, who helms the second largest voting bloc in the Israeli Knesset, have hinted that they expect the peace process to move forward ... or else. Livni's departure would not be a major problem for Bibi, but Lapid lea

probably disengage from further attempts to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. The vacuum will be filled by other actors such as the UN Security Council. Unlike the United States, these actors have no great affection for Israel. Israeli interests will not receive as much positive attention as they d

m the former Soviet Union. It is the most populous community in the so- called Ariel bloc, a 40,000-strong chain of 15 settlements (Karnei Shomron, Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari's home, is one of them). Israel views Ariel Bloc as one of five "consensus blocs" it will be able to retain even after a fin

first administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States at first resisted •. pressure to stop construction there, vetoing two Security Council resolutions condemning building there. In recent years, Washington's stance has toughened. When in 2010 the Israeli government announced plans to b

quitting. He said it would be a waste of time to stay in the cabinet if it was going to bring the peace process to a halt. I warned Bibi, both in the Knesset and in a series of speeches, about the alternative on the Palestinian side if those who wanted a negotiated peace had nothing but stalemate to show f

ut with UN cartographers on the ground, to ensure that they, too, recognized it would be a fu// withdrawal to the border, fulfilling the terms of the Security Council resolution adopted after the 1982 Lebanon War. Ordinarily, an operation on this scale would have been carried out over a period of weeks. But when w

quitting. He said it would be a waste of time to stay in the cabinet if it was going to bring the peace process to a halt. I warned Bibi, both in the Knesset and in a series of speeches, about the alternative on the Palestinian side if those who wanted a negotiated peace had nothing but stalemate to show f

ut with UN cartographers on the ground, to ensure that they, too, recognized it would be a full withdrawal to the border, fulfilling the terms of the Security Council resolution adopted after the 1982 Lebanon War. Ordinarily, an operation on this scale would have been carried out over a period of weeks. But when we

a man who will be bypassed by history. Here is what Netanyahu’s immediate predecessor, Ehud Olmert, said in a widely reported speech to the Israeli Knesset in 2008: “We must give up Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem and return to the core of the territory that is the State of Israel prior to 1967, with min

approaching. UN Vote The Palestinians are seeking a UN vote in September on independence. They will prevail in the General Assembly, though not in the Security Council. President Barack Obama, with whom Netanyahu just picked a fight, will have to spend a good amount of political capital to stymie the Palestinian cam

onors' conference on January 30" in Kuwait. Israel: While recent elections kept Netanyahu's Likud party in the lead by winning 31 of 120 seats in the Knesset, the new centrist party Yesh Atid's ability to win 19 seats under the leadership of Yair Lapid garnered all the attention. The results generated medi

N Security Council delegation visited Yemen on January 27 in a show of support to President Hadi and Yemen's political transition. The visit reflects the Security Council's interest in seeing Yemen move forward with the National Dialogue Conference. During the visit there were large demonstrations, as thousands demanded