John Kerry Losing Patience On Mideast Peace Talks
Secretary of State John Kerry expressed frustration on Friday with the sputtering Mideast peace talks, taking an unusually pessimistic tone as he indicated the Obama administration may pull back from the aggressive dealmaking effort that has dominated much of his tenure.
“There are limits to the amount of time and effort that the US can spend if the parties themselves are unable to take constructive steps,” Kerry told reporters in Morocco, adding that it was time for a “reality check.”
The decision to re-evaluate the US negotiating role was viewed as evidence that no matter how much Kerry may want it, the longtime enemies do not appear politically willing or able to find the common ground necessary to achieve a lasting peace agreement.
Gilead Sher, an Israeli Army colonel and lawyer who served as Israel’s lead peace negotiator a decade ago, said that Kerry made a mistake by constructing the talks around the goal of reaching a final deal.
The goal could have been to give Palestinians more responsibilities in certain areas; or steps that Palestinians could take to reduce the public incitement to violence still prevalent in their schools; or the cessation of Israeli settlement construction in Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/04/04/john-kerry-warns-may-pull-back-from-mideast-peace-talks-citing-need-for-reality-check/C1zWL6TOso8etkLbuH1TrO/story.html
John Kerry Peace Push Falters
WILL THERE BE A WORLDWIDE BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL?
Threats of Boycott of Israel if Peace Talks Fail
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, warned Israeli leaders of the consequences of a failure of current peace talks. "The risks are very high for Israel," he said. "People are talking about boycott. That will intensify in the case of failure."
Kerry is right: more people are now talking about boycotting Israel than ever before. The issue is gaining traction even among US academic bodies, previously thought impervious due to the oft cited "unbreakable bond" between the two countries.
Israel is angered by the boycott calls, and alarmed at the movement's momentum. The prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, recently launched an attack on Europe and its dark history. "I think the most eerie thing, the most disgraceful thing, is to have people on the soil of Europe talking about the boycott of Jews. In the past, antisemites boycotted Jewish businesses and today they call for the boycott of the Jewish state … the boycotters must be exposed for what they are. They're classical antisemites in modern garb."
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/04/boycott-israelis-palestine-economic-pain-demand-change
Originally posted by RJHindsBut wouldn't the boycott affect Arab and Christian Israelis too and not just the Jewish ones?
Binyamin Netanyahu: "I think the most eerie thing, the most disgraceful thing, is to have people on the soil of Europe talking about the boycott of Jews. In the past, antisemites boycotted Jewish businesses and today they call for the boycott of the Jewish state … the boycotters must be exposed for what they are. They're classical antisemites in modern garb."
Originally posted by RJHindsYes but the so-called "Jewish State" includes non-Jews ~ Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, other Muslims and other Christians. Surely, in an effort to be accurate, and rather than simply play the Nazi Allusion card, it would be more true to say that a boycott of the Israeli state is being planned for the actions of the Israeli state ~ and not just its Jews?
In the past, antisemites boycotted Jewish businesses and [b]today they call for the boycott of the Jewish state... [/b]
Originally posted by RJHindsWould a boycott of Israel affect Arab and Christian Israelis too, or not? Is it to be targetted at only the Jewish citizens in Israel?
In the past, antisemites boycotted Jewish businesses and [b]today they call for the boycott of the Jewish state... [/b]
Originally posted by RJHinds
[b]Threats of Boycott of Israel if Peace Talks Fail
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, warned Israeli leaders of the consequences of a failure of current peace talks. "The risks are very high for Israel," he said. "People are talking about boycott. That will intensify in the case of failure."
Kerry is right: more people are now talking about bo ...[text shortened]... theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/04/boycott-israelis-palestine-economic-pain-demand-change[/b]
Israel is angered by the boycott calls, and alarmed at the movement's momentum. The prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, recently launched an attack on Europe and its dark history. "I think the most eerie thing, the most disgraceful thing, is to have people on the soil of Europe talking about the boycott of Jews. In the past, antisemites boycotted Jewish businesses and today they call for the boycott of the Jewish state … the boycotters must be exposed for what they are. They're classical antisemites in modern garb."
Is it so strange that a nation (people) nearly wiped out in Europe 70+ years ago of whom some still survive to this day (on both sides), be alarmed or angry at such a proposal as a boycott? For many Jews who survived concentration camps, persecution, boycotting of their business... this has to be like Deja vu. Are we looking at what could be the beginning of Kristallnacht all over again but on a different level?