US Secretary of State hosts Israeli, Gaza leaders for relaunch of peace talks
Hillary Clinton is pushing a solution to the West Bank to the top of the US foreign policy agenda when she hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday and Thursday in Washington. The New York Times reports that while an agreement on two states, with Israel giving up significant control to Palestinians is a long way off, “there are breakthroughs”. According to the Jerusalem Post, “Netanyahu told Likud activists at a pre-Rosh Hashana toast in Tel Aviv that he would be cautious during the talks and insist on security guarantees, so an Israeli withdrawal would not be met by the firing of hundreds of rockets, as was the case when Israel left the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.” The newspaper points out that he did not mention a 26 September moratorium on the settlement housing start that badly ruffled American diplomatic feathers several months ago.
Links to other sites: Al Jazeera, Jerusalem Post, NPR, New York Times
