Reuters:
...QUESTION: Let me turn to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Toria today told us that the Department is very hopeful that the Israelis and the Palestinians will agree to this preliminary meeting in Jordan on the 23rd.
MS. NULAND: Did I say very hopeful? I don’t think I said very hopeful.
QUESTION: Indeed. Two tape recorders and a transcript. (Laughter.) Why are you very hopeful?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well –
[well? if Clinton, Mrs., is not quite "hoeful", how should I feel?]
...SECRETARY CLINTON: – ...we hope to have a meeting, or we hope to have a preparatory meeting between the parties by the end of this month. Some have said one date, some have said other dates, but the important thing is that the meeting happened, because part of the problem with the schedule was that we had some – we lost a number of days to the Jewish holidays, which – you couldn’t deal with the Israeli Government because, for obvious reasons, they were not available.
[thatnk God for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur]
...We are always hopeful, Arshad...Otherwise, it’s too depressing to contemplate...
[you're depressed? imagine me.]
...the Israelis have accepted without preconditions a return to negotiations. The Palestinians, as you know well, are reluctant because of the settlement freeze issue...
[note: Israel agreed without preconditions; Pals. - no]
...Now get back into negotiations where you can actually start talking about borders. What’s the best way to end the dispute about settlements? Start talking about borders...
[so, even Hillary agrees that no Jews can reside in this new state of "Palestine" which is the logical conclusion to what she just said. Just call Jewish communities "settlements" and they have to be on the other side of the border]
and
the Associated Press
...President Abbas, as you know, is on a road tour, so to speak, and has been in a number of countries seeking support for his UN position. But we have made clear that he’s lodged his request in the UN; there is no route whatsoever for a state being formed through the UN; it can only be formed through negotiations...you have to return to negotiations and there has to be a way to work out your demand for a settlement freeze and the Israeli demand for no preconditions if you really want to make progress toward a Palestinian state.
[well, it seems fairly straightfoward for the Pals. - drop the demand for a freeze of Jewish life]
...I think that the situation has changed from a total paralysis or stagnation between the parties, because you do have the Israelis saying that they’re willing, ready, and able to go into negotiations; you do have President Abbas knowing that he cannot get a state through the United Nations even though he was able to express the aspirations of the Palestinian people by lodging his request at the Security Council.
[funny but he seems not quite accepting that Mrs. Clinton]
...But as I’ve told the Palestinians, and as I think the Quartet is now telling the Palestinians, what’s the best way to end settlement development? Negotiate borders. Come up with a process where what is yours is yours, what is theirs is theirs, and then it becomes moot. The Israelis, if they were sitting on this side of the table, would say to you everybody knows Gilo is going to be in whatever we negotiate. Everybody knows that. So what’s the big fuss? It’s not like we’re building in Ramallah; we’re building in Gilo. And there’s a certain logic to that because, in fact, I don’t know any map that doesn’t have Gilo in it. There are other places that are more controversial, but Gilo is pretty much assumed.
[If she thinks that, why didn't she make it clear 10 days ago or so when the affair flared up over that Gilo construction?]
...QUESTION: ...things are only going to get worse from here, is one [claim] that Ariel Sharon made five years ago. And now we’re five years down the road and, arguably, things are worse. I mean, are you worried that this just keeps getting moved along in some sort of weird middle-muddle and it never gets fixed?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Anne, I think that’s a possibility. And who knows? Look, who knows what would’ve happened if Rabin hadn’t been assassinated? Who knows what would’ve happened if Sharon hadn’t had a stroke?
[but why are things worse? if Israel under Sharon handed over territory, greenhouses and emptied out over two dozen communities with some 8000 Jews and we still are suffering terror and Hamas got elected and the PA continues its incitement and the idea of a responsible state is a joke but Hillary and Co. keep playing games on our account, ever "hopeful" but leaving Israel no hope of security, of even peace]
...You had Netanyahu, who doesn’t – who often it’s not written about this way – who embraced the two-state solution, which had not been something he had done before. And as I remind the Palestinians, Bibi Netanyahu agreed to a 10-month settlement freeze. I dragged you all to Jerusalem and stood on the stage with him and said look, this is a big deal, never been done before. There was never a settlement freeze when Rabin was there, Barak was there, Sharon was there. Ten months, and then for a confluence of events, the Palestinians didn’t come to the negotiating table until the ninth month, one week.
[and that says what?]
...I think we are building a good, strong case for international support for negotiations. We just have to convince the parties of that...
[oh?]
And the official statement:
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
Question Taken at the October 12, 2011 Daily Press Briefing
Question: What is the State Department’s reaction to reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks to legalize outposts on private Palestinian land?
Answer: Our position on this issue remains unchanged. The United States has a clear policy – we do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity. We oppose any effort to legalize settlement outposts, which is unhelpful to our peace efforts and would contradict Israeli commitments and obligations.
We call again on both parties to take constructive actions to promote peace and avoid actions that complicate this process or undermine trust. We urge both parties to take advantage of the Quartet proposal and return to direct talks.
God save us.
^
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