|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/09/25/lwashington_let_them_talk_it_out
Let Them Talk It Out
(Foreign Policy) Michael Singh - It was Washington's - not the Palestinians' - early preoccupation with settlements that metastasized into a precondition delaying peace talks in 2009 and early 2010. The American (re)emphasis on it now decreases the chance of a compromise which will allow the talks to continue unimpeded. It is the U.S. public insistence on an extension of a freeze that seems overly rigid. With both the Israelis and Palestinians apparently interested in continuing with the talks for now, behind-the-scenes efforts may pay off if Washington plays its cards right and defers its public statements. The writer, a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is former senior director for Middle East affairs at the U.S. National Security Council.