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As I noticed in John Kerry’s nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations commission, a slight opening into a renewed effort for a Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement. Ahead of the last Israeli elections for the 19th Knesset, Netanyahu appeared to slam the door shut on a two-state solution. The Israeli voter gave Netanyahu a vote of no confidence in a similar manner as Mitt Romney lost the election to Obama. With the proposed increased building of settlements in East Jerusalem designated as E1 bloc, a contiguous Palestinian state would be impossible.
Kerry phones Peres and Abbas in bid to kick-start peace process
(JPost) – After phoning President Peres, freshman US Secretary of State contacts Palestinian president to discuss Middle East conflict; Peres tells Kerry: Israeli elections could lead to renewal of peace negotiations.
Freshman US Secretary of State John Kerry phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday to discuss ways of kick-starting the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The call follows one he made on Saturday to President Shimon Peres, and gives further credence to rumors that he will make the long-standing Middle East conflict a priority during his term in office.
According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, Kerry conferred with Abbas about the necessity of holding meetings in the near future with the ultimate aim of restarting the peace process.
Citing PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Wafa reported that Kerry assured the PA head that US President Barack Obama “cares about the peace process” and is eager restart the stalled talks.
CNN reported Friday that Kerry is planning a mid-February visit to the Middle East as part of his first trip in his new role, including stops in Israel and Egypt. Last week, Kerry suggested that time was running out for a two-state solution with Israel living alongside a sovereign Palestinian state. He said it would be “disastrous” if it did.
Obama says struggling over whether to intervene in Syria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Jan. 27, 2013 — President Barack Obama said he has been wrestling with the question whether a U.S. military intervention in Syria’s 22-month-old civil war would help resolve the bloody conflict or make things worse.
“In a situation like Syria, I have to ask: can we make a difference in that situation?” Obama said in an interview with The New Republic published on the magazine’s website. Obama said he has to weigh the benefit of a military intervention with the ability of the Pentagon to support troops still in Afghanistan, where the United States is withdrawing combat forces after a dozen years of war.
“Could it trigger even worse violence or the use of chemical weapons? What offers the best prospect of a stable post-Assad regime? And how do I weigh tens of thousands who’ve been killed in Syria versus the tens of thousands who are currently being killed in the Congo?”
Obama’s comments come as world leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland, said they wished the United States were more engaged in geopolitical issues such as the conflicts in Syria and Mali, where France is attacking al Qaeda-affiliated militants.
Russian FM Lavrov to Meet With VP Biden at Munich Security Conference
Report: White House nixed Clinton-Petreaus plan to arm Syria rebels
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Feb. 2, 2013 — A plan developed last summer by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-CIA Director David Petraeus to arm and train Syrian rebels was rebuffed by the White House, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
The United States has sent humanitarian aid to Syria but has declined requests for weapons by rebels fighting to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The White House rejected the Clinton-Petraeus proposal over concerns it could draw the United States into the Syrian conflict and the arms could fall into the wrong hands, the Times said, citing unnamed Obama administration officials.
The plan called for vetting rebels and arming a group of fighters with the assistance of some neighboring countries.
Some administration officials expected the issue to come up again after the November U.S. elections, but the plan apparently died after Petraeus resigned because of an extramarital affair and Clinton missed weeks of work with health issues, the Times said.
Backstage Glimpses of Clinton as Dogged Diplomat, Win or Lose
- Israelis say Syria strike shows “when we say something we mean it”
- Juan Cole sympathizes with Syrian “revolutionaries” and the Clinton doctrine of intervention