Old Settlement Wine in New Peacemaking Bottles

What We’re Reading

From the FMEP Blog

Old Settlement Wine in New Peacemaking Bottles,

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are deadlocked, but publicly acknowledging that Israel will keep the settlement blocs in a final agreement would just make things worse. FMEP’s Mitchell Plitnick explains why.

US-Israel relations

PM to Kerry: Calm must return before we make West Bank gestures,

According to Israeli official, Netanyahu told US diplomat there will be no settlement freeze, PA religious incitement is at root of attacks.

Kerry in Ramallah: US committed to Palestinian statehood,

Speaking after meeting with Abbas, secretary of state says he is in region at Obama’s request, ‘to see what we can do to try to help.’

Occupation/Human rights

Opinion: The 'Conflict' Is Not a Diplomatic Problem - It's an Israeli Problem,

“The “conflict” is actually an internal Israeli problem – a regime that administrates different sets of rights for different ethnic groups. Instead of racial segregation, the system works according to classes of citizenship, but the output is not that different. This is not a temporary situation. It’s the reality most Israelis and Palestinians have known all their lives,” writes Noam Sheizaf.

Palestinian shot after stabbing Israeli soldier in south Hebron,

Both the attacker and the soldier are said to be in serious condition and have been taken to different hospitals in Jerusalem.

Opinion: Don't equate Paris attacks with those in Tel Aviv,

“Suggestions that terrorism in Paris springs from the same well as terrorism in Israel are misleading and dangerous. Erasing complexity may be a comfort in difficult days like these, but conflating the varying causes of violence won’t help us end it,” writes Natasha Roth.

More guns will not make Israelis any safer,

“The immediate solution to every threat or conflict in Israel is to give more weapons to civilians, which often end up killing innocents, disproportionately affecting women,” writes Tanya Rubinstein.

Israeli politics

Netanyahu-Bennett government has no solution for this intifada,

“The right-wing government which promised us security is incapable of providing it; a different government would have perhaps started looking for other ways to get out of this situation,” writes Sima Kadmon.

Bennett, Shaked call for military operation in West Bank,

“HaBayit HaYehudi’s Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked are hoping to score political points by calling for a wide-scale military operation in the West Bank despite security establishment assessments that a military response is not the answer to the current wave of attacks,” writes Mazal Mualem.

Bayit Yehudi MK revives controversial 'Muezzin bill',

The Muslim call to prayer will not be able to made on outdoor loudspeakers if a bill submitted by MK Motti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi) on Wednesday becomes law.