Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
All-round pessimism after dud Middle East "summit"
Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:39pm EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A cloud of pessimism is suffocating hopes that U.S. President Barack Obama can pull off a miracle in the Middle East by setting negotiations on course for rapid progress toward a comprehensive peace agreement.
The New York encounter he arranged between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this week produced no more than a schedule of lower-level meetings this week and next, which has only deepened skepticism.
Here is a sample of fairly typical comments:
"We're in a corner. Obama is running out of steam. He was expected to set the direction in the first six months. But now it's the politics of no choice, of deadlock," said Zakaria al Qaq, foreign affairs director at Al-Quds University.
Al Qaq and other commentators say Netanyahu seems content with the status quo, and in no hurry to open talks on a final settlement leading to the creation of a Palestinian state.
In Netanyahu's view, the threat of an atom bomb in the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the top priority. In his own words: "The Iranian issue overshadows everything."
Obama, Palestinian analysts note, has his hands tied by issues of greater immediacy for American voters -- healthcare policy and war in Afghanistan -- and cannot afford to open a new front with the right by taking on Israel in a test of wills.
"He is captive of the healthcare issue and he cannot move freely, so the Palestinians are captive also," al Qaq said.
"Abbas wants to allow Obama 3 or 4 months more to see what happens on healthcare. But what we are getting is meetings, not negotiations, and the people are not fooled."
Pessimism is not limited to the Palestinians.
Aaron David Miller, Mideast counsel to six U.S. secretaries of state, writes in Politico that "to all but the terminally obtuse," the chances of a deal right now are about zero.
Even if Obama could deliver a freeze on Israeli settlement building in the West Bank that Abbas has again demanded and Netanyahu has again refused, Miller says, the fact remains that the Palestinian national movement is divided and Israel "still doesn't know what price it's prepared to pay" for peace.
Obama may soon have to decide "whether to get out of the serious peacemaking business ... or get more deeply involved and consider an unprecedented American effort to bridge the gaps."
"SOMETHING DRAMATIC"
Palestinians put one positive gloss on New York's meeting, saying it proved Obama's personal commitment to securing a deal.
"It is clear that Obama will not accept failure of his political investment in dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict," columnist Talal Okal wrote it the newspaper al-Ayyam. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Colombian rebels issue video of kidnapped soldier
special coverage
Pittsburgh G20 summit
Leaders of the world's biggest economies meet in Pittsburgh to discuss ways of nurturing the fragile recovery from the worst global recession since 1930s, and how to help cushion the world economy from future crises. Full Coverage
More International News
Netanyahu attacks Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial
U.N. calls for nuclear disarmament, Obama presides
| Video
Merkel to G20: regulation before rebalancing
| Video
China, Britain diverge on Iran nuclear sanctions
Russia's Chechen chief blames CIA for violence
More International News...
Video
Palestinians build settler homes
Play Video
More Video...
Related News
Netanyahu, Abbas say talks hinge on moves by other
11:40am EDT
Netanyahu wants Israel recognized as "Jewish"
8:52am EDT
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Mackenzie Phillips claims incestuous affair with rock icon
U.N. climate meeting was propaganda: Czech president
U.S. bomb plot probe shows greatest security fears
Study shows U.S. bank CEO pay dwarfs rest of world
Obama seeks U.N. help on Iran, Russia hints at shift | Video
Al Qaeda releases new 9/11 video showing Zawahri
Silicon Valley reinvents the lowly brick
Gaddafi blasts big powers in first ever U.N. speech
U.S. to push for new economic world order at G20 | Video
Fed says U.S. recovery is underway | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Bloodsucker or cancer cure?
Dust storm blankets Sydney
World leaders mix with stars at CGI
Leaders talk climate change at U.N.
Gaddafi blasts big powers at U.N.
Obama calls for new era at U.N.
Shootout closes U.S./Mexico border
Cannonball man falls short
Standoff in Honduras
Zelaya supporters defy curfew
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.