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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel to lobby Germany against Palestinian plan
2011-04-07
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will ask Germany’s leader to drop her support for a proposal endorsing a Palestinian state in virtually all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem when he meets with her this week, Israeli officials said Wednesday.

Germany, along with Britain and France, is leading the proposal, which would call for an Israeli withdrawal from nearly all territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Netanyahu objects to such a widespread pullout, and says endorsing the Palestinian position on borders would take away a key incentive for them to restart long-stalled negotiations.

Officials close to Netanyahu said he would raise the matter with Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting scheduled Thursday in Berlin.

Israel fears the “Quartet” of Mideast peacemakers — the European Union, United Nations, Russia and United States — will endorse the European initiative when it meets in Germany later this month.

BritainÂ’s foreign secretary, William Hague, confirmed this week that the U.K. and its European allies would push for negotiations to proceed based on the 1967 borders, with small adjustments based on mutually agreed-upon land swaps.

“What the U.K., France and Germany are putting to the Quartet is that the basis of negotiations set out by the Quartet, including the United States, should include 1967 borders, with land swaps, a just settlement for refugees and Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states,” Hague told lawmakers. “We are advocating that as an established basis for negotiations.”
The Israelis will never accept the 'right of return', and the Paleos will never accept a deal that lacks it. The Israelis will never give up East Jerusalem, and the Paleos will never accept a deal that doesn't include it. What's to talk about?
It remains unclear whether the full Quartet — especially the U.S. — supports the proposal.
Posted by:Steve White

#2  And regardless how Prime Minister Merkel may respond, the newsies will shape German thinking thusly

Israeli tank fire kills Palestinian after bus attack

Deutsche Presse Agentur - - A Palestinian civilian was killed Wednesday when Israeli tanks fired eight shells into eastern Gaza City, Gazan emergency services said, shortly after militants in the enclave fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, severely injuring a teenager.
Posted by: trailing wife   2011-04-07 18:07  

#1  Depending how Germany responds, we'll know if they really are the friend to Israel that they loudly claim. Clarification is useful, if not always pleasant.
Posted by: trailing wife   2011-04-07 17:14  

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