Reality Bites Israel

At least one Israeli elected official is waking up to the stark reality that the world is sick and tired of a rogue state acting with impunity.

Olmert warns of Israel isolation on world stage

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned his likely successor Benjamin Netanyahu that he risks isolating Israel on the world stage unless he agrees to the creation of a Palestinian state, media reported on Monday.

"The only choice is between two states for two people or one state for two people," local media quoted him as saying at Sunday's cabinet meeting.

"Those who don't see this are lying to themselves and are risking causing great damage to Israel" including "losing its international support."

"Anyone who goes into a government whose coalition guidelines do not include the principle of two states for two peoples is knowingly liable to subject Israel to isolation, the likes of which it has never known since its establishment," he said.

"History will not forgive them," he said.

A lifelong right-winger, Olmert underwent a change over the past several years, coming to the conclusion that unless Israel gave up occupied Palestinian lands it would lose its democratic Jewish character as eventually Palestinians would outnumber Jewish Israelis.

More HERE

Obama-Iran & US Policy Shaping Up

US policy towards Iran shaping up
The Obama administration is finalising its policy for engaging Iran.

The approach is likely to involve a combination of small steps to initiate contact between the two countries and may include an overture in the form of a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, according to Western diplomats and senior US officials.

A senior Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that he expected the letter to be sent to Mr Khamenei before the Iranian elections this summer, although Washington's allies would prefer this step to be taken after the vote, to avoid influencing the election.
The last time reports about a letter to Iran circulated, the White House emphatically denied it.
But last week a State Department spokesman said he did not have anything to say about a letter, adding that he would not discuss the options being considered. He then referred reporters to the White House.
A similar type of letter was drafted during the Bush administration but never sent.

Delicate balance
US officials insist that no final decisions have been made and no announcements are expected for at least another 10 days while Dennis Ross - the top official in charge of reviewing US policy towards Iran - conducts an assessment.
Even after his policy review is finalised, it is unclear how much of it will be made public.
"Iran recognises that its regional influence derives in large measure from its defiance of the United States, so Iran would prefer not to publicly advertise its discussions with the United States unless or until real progress has been made," said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"[Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad will have to strike a delicate balance, where his most powerful backers are anti-American while a lot of Iranian people are favourably inclined to the US."

The engagement with Tehran started with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's public invitation to Tehran to attend a conference in the Hague on 31 March to discuss Afghanistan.
The invitation was in line with what has been Mrs Clinton's general approach to diplomacy - focus on areas of overlapping concern to help foster dialogue in the build-up to tougher discussions.

This would allow the two countries, which have had little contact in 30 years, to "reacquaint themselves with each other" and slowly build trust before any
substantive discussions, according to Mr Sadjadpour.

long article MORE HERE

FAILURE- The Israeli-Palestinian Prisoner Exchange BREAKDOWN

(Please note the music is with the next post down, only being played today, the song will be removed after St Patrick's day is over, you can scroll down and turn it off if you like)
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Captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit won't be going home any time soon!!



This is brilliant negotiations on the part of HAMAS I must say. Imagine Israel’s moronic position of not allowing the Palestinian prisoners to go home after they are released. What’s the point of being released if you can’t go home. Screw Israel, I’m happy HAMAS won’t cave in to this outrageous demand. After all, I’m sure Shalit will get to go home, why not the Palestinian prisoners, otherwise it’s not a real release as they will have no freedom.

The best bit is this is causing some major problems for Israel as the young people now are not wanting to join up to the IDF for fear of them being captured and the Israeli government not getting them back. I made a post about this here if interested. Where the Israeli teenagers said this:

A group of Israeli teenagers have sent Prime Minister Ehud Olmert a letter warning that his government's failure to secure the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has made enlisting for military service more difficult for them.

"We find our enlisting in the IDF much more difficult knowing that Gilad Shalit has been forsaken in captivity and not returned to his parents,"

"When he was abducted, he was a kid, like us," they added. "Most of us are high school students, and we look forward to joining the army and serving our country. As future soldiers, we would like to be certain that if one of us is taken captive, the government will do whatever it takes to bring him back."

And now today's news, the deal fails and notice the last paragraph From the Telegraph today:

Israel-Hamas prisoner swap deal collapses

A prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas appears to have collapsed, dashing hopes among both Israelis and Palestinians.

The goal of the negotiations, moderated by Egypt, were to clinch an agreement for the release of Cpl Gilad Shalit - an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants and smuggled into Gaza almost three years ago - in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The talks, stepped up in recent weeks, were seen as a last-ditch effort by the outgoing Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert to secure a deal while he was still in power.

Cpl Shalit's family, which recently moved into a protest tent next to the prime minister's official residence to step up pressure for a deal, fears the incoming government of the hardline prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu will be less amenable to agreeing to the terms of a prisoner exchange.

Both sides blamed each other for deadlock in the talks.

Mr Olmert's office said that Hamas had made new demands at the eleventh hour despite what they termed as Israel's "generous proposals".

"It became clear during the discussions that Hamas had hardened its position, reneged on understandings that had been formulated over the past year and raised extreme demands," said a statement issued by Mr Olmert's office, after two senior envoys returned on Monday night from talks in Cairo.

Hamas officials rebuffed the criticism, saying it was Israel that had failed to deliver.

"As soon as there is a serious offer from Israel, we will deal with it," said Ossama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Beirut.

Israeli media said that the key sticking point is a demand by Israel that some of the Palestinian prisoners, once released, would not be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank and instead would be deported either to Gaza or neighbouring Arab countries.

And in Israel, a country where most Jewish young men and women are conscripted into the army, the story of Cpl Shalit, who turned 22 in captivity, has become something of a national cause.

This one captured prisoner is causing some serious trouble for Israel and gives HAMAS one huge bargaining chip. Good for them! When Israel agrees that ALL Palestinian prisoners can go home, then so can Shalit! Till then, Shalit better get comfortable living in Palestine.

BREAKING~British Delegation in Talks with HAMAS

British Delegation in Syria- Holds Talks with HAMAS

Irish member of parliament Chris Andrews (C) speaks as Scottish member of parliament Sandra White (R), British member of parliament Clare Short (2nd R), British member of parliament Lynne Jones (2nd L) and British Baroness Lindsay Northover (3nd L)

Obviously at the behest of the USA, So Obama and Clinton can keep up the premise they won’t talk to HAMAS. After all they can’t piss off the Israelis, now can they? So they have the Brits do it for them, typical politics.

MPs meet Hamas leader in Damascus

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Four members of the British parliament met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on Saturday and urged their government to end its boycott of the Palestinian group "to achieve just peace."

"We need to talk to Hamas to make progress (towards peace) because they represent a big proportion of the Palestinians," Clare Short, an MP of the governing Labour Party, told reporters.

Short said after meeting Meshaal that opening up discussions with Hamas immediately would "move things forward in the hope that we in the end achieve just peace."

The meeting was publicised, in contrast to several European politicians who met Meshaal in the last few months away from the spotlight.

The delegation included a second Labour member of the House of Commons and two Liberal Democrat members of the upper chamber, the House of Lords. One Irish parliamentarian and one member of the Scottish parliament were also present.

Parliamentarians from Italy and Greece are expected to visit Damascus to meet Meshaal next week.

I do quite like Claire Short, she is excellent I must say.

Done Deal~israel to Trade All 450 Palestinain Prisoners for Shalit

Well, the deal is done it would appear. Israel will trade all Palestinian prisoners for Shalit. I did a post about this the other day with a possible explanation of why they are doing this. Additionally, I would not trust Israel for one nano second not to have some evil plan to kill off some of these they plan to release. Perhaps mossad or yet another bombing run maybe? One wonders what the life span of those released will be. One wonders……..

Israeli PM says prisoner swap with Hamas decided on Monday 2009-03-15 18:27:02

Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday said that his government would make on Monday its decision on a possible prisoner swap deal with Hamas.

Two high-ranking Israeli officials are now in Cairo for meetings with Egyptian mediators on the expected exchange, which would see the return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Hinting that progress has been made on the issue, which gathers increasing public attention, Olmert said that "until today, Hamas' position was far beyond what the most moderate figures that pressured and pushed for a deal with Hamas would have accepted."

Recently revealed bargaining showed that any exchange deal would see Israel free hundreds of Palestinian detainees from its jails in return, many of whom were involved in deadly attacks against Israelis.

Should a deal be reached and approved, the swap would begin with Israel releasing 300 prisoners and Hamas transferring Shalit to Egypt, which would be followed up with the release of 150 more Palestinian prisoners and the return of Shalit to Israel, according to Ha'aretz.　

My guess is that the additional 150 Palestinian prisoners will never see the light of day once Shalit is returned. What say you?