Posted on 07/19/2009 1:32:37 PM PDT by SJackson
US officials praise Netanyahu moves
HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JPost correspondent in WASHINGTON , THE JERUSALEM POST
Jul. 18, 2009
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443840751&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
Obama administration officials praised Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for steps he has taken to ease the conditions of Palestinians, as a way of continuing efforts to retool its message so that the onus for progress in the peace process isn't perceived as lying disproportionately with Jerusalem.
White House and State Department officials stressed Friday to The Jerusalem Post that they were pleased by measures that Netanyahu had taken to lift checkpoints in the West Bank and foster economic growth, as reports from the region mentioned improved economic and living conditions among Palestinians. The Israeli government has carried out several such actions in recent weeks but has felt they have been overlooked by the international community.
"We welcome the steps that Prime Minister Netanyahu has taken to increase access and movement for Palestinians in the West Bank," a State Department official told the Post. "While more remains to be done, these are important steps that will help improve the situation on the ground and help create the context for the early resumption of negotiations towards a final-status agreement."
The remarks came the same day that the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, penned an opinion piece in The Washington Post calling on Arab countries to reach out to Israel.
In the piece, titled 'Arabs Need to Talk to the Israelis,' he wrote, "we as Arabs have not done enough to communicate directly with the people of Israel."
He spoke of the need for better communication between the two countries and the potential for trade to spring from that foundation. He also referred to the Arab Peace Initiative and the need to move forward on it, saying, "Essentially, we have not done a good enough job of demonstrating to Israelis how our initiative can form part of a peace between equals in a troubled land holy to three great faiths."
He chided the Israelis as well as the Arabs for not taking sufficient steps towards peace but said that both sides had used unhelpful rhetoric. "An Israeli might be forgiven for thinking that every Muslim voice is raised in hatred, because that is usually the only one he hears," he said. "Just as an Arab might be forgiven for thinking every Israeli wants the destruction of every Palestinian."
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How nice, I'm sure Bibi will cede Jerusalem now.
Hang in there Bibi! I feel that the majority of Americans have your back as well as the interest of the Israeli people.
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