Free Republic

GOOD NEWS

Chief Palestinian-Arab negotiator Saeb Erekat revealed in a candid interview that Israel’s then-prime minister, Ehud Olmert, had offered Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in 2008 more land than he had asked for in an attempt by Israel to exchange land for peace. Despite the inducement, and Erekat’s urging Abbas to accept it, Abbas said no. This was the same response Arafat had given to Ehud Barak at Camp David some eight years earlier, to the amazement of then-President Bill Clinton. Throughout the various attempts to create a Jewish state alongside an Arab state, the Arabs have had one response: No....

"These great monotheist religions that have inhabited this land together have an opportunity to overcome differences, to put aside grievances, to make the power of religion a power of healing and a power of reconciliation. "What these great holy sites remind us of is that the three great religions indeed share a common vision of peace and a common vision of our humanity. That is what I will ultimately take away from this visit," she said. Palestinian tourism minister Khulud Duaibess, who accompanied Rice and her entourage around the church, told reporters he hoped the visit had inspired the diplomat...