What survey results show

In July of 2013, the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed to begin a nine- month period of talks, under U.S. sponsorship, to see if agreement could be achieved on a basic framework for a final settlement of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli right's eulogies for the South African freedom fighter ranged from unawareness to hypocrisy. Even if there is not full symmetry between apartheid and the occupation, Israel still stands for everything Mandela fought against

Why aren't the Netanyahus going to Nelson Mandela's funeral? The reason is surely not the high costs of the flight (after all, the budget for the couple's attendance of Thatcher's funeral was found without difficulty) nor a sudden fit of humility. Yet still, the Prime Minister is looking for any excuse to avoid standing next to the world's leaders to pay last respects to the man who fought and defeated the apartheid regime - and he knows why.

APN's daily news review from Israel

Tuesday December 10, 2013

Quote of the day:

"It looks like a trick' by someone who does not really want an historic agreement with the neighboring people."
--In a Letter to the Editor, an Israeli reader says Netanyahu's demand for Palestinian recognition of a 'Jewish state' is a ploy.**

Veteran Israeli political analyst Akiva Eldar was the guest of an APN briefing call on December 9th, commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, about the West's interim agreement with Iran, and about the impact of the two processes on US-Israeli relations

We Israelis often complain that 'there is no one to talk to.' But for many young Palestinians, Israelis are a lost cause - and anti-normalization means there is less interaction than ever to prove this wrong.

By Ori Nir

I recently met with a group of about a dozen young reporters and photojournalists from the West Bank. I asked them whether they had any contacts with Israeli journalists and was shocked to hear they did not. I told them that when I covered Palestinian affairs for Haaretz in the 1980s and '90s, Palestinian journalists were my primary sources - and my good friends. Back then, journalists on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide sought contact with each other, first and foremost because they thought their readers needed and wanted to know about their neighbors.

This week, Alpher discusses the seemingly significant high-level developments and statements regarding both the Israel-Arab peace process and Iran, against the backdrop of Israeli-American relations, how does the American security plan or "thoughts" challenge Netanyahu's security concept regarding the Jordan Valley, what is the significance of Obama's mention of a framework agreement as a negotiating outcome, what is the significance of Netanyahu's linkage of Iran and the two-state solution at the Saban Forum, and thoughts on Nelson Mandela's support for the Palestinians and consistent criticism of Israel.

APN's daily news review from Israel

Monday December 09, 2013

Quote of the day:

"The contemporary Israeli leader is one of the jailers, not one of the jailed."
--Yaron London writes that Israeli leaders need to look at Frederik Willem de Klerk for inspiration, not Nelson Mandela.**

APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday December 08, 2013

Quote of the day:

"I mean Lazar Sidelsky, the lawyer who dared give me, a black intern, a job in the 1950s. He is the only boss I've ever had, a good Jew who would be very happy if the ambassador of Israel paid him a visit."
--Former S. African president Nelson Mandela in conversation with newly appointed Israeli Ambassador Alon Liel upon their first meeting. Liel shares more in a Yedioth op-ed today.**

Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development / Program for Public Consultation / United States Institute of Peace (December 6, 2013)
Findings showed that both Israelis and Palestinians are pessimistic about the negotiations and the long-term prospects for a peace agreement (48% of Israelis and 47% of Palestinians said that they believed a peace agreement will never be reached). Only a few express optimism that US mediation efforts will bring an agreement in the next year (4% of Israelis and 11% of Palestinians). Both Israelis and Palestinians express remarkably low confidence that their negotiators will get the best possible deal (24% of Israelis and 31% of Palestinians) and that American mediators will try to negotiate a fair deal (28% of Israelis and 28% of Palestinians). PDF >

Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed today that General John Allen, The Obama administration's special security envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, briefed Israeli and Palestinian leaders on the perception of the US regarding security arrangement on the way to achieving a two-state solution as well as the security regime that would characterize a future Palestinian state.

Speaking to reporters at Israel's Ben Gurion airport, before leaving the region back to the US, Kerry said that Allen's briefing was based on an analysis produced by the US security team that General Allen heads.