Obama opens 2-day Mideast peace summit

[Scurrilous]

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"President Obama plunges into Middle East peacemaking today with two days of summitry he hopes will be the first step in brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement within a year.

Among his first tasks is to convince increasingly cynical Israeli and Palestinian publics -which have grown weary after 17 years of photo ops, handshakes and unfulfilled accords - that a two-state solution to the conflict remains possible.

Obama today will hold a series of meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II before an evening dinner at the White House.

On Thursday, direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians - stalled for nearly two years - will be formally restarted in a ceremony at the State Department."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/31/MN041F6FVU.DTL


(Israeli Defense Minister Ehud) Barak to Haaretz: Israel ready to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal

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"Ehud Barak, is there any chance that you and Benjamin Netanyahu will succeed in reaching peace with the Palestinians now, the same peace which you did not succeed in achieving in 2000 and Ehud Olmert did not succeed in achieving in 2008?

"In the current reality that is encircling us, there are remarkable changes underway. Thirty years ago, the Arabs competed amongst themselves in spouting rejectionist slogans that were reminiscent of Khartoum. Today the Arab states are competing amongst themselves in arguing over which peace initiative will be adopted by the international community. The same situation is taking place with us. When I returned from Camp David a decade ago, the most vocal critics of my "irresponsible" concessions were Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni. Take a look at where they are today. It doesn't mean that the task is a simple one. The gaps are wide and they are of a fundamental nature. But I believe that there is a real chance today. If Netanyahu leads a process, a significant number of rightist ministers will stand with him. So what is needed is courage to make historic, painful decisions. I'm not saying that there is a certainty for success, but there is a chance. This chance must be exploited to the fullest.

What are the principles of a peace deal that you believe can be agreed upon by the conclusion of the talks?

"Two states for two nations; an end to the conflict and the end of all future demands; the demarcation of a border that will run inside the Land of Israel, and within that border will lie a solid Jewish majority for generations and on the other side will be a demilitarized Palestinian state but one that will be viable politically, economically, and territorially; keeping the settlement blocs in our hands; retrieving and relocating the isolated settlements into the settlement blocs or within Israel; a solution to the refugee problem the Palestinian state or are rehabilitated by international aid; comprehensive security arrangements and a solution to the Jerusalem problem."

What is the solution in Jerusalem?

"West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours. The Arab neighborhoods in which close to a quarter million Palestinians live will be theirs. There will be a special regime in place along with agreed upon arrangements in the Old City, the Mount of Olives and the City of David."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/barak-to-haaretz-israel-ready-to-cede-parts-of-jerusalem-in-peace-deal-1.311356