Reply #3: No, but it is getting real interesting isn't it?

[TayTay]

The Obama Govt has been insisting that Israel endorse the Two-State Solution to the Palestinian crisis. The new Israeli Govt is loath to do that as this article in http://jta.org/news/article/2009/04/27/1004694/aipac-policy-conference-to-push-iran-bills">JTA News points out at the end:

The AIPAC conference schedule suggested that the pro-Israel powerhouse was edging toward accommodating a flexible posture on Palestinian statehood and whom to deal with, especially when contrasted with how the organization is dealing with Iran policy.

Policy theorists in Washington who reject isolating Iran as counterproductive are absent from the conference schedule. By contrast, there is a strong representation of speakers who favor a two-state solution. They include Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, who in recent weeks forcefully favored a settlement freeze; Aaron David Miller, a top Middle East negotiator in the Clinton administration; and Shibley Telhami, a Brookings Institution Middle East policy expert.

One insider said AIPAC's delegates will lobby for "laying the foundations for Palestinian statehood" -- a middle ground between the administration's insistence on a two-state solution and Netanyahu's preference for promoting the Palestinian economy.

Sen. Kerry actually went to Gaza to see the aftermath of the war for himself. He was accompanied on that trip by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzipi_Livni">Tzipi Livni, the former PM and a moderate.

Now look at the news this morning, from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25428315-2703,00.html">The Australian:

Israel commits to two-state solution

John Lyons, Middle East correspondent | May 05, 2009
Article from: The Australian

ISRAEL has given its strongest signal yet that it will pursue a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict as new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet US President Barack Obama.

Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon said yesterday that Israel would abide by all the commitments made by previous governments and that the new administration understood that Middle East "stability will entail a two-state solution".

The comments were significant because Mr Ayalon, a former ambassador to Washington, is a key confidant of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and both are leading figures in the hardline Yisrael Beiteinu party.

The remarks came as Mr Lieberman began a week-long visit to Europe, his first trip as Foreign Minister.

Israeli President Shimon Peres is due to meet Mr Obama in Washington tomorrow.

Might there be a carrot and stick thing going on here? The Iran sanctions bill, but the Two-State Solution support from key Israeli cabinet members, like Lieberman?

And actually going to Gaza and then publicly asking for a settlement freeze is pretty good stuff. I am interested to hear what Sen. Kerry will say today. I am also very interested to see what VP Biden says. This could get really interesting. The Obama Administration has come down squarely on the side of engaging in diplomacy with old adversaries. The contact with Syria and even Iran of late is not to be dismissed.

This could get really interesting.