The Arab 57 state solution with Israel
...One of the reasons past negotiations have not been successful is that the Palestinians have nothing of value to offer Israel. They still do not, and I suspect that Israel would not be willing to give up its security for a few commercial agreements with Arab states. What it is going to take is something none of them are willing to do--stop all attacks on Israel.
“What we are talking about is not Israelis and Palestinians sitting at the table, but Israelis sitting with Palestinians, Israelis sitting with Syrians, Israelis sitting with Lebanese,” said the King, who hatched the plan with Mr Obama in Washington last month. He added that, if Mr Obama did not make good his promise for peace, then his credibility would evaporate overnight.The Israeli Government has so far rejected any moves that would lead to a two-state solution, the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, but the King insisted that what was being proposed was a “57-state solution”, whereby the Arab and entire Muslim world would recognise the Jewish state as part of the deal.
“We are offering a third of the world to meet them with open arms,” said the King. “The future is not the Jordan river or the Golan Heights or the Sinai, the future is Morocco in the Atlantic and Indonesia in the Pacific. That is the prize.”
As an incentive to Israel to freeze the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a key step in any peace process, Arab parties may offer incentives, such as the right for El Al, the Israeli airline, to fly over Arab air space and visas for Israeli tourists to Arab states. Mr Netanyahu told the Israeli Cabinet yesterday, however, that he had no intention of leaving the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967.
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While it is suggested that failure to reach peace will mean war in the next year, I don't find that threat credible. Most of these states need to work with Israel to fight off the Persian threat from Iran.
Thank you for resuurecting Obama's fuzziness re: correct number of US states. Like his church attendance, maybe he skipped school that day? Oh, that's right, it was taught on more than one day several times. I couldn't believe the press at the time not lambasting him...or the late night comics. If Biush had said that, it would have been replayed nightly. But that was earlier in campaign. NOW, I understand. Obama doesn't make mistakes. I'm sure in the hastily uttered comment while shaking hands the teleprompter just got it wrong!
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