Closing In On A Peace Plan?

When I first started reading about this new attempt at a "peace plan" between Israel and "the many", it didn't really register. Now, suddenly, over the last 2-3 weeks, a lot of momentum has been gained in support of these new proposals - to the point that even the Arab League has agreed in principle. 

Who knows if this will really gain enough traction to serve as the basis for "the plan" that will surely come - according to Daniel 9:27 - but any news relating to widespread support for a peace plan involving Israel is worth watching. Take a look at the flow of these articles, revealing the growing support for this version. Of course, it would essentially take Israel back to the "pre-'67 borders", which renders Israel in a very vulnerable position for future invasions. 

And of course, the pink elephant in the room, is, the question of who will step forward and "confirm" the next covenant? Movement in that direction is also of interest.

Israel And Palestinians Closing In On Resumed Peace Talks

Israel and the Palestinians seemed closer Tuesday night than they have been for more than two years to a resumption of substantive peace negotiations, after both sides indicated satisfaction with an apparently American-brokered amendment to the Arab League peace initiative.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has spent recent weeks shuttling around the Middle East as well as meeting relevant players in Washington, also sounded fairly upbeat in comments Tuesday. He said there were still hurdles to clear, but “I don’t think you can underestimate… the significance of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, [United] Arab Emirates, the Egyptians, the Jordanians, and others coming to the table and saying, ‘We are prepared to make peace now in 2013.’”

The new optimism emerged on the very day that an Israeli father-of-five was stabbed to death by a recently released Palestinian security prisoner in the West Bank — the first such killing in more than a year, and an attack that was praised by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s own Fatah faction.

A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday night that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pleased with and welcomed the steps to advance the peace process taken by the Arab League, which on Monday said it could see a two-state solution based on minor adjustments to the pre-1967 lines, and by Kerry.

In Washington on Tuesday afternoon, Kerry hailed the Arab League’s shift. Speaking at a press conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, the secretary said the Arab initiative “never received the full focus and full attention and recognition” it deserved when it was first set forth by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

He said Israelis had been asking him in recent days, “What are the Arabs going to do? What is the Arab attitude towards peace at this point in time? And so the Arab community — and I think they should be thanked for this — saw fit to come here to the United States as a delegation of the Arab League to make it clear that they are re-launching the Arab Peace Initiative.”

Al Thani spoke after his delegation met across the street from the White House with Vice President Joe Biden and Kerry, who has been pushing Arab leaders to embrace a modified version of their decade-old initiative as part of a new US-led effort to corral Israel and the Palestinians back into direct peace talks.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat gave backing to the softened Arab League stance, saying that a plan including minor land swaps was consistent with the Palestinian Authority’s official position.

“In the event that Israel should accept a two-state solution based on 1967 borders, the Palestinians may consider small border adjustments, as long as it does not harm Palestinian interests,” Erekat said.

Livni Praises Arab League's Land Swap Endorsement

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua), Israel’s chief negotiator with the Palestinians, welcomed on Tuesday the Arab League’s announcement that it would integrate the idea of a “minor” land swaps into the Arab Peace Initiative.

Livni said it was important that Arab leaders recognized that there would be a need to adjust the pre-1967 lines in a final agreement.

Speaking on behalf of an Arab League delegation to Washington, Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani on Monday called for an agreement between Israel and a future Palestine based on the Jewish state’s border before the 1967 Six Day War. But, unlike in previous such proposals, he cited the possibility of “comparable,” mutually agreed and “minor” land swaps between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Al Thani spoke after his delegation met across the street from the White House with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been pushing Arab leaders to embrace a modified version of their decade-old initiative as part of a new US-led effort to corral Israel and the Palestinians back into direct peace talks.

Al Thani spoke after his delegation met across the street from the White House with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been pushing Arab leaders to embrace a modified version of their decade-old initiative as part of a new US-led effort to corral Israel and the Palestinians back into direct peace talks.

President Shimon Peres, who is in Italy, also welcomed the amended Arab League proposal.

“It is good that they have come back to a peace initiative at this time,” Peres reportedly told Pope Francis I during a meeting at the Vatican. “It is very important that they have reiterated their support for the two-state solution. The prime minister has said that he wants negotiations. The sooner we can do that, the better.”

“It seems that despite everything that is going on in the Arab world, the Arab League’s peace initiative is alive, kicking, and relevant,” MK Merav Michaeli from the opposition Labor Party said. “Once again we, Israel, have an opportunity for a general peace with the Arab world.”

In A Sea Change, Arab League Backs Land Swaps In Peace Talks

Arab countries endorsed a Mideast peace plan Monday that would allow for small shifts in Israel’s 1967 border, moving them closer to President Barack Obama’s two-state vision.

Speaking on behalf of an Arab League delegation to Washington, Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani called for an agreement between Israel and a future Palestine based on the Jewish state’s border before the 1967 Mideast War. But, unlike in previous such offers, he cited the possibility of “comparable,” mutually agreed and “minor” land swaps between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Kerry said that he and Biden stressed the vision that Obama outlined in 2011, when he became the first American leader to publicly declare Israel’s pre-1967 lines as the basis for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement.

Although revolutionary when it was introduced by Saudi Arabia and endorsed by the 22-member Arab League, the initiative has never been embraced by Israel. And Palestinian officials have previously spoken out against any changes to its terms. What was striking, and perhaps most limiting, about the initiative was its simplicity, offering Israel comprehensive recognition in the Arab world in exchange for all lands conquered in the 1967 Mideast war.

Knesset, PM To Hold Parley On Arab League Proposal

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will address the Knesset on the topic of the Arab League’s flexibility on pre-1967 lines, after all 52 opposition MKs signed a petition on Tuesday requiring him to do so.

Meretz chairwoman Zehava Gal- On, who initiated the petition, said “the government cannot continue dragging its feet and miss this great opportunity.”

She added that “The new, promising version of the Arab League’s proposal for peace with Israel and dozens of Arab states is at our doorstep and the government cannot turn its back on negotiations.”

If at least 40 MKs sign a petition for the prime minister to discuss any topic in the plenum, he is required by law to do so. However, the MKs may only do so once a month.

Opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich also called for Netanyahu to adopt the Arab League’s agreement to land swaps.

“This is an important step by the Arab world, which has a chance to be groundbreaking. We must examine it seriously,” she stated.

Labor MK Erel Margalit wrote a letter to Netanyahu calling it an opportunity to reach a regional agreement that will let Israel be “part of the economic and political fabric” of the Middle East.

“After years of a diplomatic freeze with the Palestinian government, Israel does not have the privilege of remaining indifferent to the Arab League’s initiative and avoid stretching out its hand to implement it...while protecting Israeli interests,” Margalit wrote.

Coalition members from Yesh Atid spoke out in favor of Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani's announcement, as well.

“This is an important, encouraging step,” Science and Technology Minister Ya’acov Peri said.

“An announcement like this gives Israel an opening to continue to strengthen large settlement blocs, in exchange for other territory that will be given to the Palestinians. The time has come to check the possibility of adopting the Arab League initiative as part of accelerating the diplomatic process.”