Abbas confirmed that Obama pushes him for direct unconditional talks with Israel. Such talks are totally futile, as all the parties know. Abbas very reasonably wants preconditions. He asks whether Jews are willing to abandon the Temple Mount, Muslim Quarter of the Old City, East Jerusalem, and most settlements. Unless an Israeli government makes up its mind on these questions, talks with Abbas are senseless. Samson Blinded Full Story

Israeli media dutifully gathered for a press conference in Ramallah to air the views of the Fatah chieftain. Abbas apparently accepted Olmert’s peace offer which would allow Israel to keep the settlement blocs with one-to-one land exchange in Central Israel. The only point of contention is that Olmert, in the last attempt to preserve a modicum of self-respect, agreed to abandon the Temple Mount to international consortium where Muslims would have three votes (Palestine, Jordan,... Full Story

Just as the government looks for anti-Jewish incitement in Palestine, Israeli Arabs engage in the very same incitement openly. Throughout Israel, Arabs are joining Abbas’ call to boycott Jewish products from Judea and Samaria. Never mind that both Abbas government and Israeli Arabs thrive on Israeli subsidies. As far as Israeli law is concerned, Jews live and work in Judea and Samaria legally. Arab calls for boycott demonstrate either their racial (religious, nationalist) bias or... Full Story

After completely futile meeting last week, Mitchell will again meet Netanyahu on Sunday. Never mind the humiliation: Obama walked out of a meeting with Bibi, but he must meet Obama’s lowly rep on demand. The repeated visit means that Netanyahu passed through Mitchell some alternative offers to Hussein and Mahmoud. The offers must be so important that Dan Shapiro, Obama’s shadow rep behind Mitchell, extended his stay in Israel for a week. But Abbas already refused both... Full Story

The Fatah chief used the first occasion to back out of even indirect negotiations with Israel, as Hamas and other terrorist groups have demanded. Abbas explained his refusal by the alleged Israeli plans to build in Ramat Shlomo. Of course, the terrorist have a right to refuse the negotiations – which are futile, anyway. But why Israeli government continues tax transfers to support his regime? Samson Blinded Full Story

In the effort to keep pace with their public’s anti-Israeli sentiment, Arab leaders engaged in a usual round of hateful rhetoric. Abdullah Barghouti, a terrorist serving 67 (!) life terms in Israeli jail, declared PM Netanyahu guilty of refusing prisoner exchange. In the warped Muslim mind, it is not the serial murderer who is guilty, but the prime minister who refused to submit to terrorist demands. It did not raise eyebrows in Israel that a convicted terrorist freely makes political... Full Story

As Obama’s envoy Mitchell is about to arrive in Israel to start shuttling between Jerusalem and Ramallah in the indirect peace talks, Israeli media predict that his involvement would intensify American pressure on Israel because Obama cannot afford to lose once his administration is involved directly. Wrong. Obama lost on many issues, and his loss on this one will, at most, cause a few I-told-you-so in the State Department, while remaining entirely irrelevant to common Americans. The... Full Story

Israeli government complained to the US administration that the PA honored Dalal Mughrabi, a female terrorist who murdered 37 Jewish civilians, including children, if that makes any difference. Too late. The PA has been honoring Mughrabi for many years, with schools and a stadium named after her – just as Israel honors its own terrorists. What is bizarre is the fact that Israel complains to Americans instead of cutting tax transfers, reducing water and electricity supply, or... Full Story