Sunday July 18, 2010

I've Been Thinking:

George Mitchell, President Obama's Special Envoy in the Middle East, has been talking to the involved parties. Mitchell has spoken to both Abbas and Netanyahu about upgrading to direct talks.

In an interview in a Jordanian newspaper Abbas made clear what he needs to begin direct talks: He wants Israel to accept the pre-1967 borders, he also wants compensation for those who were displaced by Israel's creation in 1948.

The problem with these demands is that it leaves very little room for the direct talks.

Abbas' demands are called preconditions, they want them in order to gain advantage. In the end, preconditions stifle negotiations they don't advance them.

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