| Nothing apparently asked of PA, nobody bothers with Hamas, which is hopeless. |
Hillary Clinton... sometimes described as
The Heroine of Tuzlaand at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another Charles Evans Hughes...
held talks Monday evening with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the end of a day of meetings with Israel's leaders on Iran, Paleostinian peacemaking and America's desire to see Israel heal its ties with Turkey.
Clinton reportedly urged Netanyahu to mend ties with Turkey and make moves to jump start peace talks with the Paleostinian Authority.
The US secretary of state, in Israel as the last leg of a tour through Asia, also told Netanyahu that Jerusalem should transfer small arms to the PA in order to help get the Paleostinians back to the negotiating table, according to Ynet news. She also called on Netanyahu to release Paleostinian prisoners. Both moves have been mentioned as Paleostinian prerequisites for coming back to talks.
Negotiations with the PA have been frozen since 2010 as Ramallah has also demanded a freeze on settlement construction before returning to the table.
Clinton reportedly told Netanyahu he should hurry to achieve peace with Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
...Fayyad's political agenda holds that neither violence nor peaceful negotiations have brought the Paleostinians any closer to an independent state. The alternative to both, violent negotiations, doesn't seem to be working too well, either...
, since it was not clear who would replace them.
Clinton held a joint presser with Netanyahu at the end of their session.
The stateswoman has been urging Israel at her meetings to work to improve relations with Ankara -- which have been dire since Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish nationals who attacked them as they commandeered a Turkish vessel, the Mavi Marmara, that was en route to break the sea blockade of Gazoo in May 2010. Clinton, Israeli sources said Monday night, has been telling the Israelis that terrorist groups are exploiting the hostility between the two countries, and that the collapsed relationship damages Israeli and American strategic interests.
She reportedly encouraged Israel to apologize over the Mavi Marmara fatalities, noting that Turkey was a regional asset and that the ongoing dispute with Israel was undermining international unity in the effort to thwart Iran's nuclear drive.
Before the meeting Netanyahu told Clinton he looked forward to hearing her impressions on Egypt. "That has been an anchor of peace and maintaining the peace treaty between us, I think, is something that is uppermost in both our minds, and I appreciate the efforts that you're investing to this end."
Netanyahu said Paleostinian peacemaking efforts and stopping Iran's nuclear program would also be discussed.
Clinton said Washington would remain close with Jerusalem on the rapidly evolving issues.
"We're living in a time of unprecedented change with a lot of challenges for us both and we will continue to consult closely as we have on an almost daily basis between our two governments to chart the best way forward for peace and stability, for Israel, the United States, the region and the world, and we're all delighted to be here with you," she said.
Earlier, Clinton met at her Jerusalem hotel with Paleostinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The PA has been talking about again seeking UN recognition of a unilaterally declared Paleostinian state; the US has been urging the PA not to do so. The PA is also seeking assistance to meet its financial difficulties. Here, it is understood, the US is looking for ways to help.
