Turkey: "Ankara Ready to Mediate between Syria and Israel"

On Friday, speaking at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Ankara is ready to mediate talks between Israel and Syria:

"Is it possible to restart it again? Yes, why not? If the two countries agree to restart it, we can do it. As Turkey, we are ready."

, Davutoglu then put the ball in the court of Israel:

The Syrian side already declared they want to continue from where we left (off). The Israeli side, they have different views. Some coalition members are against, some are in favor. We will see.

If we see a strong political will, both in Israel and Syria, we will continue to support (peace efforts). We will support every attempt, step in the direction of peace.

Davutoglu's mediation offer was complemented by his handling of the aftermath of the Gaza War, which had strained the relationship between Ankara and West Jerusalem: the offensive in Gaza. While Turkey was "concerned with the policies of Israel because of Gaza, criticizing one policy of an Israeli government does not mean the end of Turkish-Israel relations."

Palestine: No Negotiations Before Halt to Israeli Settlements

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared on Thursday that no proposal ignoring Jerusalem as the capital of Palestinians would be acceptable to Palestinians.

Abbas added that there would be no peace negotiations with Israel as long as the construction in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem continues:

If Israel says in the meeting that it will not accept the 1967 borders and that it is not prepared to discuss Jerusalem and the refugee situation, what is there to talk about?

If I enter negotiations with them and the building in East Jerusalem continues, Israel will be saying that Jerusalem is theirs. So why would I agree to negotiate while building in East Jerusalem continues?

Abbas concluded that he will accept Israel as a Jewish state only when West Jerusalem accepts the terms of Palestinians.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said, in a separate declaration, that there was no agreement yet to resume talks with Israel. Responding to the latest US proposal for talks at a level below full-scale negotiations between leaders, Fayyad told Reuters:

We heard about low-level, mid-level, high-level (talks). I don't think there is anything yet that has been crystallised in terms of going forward.

However, Fayyad not close the door on talks: "We Palestinians stand to lose the most from a stalled peace process, but we would still like to see the process resumed in a way that would give us confidence that it can actually deliver what it should be able to deliver."

Palestine: Hamas Refuses An Independent Commission on Gaza "War Crimes"

As the deadline approaches for both Israel and Hamasto respond to the United Nations over the Goldstone Report on the Gaza War,  a report handed by a Hamas official to The Associated Press says that Hamas did not target civilians while firing hundreds of rockets at Israeli towns and rebuffs the UN call for an independent enquiry.

On Thursday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch harshly criticized Hamas, saying there was strong evidence the Islamic militant group intentionally aimed its rockets at Israeli towns. According to the group, Hamas not only committed war crimes against Israelis but also against Gazans since the militants fired rockets from populated areas inside the strip.

Israel-Palestine: Way Forward Through “Low-Level Peace Talks”?
Israel-Palestine: Obama to Netanyahu, Abbas “Deal With Your Opposition Within”

Israel-Palestine: Way Forward Through "Low-Level Peace Talks"?

Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement on "new and interesting ideas", Reuters have quoted Palestinian officials that a US proposal to launch low-level peace talks, along with "confidence building measures" to improve living conditions in the West Bank, was handed over by US Mideast envoy George Mitchell on his recent visit to the region.

The response was mixed. "Holding a low-level meeting with the Israelis that tackles issues related to the daily life of Palestinians will not be an alternative to political negotiations," one Palestinian official was quoted as saying. In contrast, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak painted a positive picture. He said that talks would resume in the next month or two and added, "On the surface the diplomatic process appears asleep and frozen, but I don't think that's really accurate. Under the surface both sides want negotiations."

Israel-Palestine: Obama to Netanyahu, Abbas “Deal With Your Opposition Within”
Israel: Defense Minister Barak “Palestine Peace Bigger Issue Than Iran’s Bomb”
Gaza: Israel Rejects Another High-Level Visit
Israel: Netanyahu’s “War on Evil”

After Israel's determination not to offer any concessions and the Palestinian Authority's insistence on those concessions before any negotiations, Washington's new proposal raises the question: Are low-level peace talks a complementary part or the collapse of the "tactical shift" put forward by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? Three weeks ago, Clinton declared, “Resolving borders resolves settlements, resolving Jerusalem resolves settlements. I think we need to lift our sights and instead of being looking down at the trees, we need to look at the forest.”

Israel-Palestine: Obama to Netanyahu, Abbas "Deal With Your Opposition Within"

On Thursday, at a Town Hall meeting in Tampa, President Obama talked about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He not only reiterated the urgent need to meet both sides' "legitimate aspirations" but also implicitly warned each to deal with the opposition forces within their camps.

Obama started with the dual assurances, Israel is one of our strongest allies. It's critical for us, and I will never waver from ensuring Israel's security....The plight of the Palestinians is something that we have to pay attention to. It is not good for our security and for Israel's security if you have millions of individuals who feel hopeless....We are working to try to strengthen the ability of both parties to have to sit down across the table."

Israel: Defense Minister Barak “Palestine Peace Bigger Issue Than Iran’s Bomb”
Gaza: Israel Rejects Another High-Level Visit
Israel: Netanyahu’s “War on Evil”

Obama then pointed out the "mutual demonization" jeopardizing the peace process, while urging leaders through praise to deal with troublesome allies. The President said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is making some effort to move a little bit further than his coalition wants to go" while Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas "genuinely wants peace" but has to deal with Hamas. Obama concluded:

The Palestinians have to unequivocally renounce violence and rToecognize Israel. And Israel has to acknowledge legitimate grievances and interests of the Palestinians.