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Unsettling news for Mideast peace talks

13 Sep 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in the reading from the Letter of James this Sunday that faith without works is dead. Those who had faith in fledging Israeli-Palestinian negotiations said Israel's decision this week to approve construction of hundreds of new housing units in the occupied West Bank could strike a death blow to the peace process. Israel officially approved construction of more than 450 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the first new government-approved construction project in the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in March. The issue is expected to be discussed when Netanyahu's aides meet U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell later this week. But today's announcement can only complicate a possible resumption of meaningful peace talks with the Palestinians. A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner for peace. "Israel's decision to approve the construction nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have," Erekat said. Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. Some 2,500 housing units are currently under construction. The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes that characterization. Source: Articles by BBC News

israel peace talks saeb erekat george mitchell settlements peace negotiations west bank benjamin netanyahu palestinians east jerusalem

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Can Middle-East peace talks avoid a muddle?

05 Sep 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans,” the reading from the Book of Wisdom tells us. Hoping for a better outcome than that, President Barack Obama hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for dinner Wednesday, a prelude to direct negotiations between the leaders Thursday. While the U.S. is calling on the leaders to forge a final peace agreement within one year, major progress in the early going is unlikely. The two sides are far apart on key issues as they meet in face-to-face negotiations for the first time since December, 2008. Heightening tensions, a Palestinian gunman opened fire Tuesday on an Israeli vehicle traveling near the West Bank city of Hebron, killing four passengers. The militant Hamas movement, which rejects Israel’s right to exist and opposes peace talks, claimed responsibility. Israeli officials called the shooting an attempt to sabotage the discussions, and the White House and Abbas weighed in with their own condemnations. To underscore the administration’s desire to avoid the kind of timid and tentative deliberations the Book of Wisdom describes, former Sen. George Mitchell, Obama’s special Mideast peace envoy, said the goal of reaching a deal within one year is intended to counter a sense among many in the Mideast that years of inconclusive negotiations mean the process is never-ending. “It’s very important to create a sense that this has a definite concluding point,” Mitchell told reporters at the White House. “And we believe that it can be done.” Spurce: A report by Michele Kelemen for NPR.org and articles by Robert Burns for the Associated Press and by Reuters

hamas midwest mahmoud abbas benjamin netanyahu peace negotiations george mitchell

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Mideast peace muddle

23 Mar 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We are encouraged in the reading from the Letter to the Romans this Sunday to trust that "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith." It’s hard to have much faith in Mideast peace prospects right now, as the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian talks appear on the edge of a breakdown.As Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the White House this week, a new obstacle to peace emerged: Israel’s demand that Palestinians not only recognize Israel but recognize it as a Jewish state—something that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is at the foundation of any Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation. Abbas responded on Monday that the Palestinians have already recognized Israel and that’s sufficient.Even the U.S. has struggled to strike a consistent message on the issue. Several weeks ago peace envoy Martin Indyk told U.S. Jewish leaders that Palestinian recognition of a Jewish state would be part of the “framework” peace document that the U.S. is trying to get both sides to go along with.But last week it seemed that the U.S. might be shifting its position on the Jewish state demand, with Secretary of State John Kerry telling the House Foreign Relations Committee that Netanyahu’s repeated focus on the issue is a “mistake” and that the Palestinians had conferred recognition already, a statement annoying many in Israel.Further complicating the picture, the Palestinians threatened Wednesday to resume their campaign for international recognition at the United Nations if Israel calls off a planned release of Palestinian prisoners. Israel pledged to release 104 long-serving Palestinian prisoners in four stages at the outset of the current round of talks last July. The fourth and final release was set to take place by March 29. But in recent days Israel has signaled it may not carry out the final release.Homily hint: A lasting Mideast peace has eluded the world since at least the time of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The 50th anniversary of that conflict in only a few years away; maybe it’s time to invoke the biblical tradition of declaring a Jubilee year of forgiveness and reconciliation every 50 years; “a year of favor from the Lord.” The cause of peace could use all the favors it can get right now. Sources: Articles by Joshua Mitnick for the Jewish Week (New York) and Melanie Phillips for the Wall Street Journal

israel palestinians middle east mahmoud abbas benjamin netanyahu peace negotiations john kerry martin indyk statehood

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U.S. and Cuba chart a new course

25 Jan 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s first reading, Jonah tells the people of Nineveh the time is at hand to change their ways—and lo and behold, they listen to him. After U.S. and Cuban leaders recently decided it was time to change their way of relating to each other, progress is being made. The highest-level U.S. delegation to visit the island in more than three decades held two days of talks with Cuban officials this week aimed on implementing changes. Homily hint: The definition of a dysfunctional relationship is one in which the parties get into the same argument over and over and expect a different result. As in diplomatic relationships, so in our own relationships, there comes a time to recognize when things are not going well and to try a new approach. Sit down and talk things through with someone today. For more on U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations, see: U.S., Cuba address barriers to resuming full diplomatic relations after five-decade interruption; U.S.-Cuba begin historic talks on restoring diplomatic ties

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Will the UK stick with the EU?

07 Feb 2016 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The kindness of the Lord “endures forever,” the psalmist assures this Sunday. The European Union may not endure as currently constituted unless its negotiations with the United Kingdom succeed in convincing the British to stick with it. The EU said Monday it was closer to a compromise with the UK over revised membership terms, paving the way for British Prime Minister David Cameron to clinch an agreement from his fellow leaders later this month and campaign for Britain to stay in the bloc. Britain is edging closer to a make-or-break moment for its relationship with the rest of the 28-nation bloc. After pushing for EU reform for three years, Cameron is bidding for a deal in February that would enable him to hold a referendum on EU membership as early as June. Homily hint: The European Union is facing a number of challenges these days, given its refugee crisis, struggling economies, and member disagreements. But the effort to work in union across national boundaries is always worth supporting anywhere around the world. The alternative too often has led nations to war when they could and should be able to resolve their differences at the negotiating table. Support community and common cause wherever you find it! For more on UK negotiations with the rest of the European Union, see: EU nears agreement on UK demands after talks make progress

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