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International News Title: Obama Gives Netanyahu Ultimatum on Resuming Talks Obama Gives Netanyahu Ultimatum on Resuming Talks June 12, 2011 at 9:47pm by Naked Emperor News Report: US gives Netanyahu ultimatum on resuming talks Israel Radio Reported Sunday that The United States gave Netanyahu an ultimatum on renewing negotiations with the Palestinians. According to the ultimatum, Netanyahu has to decide within a month whether he agrees to accept US President Obamas proposal and resume talks based on 1967 lines. Washington is pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accede to its proposal to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on the basis of U.S. President Barack Obamas May 19 speech. An Israeli source who spoke recently with senior officials in Washington said the Americans were very frustrated with Netanyahus behavior, feeling that he was impeding Americas efforts to keep the Palestinians from unilaterally seeking UN recognition of a state in September. Netanyahus personal envoy, Isaac Molho, spent last week in Washington, where the Americans presented their proposal for resuming talks on the basis of Obamas speech. Specifically, Obamas plan calls for negotiating over borders and security first, while deferring issues such as Jerusalem and the refugees until later. It also calls for the borders to be based on the 1967 lines, with mutually agreed land swaps. The Americans told Molho that to block European initiatives such as Frances proposal for an international peace conference in Paris, they must have something concrete to offer, like Netanyahus agreement to negotiate on the basis of Obamas speech. The U.S. proposal was also given to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who said the Palestinians would resume talks on this basis. Meanwhile, a European diplomat who was briefed on Molhos talks in Washington said they were fruitless. The Americans didnt get anything new from Molho, the diplomat said. This week, American diplomat David Hale will arrive in Israel to hold further meetings with both Molho and Erekat. Hale is temporarily replacing George Mitchell, the U.S. special envoy who resigned earlier this year. An Israeli source who maintains close ties with both senior U.S. officials and people close to Netanyahu said that Washingtons frustration began with Netanyahus trip to Washington last month, when he publicly fought with Obama and then refused in an address to Congress to endorse the presidents outline for talks. The Americans were now speaking very harshly of Netanyahu, said the source. Hes asking us to protect him in September, but he isnt giving us any tools with which to help him, the source quoted one American official as saying. Instead of helping us, hes making it harder for us. As a result, American officials complained, Obama was unable to get Britain and France to commit to opposing a unilateral Palestinian move when he visited Europe last month. The Americans need Israel inside, but Netanyahu isnt there yet, the source said. To date, from the American and European perspective, Israel hasnt given anything. European diplomats said Netanyahus speech to Congress was viewed in Europe as one long no and had thus increased European distrust of him. We want to hear Netanyahu say hes willing to negotiate on the basis of Obamas speech and that hell discuss borders based on the 1967 lines with land swaps, said one diplomat. Since the barren talks with Molho last week, the White House has been upping the pressure on Netanyahu. On Friday, Steve Simon, who heads the U.S. National Security Councils Middle East desk, told American Jewish leaders that Netanyahu needs to reply within a month to the U.S. proposal for restarting talks. The White House knew this remark would both be conveyed to Netanyahu and leaked to the American and Israeli press, thus making its displeasure public.
Poster Comment: Why doesn't this surprise me, Obozo can't handle criticizm of any type (especially when it's accurate)...
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