Palestinian Leader Says He Can Accept Israeli Military in West Bank for 3 Years

-          President Mahmoud Abbas (Palestinian Authority) said he is willing to accept an Israeli military presence in the West Bank for a three-year transition period as part of a peace deal

-          Israel has said it can only depend on its own soldiers not international force

-          Palestinian officials have said they could not tolerate a single Israeli soldier but do acknowledge the requirement for a transition period

-          Palestine says that a transition period would not exceed three years during which  Israel will withdraw gradually, but willing to allow a third party to take Israel’s place (NATO was suggested) to soothe our concerns and Israel’s

-          Many Israeli leaders and outside analysts have questioned whether the Palestinian President is strong enough to deliver a peace deal

-          Mr. Abbas said creating a Palestinian state roughly along the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital would be an acceptable lasting and legitimate solution, he also said Hamas had signed an agreement with him supporting the negotiations process and is not a problem.

-          Under the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, Israel could earn recognition and diplomatic relations with 57 Arab and Muslim countries if it resolved the Palestinian conflict

Tension Builds in Israeli Coalition at a Critical Juncture in Peace Talks

-          Naftali Bennett, the leader of the religious-nationalist Jewish Home party delivered accusations over the past few days of a suggestion by the prime minister’s office that some Jews in far-flung settlements might live under Palestinian sovereignty in a future peace deal

-          The prime minister’s office issued an ultimatum for Mr. Bennett to apologize or he could lose his cabinet seat

-          He did not apologize but stood by his statements saying he supported or criticized the prime minister as needed.

-          The coalitions partners have strong disagreements about establishing Palestine as a state and where the future of Jerusalem lies

-          Mr. Bennett will quit the coalition if East Jerusalem is Palestine’s capital (Part of John Kerry’s initiative) while two other partners will leave the government if Israel does not support the initiative.

-          The prime minister stated Israel does not have to agree with everything America presents them.

-          The prime minister is trying to show he has options, but his main problem was and is with the Likud

-          The Likud - Right-wing party

-           Mr. Bennet was once a top aid to the prime minister

-          The prime minister was forced to include the Jewish Home party because Mr. Bennett partnered with Mr. Lapid the centrist finance minister

-          Conflict escalated when the prime minister’s office floated the idea of Jewish Settlers’ becoming minority citizens in a future Palestinian state

-          Center-left politicians say this is a loss of a moral compass and continued saying “ Our forefathers and ancestors and our descendants will never forgive an Israeli leader who gives away our land and divides our capital