In an effort to restart stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week struck a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a 90-day freeze on Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. The deal, which still needs Israeli Cabinet approval, would provide Israel with $3 billion in U.S. fighter jets and a U.S. commitment to oppose any international recognition of a unilateral declaration of Palestinian sovereignty. The agreement amounts to a bet that peace negotiations, including land swaps that might render some settlement issues moot, will make enough progress in 90 days to keep the Palestinians from abandoning talks. President Obama called the deal “promising,” and specifically praised Netanyahu. “It’s not easy for him to do, but I think it’s a signal that he is serious,” Obama said.
“The Obama administration deserves credit” for not giving up on the peace process, said The New York Times in an editorial. While both Palestinians and Israelis have bogged down talks, Netanyahu in particular seems more interested in “mugging for his hard-line coalition” than in making hard choices for peace. This “generous” deal puts the onus on Netanyahu to get back to the bargaining table.
And who will negotiate with him there? said Steve Huntley in the Chicago Sun-Times. Instead of leaping at the chance to “restart talks aimed at awarding them their long-sought goal” of a Palestinian state, Palestinian leaders responded with “bellyaching” that Israel’s latest concession didn’t include construction projects in Jerusalem, “which is not a settlement.” Rather than contribute to hopes for peace, Palestinians and their “enablers” invariably do the opposite.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This effort may have “stronger legs than jaded onlookers have realized,” said The Economist. Obama is making American support of Israel “conditional”—demanding a settlement freeze in return for what previously had been “unconditional” U.S. support. It’s a “subtle” way to push Israel to agree to “final borders with a putative Palestinian state in the West Bank.” It just might work.
-
The final fate of Flight 370feature Malaysian officials announced that radar data had proven that the missing Flight 370 “ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
-
The airplane that vanished
feature The mystery deepened surrounding the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
-
A drug kingpin’s capture
feature The world’s most wanted drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was captured by Mexican marines in the resort town of Mazatlán.
-
A mixed verdict in Florida
feature The trial of Michael Dunn, a white Floridian who fatally shot an unarmed black teen, came to a contentious end.
-
New Christie allegation
feature Did a top aide to the New Jersey governor tie Hurricane Sandy relief funds to the approval of a development proposal in the city of Hoboken?
-
A deal is struck with Iran
feature The U.S. and five world powers finalized a temporary agreement to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
-
End-of-year quiz
feature Here are 40 questions to test your knowledge of the year’s events.
-
Note to readers
feature Welcome to a special year-end issue of The Week.