US pressure could shift from Netanyahu to Abbas

It’s an axiom of Arab-Israeli peacemaking that the new rapport between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would leave Palestinians in an awkward spot.

After the Obama administration pushed Mr. Netanyahu over the past year to rein in West Bank settlements, there are signals in the wake of Netanyahu’s White House visit on Tuesday that US pressure could shift to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (more…)

Obama, Netanyahu meet again amid questions over U.S.-Israel relations

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Obama sat down together at the White House Tuesday for a visit that held considerable symbolic importance.

One of the main goals for the two heads of state? A joint photo — the first since a tense meeting two months ago during which the men never appeared before news cameras. (more…)

Israel officially apologies to Turkey over public humiliation of Ambassador

The row between Israel and Turkey over the public humiliation of the Turkish ambassador ended on Wednesday. Israel initially declined to issue a formal apology. Turkey accepted the official statement from the Israeli Prime Minister.

Turkey has accepted an official apology from Israel over the treatment of its ambassador, with the Israeli prime minister expressing the hope it would end the latest row between the two countries.

Danny Ayalon, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, embarrassed Oguz Celikkol, the Turkish envoy, on Monday, making him sit on a low couch and removing the Turkish flag from the table in a meeting called to convey Israeli protests over a Turkish television series.

At the beginning of the conversation with the Turkish envoy, the deputy foreign minister told cameramen in Hebrew: “Pay attention that he is sitting in a lower chair … that there is only an Israeli flag on the table and that we are not smiling.”

A statement from the office of the Israeli prime minister on Wednesday said: “Prime minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu, together with foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman co-ordinated the apology letter sent by deputy foreign minister Ayalon to the Turkish ambassador and hopes this would end the affair.”

“My protest of the attacks against Israel in Turkey still stands,” Ayalon said. “However, it is not my way to insult foreign ambassadors and in the future I will clarify my position by more acceptable diplomatic means.”

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, said that his country had received the apology it “wanted and expected” from Israel over the dressing down of its ambassador.

Al Jazeera

Netanyahu holds marathon talks on Israel-Hamas swap

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held marathon talks with cabinet ministers on Monday on a prisoner swap with Gaza’s Hamas rulers as the parents of a captive soldier held a vigil outside his office. Source: Reuters

Israel prefers that France take over the mediator’s role from Turkey

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday has reportedly told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel is ready for direct negotiations with Syria. He also said that he recently informed French President Nicolas Sarkozy of Israel’s desire to enter into new negotiations without preconditions, such as the Syrian demand before sitting down to talks that any negotiations end in a return to 1967 lines.
The prime minister also said that he told Sarkozy that he would prefer that France take over the mediator’s role from Turkey. source: jewishjournal.com

Israeli PM: Hezbollah is the real Lebanese army

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday has reportedly told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee“If in the past we considered Hezbollah as a sideline militia, today Hezbollah is the real Lebanese army.” . “Hezbollah has replaced the Lebanese army as a significant force; it is arming and organizing as a real army. The Lebanese government and Hezbollah are becoming interwoven in each other – and they will suffer the consequences of any violation against Israel.” source: jewishjournal.com