Indyk: ’Israel’ Torpedoed Talks on Purpose

Local Editor

US envoy to the Middle East Martin Indyk spoke out about the failure of so-called "peace talks" for the first time Thursday, in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Indyk insisted that both sides were guilty of bad faith and "not serious" about "peace".

"One problem that revealed itself in these past nine months is that the parties, although both showing flexibility in the negotiations, do not feel the pressing need to make the gut-wrenching compromises necessary to achieve peace," Indyk said. "It is safe to say that if we, the US, are the only party that has a sense of urgency, these negotiations will not succeed."

Indyk also blamed bad public relations for the failure.

"While serious efforts were under way behind closed doors, we tried to get the leaders and their spokesmen to engage in synchronized positive messaging to their publics," he stated.
"Instead, Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu was understandably infuriated by the outrageous claims of Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian [Authority] chief negotiator no less, that the prime minister was plotting the assassination of [Mahmoud Abbas] [. . .] and [Abbas] was humiliated by false "Israeli" claims that he agreed to increased settlement activity in return for the release of prisoners."

Indyk lay harsh blame on "Israel's" settlements for the failure of talks, claiming stating that they had torpedoed negotiations on purpose.
"I can tell you first hand that that [announcing more building] had a very damaging effect, and by the way it was intended to have that damaging effect," he said. "The promoters of the settlement activity are the ones who were adamantly opposed to the negotiations even though they were in a government that was committed to the negotiations."

Indyk said "settlements" posed a "mortal" danger to "Israel", leading it into an "irreversible binational reality."

"Rampant settlement activity - especially in the midst of negotiations - doesn't just undermine Palestinian trust in the purpose of the negotiations; it can undermine "Israel's" "Jewish" future," Indyk said. "If this continues, it could mortally wound the idea of "Israel" as a 'Jewish' state - and that would be a tragedy of historic proportions."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team