CMEP Bulletin: Abbas, Trump, and Settlements
50 Years Too Long: A CMEP Advocacy Event
Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) June 4-6, 2017 in Washington, D.C. for 50 Years Too Long: A CMEP Advocacy Event for American Christians to gather, learn, and advocate for constructive ways to pursue a just and sustainable peace in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Early bird registration is $95.00 and ends May 1, 2017. More info and registration available here.
Abbas: Ready to Meet Netanyahu Under Trump’s Patronage in Washington [Harretz]
According to Harretz, “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he is prepared to hold a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ‘I am ready to meet the prime minister of Israel any time in Washington under the patronage of President Trump,’ the Palestinian leader told the Japanese Asahi Shimbun daily. The White House announced Wednesday that Trump will be meeting Abbas in Washington on May 3.”
Abbas to Test Trump’s Commitment to Peace [Middle East Institute]
Yousef Munayyer, non-residential scholar for the Middle East Institute writes, “For the first time in three years, Mahmoud Abbas will meet with an American president in the White House. The meeting, expected in early-May, will also be the first between Abbas and President Donald Trump, and will serve to shape the relationship both men, and those they represent, have in the years ahead. While Abbas might be inclined to be more pliant as an early show of goodwill, he will still seek demonstrations of seriousness from the Israelis, brokered by Washington, before agreeing to re-engage in peace talks.”
50 Years After War, Settlements Blur Future Borders [Associated Press]
According to the Associated Press, “Har Homa lies on one of the last spaces of land linking the Palestinian areas of the West Bank to their hoped-for capital in east Jerusalem. If city planners have their way, Har Homa will soon become one of Jerusalem’s largest Jewish neighborhoods, expanding a presence that many believe has already dealt a devastating blow to the Palestinian dream of independence.”