CMEP Bulletin: Recap for the Week of July 8
Churches for Middle East Peace
Updates on Kerry’s Efforts
State Dept. urges Kerry to present principles for talks [Jerusalem Post]
Leading voices inside the State Department are calling for US Secretary of State John Kerry to lay down a set of principles that Israel and the Palestinians would either have to accept or reject as a way of restarting the negotiations, diplomatic officials said Monday as Jerusalem geared up for another visit by Kerry to the region.
Kerry Mideast visit in doubt due to wife’s health [GlobalPost]
“US Secretary of State John Kerry’s return to the Middle East to restart direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians could be postponed because of his wife’s illness, a Palestinian official said Tuesday…. Israeli newspapers Yediot Aharonot and the left-leaning Haaretz reported on Sunday that Kerry would return to the region at the end of the week.”
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Two-State Solution Conversion [New Republic]
“It could be his new coalition. Or maybe it’s his long heart-to-hearts with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Perhaps it’s the realization, given recent polls and the far-right mutiny in his party, that the current term will likely be his last.
Whatever the case, Benjamin Netanyahu is finally embracing the two-state solution. The shift has been quiet, but its consequences could be monumental.”
Netanyahu Names Adviser Israeli Ambassador to U.S. [New York Times]
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday named one of his closest advisers, Ron Dermer, to be Israel’s next ambassador to the United States, a long-anticipated pick that had raised some concern in Washington because of Mr. Dermer’s ties to Republicans.”
“Now, several people close to the Obama administration said, any suspicions about Mr. Dermer’s political leanings are outweighed by the benefit of having an ambassador in Mr. Netanyahu’s inner circle.”