Withdrawing from illegal West Bank settlements would bring security, says prime minister

The Middle East has been upended by the Arab spring. Israel cannot pretend nothing has changed. If it wants to safeguard its security it has to adjust, writes Philip Stephens

Words few people thought they would ever read; "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced he will back a Palestinian state". Please though, don't get excited. There's a catch. There are the following pre-conditions; It must be completely de-militarised.It can have no army, no control of its air space and no way of 'smuggling' weapons. Palestinian leaders are to restart Middle East pe...

But first, an explanation of peace in the Middle East from the same two that tried to explain quantitative easing: Thanks to 9/11: Do more than never forget for the video Does the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by Mahmoud Abbas also control Palestinian T.V.? If so, then do videos like the one below indicate any desire for peace with Israel? Abbas on Monday said that Israeli settlements have become...

US vice-president Joe Biden's recent speech about ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict laid out in plain terms the challenge for Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel's long-term security depends on peaceful co-existence with a viable Palestinian state, writes Philip Stephens

Asked for details from the meeting the Prime Minister had had with the Israeli Prime Minister, the PMS said that they had met this morning at 0730. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the prospects for peace in the Middle East and both men were strongly committed to making all possible progress. They also discussed the issue of Israeli settlements and the importance of the Palestinian econom...

Wonder how the Jew-haters will spin THIS one as being Israel's fault?  A dawn clash in the Israeli-occupied West Bank earlier today killed three Palestinian policemen, two Hamas gunmen and a bystander. The incident was among the bloodiest internal Palestinian confrontations since US-backed President Mahmoud Abbas pressed a security drive and revived peace talks with Israel after breaking...

The Middle East Forum is a US based think tank which seeks to promote a stronger American policy in the Middle East. Its stated aims include 'working for Palestinian acceptance of Israel and fighting Islamic extremism in the Middle East'. The website includes information on the aims, membership and recent activities of the group. It includes free access to press releases, blog postings f...

I am very pro-Israel but think that the great misfortune of the Palestinian people is that they have suffered such appallingly inept political leadership down the decades. There could have been a resolution years ago, if only the Palestinian leadership had behaved differently. Basically, Israel wants peace and an end to attempts to blow up its citizens and wipe it from the face of the earth (these...

The US administration is reverting to the idea of indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks after Israel's refusal to extend a moratorium on settlement building on the West Bank