It's the same old story....

Some are still talking about the outcome of last week's Annapolis Mid-East meeting in positive terms. More sober observers and experts assess the meeting as not much more than a talk-fest and photo-opportunity.

Yet again, post any sort of meeting between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Israel is already flagging where it stands - well, yes, we did agree to try and get some agreement in place by the end of 2008, but it probably won't happen, etc. etc. It's the same old story. Israel just won't step up to the plate in any real meaningful way. Once again the world has been conned and seemingly is prepared to stay mute, certainly publicly, in criticising Israel for fear of being accused of being anti-semitic or anti-Zionist.
isreal.jpost.com [the Jerusalem Post] in a piece "PM won't commit to Annapolis timetable" reports:

"Five days after pledging in Annapolis to try and wrap up an agreement with the Palestinians by the end of 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told the weekly cabinet meting on Sunday that despite the pledge, there was no Israeli commitment to any timetable.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, US President George W. Bush, and PA President Mahmoud Abbas wave after a trilateral meeting wrapping up the Annapolis conference.

"An effort will be made to hold accelerated negotiations in the hope that it will be possible to conclude them in 2008," Olmert said. "However there is no commitment to a specific timetable regarding these negotiations."

Both Livni and Olmert said that from Israel's point of view, the most important aspect of the understanding was that any future agreement would only be implemented after the Palestinians fulfilled their security requirements under the roadmap. "Israel will not have to carry out any commitment stemming from the agreement before all of the road map commitments are met," Olmert told the cabinet."

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