Mr Abbas is merely continuing the policy of his predesessor, ‘never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity’.

Well a long as Israel contends that Palestine and Palestinians have only existed since 1964? Why should Palestinians recognize them, their ever growing illegal settlements or their ambit claims over Palestinian territory?

A conference and the thief talking to his victim isn't going to change much! Particularly if the thief contends, he has a right to purloin as much of the other guys property as he wants. And is the one with the great big gun!

That said, they should talk and make whatever concessions, however unpalatable, to get the road map back on the table and the requisite two state solution finally settled.

Preferably before a Turkish lead Islamic coalition of the Islamic willing, forces a far less palatable one on them.

Time to stop with the God gave this land to me claims, given there are no divine title deeds nor reliable, authentic, archeologically verifiable proof to back those claims. Therefore they're not worth the title deeds or paper they are written on!

And Britain not able to give what she didn't legally own! Spoils of war rhetoric aside!

Nor can being a descendant from Abraham add any weight, given it also applies equally to the dispossessed Arabs!

Talk, talk, talk, until you have talked the legs off the table! But do it quickly and now!

The ball is well and truly in Israel's court as are the ability to concede concessions. But only if there's a genuine will to end this enduring conflict, while there's still time!
Alan B.

Dear Alan,

«Well a long as Israel contends that Palestine and Palestinians have only existed since 1964?»

But that's a fact: apart from some fickle ideas of eccentric 19th-century scholars, in academic articles which few ever read, the concept of "Palestinians" was invented in 1964 and then it took over a decade to infiltrate the consciousness of the now-so-named local Arabs.

Yet now they are here and we have no right to tell them how to call themselves, foolish as it seems. Had they not fallen for this PLO propaganda, they could have continued to enjoy unprecedented freedom and prosperity as they enjoyed under Israeli occupation between 1967-1976. There were no walls or roadblocks at the time and they (including Gazans) could freely travel to and work in Israel, even enjoy its beaches, while their territory was flooded with Israeli and foreign tourists.

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Never mind the Palestinians, the author ("when no "Israelis" existed until 1948 and no "Palestinians" existed until 1964.") is denying Israel's right to exist independently of "the Jewish people". For him, Israel remains a Jewish colony and must serve the interests of the Jewish people rather than its own good. Fortunately, Israel is a democracy and does not bow to his absurd dictates.

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As for Gaza, despite all goodwill, how is a solution ever possible?
So many people on such a tiny strip of land, which is like a jail.
It is simply hopeless there and so it will remain.

Wow!

If only Trump was as competent & smart as Obama, just imagine what he could achieve.

Obviously when a president has no need, so is not busy feathering his own nest, the sky's the limit.

'Trump gets Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrein, UAE, and Oman talking'
....about what?...how to carve up the cake....who gets and who doesn't