Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu – notorious right winger - said this weekend that he is ready for immediate peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The latter, on the other hand, already said he sees no reason to accept the invitation.

“I call again on the Palestinian leadership in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank], to the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, let us meet. Let us make peace, diplomatic peace and economic peace,” Netanyahu said.

“There is no reason for Abu Mazen and myself not to meet anywhere in the country,” he added. “Since we are here in Be’er Sheva, I say to him: Let us meet here and begin to advance peace for the benefit of both our peoples.”

Sadly, Abbas believes peace talks to be useless.| MORE ›

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the far-right politician, on Sunday ruled out a Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, saying this would not end the Palestinians – Israel conflict.

“A return to the borders of ’67 today, as we are being pressured to do, would not end the conflict, would not guarantee peace or security,” Lieberman told reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting.| MORE ›

The Haaretz has a fascinating article up about Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. To summarize: he believes that Iran wants to orchestrate a second holocaust by destroy Israel. His foreign policy, then, is aimed at removing the threat Iran poses and, thus, to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Money quote:| MORE ›

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Reporting from Cairo and Jerusalem — U.S. envoy George Mitchell met in Jerusalem today with top Israeli officials to push for what at the moment appears unlikely: substantive talks between a divided Palestinian leadership and the new right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.| MORE ›

The Associated Press thinks so:

During the election campaign, Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed peace talks with the Palestinians, supported expanding West Bank settlements and warned that concessions only embolden Israel’s enemies.| MORE ›

The Labor party led by Defense Minister Ehud Barak has joined the center right coalition currently being formed by Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu. Barak wanted to join the coalition, but several important Labor figures opposed such a move. After an intense debate earlier today, the party voted to join the coalition nonetheless, however.

Although a majority of Laborites voted to join, many (grassroots) opposed the decision vehemently:| MORE ›

By George Friedman

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington for his first official visit with U.S. President Barack Obama. A range of issues — including the future of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Israeli-Syrian talks and Iran policy — are on the table.| MORE ›

Palestinian officials told U.S. envoy George Mitchell to pressure Israel into changing its ways and goals:

Palestinian officials are asking President Barack Obama’s Mideast envoy to push Israel to accept the principle of Palestinian statehood.

Envoy George Mitchell is holding talks Friday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders in the West Bank.| MORE ›

The Jerusalem Post reports:

At the request of the Egyptians, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas decided over the weekend not to ask outgoing Prime Minister Salaam Fayad to form a new government, to avoid closing the door to the establishment of a joint Hamas-Fatah coalition, a senior PA official in Ramallah said Saturday.| MORE ›

Israel’s upcoming Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he will seek a peace agreement with the Palestinians. The comments were clearly aimed at critics who fear the new center-right government will hinder the peace process and take a hardline approach to the Israel-Palestinians problem.

He said he will negotiate with the Palestinian leadership and work with them to improve their economy.| MORE ›

Labor leader Ehud Barak is having a tough time selling a coalition deal with Likud (led by Benyamin Netanyahu) to members of his party. Labor lost the last elections and seemed unlikely to be part of a coalition led by Netanyahu. However, since the Israeli electorate is deeply divided, Netanyahu had no other option than to reach out to people and parties who would rather not do business with.| MORE ›