The Middle East peace process is beginning to look like the Theater of the Absurd. Absurdism posits that while meaning may well exist in the universe, human beings are incapable of finding it due to some form of mental limitation. In the Mideast, neither Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu nor the Palestinians' Mahmoud Abbas seems capable of crossing the Rubicon, or embarking on a course of action on which there is no going back.
An Iranian lawmaker dealing with foreign policy said Sunday that Iran will increase its production of nuclear fuel despite a proposed resumption of talks with major powers over its disputed uranium enrichment program.
The Palestinian president warned on Sunday that he would not accept a U.S. proposal for resuming peace talks unless Israel stops building homes for Jews in disputed east Jerusalem.
Israel on Wednesday approved the withdrawal of troops from the northern half of a village that straddles the border with Lebanon — a step that would end its four-year presence in the volatile area.
Israel neared approval of a U.S.-backed settlement freeze, seen as key to the resumption of stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looked to have secured the votes late Wednesday necessary to pass it through his 15-member security Cabinet.
Ireland is talking with other EU governments about how to handle its troubled finances, officials said Monday as the continent's debt crisis plagued markets and policymakers across Europe.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed his Cabinet on Sunday to accept a package of security and diplomatic incentives the U.S. has proposed to entice Israel to renew limits on settlement construction and revive moribund peace talks with the Palestinians, an official said.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced Wednesday that the U.S. would give the Palestinian Authority an additional $150 million in direct aid.
Israel on Tuesday hotly defended its new construction plans for disputed East Jerusalem, insisting it never agreed to halt the building and sharpening a crisis that threatens to derail peace talks.
