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Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Comes to Head in Area C

The manhandling of EU diplomats by Israeli soldiers in the Jordan Valley is evidence of just how sensitive this area is to peace talks.
French diplomat Marion Castaing lays on the ground after Israeli soldiers carried her out of her truck, in the West Bank herding community of Khirbet al-Makhul, in the Jordan Valley September 20, 2013. Israeli soldiers manhandled European diplomats, including Castaing, on Friday and seized the truck full of tents and emergency aid they had been trying to deliver to Palestinians whose homes were demolished earlier this week. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX13S

So long as Palestinian-Israeli negotiations are not producing an agreement, there is at least one area that will continue to be a powder keg: the Jordan Valley.

Actions on the ground in any conflict often reflect points of political disagreement. The US-sponsored negotiations, which are expected to last nine months, appear to have already brought to the surface sharp disagreement over one major issue: Who will eventually gain sovereignty over Area C?

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