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Peace talks could benefit from implementing previous agreements

Advancing negotiations can be greatly assisted by trust-building measures, namely fulfilling older agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres welcomes US Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams prior to their meeting in Jerusalem.  Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres (R) welcomes U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams (L) prior to their meeting in Jerusalem March 23, 2005. A parliamentary committee on Wednesday approved a bill for a referendum on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza later this year, sending the legislation to parliament. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen - RTR5
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The Israeli TV2 investigative program "Uvda" ("Fact"), which aired mid-February, featured Elliot Abrams, the man responsible for the Middle East on the National Security Council during George W. Bush’s administration. During the interview he wondered why US Secretary of State John Kerry is so confident that he will succeed in bringing an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when all his predecessors failed. Does he think he’s more experienced than them, Abrams asked. Is he smarter than everyone?

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon took it several steps further, determining that Kerry was “obsessive” about promoting a diplomatic process that had no chance of getting anywhere.

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