Little hope for Middle East peace talks

The peace talks between Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas due to start on Thursday and mediated by US President Barack Obama have little prospect of success, according to Dagens Nyheter: "Within three weeks the talks could be torpedoed. On September 26, the freeze on the building of new settlements ends and Netanyahu has already announced that he won't extend it. In this case Abbas has said he will break off the negotiations. As long as the Israeli government refuses to make compromises on Jerusalem and the Palestinians don't budge from their demand that the refugees of 1948 be allowed to return, the path to peace will be long and stony. If Netanyahu and Abbas are successful against all expectations, new dangers lie in wait. Hamas, with its one-party rule, opposes Israel and all diplomacy. Israeli extremists could also try to torpedo an agreement. It's a good thing that Obama has forced the two sides to sit down at the negotiating table, but he must apply all the pressure he can to achieve progress. If he is successful within a year, as planned, Obama will have earned his Nobel Peace Prize."

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