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"Senior Israeli officials have suggested a deal on relaunching Middle East peace talks may be close."We solved the matter of the settlements with the Americans," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Israeli daily Haaretz cites Zapatero. "I cannot say more than that. If you are interested in hearing more details, ask in Washington," Netanyahu added.
Israeli Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor meanwhile told an audience convened today by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy at Lansdowne Virginia that Israel is "very close" to a deal to launch Mideast peace talks, the Jerusalem Post reports.
U.S. officials involved in efforts to try to get negotiations restarted have recently said they are closer than it appears, although they conceded Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' recent domestic political problems have hardened his positions of late, to decline to come to negotiations without an Israeli settlement freeze. One said he thought it was a reasonable expectation that they would get talks relaunched by the end of the year.
Israel may also be making a strategic decision to signal more warmth to the Obama administration, as Israel is increasingly isolated over a recent decision at the UN rights council in Geneva to refer the Goldstone Gaza commission report back to the UN in New York, and Turkish refusal to let Israel participate in a joint military training exercise. The U.S. pulled out of the Turkish training exercise in protest. Obama also called Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Saturday. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erodagan has reportedly been invited to meet with Obama in Washington on October 29th."
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